#playing with Anthony at Bus has been a treat lol

[bridgeportbritt]

Britechester University of SimDonia | Sage, SimDonia

Tour Guide: The great thing about these townhomes is how close they are to everything. Lecture halls, the library, the cafe, and even the theatre which I'm sure, you'll love, Your Royal Highness.

Ella: I will love that! I'll never be late to ballet practice.

Bria: And, how safe would you say this area of campus is? We are sending off our little girl here all alone after all.

Ella grumbles: Mom...

Emmitt: That's a fair question, Elle.

Tour Guide: Oh, very safe, ma'am. Our campus police patrol the area 24/7, there are emergency beacons all over campus, and of course, The Duchess is welcome to have her protection officers, as well.

Ella: Guys in dark glasses and suits following me around campus. A very normal college experience.

Emmitt: We'll ensure that they're not intrusive, honey.

Tour Guide: If you follow me this way, I can show you inside one of our model homes similar to the one The Duchess would be staying in if she chose BUS.

Tour Guide: So, this is a pretty standard 2 bedroom unit. Each home has a kitchen, living space, and each student has their own floor which includes a bathroom.

Bria: And what about roommates? I don't want just any old body living with my baby.

Ella embarrased: Oh my, Watcher!

Tour Guide: You have the option to purchase one bedroom or the entire house for a semester, so if you did purchase the entire townhome, a roommate wouldn't be assigned.

Bria: Got it. And I'm sure that's a fortune. Will she at least have creative control to make the space her own? Because this place does not scream Ella.

Tour Guide: Um, well, it's not common that students make significant changes... but as long as the unit is returned to its original state, I don't see why not!

Emmitt: Well, we don't want any special treatment...

Bria: And why not?

Ella annoyed: Mom, you're being so embarrasing!

Emmitt: Uh, Sondra, isn't it? Does the Prime Minister's son, Anthony, live near here? He and Ella are good friends and the Prime Minister is the one who recommended these townhomes to us.

Sondra: Why, yes, Your Royal Highness. The Count lives in this building actually.

Emmitt: That's great, huh, Ella? And good for Ella to have some friends close by.

Bria laughs: As long as they're not throwing any wild college parties... without me!

Emmitt laughs: I certainly couldn't picture a kid like Anthony or Ella throwing any, what do they say, ragers?

Ella: Watcher, help me.

Emmitt: So, Ella. What do you think? Are you excited? How do you feel about BUS?

Ella excited: I think... I'm BUS Bound!

Cut to Anthony's first year of college after Emmitt's rager line lolol:

[th3-0bjectivist]

The Salvation Day Interviews (1 of 2) with musician Anthony Tadlock

     Dear listener, as a special treat and for the edification of music lovers all over Tumblr this is part 1 of 2 of my Salvation Day Interviews with Anthony Tadlock, A.K.A. t-underneaththeradardancing on Tumblr. Mr Tadlock, I recently spent several hours listening to Salvation Day. Thanks for agreeing to answer some questions about your band’s music. 

    When I dive headlong into music that I’m not too familiar with there’s always this sense of discomfort, but when I started with Mercy from your EP, The Backdoor Sessions, I felt distinctly like I was sitting in a new bar and listening to an exceedingly talented local band perform live. I know we’ve discussed this one-on-one before, but for the peeps on Tumblr, what was the actual genesis of SD, and how did you and Ms Vita Rhie Quintanilla meet? What was the spark that brought you two together to record in the first place?

