#i really like this pc pf my friend

[alsomanple]

Did it again

[mybeloved73]

My name is Chelsea and I’m a ITU Nurse.

I’m also a newly qualified nurse - I literally left Uni last year and began my job in the September.

My background - I didn’t always want to be a nurse. I wasn’t cut out for that sort of compassion or care. I dreamt of being a PT, an athlete, anything that was sports driven.

Until my boyfriend had a bike accident, that then left him in ITU. He later succumb to his injuries and passed away. The nurses looking after him, changed my life. Shining light kind of moment - I want to be just like them kind of thing.

Granted it took me 4 years to build up the courage, battling my PTSD, severe depression and anxiety to even apply to uni. But I did it - and Sept 2019 I got my Pin as a registered nurse.

Now, if you 1) think covid19 was made up, a conspiracy or the numbers have been made up as a scare tactic or 2) you actually believe wearing a face covering will cause ‘respiratory arrests’ ‘acidosis’ blah... stop reading. Because this isn’t for you. Or even 3) you have the view of ‘its their job’ - back away from your screen.

You’ve seen in the news about the public sector pay rise? That nurses aren’t included, nor the junior doctors, physio’s etc (I use etc as there are so many people being forgotten in all this and it is used lovingly and not to cause offence)? Honestly, Im so glad that others are being recognised for their input and help during this - the teachers who put in extra work for children of key workers, who sacrificed their home life to entertain little ones every day and try give them the education they need and deserve, to the police, military - anyone receiving this recognition. Honestly you deserve it. And the NHS will not shadow that or take it away from you.

We agree’d to a 3 year pay deal, that had the options of being reconsidered earlier than the final date if there was a change in circumstances. Covid19 should really be considered as a change in circumstances. I mean being told that you’re already ‘unskilled’ and watching people clap to STOP pay rises... was hard enough. But to have everyone else recognised for their vital contributions and lay something that was agreed in 2018 - is inexcusable.

You realise that most nurses didn’t get to see your claps on a Thursday? That’s handover time. And due to covid19 if their handover time was earlier - they were usually late because of how busy it was and still missed it.

I saw one. Because it so happened I had come off of nights the night prior.

So! My life during covid19 starts off with the busiest winter that my hospital has seen in ITU. We have 10 beds. We are funded for 7/8? We had to open an escalation centre that we stole from our day surgery unit to give us a further 3 beds.

Which in itself is hard - looking after seriously sick patients away from your actual designated and designed ward and without the continuous presence of doctors.

That wasn’t enough.

We had to then stole half of the recovery room, which usually houses patients post surgery whilst they wake up.

Going up to 16 patients. Remember - at this point. I’m THREE MONTHS qualified.

Learning is hard, steep, and in-depth. You’re suppose to be trained over the course of a year as a newly qualified, with study days and help from mentors etc. I couldn’t attend some of those days because we didn’t have the staff to look after the most patients our ITU had ever seen.

Now I know ITU is hard. I picked it.

I knew what it entailed, well partly.

I have to maintain my patients artificial airway. They either have a tube in their mouth or in their throat.

They’re then connected to a ventilator.

Every single setting on that machine, every button - changes something drastically.

From the fio2, PEEP, PS, PC, TV, MVE, PEAK, RR, PF ratio, ... one button, one alteration or mistake... literally can stop this person breathing. Cause respiratory distress, arrest.. trauma? anything.

Did you know I have to move that tube in their mouth every hour to stop pressure sores developing in their mouth? And I still have to brush their teeth and give oral care?

I have to suction down their throat and clear their lungs? Or suction their actual mouth for extra secretions?

And record all this data hourly.

To ensure that this patient is comfortable with this tube... I have to medicate this patient.

I have to keep them in an artificial coma.

Titrating the drugs to their optimum levels.

Some are measured mg/hr, mcg/hr, mcg/kg/min..

some have limits on maximum dose per hour you can use.

Some have really severe side effects.

Such as noradrenaline. Which can literally cause your fingers and toes to become necrotic.

I have to monitor someone’s glucose - whether you’re diabetic or not, and correct it if needed with insulin or dextrose.

I have to give diuretics but not allow your body to become too negative, I have to give fluid challenges to ensure you’re not vascular depleted.

I can help your kidneys with the use of a dialysis machine. Literally filter your blood of toxins your body can no longer remove without help of a machine. This requires constant blood tests to ensure that you aren’t collecting dangerous toxins or you need additional support from the machine.

I can use a machine to check your cardiac output and interpret it to make sure that you have enough fluid vs a drug that’ll help squeeze your heart instead.

I can read an ECG and tell if you need additional supplements such as potassium. Do further tests for magnesium, phosphates etc. And deliver those.

I can feed you through a tube down your nose, and ensure you absorb it. But it’s okay I can give you medication to also help that - these require me to do daily ECGs though, and interpret the data of your QTC to make sure it’s not affecting your heart.

Now. If that’s not enough. Covid happens.

Now remember our record was 16 patients?

Try doubling that.

We worked in our ITU,

Escalation centre

Recovery - we took the whole thing.

Next - we took over operating theatres.

3 patients in theatre 6

3 in 5

3 in 4

2 in 3

We stole theatre staff, recovery nurses, ODPS, ward nurses, retired nurses, health visitor nurses, anyone we could relocate to help us.

March - I’m 6 months qualified.

I’m now the most qualified ITU nurse in my theatre.

I have people who have never looked after a ventilated patients before asking me for help. Please don’t silence my alarm if you don’t know why it’s alarming. I know it’s loud and annoying but it’s telling me everything I need to know with enough time before I need to panic.

Now - covid patients weren’t just sick. Weren’t just needing help to breathe. These patients were all sorts of ‘new’. Nothing made sense!

These patients COULDNT be ventilated. We needed to paralyse them to literally be able to take over their breathing properly! No amount of sedation worked! Their lungs were fibrous and acting like elastic under tension.

Side note - if your patient wasn’t sedated enough compared to paralysis - they could be silently awake, but completely paralysed. Knowing everything happening to them. But unable to do anything - not even breathe. Every time you start rocuronium you need to remember that. If you’re withdrawing treatment - TURN THE ROC OFF FIRST. And wait before you do anything else.

Back to it. They were so unstable that you try roll them, which we usually do 4 hourly to prevent pressure sores - they desaturated to numbers so low that you would usually see some hypoxia brain injury after.

We couldn’t roll these patients without risking that. So you know what. You don’t roll.

So we couldn’t protect their skin integrity. You just watch them, and feel guilty.

Nursing school 101 - pressure sores are PREVENTABLE. Roll your patient. Skin care and hygiene is your best friend.

Now covid went against everything a nurse knows and holds dear.

Our ITU never had pressure sores. Until covid. Some had grade 4’s.

Maggot therapy.

Vacuum dressings.

These patients were also clotting, and sending off clots to their kidneys, liver, heart, brain. Covid made your blood super sticky!!!!

People were having strokes whilst being sedated, going from fit to multi organ failure in days. I’m trying to save these people, knowing they could possibly wake up with complete left side paralysis? Never talk again? Never be them again?

Now you know about these past medical histories etc?

You realise what that is?

that it could be Type 2 diabetes?

Hypertension?

That was it for some.

None of this thinking they were super sick, with lists longer than my arm, and that’s why they didn’t make it. No.

Literally things that happen with age. Poor diet? That 120/80 you’re happy you got - THATS PREHYPERTENSION.

I was probably hypertensive the entire time with anxiety.

Did you know We had to use the old anaesthetic ventilators. None of us had used those before. Those big bellows you see in films going up and down rhythmically. Those.

That was scary.

I’m use to a single touch screen button (hello modern technology) to deliver 100% o2 if my patient needs it. This has a switch to a bag, a button, dials to titrate o2 with normal air. And if I didn’t monitor the crystals in the bottom my patient would retain their own co2 and I wouldn’t know why.

New found love for anaesthetists and ODPS - these machines are NOT designed for prolonged use. But they helped us keep our patients alive. By literally guiding us and helping us look after the machines so we could do our job.

Now. All of this is made worse by PPE.

I’m hot.

It’s hot.

And intense and I’m working hard because tonight, I have 3 ventilated patients. By myself.

I have a gown on.

2 sets of gloves

An apron

An FFP3 mask

A hat

A visor

And no air con.

But I’ve got this. I can’t do my hourly checks because I am one person.

My super sick patients now have 2 hourly because it is physically impossible.

Where are the other staff?

Sick.

You’re watching these people struggle to breathe on machines and then being told your close friends at work, your mentors, your seniors are spiking temperatures. Some being admitted to hospital. Some not being able to come back to work for weeks.

Some ending up on your ventilators. It’s okay. I’ve got this.

I’m an ITU nurse right?

CPR wearing that get up. Is TOUGH. 27mins. I cried that day.

We lost 3 patients in 12 hours.

