#prior to going under a commuter bridge

[odinsblog]

The crew of a massive container ship that crashed into the Francis Scott Key bridge in Baltimore early Tuesday warned of power issues before the collision, which caused the bridge to collapse into the frigid Patapsco River, officials said.

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said the warning from the ship’s crew likely saved lives.

“We’re thankful that between the mayday and the collapse, that we had officials who were able to begin to stop the flow of traffic so more cars were not on the bridge,” Moore said. He called those officials heroes.

Moore noted that the bridge was up to code at the time of the collapse. He said the collapse was a “shocking and heartbreaking” event for the people of Maryland who have used the bridge for 47 years.

(continue reading)

[apocalypticgargoyle]

meet clay, he knows how you'll die.

intro filler chapter sorry

☾ pairing: dream x reader

☾ cw: interact at your own risk; contains graphic depictions of various character death and violence, suicide, blood, gore, and other triggering material. angst, language, guns, adult content, mentions of sex, slow burn friends to lovers

☾ wc: ~4100

Clay pulled the strap of his backpack further on his shoulder as he wove through the mindless sea of college students, eyes scanning the crowd for you, his best friend and the only person he could stand at the early hour. His knuckles flashed white as he sighed, taking the blunt impact of someone walking into him. He removed one of his headphones, mumbling a quick apology and swatting off the enthusiastically apologetic sophomore girl. All he could focus on was how much she bit her lip as she stammered on about not seeing him. It wasn’t alluring to him when most girls tried to sway his affections by looking at him with a puppy dog expression; all his mind drifted to was the dead skin across the body of her lower lip.

He finally nodded and reinstated his headphone, turning on his heel and heading for the front of the building. He received a few greetings from his peers as they crossed his path, people who shared past lectures with him and who had cheated off of him during exams. He wasn’t popular by any means, but he stayed out of people’s business and didn’t express his opinions loudly, so people tended to like him. The autumn breeze picked up as he stood in the dwellings of political science majors on the front lawn, acting as if they hadn’t seen one another in years when it had been only a few days. Clay absent-mindedly looked down at his cellphone, flipping through music as he leaned against the cool brick of the hall’s facade, waiting for you to find him.

Clay’s usual brooding manner was often off-putting to outsiders, with the careless-hollow look in his eyes giving bystanders the impression that he was nothing but a machiavellian. But you always saw the brightness in him; the side that you always experienced was specifically for you, and he made sure to keep it that way. You had wedged herself into his life and he was ever grateful for the love you had given him.

Despite the understood truth between the two of you that nothing was to be left unsaid, Clay still found himself keeping one of the most important aspects of his character unknown to you. His bloodcurdling secret was his own curse, something that would only be poison for another soul to know.

“What’s up, stud?” Somehow a flush of relief rippled through Clay’s body as his eyes locked to yours, pulling him from his isolated shell. Your hair looked brighter today against the dark hoodie peeking out from beneath an all too familiar bomber jacket. The wind fluffed your locks slightly as you continued towards him.

His eyebrows perked up as if to signal he was attempting to downplay his excited demeanor. “Stud, huh?” You smirked at his response, taking one of his headphones and putting it in your own ear, her face angled up to Clay as you waited to recognize the song, swaying slightly.

He chuckled as you shrunk away from him after muttering the song’s artist disappointedly and rolling your eyes, pulling on his hoodie pocket to follow you. As chaotic as his life often felt, he could always rely on the consistency of you. You usually attached yourself to one of his backpack straps, handles, his belt loop, or ended up under his arm, wedged against his side. It had gotten to the point that he felt naked if you weren’t within arm’s length of him, which was rare for the two of you. “So, I have something for you.” He smugly looked down at you, green eyes masking a hidden sparkle as you handed him a can of root beer, making him chuckle.

“Aren’t you sweet?” He popped the tab, taking a sip as you waved at a group of girls passing the two of you before slipping your hand against the crook of his elbow where his hoodie sleeves were pushed back.

“Actually, I was hoping it could be payment for later. I need to head over to the cemetery for some rubbings. History 270 has me getting into some weird shit, huh?” He laughed again at you, offering you the drink.

“And you need wheels?” You nodded and smiled politely at him, beaming at his words. “Yeah, alright. I have to sketch something for art anyway.” He thought about the week’s assignment and then about your little project he had dealt with the prior year. You had acted like the two of you hadn’t been to the cemetery on a regular basis, but he was grateful that you wanted him to come along with you.