��    to set the stage - so to speak - i had been performing with and jamming and hanging with a young musician - very loose no muss fuss - 3 weeks before meeting vita i had a mild heart attack - mild but the hospital experience was literally a nightmare and nearly killed me - a couple weeks after getting out i was invited over to play/ jam/hang out - wuz expecting at most a couple other ppl to b there - btw to digress - t is very much an introvert - to digress further - t is a stage name but the only name ppl in the music aspect of my life know me by or call me - anywaves - i had just set up my guitar and amp when i could feel a presence coming down the stairs - a young woman - at 1st i guessed 25- ish which would make her the 2nd oldest in the room - she looked at a painting of crows and i said something to her about my love of corvids - i was improvising on guitar - some blues - i think a bass player was playing along and maybe another guitar - she started singing improvising lyrics and we started riffing off each other - her voice blew me away - then she started playing her original songs - omfg ! - anyway - i hoped that we would play together again

     a couple weeks later she walked into Madrone Art Bar where i frequently played open mics -she was with my friend - both joined me on stage and we did what i call "deep space nine " which is what i called any unplanned unrehearsed collaboration onstage - i of course could not remember her name - she handed me a business card lol - she told me she had a weekly gig at a cafe i had performed at and would i like to join her - by this time i knew she was diagnosed w schizoaffective disorder - that she was 17 still in high school and a witch - we started performing together playing her gigs - open mics - on the street ...there is of course more to the story which may be covered as we go on

    I went through every song on Salvation Day’s YouTube page, the instrumentals and the voice go very well together, and I must admit, there is great synergy on display. You two had me mesmerized a few times, particularly with tunes like Para Ti and Reincarnation. Tell me, do the instrumentals come first, or do the lyrics/vocals come first, or somehow both at the same time? What goes into the process before you record?

     virtually all of salvation day songs are mostly vita - the lyrics in particular - some have come out of improvising at gigs - or as vita would say - we are just gonna pull something out of our ass now - some she has already "arranged " before i hear them others she asks me to figure out some chords and key - it should be noted that after graduating high school she moved to davis ca about 100 long miles away with no good way of getting there and back on public transit - required bus ride - a subway ride and finally a train and took 3 hours - neither of us drive though she recently learned - t cant see for shit so - and there was lots of drama in the summer preceding - however we rarely felt the need to rehearse - at early gigs i would ask whats the 1st chord and what key - sometimes the answer was - idk - jimi hendrix chords lol - sometimes they were jazz chords i didnt know - i still play a lot of chords im not quite sure the name of and double stops that suggest a chord - on a good night i play by ear and improvise mostly - when we decided we were gonna make an album - we formalized the arrangements and figured out keys etc ...

     sometimes - like last week when we got together after not playing together in a couple months - tho exchanging some snippets thru email text etc - vita thought of some lyrics on the spot - i started playing some chords - we fucked around w it a bit - made a rough recording on fones and will see if something comes of it - Reincarnation was written just before we met - vita says the songs morphed and become different thru my influence - Para Ti she had come up with a couple months after we started playing together - we were at the friends house - and he had become totally indisposed - we were supposed to start the recording process that day - we waited around to see if he would improve and she started playing it - i came up w the lead guitar lines - btw to digress to q 1 - vita was often in and out of hallucinations and delusions at the time - she has no memory of the 1st time we met and hazy about the beginning period - one last example Mercy - written entirely by vita - tho my guitar was central - she sent me an audio file - it has chords i dont know - i just followed her voice and elaborated - tbh i still dont know what key it is in lol - like jack sparrow eluding capture we just make it up as we go

    Do you have any advice for aspiring musicians out there based on your experiences with SD so far? Have you had any creative blocks or serious problems when generating new music? If so, how do you get through them, and what do you think the most important thing is for a musician to do when they feel discouraged or dejected by their own bad experiences with music making?

