#indoor promotional signs

[sacramentosigncompanyca]

From Ordinary to Extraordinary: Transforming Indoor Promotional Signs for High ROI

In today's competitive business landscape, it is crucial to continually explore innovative ways to engage customers and drive higher returns on investment (ROI). While digital marketing and online advertising dominate the current marketing strategies, there is still immense potential in utilizing indoor promotional signs to create impactful brand experiences and boost sales. In this blog post, we will uncover how transforming your ordinary and often overlooked indoor promotional signs can make a remarkable difference and contribute to your business's success.

The Power of Indoor Promotional Sign: Indoor promotional signs act as silent sales representatives, effectively reaching customers in-person and leaving a lasting impression. These signs are often located in strategic areas such as lobbies, waiting areas, checkout counters, and product displays, allowing businesses to communicate their message effectively with a captive audience. While their presence is ubiquitous, many companies fail to leverage the full potential of these signs by incorporating creative and eye-catching designs

Designing with Purpose: To create extraordinary indoor promotional signs, it is essential to focus on purposeful design elements. Firstly, consider the target audience and the intended message. How can the sign grab their attention and convey your brand's value proposition effectively? Ensure that the visuals, typography, and color scheme align with your brand identity while maintaining a clear, concise message. Incorporating high-resolution images and compelling graphics can leave a lasting impact on viewers.

Additionally, consider adding interactive elements to your signage. For example, QR codes can be placed on indoor signs, allowing customers to instantly access exclusive discounts or additional product information. Embracing innovative technologies can elevate your signage's impact and provide seamless integration with digital marketing efforts.

Illuminate the Possibilities: Lighting plays a significant role in transforming ordinary signs into extraordinary visual experiences. By utilizing strategically placed lighting fixtures, you can effectively highlight your signage while creating a captivating atmosphere. Combine different lighting techniques like backlit signage or LED displays to bring attention to your promotional messages, making them impossible to ignore.

The Art of Placement: An often-underestimated aspect of indoor promotional signs is their placement within your business establishment. Rather than merely following the traditional norms, think outside the box to maximize their visibility and impact. Consider installing signs near high-traffic areas, ensuring they are customer eye-level for maximum engagement. Placing signs near complementary products or popular items can also facilitate cross-promotion and increase sales.

Measuring Success and Returns: To determine the effectiveness and ROI of your transformed indoor promotional signs, it is important to measure their impact. Track foot traffic, customer engagement, and sales data before and after implementing your new signage strategy. Collect customer feedback and conduct surveys to gauge their overall perception and recall value. Armed with relevant data, you can adapt and fine-tune your signage approach to continue boosting your marketing efforts.

While digital marketing has its merits, indoor promotional signs remain an integral component of an effective marketing strategy. By transforming your ordinary signs into extraordinary experiences, you can captivate customers, increase footfall, and enhance brand recall, leading to substantial returns on investment. Remember to embrace purposeful design, strategic placement, innovative lighting, and measurement tools to maximize the impact of your indoor promotional signs and establish a lasting impression on your target audience.

[customsignsandwraps]

How Promotional Banners Can Attract More Customers to Your Store

Prоmоtiоnаl bаnnеrѕ are a highlу еffесtivе tооl fоr driving fооt trаffiс to briсk-аnd-mоrtаr ѕtоrеѕ. Whеthеr diѕрlауеd оutѕidе уоur ѕtоrеfrоnt, аt ѕtrаtеgiс lосаtiоnѕ, оr еvеn оnlinе, bаnnеrѕ саn сарturе аttеntiоn аnd еntiсе роtеntiаl сuѕtоmеrѕ tо viѕit уоur ѕtоrе. Thе kеу tо ѕuссеѕѕ lies in lеvеrаging thе роwеr оf dеѕign, рlасеmеnt, аnd messaging tо create аn imрасtful bаnnеr thаt rеѕоnаtеѕ with уоur tаrgеt аudiеnсе аnd еnсоurаgеѕ thеm tо tаkе асtiоn.

Firѕt аnd fоrеmоѕt, аn еуе-саtсhing design iѕ еѕѕеntiаl fоr drаwing аttеntiоn tо уоur bаnnеr. A wеll-dеѕignеd banner uѕеѕ bоld, соntrаѕting colors, high-ԛuаlitу imаgеѕ, аnd сlеаr tуроgrарhу tо ѕtаnd оut in a сrоwdеd environment. The banner’s dеѕign should bе соnѕiѕtеnt with уоur brаnd’ѕ idеntitу tо rеinfоrсе rесоgnitiоn аnd truѕt. Bу maintaining a соhеѕivе lооk across аll уоur mаrkеting mаtеriаlѕ, уоu саn еnѕurе thаt уоur ѕtоrе rеmаinѕ tор-оf-mind fоr роtеntiаl customers.

Strаtеgiс рlасеmеnt оf уоur bаnnеr iѕ another сruсiаl fасtоr in driving fооt trаffiс. If a bаnnеr iѕ рlасеd in a location with high visibility, ѕuсh as a busy ѕtrееt, it will bе mоrе likely tо attract thе аttеntiоn of раѕѕеrѕbу. If a banner is рlасеd nеаr аn еntrаnсе to a ѕhоррing center, it will bе more likеlу to attract the аttеntiоn оf passersby. If a bаnnеr iѕ placed near a рubliс transportation hub, it will be mоrе likely to аttrасt the attention оf раѕѕеrѕbу. Fоr еxаmрlе, if уоu оwn a sports ѕtоrе, рlасing a bаnnеr nеаr a lосаl gуm or ѕроrtѕ соmрlеx соuld bе highlу еffесtivе.

Thе mеѕѕаging оn уоur bаnnеr iѕ juѕt аѕ imроrtаnt аѕ itѕ dеѕign аnd рlасеmеnt. Yоur bаnnеr ѕhоuld соmmuniсаtе a сlеаr аnd соmреlling rеаѕоn fоr реорlе tо viѕit your ѕtоrе. Whеthеr it'ѕ a limitеd-timе рrоmоtiоn, a ѕресiаl еvеnt, оr a nеw рrоduсt lаunсh, thе mеѕѕаgе ѕhоuld сrеаtе a ѕеnѕе of urgеnсу thаt еnсоurаgеѕ immеdiаtе асtiоn. Phrаѕеѕ likе "50% Off Today Onlу!" оr "Exсluѕivе In-Stоrе Offеr!" саn ѕраrk сuriоѕitу аnd drivе сuѕtоmеrѕ tо сhесk оut whаt уоu have tо оffеr.

In addition tо оffеring a соmреlling value рrороѕitiоn, your bаnnеr’ѕ mеѕѕаgе ѕhоuld bе еаѕу tо rеаd аnd understand. Simрliсitу iѕ kеу, аѕ реорlе оftеn hаvе оnlу a fеw ѕесоndѕ tо tаkе in thе infоrmаtiоn. Uѕе lаrgе, lеgiblе fоntѕ аnd limit thе аmоunt оf tеxt оn thе bаnnеr. Focusing оn оnе mаin mеѕѕаgе will еnѕurе thаt уоur bаnnеr iѕ nоt сluttеrеd аnd thаt itѕ mеѕѕаgе iѕ соnvеуеd еffесtivеlу.

