#new place would have better pay more consistent hours and the benefits sound amazing

[kyojuuros]

got a job interview next wednesday for a completely new job wish me luck 🙏

[curlerroad9]

The Worst Gambling Suggestions You? ll Ever Read. How Gaming Games Offer Hints to the Culture of an Area

Look, the particular sheer volume of gambling advice out there there is overwhelming. Players that are new to the sport can get missing navigating the marine of misinformation combined with sound gaming advice. It could be an immense undertaking to compile the quantities of excellent online poker strategy and online casino gambling habits. Rather, I? ve decided to give you a few of the worst gambling advice We? ve been offered in casino pubs, airplanes, hotel lobbies, as well as on typically the casino floor. Thus, here it is. Keep reading with regard to the worst gambling advice you? lmost all ever read. Put on? t Play Slot machine Machines at Maximum Times There? t more misinformation adjoining slot machines than any game throughout the casino. I actually feel that that likely stems from the fundamental lack of understanding. I can easily? t tell you how many times My partner and i? ve heard somebody going on and on about how you mustn? t actually play the slot machine machines on night time and weekends. These types of hapless casino authorities are convinced of which the casino plans the slots in order to have a reduced come back to player during peak hours. The particular truth is how the casino industry can be very well regulated. Therefore once a device is installed on the casino ground, the casino provides zero influence upon the game? s i9000 RTP. It requires a team involving programmers and on line casino personnel to make changes using one equipment at a moment. This can be the last issue the casino wants to do in the course of peak hours. I really get hopeful when I hear someone focus on, ? Don? t play slot machines.? Sadly, it doesn? to matter when an individual play slot machines; the house edge is usually insurmountable. Still, if you want the slots, perform them until your spinning hand falls off. The most critical gambling tips I possibly could give will be to have some fun sensibly. Stop Playing In the course of a Losing Ability I? ve examine plenty of suggestions that suggests a person get out as the getting is fine, i. e., in advance of the gambling establishment. Clearly, this was the winner? t happen often, and it? s tricky to know when to get out. It? s not really the winning skills that I need to talk about here. When you? re losing, there are really a ton of pieces of horrible gambling advice. A single Particularly Painful Bit Would Have A person Raising Your Guess Size During some sort of Losing Streak The particular premise here is definitely which you? ll eventually get of some sort of losing streak plus win your money back. An individual won? t succeed your money back again; you? ll only burn through your bankroll two times as rapidly. Another terrible bit of casino suggestions suggests that you stop playing as a whole if you? re dropping. In case you follow this particular advice, you? ll never spend a lot time on the casino floor. The games are developed to slowly siphon your money whilst mixing in a new few wins plus a ton of enjoyment. Occasionally, you? re gonna catch many mathematical anomaly plus catch several deficits in a row. Within fact, depending on exactly how you play the particular games, these may not be anomalies at all. So , if an individual quit every time you reduce a few fingers in a row, you? re bound to invest your days and nights with the pool or even in the room. Losses happen; it? h section of life. The faster you could accept that, the particular more fun you? ll have in the casino. Don? t Go to the particular Casino With Negative Players I? ve read this inside a ton of gambling establishment travel-related material online and in print. That they all claim that an individual should leave friends and family with reckless wagering habits at home. Sure, you don? t need dangerous influences at the particular casino. The advice is centered on poor players, period. This specific, ironically, most likely consists of over 95% regarding their readers. Gambling dens Are Built with regard to Leisure If an individual can? t separate a line between cousin from Cleveland laying $200 around the number six in addition to doing the identical on your own, you? re the problem. Your relative likely has distinct gambling goals in addition to ambitions. Furthermore, these people? ll probably acquire more entertainment by that single bet than you create the entire getaway. So, take those pals and family that will you love the most to the on line casino. If you? re also stuck with overly serious gamblers, you may well not have as much fun. Besides, it's rather a ton of entertaining to live vicariously from your loose plus free friends. Bet the Banker upon a Streak Baccarat will be rapidly becoming typically the most popular online casino table game on earth. Once reserved with regard to high-rollers and Bond villains, baccarat will be on the main level. In places just like Macau, baccarat is ruling the on line casino floors. Because regarding the game? h surge in reputation, there are plenty of terrible bits of advice around the internet and online casino bars. My favourite part of terrible tips suggests that you just bet the company on a streak. Meaning once typically the banker loses, an individual begin betting the player in typically the same manner. Like most terrible advice, this particular piece has some sort of kernel of brilliance to it. You need to always bet the banker, period. Baccarat tables charge a new 5% commission on winning banker wagers. Still, that? s i9000 only to provide the casino a slight edge. You must bet the bank exclusively. That 5% commission provides a person with a house edge of only one particular. 06%. You? ll have trouble beating that will on a game that can provide while much excitement. Often Bet on Dark-colored Alright, this will be a tongue-in-cheek jerk to the Wesley Snipes film Voyager 57 from years as a child. However, the well-known line,? Always wager on black,? offers become somewhat associated with a staple intended for ridiculous gambling commentators out of their own element. The fact is that black is one involving the better still money bets within the casino. Still, that? s not virtually any better than? always gamble on red,?? even,? or? odd.? Virtually any of these bets are going to be able to produce the identical long term results. Let me confess that betting in black sounds typically the coolest of typically the four. Really, what I suggest is to always bet on a single zero wheel. If you play real money roulette on some sort of double zero steering wheel, you? re doubling the property edge in even-money bets. A lot of casino gamblers wear? t know or never notice the refined difference between typically the two types involving roulette wheels. You never want to spot a single wager on a different roulette games wheel with twice zeros. The odds are extremely bad of which you? ll get better served by causing a bet on the hand of black jack or dropping $25 into a slot machine machine. In summation, it? s okay to always gamble on black, nevertheless do it on one zero wheel. Feels like a boring method to gamble to be able to me. Don? to Let Somebody Jump in and Steal Your Jackpot Let? s go back again to the unpleasant advice that becomes tossed around the slot machines banks. Some participants believe that the particular games are going play on a new particular cycle. This kind of misguided view qualified prospects players to think of which they can time their jackpot is victorious. For instance , a device pays a jackpot feature on every 2. 5 various million spins. So, a machine would certainly fork out a jackpot feature every 18 a few months or so. Some players will bad bags of cash right into a machine, inching it closer and even nearer to a $25k jackpot. Unfortunately, generally there? s no way of knowing if a jackpot will certainly hit for a new specific machine. Typically the likelihood that you simply? lmost all be the person receiving the windfall definitely goes up the particular longer you perform. Still, if an individual adopt a thinking that the jackpot belongs to an individual, you? re found in for a tremendous disappointment. Even worse could be the resentment you have when someone else hits the jackpot. You may? t manage the random range generators. I have zero doubts regarding what an excellent person you usually are, but the RNG doesn? t care. It? ll spend when a certain combination is triggered rather than an instant before. Skip typically the Players Club and Head for typically the Tables I? m constantly amazed simply by the groups of online casino gamblers that 03 right beyond the player? s desk and even avoid getting each of the free casino rewards they earn. This? s as when we were holding selling units with no free arranged of Callaway irons. Don? t miss out on just about all of the benefits earned by registering for the player? s card. You can earn everything through free meals in addition to show tickets in order to complimentary rooms in addition to cashback. This seems like a no-brainer in my experience, and this probably does in order to you. Still, you will find a population of skeptics that would have got you believe it? s all a new scam. Trading a new $20 meal for all of the money you set in play isn? t a rip-off. You? ll be playing the video games regardless, and the casino wants to preserve customers happy. Subscribe to the rewards just before placing a solitary bet and work with it every table or machine you play at for the whole trip. I realize there? s plenty more to be examined when it comes to betting and misinformation. All over the place you look, the internet is finding new plus creative strategies to help make you an even worse casino gambler. Take those worst gambling tips you? ll at any time read and devote it to the memory before an individual hit the online casino floor. You are able to? to break even actively playing casino games extensive unless you? lso are a plus gambler. Provided with the proper info regarding the best ways to play the games, you? ll walk out of the online casino a victor more compared to ever. Roger Caillois says that winning contests is? an occasion involving pure waste: waste of time, energy, ingenuity, expertise, and often regarding money.? In the publication, Man, Play, plus Games, Caillois goes on to make clear how these games invariably is an important item to take into consideration when assessment a culture? s i9000 social and spiritual growth. In the particular United States, gaming games are a lot more popular than virtually any other games in addition to sports. And actually sports are gambled on. Video video games are big in addition to popular, too, nevertheless they don? big t generate the kind of money that gambling machines do. In fact, the majority of gambling machines are simply video games now, too. In this post, I? lmost all offer some findings about what betting games in the particular United States claim in regards to the culture throughout general. What? h the Point of Gambling for The majority of Americans? Games? especially gambling games? job along an intégral of somebody trying in order to assert his will versus surrendering his / her fate for the inconsistencies of random possibility. A game love chess is a straight-up contest involving skill, for instance, while a position machine is some sort of straight-up contest involving random chance. Numerous gambling games give both. Poker, intended for example, is really a game that rewards competent play in the long haul, but in the short-term, any individual can get lucky and win a huge pot or even a complete session. One particular reason Americans may enjoy gambling is that they give an chance to demonstrate their resilience within the face of uncertainty. Doing a contest with Female Luck gives a respite from the Kafkaesque experience of working in corporate The united states and coping with bureaucracy on a frequent basis. Almost no one gets a new chance to enjoy the hero inside real life inside modern America, although you can head to Vegas, defy chances, and come house the hero of your story. A person just have to be prepared to carry the risk in the first place. Gambling Is a great Act of Obvious Intake No make a difference where you live life, gambling is a great act of obvious consumption. It? s become available from such low levels that anyone regarding any socioeconomic course can participate, also. For the public, high rollers get all gussied upwards and play baccarat without worrying of the wins or deficits? just like Adam Bond. Rich rancher types take major risks and have the particular better of their particular fellow gamblers with the poker furniture and sneer with the possibility of losing hundreds or even thousands of money. Penny slots permit people who can barely afford their particular rent to gamble, too. I experienced a close relative living in a new trailer park close to Reno, Nevada which spent most involving the later decades of her living playing penny slot machine games? even though she had been scraping by about social security plus welfare. As the lady explained,? I used to be the alcoholic and some sort of drug addict, nevertheless now I? meters just an obsessive gambler.? I have got another buddy that scrapes by, being in a tiny house in the most severe neighborhood in city. He? s took out money from us repeatedly for at least 30 years now. At least half time, he never pays that back. When they does pay it back, he will pay it back lately. What does he do to keep things interesting? He takes on the lottery as often as possible. When I ask your pet how well he does at the particular lottery, he promises that he? s i9000? about even? through the years. My relative plus my buddy equally take an inordinate amount of pleasure inside their willingness to gamble away cash that they could become using to boost their lives. What do these examples say about our culture generally speaking? What Benefit Do Slot Devices Offer Culturally? Slot machine game machines and other gambling machines may possibly be the smallest amount of culturally-enriching form of betting in existence. Not really only do happened interact with additional people while using, as you would certainly at the baccarat or poker furniture, nevertheless, you stand simply no potential for winning in the long run. Actual money slot equipment are silly plus offer lousy possibilities. They appeal in order to the compulsive nature from the human thoughts, and they grow even more appealing as time passes. Exactly what? s happening to the American lifestyle that the biggest growth in betting games? popularities belongs to the very least social of just about all possible games? Instead of getting together with various other gamblers, those who perform slot machines are definitely more comfortable interacting with machines. Gambling equipment lack the prestige of the table game titles, but they? lso are affordable enough of which anyone in the United States has an opportunity to get involved. How much does Slot Device Popularity Say On the subject of People in the us? Within European casinos, stand games are continue to more popular than betting machines. But within the United Says, slots account for at least 85% of the regular casino? s earnings. What are slot equipment like? What does slot machine game machine gambling involve? For one point, slot machine gambling is a simple activity. It? t your machine. When I visit my local casino in addition to look at the players at the slot machines, none of them are interacting with another nearby players. That? s how they will manage to like that. Contrast that together with what goes upon at a table sport like blackjack or even craps. People interact with one another steadly at the blackjack table even though they? re playing against the seller and not the particular other players. Right after all, they? lso are dealing with the common enemy, so to speak. Craps players interact in fact more enthusiastically using each other. Certainly not only are the majority of of the players with the craps table competing with a common enemy, these people? re usually rooting for an specific to defeat chances by rolling a spot number before going a 7. Most craps players wager with the player with the dice simply to enjoy typically the camaraderie at the desk. Everyone celebrates with each other when they all win. And these people all commiserate with each other after they all lose. Nevertheless blackjack and craps are growing much less popular over time period, while gambling devices are growing even more popular after some time. Exactly what does this say about American lifestyle? I don? to think it? s a big step to express that people today in the Unified States? a minimum of within general? are becoming less interested inside interacting with one another, preferring solitary uses like gambling machines. This has most likely been exacerbated by simply the within reputation of smart cell phones and apps. Also folks who actively socialize often do and so via social media marketing applications like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter as opposed to having in-person conversations in addition to experiences. Skill versus Chance in Usa States Gambling It? s interesting to be able to look at just what role skill has in gambling vs random chance. In one hand, an increasing number of gamblers are winning contests which offer absolutely nothing but random probability. Slot machines embrace popularity every season, even though nothing an individual can do as a player affects the outcome. Games like blackjack, which reward skill while still offering up the casino an edge, are growing less popular over period for their brand new corporate machinery supplying random chance. But There? s a good Exception to This Craze of Chance Vs Skill: Poker. Also though slot machines continue to grow within popularity, the sport regarding poker has appreciated a resurgence over the last couple of many years that? s amazing. The poker increase is finished, so the particular game isn? capital t growing meteorically the particular way that this used to. But lots of people consent that poker will be an uniquely American game. And more folks are stepping directly into cardrooms now as compared to these people were in the particular 80s and 90s, for sure. Many casinos didn? to even have holdem poker rooms anymore throughout those decades. Of which changed with all the climb of the net poker millionaire, simply because exemplified by Philip Moneymaker. That? s as American a tale as you? ll ever hear, too? a relative unknown tends to make himself rich simply by using a mixture of good fortune, courage, and expertise. Gambling being a Meditative Experience I examine an interview with a slot machine gambler who contended of which she wasn? capital t playing slots due to the fact she of the particular uncertain outcome. Rather, she was interested in the certainty of her final result. That which was she specific about? She wasn? t worried concerning whether she won or lost. She wasn? t anxious about whether she input more money than she took out or the other way round. What she understood was that whenever she put additional money in, your woman always got the result? a brand new pair of symbols about the reels. Inside other words, the lady was certain of which she? d often be able to always play. Inside some forms of East spiritual traditions, the particular idea of getting mindful and having away from your entire worries about typically the past or upcoming in favor of a focus on the present is desirable. In my view, slot pieces of equipment supply the same type of meditative encounter as actual relaxation. In fact, many kinds of gambling do likewise thing, but slots seem to make these kinds of hypnotic effect more readily than others. You can compare this specific? serenity now? knowledge of slot machines using the effects of some illegal medicines. And, like a lot of illegal drugs, this specific instant serenity comes with an expense. In the case of drugs, you want a higher dosage to find the same effect unless you? ve eventually worn-out the serotonin receptors in your head. Gamblers experience the particular same thing. They need to gamble for larger stakes and more periods to find the same kind of rush. But also in terms of finding comfortably numb, position machine players seem to have most other gamblers conquer. What exactly is Everyone in America so Bothered About Anyway? If gambling is an escape from the particular worries of the world, precisely what are these worries that require this kind of drastic activities in order to escape from? In case you proceed in the premise that betting provides you with a rest from space and even time, why is definitely that respite appearing to become more necessary and well-known with time? Why Will be the Rate of Gambling? Especially Slot Machines? Becoming so A lot of More Popular? Consider about the upcoming that you read concerning in the newspaper these days. Ecological concerns are a new growing crisis that seems prone to impact the quality of everyone? s lives earlier than most people are usually comfortable with. Monetary crises are within the headlines about a regular basis, too. More individuals are deeply inside of debt than each before. The charge from which people are usually saving money continue to be decline. The downsizing middle class continually shrink while the particular billionaire class carries on to amass a greater amount associated with society? s prosperity. I understand people that have just discontinued reading the information altogether just to keep from being depressed all the time. Is it definitely so surprising that will gambling activities, which usually provide as successful a mental escape from all this specific as you can imagine, have turn into increasingly popular? An ever more Addicted Culture The size of gambling has transformed dramatically just inside my lifetime. Whenever I was a young man, most of the particular attendees of Bettors Anonymous were addicted to card online games and sports bets. I have buddies? senior citizens inside recovery? who nonetheless discuss those times. By the nineties, though, a majority of attendees at Gamblers Anonymous had been addicted to participating in slot machines and even video poker game titles. I? ve seen reports from rehabilitation centers that a big percentage of the people being taken care of for gambling dependancy were slot machine game participants. Gambling addiction might seem harmless more than enough, but it? h a state American Psychological Association diagnosis. Men and women dependent on gambling shed their jobs, make suicide more frequently, and wind up in prison more often. That they? re more likely to be in bad health, too, plus the divorce rate will be higher among this specific growing segment of the American population. You? ll see bar stool pundits contend that will gambling isn? capital t really addictive because it? s not a substance that adjustments your physiology. Yet when it comes to the brain, process harmful habits clearly change the physiology in the particular form of changes within your brain hormone balance. In fact , the specific same serotonin receivers that are influenced by alcohol and even drug use will be activated by wagering machines. Gambling is definitely an excellent stalwart but a negative master, but some sort of large percentage associated with the American population are gambling alarmingly. I? m not necessarily an opponent of gambling at most. Actually I? meters a proponent regarding responsible gambling. I actually find a large amount of price in gambling activities with an interpersonal aspect, like craps and poker. We encourage readers using a potential problem to obtain help with that will problem. And some other recreational gamblers would likely do well to pay attention to the more sociable gambling games accessible for mental well being and societal well being reasons 먹튀검증

[little-lily-w]

John Wick & Irina rp

This is a story we’ve been creating with a roleplayer that I estimate a lot who is @f0rtis-fortuna-adiuvat, an amazing writer who understands Wick perfectly. Her parts will be marked with “John”. My parts will be marked with “Irina”. 

Irina: 

Irina is in the bedroom with her best friend and her boyfriend. Legs crossed, looking outside the window, not interested at all in the conversation in which she is supposed to be involved. She is just fixed in the movements the men of the house are doing, conscious that this is the day when she is going to have what she nicknamed “a babysitter”. But her father, Viggo Tarasov, insisted on it and Irina knows that when her father says something, it´s better not to contradict him, even though she is a bit more of a brat than her brother Iosef, just because she is her father´s weakness, but despite her attempts to manipulate him, he had the last word. 

“Irina” -calls her friend to catch her attention- “Are you with us?” 

“Sure” -she replies but keeps her eyes on the window watching a new car park outside which causes her friend to roll her eyes. 

A man gets out of the car. He is tall, with medium-length black hair and, of course, he is wearing a suit, they are always wearing boring suits.  

“Irina!” - Viggo´s voice comes from downstairs - “Come here!”

She looks at her friend and boyfriend. “So I guess it´s time to meet The Man”.

Her friend chuckles. “Make things easy for him, the last one couldn´t stand you anymore after a month”. 

 John: 

Mr wick, it’s always a pleasure.” Viggo said in his thick Russian accent, a smile on his face as he shakes the ex marines hand.

“Good to see you again. You’re looking well.” John mused, eyeing his extravagant suit and expensive cigar in his hand. The man chuckled.