     whew - thats a tough one - i have been playing guitar for almost 60 years - been in a number of bands and playing situations - have been discouraged countless times - most recent was the whole experience of recording a studio album with a producer - it was hugely stressful for myriad reasons and ego deflating and not in a good way - we coped w that by recording the Backdoor Sessions ep - the bulk of was recorded in a couple hours in vita's tiny dorm room using garageband - it was done without rehearsal - and we played 2 gigs in january that we were happy with also w no rehearsal - we also released vita's book The Schizophrenic Dialogues - all while covid was rearing its ugly head - no gigs to promote anything - no spoken word opportunities - vita was in terror of infecting me - between age COPD and heart i was a likely candidate to die - so we saw each other rarely

     i had invested a huge amount of $ in the studio album - to cope vita started a collective based on Sacred Arts Productions - a jewelry biz and an art biz - i worked w our web designer / friend / collaborator maggie umber to get our web site up - and started recording daily snippets for instagram and spammed the fuck out of tumblr - vita and i met mostly outdoors - playing mostly acoustic where the chances of infecting me were minimized (she got covid twice during this period ) so i guess my advice is 1) forget the ego and bullshit that goes w doing - anything - but particularly the creative 2) forget about "success" and numbers - sales/listens/hearts...3) just keep on keepin on - that said it aint easy sometimes - i been playing as i said almost 60 years - theres still so much i dont know - i try to learn new things and ways almost daily - just showing up is sometimes a victory

     Listen to Salvation Day on Youtube. Back at the end of the next week with part 2 of my Q&A with Mr Tadlock. If you liked this post, please spread the word about SD and consider reblogging this set of interviews. And if you haven’t done it yet, scroll to the top of this post and smash play!

[seashelbytravel]

Grettings from the future:

Sunday June 9, 2019

Current location: Kho Lak, Thailand

Traveled from: Ranong, Thailand

Travel date: 6/8/19

From Koh Tao, we took a ferry boat back to the mainland. John joked about it being my opportunity to act out the scene from TITANIC. I regret not doing it.

This time we laid out on the upper most deck, on the ground right up front. No one cares in Thailand.

Our first and most loved/memorable experience was in a small beach down that I won’t name because some people don’t want the world to know about their home, and I respect that. I will write the full experience, but we bonded with a pizza shop owner, who taught me the basics of meditation in Thailand.

Being on the ferry was my first opportunity to practice what I learned. It felt so ....nice. Simplicity is best when describing meditation (prayer). You have to do it for yourself and let your experience just be yours.

Mine is almost always divine, if I can just listen to my breath, and not my mind. The mind (mine for sure) is like a wild toddler that will throw a tantrum once you tell it “I’m not going to pay you this attention, you’re screaming at me, but I do love you”.

The divinity that comes with peace of mind (even if it’s a few moments of thoughtlessness) is profound, and I’ve barely scratched the surface I think.

Off the ferry, we hopped on the back of a motor bike and were taken to the mini bus station.

Chumpon (the port city) is a little dicey. It was the first city where John and I encountered being treated like “stupid Americans” P.S I FULLY understand why all other countries think we are stupid. We have our heads so far up you know where, that we aren’t even truly concerned with world events, beliefs, etc. Even those of us who are concerned, like myself, aren’t given the full scope of what’s actually going on. A larger generalization, but unfortunately it’s true.

We took a mini bus to Ranong Thailand. It’s a beautiful little city tucked away in the mountains. John tells me they average 8 months of rainfall. When we pulled in, school was letting out, and man.... all those little kids were so cute, and sweet! There were a ton of food vendors waiting for them, and they all got their respective treats (fruit smoothies, ice pops, coke, you know.). It reminded me of getting out of school and being picked up with gummy life savers by my Mimi.

I miss her very much. Being here without distraction has opened me up to grieving grief I didn’t even know I had pint up. That’s the thing about grief. You can exercise the hell out of it, but it’s always there.

She never wanted me to cry, and I only cried three times when she finally passed this last summer.

Even sitting here now, I’m not crying. Grieving for her is warm and lovely. And a true “Wow, I miss you and your HUGS”. She gave the best ones.

There are blue (and other colored) butterflies all over the place in decoration here.

She loves butterflies and called little girls butterflies.