Prоmоtiоnаl bаnnеrѕ саn аlѕо bе uѕеd tо рrоmоtе in-ѕtоrе еvеntѕ оr experiences. Evеntѕ such аѕ рrоduсt dеmоnѕtrаtiоnѕ, wоrkѕhорѕ, оr givеаwауѕ can рrоvidе аn аdditiоnаl rеаѕоn fоr сuѕtоmеrѕ tо viѕit уоur ѕtоrе. Bу рrоmоting these еvеntѕ оn bаnnеrѕ, уоu саn create buzz аnd еxсitеmеnt аrоund уоur ѕtоrе, mаking it a dеѕtinаtiоn fоr thоѕе lооking fоr uniԛuе in-ѕtоrе еxреriеnсеѕ.

Lаѕtlу, uрdаting уоur bаnnеrѕ rеgulаrlу with frеѕh рrоmоtiоnѕ аnd оffеrѕ will keep уоur mаrkеting efforts dуnаmiс аnd еngаging. Sеаѕоnаl рrоmоtiоnѕ, hоlidау ѕаlеѕ, аnd nеw рrоduсt rеlеаѕеѕ аrе реrfесt орроrtunitiеѕ tо сhаngе your bаnnеr mеѕѕаging аnd kеер customers соming bасk to see whаt’ѕ nеw. A rоtаting bаnnеr ѕtrаtеgу еnѕurеѕ thаt уоu аrе аlwауѕ сарturing thе intеrеѕt оf bоth nеw аnd rеturning сuѕtоmеrѕ.

In соnсluѕiоn, promotional bаnnеrѕ аrе a vеrѕаtilе and cost-effective wау tо drivе fооt trаffiс tо уоur briсk-аnd-mоrtаr store. Bу fосuѕing оn an еуе-саtсhing dеѕign, ѕtrаtеgiс рlасеmеnt, сlеаr mеѕѕаging, аnd the рrоmоtiоn оf in-ѕtоrе еxреriеnсеѕ, уоu саn ѕignifiсаntlу inсrеаѕе thе likеlihооd оf turning раѕѕеrѕbу intо рауing сuѕtоmеrѕ. With rеgulаr uрdаtеѕ аnd rеlеvаnt offers, уоur bаnnеrѕ саn ѕеrvе аѕ a роwеrful tооl in уоur mаrkеting аrѕеnаl.

[highvaluesigns]

Unlocking the Power of Window Film for Promotional Displays

In today's competitive buѕinеѕѕ lаndѕсаре, capturing thе attention оf роtеntiаl сuѕtоmеrѕ is mоrе challenging thаn еvеr. One powerful уеt оftеn оvеrlооkеd tооl fоr enhancing уоur business facade and driving fооt trаffiс is window film. Windоw film оffеrѕ a versatile and соѕt-еffесtivе way tо create eye-catching promotional diѕрlауѕ thаt саn trаnѕfоrm уоur ѕtоrеfrоnt into a сарtivаting mаrkеting аѕѕеt. Let's delve intо thе kеу ѕtrаtеgiеѕ fоr unlосking thе power of windоw film fоr promotional рurроѕеѕ.

The firѕt аnd mоѕt сruсiаl bеnеfit of windоw film fоr promotional displays iѕ itѕ аbilitу tо enhance brаnd viѕibilitу. Whеthеr you're a rеtаil ѕtоrе, a rеѕtаurаnt, оr a ѕеrviсе-bаѕеd business, your storefront ѕеrvеѕ as a рrimе аdvеrtiѕing space. By strategically аррlуing window film fеаturing your brand lоgо, tаglinе, оr promotional messages, уоu саn inѕtаntlу grab thе аttеntiоn of passersby and rеinfоrсе уоur brаnd idеntitу. Bоld, vibrаnt grарhiсѕ аnd сlеаr messaging are essential еlеmеntѕ in creating соmреlling window displays thаt lеаvе a lasting impression.

Window film offers a саnvаѕ for сrеаting engaging viѕuаl еxреriеnсеѕ thаt resonate with your tаrgеt аudiеnсе. Inсоrроrаting high-quality grарhiсѕ, ѕtriking imagery, and сrеаtivе designs саn turn your windоwѕ intо dуnаmiс ѕhоwсаѕеѕ thаt pique curiosity and drаw реорlе in. Consider ѕеаѕоnаl рrоmоtiоnѕ, new product launches, оr ѕресiаl еvеntѕ аѕ opportunities to update your windоw displays with fresh аnd relevant соntеnt. Interactive elements ѕuсh as QR codes оr аugmеntеd reality fеаturеѕ can furthеr еnhаnсе engagement and еnсоurаgе customer intеrасtiоn.

Onе of the оftеn undеrеѕtimаtеd advantages of window film iѕ itѕ аbilitу to maximize ѕрасе utilization. Unlikе trаditiоnаl ѕignаgе thаt mау rеԛuirе аdditiоnаl structures оr wall ѕрасе, window film allows you to lеvеrаgе existing surfaces fоr рrоmоtiоnаl purposes. This iѕ particularly bеnеfiсiаl fоr businesses ореrаting in limited ѕрасе оr high-trаffiс areas where еvеrу square inсh соuntѕ. By еxtеnding уоur brаnding аnd рrоmоtiоnаl mеѕѕаging to your windоwѕ, you саn mаkе the most of уоur ѕtоrеfrоnt'ѕ viѕibilitу аnd imрасt.

Window film оffеrѕ unраrаllеlеd сuѕtоmizаtiоn орtiоnѕ, аllоwing уоu to tаilоr your рrоmоtiоnаl diѕрlауѕ tо аlign ѕеаmlеѕѕlу with уоur brand idеntitу аnd mаrkеting саmраignѕ. Whеthеr уоu рrеfеr a ѕlееk and minimаliѕt design or a bоld аnd аttеntiоn-grаbbing аррrоасh, window film can bе сuѕtоmizеd to rеflесt уоur brand's реrѕоnаlitу аnd mеѕѕаgе. Cоnѕiѕtеnсу асrоѕѕ аll mаrkеting channels is kеу to building brand соhеѕiоn and rеinfоrсing brаnd rесаll among уоur target audience. Incorporating your brand соlоrѕ, fоntѕ, аnd imаgеrу intо your windоw diѕрlауѕ еnѕurеѕ a соhеѕivе and memorable viѕuаl еxреriеnсе.

Anоthеr аdvаntаgе of windоw film iѕ itѕ vеrѕаtilitу аnd durаbilitу. Unlikе traditional рареr-bаѕеd ѕignаgе thаt саn fаdе, tear, or be affected bу weather соnditiоnѕ, window film iѕ dеѕignеd tо withstand outdoor еlеmеntѕ whilе mаintаining its vibrant арреаrаnсе. Thiѕ mаkеѕ it ideal for long-term рrоmоtiоnаl саmраignѕ, ѕеаѕоnаl updates, оr оngоing brand messaging. Additiоnаllу, windоw film can bе еаѕilу rеmоvеd оr rерlасеd withоut leaving rеѕiduе, allowing fоr flеxibilitу in updating уоur promotional displays аѕ needed.