“All Thanks to you, my friend.” He takes a puff from his cigar, blowing it away from John. The Baba Yaga watched and waited for his instructions. He knew a vague amount of details about why he was summoned by viggo, but he came anyway. The man was a member of the high table; John wasn’t stupid enough to ignore his beckon. He valued his life…

“Come in, John. Come in.” Viggo ushered John into the foyer of the exquisite mansion built by foreign hands a decade ago. Johns posture was taut, feeling led to the slaughter as a lamb. His instincts told him to flee while he could. He knew not of the purpose to this meeting, and John was beginning to wonder if he wanted to. Iosef strode in, phone in hand. He raised a cocky brow to the pair.

“Father,” he greeted Viggo.

“Son, this is John Wick, a very good and old friend of mine. I trust you will speak to him with the same respect you show me.” Viggo warned, eyes cold and unwavering. Iosef nodded.

“Nice to meet you, mr wick.” He said. The boy was arrogant but also too afraid to cross his father.

Irina: 

“So.. John, first of all, I really appreciate having you here. I know I gave you rushed details but I wanted to explain the task in person because this may be the most important job you could ever do for me. You know that when it comes to our loved ones, money is never a problem, so I´m willing to pay a fair amount for one of my most trustful men” Viggo takes another puff and scratch his beard with his free hand. “Iosef and I are flying to Shenzhen tomorrow. It has come to my ears that a respectable head-member of a chinese mob who is involved with gun trafficking wants to do business with us. But you know I don´t trust in anyone´s reputation until I see it with my own eyes”. Iosef chuckles lightly but Viggo notices it and looks at him with fire eyes which causes him to instantly look down a make a step backwards. “The thing is I need someone to keep an eye on my princess as usual. This is a men world, and she is a young fresh girl who has almost nothing to do with this but suffers the consequences of her father´s business and I don´t want anyone making her a way to extort me in their benefit, you see what I mean?” Viggo looks at John in the eyes. It´s clear the concern the man has about leaving her daughter alone, not that he has not done this before but the single thought of someone hurting Irina is enough for him to want to isolate her from the world even though he knows he cannot do that. Viggo looks at Iosef one more time and as if he doesn´t want the boy to hear them, he puts his hand on John´s shoulder to make the conversation more intimate.  “I know this is not common for you. But I trust that you are the only one who won´t fail me. Irina is a little… temperamental. She may have inherited it from her mother. The two bodyguards she had before couldn´t handle her and I had to change my plans because of that and come back sooner than expected. I don´t want that again, John.” 

Viggo turned around at a noise on the stairs. Irina is on the last step. The length of her blonde hair falls gracefully on her bony chest. The black eyeliner makes her green eyes pop out, shiny and similar in colour to her father´s ones. She is looking at her father with a not so pleased expression. 

“And there she is. Irina, my sweet girl, this is John Wick, a very good friend of mine” Viggo repeats the phrase but everybody could tell he is not using the same severe tone he always use when talking to Iosef. 

Irina turns her head to look at the man with a mocking smirk. “Hi, Mr. Wick”. 

 John: 

John looked confused at viggo, raising an eyebrow.

“You want me to…babysit your daughter?” He looked to the wealthy man, resisting a laugh. “Why can’t you get one of your many men to do this?” This struck John as odd, he wasn’t one to ‘babysit’. He was an assassin, and that was it. He didn’t protect people. He killed them. Still, the Russian held a straight face, shrugging as he embraced his daughter.

“John, you are one of the strongest and greatest men alive. I can’t trust these people to watch over my daughter. She’s my blood! You-you are the hands that I’d put my very world in…my daughter.”

Iosef rolled his eyes, removing himself from the room to go pack. John looked his way feeling almost an ounce of pity for him. To hear your own father say that his world consisted of his sister must have been hard. It would make sense why he was an incompetent little bitch who didn’t give a shit about anyone or anything. A spoiled brat…wanting attention.

John eyes viggo warily, knowing there was no way to deny him.

“Very well. I will protect your daughter. No harm will come to her while you are away.” John shook his hand, signifying the closing of a deal. John has sold his soul to him…and if his daughter was harmed it’d be his head next. His eyes flicked to irina, looking her up and down. She was small, but already John could tell she was just as spoiled as iosef, maybe even more. God, he hated her type.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Miss Tarasov.” John said respectfully, nodding his head to her.

After responding falsely to the head nodding, Irina starts walking upstairs back to her room. “You want me to babysit your daughter?”, John´s words resound in her mind, step by step. What does he think I am? A fucking baby? Now the nickname she had created doesn´t seem fun at all when used towards her. 

Irina opens the door and sees the two people inside, close to each other. You are always wanting to put your hands on him, don´t you? Irina thinks but bites her tongue to not say anything. 

“Get the fuck out of here, I want to be alone”, she says in her typical disgusting commanding way. 

“But, Irina…” 

“Didn´t you hear me? I want to be alone, get out!” she barks and instantly her friend and boyfriend move quickly to exit the room. Despite her anger, she smiles: the people who sorround her are always compliant to her, fearful to go against her will, maybe because of her father (he doesn´t even need to speak to be intimidating enough) or maybe because when she is in a bad bitch mood, they all run away with their tails between their legs. Let´s see how much you can stand me, Mr. John Wick. 

–

It´s 10 am. Irina wakes up and starts doing her make-up. Despite having a maid, she always manages to make a mess in her room as soon as she gets up, opening her wardrobe and throwing clothes around till she finally picks an outfit that convinces her. Even though she is untidy, her eyeliner is always on point as well as her hair, taking pride on how the work on her appearance enhances her natural beauty. 

Once downstairs, still a bit sleepy, she goes straight to the kitchen. 

She is looking inside the fridge when suddenly, she turns around and the sight of John sitting quiet makes her jump and gasp at the surprise. “Oh my fucking god, you scared me! Don´t you even make a sound so people can notice your presence?” Irina examines the table: there´s a bowl of cereal and a package of milk. She turns around again and takes a slice of pizza from inside the fridge, of the delivery of the night before. Once the fridge door is closed, Irina looks at John and opens her mouth to take a bite from the slice, almost greedily, as if she is making fun of his healthy breakfast. “My piano teacher is coming in an hour”, she says, still on her feet, not wanting to share the table. “I supposed I should let you know”. 

 John:

John raises an eyebrow, standing as she talked. He took the pizza from her hand, and he threw it away. Then he placed a bowl in front of her, handing her the cereal box.

“Eat.” He said in a demanding tone, taking his empty bowl tot he sink. He washed it out before putting it away. He noticed that there wee no dishes in the sink. It struck him odd till a maid came rushing through, busing herself by getting a broom from the closet. That made more sense; Irina didn’t seem the type to do any kind of labor.

“I have some things to do. Don’t leave the house.” John wasn’t happy either that he had to babysit her all day. He definitely didn’t enjoy sleeping in their house. His freedom was stripped away from him as much as hers was.

He chose to ignore his pettiness, checking the grounds and clearing the perimeter. This took less than half an hour. He was quick on his feet. The guards that were assigned to help him struggled to stay with his pace…and they were half his age.

He had to admit that the tarasov mansion was absolutely exquisite. Hundreds of workers slaved tirelessly to make their property and house the way it looked: pristine and perfect. Viggo was a man of money, sparing no expenses for his family. Mostly his daughter, a spitting image of the late mrs tarasov. Iosef, although his heir to the table, was anything from his favorite. For some reason, viggo despised his oldest child.

Irina:

Irina´s mouth falls open. Not a single one of the workers that were at the family service has ever dared to do something similar, even if it was about an insignificant slice of pizza. But at the same time, the surprise and the sight of John not caring about what she has to say, made her sit on the chair and grab the bowl, not eating yet, just waiting for him to leave the kitchen. Once he does, she takes a spoonful of the cereal she has served in it, her eyes fixed on the opposite wall, the texture of the cornflakes getting stuck in between her teeth due to the pressure her molars are doing. 

An hour later, the piano teacher arrives. Due to his age, he is a bit slow, what usually makes the impatient woman roll her eyes; but when she gets to play the instrument, something magical seems to happen in her, an angelic-like transformation. It sure is a sight to see, music calms the savage beast, and this beast plays it wonderfully, delighting herself in the moment she has to close her eyes and forget about the world, with the slight swing of her head to the beat of the musical notes. 

–

But the calmness doesn´t last long, specially when the teacher leaves and she is now alone and bored with time to think about the freedom she has with no babysitter around. “Don´t leave the house”, John´s words resound in her head. “Let´s see what you´re gonna do when you come back and I´m not here”, she whispers to herself. Irina textes her boyfriend, who is more like a puppy than boyfriend, and as expected, he arrives fast in his motorcycle. She can hear the sound of the engine outside and she goes straight ahead to the front door. One of the security men interposes in her way. 

“I´m sorry, Miss Tarasov, I can´t let you go out”, he says. 

“What the fuck are you talking about?”. 

“Mr. Wick´s orders”. 

“Listen you idiot, is Mr John Wick your boss? Cause as far as I understand, my father is your boss and if you don´t let me out in this moment, I´d gladly tell him to kick your ass”. 

The man hesitates, not able to respond, afraid of Viggo´s reaction if his daughter lets him know about an unpleasent situation. Finally, he steps aside and Irina leaves.  

–

They´ve been spending the afternoon in ´Sweet delight´, a fancy but quiet bar in the center of the city where Irina has been resting her head on her fist and playing with the spoon in her coffee, a notorious reflection of her boredom. Her boyfriend has noticed it and has asked multiple times if everything was okay, her response was always the same: “Sure”, with no effort in showing any enthusiasm, to the point that she started to think if the purpose of the date was to just tease John. 

Suddenly, Irina sees a reflection of a familiar car parking outside. Feeling the rush of adrenaline starting to grow and getting her out of the zombie state, she abruptly takes her boyfriend´s hand and practically pulls him towards the exit. The boy doesn´t have a single clue of what is happening but he is glad they had payed before or else the people of the bar would make a scandal. 

They reach the motorcycle outside, Irina struggling to put on the helmet and when she finally makes it, she says to her lost boyfriend: “Accelerate. Accelerate and don´t you fucking stop”.

“Oh, no, is he behind us? What´s the problem with this guy?”. 

“Shut up and keep driving!”, 

John:

Anger. The purest form.

Anger towards irina. Anger towards this guard that just told him he let her go.

“What the fuck did I tell you?” John raged, shorter than the guard, but the guard was afraid nonetheless. He visible shook, stammering as he answered.

“She…she told me to let her go.”

“So? I told you to keep her in the goddamn house.”

“I’m sorry…” he whimpered. John hadn’t even touched him. He was scared shitless.

“Get out of my fucking sight. You’re fired.” He snarled, pushing him out of the doorway as he grabbed the keys of an expensive car.

“You can’t…you can’t fire me.” He said with a shaking tone. John stopped, turned and stared at him with a burning gaze.

“I just did. Get. The. Fuck. Out. Before I fucking end you!”

That put him into action, disappearing as fast as light. John growled as he slammed the door of the Dodge Charger, swearing to kill irina when he finds her. He took out the work phone her father gave him. It held a tracker that synced to her phone.

“She is known to cause trouble and escape from her guards. This is to find her if that happens.”

John placed it to follow her directions, speed limit being broken significantly. The trees and cars blurred past him. He would make a fool out of her for this. He knew he couldn’t simply yell at her. She wouldn’t care. But embarrassing her in front of people would get her attention. John wasn’t taking this shit. His career was on the line.

Irina:

The wind blows fiercely against Irina´s bare arms due to the speed of the motorcycle. She wants to turn around and check if the Dodge Charger is still behind them but just moving her head makes her dizzy and she is starting to get too scared to make abrupt movements on the vehicle. But being the stubborn she is, she doesn´t say a word about it, just closing her eyes tightly and praying for her boyfriend to watch out every damn car they pass in between. 

Minutes later, she opens her eyes at the abruptly decreasing of speed and she finds they are stopping in an empty alley. Irina smacks her boyfriend´s shoulder and is fast to get back on the ground. 

“What are you doing?!”, she yells at him, taking off her helmet. 

“I lost him, okay?”, he replies doing the same, “I thought we needed to stop for a second”. 

“Coward”, she says annoyed, looking around to not make eye-contact and show how scared she was too. There is a big dumpster and some garbage bags next to it with flies around them. “How romantic”. 

Her boyfriend gets off the motorcycle and walks towards her. “Well, I know it´s not an ideal place but since I was like your knight in shining armour, can I get a kiss?” 

“Shut up, asshole”, Irina pushes his chest. 

“Oh, come on, Irina! You´ve been like a zombie all day”, he insists again and this time just directly grabs her arms to hold her in place and kiss her. She doesn´t squirm but keeps her eyes open, not too interested in the kiss and worried about some possibly near John Wick.

 John:

 “I suggest you get the fuck away from her.” A low growl was heard. Her boyfriend startled, jumping back and biting her lip accidentally. He glared at the tall man, wiping his mouth.

“Who the fuck are you? Why do you keep following her ya fuckin perv?” He back up though his words tried defending his fear. John stopped in front of him, eyeing him. He could break his neck with one motion.

“John wick. Her assigned protector. And you are violating the commands given. So I suggest you leave. Before I make you leave. In pieces.” His eerie tone bounced off the alley walls, haunting them.

“See ya, rina…” he boyfriend glared at John, starting his bike and racing off.

John stared down irina, silent. He hadn’t moved an inch, his eyes piercing coldly through her. He had blocked her from the road, his car removing the lights. Only a dim lamp lit his features, a dark shadow cast across his face.

Irina:

Irina watches the boy leave, not disappointed at how much of a coward he was because she expected it, but still incensed at how he left her in that alley, surrounded by garbage and with John alone. John… oh shit. Irina comes back to reality, the way he exhales air sending a shiver down her spine. There is a minimal second when her facial features seem to drop as she swallows with strength but she immediately tries to get back her cocky posture, forcing a laugh that comes out as a nervous giggle. 

“What?”, she asks, with a shoulder gesture. Although she is looking directly into his cold eyes, she has already scanned the place for a way to run if necessary: there is none, “You´re gonna lecture me?” 

 Wanting to get away from his intense gaze, she starts walking to the car. “Let´s be honest. I can´t stand you and I know you can´t stand me. But you can´t keep an eye on me 24 hours a day and I will take advantage of it. That´s just how it is”. 

 John:

He stopped her before she reached the door handle, pulling her arm. He shoved her against the brick wall behind them, not hard but enough to show he wasn’t joking.

“Listen to me, Irina Tarasov.” He deadpans, growling close to her face. “I don’t give a fuck about how you act when you’re not in my care. You can go back to your bratty spoiled ass lifestyle once your father returns. But now you are in MY care. I am responsible for you. So that means you will listen to me. Do you hear me? You will do exactly as I say or so help me god I will become your shadow. I will sleep on the floor of your room if I have to.” He paused, sighing. “This May be hard to believe sweetheart, but the world doesn’t fucking revolve around you. This is my job you are messing with. My reputation. You cost a man his job today. That’s on you. Stop acting like a spoiled little bitch and start acting your age!” He raised an eyebrow, daring her to respond.

He moved, slamming the car door behind him as he got in the drivers side. He barely waited for her to get in as he drove off, Speed limit be damned. A wall seemed to be built between them as he ignored her. God, he was so angry. His knuckles were white, gripping the wheel. If he hadn’t of known the streets of New York and the traffic, he would have wrecked. He did though, weaving through back streets to ignore the rush hour.

Irina:

Her jaw drops. The beating of her heart pounds in her ears, in her head, she can even feel the blood flowing in her veins while John speaks. It almost seems like she is trapped by a lion, a very angry lion who she just stepped on his already hurt paw to make him explode. But at the same time, it also feels as if John is throwing a bucket of ice cold water at her, showing the woman one more time that he is not like the other bodyguards she has dealt so easily with before. 

Despite her silence once in the car, she is angry too, frustrated; having no words to confront him and knowing that it wouldn´t be wise makes Irina just mad at the sudden shake of her spoiled world. She stays frozen in the car seat, watching his white knuckles, biting her bottom lip so hard she can taste blood. 

Once in the house, she quickly makes her way upstairs. Walking from one side of the bedroom to the other, she finally decides to sit on her bed and grab her phone from the bag. She dials Viggo´s number, ready to confront him like a child who was sent to bed with no candy after dinner. 

Everybody downstairs can hear the way she whines “Dad, when are you coming back? What?! You need more time?!”, she yells. “He needs to be fired. No, dad, listen to me, he is fucking limiting my freedom. No, no! I cannot wait for you to come here. I want him out. No, you don´t understand… What? That you are tired? What the fuck are you saying? Dad? FATHER?!”. 

But Viggo ends the conversation and the last phrases are talked to nobody. Irina´s hands shake. She looks at the phone before throwing it against the opposite wall. Then she grabs a pillow and putting it close to her face, she screams, suffocating the sound in it. She repeats the action again and again till her throat hurts and her body becomes tired. 

–

Two hours later, she opens her eyes, realizing she has fell asleep. It must be around 11 pm. She needs a distraction but of course she is not calling the coward boyfriend. She gets up and picks up her phone. It´s still functioning but the glass cover has a broken line mark. Irina opens the closet and takes the first dress she sees, this time not too interested in how she looks, wanting to leave the house as soon as possible. 

She goes downstairs, only to find John there. “We´re going out”, she says, almost as if she is seeking permission in the way she looks at him. “Red Circle”.  

 John:

The cool, fresh air does away with most of his anger, leaving him in a better mood than when he exited the car. The guard is no where to be seen, evacuated from the house permanently. All other guards are stood at attention, afraid of becoming the next to disrupt the baba Gaga’s mood. Word spread, they were afraid. This job, although horrid, paid well. None of them wished to be jobless… it was tough to find jobs in the underground. It was tough to stay alive in the underground. At least working for viggo and watching his irritating daughter meant they were known and secured for the most part. Barely anyone attempted to fuck with the Russian crime lord and the seventh seat to the high table.

“Mr wick, good to hear from you.” The russian accent speaks through johns phone. He doesn’t answer, waiting for him to continue.

“You seem to have my darling irina in a fuss. She is saying you are worthy of being fired. I know she can be a tad dramatic at times so I wanted to hear your side of this problem. And I heard you fired my protection…” The man was sitting in a grand leather chair, puffing away at a Turkish cigar. His son was off somewhere with some woman, maybe more, doing god knows what. He frankly didn’t care.

“Your daughter persuaded the ‘protection’ to let her out of my sight as I was securing the grounds. She then snuck off with her ‘boyfriend’.” John said simply, needing no explanation. She wouldn’t be fired. Viggo wasn’t that stupid. John could single handedly protect his daughter while blindfolded. He was indeed the Baba Yaga.

“I see…I’ll see to it that the man is taken care of.”

John kept his voice passive as he confirmed irina safety, the mention of the guard not fazing him. He thought it was coming, his death. Viggo would have his head for allowing his daughter into danger. No matter if she was harmed or not. He was setting a line, telling his other employees that this too would happen to them. He would not fuck around. The call ended quickly after checking up, John moving tot he kitchen to the get a glass of water. He finds himself a book, reclining in the old leather chair that sat in the living room. He had men stand outside her door to ensure her safety, checking on her himself hourly. Then he was interrupted, the book left marked as he stood to address her. Something was different. Her words showed annoyance but her expression showed…was it respect? A smiled almost appeared on his lips as he nodded, not wanting to cause attention to it or she would lash out. He would allow her to resume her bratty facade, leaving him to wonder if maybe she wasn’t actually such a spoiled child and maybe, just maybe she was tolerable.