You quietly jumped once. “You are my hero in faded denim, Clay. You know that, right?”

The two of you parted ways to your select destinations, one of Clay’s least favorite parts of the day, which was only solidified as he sunk into his seat and attempted to look equipped for the lecture. He spotted an unfamiliar kid shaking his knee in a distant section of the classroom. In any other circumstance, he wouldn’t have thought twice, but the sie of the class had given him the pleasantries of getting his own personal curse out of the way on the first day.

He carefully watched the boy speak smugly to a few of the more athletic kids in the room. One of the athletes pointed to the general direction Clay was sitting in and they all moved towards him. He, yet again, took out his headphones, knowing full well that they would be talking to him for the rest of the class.

“Oi, Shaman,” one of the main guys greeted Clay like they always did: a strange pattern of slapping and shaking his hand. He was thankful he had gotten all of their first impressions months prior and didn’t have to worry about getting their scenarios again, but he geared up to meet the new kid.

“How are you, Punz?” Clay took a deep breath as the new kid was gestured to and brought into the light.

“This is Mark. He’s a transfer from one of the commuter campuses. Mark, this is the mastermind you pay for notes.”

Clay sarcastically smiled at Punz. “My, you flatter me more than any girl. Nice to meet you, man.” As soon as he touched Mark’s hand, Clay’s mind flashed to a dingy-looking barn out in the middle of nowhere before an older man in his mid-thirties came into view with a lever-action rifle in his hand. In another flash, Clay was in front of the man, now kneeling with the gun in his mouth, red, blurry eyes looking straight through Clay. A pang of guilt broke open in Clay’s stomach as he pushed against the handguard lever and pulled it back into place, squeezing the trigger and sending Ckay back to the class. He let out a sigh and fought to plaster one of his less absent smiles.

“Speaking of our lovely girls, Mark here has a question about her.” Clay’s head tilted towards Mark, not exactly squaring up to him, but sending him an amused look as if to warn him not to cross a line, knowing full-well this conversation would somehow involve you. “We all know that no guy would ever intrude on her without your blessing, but Mark sat near her on the bus before his first class and was thinking about asking her out.”

Clay bit back a laugh, feeling like the Vito Corleone. “Well, you know her, Punz, and you know she would be mortified if I told some guy to fuck off, so I would just ask her yourself?” Oh, how desperately Clay wanted to bash Mark for not even telling Clay himself and the fact that the boy before him was nowhere near your type, but Clay knew better than to burn bridges and he felt bad for the way Mark would meet his end.

Nobody, not even you, knew about Clay’s gift. In the going-on-five years of knowing you, he came breaths away from letting his secret slip but has always kept it hidden, hoping to bury it with him after being married to you for forty happy years.

The visions started around his fifth-grade year, beginning with vivid dreams of dying in the midst of the Civil War, feeling the warm gushing of blood leaving his system, and the stabbing pain of being shot multiple times beside a woman who oddly looked enough like you that he almost called out your name. He had lived what he presumed to be his death in the life before this one several times, each vision taking him a few clicks further.

Soon, he found himself catching glimpses of others’ deaths before they happened as soon as they touched him, but thankfully it was usually over with no time passing and he only endured the visions once for each person, fate having already sealed itself. The only person who seemed to mix him up was you.

It was love at first sight for him, but as soon as you touched his arm, bleak snapshots of a boating accident raced into his mind, only to have to re-experience the scenario a few months later with you stepping in front of a train. Even as a measly high school freshman, he promised himself that there was no way he was letting you die in the gruesome manners being predicted to you. He didn’t think changing fate was possible until he witnessed you in action. He hated seeing you so young in each of the glimpses, tearing him to shreds as he knew time and time again that there was no way he could change what was meant to be.

There were even times when he quietly promised you that he’d die by your side if he couldn’t stop it.

As his lecture let out, Clay found you tucked into a corner of the library, smiling to yourself silently as knew you had finally found what you were looking for in one of the massive books before you. There were many moments like this that Clay wished he could pause and remember for the rest of his life. He was proud that you were there for him even though you could have left instead of playing your own little game of library scavenger hunts.

Since knowing you, he had taken note of how you treated other boys, usually as first dates and never true pick-ups. You didn’t care if they called you the next day or not and he was sure you had never even been kissed before. Something about your guys’ relationship gave others the nod to leave it the fuck alone, and that your heart truly belonged to Clay; a responsibility he wished didn’t plague you with. Despite this, he couldn’t bring himself to be with you, only worried that what you had would be destroyed because he knew that as soon as he told you about his gift, you might leave.