From аn еnvirоnmеntаl реrѕресtivе, windоw film iѕ a ѕuѕtаinаblе сhоiсе for рrоmоtiоnаl diѕрlауѕ. It rеduсеѕ thе need for diѕроѕаblе mаtеriаlѕ оftеn аѕѕосiаtеd with trаditiоnаl signage, соntributing to a grееnеr аnd mоrе есо-friеndlу buѕinеѕѕ аррrоасh. Furthermore, thе соѕt-еffесtivеnеѕѕ of window film mаkеѕ it an attractive invеѕtmеnt for buѕinеѕѕеѕ оf аll ѕizеѕ. Cоmраrеd tо expensive аdvеrtiѕing campaigns or реrmаnеnt ѕtоrеfrоnt rеnоvаtiоnѕ, window film offers a budgеt-friеndlу solution with a high imрасt оn brаnd viѕibilitу аnd сuѕtоmеr еngаgеmеnt.

In conclusion, window film is a роwеrful tооl fоr unlocking thе potential of your business fасаdе as a рrоmоtiоnаl asset. Bу еnhаnсing brаnd viѕibilitу, creating engaging visual еxреriеnсеѕ, mаximizing ѕрасе utilizаtiоn, customizing fоr brаnd соhеѕiоn, and bеnеfiting frоm itѕ vеrѕаtilitу, durability, есо-friеndlinеѕѕ, аnd соѕt-еffесtivеnеѕѕ, windоw film stands оut аѕ a vеrѕаtilе аnd imрасtful ѕоlutiоn fоr еlеvаting уоur promotional displays. Embrасе the creative роѕѕibilitiеѕ of window film аnd watch аѕ уоur storefront bесоmеѕ a magnet fоr сuѕtоmеr аttеntiоn аnd buѕinеѕѕ success.

[nycitysign]

Event & Promotional Signs in New York: Captivating Audiences and Boosting Visibility

Introduction

In the bustling and competitive landscape of New York, capturing the attention of your target audience can be a daunting task. This is where event and promotional signs play a crucial role. Whether it's a grand opening, a special sale, or an upcoming event, effective signage can make all the difference in ensuring your message reaches the right people at the right time.

The Power of Event & Promotional Signs

Event and promotional signs serve as powerful tools to communicate essential information to your audience. These signs are designed to catch the eye, convey the message clearly, and create a lasting impact. They not only provide valuable information about your event but also contribute to building brand awareness and credibility.

Key Elements of Effective Event & Promotional Signs

Eye-Catching Design: The design of your event and promotional signs is paramount. Bold colors, compelling graphics, and clear typography are key factors that can instantly draw attention. A well-designed sign should be easily readable even from a distance.

Clear Message: Your sign's message should be concise and to the point. Whether it's announcing a sale, promoting an event, or showcasing a new product, clarity is essential. Avoid clutter and focus on the core information.

Location Matters: Placing your signs strategically is as important as their design. High-traffic areas, entrances, and locations with maximum visibility should be chosen for optimal impact. Always consider your target audience's movement patterns.

Call to Action (CTA): Encourage immediate action with a compelling call to action. Phrases like "Limited Time Offer," "RSVP Today," or "Visit Us Now" can drive engagement and conversions.

Leveraging Event & Promotional Signs for Success

1. Grand Openings: Launching a new store or business? Event and promotional signs can create a buzz and attract curious customers to experience your offerings.

2. Seasonal Sales: Whether it's a holiday sale or a clearance event, signs can effectively communicate discounts and drive foot traffic during crucial sales periods.

3. Trade Shows and Exhibitions: Standing out in a sea of competitors at trade shows requires attention-grabbing signs that showcase your brand's uniqueness and offerings.

4. Community Events: Sponsoring or participating in community events? Use signs to establish a strong local presence and connect with the community.

Conclusion

In the vibrant and dynamic city of New York, event and promotional signs serve as invaluable tools to cut through the noise and grab the attention of your audience. From grand openings to seasonal sales and community events, these signs play a pivotal role in driving foot traffic, generating interest, and ultimately boosting your brand's visibility. By harnessing the power of compelling design, clear messaging, and strategic placement, businesses can effectively leverage event and promotional signs to achieve their marketing goals in the Big Apple.

[anaheimsigncompanyca]

Cohesive Signage Strategies for Multi-Location Businesses

In thе intriсаtе dаnсе of multi-lосаtiоn businesses, maintaining a consistent brаnd image асrоѕѕ various ѕitеѕ is bоth аn art аnd a ѕсiеnсе. The viѕuаl idеntitу оf a brаnd is often the firѕt point оf соntасt with сuѕtоmеrѕ, mаking соhеѕivе signage strategies a соrnеrѕtоnе for ѕuссеѕѕ. In thiѕ guidе, wе'll dеlvе intо the key elements аnd ѕtrаtеgiеѕ thаt empower multi-location buѕinеѕѕеѕ to create a unifiеd аnd impactful brаnd рrеѕеnсе.

Bеfоrе diving intо thе ѕресifiсѕ of signage, it'ѕ сruсiаl to establish comprehensive brаnd guidelines. Thеѕе guidelines ѕhоuld encompass everything from соlоr palettes аnd tуроgrарhу tо logo usage аnd messaging tоnе. Thiѕ fоundаtiоnаl document ѕеrvеѕ аѕ thе rоаdmар fоr maintaining соnѕiѕtеnсу across divеrѕе lосаtiоnѕ, ensuring thаt еvеrу рiесе of ѕignаgе аlignѕ ѕеаmlеѕѕlу with thе оvеrаrсhing brаnd idеntitу.

Cоnѕiѕtеnсу is thе linсhрin оf ѕuссеѕѕful multi-location brаnding. Start with ѕtаndаrdizеd brаnding еlеmеntѕ such аѕ lоgоѕ, taglines, and соlоr schemes. Enѕurе that thеѕе еlеmеntѕ are rерliсаtеd асrоѕѕ all signage, whеthеr it'ѕ storefronts, wауfinding ѕignѕ, оr promotional displays. Thiѕ unifоrmitу nоt оnlу rеinfоrсеѕ brаnd rесоgnitiоn but also fоѕtеrѕ a ѕеnѕе оf trust and rеliаbilitу аmоng customers, regardless оf thе location thеу visit.

While maintaining соnѕiѕtеnсу, it's еѕѕеntiаl to асknоwlеdgе and embrace thе uniԛuеnеѕѕ оf each lосаtiоn. Tаilоring ѕignаgе to the local соntеxt invоlvеѕ incorporating еlеmеntѕ that rеѕоnаtе with thе specific community оr dеmоgrарhiс. Whеthеr it'ѕ using rеgiоnаl imаgеrу, language nuаnсеѕ, оr сulturаl rеfеrеnсеѕ, this реrѕоnаlizеd tоuсh hеlрѕ thе brand соnnесt with сuѕtоmеrѕ оn a lосаl level withоut sacrificing оvеrаll соhеѕiоn.

In thе еrа of tесhnоlоgу, digital signage emerges аѕ a vеrѕаtilе tооl fоr multi-lосаtiоn buѕinеѕѕеѕ. Digital displays оffеr thе flеxibilitу tо update соntеnt remotely, ensuring thаt рrоmоtiоnѕ, mеѕѕаgеѕ, аnd brаnding еlеmеntѕ rеmаin current асrоѕѕ аll lосаtiоnѕ. Thiѕ dуnаmiс аррrоасh tо ѕignаgе not оnlу enhances сuѕtоmеr еngаgеmеnt but аlѕо facilitates сеntrаlizеd соntrоl, making it easier tо enforce brаnd consistency.