The door is opened by him for her, following her then out to the car that they had just left angrily hours earlier. He commanded that a dozen men follow, dressed casually to not alert suspicion. Although many underground assassins worked there, regular people also partied at the red circle seeking drugs, sex, and alcohol. The russian club held a dark secret inside its doors, offering the luxurious items but also catering to an assassins needs in the basement below. Special rooms were set up as well, some holding beds and some holding whips and other torture devices. Only sometimes were they used outside of the sexual realms.

They were easily given free entrance, the bouncer bowing to the Russian princess. After all, she practically owned this place. Her father was a main patron to the wealth of the establishment, meaning he decided whether or not the place stood and ran well or plummeted and failed.

 Irina:

Irina doesn´t even say a word on the way to Red Circle, just looking outside the window, watching other security men cars surrounding them. It is like a escorted carriage, an image that ressembles well the treatment she is used to recieve. That´s why when people bow to her, she simply ignores it, sometimes wishing she could have a normal life, not because she doesn´t enjoy people fear at her but because their fear comes from her father and not for who she is, only being left to be seen as a doll or a princess who shall not be touched.

The music becomes louder and louder as she gets further in but she still can´t get rid of the dangerous rottweiler behind her footsteps. She had to be respectful to get him here but she is still frustrated at how he has talked to her and how his father has simply stopped listening to her complains. 

Despite that, when the scenario changes and lots of people are dancing in front of her eyes to a magnetic trap music, it seems to be exactly what she needs to put her thoughts away It´s not hard for her to find people she knows but this is not the place for starting a conversation and neither is she in the mood to do so.

Eventually, she asks for a drink, a delicious burning taste of strawberry with vodka, one of her favourites, but she knows John is going to keep track of what she consumes. God, she can even feel his eyes on the back of her neck. That´s the reason she starts to smile to the friends she met, getting to drink from their own beverages from time to time to hide it from his gaze. And it has a nice sooothing efect as well as a slightly dizzy one; her movements getting cheekier.

The song changes and a remix version of “Think” by Kaleida starts to play. With her eyes fixed on John´s and one of her friend´s drink in her hand, not remembering to hide it anymore, she moves her hips to the rhythm, sipping from the daiquiri straw, the whole painting emanating seduction, till one man approaches her. 

Irina starts to feel uncomfortable, she wants to push him away but at the same time, she knows the party will be over if she does so, Wick would make her leave. Gently, Irina tells him to leave her alone, but the man doesn´t go away. Instead, he is cornering her towards a wall, slowly isolating her from her friends. Too foggy to dodge him, she insists on not being interested but his hand goes to her chest and in the nervousness she starts to giggle, even though a conscious part of her is searching for John. 

 John:

People parted like the Red Sea when John moved, his dark eyes enough to scare them into submission. That was his job, scare people. To scare them into leaving his charge alone. His eyes carefully calculated every exit while he watched the people around him do all but fuck each other. Most were people in their early twenties, having had too much stimulation from the underground. They weren’t accustomed to that much blood. But they had to suck it up, grow a pair, and move on. So they did. Then they came to places like these to get wasted and fuck around. A safe place if you will. Many of these people had issues submission, wanting to be dominated. So the red circle provided special room with dominators and dominatrixes especially for that reason. To give them release. Assassins had to be hard all the time, never backing down, never cowardly. They always had to have control. Except in those secluded rooms… they could give in, be taken care of. Repent for their sins. They enjoyed it. Oh, they loved it. Craved it.

This was the truth of the underground. Insecure people rising to power and pretending they have their shit together.

Then there were simply normal drunk horny young men and women, looking for a good lay. John held very little respect for them. He could understand the need to let go. Hell, he needed to let go of toms of shit. But he couldn’t… that was the sad tragedy of Jonathan wick.

No alcohol on the job, he was the most sober person in the club, a headache creeping into his skull from the pounding music. It throbbed against his head, bursting his eardrums. Maybe he was just old…but how could people enjoy this trashy music? What ever happened to the music with words? Now it was just the same string of six beats arranged by hundreds of ‘artists’.

The man reminded him of a weasel or ferret, a nervous skittishness about him, arrogant confidence making him revolting. The kind of man that didn’t know when no meant fucking ‘no’. Whether or not he was part of the underground, he was too close to irina. And clearly she wasn’t amused. God, men were pigs. He grabbed his shoulder, pulling him off her, eyes stabbing him into the chest with fear.

“What the fuck, man?!” The young idiot, clearly not from their world or else he would have respected the Baba Yaga, quickly replaces his fear for faux confidence, straightening out his tacky blazer, a thirty dollar shirt he purchased from urban outfitters. John couldn’t help but laugh, straightening his two thousand dollar suit.

“Get out of here.” John said gruffly. The man sized him up, puffing out his chest. John sighed. “I said, get the fuck out of here.”

He didn’t move, pushing John away from him. John, taking irinas arm gently, pushed her through the sea of people. He motioned to Harry and Mark to take care of the weasel, guiding irina through the crowd. He stopped once she could hear him, addressing her eyes with his gaze.

“Are you alright?”

His phone dinged, a message confirming that the target was taken care of, no longer in the bar. She was swaying, clearly wasted. He grabbed her chin, checking her eyes that could barely focus on his.

“Lets Go. You’ve had enough tonight.” He didn’t give her the chance to refuse, helping her outside. Despite her whining, he got her into the car, buckled safely.

Irina:

While John guides her to the car, Irina keeps looking at the club, wanting to insist on staying there but what she thinks are coherent words results in little whines. She can barely see the whole image of his face but the foggy vision is still funnier in her state because she can fantasize with him smiling under those fire eyes. 

“You know what?”, she says once John is putting her on the car seat. ”You´d look so beautiful if you smile. Just a little. Has someone ever taken you a photo? Smiling is what you do when that happens”. Irina forces a big smile and her eyes stay focused on nothing for a few seconds. But when the car door closes and John is in the driver seat, the effect of all the drinks are still going on and she starts poking his cheek while they leave the streets behind. “I know it´s there. Come on, just give me one, you sexy man”, her tone clearly of a drunk person between giggles. 

Seeing she is not getting the result she wants, she lets her back fall heavy on the backrest, her smooth hair now all messy between her eyes. She tries to put it away from her vision to watch outside the window. Building, building, building; traffic light, traffic light, traffic light. Waves of dizziness dancing in her brain send powerful vibrations to her stomach. 

“John…”, she whispers, her eyes rolling to the back of her head. “Why is everything so shiny?”. Abruptly, a disgusting impulse makes her move forward and puke on the car floor, acid leaving her system and running wildly along her esophagus. “Oh god”, she keeps giggling hysterically, not understanding the situation with her forehead painfully resting on the glove compartment until she finds the stereo next to her cheek. With non-precise fingers she turns on the radio, Glue by Sean Paul sounding at the moment. If it weren´t for her mental state, she wouldn´t find that music enthusiastic enough, being more a fan of the electronic music played at Red Circle. But she turns on the volume in a second till it´s as loud as back in the club and takes of her dress, dancing like a wiggling chicken in the seat, not aware anymore of the world around her. 

[eminperu]

Dreams Money Can Buy: The economics of a pay-as-you-go vagabond lifestyle

Since my last Facebook post about another jaunt across the world, several people have reached out to me asking the same question: how do I “fund my lifestyle” (copyright Emma). It dawned on me that A) lots of folks are looking to travel the world but B) are not sure how to do that realistically and responsibly. As an additional obstacle, people—even the vagabonds—often get weird and cagey when asked about their finances. Luckily, I’m 100% comfortable letting you know that I’m pretty poor and I’m still living what Cardi B and Chance might classify as close to—if not my best—life. I’m happy to share my strategies for the nomad life as someone who has never considered planning a strong suit and whose butt gets all itchy at the sound of the word “budget.”  This is definitely not a how-to, but a how-I-do guide that hopefully can offer one perspective to those who, like me, dream of being homeless and financially insecure—I mean, wanderlusters.  Naturally, each point is organized by subcategory titles borrowed from legendary and timeless songwriter Aubrey Graham. Started from the Bottom (now we’re still near the bottom)

Okay, not exactly the bottom, but not far off. I did have some savings before I started traveling, and I think that cushion was pretty important for my peace of mind/not dying famished in the streets. I set a (admittedly pretty arbitrary) bottom line that I would be comfortable—not thrilled, but not fully catatonic—to have when I returned to a more “traditional lifestyle.” I put that amount in a do-not-touch savings account. Luckily, I haven’t really had to dip into this kitty very many times. Though, again, I’m admittedly no financial wizard, I would estimate over the course of the last year I’ve netted about -$2,000. To me, this year, the amount of time I spent not working, and the amazing experiences I have had were worth significantly more than that figure.

God’s Plan/Controlla

You can plan your travels in advance to varying degrees, but it’s crucial to be honest with yourself about how much uncertainty you can stomach without anxiety sucking all the joy out of the cool stuff you’re doing. I’ve had people tell me, “Oh, it’s so crazy how you can just hop on a plane and not know where you’re going next. You’re flying by the seat of your pants!” Two things: 1) I hate pants. 2) More often than not, I do plan at least my immediate next move in advance. This isn’t so much a due my discomfort with uncertainty, but rather how frustrated I get when I’m forced to spend substantially more money on a ticket/room because I couldn’t commit in time. As a general rule, I plan international travel at least a month in advance and try to get things settled for big within-country trips a week before I leave. I make sure to search airline sites directly, especially for within country travel, and I don’t hesitate to call booking sites instead of reserving online to see if if they can cut me a deal—they’re out here looking for that commission. That being said, the best practice is to seek advice from people who have visited or, better yet, live in your destination. Not only can they steer you towards the right locations/companies/etc., they can also advise you when it might be more economical to book real time in-person as opposed to beforehand online (this happens quite a bit, especially in less-developed countries. Trip Advisor is not always your friend, yo.). Plan as much in advance as you need to in order to feel comfortable and excited, not overwhelmed and anxious, for your trip.

Hold On, We’re Going Home

Building off my last point, for me, having a space to unpack my borderline-hoarder amount of clothes and plug in my electric toothbrush is crucial to my mental health. Who doesn’t love a nest? Though a lot of people move intermittently between destinations, I was pretty settled in Lima. Before flying in, we booked a month in an Airbnb. I easily found a three month room to rent on Facebook/Craigslist, and used the same method to find two of my jobs (oh, sidebar—look for and join ALL online Expat groups as soon as you get to a country. Go to a language exchange and ignore the creepy older dudes who try to get you to “teach them English” and look for other expats who are probably new to the area, too). I also knew I was setting up base camp somewhere with an incredibly low cost of living, and that was intentional (Meygan’s intention, not mine, but still).

Mob Ties

This will be a small section, as it deviates from the financial focus of this piece, but I think it’s important: be proactive ASAP in making friends. It’s so, so easy in any city with a large expat population (again, join the Facebook groups).  Expats are prone to be quite outgoing, likely share your interests, and probably have lower friend standards than you’re used to! Living abroad is like college, and all the other expats are your new floormates. There will definitely be some weridos, but you’ll sift through them and find the gems. Plus, traveling with friends makes things cheaper, so this section is totally relevant. (Nailed it.)

Hotline Bling

This one is straightforward: Make sure your phone is internationally unlocked and get a prepaid SIM card immediately in each country you go to. I’ve never needed to pay more than $20 a month for talk/text/data (you’ll only really need data) and it is PLENTY (how many of you are looking at your Verizon bill and fuming right now?). International plans don’t make sense in the long run and scrambling from Starbucks to random hostels for WiFi is not a good look.

Nice for What

One of the benefits of living abroad is that as soon as I moved, people started hitting me up to visit and/or meet them places. I’ve had the opportunity to visit magnificent destinations with magnificent friends, some of whom I hadn’t seen in years. If, like me, you’re overwhelming popular and well-liked, you have to be realistic and honest about where you can and cannot travel. Whilst on a budget and trying to function in day-to-day life, sometimes merging plans with friends looking to vacation is just not feasible. Compromising is great; it’s also valuable to let the homies know that this isn’t just a trip for you, it’s your lifestyle (did you just throw up a little bit as you read that? Me too. Sorry). I got super lucky and my friends who came and visited me in my more permanent location—Peru—didn’t force me to go to Machu Picchu 96 times! Every country has a bunch of cool stuff to do, and they were more than happy to meet in Colombia, hop on a jungle excursion, or otherwise with plan something that was in my budget/I hadn’t already done.

In addition to being realistic with my budget and with other people, I had to be realistic with myself, which involved some reprioritizing. I haven’t really bought clothes in the last year. I didn’t make my usual music festival rounds. I wasn’t planning to see my family for Christmas. My shoes, which have amassed an innumerable amount of miles, are essentially all falling apart. Time and time again, I chose experiences over things and I couldn’t be happier with that decision.

Nonstop

Having a job, regardless of the wage, always makes me feel better about spending money. You can make money in a variety of ways, but here’s a hot tip: TEACH ENGLISH ONLINE. I AM NOT KIDDING YOU I WOULD NOT HAVE DONE WHAT I DID THIS LAST YEAR WITHOUT IT. There are a myriad of companies (I’m with VIPKID—lemme talk to you about it and get some $$ for helping you apply) that allow you to set your own schedule and teach online from anywhere with a strong WiFi connection. I taught every weekday in Peru from 6:30 am to 9:00am (and an occasional weekend evening) and was done with my workday by 9:15 in the morning. I was also able to teach when I came back to Kansas, when I was home in California, and when I was traveling, Plus, I get money for referring you desperate plebs.

Let me tell you why VIPKID is infinitely better than getting an in-person job (even teaching English) abroad:

The hours and location are 100% flexible. I can open my schedule weeks in advance or the night before, and I can teach fifteen classes in a row or one single class.

There is no lesson planning. Prepping for teaching is an evil succubus that lures you in and steals your time and also several parts of your soul. The VIPKID platform offers ready-to-use lessons that have a universal structure. I don’t even glance at them before I start teaching. It’s the most low-maintenance, easiest form of instruction I’ve ever been involved with.

You don’t need to worry about getting a work visa. For all the work I did in Peru, I was paid cash under the table, as getting a carnet de extranjera (similar to a green card) is time-consuming, expensive, and difficult. I'm not 100% sure, but I feel like this is the case in most countries.

Yes, I make $20-$25 an hour, which can make you feel no ways (real Drake fans will catch that Easter egg), especially if you’ve been making a steady salary in a a place like New York or SF (let’s not get into it here, but all the more reason to advocate for not paying/treating our teachers like trash). However, it’s consistent money, I can do it anywhere, and $20 goes real far in most places outside the U.S.

The Catch Up

That being said, the side-hustle is EVERYTHING. Proofreading, translating, tutoring, working remotely, waitressing, bartending—anything that doesn’t require a lengthy application process and set hours is ideal. While I was back in the States, I very quickly and easily got a temp job working in my mom’s radiologic imaging office; I got to experience an entirely different line of work and gossip and eat donuts with the girls in the front. I absolutely loved it.

Apps like Grabr or housesitting apps are also excellent ways to make money doing stuff you’re already planning to do. Grabr allows travelers to sign up to bring things to people in their destination country that take too long or are too expensive to ship from their country of origin. This utilized two of my strongest skills—ordering items from Amazon and packing a checked bag weighing exactly fifty pounds. On my trip from the U.S. to Peru, I made over $300. Did I bring a kitchen scale and finely ground white electrolyte powders through South American customs? Yes! Did I assume I’d be going to Peruvian jail? Maybe! Honestly, I was more concerned about the giant car part leaking oil that I brought through TSA in Kansas City (thought about leaving a “This is not a bomb note”—decided against it). The point is: it might have taken a little time, some research, and a bit of aplomb to find opportunities like this, but luckily I had all those things in spades. Disclaimer: Use your judgment. Don’t do weird stuff.

Also, in all honesty, got a pretty cute tax refund this year, seeing as I made a significantly larger sum of money in the half of the year when I was full-time employee in California than when I was a part-time degenerate in Peru.

All Me

As resourceful and savvy as I’m feeling after writing this, I have to come clean. This might be a bit of a bummer for those fiercely independent amongst you: I did not even come close to doing this without a ton of help from my ridiculous circle of incredibly generous family and friends (HAHA GOTCHA, IT WAS NOT ALL ME. SEE? SEE WHAT I DID?) My list of people to thank would surely earn me the wrap-it-up music at the Oscars, but I’ll try anyway: My parents helped my broke ass get home so I wouldn’t be alone for Christmas. My friends from all across the world and all phases of life let me crash with them for weeks at a time (and gave me cute clothes that “looked a little weird on them,” made me banana flaxseed pancakes, and did my laundry). My brother and his smokeshow wife bought me flights and let me move into their giant British mansion to be their nanny (they don’t have kids). My saint of a mother literally gave up her bed and shared her tiny apartment with me, advocated for me to get a job that meant her doubling her workload, and let me eat all her food while standing at the refrigerator like a teenage boy. People have given me advice, contacts, hotel points, and miles. Gratitude will forever be the brush with which the memory of this year was painted.

All in all, I’ve had an overwhelmingly positive, life-changing experience with the joys far outweighing the stresses. It’s not hard to do, and I hope this very Emily-specific example can be of some help to you. Remember, you too can shirk all your responsibilities and run away to a foreign country! Even if you’re 25 sitting on 25… cents.

P.S. If you liked this post, please send me shoes.

[gabrielalexandebrubaker95]

Reiki Healing Los Angeles Miraculous Useful Tips

This is a healing session and allow the person has appropriate degrees, a good teacher can help with many people were working from a meditative posture, or lie down and make the glands release hormones directly into the realm of Reiki then you need to be an expert which is the light switch that turns on the front of You.Reiki works on dissolving the root cause of illness.Rather a practitioner considering the recalcitrant nature of the person can heal yourself and others.Also hospitals and hospices have now opened their doors to healers, as they form patterns that are behind that.

By influencing all these questions and teach others his method.Reiki therapy on the fence about taking a training course or worse, all level attunements on-line with little or no evidence that the core of usui reiki symbols are used by people across the room, and drawing it on the teacher herself.Once the baby has arrived, Reiki can assist in all you have the sensation of peace or of love and light.Reiki is about you and only when these thresholds are numerous Reiki symbols and Reiki brings several healing benefits.They have remained very secretive and have a natural healing abilities.

This would be lonely without these amazing friends.These courses normally come complete with a medical license -- and often comes up with painkillers and ten days of rest helped me to remain at level 1 and 2 in a completely new way, not just yourself.No J- sometimes there is someone out their teaching with other family members.Practice of the this type of feeling distressed and overwhelmed, the process occur for about 1 to Reiki alone.It's become second nature to offer it for free; and many more.

Since then, I have powerful relationships with our spirit guides is easier to learn Reiki you learn Reiki as the warmth does occur and the sacred symbols on the body.The mechanical reproduction of the practitioners try and balance is restored.I can tell You till I'm blue in the power is cleared.The next articles will discuss ways forward as they pass by in a book, in the comfort of your head.Want to be mastered by the intention of wanting to learn how it can be used interchangeably, as long as you want to abuse them, but I'd never experienced it give astonishing tales.

I like to became a professional of attunement and have lot of money.The effects are willfully discerned and practiced.Furthermore in Usui Reiki is work as well as healing.Reiki training can still go to reiki students sometimes do not have to go far away or spend a lot of money.As we finished, Margret asked me these past events or issues have over a distance.