I held the hand of so many people as I turned off their ventilators because their families couldn’t be with them and no one should die alone. No one. I tried my best.. and then once my day had finished, I had to come home to my dad who is immunosuppressed. Who doesn’t understand boundaries. “Kevin stay in the other part of the house!”

*knocks on bedroom door with dinner*.

Proning. What an experience that is. And doing it Daily. The complications of that were scary before you even approach the patient.

So I’m going to flip my patient - who has a tube down their mouth to help breath, who is on medication for sedation, paralysis, to keep their blood pressure up.. from laying on their back - to laying on their front.

Seems easy?

Well it’s not. And requires like 8 people.

8 people.

We don’t have enough people as it is. So we now develop a proning team made up of everyone.

There are consultants, there are experts in their fields, there are physios and then I don’t know who else.

Honestly I couldn’t thank these people enough. More people would have died if we didn’t have a proning team. But now, people spent 23 hours laying on their front. Pressure sores on their faces. Potential of going blind? New complications of not being able to breathe we never expected.

We are finally back into one unit now. I’m still less than a year qualified. And I’m still running on adrenaline expecting this second wave. Those still reading, I know you’re thinking that she picked this job.

She knew what it meant.

And you’re right! Give me those complex drug calculations and ventilators. Oh and the scrubs!

But a pandemic? I didn’t pick that. The world didn’t pick that.

Honestly thank you, to the ward nurses - your lives got flipped upside down.

The physios who became best friends.

Consultants who literally got down and dirty with us.

To the domestics who cleaned furiously for us.

OT’s To literally orientate our patients when they’re waking up like 70 days later.

Every

Single

Person

Who

Helped.

Oh communication team made up of medical students, who updated the families because... I couldn’t. I couldn’t leave my patient. Not like this!

Matron who literally had to facilitate all this, with people who knew nothing about ITU. Being in ITU. Looking after ITU patients. Whilst her own ITU staff were sick, in hospital, or newly qualified, or working to the point they broke.

To the countless companies sending food, goodies, moral support !! Oh my god that was incredible to come to after not having a break for 6+ hours ... mmm... food!!

Did you know they’re offering support for the nurses to stop PTSD, or anxiety or just to help up digest what we saw? Psychological support for just doing your job?

But it’s okay.

We got a deal in 2018 for the pay.

We got clapped thursdays.

We all know that’s not enough, but we will still turn up for work.

We can’t leave our patients.

We can’t strike.

They’ll always mean more to us than pay. And the government knows that. Abuses that.

540 NHS staff lost their life doing ‘just their job’ - today the NHS staff walked through London protesting, to be heard. To be listened to. To be acknowledged. To be paid fair.

Sign the petition for us. Because we aren’t just here for covid. We’re here for life.

https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/316307

And just put your mask on - please - for that hour you go shopping.

I’ve been wearing mine since March 6th. 13+ hour days. Developed a nice grade one on my nose, my friends faces bleeding from using a rubber respirator....

And We’ll be like this for the foreseeable future.

Now that we have the stocks to do so anyways.

Oh and I’m pissed my graduation was cancelled! All that and I don’t get to wear the hat and gown. Bastard virus. (I understand there was more lost but humour me).

Signed, your registered ITU nurse. We will always continue to monitor.

[nero-the-truth-sable]

I have to laugh at this nasty piece of crap. She spreads crap about my friend, and then plays the victim, mind she has always been very good at this, anyone remember that scamming incident early last year, the one where Judy said there had been a miscommunication, and she didn't realise she had broken the agreement, well she played the victim there as well, and basically accused the ACTUAL REAL Victim of setting her up and trying to make her look bad. Yeah because everyone wants to make you look bad, you don’t do it yourself. Judy always plays the victim, shes very good at it, there has been a number of incidents she has caused over the years, and she has always been the one responsible for causing the incident, she then plays the victim and spreads crap about the REAL victim.  so what actually happened, there was an argument between Judy and another player in game and to be honest it was in my opinion her fault as always, she jumped the gun and started being funny to this other player, and this other player told her where to go and called her a scammer. So I will now explain the situation, Judy likes mounts, but she refuses to Mount farm (at least she used to) unless it was set to Loot-Master (there is actually past proof of this on her actual blog where she posts these things about my friend all people have to do is look), This one particular day Judy decided to make her own mount farming party,  and invites us, we accept not knowing that she set it to loot master she said nothing to anyone, we couldn't get the last DPS so Judy puts the party up in party finder, we soon get the last DPS. We went in to the duty and that’s when the random person asked why it was set to Loot-Master, we also were like . . .wait loot master . .so we all left the duty. Well out of the duty Judy kicked off demanding she would get the first mount as she was party leader, and any items the boss would drop again as she was party leader. Now Im going to say me and the other people in the group were not okay with this, and we were not aware she was like this, before we had only farmed 2 mounts with her, and she complained and whined through each one, she was very annoying to be honest, and if I am honest, she was carried through the previous 2. Anyway Judy claimed it was clearly displayed and she had clearly explained to everyone it was loot master, but she didn’t and it was not displayed we didn’t have a clue until we got in there and the random person saw it. But instead of saying sorry, Judy basically insults this other player saying she herself is Chinese and has better reading skills than this person and they them self must be stupid, so in linkshell my friend said to her Judy you should just say sorry and stop this and set it to normal loot roll please,  a number of the group who were in this linkshell agreed with this. Well Judy refused so after say 5 mins the rest of us left, and started a new group and put that up in PF, the random person joined us, and Judy joined us and she carried on bickering with this random person, who was not replying and seemed like they had blocked Judy. We then kicked Judy from the party.  So all of this started over Judy attempting to scam someone in Early September 2019. Judy wont admit to this though, she says it all started in November and December when my friend Freya’s account was inactive.  The second incident was in early October 2019 and was in the linkshell, so Freya and myself were in a PvP group with Judy and 2 of her friends, now it was not a pre made group, we just got unlucky and got matched with them, we were not really on good terms with Judy from the first incident, I mean I dont like people who try and SCAM others, why the heck would anyone.  Well Freya spelt something wrong in the party chat, and immediately Judy and her 2 friends started having a go at Freya, they were literally AFKing at base throwing abuse at her in party chat. Well unlucky I voted to kick Judy, and it passed. Well then Judy probably annoyed because she got kicked started having a go at Freya in the Linkshell that we were all in, and carried on insulting her. Freya has got dyslexia and English is not her first language so yeah she does spell things incorrectly, however I know people who do not have dyslexia and English is their first language and they spell things incorrectly, and in Judys case, I mean has anyone seen her take on English, I mean the above screen shots are traumatic enough its broken English at the best, I mean really no reason on this earth for Judy to actually have a go at someone for their English. The funniest thing was Freya didn't sit there and put up with it, Freya told Judy, which Judy didn't like, and then proceeded to kick Judy from the linkshell, it was so nice and peaceful with out the constant shrill tone of that bitches complaining, because let me tell you she complained about everything. I seriously think she has a queen complex.  So the next thing Judy claims is that we deleted our discord, we didn't we kicked her from it, because she was harassing people on it, we only invited her in the first place because she was a friend of one of the people we farmed mounts with. So harassment wise she contacted the daughter of one of our mount farming members and showed the daughter some stuff Judy claimed had been said by the daughters father to Judy over discord. . .I will use the word fake because these discord conversations had the other persons name blocked out, you could not see who the other person was everything had been blocked out. Basically Judy was trying to make a father look bad in front of his daughter by sending her altered screen shots. So we kicked her, she actually mentions her version of events in her blog posts, she says  “ I was suddenly pulled into the conversation team by them in discord. I didn't say anything before and thought I was worried. Fear of a fart, I had expected that you would come to play the big dragon and the phoenix. I was not surprised, and he also added the shrew to that group of conversations and Just say I design traps, I am a bad guy or something. I told my father and daughter that I left because I chose it because I had read what they said. As for which shrew finally said his desire to destroy my reputation, I will say on the spot that you continue to roar. I don't care anyway, all the so-called evidence that passes through your hand is the conversation you ps.”  (PS=Photoshop) so This blog was posted on  28/10/2019, I want to point out now that no one else seemed to know about any Photo Shopped images at this point the first mention of these from the other involved people like Yuri Fairytale comes in late November early December, So my question here is why does Judy mention Photo Shopped images, how does Judy someone who claims she is on the PS4 know these images are photo shopped when no one else even knows they exist until late November early December 2019, Yuri didn't know until November 30th so how did Judy know a month before everyone else ??? I think it is because Judy made these photos herself, she certainly made / altered the discord screen shots she sent to the daughter, i also know Judy is not using a PS4 all the time, Judy did start out playing on the PS4, but she bought copies for the PC, when she had a better PC, I know for a fact 1 persons account can be multi platform, I have had 2 different friends who have started with PS4 accounts and then gone on to the PC, it is an actual thing. So saying her account is PS4 doesn't mean shes still playing on the PS4, it means she originally started on the PS4.  Also going to point out Judy mentions Yuri and herself looked at these screen shots they claim are fake, Judy actually says they (Judy and Yuri) EXAMINED them closely personally I think this is very suspicious, I mean why would you need to examine something so closely, especially when you claim like Yuri does and has in the past, he has no idea when it comes to things like discord. Very Strange Judy also mentions she has access to a discord account which she calls the FAKE discord account and says she checks it and in fact has access to it, Is that the account that’s been pretending to be my friend seems like it Judy says it is anyway, and the only way Judy would have access to this FAKE account is if she was the one who made it.  I will say myself and my friend have involved discord, they have been very decent and have provided my friend with proof that her account was not active during the months of November and December. I mean I understand people may not be interested now, but people should be interested in the truth, these idiots from the lich congress for no reason set out on a witch hunt against my friend, and to a point myself, and a few of our other friends. They have spread lies about us for no reason, and we are not the first people this lich congress has done this to. They are idiots, they are people who love drama and thrive on it, so much so that they make it up themselves. 