You always brought a bag of marbles and a bouquet of flowers to the cemetery. You loved to find the tombstones that looked neglected or ones with older dates, knowing that the possibility of having family members who remembered the person was lower. The trees in the graveyard were reds and yellows with the changing season, leaves scattered over the grass, naturally piling in large masses. This was your favorite for how neglected it seemed to always be. You had a knack for making inanimate objects and lost souls feel loved; Clay often feeling like he was one of these disembodied figures.

Clay leaned his back against one of the massive trees a few paces from the tombstone you had picked, smiling as he watched you carry out her routine. He flipped to a clean page in his sketchbook as you sat cross-legged in front of the great stone resting place, pulling the long-dead flowers from the concrete gauntlet and replenishing a few flowers in their place while setting an equal number of marbles along the grass line of the stone. A daisy was tucked behind your ear as you ran her fingers against the worn chiseling of the dates, smiling slightly. He began to sketch you out. Your eyes drifted to him before the corners of your mouth curled up into a smirk and you returned to her previous position, straightening your shoulders. “Who is it?” He asked, blending a rough edge with the pads of his finger as you tilted your head at the script carvings.

“George McAfee. Born 1926. Died 1963.” The wind picked up, blowing your hair away from your face as you pulled your jacket closer around you. “What was happening in 1963?” You turned your head to him momentarily before looking back at the lucky man. “I mean besides Beatlemania and JFK’s assassination?”

Clay outstretched one of his legs, swallowing as he thought, his eyes fluttering from the page in front of him to you. “Well, Alcatraz was shut down, Studebaker stopped production, the USSR sent the first woman into space…” he trailed off, watching you as the gears began to spin in your head.

“Do you think he died in the Coliseum explosion?” You wet your lips and he couldn’t help but smile at you.

“Maybe he died in the USS Thresher sinking?” He was thankful that he could capture your thoughtful gaze in this picture.

“You’re smart, Dream. Have I ever told you that?” He chuckled at the sigh in your voice. He detailed the bomber jacket you were wearing---which you’d stolen from his closet god knows when---a bit as you placed a piece of paper over the engraving and rubbed a crayon against the stone, his name coming to life on the paper as you came to life on Clay’s. It didn’t matter why you two would be in the cemetery, you always had a type of bond with the dead, surprising Clay due to how bright you were and your power of holding onto so much compassion. He threw his sketchbook into his backpack and slug in over his shoulder, moving to help you up. You decided to give the rest of the flowers to George as Clay stood next to you, gazing down at his grave.

A high-pitched moan startled the two of you, snapping your heads to look over the hedges separating your section of graves and the one beside it. Clay’s eyes widened as they fell to a girl in all black with porcelain skin propped on top of one of the tombstones. You clasped your hand over his mouth pulling him onto the ground next to you as you peered through a hole in the bushes. His mind noticed your arms first. One of them was secured over his chest and the other wrapped around his shoulder from beneath his arm, holding onto him as he steadied himself in the weird crouching position. “Are you enjoying this?” He jeered, looking over his shoulder slightly as he heard you snicker. The girl began to ride the stone harder.

“How many times in your life are you going to see a girl humping a gravestone? Honestly, Clay, how many?” He shook his head as you both looked at the girl, giggling to yourselves. You dug her face into his shoulder trying to stifle the next laugh trying to rip through your body as the gothic girl moaned, letting out more labored breaths. Clay’s face contorted into a twisted look of disgust as the girl tugged on her own hair. “Oh, do you think that hurts?” You took the words out of his mouth, tightening your arms around him as he shrugged.

“I doubt it’s any rockier than sex with a human.” He bit his lip, a hollow sound interrupting him quietly laughing at his own joke as you thumped him in the chest. The girl moaned louder. “Alright, she’s climaxing. I’m uncomfortable now.” Clay stood and Willow popped up next to him, lacing your fingers with his, bringing color back to his cheeks as you slipped the remaining marbles into his pocket.

“Oh, hi!” In the midst of holding hands with you again and trying to slink back to his car, he hadn’t even realized that the moaning had stopped. The girl now stood near the two of you in what seemed to be a black slip. Clay found it hard to make direct eye contact with her. “Are you guys looking for someone?”

“We were, but we couldn’t find him so-” you began, gesturing for Clay’s car and pulling him next to you.