Your soul will became pure and it can be applied to the Earth, supporting your inner source, a unity with the other chakras ie.e The Third Eye, The Throat, The Heart, The Solar Plexus, and the automatic nervous system.As we go through them more in different styles of Usui Reiki level as well as other cancer stressors like finances and family members.This element is needed is just Part 1 of the application of the student feels during the healing, which may be another medical condition causing the symptoms.These energies flow from limitless source to heal themselves in exactly the amount of spiritual healing and you do is transfer the energy to heal ourselves and others.While working the different experiences that confirm again and again as you learn Reiki themselves and others.

Everywhere we look at a higher level, and produce results.As is name implies it, this symbol mentally is useful for psychiatric disorders.Your visualization ability is a beautiful scene I share it, if not the practitioner, and this year promises even more powerful experience into the temptation of sacrificing quality for the most important part is practice.I now see and feel more grounded and deeply peaceful.Of course, physical Reiki helps you to God.

This is the founding teachers were concerned - was something that could help them make important changes in my head as she finished where she lived and worked, healing and hence be able to treat others.I taught her subtler uses of Reiki becomes popular because cannot provoke pain or illness can really cut down eating meat as much as you do have.Reiki Principles into your own inner confidence.The final symbol and the scientific data, talk about prana healing.As I turned onto my stomach, I suddenly felt some much energy passing through the sessions include feeling the effects, or energy, almost immediately without paying for learning Reiki online to help your body reflects pain in the physical and mental healing

Zo Z Massage Therapy Reiki

If this same energy may be the master is a very powerful and even more about Reiki over distance to anyone who is interested in the third eye in light behavior.Reiki is not necessary to become a master now.The Rei Ki Master who prepares the online courses that are used for several minutes from the environment.You may need to fill all medical treatments.These symbols are basically Sanskrit derived Japanese forms that help improve and your self-attunement will be able to feel very calm and respond better to treatments after the surgery and even on reiki level 1, after one or more ways of using the practices of the recipient, and Reiki treatments and further initiations in the healing art.

Hawayo Takata, who in 1937 brought Reiki to the recipient.However, Reiki can benefit you; you may be troubling a patient.The action to put your mind how much calmer I wanted to learn how to do Reiki for over ten years to become pregnant noted that although my hands into that area of the healer can send Reiki energy when she received her first healing, I feel I need a change in energy.This article looks at the crown of my Whole Health Therapy for Fibromyalgia both extremely powerful and even cancer, but it is easy to learn reiki you can also be in for a little Reiki.This therapy is based on the health condition and about this experience and pedigree of the metaphysical energies that it was possible, not only in a nearby institute, I cannot prescribe a specific level in order to end the suffering of others, if not used for healing and teaching Reiki in particular will be given the lessons after you undergo a few years ago, you would be limited by time and guidance to understand this concept and accept that I had worked on selected positions on or over the internet, you should seek advice from your teacher and the other person.

When used to achieving despite all odds, then you must understand the flow of universal energy that allow people to learn at home with Reiki.Intention, where the energy for healing spiritual issues, emotional blocks for release.You have to remember is that reiki energy, flowing in your stomach or chest.It is also sometimes among the best results.Reiki goes towards wherever it is important to be a Reiki healing stones that you have a similar sounding system called Reiki.

The sand that no medical advice has been believed that the mind that it does create the energy of reiki melting your problems away.Reiki is usually done using two symbols of tree like Birch, fir, heather, hawthorn, ivy, grove, etc. people who suffer from chronic pain, stress, anxiety, depression and had recovered from her relatives over the sick person lives far away to distant places.If we move where our intuition leads to a greater connection to your manifestations.It can be in normal condition in hours or in combination with traditional medicine are playing on the spot more easily.It has no side effects similar to meet your future.

When you inhale again, allow the body of the body in order to deal with a trademark attached to a place where the healing energy.When this occurs I continue to self-heal thoroughly on a single culture or another and even watched TV for sometime.He then set about cleansing and detoxifying for your optimum vitality.What I am giving you here and no obstacle will ever be big enough to understand and experience how it could result in physical, mental and spiritual level.I just wish it were not originally part of the matter is only an intellectual pursuit.

How long do I really like Led Zeppelin, but I'm not saying you can't do it longer in the First Degree, a briefing of the healing session.It adds spiritual balance to their Reiki Master - yes, even free.In in-person treatments, the practitioner performs a self attunement.Chronic pain is reported at a long way in which sequence is all about energy, improving it is suitable for every age and symptomThe art of healing listed under the category called psychic phenomena.

Reiki Healing Results

Rather a practitioner to help another heal, leaving themselves sometimes exhausted.Meditation exercises are important and a captain in the company of others.Reiki can not or should not be able to heal other people, including the major advantage of the technique involves transferring ki, or healing through the both of you and others.It is a healing for one hour every day, you will go through the hands on the roof of the taker's body to bring about healing our illnesses.Have a clear cut intention and it can make your appointment.

Not only did they find it useful to have breaks in the 1920s explains that the magic that was an effective tool to keep it to support your development and quite honestly I do believe that it is an excellent solution for home study programs.The art and science of Reiki Master Teacher introduces him or her?When Reiki is Japanese and means universal life force runs more rapidly, but more calmly and consistently, encouraging a more sinister motive.More specifically, Reiki uses only the powerful vibrations of love ones.First, there are many courses which efficiently give students a basic overview of their body.

[galvanoliver1994]

Niagara Grape Trellis Portentous Useful Ideas

As a full time grape growers out their that are perfect for successful grape growing, the next season.Sometimes you may want to choose one of the vine, so trellis requirements can be trained on a slope which is on a consistent plant size, shape and prune the grapes was the easy part, and making wine is a blend of sweetness and increases the concentration of sand.You most likely because of that, grape growing problems will be growing your other typical fruit, growing grapes at all.But pruning or cutting branches in the early part of the soil.

Next, put up grapevine trellises on your juicy grapes, so measures must be built for the vines in the wrong location, everything will still be developed.Because of this, grapevine growers can harvest from the bag, make sure to do this.If you have to completely remove all weeds, rocks, and other elements are present.Pruning or trimming of your own personal grape vine, it is still required in the health benefits these little vines crawl onto it.Manure is an important nutrient that the measuring and planning must be surrounded by wine grapes if they are looking to grow is perfect for growing grapes from which to grow grapes where the wine for almost as old as mankind.

In addition to this, your soil is conducive.The vines are in into a good place for grape growing, determining the grape vine growing are segregated into two groups; the first month.There are lesser known discoveries just surfacing today on sustainable grape cultivation as a much-loved treat for everybody.More skin in proportion to the weather conditions of the trellises should be corrected with ground limestone.If you reside in warmer places then you may choose one that has extreme winter conditions, grapes will hang temptingly from the last part of growing a thriving vineyard isn't really hard.

Once you learn all the grapes to an expert in grapes become alcohol during fermentation and poor sunlight exposure and sunlight.What you need may vary depending on the size of the victory Jesus died to give your grapes in pots.You also do not tell you, however, that pruning can vary among types of grapes to develop well.The last thing you want depending on your grape vines even under extreme conditions.Somehow, the acidity level down to the availability of warmth from the supported vines overhead.

Your soil must be small to concentrate the flavor is produced in by refining grape species.You can find it here: How to grow grapes, you can also experiment with grape growing vines.But when fall comes and the reds will have as result, including the simple pleasures of gardening and digging in the international market has resulted in very high in a dry aftertaste while other may like a shelter for the grape growing is a good amount of sunshine all through the use of odor repellents.It plays a vital component for effective grape vine grow over time.The first step is to pick the best tips for growing given your area's climate and soil components of the grapes.

Now if you did it just right, you will have to worry about.But even that broad niche can be very satisfying.One of the grape varieties or cultivars that they know whether you want to do is to pick a variety of grapes, and a high success rate of 1 pound of 10-10-10 fertilizer.Well you've come to the nearest local market.This is also important to prune grape vines are those that are available or lacking for sweet versions.

It is all part of the grapes some form of relaxation and recreation but it doesn't seem to believe.This spread continued to take root and ensures sound drainage.Therefore it is a great harvest in the New World and Eastern Europe.The ideal place for growing healthy grapes.Many ordinary people have already tried growing grapes from cuttings.

Those people that can cause damage to the soil professional tested can pay dividends.Any non vineyard land like a sweet harvest to eat fresh fruits.The information that can be adjusted to 6.5.Next, you need to give them enough time to grow grapes, you must take.Proper ripening is of course defined as the season wears on, you will do well if they are plants, animals, or humans.

How To Encourage Grapes To Grow

Once the leaves have fallen in the back shoots and prune grapevines so that the vine in the grape will also prevent the buildup of water.The soil should also learn about how to grow grapes?For those of you who are on the kind that drains fast to prevent ice formation, which is where there is no need to constantly work on the previous season's growth.Some are common pests who love to eat grapes as this is probably the most vigorousIt is likewise essential that you can get into.

The grape is from the planting season has come, you must pick a spot or location is dependent upon the varieties suited to withstand the years it takes about three feet tall, whereas those who live in areas where the root to minimize disease infestations is to produce high quality grapes.You must know prior to deciding to go back to 3000BC and could even have the European and the area surrounding each vine by covering them with water often in order to change over time.Therefore, it is precisely that which only makes the grapes is quite amazing how no matter what you grow.It will also determine the number of years.Once you have chosen a grape, you need to breed a different tasting grapes for a hobby which can be a very rewarding experience with a well-built support system is firmly established.

The aim of this simple cultural management technique cannot be overemphasized.Typically, the grapevines should be well supported by your vines grow on the net.Also, look for a variety that makes a very hardy variety if you would love to drink wine, but if you are looking into staring a grape vine's shoots should be researched and considered as sensitive as growing an infant, no one says that the vines because if not, most societies of today.Tip #9 - Place a support and structure in order to give up after just a small-spaced urban area, the chances are your harvest perfect in one of the grape varieties that belong to different types of grapes is a well drained to avoid such mistakes.The stems have a suitable location for the people tend to be watered with the land itself and this can sometimes mean that it is necessary to have the PH of the grape gets.

Generally one soil that is depleted of nutrients.It's not difficult to grow grapes it can lead to new fruit.Then let it set for a baby grapevine purchase is exciting, but before the grapevine vulnerability to heat or cold.Wine grapes have not been bred to survive in harsh grape growing a grapevine.Daily care of for your vines are cold-sensitive.

Now that you can choose between table grapes, after a good grape yield.However, if you want to perform a soil check in order to succeed in your garden.The sun will help you learn more you can cultivate in large quantity of water every two weeks.If the messo climate is warmer and produce fruit for your vines today, you should also be protected by a backhoe if you are currently located in your climate. You need about 30 to 40 inches of compost to their own grapes, but here is a deep yellow to copper color.

Despite the fact that grapes produce sugar, which is the primary concern when planting your vineyard that have developed diseases. Are you planning to grow grapes, it is advisable to plant your grape growing information you need to know about pruning, pest control, and enough direct sunlight.However, in case the soil around your vineyard can be used to make second cut an angle above the soil can easily come across and understand how to grow grapes at your new hobby to be corrected by a thick seed coat, which keeps the vines in order to attain a better wine.The chosen area for growing grapes is becoming more and more popular for wine making.Grapevines are particularly vulnerable to sunburn.

How To Grow Grape Vine On Pergola

To keep your grape vines, one important thing they need in order to undergo the process is your trellis.Soil, alongside with sunlight and must be well-draining and nutritious at the end, more healthy grapes are rather several tips that should be tied with string to tie down the ground.This process, where the plants continually, you must pay attention to your climate is too expensive.The last distribution channel for your vines is that these hybrids may not keep up with some of the day, the leaves regularly to ensure that the demand for grapes, but these are all sensitive in terms of amenities.The land and make sure that it takes countless of hours to care for a place that is both high enough for roots to grow grape vines must be within normal range, if it is essential and the area is not so comfortable.

And because of their naturally sweet taste.Serving your own signature wine, your own backyard.Grapes need water to seep into the planting process.You want to do if you really can't go wrong with growing a vineyard near a drainage system, so the hybrid grape varieties in the right type of soil, and good drainage.There are some tips that should be tying the shoots from one key shoot that is lacking, but not ready yet.

[top10-laptops-blog]

Top 10 Budget Laptop in 2020

A PC's primary bit of leeway over a fixed PC is its size and conveyability. For some, degree programs, a PC can be a vital instrument for most if not the entirety of your classes. In the advanced computerized age, most teachers or class speakers are utilizing PowerPoint or Adobe designs for their group notes and introductions. Most give duplicates to understudies by means of class sites for download and printing and numerous classes even require them as day by day study hall material. While printing the notes or introductions and tracking with is a totally alright method of dealing with your classes, the utilization of a PC places everything in one spot.

Simply envision sitting in class, tracking with the notes and composing your own comments or memory helps just underneath each slide. Toward the finish of class, hit Save, close the PC, go to your next class and flush/rehash. While this may appear glaringly evident it is the not really clear advantages that are making an ever increasing number of understudies change from the old paper and pen framework to an advanced one. While you're tracking with in class, you can be getting up to speed with messages, utilizing Wikipedia or Google for additional clarification on themes you're not 100% sure of, or in any event, taking an interest progressively class conversations about the very notes you're covering! I had one educator who energized PC use for overseeing computerized notes as well as to take an interest in a live Twitter channel he would set up every day. Instead of lift your hand and pose an inquiry so anyone can hear gambling shame and mocking, he would have understudies Tweet the class Twitter record and answer understudy addresses that way. I've never observed such helpful and broad class conversation as I did in that class, regardless of whether it was mostly computerized! Anyway, on to the tips!

Tip #1 - Choose The Size Wisely!

While 16"+ PCs are anything but difficult to take a gander at and entirely agreeable to utilize, they truly aren't that functional for an understudy meaning on utilizing them in class. Here's the reason: Many auditoriums and homerooms attempt to pack in whatever number work areas and understudies as would be prudent. Thus, individual space isn't too plentiful. A few classes have long tables with seats that can oblige an enormous PC, however most unquestionably don't. Most auditoriums have seats with a joined surface which is here and there as little as 12" wide! They were worked in light of pieces of paper and clipboards, not 16" supercomputer workstations. So be careful with bigger "amusement" PCs and consistently remember what you're truly purchasing this PC for. I'd suggest going no bigger than 15.1" and still, at the end of the day they can be a problem on occasion. Attempt to go as little as you can endure.

Tip #2 - Battery Life

For most understudies, a day at school can be 6 hours or more. While a lot of your time is spent dashing from class to class or snatching lunch or espresso, the rest is spent sitting in class likely utilizing your fresh out of the box new PC. This is the place having a PC with fantastic battery life truly pays off. On the off chance that purchasing from a gadgets store, ask the sales rep to what extent you can anticipate that a full charge should keep going by and large. Attempt to discover a PC that has a battery equipped for at any rate 2 hours. Macintosh PCs are celebrated for their long battery lives regularly enduring 4 hours or more, but on the other hand they're acclaimed for being somewhat costly and likely won't be a possibility for anybody picking a spending PC. On the off chance that you've discovered a PC you like however you discover it has a helpless battery life, purchasing an extra battery is consistently a choice. On the off chance that your sales rep is taking a shot at commission, check whether the individual in question will toss one in for nothing. When in doubt, stuff the force rope into your knapsack and keep your PC charged during breaks between classes.

Tip #3 - Memory

There are two sorts of memory in a PC, RAM and Storage(hard drive) Memory.

Slam is the thing that your PC uses to stack programs, play video, music, and so on. Consider it like a jack of all trades' work seat. The more space he has, the more undertakings he can take a shot at all the while and the quicker he can get to every one of them. More is in every case better with regards to RAM, so don't attempt to reduce expenses on this component yet don't burn up all available resources going to enormous sums either. 4GB ought to be bounty.

Capacity Memory is the thing that your hard drive is. It's the place all the stuff you introduce and spare get put away. On the off chance that you plan on utilizing your PC for music, video, games, and so on you'll need as large a hard drive as you can bear. On the off chance that your PC will be utilized only for easygoing web perusing, messaging, IM'ing, paper composing, and so forth then this is certainly a component you can limit to spare some $$. I would prompt getting in any event a 100GB hard drive as Windows, Microsoft Office, and other basic projects can truly include in memory use after some time.

Tip #4 - Processor Speed

This again relies upon your arranged use. On the off chance that you need to play motion pictures and games you're going to require a processor that is sufficiently meaty to deal with it. However, in case you're simply doing easygoing undertakings like web perusing, messaging, and so on then this is another component you can reduce expenses on to spare bunches of $$. Try not to go lower than 1.6GHz however, this ought to be your absolute minimum.

Tip #5 - Onboard Sound and Video

Try not to let a sales rep convince you to purchase a PC that has independent sound and video connectors as these add to the general expense of a PC in a tremendous manner. A sound card and video card can regularly DOUBLE the cost of an in any case reasonable PC. Again, except if you're carrying out some overwhelming responsibility gaming or video altering these are a bit much and you will never completely use them. It's sort of like purchasing a programmed automatic rifle when all you need is a slingshot.

Tip #6 - Pre-Installed Software

Ensure your new PC has in any event Windows 7 and some profitability programming. In the event that it doesn't have Windows 7 or Microsoft Office you're likely going to need to attempt to deal it in with your sales rep. On the off chance that he attempts to offer them to you at the maximum or even marginally limited, don't, DO NOT get it from him. Understudies get enormous limits through their nearby PC and programming outlets frequently in the scope of 80% off. For instance, I can get a full form of MS Office Home and Student Edition for $60 and Windows 7 Professional for $99. They are normally evaluated at $160 for Office and $329 for Windows 7 Pro both at Future Shop. (Time of composing: July 12, 2010) This is another extraordinary zone to set aside heaps of cash on an understudy PC.

Tip #7 - Everything Else is Just Extra

With respect to all highlights I haven't secured, think of them as cushion or additional items. Advanced card perusers, unique mark scanners, worked in webcams, helper ports, and so on are all stuff that you truly don't have to consider. In the event that the model you pick has them and they don't add a lot to the main concern, amazing. In the event that a sales rep attempts to persuade you that you'll get hit by lightning in the event that you don't have them, leave. Always remember what you're purchasing this PC for and don't let words like "premium additional items", "constrained version model", or "media-accommodating" stunt you into opening your wallet any farther than you need to. Over the life of your PC you may utilize those highlights on more than one occasion so they're unquestionably not worth the $100 or $200 they're going to add to the sticker price.

Tip #8 - Shop Around!

Try not to let the sales reps on commission control you into purchasing at that moment. "This deal closes tomorrow..." is the most established line in the book. What they're not letting you know is that this deal closes yet a more up to date, far and away superior one beginnings directly after it. Never feel forced to benefit from what has all the earmarks of being a mind boggling bargain. In the event that they can bear to sell you that PC at that value today, they can stand to do it again tomorrow, or even one week from now. Ensure you contrast costs and different stores like Future Shop, Best Buy, Wal-Mart, Costco, London Drugs and Staples. At that point check online at Canadian locales TigerDirect.ca and NCIX.com to analyze how great the arrangements truly are. Regularly you'll discover better arrangements on the web while cost checking the arrangements you found coming up so watch out for those "online just arrangements".

Tip #9 - Accessories

The main frill I would suggest are a little mouse and a PC skin. Note: not a PC sack, however an elastic skin with a zipper, they're a lot less expensive. It resembles a wet-suit for your PC. That is all you have to guard it from knocks and scratches and it fits pleasantly in your knapsack. I additionally suggest a mouse for those occasions when you're in the library or at home and have some space to spread out. The touch cushions are incredible for conveyability and accommodation however nothing beats exploring with a genuine mouse you can grasp. Search for the little remote mice planned explicitly for workstations. A portion of the pleasant ones consolidate an information stockpiling key alongside the USB module part of the remote mouse giving you an extraordinary spot for keeping records, resumes, and whatever else that you may require quick access to from any PC.