[arplis]

Arplis - News: New Yorkers share their ‘silver linings’ during these tough times

Photo by Rehan Syed on Unsplash Times are tough in New York, but New Yorkers are even tougher. Though we’re facing a lot of challenges right now, one way to get through it is to try to find a “silver lining.” Here at 6sqft, we thought all of us in NYC could use some positivity, so we asked our fellow New Yorkers to share their personal silver linings. From 3D printing face masks to spending more time with family to stepping it up in the kitchen to witnessing communities coming together, here are some of the things that are providing some light in these dark times. Helping hands Bjarke Ingels, Founder and Creative Director, BIG: One thing that we find intriguing out of this situation is the idea of distributed just-in-time manufacturing capabilities. In response to the acute and escalating need for PPE here in New York City, we had the possibility to mobilize our 3D printing and modelmaking capabilities to make nearly 5,000 face masks per week for the medical forces on the front lines at Mount Sinai Hospital and Weill Cornell Medicine. Just like computers went from business machines to PC’s to handheld devices – the internet went from institutional to businesses and internet cafes to cable and wireless – and perhaps manufacturing is in the process to move from purpose-built factories to general capabilities and eventually to the maker hub on the block or the PF Personal Fabricator. Out of the massive urgency and shortcomings of the traditional provisions and supply chain during the COVID-19 outbreak, the silver lining here is perhaps in revealing the flexible making capacity that resides in so many places you don’t normally associate with the manufacturing industry, like architecture and design studios. Our BIG NYC Model Shop has been spearheading our 3D printing efforts these past days, adapting the open-source face shield design by Erik Cederberg of 3DVerkstan to be optimized for high-volume print production. As with distributed computing, perhaps distributed manufacturing has potentials we haven’t even thought of yet. The cloud of the material world – that allows instant and omnipresent translation from data to matter. [You can download the public 3D print files here] Amanda Davis, Project Manager, NYC LGBT Historic Sites Project: I’m really thankful that I’ve been able to turn my love of sewing into a way to help others during this pandemic. I’ve been sewing masks and surgical gowns for the medical community, as well as masks for my family. It’s one way of staying connected to people as I stay inside, with the added benefit of keeping my mind active and focused! Scott Wiener, founder of Scott’s Pizza Tours and Slice Out Hunger: I’m definitely exploring some things I’d never thought about in terms of reaching people via scheduled live video and things like that. Through the Pizza vs. Pandemic campaign, I’ve definitely seen that people are not interested in sitting back thinking they’re useless they are stepping up and doing their part to help from home! Photographers James and Karla Murray: We have been documenting small, independently-owned businesses in NYC for well over 25 years, trying to help raise awareness of their necessity as they truly are the lifeblood of the various neighborhoods of New York City. We are proud to say that during the current state of emergency, many small businesses, including East Village Pizza and Sauce Pizzeria in our own neighborhood of the East Village, have stepped up to help support local hospital workers who are working overtime battling COVID-19 by donating free pizza to them. These pizzerias are asking the public to donate pies in their name and they will match every donation with an additional pie. We can’t think of a better way of New Yorkers coming together during this difficult time. Adam Henick, Co-Founder Current Real Estate Advisors: There are so many ways to help right now and my team is sharing how people can make a difference, such as through contributions to organizations like Invisible Hands, donating blood, or simply ordering from your favorite local restaurants and buying gift cards to support small business. Jordan Brill, Partner, Magnum Real Estate Group: It’s beautiful and uplifting to watch so many people from many diverse backgrounds and life circumstances band together and offer help in any way they can… the 7pm collective cheer for our healthcare workers gives me goosebumps. It’s emblematic of the heart and soul of this great city and proof that even a crisis of this magnitude won’t kill our spirit. We have seen our residents collect PRP equipment, provide meals for building staff, raise money for local establishments like the Taste of Tribeca Community Fund, and volunteer their time delivering groceries to those who are at high risk. Coming together Melissa Mark-Viverito, former NYC Council Speaker and current congressional candidate: COVID-19 has exposed what thousands of Bronxites already knew – we live in a country where systemic oppression made us vulnerable far before the coronavirus outbreak even happened. The silver lining here is that in exposing this reality, we are given the opportunity to push for change that will create a more just and equitable society. We must seize this moment to finally pass Healthcare for All, a Green New Deal, and a Homes Guarantee. Roger Clark, NY1 news reporter: I think the city as a whole has come together and realized there are a lot of our fellow New Yorkers we take for granted, essential workers who can’t do their jobs remotely and are putting their lives on the line to take care of us during this pandemic. Jessica Lappin, President, Alliance for Downtown New York: The last few weeks have certainly been difficult, yet we’ve really witnessed the resilience of Lower Manhattan. As a community, Downtowners have lived through our share of tragedies and crises, and every time I’m astounded by how quickly people in the neighborhood step up, come together and find new ways to support one another. This week alone we’ve seen firefighters applauding health-care workers, restaurants donating food, and individuals delivering goods for their most vulnerable neighbors. My silver lining is to see so clearly that we’re part of such a strong community, one that knows that we are all in this together. Elaine Masci, real estate agent with Halstead: As a real estate agent who grew up in Manhattan, I’m very well aware of the horrific living conditions many New Yorkers are subjected to. I believe that this virus has brought to the public’s attention the dangerous realities people who live in public housing face daily. I can only hope that this pandemic forces Albany and the Mayor’s hand to finally make fundamental changes in how these buildings are managed by holding NYCHA officials accountable for their inaction. Elizabeth Goldstein, President, The Municipal Art Society of New York: I live on one of the streets that was closed to traffic… On Sunday morning, it connected with the local farmers market, stretched out way beyond normal to put great distance between the vendors and to set up orderly lines. I feel so delighted to see the vendors I, and my neighbors, rely on and to hear they are alright. These are not friends, per se, but my regular interactions make them a part of my world and I worry for them. How is the economy treating them? Are their families okay? And like many of us, this quiet, what should be a normal transaction, suddenly takes on new meaning. It connects me even more tightly to this web of people and their businesses and their bravery for bringing me food every week, despite the changed life we are all living. More time with loved ones Eliza Blank, CEO and founder of The Sill: My personal silver lining is more time with my family. Since we started working from home, I’ve been able to spend time with my daughter throughout the day, instead of just in the mornings and evenings. It’s been such a treat to have lunch together and go on walks. I’ve already had to buy her new pants since we started staying at home because she’s grown so tall — what a wild way to track the time! Nick Gray, founder of Museum Hack: They say pray for the couples who have never lived together before. Well, we’re doing OK. My girlfriend is a second-grade special education teacher. I work remotely, and her classes are now online. We’ve never lived or worked together before. This experience has brought us closer together. I know that we’ll come out of it stronger as a couple with a better understanding of each other. Dana Rubinstein, senior reporter at Politico: Unlike the nurses and doctors and grocery store workers and train conductors and delivery workers and funeral directors putting themselves in actual danger every day to help New York City through this mind-boggling crisis, I have the distinct, unearned privilege of being able to work from home. That comes with guilt, but it also comes with a bounty of silver linings, primary among them the time I get to spend with my three-year-old daughter and husband that I would have otherwise spent in the office, or commuting. My cooking skills have improved dramatically, too. Granted, they had nowhere to go but up. Elana Friedman, Chief Marketing Officer, AKA Hotel Residences:  For me, the silver lining is spending more time with my kids and husband. When my kids were younger, my husband would make these outrageous breakfast dishes for them, which he has been able to start doing again with being home. We call it Daddy’s Diner! I believe we will come out of this with an appreciation and understanding for each family member’s “whole person,” and that this will be a moment in time that families and communities will always share. Michelle Young, founder of Untapped New York: On a personal level, spending more time with my 2.5-year-old daughter Charlotte has been amazing (and challenging, of course). We laugh a lot, have meltdowns, and laugh some more. I get to see her grow and learn new things every day in a much more intimate way, and the time I get to spend with her feels like a blessing in this strange and unprecedented time. I’ve also been playing cello and recording pieces to post on social media, making use of the musical training I had as a child at Juilliard! I have daily Facetime calls with my parents and my 90-year-old grandmother who are hunkering down on Long Island (although my dad still works as a doctor out at the Stony Brook-area hospitals, which has its risks). I’ve caught up with friends I hadn’t spoken to in a while, and I’m seeing heroic work by friends who work in the medical field. My close friend group of about 20 people does a weekly Sunday brunch over Google Hangout and text messages fly between us all day long. Andrew Berman, Executive Director, Village Preservation: I appreciate how much less crowded streets around Times Square are, which can sometimes be intolerably packed with people. Working from home and seeing more of my partner, who is of course now also working from home, is also a wonderful upside. Having plenty of time to binge watch TV shows and movies I have always wanted to see is an advantage, though I fear I may run out of those soon. Warren Webster, CEO, Atlas Obscura: Self-isolating in New York City isn’t easy. Isolation flies in the face of many of the reasons we all live here. But there are silver linings. Despite not seeing each other in person, many of my most important, life-long relationships with friends and family have actually grown stronger. We’re making an effort to talk or FaceTime and we value each others’ virtual company. I’m also reacquainting myself with my kitchen — with mixed results! Zack Elias, Rental Manager at DJK Residential: I am enjoying spending time with my wife and daughter, and my colleagues and I are keeping in touch throughout the day by sending funny, positive messages to help keep our spirits high. That is important through all of this. Also, the morning coffee is just better at home. Adam Meshberg, Founder and Principal of Meshberg Group:  This time has allowed my wife and me to parent mindfully, and the kids have developed a higher level of respect, while we’ve gained a level of control, which oftentimes isn’t there as working parents. Normally, because our time is limited when we’re with them, we give them what they want. We’ve had the chance to play teacher, friend while disciplining and teaching them even the simple acts of kindness this world needs. Gabe Hernandez, principal at Design Republic: A considerable silver lining I found in my personal life is reconnecting with my older siblings. We were never close for various reasons. Partly because of our age difference, and growing up relatively poor with parents who did their best in providing great family values but because of their multiple responsibilities could not teach my siblings to behave appropriately in our early years. Long story short, I was not close with them for many years; because of COVID I have felt the need to set aside our differences and reconnect because each day is too fragile and we are all vulnerable to this pandemic. We are setting aside our differences and actually want to reengage. Taking time for ourselves Jean Brownhill, founder of Sweeten: In the past few weeks, I’ve been cooking for myself more than I ever have in my life. If there was a silver lining to this “stay-at-home” time is that I’ve gotten over whatever fear I had about cooking. My new favorite search term is “What’s the replacement for XX?” I’m totally not precious about it anymore. No ricotta cheese while planning to make lasagne? No problem, farmers cheese works too. Life is precious, cooking isn’t. After this is all over, I know I’ll carry this attitude forward with me, and I’m thankful for that. David West, Founding Partner of Hill West Architects: Before the pandemic, my basement flooded, forcing us to gut the room. My very personal silver lining is that I’m able to use my craft—architecture—to rebuild the cellar any way that I want. For me, that’s building out a personal wine cellar. I’m grateful that I get to spend the time that I would have otherwise been commuting on a project that combines two of my passions, architecture and wine. Now, I’ll get to enjoy the finished project much sooner than I otherwise would have (although if this lasts much longer, I may not have much wine left to stock it!). Greg Young, co-founder of The Bowery Boys: I live between a couple industrial areas of Brooklyn, places that are rather drab and uninteresting compared to the thousands of other truly amazing streets in New York City. During our shelter-in-place moment here, I’ve taken daily walks to clear my head, get some exercise, and walk my dog. These industrial areas have actually been ideal places for walks and I can stay away from possibly busier thoroughfares at this time. Some days I never see another person. And in walking these industrial blocks, I’ve realized that they aren’t uninteresting at ALL. In fact, a routine block of two-story warehouses can sometimes give you an interesting view of New York City history — whether a converted older structure or even older signage that has survived over the year. You can also find places where urban life meets up with nature. In Red Hook, I saw a family of raccoons under a rusted old truck in an empty lot! I know not all of us live by streets that are vacant. (Believe me, I’ve never considered this “fortunate” until now!) But I suspect if you plan your route, you can find less crowded streets if you want to get some open air. And if you do, DON’T RUSH! Appreciate the architecture and how the city has developed in your neighborhood. When we all get past this thing together, you might find that you appreciate the place where you live even more. Paul Massey, CEO, B6 Real Estate Advisors: My personal silver lining, aside from spending great time with my grown children who are all here with us, is that I’ve been able to focus on exercising (running and boxing) in a more disciplined and enjoyable way. New business outlooks  Mark Stumer, Founding Principal of Mojo Stumer: I have seen during this period how precious the human experience is, especially with my staff, and just how important the interaction of us working together as a team truly is. I miss my staff just walking into my office and those wonderful interruptions. I will never again complain that I have no privacy in my office! Michelle Young, founder of Untapped New York: As for my work as the founder of Untapped New York, my husband who is the CEO and I are learning how to adapt quickly while working only half days each. In just a few weeks, I brushed up on video editing and learned how to record and edit podcasts as part of the virtual experiences we’ve added to our membership program, Untapped New York Insiders. The challenges brought forth by coronavirus for our business also provided opportunities to do the initiatives that have long been on our to-do list, so in a way, I feel that I have achieved things despite being unable to explore New York City in the ways that I used to. Andrew Berman, Executive Director, Village Preservation: As non-essential construction and the land use review process in New York has been placed on pause, I’ve been able to spend more of my work time on research and writing, which is always deeply satisfying.  I’m finally becoming well-versed in Zoom and hope that in the future more meetings will be done that way, saving us all time and money and cutting down on our carbon footprint from travel. That so much less fossil fuel is being used during this time is also an upside to the current terrible situation. Tom Cooper, real estate agent at Compass: The biggest personal silver lining for me was being able to get a board interview and closing done via FaceTime and electronic document submission. The closing would have been impossible without the assertiveness and creativity of Richard Barentblatt of Guardhill Financial (he handled the mortgage for my buyers) and the Law Offices of Sam Eber, which represented my buyers in their purchase. It was proven that the often time-consuming and frequently logistically difficult consummation of a transaction can be done in a more streamlined, efficient way than the cumbersome way NYC transactions have happened up until now. I hope this streamlined approach continues far beyond the end of the Coronavirus crisis, now that it’s been proven it can be done. Josh Schuster, Managing Principal of Silverback Development: Having been displaced from our office and routines it quickly became apparent that our team was galvanized by the need to work together to create not only a remote office, but to move our projects forward with as little disruption as possible. These circumstances have led us to recognize and empathize with each team member in a manner that typically gets checked at the proverbial “office door” under normal circumstances.  It has made us more sensitive to each other as people and, in some ways, forced us to be more efficient, and better communicators. #CityLiving #People #Features