Anywho, we found a nice hotel and a place to do laundry (Hallelujah!). For real. When we pulled in, I was in day two clothing and reeeked. John’s pants were torn and he was also in multi day clothing. We. Were. Nasty.

Guess what? The couple who helped with our laundry even had A DRYER. We bought some clean clothes so we could wash the dirty. John got me a shirt that said “Sometimes the happy memories make us the saddest”. It was pink, and very fitting for me, and very sweet of him.

We showered, put on the clean clothes, and dropped off the dirty.

I went to journal out front and met a hilarious man from Indonesia. He is traveling by bike with his wife and his brother, across SE Asia. He pretty much convinced me to move to Indonesia without ever going.

John and his family joined at the same time (just about) and the conversation grew.

They love QUEEN so boom: instant bonding moment.

Upon learning that I am an actress and John a musician (both trained) the business ideas started flowing.

It’s funny, in American people scoff at you when you have an art degree. Here? It’s treasured and honorable.

He told me to make a movie for children in Indonesia. Where all the parts are played by kids.

I’ve been joting down ideas since.

We walked down for dinner and, wow is Ranong gorgeous. We ate at this hip little place. There was a sweet waiter working who literally asked his friend if he could take out table. They were so excited to be around Americans.

It’s funny, the same crappy American pop songs play at every “hip” place here.

I want to show them the good stuff.

Our food was delicious but reaaallly spicey for Shelby. Still delicious. But, I needed a soda water and a rest, so I went back to the hotel.

We went to sleep and woke up with the plan to go to the hot springs (Ranong is known for this).

We went to a spa. The sweet receptionist didn’t understand that John was trying to order us both the same thing (a traditional Thai massage, and herbal exfoliation) so, I get ushered into the women’s side, and he the men’s.

Long story short. I didn’t know what the hell I was doing and didn’t monopolize fully on the hot spring aspect of things.

This is a funny story, I’m laughing about this: Then, I ended up getting the herbal exfoliation, which was essentially a glorified rub down of all of my body except for my bottom private area. Did you catch that? My BOTTOM private area was the only spot not rubbed down by this sweet old Thai lady. Needless to say, I have the softest skin, but also, hello! Wasn’t expecting that one. But oh well I honestly didn’t care.

Then I thought “Yes! time for my massage”.

Nope.

I was done and waited in the lobby an additional hour, until I was so confused that I just asked the lady the timeline. She didn’t understand and led me up to a beautiful room where John was receiving the most awesome traditional Thai massage.

Lol.

Mine will come later. Although, I was a little disappointed to not get one there specifically.

He felt really bad, but I didn’t want him to. He had never received a massage before. Ever. What a perfect place for your first pamper experience.

He got me some grilled banana (Hi. I’m a little sick from this, this morning, err a little more than a little, but not enough to keep me in bed). I was chowing down, and John took one bite and made a face and threw them out. I felt weird about them too, but accepted the snack anyway.

Shoulda trusted my gut, because it’s mad at me now.

We ate Thai pizza, talked more about Anthony Bourdain, and hitched a ride the the bus station.

It’s crazy, you really have to watch your bags (even with them on your back) at all times. I now know how to scope out advantage takers.

I didn’t mention this before, but my debit card disappeared in Bangkok. And our hotel never called back when John inquired about it.

Thank God for technology because it ended up being a semi easy fix.

The bus trip was long and rough. Something like 5 hours for 70 miles.

We are here in Khotak. Finally on the coast and it’s pouring. I’m praying for sunshine 🌞 queue “Let the Sun Shine”.

But, like I said, I woke up and got sick in the middle of the night, and a little this morning. Currently drinking tea and eating toast. I’ll take some activated charcoal and I’ll be good.

I encourage you to Google Earth the places we are staying. Im obsessed with Google Earth. It’s one of my hobbies, if that qualifies.

All photos belong to John Philip Sessions.