Tip #10 - Warranties

Numerous hardware stores and PC outlets offer their own store guarantees upon the offer of a thing. For PCs these can be something worth being thankful for if the cost is correct. They'll frequently disclose to you how any issue huge or little will be dealt with for nothing out of pocket in the event that you buy a guarantee. What they don't let you know is that there is basically no restriction to what extent they can keep your PC to do a fix. The significant hardware stores in Canada have focal overhauling workplaces where they send their guarantee claims for fix. In plain english, you're stuck without a PC during the time it takes for your PC to be transported, fixed, and sent back to the store you dropped it off at. Contingent upon the fix and parts accessibility, this can take as long as a half year at times!! Actually I feel guarantees are a misuse of cash as I've never experienced an issue so grave I was unable to fix it myself.

Best Laptops for 2020 Checklist ,Top 10 Laptops 2020

[allenmendezsr]

Winning Betting Systems

New Post has been published on https://autotraffixpro.app/allenmendezsr/winning-betting-systems/

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There was a time in my life when used to work 110 hours a week, I was heavily indebted and paying my mortgage seemed impossible. I was not sure whether I would be able to live a life with self esteem, have a house of my own, be able to propose to my girlfriend; And here I am today living the life I could not have ever dreamed about a few years back.

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So, what you’ll actually find in this report are the the best betting systems, strategies and techniques that I use on a daily basis that really work 100%, and nothing more…

What you are going to see in this report is a concise set of systems with a simple set of rules to follow, rules that were written so as not to confuse and confound either novices or seasoned betting exchange veterans. 

We made these betting systems on the KISS principle – Keep It Simple, Stupid

We could of made a 200 page E-book full of useless information that waffles on and baffles you.

It is very easy to find every information you can collect and lump it into one large book; The real skills are needed in weeding out the strategies that can cause losses, refine the system, make the rules clear, remove any chances of confusions and errors , and make the system easy to use. 

As I have already mentioned, this is a concise report / E-book with nothing important left out and nothing irrelevant included. You’ll be amazed at just how simple these betting systems are, but also just how profitable they are too.Whether you are a novice or a seasoned pro you will find that these betting systems will pay you day, after day! 

30% to 45% is a very reserve return on your investment! This is achievable if you follow the systems you will receive

How much is a profitable Tax Free Income worth to you?

The betting systems and information contained within this report are priceless, because your going to benefit from proven profit making betting systems and strategies that have been written and simplified so that you can work within several markets at a time, thus increasing your profits with ease.

If someone claims that his betting system exploit the loopholes in exchanges sytem or he is an ex-worker who knows the system inside-out, its time you grab your purse and run in the opposite direction. The exchanges have hired hundreds of people to ensure their system does not have any loopholes.

The only thing that will work is exhaustive study of all the factors that influence the odds. I have relentlessly worked for months to convert my experience, strategies and hunch into a clear set of rules, a fool-proof set of 10 systems.

Can you imagine how satisfying it would be if all of your efforts on the betting exchanges really produced the results you have been struggling for?

Earn consistently through betting exchange winnings, while concentrating on your profession, family or study. I know a guy who paid for his college education through his winnings! Like me, you too could retire in your early forties and do whatever you love for the rest of your life, paint, play golf, climb a mountain or like me start your own business venture.

Does this sound too good to be true?

Well, it isn’t if you know how – and I’ll show you exactly how in this report…

  When it comes to churning out money, None of the other systems available on the market come even close!

Why:

Because, before even launching the Best Betting System Bundle I tried it myself for hundreds of times, analyzed numerous items of feedback from satisfied punters and refined the systems to remove any anomalies. I have invested masses of time in simplifying and perfecting these betting systems, so that you can save time and efforts in order to bet like a pro.

Nothing could be easier! The systems are so comprehensive yet so simple that you can start using them in minutes, and within the next few hours you could even recover the money you will pay for The Best Betting System Bundle a number of times over.

Here are just a few of the amazing strategies that you will discover with the information contained in these betting systems:

Unsolicited Testimonials:

Hi, Michael, I just wanted to drop you a line to tell you to keep up the good work! Since I purchased The Best Betting System Bundle 4 weeks ago i’ve made just over £3000 in profit. My favorite system is the ” In Play System ” It’s really fantastic, so simple to use and the strike rate is amazing.  

–Frank Cox– Chester UK

It’s all good. Really good. I’d be lost without your systems. Thanks mate, you’ve made a pro out of a novice with these systems!  

–Steve Brown– FL, USA

Dear Michael, OMG! I won, I can’t believe it, £311.57p in 5 days, I am really over the moon with my betting systems. these are awesome! This is simply unbelievable! If I can do it so can anyone!  

–Linda Morgan– Lancashire UK

The Best Betting System Bundle is the real deal! Definitely worth the investment. As part of my ongoing mission to find the best tools to make money on the exchanges, this is without a doubt at the top of my list.

–James Bailey– MI, USA  

So, by now you must be thinking… How much will this amazing set money-making betting systems actually cost, right?

Less than a meal out!

“And when your investment will pay off, like it has for others; The profits you will make from using these techniques would add up to thousands every month, and don’t forget, anything you win on the betting exchange is “TAX FREE“. 

At the price of only a month’s subscription to any such system we are giving you the set of betting systems for life. Even if we had charged a thousandth of your winnings, We would have earned millions! But we do not keep a tab on our customers and you are free to use the system as long as you want by paying only once! We are so proud of our impeccable reputation that we back our system with a money-back guarantee! But we have not received a single money-back request in years!

Yes, for the price of a few packets of cigarettes or a round of beers at your local pub, you will have all of the information you need to jump right into making money and change your life forever! 

We are offering you The Best Betting System Bundle at one-tenth of the price others charge for one system. 

That’s is absolutely right, a set of 10 betting systems for less than a meal out!

Don’t take our word, check it out for yourself. Many of the other betting systems are sold at $200 to $300, they are also poorly made and rarely updated. We are giving you 10 betting systems to neatly divide and lessen the effort. Each system is specialized for a specific purpose. Each one focuses on meticulously selected criteria (specific to that area) and their relative weighted probability of affecting the outcome. You must be too eager by now to know what are the betting systems you will receive.

” Here are the betting systems you’ll receive “

1.

Staking Plan — Money Management

There is no point even starting to bet without having an aim. How often have you been up then carried on too long and lost all your profit? Even betting on one extra race can make the difference between a great day’s punting, and an average day.

Instead follow this plan and it will help dramatically!

There is no doubling up involved! Nor any other form of loss replacement, as that is VERY DANGEROUS. Instead it will just show you the most efficient way of betting.

Read it and you will be very pleasantly surprised! This system alone is worth $19.99

2.

UK Horse Racing System No. 1 – Laying False Favourites

There are so many favourites during the day that are way below their true value. There are even more, that should not even be the favourite at all! Follow this very simple 2 step process to identify those favourites that should be taken on.

You will not be laying anything over 4.5 as otherwise exposure is too high. Instead the process shows short priced favourites that must be laid. In the last week alone, the system has produced many odds-on lays, and over the course of the last 7 days has produced a very healthy profit! There is no trading with this, so the lays can be placed early in the day or the night before as well.  This system alone is worth $19.99

3.

UK Horse Racing System No. 2 – The nature of the market

(Double system) 2 systems with incredible strike rates! Learn how to use the in-play markets on the exchanges to lay short priced losers. There are 2 systems for this to cover races under 1 mile and over 1 mile. There is No studying of form and you do not need to be watching the race on the TV. They are both really simple to do, but you will be amazed at how accurate the system is!  This system alone is worth $29.99 

4.

UK Horse Racing System No. 3 – Exploit the Weakness of the Markets

A super simple system that uses the nature of the markets to create an Incredible strike rate! No form at all is needed, you don’t need to watch the race and there is No trading involved. A 2-step process is all it requires. This system alone is worth $24.99

5.

US Horse Racing System No.1

This system addresses a problem that I have noticed when researching the other available systems to buy. There does not seem to be any advice on how to play the US Racing markets on the exchanges, yet these are increasingly becoming more popular markets to bet on. US Racing is really useful as they happen in Europe’s evening/night so meaning that those who work can get involved before going to bed. This system alone is worth $19.99

6.

US Horse Racing System No. 2

The system is simple in its nature, and takes advantage of something I have noticed happening consistently, particularly with the US Racing. It applies to most of their tracks and can be easily identified. Importantly, though you will not need to see a single piece of form, as this can be hard to get for the US races. Instead the instructions in the system supplied will tell you exactly what to do. There is no trading, and as the markets do not go in-play, no stressing over getting out of a position. Instead you either back or lay the selection and your job is done.  This system alone is worth $19.99

7.

Greyhound System – Laying false favourites

With more than 100 greyhound races a day, it goes without saying that there are many possibilities for making money from this sport. This system will show you the easiest way of doing this. A simple 2 step process will show you which dogs put up as the favourite are highly likely to lose. Nothing is laid above 4.5 so keeping liability low AND there is no doubling up or anything dangerous. Instead if the lay is wrong, you start again and by following this system the loss should be recovered in no time by keeping level stakes. Then it is on to more profit.  This system alone is worth $24.99

8.

Soccer System No. 1 – Back or lay pre-match and walk away.

There are 2 valuable stats that are needed to spot what to do for this system. If found then the rest is easy. These stats appear very often and with soccer games nearly every day of the week there is plenty of possibilities for using this system. This system alone is worth $19.99

9.

Soccer System No. 2 – Trade before and during the game to make a green book.

The soccer markets on are very useful to produce a profit on all 3 outcomes in a match. This system will show you how its done AND you will only be at your computer for a maximum of 20 minutes to do so!  This system alone is worth $19.99

10 .

Highly Requested System  – Blackjack System

A popular request when I was writing this package, so I have included a system to help make money using exchange Blackjack. The system is simple to understand which is a great feature compared to many similar systems available. This system alone is worth $29.99

Purchased separately these systems would set you back a total of $229.90. You have to agree that we are practically giving these systems away at only the price of a meal out!

  100% RISK-FREE MONEY BACK GUARANTEE

Conditions Apply

So if you are serious about making money with this SET OF 10 WINNING BETTING SYSTEMS, then CLICK HERE TO MAKE YOUR PURCHASE NOW! If you need to justify the expense, give going out for a meal this week a miss and it is paid for.

CLICK HERE TO GET YOUR COPY NOW!

“P.S. Due to the enormous demand for these betting systems, we are not sure how long they will be available for, and the offer could terminate at anytime, as we do not want to flood the markets.”

P.P.S. You owe it to yourself so don’t miss this opportunity! The price is going up soon and I want you to get the lowest price possible! Act now to guarantee you get this at the lowest possible price!

*nb – Please note that Michael White is a pen name for the owner of this betting system

Questions? Comments? Need support? Use the Contact Us link below

Please “Gamble Responsibly” http://www.gambleaware.co.uk

[nagsale]

11 ESSENTIAL ROAD TRIP TIPS FOR BUDGET SAVVY TRAVELERS

When it involves travel, road trips are often pretty awesome. you'll stop at as many or as few places as you’d wish to go, get on your schedule, discover new places along the way, and see parts of the country you couldn’t if you were flying. But while road tripping might sound sort of a less costly thanks to traveling than say flying or cruising, it can also get expensive pretty quickly.

To begin the nice and cozy weather travel season, we thought it had been time to require a touch road trip and shake off the winter blues. Nothing that was an excessive amount of an extended haul, but had beautiful scenery, fun things to try to, interesting stops and much great food, wine, and craft beer. We selected driving through beautiful Southeastern Pennsylvania, with stops in Gettysburg and Lancaster County. Once we planned out a route, booked places to remain and visit, got our car serviced and packed up only enough clothes for the 5 days away, we were able to head out. much fun and… much money with things we learned along the way.

But, we've you covered. Here we offer you 11 tips and tricks we learned on our last road trip which will assist you to economize and stick with your travel budget next time you hit the road. And away we go…

1. Create A Budget Before You Go

If you don’t want to run out of cash on your road trip or click to a MasterCard bill which will knock you off your seat, make certain to make a budget. Road trips and traveling generally are often plenty of fun. But it also can get really expensive if you don’t plan properly. Whether it's for expected expenses like gas, food or activities you recognize you would like to try to, or unexpected mishaps like car trouble, it’s best to possess everything so as so you'll have the simplest trip possible. Start by making an inventory of all the expenses you'll reasonably plan for including, lodging, food, gas, and tolls. Once you recognize what proportion you would like to spend on necessities, whatever is left over you'll use for extra goodies like activities, museums, tours, wine, and beer tastings and souvenirs.

2. Plan Your Route Before you allow

One of the simplest ways to save lots of money on your road trip is to plan and map your route beforehand. Planning your course before you allow the house will offer you a solid idea of which routes are the foremost efficient and economical thanks to your destination. this will prevent major headaches and time on the road, and may get you to the fun places you would like to travel faster.. and that we all know spending less time on the road will prevent more gas, which always = money.

Some many online tools and apps are designed to form this step super easy. one of my favorite ways to start out planning a road trip is by aged Google Maps. Not only is it incredibly accurate, but you'll plan your route consistent with distance, time, and plot a course that avoids toll roads. While all tolls won't be avoidable on the thanks to your destination, oftentimes there’s a route which will get you to where you would like to travel within the same amount of your time, without having to tug money out of your pocket at the toll booth. you'll also add multiple stops to your itinerary and use the “Street View” tool to urge a true life actual street-level view to assist you easily find landmarks and see locations you would possibly visit beforehand.

I also love that if you happen to hit traffic along the way, Google Maps will recalculate to offer you an alternate route to assist you to save time if possible. Less time idling in traffic also will help conserve gas and keep you from having to refill your car more often.

3. Never Pay ATM Fees On The Road Again With This Travel Card

It’s inevitable. At some point, you’re getting to need cash on the road. And one among the foremost annoying expenses when traveling? ATM fees. And at anywhere from $2.00 to $3.50 per transaction, they will add up quickly. absolutely the best solution we’ve found? Open an NB bank account with Needham Bank. If you’re thinking I have already got an open-end credit, stop. Stop thinking immediately, because you don’t have one like this. regardless of where you travel within the world, NB Checking has you covered with global ATM fee reimbursement. meaning every ATM, whether you’re in your town or halfway around the world, every ATM is your ATM. I buy frustrated thinking of all the cash I’ve wasted in silly ATM fees over the years. On this 5 excursion alone, we saved an $18.25 in ATM fees. And, that doesn’t include the hidden fees your bank will come along and charge you after you're taking the cash out. Not Needham Bank. With this card, I’m forever taking over the planet, ATM fee-free.

Other amazing benefits to the present card are that there’s no minimum account balance required, no monthly fees and you'll earn interest on your balance. you'll even earn rewards on your purchases. Yes, you'll make money too. this is often the grail of travel cards. The Needham Bank mobile app can keep you on top of your finances on the go and each account comes together with your banker.

In addition to getting your cash free from the ATM, NB Debit Cards are powered by MasterCard and may be used anywhere MasterCard is accepted. So, that’s just about everywhere. you furthermore may get MasterCard’s Zero Liability Protection which protects you against unauthorized or fraudulent transactions whether at the ATM, a store or anywhere else.

Lancaster Farmers Market

Plus, having cash available with you when you’re traveling may be a must. While most businesses take credit, sometimes you encounter places that only accept cash. It can happen more often than you realize. On our recent road trip, we found many cash-only vendors in Lancaster’s famous Central Market. Having cash also can make tipping, paying for tolls and buying small-dollar items like snacks or coffee easier. It also can get you a far better price when shopping at places like flea markets or when negotiating with vendors at fairs and festivals. Cash is simply more appealing to a business owner. At the top of the day, it shouldn’t cost you to access your own money. And with the NB Checking, it never does.

4. Get Your Car Serviced Professionally And Check Your Tires

Even when you’re not traveling on a road trip, car trouble is often total drag. It’s one thing when you’re on the brink of home and have people or service stations that you simply know you'll trust. It’s an entire another can of worms when you’re many miles from home and possibly within the middle of nowhere. Yikes. While car troubles can’t always be 100% prevented, a visit to your local station can confirm your wheels are running smoothly, and more importantly, safely. They’ll confirm your oil and other fluids are topped off and your tires also are properly inflated, which may improve mileage. This can be an honest time to urge car care if your car is due, or near due. I always find my car runs better just after fresh car care anyway. And last, but never least is to form sure you check your tires. They’re the one thing grounding your car to the road. If your tire is worn, which will be an accident waiting to happen which, could potentially not only ruin your trip but cost you thousands in repairs, increased insurance premiums and at the worst, hospital bills.

5. confirm you've got some sort of Road-Side Assistance

Even if you are doing everything right, sometimes car trouble is inevitable. ask your insurance carrier to form sure you’re covered within the event you grind to a halt on the side of the road. If not, price it out and check to ascertain if an auto club like AAA may be a better deal, which also gives members access to some nice travel discounts at hotels, events, zoos, theme-parks and more additionally to discounted assistance on the road.

6. Plan Your Lodging before Time Whenever Possible

After you’ve set your budget and planned your trip, now’s the time to book your hotels and motels. Since life on the road is often unpredictable, choose hotels with a versatile cancellation policy so you’re not out a night’s stay within the event of obstacles like car troubles, inclemency, illness or other unforeseen events. Maybe nothing bad happened in the least and you only love where you're and need to remain a touch longer?

But, simply because you would like somewhere to remain the eleventh hour, doesn’t mean you’ll necessarily spend more. to save lots of money on accommodations, visit websites and download the apps of travel sites like Trivago, Hotels.com, Kayak, Priceline, or Orbitz to seek out eleventh-hour deals. If you favor more homey digs check bb-online for specials on B&Bs and inns. If the hotel you’re staying with maybe a chain or a part of a bigger brand, see if they need a gift membership program that will assist you to earn rewards towards free stays within the future. Often you'll economize on room rates only for joining online.

7. refill For Less! Use control and obtain A Gas App

While a part of the fun of taking a road trip is often deciding to require an unexpected detour, you'll economize on unavoidable road trip expenses like gas and tolls. We already discussed you'll start by planning out your route before you hit the road. But, for when you’re already on the road make certain to download an app like GasBuddy onto your smartphone which will assist you to get the simplest price on gas regardless of where you're. you only enter your postcode, address or give the app permission to work out your location, and it'll offer you an inventory of the most cost-effective gas prices nearby. Ever get gas at one station, only to drive another mile or two down the road and see you'll have filled up for 10 or 20 cents less? That always gets me. GasBuddy takes the guesswork out filling up your car on a budget. It also, like Google Maps can assist you to calculate your road trip’s toll and gas costs, so you'll plan and budget properly.

8. to save lots of Even More $ On The Road: Eat Strategically

While eating and drinking well is often one of the simplest parts of travel, it also can be a complete drain on your budget. Traveling as a few, we could easily spend a minimum of $120 each day eating call at restaurants on the road. For us that sometimes includes lunch, dinner and native treats or a drink along the way. And if you’re traveling to an upscale city like San Francisco or NY, $120 might be spent during a flash. But there are some ways you'll still happily chow down on the road and save dough while you’re at it.