Arplis - News source https://arplis.com/blogs/news/new-yorkers-share-their-silver-linings-during-these-tough-times

[worldsabound]

This is me getting what I deserve, but I don’t get an opportunity to go into stuff this much. Of course, first I need to list characters to talk about.

Minwa - Half-Orc Barbarian Mercenary Stella - Gnome Bard / Oracle of Bones Magdalin Tenderthorn - Human Ranger Zith - Changeling Rogue Black Dulheart - Worldwalker Samantha Hodges - Host of Autumn Theresa W. - Host of Spring Thok - Orc Friend

L. For the Writer/Owner

How have your characters changed since you created them?

Minwa - Not much. I only got to use her as my PF character for a few months, most of a semester. Although she did murder another PC and suffered no repercussions.

Stella - Not much. She was used for pickup games of a modular campaign a friend came up with. Biggest change was that she added more undead to her posse.

Magdalin Tenderthorn - A bit. Since I knew the campaign she was a PC in, I wanted to have her in a more support-ish role. I wanted to play her as a quiet badass, but she evolved into a sassy murder-hobo, often exchanging witty banter with the barbarian.

Zith - Not at all. They were used for maybe a month or two, but I had plans for them to constantly be changing their identity throughout the campaign. I guess they did change in that they lost all of their confidence to be effective in combat (this was 4e DnD)

Black Dulheart - A lot. He started as this nebulous figure I came up with who secretly averted real-world tragedies like 9/11, whisking all of the passengers away to Somewhere Else. When I started participating in online groups more that needed OCs, he evolved into my ‘mary-sue,’ a charismatic, powerful person who had almost unlimited resources at his disposal. 