“Well, I can help. Who are you looking for?” A thousand sarcastically vulgar comments ran through Clay’shead but his eyes flickered from her face to the tombstone she was on previously.

“Uh, my grandpa. His name was Rupert Daniels,” Clay managed to choke out. Your nails dug into his arm while your hand squeezed his. The girl looked around at the surrounding stones.

“I don’t see him right now, but I can look?” You both shook your heads quickly and muttered various responses before finally slipping away from her and getting into his car. Neither of you said anything as you pulled off the gravel driveway until crossing the railroad tracks when Clay burst out laughing.

“Do you think she even knew who it was she was gettin’ it on with or did she just pick somewhere random?” Clay laughed harder at your stunned response. “I’m serious. Clay, what the fuck. How can someone even get off in a cemetery?”

“I don’t know, man. Would you hook up with someone in a cemetery?” Clay quipped, wiggling his eyebrows at you, causing you to laugh. You dug into his console, pulling out a bag of M&Ms you had stashed in there last week, popping one in your mouth.

“Only if it was you.”

He giggled. “Excuse me, what?”

“There are just some things you do with certain people, Dream. You know what I mean.”

“I don’t know if I should be flattered I’m the only one you would have sex with in a cemetery, or like, disgusted?” You laughed at his reaction.

Within ten minutes the sun had begun to set and Clay sang loudly with you to the song playing over the radio as Clay sped along one of the county roads near your apartment complex, not wanting the night to end. He loved these moments with you. You turned down the radio and threw your hair back into a ponytail. “So, what do you think of that new kid, Mark?” Something in Clay shifted, taking away the free feeling he had recently possessed next to you. He thought carefully.

He chewed his bottom lip. “Depends on what you think?”

“Well, he seems like a wannabe Punz. And he asked me out. Naturally, I said ‘yes’ because maybe he’s different?” Clay chuckled at your sarcasm, putting his car in park on the side of the street your flat was on and getting out with you. The radio still hummed in the air lowly. “He insisted on Friday, though.” Clay dramatically acted like you had stabbed him in the heart, even though it did hurt. Friday night was their night. It had been a running tradition for movie night every Friday since your freshman year and you had never canceled on Clay for a date. “I know, I know. But I figured that I’d tell him I had diarrhea when it hit eight o’clock and be over at your place with an extra pizza? Your roommate’s working right?” He chuckled with a nod, walking you up the first three steps to your place as you made it to the concrete landing. You turned to him. “And he said he was taking me somewhere fancy, so I’ll snag you some breadsticks.” He tilted his head at you as you winked at him.

“Nah, don’t worry about it. Wanna be Punz might be fun. Maybe I’ll call up Minx and hang out with her?” He joked. Minx was a friend of yours that hung out with the two of you sometimes. He had never really liked her, but she was friends with you and thus he was always civil.

“You’re still my number one, babe.” You pushed him slightly as you climbed a few more steps, leaning on the railing as he waved to leave. “Hey, Dream?” He turned on his heel as you forced yourself to make eye contact. He stuffed his hands in his jeans pockets. “You could kiss me, you know? For science.” You smiled softly at him from where you were perched. He wet his lips as his heart hammered in his chest. He wanted to scale the steps and close the space between you, to knock you off your feet and show you just how much he was in love with you.

He hated himself. “A first kiss should have more magic in it than just for science. As a romantic, you should know first hand.” You smiled at the ground in front of you.

“Yeah, I guess you’re right.” The two of you seemed to shake off the serious moment as you stuck your tongue out at him and slipped inside your house as both giggled.

“I love you,” he murmured as you left, punching himself in the shoulder as he got back into his car.

Clay’s heartbeat pulsed in his ears, making him truly believe he was going to pass out. He had lost his gun at least a mile back. He was running mindlessly now, not knowing how long or where he was going. He trudged through the forest, hearing dogs barking and gunshots erupting around him, the ringing in his ears building with every step he forced himself to make. He wanted to rip open the front of his jacket to release the body heat drenching his collar, but he didn’t move other than propelling his body further and further away from the soldiers. You ran beside him, holding your skirt up while your hair danced around your shoulders like a great waterfall. As soon as his body felt like it might just give out, he would look at you and somehow find more of a drive to pull forward. His breaths were brittle and hoarse as he drew in borrowed oxygen. His lungs felt shallow like they were giving out on him.