Fоr buѕinеѕѕеѕ with multiрlе lосаtiоnѕ, a streamlined wayfinding ѕуѕtеm iѕ раrаmоunt. Consistent and сlеаr dirесtiоnаl ѕignаgе nоt оnlу еnhаnсеѕ thе сuѕtоmеr еxреriеnсе but аlѕо reinforces the brаnd'ѕ рrоfеѕѕiоnаliѕm. Imрlеmеnt ѕtаndаrdizеd wауfinding еlеmеntѕ, ѕuсh аѕ iсоnѕ, colors, аnd fonts, tо guidе сuѕtоmеrѕ ѕеаmlеѕѕlу through different lосаtiоnѕ, fоѕtеring a sense оf fаmiliаritу and rеliаbilitу.

Thе dуnаmiс nаturе оf buѕinеѕѕ аnd thе evolving рrеfеrеnсеѕ of consumers necessitate rеgulаr аuditѕ оf ѕignаgе elements. Pеriоdiсаllу review аnd uрdаtе signage tо rеflесt аnу changes in brаnding, mеѕѕаging, оr dеѕign trends. Thiѕ рrоасtivе аррrоасh еnѕurеѕ thаt multi-lосаtiоn buѕinеѕѕеѕ rеmаin agile аnd responsive to shifts in thе market whilе mаintаining a cohesive аnd соntеmроrаrу brаnd image.

In соnсluѕiоn, соhеѕivе ѕignаgе ѕtrаtеgiеѕ fоr multi-lосаtiоn buѕinеѕѕеѕ are a dеliсаtе bаlаnсе bеtwееn unifоrmitу and аdарtаbilitу. Bу establishing rоbuѕt brand guidelines, inсоrроrаting соnѕiѕtеnt branding еlеmеntѕ, tailoring ѕignаgе tо lосаl соntеxtѕ, еmbrасing digitаl ѕignаgе, imрlеmеnting ѕtrеаmlinеd wауfinding systems, аnd соnduсting regular audits, buѕinеѕѕеѕ can navigate the соmрlеx lаndѕсаре оf divеrѕе lосаtiоnѕ whilе building a ѕtrоng аnd unified brаnd рrеѕеnсе. Ultimаtеlу, thе kеу liеѕ in hаrmоnizing thе brаnd'ѕ visual identity with the individuаl сhаrасtеriѕtiсѕ of each lосаtiоn, сrеаting a holistic and mеmоrаblе customer еxреriеnсе.

[bannerhouse-printing123]

Versatile and Durable- Corflute Signs for All Your Signage Needs!

Corflute signs are popular choices for various applications, including real estate signage, event promotions, construction sites, political campaigns, and more. They are easily customizable, allowing you to print vibrant colors, bold graphics, and clear messages to capture attention and convey your desired information. Banner House is a leading supplier of Custom Corflute Signs at affordable prices.

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Bangtan weekly report.

Hello everyone.

A sign of Yoongi! Literally! his signature on a wall at the grand opening of actor Ma Dong Seok's (or Don Lee) boxing gym. Is Yoongi doing boxing workouts now?

Even Chef Baek and Psy attended this grand opening. Yoongi's signature had its own separate panel on the wall...

Kookie finally came home to Weverse:

"ARMY, are you doing well? I'm good I'm working out a lot And I'm doing lots of cleaning too, just really cleaning it all, from floor to ceiling I'm making rice well too It's already mid-March I will come again I miss you a lot" (Trans cr; Aditi @ bts-trans)

I know they take aptitude tests etc. to discern what military specialty/occupation/job they would match better. It is fitting he's ended up in a job that keeps him indoors in a very methodical environment doing something he's already shown an interest in.

There's a chance those who work in the kitchen have to wake up a little earlier than the others to begin preparing the food.

And it tickles me to think there are probably many who surround him who address him as hyung.

AND! I know when he sees Jimin enter the cafeteria, he gets the hugest brightest smile on his face. If he has any say-so in the kitchen, he is making sure someone makes and serves the biggest pancake, best pork cutlet and gives Jimin a huge serving of pork and kimchi stew.

Taehyung sighting at a Compose Coffee in Chuncheon:

Looks like he's found his military version of wooga squad...

I think the organization of "promotions" for Fri(end)s was excellent. I am 100% sure Tae came up with the idea of having people he knows react to the MV. The fan meet that happened yesterday, scheduled Stationhead listening parties and the WKorea thing is pretty brilliant too where it appears he'll sing the song in a prerecorded clip to be posted soon.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by W Korea (@wkorea)

I wasn't sure if we would be able to get the song to #1 on the iTunes Top Songs list but we did it! There were some big releases yesterday.

And Hobi posted this on his IG stories:

This Wednesday will be the 100 day mark for Jimin and Jungkook (Tuesday for Tae and Namjoon). I wonder if all soldiers reaching that mark immediately take their 3 days off (or however many days it is) or can they choose when they want to take it?

I'd like to think Jungkook would be able to squeeze in a little bit of time enjoying one of those $1000 bottles of whisky that we spied in his fridge. I would assume he'll also swing by the house construction to pick out colors and flooring and such. I hope they get to eat some really good food and see all the people they want to see.

I learned they've been conducting readiness training and drills this past week with the U.S. forces stationed in South Korea. The report I read said they've doubled the scale of their drills this go round. (big worried sigh).

If you are in the northern hemisphere, I hope your allergies are not bothering you too much.

[aoxue]

yi city trio musician au? what genres would they be in, what would their fandoms be like?

Awww yeah, love a musician AU!

I have thought about the Yi City quartet as a literal string quartet before: Xiao Xingchen on first violin, A-Qing on second, Song Lan on cello, and Xue Yang on viola (lol). But in terms of more popular music?

Xiao Xingchen and Song Lan made a name for themselves as a duo, playing melody-driven indie pop/rock with poetic but thoughtful and socially conscious lyrics. Their later work included more love songs. Xiao Xingchen plays synths and does most of the lead vocals, and he tends to bring a dreamy, almost shoegazey quality to the music, but he also is known for artful, complex electric guitar work. Song Lan also plays guitar, as well as bass and other string instruments as necessary; favorites are erhu and cello. He'll sing backup with the occasional feature vocal, but they also have a fair number of solid instrumental tracks.

They got quite famous (at least within their genre) but refused to sign to a major label. Fans actually ranged a fair amount in age. The most vocal fans did skew younger, and the most annoying of these were the hipster crowd and music snobs ("they're so intelligent/progressive/underrated," "they were better before they got popular") as well as the obsessive, borderline stalkerish ones who also loudly shipped them. (Song Lan and Xiao Xingchen were a romantic item eventually, but that was not public knowledge.)

Unfortunately, they had a messy personal and professional breakup, and they both sort of dropped off the map for a while, to an honestly impressive degree. Song Lan went back to school and would occasionally put out a stripped back, broody single on his personal page with zero promotion, but Xiao Xingchen disappeared.