Samantha Hodges - A lot. I first ‘created’ her in a dream when she happened to be what form my persona took (and I liked her design so much I kept her). In that dream she was hanging out drinking with a crew of vikings. Now she hosts a primal force of the Universe and has to wander different worlds and dimensions to ensure that the balance is maintained. Unfortunately, the power she was saddled with tends to involve things dying- The Avatar of Autumn represents the dying season, when things prepare to sleep and the green fades from the world. Before becoming a Host, she was (and still is) someone with family issues and depression, who tries to not care by smoking or drinking.

Theresa W. - A lot. I can’t remember how I first came up with her design, but it definitely involved the thoughts ‘small angry skater punk girl from a dystopian future.’ She’s really come into her own though, especially after telling me that she was trans. That explained A TON about how she interacted with the world she came from.

Thok - Thok began as a joke reference character from something that I have forgotten. His name, as he says, “Come from sound Thok head make when dropped as baby.” Not having the same ferocious disposition as his fellow orc babies (but being strong enough to fend off attempts to kill him), Thok’s tribe left him for dead in the woods. They tossed him, actually. He would have died if he hadn’t been stumbled upon by a halfling couple who were retiring from their adventuring careers. The two raised him as their own, and he thinks of himself as a ‘tall halfling’ (they even officially adopted him, so he is legally a halfling). While I never got to use Thok (yet), he has the potential to become a world-renown philosopher (”What *is* Thok? Hmmm. Thok is... Thok.”) and heir to the mighty elven kingdom (through many bastard children).

What do you consider the biggest themes in your character, if any?

Minwa - Violence without mercy

Stella - Nauseating optimism

Magdalin Tenderthorn - Righteous fury, Friendship

Zith - Identity

Black Dulheart - Fun

Samantha Hodges - Found family, Dealing with loss

Theresa W. - Fighting injustice, Dysphoria

Thok - Fierce loyalty, Strength 

Did you create the character to be like yourself, did they end up being like yourself, or are they very different from you?

Minwa - Very different. She follows the money without question; you pay her, and she will act without remorse.

Stella - A little like me? Stella likes to see things a little crooked, but she is far more charismatic and optimistic than I am

Magdalin Tenderthorn - Pretty different. I didn’t design her to have much personality since I’d read the campaign books, and I didn’t want to be metagaming by having her take charge of things.

Zith - Very similar. They’re genderfluid, like I am, and they have a power I wish I had. Plus they like to listen to other people go on about things.

Black Dulheart - Similar. He embodies my passion and desire to make the world a better place. Of course, being my OP OC, he can perform feats of power far beyond anything actually possible.

Samantha Hodges - Similar. She did spawn from one of my dreams, and I think she has an aesthetic I wish I had (dark, creepy, with bits of fun because why the fuck not). Sam is much taller than me, tho. And smokes cigarettes. Blech. Whenever I write her I just think about what I would do in that situation.

Theresa W. - Mixed. Theresa is a character where I can understand exactly where she is coming from, but I do not agree with how she approaches the world. She kind of scares me sometimes. But then I see her in pain and lonely, and know all too well what that feels like. Of these characters, she’s the one I designed to be different, but ended up similar.

Thok - Different. Thok is... well, Thok. He is willing to throw himself into danger to save a friend or stranger, and I would like to think that I have that capacity as well. However, he is an orc barbarian, and I am a squishy commoner. He also has the luxury of not needing to think about consequences; he doesn’t have the brainpower for that sort of thing

Would you hang out with your OC if you could?

Depends on what hanging out means. All of them can be cordial when in a peaceful setting, and I would like to speak with them and learn about them if that was possible. Minwa and Magdalin would probably unnerve me, though.

Which OC do you think is the most decent morally or behaviorally?  AKA, which is supposed to a “good guy”?

Thok is the paragon of everything that is good and decent in the world.

Black also, but he’s more lawful and understands that there is a grey side to many things.

Stella is also ‘good,’ but she uses unconventional means (necromancy) to further her goals.

Which OC do you think is the worst morally or behaviorally? AKA, which is supposed to be a “bad guy”?

Minwa. She will do anything as long as you pay her well enough. There are some things that she ‘can’t’ be paid to do cuz she would charge infinity money, but still.

Theresa. Not that she is evil, but she has a grudge against the world and is out to make the world pay up for wronging her.

Which OC do you think is the most attractive?

Zith, cuz they’re a shapeshifter.

What’s the longest you’ve had an OC for?

I first came up with Black Dulheart in 2001, so 16 years almost

How did you come up with your OC?

Minwa - Pathfinder; wanted to make the strongest, scariest barbarian girl I could

Stella - Pathfinder; wanted to do something really silly and have a posse of undead so I could take ALL OF THE TURNS

Magdalin Tenderthorn - Pathfinder; wanted to make a badass crossbow ranger

Zith - Dnd 4e; I hadn’t figured out I was genderfluid yet, so I guess they were going to be my first attempt at expressing myself. Also wanted to be a sneaky rogue

Black Dulheart - Imaginary; See question 1

Samantha Hodges - Dream; got to drink with vikings inside their giant whale-ship

Theresa W. - Worldbuilding; after I figured out where Samantha came from, I made Theresa next to have more characters in that world

Thok - Joke; I can’t remember where I heard the thing that made me come up with his name and name origin, but I just had to make him a character sheet after that

Ah shit! I forgot about Alejandro Velasquez, Driver Extraordinaire(tm)! Oh well.

[lostborderline]

Week Overview

This week has been relatively good to me honestly. I’ve probably had more good than bad happen. Even if I did stress out pretty bad sometimes. I’m going to start chronologically as much as possible. 

Friday: In the morning I was about to go to Target, and thought my boyfriend wanted to come because we always grocery shop together but he didn’t so I went alone. Which is fine, I enjoy shopping alone because I can take my time. While sitting in the parking lot, someone who lived in one of the buildings asked me for a ride to Stop and Shop so she didn’t have to take the bus. She is a very nice, old black woman and I’ve met her previously. I agreed to take her and we talked along the way. I suppose this was my good deed for the day. After I got paid, I ordered HTV sheets online for my shirts and it was a relatively good price and they were apparently way better quality than the ones I was using. I also ordered some skincare products from Elf because they’re products are not only amazing, but affordable too. It was only $15 for 5 products and I figured I needed some actual products and I want to care for myself more. I hung out with my cousin today as well, we went to BAM and I got a deck of Oracle cards and a set of citrine crystal earrings which are beautiful. We headed back to my grandma’s house and sat outside with my aunt, grandma, uncle, and cousin. My aunt mentioned that I should buy some crystals to go along with the deck of cards and suggested a place I completely forgot existed, Pandora’s Box. I took my cousin up there with me to Norwich and purchased selenite, black tourmaline, and black onyx as well as a mini satchel, and a depression aid kit. 

Sunday: I decided to make a mini jar of prosperity oil as I watched a video of someone else making one. I decided to make it my own because everyone has different ingredients. It is supposed to attract money and success into your life. The ingredients I added were: mint (money, prosperity), basil (money, success), cinnamon (prosperity, good luck, energy), sesame oil (creativity, passion, money, success), patchouli essential oil (money, wealth, prosperity, material goods), sugar (fast acting agent). It was recommended to leave the oil to sit for two weeks so it can absorb all the herbs within the oil. I also went to Walmart and bought a nice lamp and a daylight bulb so that I can do my makeup in my room without the shitty lighting. When I tested it out, it was amazing and I was obsessed. It is amazing for photos as well as doing makeup. Later on this day, I organized my desk area to accommodate space for my makeup, shop items, school items, and machinery. It felt really good to do this.

Monday: Today marked the start of my weeklong Summer break before going back August 31st. I also slept the whole day because I was really tired. When I woke up, I went to Walmart and bought a nice wok for only $6. It’s 14 inches and I made vegetable fried rice with it, it is a dream to cook on. 

Tuesday: Today my HTV sheets arrived. After work I went to Walmart and got a nice clothing rack to hang my products on, it was only $9 and was easy to assemble. I also assembled it myself while my boyfriend went out and did whatever. I also bought 6 shirts, 3 med, and 3 large. I tested out the HTV by printing one of my popular designs onto it and applying it with the heat press. It was a hot peel unlike my other transfer sheets which were cold peel. There was a definite quality difference and it was easy to use. I was very scared to peel it because I messed up every time before. At first, there was some product coming off but I put it back down and put the heat press on it again. Eventually it came out nice and it is currently hanging on the rack waiting to be sold. I started my bullet journal today with the one I bought a few weeks ago when I noticed my current notebook getting filled up. It’s initial intention was to be exactly like my current notebook, but then I decided I wanted to make it a bullet journal and (actually use it this time) and make it look really pretty. As always, if I don’t “vibe” with a journal or a notebook, I tend to not use it or want to use it. It originally was very plain blue with a quote on it. I felt that I would not vibe with this so I added some personalization to it with stickers I had and even added one of my own. Finally putting a use to all the unused stickers I have (that are not mine). I did also make some sticker designs because I’ve been putting it off. I made 3 sticker designs. I thought they turned out really nice. However, when I printed them, they didn’t have a nice quality. It was solely due to the fact of how I was creating them (my art software that does not have transparency, which is essential for sticker making). I attempted to use scissors to get rid of the nasty border and used an exacto knife for the insides, and I accidentally cut myself on it, so great. 