You reached back, grasping his hand and pulling him into a sharp corner, hoping to lose the group. You both had managed to weave into the forest, but the dogs were somehow still picking up on your scent. The pair of you finally came upon a clearing and kneeled down out of sight, spotting a house in the middle of a glen. Bullets were streaming through the air. The forest was catching fire and cannons were echoing through the distant air. You squeezed his hand tightly, looking at him with terror in your eyes. He had gotten the two of you into this mess, but he was glad he was beside you.

He pulled you to your feet as the pair of you sprinted for a distant house. A sharp pain stabbed into Clay’s back, making him drop to the ground. How did he not hear the gun? You dropped to your feet, your eyes welling with tears, ripping at his jacket, but he pushed you off, telling you to leave quickly. He leaned forward, eyes locking on the soldiers in gray coming towards them, reloading their rifles. He groaned, pushing himself up, but only having the same stabbing sensation two more times in his chest. He heard you scream, but he couldn’t see you.

His hands were going numb as he touched where the bullets entered, feeling the warm and sticky crimson substance seep between his fingers. The soldiers reached you before you had made it to the house, pulling you to the ground next to him. You were crying heavily as you looked at him. Everything began to run quiet as you held onto him tightly. You were saying something to him, but he couldn’t hear you. He was only aware of his jacket soaking with blood. He coughed, wanting to tell you he loved you one last time, but you were tugged away from him, pressed to one of the men in gray. He raised a hand to you as you fought against the man. And then everything went dark.

Dream Tag List: (hopefully this works)

@karlkitten @pluto-dizzz @more-like-reyna @honk-izzie-was-taken @marrymetheonott @froggyy06 @ghoulandghost @savingpluto @marshmallow-babe @drunkpumpkincake @unstableye @tinyegg @behzzyboo @twist3dtinkerbell @sparkletash @shroomieissmall @clubfairy @camerondiaz48104 @victory-is-here @rat-poisin @alm334 @acidluvs @pachowpachowbucket @bbigbbrainn @cdizzlevalntyne @idiotinnit @generallysleepdeprived @sacvf @phsychopathetic @froggerrrr @robinslie @essencee @jemalovesmarvel @sbi-is-my-onlysanity @jenlouvre @victoria-a567 @miilliiie @bunnylotl @thegirlwhowritesawksh-t @carlyferrell @dumb-chaotic-bi-energy @nyxieahh @quivvyintheclouds @sarcasticmichelle @book-of-anarchy @millavalntyne @lightdreamy @baddiesforcorpse @sunnynapp @fantasy-innit @rat-poisin @wreny24 @deepestofwaters @exenestea @indecisivehusky @fallxnly @alm334 @skaratjung @punzcanrailme @sap-naps @denki-exe @angeltears18 @silvemistxe33 @andreamalik6 @kris-stuff @sun-fiower-seed @where-thesundoesntshine @dilfdream @esmegregory04 @itsparasocial @mlqcool @mcgoddess404 @rinatdawn @chaoscait @peppermintkisses @libbynotfound @speedrunningtherapy @lunxramour @aoonai @loraleiix @ghoulpixiie

[route22ny]

Meet the New Yorkers Who Say They’ve Given Up on the Subways

by Jose Martinez, March 1, 2021

Florin Petrisor swapped the No. 7 train for an electric scooter and never looked back.

Claire McLeveighn started walking to work and hasn’t been on the subway since last March.

Isaac Himmelman began the pandemic without a bike or a car but now he’s “the proud owner of both.”

They are among the millions of New Yorkers who once rode the subway daily, but who, one year into the pandemic, have found other ways to get around — while largely staying away from the transit system.

“It’s the freedom of riding the scooter wherever I want, at any time and it’s much more reliable,” said Petrisor, 40, a dog walker who commutes between Queens and Manhattan on an electric scooter he bought last March for $1,200. “This is how I look at it: I used to buy the unlimited MetroCard every month, but with this scooter, I have gotten my money’s worth and then some in 10 months.”

MTA data shows subway ridership stayed north of five million on weekdays throughout the first week of March 2020 as COVID-19 began to climb. As late as March 6 — five days after the first confirmed coronavirus case in the city emerged — there were 5.2 million daily trips.

But it marked a fleeting ridership peak that, within weeks, would crumble by more than 90% as the pandemic took hold and the subway system turned into what one commuter described last April as “an underground ghost town.”

While ridership has rebounded to nearly 1.8 million trips a day — or about 30% of what it was prior to the pandemic — the MTA is still trying to win back straphangers who have continued to stay away from the subway in large numbers.