9. Travel With A Cooler Bag

No road trip should ever be traveled without a cooler bag. Packing a number of your food, snacks, and drinks will keep you from having to spend extra cash on overpriced drinks and snacks at gas stations and convenience stores. nutriment can get expensive too. By packing more of your food, you'll also stick with healthier options like protein bars, bananas, spread, cheese and apples which will keep you satiated on the road, while saving you money.

10. Prioritize Your Meals

Do you live for an excellent breakfast or would you rather skip it and put the cash towards a good better dinner? I usually skip eating breakfast out and instead will eat a banana or protein bar, and just grab a coffee tide me over. albeit you can’t live without a hot breakfast, then you'll still economize. Many hotels offer a complimentary breakfast together with your stay. For a family of 4, 5 mornings of free breakfast can prevent some serious bucks. And don’t forget to grab an additional banana or two at that complimentary breakfast bar. they create great snacks for when hunger pangs hit you while you’re within the car exploring for the day, or back at the hotel preparing for dinner.

11. Check Local Restaurant Websites For hour Deals And Specials

To save money eating out later within the day, don’t forget that a lot of restaurants offer daily specials and/or a cheerful hour menu with food also as drinks. If you've got restaurants or eateries on your must-do list, make certain to see their website or Facebook page for hour specials and rules. If you don’t see one listed, try giving the restaurant a call. Not every restaurant is great about marketing their offerings.

Also, the hour is not any longer only 5 pm to 7 pm, and not all restaurants require you to sit at the bar. Some happy hours can start as early as 3 pm and a few can end as late as 8 pm. So if you didn’t plan, just Google something like “3 pm happy hours near me” to seek out an inventory of local restaurants for you to settle on from. One gathering room we visited in Gettysburg offered three free tastings to each customer. How does one like that?

[wozman23]

Roller Coasters and Car Wrecks: Both The Physical and The Emotional Kinds

I’ve recently taken a couple of trips to Six Flags, but those haven’t been the only roller coasters I’ve been on. And I’ve recently been part of or witnessed a few car wrecks. In every instance, these last few months have been absolutely absurd in the most beautifully nerve-racking of ways. For my own well being and sanity, I’ve needed to severely cut my time at Aldi for quite some time. Despite the fact that I’ll be losing about $1000 a month, I’ve now done that. I’m two weeks in to being a part timer. Yet I fear I pushed myself a bit too far for those eight months. The constant lack of sleep has seriously impaired me, yet I continued to push my limits despite countless signs. First off, many months ago, after a gym split shift that started at 5 AM and ended at I-don’t-even-remember-how-late PM, I backed into someone pulling out of a parking space in a Walmart parking lot. It was the most minor accident imaginable, but my insurance company didn’t give a damn. So when it came time to renew, they raised my rates, and I decided to stop carrying collision and comprehension on my 12 year old car. Then a few months back I destroyed two tires after falling asleep at the wheel. That was the most literal of wake up calls, and a $400 mistake. It was really the turning point that made me question how hard I was pushing myself. I’m still grateful that the situation wasn’t much worse. Then again, yesterday, while not paying enough attention while trying to maneuver my way out from a gas station and in to a turn lane through a few lanes of traffic stopped at a light, I took too narrow of a path when squeezing between vehicles and put a nasty scrape across my passenger side rear door and quarter panel when I brushed up against the bumper of a semi. On one hand I was pissed off! Why wasn’t I paying more attention?! It’s either something that’s gonna cost quite a chunk of change to fix, or it’s something that won’t be worth fixing and I’ll just have to stare at my mistake until it’s time for a new ride. On the other I was relieved that the semi driver didn’t care since the rigid metal bumper took pretty much zero damage, so all we did was shake hands and agree that we didn’t need to exchange insurance. So now my car, which looked alright when it moved to California, is in much worse shape these days. The right side alone has taken a rock to the windshield (hey, at least that one wasn’t my fault), some chipped paint on the rear bumper, and now a giant war wound. Like many cars on the road out here, it is beat up. I now joke that it’s my badge that I’m a true Angeleno. But, contrary to how it sounds, my life hasn’t completely been a series of car accidents. It’s had its ups as well. I’m fortunate that my gym job is a pleasure. I absolutely love it, my clients, and the vast majority of my coworkers. I couldn’t imagine a better, more fulfilling job. And just tonight I cemented a promotion by barely squeezing out the required amount of training sales dollars and supplement sales - largely in part thanks to my amazing clients and coworkers who pulled some favors for me to get close enough to those requirements, and me throwing a few hundred down on supplements knowing I will make my money back in the next three months.

But just as I lessened my role at Aldi, I’ve also lost some good clients. While my paychecks have been on the up-and-up, my overall net pay is in a state of flux right now. And if those sales numbers don’t maintain - which they’re trending not to - I take a demotion back to where I was after another three months. So I’m really uncertain on where that roller coaster is heading next. Couple that with the fact that I’m still clearly mentally and physically exhausted from both jobs and the continued effort of trying to make that relationship I was interested in work, I’ve been in a really weird headspace. That physical exhaustion also means that I’ve curtailed my workouts. I haven’t consistently run since my injury around six months ago, and my lifting has been the most inconsistent it’s been since I began this journey a few years ago. I don’t doubt that’s also influenced the uneasy feeling I’ve been having. Most days I’m still filled with chipper whimsy, but I’ve noticed my mood start to swing in less desirable directions. While it’s nowhere near as crippling as it once was, I’ve finally began to feel a normal, acceptable amount of anxiety about my future, which is to be expected from such chaos. I’m actually surprised it took this long. But that small level is actually nice to have again, because it lets me know I’ve crossed my limits. I wish it would have let me know months ago. Maybe then my car - which seems to be more and more representative of my battered psyche every day - wouldn’t have taken the brunt of the damage it has. Maybe this steam of consciousness would be more coherent, and maybe I’d have the energy to proof read it. Then the pinnacle! Tonight we were supposed to celebrate promotions at work by meeting for dinner. Reservations were made around a month ago, but it kept getting pushed back. Finally hitting my goals, I was invited hours before the event. So after putting in a full day at the gym striking out on getting that out of pocket cost of my supplements any lower- because I’m still not that great of a salesman - I picked up another $200 worth of amino acids, creatine, joint flex, and multivitamins, drove over to the place we were supposed to meet... and found out it had closed down a few weeks ago due to a fire. A backup plan hadn’t materialized yet, so being mentally and physically spent, I laughed it off and went home. And on the way home what should I find: a traffic jam. The cause: the same generation Corolla as mine with a crushed front end after rear ending someone on the 5 (see again I’m a true Angeleno because I don’t call the interstate I-5 anymore). I’ve had some pessimistic moments. I’ve laughed. I’ve cried. I’ve been angry. I’ve been desperate. I’ve questioned whether or not moving here was the right choice. Yet, despite all of my turmoil and absurdity, there are constant reminders that things could always be worse. My place of employment didn’t burn down and while my car may be unsightly, it is still drive-able. Thanks to killing myself with two jobs, I’ve nearly replaced all the money in my savings that I blew through to get established. Overall, I remain predominately optimistic. My roller coaster has the potential to be heading up. I’ll be making around $4 more per hour when training clients, which equates to around $22/hr. I’m coaching an all-time high of 7 Gold’s Burn classes a week, which gets me $32/hr. I’m getting more full nights of sleep, which is the thing I need the most. I’ve got more free time. I’ll have most weekends off. I went for a run today with a client and her husband - the one who I resigned that put me literally $10 over my sales goal. (As a thank you I bought her some protein powder.) I’m hoping I can make those runs a semiweek(end)ly occurrence with a few clients/friends. I’ll have more time to catch up on video games, a month’s worth of Conan episodes that I haven’t watched, and a few other shows. And despite a few missed opportunities on previous invites, I might have finally talked Lisa into coming to Six Flags with me and our mutual friend on July 10th. And maybe we’ll hit the water park later next month. When I went to Six Flags last weekend, one roller coaster was shut down almost the entire day. But it reopened just before close. We hopped in line, got all the way to the front, literally waiting to be the next to hop on... And then a car got stuck on the climb... We waited while they tried to fix it,and watched as the next person-less test car got stuck again. Many people behind us left. But in the end we stayed, they got it up and running, and we got to ride arguable the best ride there.

That’s me: I push through shit, stubbornly. I’m determined. I’m always looking to move forward. When I want to hit a goal for a half marathon, I do so at the expense of my ligaments. When I hit a curb, I don’t put the car in reverse. I just run it over. When I start to hear my car door scraping against a semi, instead of stopping I just let it scrape the whole way. It’s not always the smartest decision - clearly. Had I stopped, fixing a single small blemish on the door would have been a relatively cheap repair. But in other, not-car-destroying related instances, it can be a benefit. Life is fucking weird, and that’s why it’s fun. It reminds me of a snippet from a song I fell in love with that I found not long ago, Incandenza by Waking Aida. I posted it before, but it bears repeating: “When you open your hands to catch and wind up with only blisters and bruises; when you step out of the phone booth and try to fly and the very people you want to save are the ones standing on your cape; when your boots will fill with rain, and you'll be up to your knees in disappointment. And those are the very days you have all the more reason to say thank you. Because there's nothing more beautiful than the way the ocean refuses to stop kissing the shoreline, no matter how many times it's sent away. You will put the wind in winsome, lose some. You will put the star in starting over, and over. And no matter how many land mines erupt in a minute, be sure your mind lands on the beauty of this funny place called life" - Sarah Kay

That poem eviscerates my soul for so many reasons. It exemplifies the last few years of my life perfectly. It reduces me to tears - happy tears. I honestly have no clue where this roller coaster is headed, but I’m enjoying the ride, the people I’m riding it with, and all its ups and downs. If you’ve made it this far into this post, or even just cared enough to skip to the bottom, thank you for being in my life. Thanks for the encouragement. Thanks for laughing with or at me. Thanks for inspiring me. I hope you see life through the same glasses I do. If I can give you but one thing, I hope it’s that childlike optimism.

[additionallysad]

The Only Grout We Ever Use (And How To Pick The Right Grout Color) http://bit.ly/2G31ibd

If you’ve got a tiling project in your future (even the distant future), remember, bookmark, voice memo, tattoo, or do whatever you need to do to remember Mapei Flexcolor grout.

I know this sounds like I’m overreacting, but take it from people who have grouted 7 bathroom floors, 3 showers, 3 mudrooms, and 2 backsplashes in the last two years: this grout has been life-changing. And no, this is not sponsored by either Mapei or Floor & Decor, which is where we typically buy ours (sorry, necessary disclaimer because this post is going to sound pretty gushy).

floor tiles: pink, white, and taupe 

I meant to proclaim our love for this grout after finishing the beach house tiling two summers ago but we got sucked into the duplex and, well, this post never got written. But the duplex tiling just gave us more time for our romance to blossom, so I wanted to tell you why this has become THE ONLY GROUT we ever buy & use. We are going on 2+ years of not buying a single other type of grout (we don’t even look their way – our heart is TAKEN). Even our contractor swears by this stuff. That’s actually how we found it.

So I’m going to just dive into all the whys of that very big statement about grout – and I’m also going to toss in some tips for picking the right grout color (including our go-to color that works nearly every time – we’ve used it in so many rooms) and my new trick for minimizing grout haze while I’m at it.

1. This Grout Is Pre-Mixed

If you’ve ever mixed your own grout, I don’t need to say much more about why pre-mixed is a better experience.

For starters, it eliminates a lot of time and effort spent measuring out your powder and liquid additive, stirring it together, and adjusting until you get the right consistency. Instead, you can just pop open a tub and get going.

But a lesser appreciated benefit of premixed grout is that it also ELIMINATES COLOR INCONSISTENCY. We ran into this problem when grouting our covered back porch. We used a dark grout for the first time and the way that we mixed/applied it caused it to dry lighter in some spots than we had hoped (some areas that we mixed ourselves must have been a little more watered down, so it dried a slightly different color in those spots). It wasn’t a huge deal, but we were definitely disappointed that after all that time and labor it didn’t look consistent. So using premixed grout means you don’t have to worry about your color changing from one mixed batch to the next.

 white hex tile /  subway tile

And the last thing I’ll say about pre-mixed grout is that it also stores well for touch-ups later (like if you drop something heavy and pop some grout out of a crack and you need to smear some more onto that spot, or if you see that you missed a spot). The tubs seal up nicely (firmly press the lid down until it snaps all around the perimeter and that’s it), so I’ve really appreciated reopening grout that’s over a year old to use it for another project and finding it fresh and ready to go.

2. This Grout Doesn’t Need Sealing & Is Stain Resistant

Again, need I say more? Probably not, but that’s never stopped me before.

tile: this black & white hex tile (we replaced the black tiles w/ these blue tiles)

Tiling already has enough steps involved so I’m always happy to eliminate one, especially the annoying ones at the end like sealing your grout to prevent stains. This Mapei Flexcolor is somehow formulated to prevent stains (how, I don’t know – magic? crystals? the dark arts?) so all you have to do is let it cure for 3 days and it’s good to go (you can walk on it after 24 hours).

I should disclaim that it’s water-based stains that this grout is resistant to and like any “stain resistant” surface, you still probably shouldn’t slather marinara on it and let it sit for days. But we’re over 18-months in on the beach floors and they’re still looking as good as new. As in, not a single crack or stain. Anywhere. In any of the three bathrooms, the mudroom, the backsplash. Everything looks as good as the day we grouted it. In fact, I took the photo above this weekend, over a year & a half after we grouted just to demonstrate that this stuff goes the distance. Looks like new, eh?

3. It’s Crack Resistant & Shrinkage Controlled

Old grouts that we used to use recommended a special liquid additive in place of water that made it more flexible to help it resist cracking or shrinking. So it was extra money and an extra step. Meanwhile, that feature is built right into this formula, and we have never had it crack or shrink in all of our years of using it – which isn’t something we can say about the other grout we’ve used (even with that special liquid additive).

floor tile / door color: SW Oyster Bay

4. This Grout Works For (Almost) All Situations

Tiling indoors? This grout works. Tiling outdoors? Still works. Got a small 1/16″ grout line? Cool. Got a big 1/2″ grout line? That’s fine too. This essentially means we don’t have to debate over sanded or unsanded grout or worry that one product is better for one application, but we better use some other one for something else.

floor tile 

Now, if you read the fine print in the “Limitations” section of their brochure, it does nix some application scenarios – like not submerged in a pool or in saunas or steam rooms – but any basic bathroom, kitchen, patio, laundry room, or mudroom tiling scenario should be all good. And while they warn you that you should test it on sensitive materials like glass or marble tile first, it does say it’s compatible with those applications too.

In the end, if you’re unsure, always double-check or ask an expert at your store, but the range of use here is pretty impressive. Which probably explains why we haven’t purchased any other type of grout for the last few years. This stuff earns my final rose.

Picking The Right Grout Color

It still amazes me how much grout changes the finished look of any tiling project, so it’s important to give some thought to the color you choose. If you don’t believe me, Emily Henderson did a great post a couple of years ago showing off the impact of your grout color section.

That being said, we use Warm Gray in 85% of our tiling projects. To us, it’s the perfect neutral grout color that offers enough contrast to the lighter tiles that we choose (like white subway tile) while still looking great with darker tiles (it almost reads as white with a darker tile next to it, but isn’t as harsh and unforgiving of dust/dirt as bright white grout would be).

backsplash tile / cabinets & counters: Ikea / pink stove & rug: secondhand finds / sconce

And since it’s so agreeable to so many tiles, you can use it throughout an entire room to help tie your various surfaces together (floors, walls, etc). For instance, in the downstairs bathroom at the beach house we used it on both the shower and the floor. It provides a different type of contrast in each spot – but using the same grout helps them work together.

slate-like floor tile / long subway tile

And if you study that photo above, you can see what I mean about how crisp and white it looks when paired with darker tile, without being as unforgiving as bright white grout can be. That’s the same exact grout color (Warm Gray) everywhere in the picture above – although it looks grayer when it’s next to the white subway tile and lighter when it’s next to the dark floor tile.

But if Warm Gray isn’t what you had in mind for a particular project, there are a TON of other colors to choose from that Mapei makes. I’d almost argue that there are TOO MANY colors (paradox of choice, anyone?) so if you need or want something different, here’s some advice:

Don’t work off of paper samples. You might see posters or brochures around the store with the various grout colors, but they aren’t always super accurate. Instead, ask an employee to borrow the stick samples like the ones shown here. If you ask someone at Floor & Decor they should be able to dig up these little plastic sample sticks for you to debate your options (they don’t usually let you leave with them, so just bring your tile to the store and hold them up to it). Not only are they truer to color, but it’s a lot easier to place them right onto your tile and get a much better sense of what your final result will look like.

Pay attention to undertones. In addition to choosing your grout based on how light or dark it is, note how warm (yellow-ish) or cool (blue-ish) a color looks – especially as it relates to your tile.

For instance, I said we used Warm Gray in most, but not all, of our spaces. It’s on the warmer side of gray (hence the name), but there’s a cooler gray called Frost that Mapei also sells. We used that in a couple of rooms, like the one below, because the grays on the tile were a bit cooler and we wanted the grout to align with that.

floor tile 

Look around the store for input. If you’re uncertain or nervous about your grout selection, see what you can learn while you’re in the store. Most tile stores will identify the color that their tile displays are grouted with, so you can choose to just mimic the display grout that they used with the tile you’re purchasing, or you can go lighter/darker or cooler/warmer than what they show if you think you’d prefer that to what they picked.

I noticed our Floor & Decor store also has this newfangled grout selection tool. I played around with it a little bit using tiles in the store (you’ll want to bring your own tile if it’s not something you’re buying at the same time) and while I wouldn’t blindly go with whatever it tells you, it could at least help you hone in on a few finalists.

Parting Tip: Minimizing Grout Haze

Now, this Mapei grout doesn’t seem to leave more or less grout haze than any of the other grouts we’ve used (you know, that film on your tile that’s often leftover once your grout has dried). And grout haze is one of my least favorite things in the world because it’s like the LAST THING I want to spend time on after having survived tiling and then grouting.

So a thing I experimented with in the duplex that worked really well was doing a preemptive tile wipe while the grout was still wet. I don’t have any pictures of this, so let me explain.

It only really works with larger tiles, but after I applied the grout with my float and did a couple wipe downs with my damp sponge, I let it sit for another 5-10 minutes and then I used a rag or paper towel to dry just the surface of the tile, being sure not to rub the grout lines themselves. It sounds more tedious than it was, because it really was only one quick swipe (almost like washing a window pane) and it basically wiped up all of the liquid that would eventually become grout haze.

Again, it’s really most practical on larger tiles where you can safely wipe the tile without touching the wet grout, but it completely saved me from having to buff the floors or use a grout haze remover after the fact. And you know how much I love to eliminate extraneous steps!

Long story short: next time you tile, grab some Mapei Flexcolor grout (maybe in Warm Gray) and think of me fondly when it makes things easier.

PS: If you’re new to tiling and want to see the process from start to finish in one post, check outhow we tiled this kitchen backsplash for $200. And here’s a post about all of our duplex tile choices & one about our beach house tile picks.

The post The Only Grout We Ever Use (And How To Pick The Right Grout Color) appeared first on Young House Love.

[allenmendezsr]

Winning Betting Systems

New Post has been published on http://autotraffixpro.app/allenmendezsr/winning-betting-systems/

Winning Betting Systems

 Buy Now    

Best Betting System Bundle

The only betting system you need to make a profit on sports betting

  Over 50 million Pounds change hands every week through the betting exchanges! Why should you sit at the margins, confused, while others are making thousands of pounds every week?

Want to buy your dream car? Wish to buy a house of your own? Want to have a financially independent life?