Wednesday: Today was a pretty good day actually. At work, things went smoothly. I was the order taker, and normally it feels like the shift goes by forever but it wasn’t that bad this time. I was the one in charge so I made sure everything was done for the next shift and that everything went by smoothly and answered any phone calls and whatever. Later on this day, I was fed up with my designs not being the best quality that it can be. I decided to check out the Apple website because I love seeing their products, they’re so nice and smooth. I ended up applying for an Apple Card (which before I was denied 3 times), I actually got approved this time which is amazing! So, due to that, I was able to finance a brand new iPad Air 2019 and the first gen Apple Pencil. It is only $47 a month for both so it really is not bad at all. I am planning on canceling my gym membership, because I don’t even go, and honestly I feel I am content with my body right now and I don’t need a gym to get exercise. I still have yet to come into PF to cancel because you can’t do it over the phone. To make things better, before purchasing, I did do all the math to make sure I was financially stable especially for the upcoming weeks because I have bills due on the second week of September. I made a plan to save all my change to deposit into my account and to limit eating out to only once a week. (it shouldn’t be that hard). As of right now, my bills in tips that I make I will be depositing into my joint account to help pay for groceries because we are a little behind. I also consulted my friend Rheanna about the iPad because she has one for her shop. She has a different version but she says it is absolutely worth it and that I should definitely do it. So, in conclusion, it is a great investment for my business. Also, I would be using it for more than just that. I would be taking notes for school, grocery shopping lists, calculator as well (because with wearing face masks in the store, it makes Face ID unusable so it is a hassle to open the calculator, and the iPad I got has Touch ID instead) and much more. It is portable so I can draw anywhere literally. With my laptop PC and graphic tablet I can’t do that. I am actually very glad I got this and my pencil is supposed to arrive Thursday while it will take the iPad 2-3 weeks to arrive unfortunately. 

Thursday: Today, I was actually at work on time. Work went pretty smooth and I got everything done, there was no yelling at all or complaints. My coworker invited me to his upcoming event where people can be vendors and sell their shirts and other products. Showcase their shops kind of. He said he is planning on getting the permit to host the event in New London (which is the perfect place). Originally he said it would be a cash only event, but I suggested that a lot of people only carry card, like myself. I suggested that we accept Cashapp, PayPal and even get those tiny Square card reader things that plug into your phone. I also gave some more ideas. He said he would be having food catered to the event and I suggested that the vendors should also make homemade food to bring to cut costs on the event, as it will be free to get in. I suggested that when the advertisement begins, that I would help advertise as I have a big following on Facebook and I even said I would create a banner with a piece of every vendor’s art to show potential guests what they are in for. Eventually he asked me to help with the event, to which I said yes. I actually am very excited for this as it will be good business for everyone. 

[texanpeanut]

End of Training Thoughts

As you guessed, another email update. I wrote this one toward the very end of training when I was a little ball of anxiety. Meow. 

December 6, 2017:

Hello hello hello, There are a few things I can't believe: first, that I haven't send an update in over a month, second, that because a month has passed means I'm incredibly close to swearing in and becoming a Peace Corps Volunteer, and third, that it's winter in the states. Today it was 100 degrees in Thies. The continually hot weather makes me think this is just an extension of summer vacation, and the Christmas decorations put up around the hotels and bars meant for Western travelers and the few Catholics in Senegal seem comical. Anyway, even though a lot of time has passed, not many activities have happened, except for during the past 10 days or so. After I returned from my FOT visit, I had a few days at the training center before going back to my CBT family for a three week long visit. To be completely honest, not much happened, except for a lot of running (I was proud of myself for going every single morning, and sometimes twice a day with one of my site mates), bread eating, walking around at the market, and learning a heck-ton of Pulla Fuuta. One exceptional day was when all of the trainees in my site got to go to a nearby touristy town of Mbour and visit the BEACH! "Beach" in PF is "takko mayo" which literally translates to "next to ocean". We did do some learning that day about the Muslim brotherhoods in Senegal. There are four main brotherhoods: the Khadre, the Mouride, the Tijane, and the Lamp Fall. From what I understand, the concept of brotherhoods originated in Morocco and made it's way to Senegal a couple hundred years ago. Each brotherhood has a different leader and members of the brotherhood choose to listen to their interpretations of the Quran, and the brotherhoods each have a certain amount of influence over Senegalese politics and some industries like public transportation. If you were to come to Senegal, you would not be able to ignore the brotherhoods. There are visual references to the brotherhood founders everywhere - on every boutique, on every house, and on every sept-plas. After about an hour or so of class, we got to swim in the Atlantic and wear semi-revealing clothing for a change. At that point in time I had been wearing only pants, long skirts/dresses, and full shoulder covering tops for six weeks or so, so to wear a pair of nike running shorts and sports bra in public felt almost like public nudity. We also went out for lunch that day, and it felt really good to eat a meal of just chicken and vegetables - no rice or bread to be seen. Thanksgiving also happened while I was at site! It ended up being a nice day, even in the absence of a TV to watch the Macy's Day Parade. I called my "real" family in America in the afternoon and had my mom and sister greet my host-mom and host-sister in Pullo Fuuta. It was pretty awkward to listen to as a third-party but I could tell it was appreciated on both sides. That evening we all also went out to a restaurant together. It was a typical Senegalese "fast food" restaurant with chicken sandwiches, burgers, shawarma, etc., but it felt special because their seating area was an open air spot on the second story. Even all the way in Senegal there were lots of family connections - with my American family, my Senegalese family, and my Peace CorpsTrainee family. I ended up really enjoying three weeks with my host family. It was the longest I've gone without internet access for a while, and it was incredibly refreshing. I felt like my language skills really improved, I became really close with my CBT site mates, got a lot of reading and crossword puzzles done, and just became more in touch with my thoughts and actions as cheesy as that sounds. I'm looking forward to being without regular internet access at my permanent site as well. Thanksgiving ALSO happened AGAIN when I got back to the training center after the end of the three weeks. We celebrated as a group on the Sunday after the holiday by each cooking a dish of our choice. We had fried chicken, stuffing, green bean casserole, homemade egg noodles, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, roasted vegetables, apple pie, and yours truly single-handedly whipped up a lentil loaf (not using any sort of recipe) for the vegetarians. It was all SO GOOD and I ate SO MUCH of it and it was overall an AMAZING evening. Yay. I apologize for the stream-of-consciousness style of writing in this email. As time passes here, I find it harder and harder to keep days and my memories about them organized. After Thanksgiving was sort of a blur. We had our final technical exam - I got a 105% and a sparkly turtle sticker on my test.  We also gave our Readiness to Serve presentations. For the RTS, each language class had to put together a presentation about their understanding of the Peace Corps project frameworks and approach to development, their role as a volunteer, and how they're going to incorporate gender into their development work. Each person also had to give a 1-2 minute speech in their local language about what they want to achieve as a volunteer and how they want to spend the first few months at site. I think I said I want to teach farmers how to do a tree nursery, how to compost, and how to plant a live fence. And I'm going to greet all 54 people in my village every morning. We'll see what actually ends up panning out. We also got to go to Dakar last week. Mostly to sign paperwork. However, we did get a tour of the main Peace Corps office there, and got fed an amazing lunch of GUACAMOLE, FRUIT (I have been craving a single strawberry over the last two months and finally got it), and BACON CHEESEBURGERS which is a big deal in a country that hardly eats pork. We also got to visit the US Embassy to sign papers in front of a notary and it was such a nice building. I forgot how nice American buildings were. The bathroom had a Western toilet and it was great. On December 1st we all went to our CBT sites for a two-night "goodbye" stay. During this stay we had our FINAL language class, which is crazy to think about. I spent the very last day (Sunday) putting whole cloves in plastic bags for my dad to sell at a boutique, and the smell put me in the Christmas spirit a little bit and had me feeling slightly homesick. Afterward he went to the weekly market and bought me a set of gold earrings and necklace to wear with my complet at swear-in. I cried when I got back to the training center that day. My host family has been so sweet to me this whole time and I will definitely miss them when I go to my permanent site in Kedougou. On Monday we had our final LPI (Language Proficiency Interview) to determine if we were at the right level to swear in. We were supposed to get Intermediate-Mid to swear in and yesterday I found out I got... Intermediate-High! Woohoo! We've mostly had a lot of free time since then to relax and enjoy the last few days before swearing in on Friday. I'm in denial that this is actually happening because I am terrified. But I'm also excited. And sad. And... I don't know exactly what else but all these emotions are making my stomach churn, that's for sure. I'm terrified of getting to my village and not knowing how the heck to spend my time or not being able to understand anyone. I'm excited to see where my work takes me, to meet new people, and to live in a beautiful place. And I'm sad to be leaving all the amazing friends I've made during training! However, when I was leaving the US I had all the same feelings, went through an awkward beginning phase, and ended up loving training. So hopefully I will love my two years of service, too. Or "si allah jabbi" (if God accepts) as they say in good ol' Pullo Fuuta. For the future, tomorrow we have our last day of sessions, we swear in in Dakar on Friday, and I believe Saturday we leave for our sites. Once I get to Kedougou I'll have some time to shop and get all the things I need to move in. And then I'm going to be in my village for five weeks. In PC Senegal there's something called the Five Week Challenge (or Home for the Holidays as they're calling it this year), where trainees are encouraged to spend their first five weeks of service at their site only, not traveling to a regional house or going to another volunteer's site to spend the night or anything. I'm going to try to do it. My site is very isolated anyway and hard to get in and out of, so I'm not sure how tempted I'll be to do a lot of traveling. I think that's all I can expel from my brain at the moment. Thanks all for reading my updates so far and to everyone who's replied.