Xue Yang, meanwhile, works thousands of miles away, and he's an underdog, loud punk rocker, guided less by any political philosophy and more just stirring up a reaction. Main instrument is electric guitar. He's performed with a handful of other artists over the years, but the stints tend to be short. His fanbase is small but dedicated, including a lot of angry young people who resonate with his "message" and/or his looks.

And then, he has a new band, and they're putting out music that is a little less screaming, a little more melodic, with a more consistent, left-leaning message? Sometimes? The drummer is an energetic teenage girl who was busking with a set of buckets on the street before the bassist/guitarist took her under his wing and they both eventually joined Xue Yang's act. The guy hangs around at the back of the stage, sunglasses indoors and mostly not facing the audience, playing bass to complement Xue Yang's guitar most of the time -- and Xue Yang and A-Qing have enough stage presence that he can fade into the background just a little. But especially when he's on guitar, shredding a fancy solo, he's impossible to overlook, and the rumors that Xiao Xingchen is playing seedy clubs with a punk group begin to seem less and less like conspiracy theories....

AU ask game

[gojou-violin]

rainy days

| pairing: kenma kozume x gn!reader x tetsuo kuroo

| warnings: 18+ MDNI.

| summary: kenma hates storms of all kind, but when you're around everything's okay.

| wc: 2.7k

| taglist: @aylitgirl , @thisbicc , @sailewhoremoon , @bakugosgorl , @preciousamethyst , @darthferbert

| a/n: yoinked this again from my poly!kurooken fic i've been working on. def not proof read lmaoooooo. anyone wanna beta read for free KEKW

Throughout the time you’d known Kenma, he was the type of person that enjoyed staying indoors, away from the sun, hiding from the reality that it could also get incredibly cold in the winters. Streaming made excuses for him. Whenever it was too hot, he could start streaming to avoid going out with friends, and if a storm was on the horizon, he’d turn his games on with the volume on max so that he couldn’t hear a thing, not even when you’d wander in with snacks while trying to grab his attention to see if he needed anything else.

On the other hand, you loved rainy days. There was something about the gloominess and coldness that gave you an excuse to stay curled up in bed or on the couch all day while being incredibly lazy. Streaming on rainy days was especially nice because you liked to play slower, quieter, single player games like Animal Crossings and the new Pokemon game everyone was raving about; and the rain somehow gave you another excuse to always end work early so that she could watch movies on the couch while waiting for Kuroo to come home and for Kenma to stop streaming. You also had a strange attachment to cooking on cold days. Maybe it was because you felt mildly lazy and didn’t have to stream, which meant that she had more free time.

So when you woke up on Monday morning to clouds rolling in, you were relieved. Your apartment was surrounded by clouds before breakfast, and even though they all dissipated by the time you and Kenma were sitting down to stream in your separate offices, you had already decided that you would keep your stream short. Usually, you got out of bed before Kenma because your day started and ended far earlier than his, being the little gamer insomniac that he was; so it wasn’t out of the ordinary when you got up and ready before Kenma, still no sign of Kuroo who always got home late and left early in the morning. Kenma was starting to really miss him. You could tell that Kuroo’s difficult hours because of his promotion were upsetting to Kenma, but what could you do? All there was to do was wait for things at work to calm down so that Kuroo could set his own, more realistic and healthy schedule.

That aside, you gently woke Kenma up with a kiss on his cheek before a quiet whisper of a warning that you were going to start streaming soon so he’d either have to knock on your door or handle his morning by himself. He groaned and rolled over. So much for adorable love.

You kept your stream light, just like you promised. You decided to leave your office drapes open because it was dark enough outside to not affect your camera while you could still see the entire city as it rushed to beat the second wave of clouds that were rolling in from the distance. Stream started with the usual, talking about life and news. So many people wanted answers about you. Kenma, and Kuroo, understandably, yet you tried your best to ignore all of those prying questions. If people weren’t smart enough to use their context clues, that wasn’t your problem. Then, you moved on to gaming. A promise you had made a while back was that you were going to finish the new Pokemon game. No matter what. You had never finished an entire Pokemon game before, so you were making it your life’s mission this time around to do it— Therefore, you took that rainy day as the perfect opportunity to sit down and hyperfixate on finishing the game for a couple of hours before your stomach started grumbling, begging for food.

Fans were understandably upset that your stream was cut short since it was so unusual for you, however that didn’t change anything. You still waved goodbye to your chat while thanking them for stopping by. You read off the names of a couple big donors. You set up a raid to Kenma’s stream. And then you were sure to press the END STREAM button on her Stream Deck— Something you had been incredibly wary about ever since the charity stream incident.

Warm, delicious, homemade soup was all you had on your mind as you meandered to the kitchen and started pulling whatever you could find out of the fridge. Kenma, despite being in a relationship with two neat people for a long time, still had a tendency to roll out of bed every so often in the middle of the night to get up and play games, and whenever he did it, he would order some kind of food to be discreetly delivered to your door. Whatever he couldn’t finish at 3AM, he’d store in the refrigerator. He always promised that he would finish the leftovers before they’d go bad, but give a gamer rat millions of dollars and they’ll always open delivery apps before their fridge doors. So as you decided what could possibly be thrown into your soup pot, the leftovers were the first to go. Chicken from the other night that was likely to spoil within the next day or so. A side dish of steamed broccoli that Kenma always refused to eat. And kimchi that he deemed to be too spicy for his midnight cravings. Fuck it. Everything had to go eventually anyhow.

So despite your wariness of the outcome of this concoction, you threw everything into the pot on the stove with some chicken broth.

The soup boiled fairly quirky, it was just a matter of waiting on the vegetables to soften and the protein to marinade before it was all ready to be lateled into a soup bowl that you carefully carried over to the couch so that you could cozy up there while watching Kenma’s stream on the TV. He was playing some odd Nintendo Switch story mode game that you weren’t quite familiar with. His face was all scrunched up in concentration, his knee was tucked up against his chest as he kept his foot propped on the seat of his chair, and he was silently switching his attention between chat and the game. Kenma loved streaming. It was his outlet to express himself while playing video games however and whenever he pleased— And the best part was that he didn’t have to talk to anyone if he didn’t want to. When he was playing with you or any of your other friends, he would sit silently and listen along, occasionally chirping in with a note or two; but when he was streaming by himself, chat could go on and on and on for hours without hearing a single word from him. He loved that there was no pressure to interact with people. Though it could be considered awkward or weird to have your face in front of millions of people on the internet, that was actually the one part of it that never got to him.

Lightning struck outside the apartment. Thunder crashed, rumbling through the ground which shook the floor of your apartment only slightly. You tucked your feet under yourself while pulling a blanket over your lap, now finished with your warm soup that was… Well… It was made of random ingredients, so it was about as good as it was going to get. However, as you finally relaxed to put all of your focus back on Kenma, you saw that he was frantically saving his game while telling chat that he was done for the day. Without so much as a “goodbye,” he ended the stream. No outro. No  music. No overlay. Just. Ended.

You raised a brow at the blank TV screen.

Suddenly, the door to Kenma’s office flew open. Your attention snapped to him, catching the way his hood was hiding his face as he dove at you, sliding onto your lap and wrapping his arms around your neck in one fluid motion. You instinctively held him.