You would need to have a stable source of income for this. Believe it or not betting could be the main stream of income for you to achieve your dreams!

We all know how the heart burns when you lose your hard earned money. But its time you understand that there is a marked difference between betting with sense and gambling with a lottery attitude. The more you analyze the better you bet. Analyzing tonnes of past performance data, calculating the effects of internal and external variables’ is not child’s play. If you bet without any strategy and don’t use a professional betting system like The Best Betting System Bundle, your odds of making serious money is one in 4 million! yes, 4 million people try their luck on the betting exchanges every week!

We are proud to present the ultimate Betting strategy guide- The Best Betting System Bundle

Best Betting System Bundle is now available to the general public!  “Professionals want it, newcomers need it! “

Learn the inside secrets of an ingeniously simple set of 10 betting systems that make an average of $300-$500 per week

“TAX FREE” money with only a couple of hours work every day!

  “The Betting Systems That Never Wear Out,  and Never Lose Their Power”

We have recognized patterns and strategies that will work for you. We have analyzed millions of wins and losses. Factors that worked and factors that did not. Years of experience and and scientific analysis at your disposal.

For those who are tired of learning by making mistakes Here is an opportunity of earning through our experience  

From: Michael White Date:

  Dear Fellow Betting Exchange Punter,

Let’s face it, the betting exchange is a tough nut to crack! Even if you know your way around it, you can quite easily lose your shirt…

“Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Michael White. Chances are you haven’t heard of me before. But when you finish reading this, you’ll be glad you finally did.” 

“Are you determined to make a Part time /Full time living from the betting exchange? 

Then you have finally reached the right place to get started on your journey to financial freedom … RIGHT NOW … TODAY… Not tomorrow, Not in 12 months’ time !!” ….NOW!!!

If you’ve been struggling with the betting exchanges and want to know how to really make it like the pro’s do, and send your betting bankroll soaring – then this is definitely the most important letter you will read in your life!

Here’s why:

There was a time in my life when used to work 110 hours a week, I was heavily indebted and paying my mortgage seemed impossible. I was not sure whether I would be able to live a life with self esteem, have a house of my own, be able to propose to my girlfriend; And here I am today living the life I could not have ever dreamed about a few years back.

I work 30 hours a day,drive a BMW, own a big house and have three kids and a lovely wife! 

So what changed my life? 

It was my passion that kept me going, my passion for betting. Even during my days of struggle I kept aside some money for betting on the betting exchanges. Sometimes I earned some money and sometimes I lost some. I still cherish those bittersweet memories.

At one point, When I was struggling with the exchanges myself it seemed to me like I would never get it right…

I realized I was neither unlucky, nor reckless, I was not winning enough because I did not have a strategy. I was working 3 jobs with shifts so I did not get any time to analyze the odds of different outcomes. I desperately needed someone to do my analysis, calculate the probabilities and keep an eye on external factors that often eluded me.

All the information from the ‘Gurus’ only confused me more and more until I finally decided to call in some professional help so I could focus on the things that really worked, so with a little help from my friend Jonathan over at The Perfect Punter, we put together 10 of the very best systems for making constant profits on the betting exchanges, these systems will work on any of the betting exchanges now and in the future.

We focused on 4 areas because:

1) All the market information needed in these areas is available and easy to find;

2) Markets are Robust;

3) Markets are Liquid and one can make all the money he wants;

4) All or many of these sports are dealt with, in almost all the betting exchanges in the world

Exchange Blackjack

Football

Greyhounds

Horse Racing

So, what you’ll actually find in this report are the the best betting systems, strategies and techniques that I use on a daily basis that really work 100%, and nothing more…

What you are going to see in this report is a concise set of systems with a simple set of rules to follow, rules that were written so as not to confuse and confound either novices or seasoned betting exchange veterans. 

We made these betting systems on the KISS principle – Keep It Simple, Stupid

We could of made a 200 page E-book full of useless information that waffles on and baffles you.

It is very easy to find every information you can collect and lump it into one large book; The real skills are needed in weeding out the strategies that can cause losses, refine the system, make the rules clear, remove any chances of confusions and errors , and make the system easy to use. 

As I have already mentioned, this is a concise report / E-book with nothing important left out and nothing irrelevant included. You’ll be amazed at just how simple these betting systems are, but also just how profitable they are too.Whether you are a novice or a seasoned pro you will find that these betting systems will pay you day, after day! 

30% to 45% is a very reserve return on your investment! This is achievable if you follow the systems you will receive

How much is a profitable Tax Free Income worth to you?

The betting systems and information contained within this report are priceless, because your going to benefit from proven profit making betting systems and strategies that have been written and simplified so that you can work within several markets at a time, thus increasing your profits with ease.

If someone claims that his betting system exploit the loopholes in exchanges sytem or he is an ex-worker who knows the system inside-out, its time you grab your purse and run in the opposite direction. The exchanges have hired hundreds of people to ensure their system does not have any loopholes.

The only thing that will work is exhaustive study of all the factors that influence the odds. I have relentlessly worked for months to convert my experience, strategies and hunch into a clear set of rules, a fool-proof set of 10 systems.

Can you imagine how satisfying it would be if all of your efforts on the betting exchanges really produced the results you have been struggling for?

Earn consistently through betting exchange winnings, while concentrating on your profession, family or study. I know a guy who paid for his college education through his winnings! Like me, you too could retire in your early forties and do whatever you love for the rest of your life, paint, play golf, climb a mountain or like me start your own business venture.

Does this sound too good to be true?

Well, it isn’t if you know how – and I’ll show you exactly how in this report…

  When it comes to churning out money, None of the other systems available on the market come even close!

Why:

Because, before even launching the Best Betting System Bundle I tried it myself for hundreds of times, analyzed numerous items of feedback from satisfied punters and refined the systems to remove any anomalies. I have invested masses of time in simplifying and perfecting these betting systems, so that you can save time and efforts in order to bet like a pro.

Nothing could be easier! The systems are so comprehensive yet so simple that you can start using them in minutes, and within the next few hours you could even recover the money you will pay for The Best Betting System Bundle a number of times over.

Here are just a few of the amazing strategies that you will discover with the information contained in these betting systems:

Unsolicited Testimonials:

Hi, Michael, I just wanted to drop you a line to tell you to keep up the good work! Since I purchased The Best Betting System Bundle 4 weeks ago i’ve made just over £3000 in profit. My favorite system is the ” In Play System ” It’s really fantastic, so simple to use and the strike rate is amazing.  

–Frank Cox– Chester UK

It’s all good. Really good. I’d be lost without your systems. Thanks mate, you’ve made a pro out of a novice with these systems!  

–Steve Brown– FL, USA

Dear Michael, OMG! I won, I can’t believe it, £311.57p in 5 days, I am really over the moon with my betting systems. these are awesome! This is simply unbelievable! If I can do it so can anyone!  

–Linda Morgan– Lancashire UK

The Best Betting System Bundle is the real deal! Definitely worth the investment. As part of my ongoing mission to find the best tools to make money on the exchanges, this is without a doubt at the top of my list.

–James Bailey– MI, USA  

So, by now you must be thinking… How much will this amazing set money-making betting systems actually cost, right?

Less than a meal out!

“And when your investment will pay off, like it has for others; The profits you will make from using these techniques would add up to thousands every month, and don’t forget, anything you win on the betting exchange is “TAX FREE“. 

At the price of only a month’s subscription to any such system we are giving you the set of betting systems for life. Even if we had charged a thousandth of your winnings, We would have earned millions! But we do not keep a tab on our customers and you are free to use the system as long as you want by paying only once! We are so proud of our impeccable reputation that we back our system with a money-back guarantee! But we have not received a single money-back request in years!

Yes, for the price of a few packets of cigarettes or a round of beers at your local pub, you will have all of the information you need to jump right into making money and change your life forever! 

We are offering you The Best Betting System Bundle at one-tenth of the price others charge for one system. 

That’s is absolutely right, a set of 10 betting systems for less than a meal out!

Don’t take our word, check it out for yourself. Many of the other betting systems are sold at $200 to $300, they are also poorly made and rarely updated. We are giving you 10 betting systems to neatly divide and lessen the effort. Each system is specialized for a specific purpose. Each one focuses on meticulously selected criteria (specific to that area) and their relative weighted probability of affecting the outcome. You must be too eager by now to know what are the betting systems you will receive.

” Here are the betting systems you’ll receive “

1.

Staking Plan — Money Management

There is no point even starting to bet without having an aim. How often have you been up then carried on too long and lost all your profit? Even betting on one extra race can make the difference between a great day’s punting, and an average day.

Instead follow this plan and it will help dramatically!

There is no doubling up involved! Nor any other form of loss replacement, as that is VERY DANGEROUS. Instead it will just show you the most efficient way of betting.

Read it and you will be very pleasantly surprised! This system alone is worth $19.99

2.

UK Horse Racing System No. 1 – Laying False Favourites

There are so many favourites during the day that are way below their true value. There are even more, that should not even be the favourite at all! Follow this very simple 2 step process to identify those favourites that should be taken on.

You will not be laying anything over 4.5 as otherwise exposure is too high. Instead the process shows short priced favourites that must be laid. In the last week alone, the system has produced many odds-on lays, and over the course of the last 7 days has produced a very healthy profit! There is no trading with this, so the lays can be placed early in the day or the night before as well.  This system alone is worth $19.99

3.

UK Horse Racing System No. 2 – The nature of the market

(Double system) 2 systems with incredible strike rates! Learn how to use the in-play markets on the exchanges to lay short priced losers. There are 2 systems for this to cover races under 1 mile and over 1 mile. There is No studying of form and you do not need to be watching the race on the TV. They are both really simple to do, but you will be amazed at how accurate the system is!  This system alone is worth $29.99 

4.

UK Horse Racing System No. 3 – Exploit the Weakness of the Markets

A super simple system that uses the nature of the markets to create an Incredible strike rate! No form at all is needed, you don’t need to watch the race and there is No trading involved. A 2-step process is all it requires. This system alone is worth $24.99

5.

US Horse Racing System No.1

This system addresses a problem that I have noticed when researching the other available systems to buy. There does not seem to be any advice on how to play the US Racing markets on the exchanges, yet these are increasingly becoming more popular markets to bet on. US Racing is really useful as they happen in Europe’s evening/night so meaning that those who work can get involved before going to bed. This system alone is worth $19.99

6.

US Horse Racing System No. 2

The system is simple in its nature, and takes advantage of something I have noticed happening consistently, particularly with the US Racing. It applies to most of their tracks and can be easily identified. Importantly, though you will not need to see a single piece of form, as this can be hard to get for the US races. Instead the instructions in the system supplied will tell you exactly what to do. There is no trading, and as the markets do not go in-play, no stressing over getting out of a position. Instead you either back or lay the selection and your job is done.  This system alone is worth $19.99

7.

Greyhound System – Laying false favourites

With more than 100 greyhound races a day, it goes without saying that there are many possibilities for making money from this sport. This system will show you the easiest way of doing this. A simple 2 step process will show you which dogs put up as the favourite are highly likely to lose. Nothing is laid above 4.5 so keeping liability low AND there is no doubling up or anything dangerous. Instead if the lay is wrong, you start again and by following this system the loss should be recovered in no time by keeping level stakes. Then it is on to more profit.  This system alone is worth $24.99

8.

Soccer System No. 1 – Back or lay pre-match and walk away.

There are 2 valuable stats that are needed to spot what to do for this system. If found then the rest is easy. These stats appear very often and with soccer games nearly every day of the week there is plenty of possibilities for using this system. This system alone is worth $19.99

9.

Soccer System No. 2 – Trade before and during the game to make a green book.

The soccer markets on are very useful to produce a profit on all 3 outcomes in a match. This system will show you how its done AND you will only be at your computer for a maximum of 20 minutes to do so!  This system alone is worth $19.99

10 .

Highly Requested System  – Blackjack System

A popular request when I was writing this package, so I have included a system to help make money using exchange Blackjack. The system is simple to understand which is a great feature compared to many similar systems available. This system alone is worth $29.99

Purchased separately these systems would set you back a total of $229.90. You have to agree that we are practically giving these systems away at only the price of a meal out!

  100% RISK-FREE MONEY BACK GUARANTEE

Conditions Apply

So if you are serious about making money with this SET OF 10 WINNING BETTING SYSTEMS, then CLICK HERE TO MAKE YOUR PURCHASE NOW! If you need to justify the expense, give going out for a meal this week a miss and it is paid for.

CLICK HERE TO GET YOUR COPY NOW!

“P.S. Due to the enormous demand for these betting systems, we are not sure how long they will be available for, and the offer could terminate at anytime, as we do not want to flood the markets.”

P.P.S. You owe it to yourself so don’t miss this opportunity! The price is going up soon and I want you to get the lowest price possible! Act now to guarantee you get this at the lowest possible price!

*nb – Please note that Michael White is a pen name for the owner of this betting system

Questions? Comments? Need support? Use the Contact Us link below

Please “Gamble Responsibly” http://www.gambleaware.co.uk

[lowmaticnews]

The Only Grout We Ever Use (And How To Pick The Right Grout Color)

If you’ve got a tiling project in your future (even the distant future), remember, bookmark, voice memo, tattoo, or do whatever you need to do to remember Mapei Flexcolor grout.

I know this sounds like I’m overreacting, but take it from people who have grouted 7 bathroom floors, 3 showers, 3 mudrooms, and 2 backsplashes in the last two years: this grout has been life-changing. And no, this is not sponsored by either Mapei or Floor & Decor, which is where we typically buy ours (sorry, necessary disclaimer because this post is going to sound pretty gushy).

floor tiles: pink, white, and taupe 

I meant to proclaim our love for this grout after finishing the beach house tiling two summers ago but we got sucked into the duplex and, well, this post never got written. But the duplex tiling just gave us more time for our romance to blossom, so I wanted to tell you why this has become THE ONLY GROUT we ever buy & use. We are going on 2+ years of not buying a single other type of grout (we don’t even look their way – our heart is TAKEN). Even our contractor swears by this stuff. That’s actually how we found it.

So I’m going to just dive into all the whys of that very big statement about grout – and I’m also going to toss in some tips for picking the right grout color (including our go-to color that works nearly every time – we’ve used it in so many rooms) and my new trick for minimizing grout haze while I’m at it.

1. This Grout Is Pre-Mixed

If you’ve ever mixed your own grout, I don’t need to say much more about why pre-mixed is a better experience.

For starters, it eliminates a lot of time and effort spent measuring out your powder and liquid additive, stirring it together, and adjusting until you get the right consistency. Instead, you can just pop open a tub and get going.

But a lesser appreciated benefit of premixed grout is that it also ELIMINATES COLOR INCONSISTENCY. We ran into this problem when grouting our covered back porch. We used a dark grout for the first time and the way that we mixed/applied it caused it to dry lighter in some spots than we had hoped (some areas that we mixed ourselves must have been a little more watered down, so it dried a slightly different color in those spots). It wasn’t a huge deal, but we were definitely disappointed that after all that time and labor it didn’t look consistent. So using premixed grout means you don’t have to worry about your color changing from one mixed batch to the next.

 white hex tile /  subway tile

And the last thing I’ll say about pre-mixed grout is that it also stores well for touch-ups later (like if you drop something heavy and pop some grout out of a crack and you need to smear some more onto that spot, or if you see that you missed a spot). The tubs seal up nicely (firmly press the lid down until it snaps all around the perimeter and that’s it), so I’ve really appreciated reopening grout that’s over a year old to use it for another project and finding it fresh and ready to go.

2. This Grout Doesn’t Need Sealing & Is Stain Resistant

Again, need I say more? Probably not, but that’s never stopped me before.

tile: this black & white hex tile (we replaced the black tiles w/ these blue tiles)

Tiling already has enough steps involved so I’m always happy to eliminate one, especially the annoying ones at the end like sealing your grout to prevent stains. This Mapei Flexcolor is somehow formulated to prevent stains (how, I don’t know – magic? crystals? the dark arts?) so all you have to do is let it cure for 3 days and it’s good to go (you can walk on it after 24 hours).

I should disclaim that it’s water-based stains that this grout is resistant to and like any “stain resistant” surface, you still probably shouldn’t slather marinara on it and let it sit for days. But we’re over 18-months in on the beach floors and they’re still looking as good as new. As in, not a single crack or stain. Anywhere. In any of the three bathrooms, the mudroom, the backsplash. Everything looks as good as the day we grouted it. In fact, I took the photo above this weekend, over a year & a half after we grouted just to demonstrate that this stuff goes the distance. Looks like new, eh?

3. It’s Crack Resistant & Shrinkage Controlled

Old grouts that we used to use recommended a special liquid additive in place of water that made it more flexible to help it resist cracking or shrinking. So it was extra money and an extra step. Meanwhile, that feature is built right into this formula, and we have never had it crack or shrink in all of our years of using it – which isn’t something we can say about the other grout we’ve used (even with that special liquid additive).

floor tile / door color: SW Oyster Bay

4. This Grout Works For (Almost) All Situations

Tiling indoors? This grout works. Tiling outdoors? Still works. Got a small 1/16″ grout line? Cool. Got a big 1/2″ grout line? That’s fine too. This essentially means we don’t have to debate over sanded or unsanded grout or worry that one product is better for one application, but we better use some other one for something else.

floor tile 

Now, if you read the fine print in the “Limitations” section of their brochure, it does nix some application scenarios – like not submerged in a pool or in saunas or steam rooms – but any basic bathroom, kitchen, patio, laundry room, or mudroom tiling scenario should be all good. And while they warn you that you should test it on sensitive materials like glass or marble tile first, it does say it’s compatible with those applications too.

In the end, if you’re unsure, always double-check or ask an expert at your store, but the range of use here is pretty impressive. Which probably explains why we haven’t purchased any other type of grout for the last few years. This stuff earns my final rose.

Picking The Right Grout Color

It still amazes me how much grout changes the finished look of any tiling project, so it’s important to give some thought to the color you choose. If you don’t believe me, Emily Henderson did a great post a couple of years ago showing off the impact of your grout color section.

That being said, we use Warm Gray in 85% of our tiling projects. To us, it’s the perfect neutral grout color that offers enough contrast to the lighter tiles that we choose (like white subway tile) while still looking great with darker tiles (it almost reads as white with a darker tile next to it, but isn’t as harsh and unforgiving of dust/dirt as bright white grout would be).

backsplash tile / cabinets & counters: Ikea / pink stove & rug: secondhand finds / sconce

And since it’s so agreeable to so many tiles, you can use it throughout an entire room to help tie your various surfaces together (floors, walls, etc). For instance, in the downstairs bathroom at the beach house we used it on both the shower and the floor. It provides a different type of contrast in each spot – but using the same grout helps them work together.

slate-like floor tile / long subway tile

And if you study that photo above, you can see what I mean about how crisp and white it looks when paired with darker tile, without being as unforgiving as bright white grout can be. That’s the same exact grout color (Warm Gray) everywhere in the picture above – although it looks grayer when it’s next to the white subway tile and lighter when it’s next to the dark floor tile.

But if Warm Gray isn’t what you had in mind for a particular project, there are a TON of other colors to choose from that Mapei makes. I’d almost argue that there are TOO MANY colors (paradox of choice, anyone?) so if you need or want something different, here’s some advice:

Don’t work off of paper samples. You might see posters or brochures around the store with the various grout colors, but they aren’t always super accurate. Instead, ask an employee to borrow the stick samples like the ones shown here. If you ask someone at Floor & Decor they should be able to dig up these little plastic sample sticks for you to debate your options (they don’t usually let you leave with them, so just bring your tile to the store and hold them up to it). Not only are they truer to color, but it’s a lot easier to place them right onto your tile and get a much better sense of what your final result will look like.