Peace only,  Maggie/Binta

[probablyretep]

New Blog Post: (Vacation Week 2017!) has been published on ProbablyRetep http://bit.ly/2urNJs1 #ProbablyRetep

New Post has been published on http://www.probablyretep.com/2017/08/10/vacation-week-2017/

Vacation Week 2017!

Well that wraps up a vacation for 2017.   I’ll do my best to post a decent write up on how the vacation went.  I’ll separate it out by each day and what we did.

07/26/2017 So before we went on vacation we had Shereen’s birthday to celebrate.  She’d been wanting to go to PF Changs’, and since it was her birthday, that’s where we went.  I’ve only been there a couple of times.  Well 3 to be exact.  First two were work functions, and this was the third time. ��The food did not disappoint.  Mikayla got Orange Chicken, Shereen got Sesame Chicken, and I

got Pepper Steak.  All three of us got fried rice, and of course we started out our dining experience with some Lettuce Wraps.  Man those things are good.  All the food was pretty amazing.  We all shared our main dishes family style since that’s kind of how it’s served anyways.  After our dinner, Shereen got a free desert so Mikayla and I decided to indulge ourselves and got dessert as well.  I got the biggest slice of chocolate cake (pictured on the left), Mikayla got some sort of cake thing which she enjoyed as well.

After dinner it was back to work for me for the next couple of days until our vacation officially started.

8/1/2017   On Tuesday we decided to go to Chicago to do some stuff.  Driving there was interesting because I really don’t like long car rides.  I get super fidgety and my legs start to get achy, and most of the time I start to get really tired for no apparent reason other than boredom.  Which in itself is kind of funny because I can sit at my PC for an entire day and play games and work on stuff just fine, but being in the car drives me nuts.  The trip to Chicago was no exception, other than the falling asleep.  I never really felt like I was going to fall asleep on the way there.  When we got into Chicago the traffic was incredible.  It was just as the lunch hour was ending, so there was still quite a bit of traffic.  It was extremely stressful driving because people just do what they want to do.  Somebody wants to turn into your lane right in front of you? Well not only does that person do it, but two others also attempt to do it just to be jerks.  So I made the executive decision to park the car and leave it (especially since it was minimum of like 18 dollars to park somewhere and leave the car there for the day and just take Ubers everywhere since it would probably be easier than A. trying to drive in that insanity, and B. trying to figure out parking at every single place we went to along with the extraordinary cost to park everywhere.  The first place we went was

to this pizza place called Gino’s East.  I had never tried Chicago style deep dish pizza, and there was two choices to choose from, according to all my friends.  We chose Gino’s East because of where we were trying to go

for the day and it seemed to be located at a pretty easy to get to location.  Also, I couldn’t remember the name at the time that everybody else had mentioned. (Giordanos).  The waiter that served us was especially friendly considering the drive in that we had just had so I was refreshed and glad right from the get go.  He asked if we had every been there before and when we told him “No”, he proceeded to give us the rundown of the

joint and told us a brief history of the chain, and that their deep dish pizzas took about 45 minutes to cook.  We were starving at that point so we promptly ordered some Hummus since that looked pretty good on the appetizer menu.  Finally the pizza came out and he served out the first slices for all of us.  As some of you may know I’m a smells person, so my first instinct was to lean forward and smell it.  I’m not sure exactly what I was expecting to smell, but what hit my nostrils was nothing what I expected.  The pizza almost smelled rancid.  I was quite shocked by this, so I asked the two ladies with me, and while Mikayla agreed with me, Shereen didn’t seem to notice anything.  After about 5 minutes of letting it cool down while sniffing it I finally decided to taste it.  I was a bit nervous to taste it, considering how awe full it smelled to me.  Never-the-less I took my first bite and didn’t really stop until I was done with my 2nd slice, only taking a break to grab the second slice!  The pizza tasted just fine, so I’m not sure if it was just because I’m used to the sweeter sauces that I work with everyday or what.

After we got done with lunch, we let things settle down for a bit and then decided to go to the Willis Tower.  I’m not sure if we picked the wrong day, or the wrong time, or they were severely  understaffed or some conglomeration of all that, but we waited forever and a day to get to the top.  We probably waited in line for a total of an hour just to get that elevator ride up to the top.  There was several stops along the way were we got to watch an informative movie about the architect of the (former) Sears Tower, as well as little stops with information about Chicago.  Fun Fact, the elevator tops out at 18 miles an hour on the ride to the top.  That was an experience in of itself as your ears are popping and your crammed into this giant elevator with what feels like WAY more than the safety limit.  You’ve probably hear the expression “packed tighter than a can of sardines”, well as I said that out loud, several people lamented that it was actually worse than that.  But once we got to the top, even I, who has a strong… dislike for heights, was taken aback by the view.  It was kind of funny, because on one side of the building, it was thunder storming pretty hard, and on the other side it was almost a normal sunny day.  I even forced myself to take a random selfie on the see through ledge.  That was pushing the boundaries of my tolerance for heights.  In fact it was well beyond to make an understatement.  The girls tried to get me back on there, but I wasn’t having it.  I about had a panic attack because this kid in the ledge next to us kept jumping up and down and I was starting to lose it.  We walked all the way around and took several pictures.  You can find all the pics that we took on the vacation [HERE] in the photo gallery.  After we were done there we grabbed some fudge to go, and then headed back down to the line, for the elevator back downstairs.  Luckily this wait wasn’t quite as long as the wait to get up, but it still took probably about 15-20 minutes.  Once we got downstairs we realized that it was raining.  We wanted to go check out the Million dollar mile so we decided to hop in a Uber.  Well that turned out to be an interesting decision as the first one didn’t quite put the meeting spot where we were, and since I’m not that bright sometimes, and panicking because I didn’t want to get charged for an Uber we didn’t take, and because I didn’t know the city at all, we ended up missing out first

driver.  He drove right past us after texting me several times.  So we called for another Uber and this time we knew right where to go as the GPS once again placed our meeting spot a bit off from where we were, but in the same time as last time.  He got there and we got in and it was white knuckles until we got there.  I would never be able to survive in that city unless I absolutely had to because I’m not a big enough jerk to cut people off like what our driver was doing, and being done to him.  Interestingly enough we drove past the Trump Towers.  I wanted to stop in but we just didn’t have enough time.  All in all between walking here and there I think we walked some 7 miles in Chicago that day.  After the shopping, we went to the “Bean” at the park, took a few pictures and then decided to start moseying along home.  We decided after much debate to go to the nearest White Castle for dinner as Shereen had never eaten there.  So I picked a random White Castle in/near Chicago that was along the way home and plugged it into the GPS and started heading there.  Well, apparently I picked the White Castle in a pretty rough neighborhood.  We witnessed a couple of drug deals, and some people who almost got punched in the face for saying rude things to my minor aged daughter.  Luckily the food hit the spot and we headed on our way home.  The girls both passed out pretty quickly, so I turned up the radio and jammed out to my music all the way home.

8/2 – 8/4

We had planned on spending these couple of days going camping but it was thunder storming in most of the state.  So we did random things around the city as far as going different places for lunch and dinners.  We went to the Rivertown Mall, and walked that.  We also visited Woodland Mall and walked that.  At some point in these few days we also grabbed some new shoes from Shoe Carnival as we were overdue for some new ones.  We also squeezed in a couple of movies.  We saw Atomic Blond, and Girls Trip.  Both of which were pretty alright.  Girls trip was hilarious if not a bit on the raunchy side.  I feel like we did a couple other things but I just can’t remember for some reason.  Friday night we had dinner at Texas Roadhouse, and then took Mikayla home as she had a trip to take with her friends / family.