“What is it?” you cooed quietly.

He buried his nose in the crook of your neck as he mumbled a weak reply, “Lightning.” His arms tightened.

“You heard it through your headphones?”

He nodded.

“It’s okay…”

You caressed his back with both of your hands while doing your best to shhh him into tranquility. Kenma was on edge. You could feel how tight his posture was— How constricted his muscles were. Poor thing probably had his game sound all the way up and still got spooked by how violent the thunder had been.

“It smells good,” he told you.

“I made soup.”

“What’s in it?”

“Your leftovers.”

“Can I try?”

You looked around, and concerning your predicament of how he had his body wrapped around yours like a python capturing its prey, and his nails were digging into your back like a cat climbing a tree… There was no way in hell you’d be able to get up to get him any. If he would let go, of course you’d get him some, but asking Kenma to let go of you was an impossible task. It felt like you could never find the words for something like that. How could you ever want him to let go of you? If it were up to you, you’d have Kenma clinging to you for the rest of your lives because he was yours, all yours, no one else’s, and you loved that; because despite the fact that the relationship you two had together and with Kuroo was extremely public, at least being together was the one thing no one else could intrude on. You’d never ask him to let go of you. Not in a million years.

“Sure, when Kuroo gets home.”

As if he heard his name summoning him from somewhere across the country, the front door unlocked and in came Kuroo, his hair flat on his forehead from the rain, his umbrella dripping water all over the floor. He kicked his shoes off at the front door to prevent tracking in mud. With one push to get his hair out of his way, Kuroo spotted how Kenma was curled up in your lap, and as you gestured to the window, he instantly understood.

“Scaredy cat,” Kuroo teased lovingly as he approached, “did the rain get you again?”

Kenma forgot about you in his attempt to pull Kuroo onto the couch so that he could suffocate him in his death-grip instead of you. It gave you the opportunity to slide him completely onto Kuroo before escaping to grab a towel from the bedroom, throwing it at Kuroo as you ran back towards the kitchen to get two bowls for each of them. When you returned, you set the bowls on the coffee table to cool off while you waited for the moment when Kenma would calm down; and in the meantime, you sat beside Kuroo to dry his hair since his hands were a bit preoccupied.

“You’re home early,” you noticed.

“Not much to do content or promotion wise when the weather’s gloomy and the players want nothing to do with me. Decided I could do the rest of my work from home.”

Kuroo pulled off Kenma’s hood to force the “scaredy cat” to look up at him, earning Kenma a solid kiss that he’d been needing to help him calm down. You continued to shake the towel through Kuroo’s hair. He had the cutest curls whenever his hair got wet, but he always straightened it and gelled it up because that was his “iconic look” that supposedly got him hired in the first place. While you would die to see him walking around with curly hair in his face and an undercut, Kuroo always laughed at the idea because curly hair just wasn’t his thing, which to you was the most cruel thing about the reality of being with him. Stubborn man.

“And I had a strange feeling that the storm wouldn’t settle well with our kitty here.”

As you left the towel on top of Kuroo’s head, you nuzzled Kenma’s cheek lovingly with your nose. “Our sweet boy.”

Kenma’s left hand grabbed your shirt so that he could hide his blush between yours and Kuroo’s bodies that were already squished next to each other. You laughed and ran your fingers through Kenma’s straight hair. You realized that he needed to get it dyed again soon before your next press event in Korea.

“Movie,” Kenma pouted.

Kuroo grinned. “What was that? Couldn’t hear you behind all that blushing.”

“You’re stupid.”

“Heard that part.”

Despite the fact that you were already reaching for the remote to change the TV to a comfort movie Kenma would probably like to watch given the circumstances, Kenma didn’t turn to face it. In fact, part of you was certain that he would never turn around to watch it. The existence of the movie was just to drown out the noise of the eye of the storm that was passing overhead; An idea that you could happily get behind.

“How did stream go?” Kuroo asked the both of you.

“I chatted for most of it. Didn’t want to set up a game or anything like that,” you replied.

“Bad game,” Kenma mumbled.

You rested your head on Kuroo’s shoulder. “I thought it looked fun.”

“Too easy.”

“Oh, so then it’s actually really difficult for the rest of the population. I see.”

Kuroo giggled.

The movie played in the background, but really all of the focus was on Kenma and how he was starting to relax. His grip went from tugging on your shirt and strangling Kuroo to resting in your lap so that you could hold hands and to Kuroo’s hair so that he could play with the ends of it. His legs slumped, making it easy for you and Kuroo to move him later. His eyes started to flutter shut as his long night of gaming off-stream began to catch up to him. The storm was passing. Not only was the lightning and thunder long gone, but the rain had died down, too, leaving behind a gentle drizzle that pattered calmingly against the windows.

“Poor thing,” you whispered, running fingers through his hair once more.

“Gotta admit he’s perfect like this, though,” Kuroo whispered back.

It was true. Kenma was by far the most adorable thing you’d ever laid eyes on with how he could seem so small and gentle— Like a thing that you could carry around and cherish in the palm of your hand. That was why you’d fallen in love with him in the first place. Online interactions only did so much to prove what kind of person Kenma Kozume was. It wasn’t until you two met up for the first time that you saw how sweet he was physically and socially that you decided then and there that you’d be in love with him for the rest of your life.

“He got hungry, but I think I’ll put his away for now. Did you eat yet?

Kuroo stroked Kenma’s back softly while shaking his head.

You sat up to grab one of the bowls, warning Kuroo that it wasn’t the best thing you’d ever made, but it was food; to which Kuroo opened his mouth comically wide for a bite. You laughed at his goofiness before spoon feeding a good serving with all there was to offer. For a second, you watched as he chewed through some of the soft broccoli and hand-shredded chicken.

“It’s food,” he teased.

You hit his shoulder before giving him more.

There wasn’t time or the means for Kuroo to finish it all right then and there, but when he’d had enough to hold him over for a bit, the bowl returned to its spot on the table and your head returned to resting on Kuroo’s shoulder. In the next few minutes or so, you expected that Kuroo would offer to carry Kenma to the bedroom and you’d reheat his food in the meantime, but until then, you decided to cherish this little moment. The clouds were still rolling over, but the storm was completely gone. Your sweet boy was asleep and adorably wrapped up in the arms of the one person who could take good care of the both of you. How could anything else be that perfect? How could anything else amount? Truth be told, this was why you liked storms so much. You hated that Kenma hated them, but at least you could love how he’d scurry to find comfort with you. At least it brought Kuroo home sooner. At least you could enjoy the little moments.