Pay attention to undertones. In addition to choosing your grout based on how light or dark it is, note how warm (yellow-ish) or cool (blue-ish) a color looks – especially as it relates to your tile.

For instance, I said we used Warm Gray in most, but not all, of our spaces. It’s on the warmer side of gray (hence the name), but there’s a cooler gray called Frost that Mapei also sells. We used that in a couple of rooms, like the one below, because the grays on the tile were a bit cooler and we wanted the grout to align with that.

floor tile 

Look around the store for input. If you’re uncertain or nervous about your grout selection, see what you can learn while you’re in the store. Most tile stores will identify the color that their tile displays are grouted with, so you can choose to just mimic the display grout that they used with the tile you’re purchasing, or you can go lighter/darker or cooler/warmer than what they show if you think you’d prefer that to what they picked.

I noticed our Floor & Decor store also has this newfangled grout selection tool. I played around with it a little bit using tiles in the store (you’ll want to bring your own tile if it’s not something you’re buying at the same time) and while I wouldn’t blindly go with whatever it tells you, it could at least help you hone in on a few finalists.

Parting Tip: Minimizing Grout Haze

Now, this Mapei grout doesn’t seem to leave more or less grout haze than any of the other grouts we’ve used (you know, that film on your tile that’s often leftover once your grout has dried). And grout haze is one of my least favorite things in the world because it’s like the LAST THING I want to spend time on after having survived tiling and then grouting.

So a thing I experimented with in the duplex that worked really well was doing a preemptive tile wipe while the grout was still wet. I don’t have any pictures of this, so let me explain.

It only really works with larger tiles, but after I applied the grout with my float and did a couple wipe downs with my damp sponge, I let it sit for another 5-10 minutes and then I used a rag or paper towel to dry just the surface of the tile, being sure not to rub the grout lines themselves. It sounds more tedious than it was, because it really was only one quick swipe (almost like washing a window pane) and it basically wiped up all of the liquid that would eventually become grout haze.

Again, it’s really most practical on larger tiles where you can safely wipe the tile without touching the wet grout, but it completely saved me from having to buff the floors or use a grout haze remover after the fact. And you know how much I love to eliminate extraneous steps!

Long story short: next time you tile, grab some Mapei Flexcolor grout (maybe in Warm Gray) and think of me fondly when it makes things easier.

PS: If you’re new to tiling and want to see the process from start to finish in one post, check out how we tiled this kitchen backsplash for $200. And here’s a post about all of our duplex tile choices & one about our beach house tile picks.

The post The Only Grout We Ever Use (And How To Pick The Right Grout Color) appeared first on Young House Love.

The Only Grout We Ever Use (And How To Pick The Right Grout Color) published first on https://landscapingmates.blogspot.com

[vincentbnaughton]

The Only Grout We Ever Use (And How To Pick The Right Grout Color)

If you’ve got a tiling project in your future (even the distant future), remember, bookmark, voice memo, tattoo, or do whatever you need to do to remember Mapei Flexcolor grout.

I know this sounds like I’m overreacting, but take it from people who have grouted 7 bathroom floors, 3 showers, 3 mudrooms, and 2 backsplashes in the last two years: this grout has been life-changing. And no, this is not sponsored by either Mapei or Floor & Decor, which is where we typically buy ours (sorry, necessary disclaimer because this post is going to sound pretty gushy).

floor tiles: pink, white, and taupe

I meant to proclaim our love for this grout after finishing the beach house tiling two summers ago but we got sucked into the duplex and, well, this post never got written. But the duplex tiling just gave us more time for our romance to blossom, so I wanted to tell you why this has become THE ONLY GROUT we ever buy & use. We are going on 2+ years of not buying a single other type of grout (we don’t even look their way – our heart is TAKEN). Even our contractor swears by this stuff. That’s actually how we found it.

So I’m going to just dive into all the whys of that very big statement about grout – and I’m also going to toss in some tips for picking the right grout color (including our go-to color that works nearly every time – we’ve used it in so many rooms) and my new trick for minimizing grout haze while I’m at it.

1. This Grout Is Pre-Mixed

If you’ve ever mixed your own grout, I don’t need to say much more about why pre-mixed is a better experience.

For starters, it eliminates a lot of time and effort spent measuring out your powder and liquid additive, stirring it together, and adjusting until you get the right consistency. Instead, you can just pop open a tub and get going.

But a lesser appreciated benefit of premixed grout is that it also ELIMINATES COLOR INCONSISTENCY. We ran into this problem when grouting our covered back porch. We used a dark grout for the first time and the way that we mixed/applied it caused it to dry lighter in some spots than we had hoped (some areas that we mixed ourselves must have been a little more watered down, so it dried a slightly different color in those spots). It wasn’t a huge deal, but we were definitely disappointed that after all that time and labor it didn’t look consistent. So using premixed grout means you don’t have to worry about your color changing from one mixed batch to the next.

white hex tile /  subway tile

And the last thing I’ll say about pre-mixed grout is that it also stores well for touch-ups later (like if you drop something heavy and pop some grout out of a crack and you need to smear some more onto that spot, or if you see that you missed a spot). The tubs seal up nicely (firmly press the lid down until it snaps all around the perimeter and that’s it), so I’ve really appreciated reopening grout that’s over a year old to use it for another project and finding it fresh and ready to go.

2. This Grout Doesn’t Need Sealing & Is Stain Resistant

Again, need I say more? Probably not, but that’s never stopped me before.

tile: this black & white hex tile (we replaced the black tiles w/ these blue tiles)

Tiling already has enough steps involved so I’m always happy to eliminate one, especially the annoying ones at the end like sealing your grout to prevent stains. This Mapei Flexcolor is somehow formulated to prevent stains (how, I don’t know – magic? crystals? the dark arts?) so all you have to do is let it cure for 3 days and it’s good to go (you can walk on it after 24 hours).

I should disclaim that it’s water-based stains that this grout is resistant to and like any “stain resistant” surface, you still probably shouldn’t slather marinara on it and let it sit for days. But we’re over 18-months in on the beach floors and they’re still looking as good as new. As in, not a single crack or stain. Anywhere. In any of the three bathrooms, the mudroom, the backsplash. Everything looks as good as the day we grouted it. In fact, I took the photo above this weekend, over a year & a half after we grouted just to demonstrate that this stuff goes the distance. Looks like new, eh?

3. It’s Crack Resistant & Shrinkage Controlled

Old grouts that we used to use recommended a special liquid additive in place of water that made it more flexible to help it resist cracking or shrinking. So it was extra money and an extra step. Meanwhile, that feature is built right into this formula, and we have never had it crack or shrink in all of our years of using it – which isn’t something we can say about the other grout we’ve used (even with that special liquid additive).

floor tile / door color: SW Oyster Bay

4. This Grout Works For (Almost) All Situations

Tiling indoors? This grout works. Tiling outdoors? Still works. Got a small 1/16″ grout line? Cool. Got a big 1/2″ grout line? That’s fine too. This essentially means we don’t have to debate over sanded or unsanded grout or worry that one product is better for one application, but we better use some other one for something else.

floor tile

Now, if you read the fine print in the “Limitations” section of their brochure, it does nix some application scenarios – like not submerged in a pool or in saunas or steam rooms – but any basic bathroom, kitchen, patio, laundry room, or mudroom tiling scenario should be all good. And while they warn you that you should test it on sensitive materials like glass or marble tile first, it does say it’s compatible with those applications too.

In the end, if you’re unsure, always double-check or ask an expert at your store, but the range of use here is pretty impressive. Which probably explains why we haven’t purchased any other type of grout for the last few years. This stuff earns my final rose.

Picking The Right Grout Color

It still amazes me how much grout changes the finished look of any tiling project, so it’s important to give some thought to the color you choose. If you don’t believe me, Emily Henderson did a great post a couple of years ago showing off the impact of your grout color section.

That being said, we use Warm Gray in 85% of our tiling projects. To us, it’s the perfect neutral grout color that offers enough contrast to the lighter tiles that we choose (like white subway tile) while still looking great with darker tiles (it almost reads as white with a darker tile next to it, but isn’t as harsh and unforgiving of dust/dirt as bright white grout would be).

backsplash tile / cabinets & counters: Ikea / pink stove & rug: secondhand finds / sconce

And since it’s so agreeable to so many tiles, you can use it throughout an entire room to help tie your various surfaces together (floors, walls, etc). For instance, in the downstairs bathroom at the beach house we used it on both the shower and the floor. It provides a different type of contrast in each spot – but using the same grout helps them work together.

slate-like floor tile / long subway tile

And if you study that photo above, you can see what I mean about how crisp and white it looks when paired with darker tile, without being as unforgiving as bright white grout can be. That’s the same exact grout color (Warm Gray) everywhere in the picture above – although it looks grayer when it’s next to the white subway tile and lighter when it’s next to the dark floor tile.

But if Warm Gray isn’t what you had in mind for a particular project, there are a TON of other colors to choose from that Mapei makes. I’d almost argue that there are TOO MANY colors (paradox of choice, anyone?) so if you need or want something different, here’s some advice:

Don’t work off of paper samples. You might see posters or brochures around the store with the various grout colors, but they aren’t always super accurate. Instead, ask an employee to borrow the stick samples like the ones shown here. If you ask someone at Floor & Decor they should be able to dig up these little plastic sample sticks for you to debate your options (they don’t usually let you leave with them, so just bring your tile to the store and hold them up to it). Not only are they truer to color, but it’s a lot easier to place them right onto your tile and get a much better sense of what your final result will look like.

Pay attention to undertones. In addition to choosing your grout based on how light or dark it is, note how warm (yellow-ish) or cool (blue-ish) a color looks – especially as it relates to your tile.

For instance, I said we used Warm Gray in most, but not all, of our spaces. It’s on the warmer side of gray (hence the name), but there’s a cooler gray called Frost that Mapei also sells. We used that in a couple of rooms, like the one below, because the grays on the tile were a bit cooler and we wanted the grout to align with that.

floor tile

Look around the store for input. If you’re uncertain or nervous about your grout selection, see what you can learn while you’re in the store. Most tile stores will identify the color that their tile displays are grouted with, so you can choose to just mimic the display grout that they used with the tile you’re purchasing, or you can go lighter/darker or cooler/warmer than what they show if you think you’d prefer that to what they picked.

I noticed our Floor & Decor store also has this newfangled grout selection tool. I played around with it a little bit using tiles in the store (you’ll want to bring your own tile if it’s not something you’re buying at the same time) and while I wouldn’t blindly go with whatever it tells you, it could at least help you hone in on a few finalists.

Parting Tip: Minimizing Grout Haze

Now, this Mapei grout doesn’t seem to leave more or less grout haze than any of the other grouts we’ve used (you know, that film on your tile that’s often leftover once your grout has dried). And grout haze is one of my least favorite things in the world because it’s like the LAST THING I want to spend time on after having survived tiling and then grouting.

So a thing I experimented with in the duplex that worked really well was doing a preemptive tile wipe while the grout was still wet. I don’t have any pictures of this, so let me explain.

It only really works with larger tiles, but after I applied the grout with my float and did a couple wipe downs with my damp sponge, I let it sit for another 5-10 minutes and then I used a rag or paper towel to dry just the surface of the tile, being sure not to rub the grout lines themselves. It sounds more tedious than it was, because it really was only one quick swipe (almost like washing a window pane) and it basically wiped up all of the liquid that would eventually become grout haze.

Again, it’s really most practical on larger tiles where you can safely wipe the tile without touching the wet grout, but it completely saved me from having to buff the floors or use a grout haze remover after the fact. And you know how much I love to eliminate extraneous steps!

Long story short: next time you tile, grab some Mapei Flexcolor grout (maybe in Warm Gray) and think of me fondly when it makes things easier.

PS: If you’re new to tiling and want to see the process from start to finish in one post, check out how we tiled this kitchen backsplash for $200. And here’s a post about all of our duplex tile choices & one about our beach house tile picks.

The post The Only Grout We Ever Use (And How To Pick The Right Grout Color) appeared first on Young House Love.

[makeitwithmike]

10 Advanced Strategies for Driving Business Blog Engagement

By Aaron Agius

Your blog is a workhorse. Yes infographics and video are extremely popular at the moment, but a well written and informative blog that is consistently updated will never let you down.

You know the stats:

Websites that include a blog have 434% more indexed pages and 97% more inbound links

Blogging is the main component of the content strategy for at least 45% of marketers

Marketers with a healthy blog element to their strategy are 13x more likely to see a positive ROI

B2B marketers that include blogging receive 67% more leads than their non-blogging peers

And more

As a business blogger, you’re aware of the basic best practices – keep paragraphs short, use descriptive headers and subheaders, break it up, keep it scannable, use bulleted and numbered lists – and you’re able to optimize for SEO (while avoiding the mistakes).

But what about engagement? You don’t just want visitors. You want engaged visitors. That includes reading your stuff, of course, but more importantly you want them to leave comments, share your posts with their social media networks, link back to your site, and return again and again. You want them to be unable to live without your blog.

Diversifying your blog content is one way. No one wants to see the same type of post on the same topic week after week. What would be the point? So mix it up.

Beyond that, there’s a lot you can do to give your business blog an engagement boost. I’m constantly amazed by the positive impact these ten tactics can generate. Try and see for yourself.

1. Understand your audience and what they want

You’ve already identified your target, and hopefully even created a few buyer personas to guide your efforts. But you can do more.

This may not sound like an advanced strategy, but far too many blogs ignore the obvious. You have an industry related to your business, and that’s obviously your umbrella topic. But what specifically is your audience looking for in a blog about your industry? Find out.

Conduct surveys and polls to find the topics that matter. Tools like Qeryz, SurveyMonkey, and Google Forms can help (the last two require leaving your site, while Qeryz functions like a slide box or popup). The best way to find out what they want is to simply ask them.

Or identify their interests using Twitter Analytics. Click on Audience at the top, scroll down, and see the Top Ten interests of your Twitter followers.

That should give you at least a few solid ideas and broad subjects to write about this week.

2. Build better headlines

If your headline doesn’t pull them in, it doesn’t matter how great the actual post is because no one’s reading it. The headline is the promise, the post is the delivery… don’t FAIL them (you’ll lose credibility each time you do). To paraphrase the Godfather, make them a promise they can’t refuse.

Use keywords, power/emotional words, limit it to roughly 55 characters and 6-8 words, and remember that numbered lists, FOMO, questions, and how-to headlines perform very well.

So spend more time on your headlines, and maybe run your ideas through a Headline Analyzer or Emotional Headline Analyzer for recommendations.

3. Track the trends

What’s got people buzzing online? What’s already resonating with readers?

Find out what’s hot with keyword research, a quick visit to Google Trends, and a peek at both Facebook Trending and Twitter Trends on a fairly regular basis. If there’s something trending in your industry, visitors will want to read about it. Harness that.

4. Links, links, links

Your link architecture can lift your engagement in two ways (to say nothing of its SEO benefits).

Your internal structure – linking to other posts on your blog – helps your readers find your (relevant) best stuff.

Your outbound links point them to other valuable articles and resources.

Both develop your reputation as an unselfish blogger ready to help more than pitch. Visitors will respond to that. Guaranteed.

Try including a few similar articles using either Related Posts at the end, or littered throughout the text. They will click.

5. Talk to them

The simplest strategies are often overlooked.

Ask questions, encourage shares and comments, make it easy for them to connect with you.

Comments can be wonderful. They’re a form of social proof, so when readers see them at the end, they’re going to trust and engage with your content more than if they see none.

Remove friction like Captcha and other services meant to stop spam (they don’t), don’t require registration to leave a comment, and maybe even link directly to your comment form in the post. Make it easy, end with a question, and people are more willing than not to respond.

6. Go the extra mile

What are the popular posts in your industry? Find out with a simple online search, or using a tool like BuzzSumo.

Next, identify ways you could build upon those posts and make them better: updated, more visual, current stats, more extensive, interview an influencer or leader, include a video or infographic… it doesn’t matter. You build upon the already-successful post and improve it in some way.

Called the Skyscraper Technique, it can bring in plenty of traffic and engagement.

7. Promote and repromote

Most of us already share our new posts on our social media accounts. It’s Marketing 101.

Simplify that with an automation service like dlvr.it (“Share Better”).

But don’t stop there. Sharing just once is not enough. Consider:

Facebook posts hit 75% of their impressions within 2.5 hours, and 75% of engagement within five hours

A tweet’s lifespan is between 18-24 minutes according to most research

The vast majority of your audience will NOT see that share if you do it just once. Set up a reposting schedule for each blog post – twice on the first day, once daily for a few days, the next week, the next month, and then periodically after that at a minimum – to get your content in front of as many new eyes as possible.

8. A plugin for All seasons

There are nearly 48,000 plugins available for WordPress. You don’t want to go overboard, but a few well chosen ones can increase the usability and UX of your blog just enough to bump engagement to the next level.

A few good ones to try out:

Inline Tweet Sharer, Quote Tweet, Click to Tweet, or TweetDis allow readers to easily share your most alarming, striking, or thought-provoking statement or statistic with one-click.

Reading Time provides an estimated reading time at the top so visitors know beforehand how long it will take them.

Atomic Writer analyzes audience engagement with your content to provide recommendations on how to write better posts for them.

9. Build a community

We all love being part of a group. Provide that feeling on your blog, and your readers will be happy to hang around longer and engage more.

Offer groups, discussion boards, and online portals. Let your readers reach out and connect with you and other users.

BuddyPress, for example, allows readers to create profiles, private message other users, create and interact in user groups, and more. And there are currently over 700 WordPress plugins available to customize the platform into whatever you need.

10. Give a little to get a lot

Try a giveaway. Create a contest or draw with upgraded content, discounts, coupons, or other prizes (your latest ebook, your favourite book by an industry leader, a free sample, free attendance at your next webinar, or whatever).

Giveaways are a great tactic to encourage engagement because visitors have to comment, share, or sign up in order to enter. And everyone loves free stuff.

Pay with a Tweet (despite the name, the service works with Facebook, LinkedIn, and Google+ in addition to Twitter) requires readers to share a pre-made note and link to get access to something special.

KingSumo Giveaways makes creating a giveaway dead simple, and visitors earn additional entries for themselves with each new entry that signs up via their URL, so it promotes frenzied sharing (everyone wants to increase their odds). The plugin has worked amazingly well in generating interest, engagement, and email subscriptions.

Wrap

Your business blog is an extension of your business. You should only ever post the very best that you can create, because anything less will reflect poorly on you and your brand.

Share cheap, irrelevant, unimaginative junk, and that’s what readers will think of you. If you take only one thing away from this post, take this: quality above quantity at all times.

But you know that.

These ten tactics – in addition to that golden rule – will increase engagement. It’s a given. Get involved with your readers. Give them what they really want, and a place to connect with each other. Gift them your best stuff for free.

Engagement comes to those who earn it.

Have we missed anything? What strategies have you implemented to boost audience engagement on your blog? What tips have failed you?

Leave your thoughts in the comments below:

Guest Author: Aaron Agius is an experienced search, content and social marketer. He has worked with some of the world’s largest and most recognized brands, including Salesforce, Coca-Cola, Target and others, to build their online presence. See more from Aaron at Louder Online, his blog, Facebook, Twitter, Google+and LinkedIn.

The post 10 Advanced Strategies for Driving Business Blog Engagement appeared first on Jeffbullas’s Blog.

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