Photographed: The ferry ride from Koh Tao Island

Love you guys, thanks for tuning in ♾

[blackhorseofcthulhu]

-Get to Know Me-

Find the icons HERE :)

SOOO the point is to make a simself (yup, that sim up there is me) and put your traits, things you like and whatever you wanna share. You don’t have to do it if you don’t want to! After the keep reading thingy are +100 questions I found that you can answer if you want, but you don’t have to (it’s tiring as hell) . . . 1. What is your full name? Christopher 2. What is your nickname? Topher, NEM, Plaisha 3. Birthday? August 9th 4. What is your favorite book series? Xanth book series by Piers Anthony 5. Do you believe in aliens or ghosts? Aliens I need a bit more proof on but Ghosts, yes. 6. Who is your favorite author? H.P. Lovecraft 7. What is your favorite radio station? Creepypasta podcast 8. What is your favorite flavor of anything? Cinnamon 9. What word would you use often to describe something great or wonderful? “killer” 10. What is your current favorite song? “Breathe” by Through Fire 11. What is your favorite word? Monsterful 12. What was the last song you listened to?   “Dirty Diana” by Shamans Harvest 13. What TV show would you recommend for everybody to watch? Chuck 14. What is your favorite movie to watch when you’re feeling down? Anything in the Horror Genre. 15. Do you play video games? Yeah. 16. What is your biggest fear? Silence. 17. What is your best quality, in your opinion? I am a great listener. 18. What is your worst quality, in your opinion? PTSD Episodes 19. Do you like cats or dogs better? Dogs, but I wouldn’t reject a Cat. 20. What is your favorite season? Autumn 21. Are you in a relationship? Yes. 22. What is something you miss from your childhood? My little pony and He-Man XD 23. Who is your best friend? His name is Eric. 24. What is your eye color? They change but sit mostly in the hazel to amber range. 25. What is your hair color? Dark Brown 26. Who is someone you love? My husband 27. Who is someone you trust? Not many, mostly my husband. 28. Who is someone you think about often? My mom. 29. Are you currently excited about/for something? Not really. 30. What is your biggest obsession? Art. 31. What was your favorite TV show as a child? He-Man or Magic School Bus 32. Who of the opposite gender can you tell anything to, if anyone? Sounds funny but my EX. 33. Are you superstitious? No. 34. Do you have any unusual phobias? Sedatephobia, and Trypophobia 35. Do you prefer to be in front of the camera or behind it? Behind it. 36. What is your favorite hobby? Photography, Art, the sims. 37. What was the last book you read? The Watchmaker of Filigree Street 38. What was the last movie you watched? Hold the Dark 39. What musical instruments do you play, if any? Guitar and Keyboard 40. What is your favorite animal? Llama’s and Sloths. 41. What are your top 5 favorite Tumblr blogs that you follow? @scelesticsimsstuff @nolan-sims​ @mysteriousdane​ @slythersim​ @wardenofmyheart​ @grimcookies​ @quirkykyimu​ @gerbits​ theres a lot TBH 42. What superpower do you wish you had? Time Travel 43. When and where do you feel most at peace? At night eating Nachos. LOL 44. What makes you smile? Dirty Jokes or people with my sick sense of humor 45. What sports do you play, if any? I don’t sport. 46. What is your favorite drink? Black Tea 47. When was the last time you wrote a hand-written letter or note to somebody? Early Middle School 48. Are you afraid of heights? To a degree, Yes. 49. What is your biggest pet peeve? Depends on my mood greatly. 50. Have you ever been to a concert? Many. 51. Are you vegan/vegetarian? Used to be. 52. When you were little, what did you want to be when you grew up? An Interior Decorator. 53. What fictional world would you like to live in? Tuck Everlastings 54. What is something you worry about? Life. 55. Are you scared of the dark? Depends on my mood. 56. Do you like to sing? I used to, too much negative feedback. 57. Have you ever skipped school? Yes, a few times. 58. What is your favorite place on the planet? I want off this planet. 