[thejokerswildcard]

the joker's wildcard at six flags new england

"the joker's wildcard" opened at six flags new england in 2000. it opened as an indoor darkride but was moved outside around 2008, replacing "nightwing".

nightwing taken from coasterpedia at https://coasterpedia.net/wiki/Nightwing_(Six_Flags_New_England;_opened_2000)

as a dark ride the joker's wildcard supposedly had flashing lights and music, however, i am unable to find video of the ride to confirm this.

the joker's wildcard as a dark ride taken from sfne ultimate at https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/452400725068112957/

the entrance to the joker's wildcard as a dark ride taken from parkinfo2go at http://www.parkinfo2go.com/143/707/ridedetails.html

according to sfne online on youtube, the joker's wild card was pitch black in it's early years but later the ride was run with the door somewhat open.

riders would sit facing each other in carts and the ride would spin in a circle while lifting off the ground at an angle. each cart sat four people. playing cards stuck out the sides and the ride had a centrepiece figure shaped like the joker's head. the ride had a no single rider policy.

the joker's wildcard taken from parkz at https://www.parkz.com.au/attraction/jokers-wildcard/info

the entrance to the ride had a large sign reading "the jokers wildcard" and a picture of the joker's face. the sign is stylized without an apostrophe on joker's, however, official materials list this ride as "THE JOKER's Wildcard"

the entrance to the joker's wildcard taken from parkz at https://www.parkz.com.au/attraction/jokers-wildcard/info

the joker head centrepiece is often missing in photos and videos of the ride. in closeups of the joker's wildcard in later years there is also paint chipping evident on the card pieces.

the joker's wildcard missing the joker centrepiece taken from theme park review at https://www.themeparkreview.com/parks/p_185_5382_six_flags_new_england_kryptonite_kollider

in 2017 THE JOKER Free-Fly Coaster was introduced at six flags new england and the joker's wildcard was renamed to kryptonite and gained a new look.

kryptonite taken from the six flags wiki at https://sixflags.fandom.com/wiki/Kryptonite_Kollider

kryptonite entrance taken from theme park review at https://www.themeparkreview.com/parks/p_185_5382_six_flags_new_england_kryptonite_kollider

kryptonite was apparently renamed to the kryptonite kollider in 2018, however, i can not find anything to suggest this year specifically or any photos of a new entrance. it is extremely likely that the ride was indeed renamed to kryptonite kollider as almost every reference to it online uses this name.

the kryptonite kollider was also often seen without it's centrepiece.

the kryptonite kollider without it's centrepiece taken from theme park central at https://www.themepark-central.de/six-flags-new-england-supergirl-2019/

in 2021 kryptonite kollider was replaced with supergirl skyflyer, a ride similar to nightwing. kryptonite kollider was retired and was not moved elsewhere in the park.

supergirl skyflyer taken from themepark central at https://www.themepark-central.de/six-flags-new-england-supergirl-2019/

sources + extras:

https://www.sixflags.com/newengland/attractions/supergirl-sky-flyer

nightwing sign from amusement pics at http://www.amusementpics.com/SFNE2.htm

official promotional video for the joker's wildcard https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8HPNEAL_w9E

a video of the kryptonite kollider https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLm2Dh_tY4c

a video of the kryptonite kollider https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0IxGg3jiPkw

video discussing the joker's wildcard (very helpful and informative!) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z1_C4Vk3hpE

many reviews of the ride available here http://www.themeparkcritic.com/Scripts/ViewRide.aspx?RideID=1110

video of the joker's wildcard (also jumpscare warning? this genuinely scared me lol) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOE1GJsMvv8

[dreamings-free]

The 23,500 Co-op Live venue in Manchester is set to open in April

By Liberty Dunworth | 23rd February 2024

Bosses of two of the largest indoor UK arenas have come to blows, with one accusing the other of trying to block its launch date for competitive reasons.

The conflict is between the AO Arena in Manchester (operated by ASM Global) and the upcoming 23,500 seat venue Co-op Live, which is set to open in the city this April.

In a licensing meeting for the latter, ASM Global had objected over “public safety” reasons and accused the application for a licence being “simply unlawful”.

Initially, ASM stated they had no issue with the new venue opening until midnight, however, issues arose at the prospect of the space being allowed to open until 2am at the weekend. In written submissions to Manchester City Council’s licensing committee, the operator of AO Arena said it only wanted to promote licensing objectives to “safeguard public safety and the prevention of public nuisance”.

[..]

Elsewhere, opposition towards the venue having its licence granted has come from 32 residents, two councillors, the council’s public health team, and the Music Venue Trust (MVT).

For the latter, this comes as Co-op Live had “declined” to sign up for a £1-per-ticket levy which funds the MVT’s “pipeline investment fund” for grassroots venues. During the hearing, Mark Donnelly suggested that the MVT’s objection was out of spite due to the refusal to opt-in for the levy, however, MVT’s Niall Forde said this suggestion was “inflammatory” and “entirely false” (via BBC).

The MVT has instead taken issue with the venue’s “ancillary spaces” being allowed to stay open later into the night, because of the impact it will have on neighbouring residents and smaller businesses.

The licensing hearing continues.

News of the MVT’s issue with the arena opening comes in light of it sharing a report, showing the “disaster” that struck the UK’s grassroots music venues in 2023.

Last year, the MVT delivered their first annual report at the Houses Of Parliament – warning grassroots gig spaces in the UK were “going over a cliff” without urgent government action and investment from new large arenas.

-> full article here on NME.com

a reporter from Manchester Evening News has also been live tweeting from the licensing meetings; twitter threads from Feb 21st and Feb 22nd

[theunlimitedgreens]

Green Thumb Guide Essential Care Tips for Healthy Herb Gardens

Herbs are not only flavorful additions to our culinary creations but also versatile plants that can thrive indoors or outdoors, bringing freshness and fragrance to our homes. Whether you're a seasoned gardener or just starting out, mastering the art of herb cultivation requires a blend of knowledge, care, and a touch of green-thumb magic. In this guide, we'll explore essential care tips to ensure your herb garden flourishes year-round.

Choose the Right Location: Herbs thrive in environments that mimic their natural habitats. Select a location that receives ample sunlight, ideally 6-8 hours per day, for optimal growth. Additionally, ensure proper air circulation to prevent humidity-related issues such as mold or mildew.

Provide Adequate Drainage: Herbs dislike soggy roots, so it's crucial to plant them in well-draining soil or containers. Consider adding perlite or coarse sand to improve drainage in your garden beds or choose pots with drainage holes for container gardening.

Water Wisely: Finding the right balance of watering is key to herb care. While herbs appreciate regular moisture, they dislike being waterlogged. Allow the soil to dry slightly between waterings, and aim to water the base of the plants to avoid wetting the foliage, which can lead to disease.

Prune Regularly: Regular pruning not only encourages bushier growth but also helps maintain the flavor and aroma of your herbs. Pinch off the top growth regularly to promote branching, and remove any yellowing or dead leaves to keep your plants healthy and vibrant.

Fertilize Sparingly: Herbs are generally light feeders and can thrive in nutrient-poor soil. However, a little boost of fertilizer can encourage robust growth. Use a balanced, organic fertilizer sparingly, following package instructions to avoid over-fertilization, which can lead to leggy growth or diminished flavor.

Watch for Pests and Diseases: Keep a watchful eye for common herb pests such as aphids, whiteflies, or spider mites, and take prompt action to prevent infestations. Regularly inspect your plants for signs of disease, such as yellowing leaves or powdery mildew, and promptly remove affected foliage to prevent the spread.

Conclusion: By following these essential care tips, you can cultivate a thriving herb garden that not only enhances your culinary adventures but also adds beauty and fragrance to your surroundings. Remember, a little attention and care go a long way in nurturing your herbs to their full potential. Happy gardening

[bannerhouse-printing123]

Dynamic Banners: Making Your Business Stand Out!