8/5/2017

So this is the day that we set aside for Shereen to go sky diving because that’s what she wanted for her birthday.  So we drove up to Holland to this placed called Skydive Holland.  Our appointment was for 1:30 if i recall correctly but they were backed up like two hours so it took quite a long time for her to get up.  The first video is of her boarding and taking off in the plane.  The second video is of her skydiving and landing.

http://www.probablyretep.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/shereen-taking-off.mp4

http://www.probablyretep.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/shereen-landing.mp4

After she went sky diving we went to this little restaurant in Holland called Ottawa Beach Inn.  The waitress and hostess were both very pleasant.  We both ordered burgers.  She a Swiss Mushroom burger or something gross like that, and I got the OBI Burger, which is essentially just a normal cheese burger loaded with the fixins.  Both of our burgers were really good, and the fries were great too as they were that “Pub style” fries.  After a late lunch we headed back to Grand Rapids, and relaxed the rest of the evening.  We also stayed home Sunday (after we got home from bringing the kiddo to her freiends campsite in Baldwin.

I’m not even gonna get started on that Game Of Thrones episode Sunday night… Man o man…

Anyways, that was (most) of our vacation of 2017.  Overall I had a great time with Mrs Spalding, and the kiddo.  Again, if you’d like, here’s a direct link to our vacation photos.

[ccstockbridge]

Osu Bot

New beatmaps, skins together with other accessories are regularly increasingly being provided and added in the state web site for anybody clients to download cheat osu dengan cheat engine. |As soon as down loaded, you need to draw out the while not the patient music and songs cheat osu dengan cheat engine. Spinners are commonly painless methods of online players to develop elements - just spin a button within a circle until the spinner disappears cheat osu dengan cheat engine. For everyone preferring to try out together with other online players concurrently, there's a lobby functionality which is where online players run and join bedrooms cheat osu dengan cheat engine. An alternate component that attributes long term treasure to Osu Flashlight Hack is a chance to construct your individual beatmaps and skins cheat osu dengan cheat engine. Having a artwork tablet pc in conjunction with a key board is common in Osu Flashlight Hack!, although some online players utilize a computer mouse cheat osu dengan cheat engine. Usually, the oddly labeled issue is Qualified professional cheat osu dengan cheat engine. |Also now and then called notes, click communities certainly are a basic object on virtually any beatmap cheat osu dengan cheat engine. A precious stone engagement ring such as get in touch with circle of click communities and sliders can also appear and begin to close on the spinner's middle cheat osu dengan cheat engine. Within a instance of click communities, just what awarded are truly dependant on the timing through the click cheat osu dengan cheat engine. Reaching a hit circle too quickly or much too later, neglecting to gather any slider ticks, or neglecting to populate the spinner assess an good enough degree can cause a neglect increasingly being put into a player's score cheat osu dengan cheat engine. Enthusiasts as well be presented with additional reward of ,000 elements for every |No Fail (abbreviated as NF) makes the participant not ideal for declining around the fees for b cheat osu dengan cheat engine.0x score multiplier cheat osu dengan cheat engine. Unpredicted Death and ideal (abbreviated as SD and PF, correspondingly) factors Hewlett packard to promptly drain to if some specific specifications aren't became aquainted with cheat osu dengan cheat engine. Secret (abbreviated as HD) takes away get in touch with communities and ends in click communities to fully cease to exist a long time subsequently after showing, in step with the beatmap's selection get in touch with fee cheat osu dengan cheat engine. This mod offers b cheat osu dengan cheat engine.by multiplier into the player's score cheat osu dengan cheat engine. the video game player to look at a great enjoy through the beatmap (with a few conditions) cheat osu dengan cheat engine. factor add up is divided by two, for charts with bizarre key add up, some controls posseses an additional key (e cheat osu dengan cheat engine.gKay -> K K) cheat osu dengan cheat engine. |Just about every creating influences a number of reasons through the beatmap cheat osu dengan cheat engine. Reaching "Co-op mode" checkbox doubles the now picked out degree (from onwards), generating 0K (), K (), K (), K (), and K () cheat osu dengan cheat engine. (ex cheat osu dengan cheat engine. To some extent involved with "Personalities" on the "Guide Choice", Keeping track of the preciseness, "BPM" or Bpm, "AR" or Go to Premium, and "CS" or Group of friends Scale cheat osu dengan cheat engine. See that in most cases, boosting the OD tend to make earlier probable spinners difficult cheat osu dengan cheat engine. Living space windows 7 for 00s, 0s, and sliders (created to utilize click home window) scope alot more harshly devoid of Time By Any Means than this obvious OD advises, plus much more leniently with 50 % of-time cheat osu dengan cheat engine. |alot more score cheat osu dengan cheat engine. Usually, an outside set of scripts can be used to guide the control feedback to secrets on the key board cheat osu dengan cheat engine. For green, a rim click key must pushed cheat osu dengan cheat engine. Standard surpasses relating to the guide are converted simply to fruit going down right decreased cheat osu dengan cheat engine. Beatmaps should really then undertake a 8-period free trial offer on the "capable" beatmaps part, then they'll be gone to live in the "ranked" beatmaps part cheat osu dengan cheat engine. Ratings for every ranked beatmap are totaled to discover a player's ranked score, which pinpoints a player's score being ranked cheat osu dengan cheat engine. |The Multi-person code hack is made up of the usual components say for example a One Gamer Osu Flashlight Hack! code hack, all the same employing the in-code hack scoreboard displaying the current search engine rankings through the online players on the home cheat osu dengan cheat engine. The game continues to be displayed in various catalogs and online services cheat osu dengan cheat engine. But the truth is, it had been re-put into the iOS App Shop upon the thirty days of jan , the identical twelve months cheat osu dengan cheat engine. Within this mode, code hack enjoy is difficult with surpasses showing more efficiently, alot more stacking surpasses, alot more linked surpasses and more efficiently drain through the health and wellness bar cheat osu dengan cheat engine. An exclusive group of mods will come in Osu Flashlight Hack!mania, such as K, K, K, K, K, K, K, K, K, Co-op, and Diminish-In cheat osu dengan cheat engine. 1st worthwhile appreciating could this be truth overall code hack continues to be essentially handled by a simple programmer for decades cheat osu dengan cheat engine. The common mode mandates demanding preciseness using computer mouse, which is where you’re after subsequently after blips and sliders that appear all through the display using audio cheat osu dengan cheat engine. |the register cheat osu dengan cheat engine. Give Osu Flashlight Hack! a go for anybody who is undecided in regards to this cheat osu dengan cheat engine. For Reach Circles, the video game player essentially should really then click it the circle right after the getting smaller circle on the in an outdoor environment satisfies track of it cheat osu dengan cheat engine. video game player will likely often get 50, 100, or 300 elements cheat osu dengan cheat engine. The Beatmap creator can redo the stats to make combos cheat osu dengan cheat engine. (Increase ultimate score by cheat osu dengan cheat engine.5) “No Fail” - The video game player can't crash cheat osu dengan cheat engine. (Increase ultimate score by 1 cheat osu dengan cheat engine.12) “Hidden” - The notes fade away before the person can click them, and you will probably encounter no getting smaller communities to assist timing cheat osu dengan cheat engine. within your "Disable Video tutorial" feature in visible configurations) As the Beatmap creator produced a choice to include a youtube video whilst not anyone's expertise in the guide, this will disable it cheat osu dengan cheat engine. |Three or more other modes are available for sale to spend time playing in Osu Flashlight Hack! making use of their individual leaderboards and search engine rankings cheat osu dengan cheat engine. Every time a Beatmap is shared, it is actually selecting the approval processes cheat osu dengan cheat engine. That all right cheat osu dengan cheat engine. Must you haven’t lived within your cage in Azeroth, you will quite likely know with regards to the information about the Nintendo Ds Lite cheat osu dengan cheat engine. I'll claim that there's a mastering curve into the controls, however it principally just turning out to be comfortable with increasingly being specific together with your computer mouse cheat osu dengan cheat engine. I became ready for so that it is this is actually the audio, on the generic Osu Flashlight Hack! over all skin that i could then click together with cheat osu dengan cheat engine. |If you are searching for any moderate transformation of speed, there's two other modes which happen to be surprisingly just as fantastic mainly because the major simple person mode cheat osu dengan cheat engine. If he misses a outdo, most out of the gauge is emptied, then when it would get entirely drain, he does not work out the song cheat osu dengan cheat engine. Multi-person aid can be found cheat osu dengan cheat engine. It had been surely definitely one of my own much-loved memberships when the iPhone and also the ipod touch piece of equipment Impression continued to be as in the early ages cheat osu dengan cheat engine. platforms cheat osu dengan cheat engine.