59. Where would you like to live? The wilderness 60. Do you have any pets? A chinchilla and two Cockatiels 61. Are you more of an early bird or a night owl? Night Owl 62. Do you like sunrises or sunsets better? Sunsets. 63. Do you know how to drive? Yes. in the USA and Ireland. 64. Do you prefer earbuds or headphones? Earbuds 65. Have you ever had braces? No 66. What is your favorite genre of music? My music taste is quite eclectic, I don’t like Mumble rappers....lol 67. Who is your hero? My Grandfather was. 68. Do you read comic books? Yes, whos asking? 69. What makes you the most angry? The Two I’s, Ignorance and Intolerance. 70. Do you prefer to read on an electronic device or with a real book? eBook if I can, but paperback is Cathartic. 71. What is your favorite subject in school? Science and Economics 72. Do you have any siblings? Sister 73. What was the last thing you bought? sweats and animal treats. 74. How tall are you? 5′8, I am short for my species...lol 75. Can you cook? Learning to 76. What are three things that you love? My Husband, My pets, my nephews and niece. 77. What are three things that you hate? Ignorance, Intolerance, and Injustice 78. Do you have more female friends or more male friends? I have like 3 friends IRL, 1 male 2 female. 79. What is your sexual orientation? Bisexual with a lean towards Men  80. Where do you currently live? Washington State 81. Who was the last person you texted? Kailey 82. When was the last time you cried? When I found out my cousin was going to be a paraplegic for the rest of his life  83. Who is your favorite YouTuber? No idea too many to name 84. Do you like to take selfies? eh not really 85. What is your favorite app? Pinterest 86. What is your relationship with your parent(s) like? Mom has passed but we were really close and my dad has issues so visits are limited. 87. What is your favorite foreign accent? A cross between Scottish and English 88. What is a place that you’ve never been to, but you want to visit? New Zealand 89. What is your favorite number? 11 90. Can you juggle? No lol 91. Are you religious? No, I am an Atheist 92. Do you find outer space of the deep ocean to be more interesting? Terrifying and exciting at the same time. 93. Do you consider yourself to be a daredevil? No 94. Are you allergic to anything? Penicillin 95. Can you curl your tongue? yus 96. Can you wiggle your ears? That would be a no 97. How often do you admit that you were wrong about something? Right, until proven wrong. 98. Do you prefer the forest or the beach? forest 99. What is your favorite piece of advice that anyone has ever given you? “It isn't the falling down in life, its staying down that damns you” 100. Are you a good liar? In person No 101. What is your Hogwarts House? Ravenclaw 102. Do you talk to yourself? Yes 103. Are you an introvert or an extrovert? Omnivert 104. Do you keep a journal/diary? No 105. Do you believe in second chances? Really situationally 106. If you found a wallet full of money on the ground, what would you do? Depends where I was but turn it in somewhere safe 107. Do you believe that people are capable of change? Yes, but it seems to be rare 108. Are you ticklish? somtimes in certain places 109. Have you ever been on a plane? Yes 110. Do you have any piercings? Ears Gauge 00, Right nostril...wanting to get my left nostril done too. 111. What fictional character do you wish was real? Cthulhu -evil grin- 112. Do you have any tattoos? Yes 113. What is the best decision that you’ve made in your life so far? Going back to school 114. Do you believe in karma? No 115. Do you wear glasses or contacts? Contacts 116. Do you want children? Someday 117. Who is the smartest person you know? My husband 118. What is your most embarrassing memory? I can only pick one? 119. Have you ever pulled an all-nighter? yes, more than once 120. What color are most of you clothes? black 121. Do you like adventures? LOVE 122. Have you ever been on TV? Yes, cable tv show, when I was 5 or 6 reading Green Eggs and Ham, with Dr suess 123. How old are you? 31 124. What is your favorite movie quote? “You have no power over me” 125. Do you prefer sweet or savory foods? savory