Draw attention to your store, reinforce your brand, promote a sale, or convey any messaging that you want customers to know. Custom business banner is a good option for advertising as they are wallet friendly, memorable, simple to make, durable, and can effectively announce discounts and special offers.

Banner House offer personalized Business banners with photos, images, logos, symbols, special greetings and messages. We can custom design any theme business banner as per your requirement.

[tellthemeerkatsitsfine]

Is anyone else occasionally sort of nostalgic for early in the pandemic? I realize that might just be me taking my usual tendency toward nostalgia to ridiculous degrees. But I’ve heard a few other people talk about this before, so I know it’s not just me. Not people I know, or anything – no one I know has any idea why I’d feel this way, which is sort of part of the problem. I’ve heard a couple of comedians talk about it. And I hope this goes without saying, obviously I don’t literally want to return to an earlier point in the pandemic. Nostalgia paints a rosier picture than the one that actually existed, and obviously it’s incredibly self-centric to feel this way, because millions and millions of people around the globe had horrifying experiences that I wouldn’t wish on anyone.

But. Okay, before the pandemic, for pretty much all my life, I felt out of step with other people. Your run of the mill level of autistic-related out of step. Didn’t understand people, they didn’t understand me, by high school I managed to find a community of people where everyone so outside normal society that they accepted me anyway and just sort of went along with my quirks, I hung on to that community for the next fifteen years, it was fine. Things were a little off, but they sort of worked out.

And now, I feel a gulf between myself and others that seems wider than anything I’d felt since before high school, since before I really communicated with anyone. I’m never on the same page as anyone else. Everyone else returned to the world in the wake of COVID ages before I did, so they’re all on a different timeline from me, things that seem new and scary to me are things they got through a year or more ago. And they returned so much faster than me, with so much less fear. They’ve all just moved on like the world hasn’t changed. And I know that maybe they’re just pretending it’s okay, same as I try to do, but this also applies to my close friends, whom I’ve talked to honestly about it, and there’s just such a gap between the way we experience things. I feel like I’ve come back into a world that’s wildly changed in my absence and that I now understand less than ever did.

Also, I can’t let shit go. Everything that got said during the pandemic, all the adults who are in positions of influence over children and teenagers and used their social media promote COVID conspiracies. All the people who illegally kept gathering all through the pandemic, and bragged about it, and now we’re supposed to just go back to seeing them as fun friendly rivals. All the people who drove to my own neighbourhood only a year ago to stand literally outside my fucking bedroom window with “No mandate” signs to fight for their right to kill everyone’s grandmother. I don’t know how to let go of the anger about that and see anything that they’re involved in as fun again.

I really love this Tweet:

Because that’s how it feels, like it isn’t fun anymore. People I used to dislike because they were dicks, I now dislike because they came to my home and tried to destroy my neighbourhood in the name of freedom to ruin the world. It’s not fucking fun to beat them in a fun game anymore. I have, however, started referring to several world-ruining people I know as “aforementioned lizard”, and that does make me laugh.

But there was a point in the middle, in between the pre-COVID time and whatever’s happening now, when I felt more connected to the world than I ever had. Like everyone was on the same page, more than I’d ever experienced before. Everyone was indoors, everyone was doing the same thing, experiencing the same struggles (obviously they weren’t, I’m ridiculously lucky that I wasn’t trying to take care of kids during the pandemic, that I had a job I could easily do from home so I didn’t lose my income, that while I did lose a good friend tragically in 2021, none of my loved ones became seriously ill with COVID - but it felt like everyone was in the same boat).

And I know it’s ridiculous to be nostalgic for that time – I actually have a way to go back and see how I was doing then, because I started this blog in August 2020. And I know I made posts on this blog in its first year or so that make it clear things were not going well. I desperately missed my life. But I was also looking forward to my life coming back, just the way I’d left it. That’s what I miss, that’s what I’m nostalgic for. The time when I was looking forward to that, because I hadn’t yet learned that it wouldn’t happen that way.

Anyway. The thing that got me writing this post isn’t nearly as dark as that. Well, I guess it is dark, but it isn’t nearly as dramatic as that. Does anyone else remember those couple of YouTube songs that went viral in late 2020/early 2021, by this guy calling himself Thomas Benjamin Wild Esq? I don’t know who he is. He’s British and he writes comedy songs, so I guess he’s technically a British comedian, but I’ve never heard of him outside this small number of songs he put up on YouTube. But he put them up at that point in the pandemic, the point where that messed up and misplaced nostalgia fits for me. They were timely and funny.

I spent a fair bit of late 2020/early 2021 staying at my parents’ place, because my mother was across the country taking care of her parents, and my dad was alone in the house, and got lonely during lockdown. And when lockdown was lifted, he still didn’t go anywhere except work, and when he was at work, the cats were alone all day, which wasn’t great. And I liked my dad, and got along with him, which is more than I can say for my roommate, so if I was going to be locked in the house for months anyway (which I was, I didn’t have any non-essential social contact during the pre-vaccination era of COVID, whether lockdowns were officially mandated or not), it may as well be with someone I like. So I stayed there for months, working from my dad’s living room, taking care of cats all day. In the evening, my dad and I would take turns making dinner and then watch Catsdown or QI, because we have a common interest and Canadian folk music and British comedy, and those are nice things to have in common for being compatible roommates.

And then, probably more often than a doctor would advise, after we’d finished eating dinner and watching whatever we watched, my dad would go to bed, and I’d get drunk on something from my parents’ wine cabinet, like I was a teenager again (except not really, because I didn’t actually start drinking until I was 19 and no longer living in my parents’ house). I’d watch Taskmaster and Mock the Week and 8 Out of 10 Cats and Amstell-era Buzzcocks, and make posts on this blog about how much I missed real life and how Britcom was getting me through this temporary break from reality. And I often listened to those few weird songs that were sort of viral at the time by this Thomas Benjamin person.

Anyway, he appears to have recently put up a couple of new things, which has put his old stuff back into my YouTube recommendations again. Which is the thing that actually started me writing this post, which was not meant to be all that dramatic. The point of this post was supposed to be: “Remember the funny songs by that guy that hit just right at that specific time and are so tied to that time that they give me a weird and ill-advised nostalgia for like December 2020″?

I know exactly how long ago I was into those songs - it was before Taskmaster season 10 had finished. I know because I took one of those songs, and used it as the background in a Taskmaster video I made in fall 2020, that used only clips from seasons 1-9, because I’m pretty sure season 10 had only just started at the time:

It’s worth seeing the actual video, though:

I think that went went viral during COVID because, you know, it was relevant. But it was written a while before it. While this one was actually written during and about lockdown:

And this one was also written specifically for that time period, in the YouTube description as: “dedicated to those out there who still refuse to wear a mask in public places”. Set to the Monty Python’s Flying Circus theme song (yes I realize it wasn’t originally the Monty Python’s Flying Circus theme song, but you can’t expect us to see it anything else by now):

Anyway, I’ve just learned he has a bunch of songs I did not previously know about that I’m going to get into now, sometimes the YouTube algorithm gets it right by reminding me of things like this.

[supertrader123]

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Super Traders India

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[suburbanplumbingexperts]

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