[canaryatlaw]

Well today was pretty chill. I slept as long as I want being that I didn't have to wake up and do any reading, and I woke up some time around 1:30 I believe after being in and out of sleep for a while. Ate some oatmeal, then got dressed and walked to the grocery store that's conveniently located around the block from me. I hadn't got a chance to go grocery shopping since being back from Christmas break, and of course I was gone for like 3 weeks so I had like no perishable foods left, and I've had no time to make real meals so I've basically been surviving off different sorts of instant meal microwave cups that just add water (oatmeal, easy mac, instant mashed potatoes, rice a roni....you get the drill). So it was definitely time for some actual food, lol, so I bought quite a bit. Since I start work again next week I'll have to be packing at least 5 meals a week (one on Monday, two on Tuesday and Thursday) so I needed options for that, so I got some yogurt and sandwich stuff (I'm super picky because I don't like most sandwich stuff so it has to be just right or I won't want to eat it) along with other basic stuff like blueberries and cheese sticks and a few snacks, so it was pretty productive I'd say. I also got some stuff to make actual meals, like ground turkey and ingredients to make stroganoff with it, and some other stuff for chicken meals since I have a ton of chicken sitting in my freezer. And yeah, it was good. Walked back and dragged it all up the stairs to my apartment and put it away. After that was done I started pretty much immediately on my room which desperately needed to be tended to. I basically just had one giant mountain of clothing on my floor, so I had to sort through that and go by my best guess of what's dirty and what's not, so I filled up my hamper and then another huge bag with dirty clothes, so I'll have to do like 4 loads of laundry over the weekend (thank god I have a ton of quarters). I didn't get it all done, but I got a good amount of the clean clothes put away too, so it's a good start. I did that until 4 or so, and then I started getting ready to go to mock trial practice. I debated different routes because it was kind of cold, but ultimately said fuck it and just did my normal and it really wasn't bad. It's just that there's really no other direct route that doesn't involve buses and changing, and buses are so unreliable and can leave you stranded so easily, and what's the point of taking a different route to not have to walk through the cold if I'm gonna be stuck waiting for a bus for ten minutes in the cold anyway? There is one direct bus that's not too far, but it takes like, over an hour and I really just don't have that patience. So until it's like, 8 degrees or so, I'll probably just do my normal route, even when the windchill is below 20. It was pretty though, because just a little snow had fallen covering everything in white, and a bunch of people still had Christmas decorations up on their adorable houses and I was reminded just how much I love my neighborhood and how thankful I am that I live somewhere where I can walk home alone almost every night and always feel safe (and in Chicago, no less). Kind of cold by the time I made it to the train, but not too bad. Train to the courthouse, taking the underground route over a block again which is quite convenient. Got there and after I was going through security I ran into one of the team members so I chatted with him for a while, he was under the impression I was on the actual team and quit, which he thought was smart haha because he wishes he could get out of it, but I told him they were like oh you can be an alternate and I was just like nah I'm good thanks lol but I'd come for now and observe things. I slipped into the back of the courtroom right as they were about to start their scrimmage run through. Got to see my TA who I haven't seen in a while (refresher: the boy I was hopelessly in love with last year who remains engaged) and then got to watch, again, as another girl got to be his mock trial partner and I'm just like.....that should be me dammit!!! Lol, not my favorite thing to experience, that's for sure. But the trial was pretty interesting. I did have a notebook and jotted down a few pages worth of notes, but I was also reading some of that 49,000 word fan fic I've been working through on train rides. I'm up to the last two chapters that have been posted so far now, and I'm kind of sad because I'm enjoying the story so much. The team was a bit sloppy I have to say, making stupid mistakes but that's what this kind of scrimmage is for of course, so I don't hold it against them. I'll probably get designated as a witness for next week which should be fun. I always love playing witnesses, and I can usually make it quite entertaining. One of them in this case is a drug dealer turned confidential informant named "Krazy 8's" and just watching tonight I was like omg I could have so much fun with this testimony (on cross the defense lawyer is just going through all the times he's been convicted and I could just see myself sitting there like "yeah, that was a good one" and everyone would dissolve into giggles and I'd be quite happy with myself). They got up to closing statements, but then had to stop so they could do notes before having to leave the building at 9 pm. They're apparently having a practice on Saturday, but I'm doing the donate-a-day with my school because my spring break friend runs it and pad co-sponsored it this month which was my idea and my doing haha. We're going to the MLK Jr peace fair, and I have no idea what that means but it should be interesting enough. At 9 they finished up and I headed out, had the route debate with myself again but came to the same fuck it conclusion, even though it was like 25 out at that point with a windchill of like, 13. Oh Chicago, what have you done to me. I descended the stairs to the pedway walk through, and as I passed the subway gates for the blue line (I was going to the red) there was a homeless woman holding a ventra card (train ticket) and she asked if I had $1.75, which would get her one ride. She looked so sad, it just broke my heart. I pulled out my wallet and had literally nothing other than $20's, but it then occurred to me that I had a fair amount of quarters in my other change pocket because I separate them out for laundry and hadn't actually done so since before break. So I happily poured out all the quarters I had, giving her my best smile and saying God bless. I'm pretty sure it was at least $1.75 thankfully. She looked like she was going to cry, and I really just wanted to hug her in that moment (but I didn't because you never know how people feel about physical touch, especially with strangers). It was a simple interaction, one I've had many times since moving to Chicago, but for some reason tonight it really just warmed my heart. It just brought to mind where in Matthew Jesus is telling the parable of the sheep and the goats, and he says some of his most famous words, "whatever you do unto the least of these, you do unto me." Like, just think about the implications of that for a moment. The almighty God of the universe cares for even the least among us, and uses how we treat them as a guide for how we treat Him. It's just such a beautiful picture of the kindness He wishes for all of us to have. It also brought to mind a verse I've posted a few times on Facebook (mostly with articles about refugees) which I can't remember the reference of right now, but it basically said "be kind to strangers, for by this some have entertained Angels without knowing it." Just...wow. The person you passed on the street with a cardboard sign could be an angel, and showing them compassion is equated with the love of God. How could any other reaction be considered okay? How have we as a church come to a place where we justify and make excuses for becoming complacent, for why it's okay to walk down the street and act like the homeless person doesn't exist, because we do it every day, and I have no doubt that God is ashamed by that behavior because it's so antithetical to his very nature. Now, I'm not going to pretend like I'm perfect. I get tired some times or am in a rush and don't want to stop, so I don't, and I really hate when that happens because I know how much it hurts God. It's something I really need to be better about. I've been thinking about buying my friend Anthony who's usually outside my school asking for change a belated Christmas present being that I got him one last year and wanted to do it again. It has to be small so I can carry it around with me, because I never know when I'll see him. I was thinking a watch of some sort, something functional but easy to use with some cool features and doesn't require maintenance. I'll have to check what's available on Amazon. Anyway. I suppose I've said enough on that topic for tonight. It's just one that can get me into rant mode very easily. But okay. I continued to walk to the train, and took it out to my usual stop. I didn't think the walk back wasn't bad despite the temperature, but by the time I got to my apartment my fingers were freezing and I was glad to be inside. And at that point I basically just chilled and watched some daredevil season 2 because I didn't have any current show episodes to watch. And that was pretty much it. Tomorrow should be interesting, I have the dreaded return of larc (legal writing) and 1, then am invited to some sort of party for my summer job friend and another one of her friends at night so that's sure to be entertaining. But as of now, I'm getting pretty tired and would like to go to sleep, so that's what I'll do. Goodnight chicas. Sweet dreams.