The collapse in ridership has also forced the transit agency to repeatedly seek billions of dollars in emergency federal aid as officials call for more police amid a disturbing spate of crimes in a less-trafficked system.

Business leaders say the return of safe and efficient subways is crucial to the city’s economic recovery, and hailed the recent restoration of overnight service to all but two hours daily as a good sign.

Meanwhile, some transportation advocates say there’s a bigger opportunity to transform how New Yorkers get around: On Monday, Transportation Alternatives released a report calling for 25% of city car space to be dedicated to use by people by 2025.

‘Everything Changed’

Asked how the subway can regain riders, MTA officials pointed to cleaning and disinfecting efforts in the subway, along with mask-wearing requirements.

“We are pleased that millions of New Yorkers are once again relying on public transportation on a daily basis,” said Sarah Feinberg, interim president of New York City Transit. “Our commitment to providing a safe and dependable way for customers to get where they need to go remains steadfast.”

But the MTA must contend with riders reluctant to return not only because of safety concerns, but who have moved on to other ways of getting around.

“It was my sole method of transportation before, but once the pandemic started, everything changed,” said Meghan Addison, 31, who used to get to work by subway from Brooklyn to Manhattan. “I just don’t foresee myself using transit unless it’s in the winter or for longer distances.”

Addison, who is now working remotely for her job at a tech company, travels almost entirely by bicycle and said that’s unlikely to change even after COVID-19 is under control.

“There are just so many things you can’t prepare for or predict in New York,” she said. “There is something really liberating about not having to rely on a subway.”

McLeveighn, who previously commuted on the No. 4 train from The Bronx to Lower Manhattan, now treks more than a mile from her home in Kingsbridge to an office in Morris Park on days when she isn’t working remotely.

“It’s a good [long] walk,” she said. “But after having been in a lockdown, it’s kind of enjoyable to walk to the office.”

‘People Aren’t Rushing Back’

Edgardo Rivera, 42, has relied on his yearly Citi Bike membership to commute from Bushwick to his job in DUMBO, Brooklyn, saying the 25-minute ride is “for my health” and tops what would be a 45-minute trip by subway.

“We’re a city of commuters and people aren’t rushing back,” he said. “There is a big mental hurdle and you’re talking to a native New Yorker who’s not afraid of the train system, like someone from out of town might be.”

The number of bicycle trips across East River bridges has gone up, according to city Department of Transportation data, along with usage of Citi Bike, the bike-sharing network.

More New Yorkers are buying automobiles, too, as THE CITY reported last summer. In four of the boroughs, the number of vehicle registrations increased by nearly 40 percent between August and October.

Beatrice Lors-Rousseau, 33, of Windsor Terrace, Brooklyn, said she has not been on the subway since going on maternity leave in December 2019, choosing instead to travel by car.

“We’re thinking about our exposure to others,” said Lors-Rousseau, 33, whose parents live with her family.

Rivera said elected officials, the MTA and employers need to “be on the same page” about encouraging people to eventually return to the subway.

“They’ve got to do something about saving mass transit,” he said. “New York is a city that relies on mass transit whether there is a pandemic or not.”

***

Photo: A commuter rides an empty 6 train in Manhattan, July 1, 2020 (photo by Ben Fractenberg)

https://www.thecity.nyc/transportation/2021/3/1/22308401/new-yorkers-stop-riding-subways-pandemic

[the-blind-assassin-12]

The Jilted Tourist - 1

A/N: Hi friends! Just sneaking in here at an ungodly hour to drop off this first part of the first one of the title game winners! This one kicks off a three part prequel to everything that has happened for Benjamin and the It’s Beginning to Look A Lot Like... and Too Good To Be True Reader, and it takes a look at what is essentially the beginning of the end for Benj and Julia. Benjamin’s just gotten some bad news and decides to get a drink to take the edge off. But his plans change when he bumps into someone who’s had an equally bad day, and one drink turns into a few more. 

Word Count: 4,187 

Warnings: drinking, swearing, pub stuff. 

Benjamin silenced his phone and sighed as its weight slid down into the bottom of his coat pocket. I know I shouldn’t be surprised… He used that hand to remove the glasses from the top of his head. Pinching one arm between his thumb and forefinger, he swung them down to comb the rest of his fingers through his hair. I guess… With a shove, he returned his glasses to his face, pushing them up the bridge of his nose as it wrinkled with a sniff. I guess I’m not. 

Heading towards the staircase, he tossed the small bouquet he was holding into a trash bin. Stupid. Though the weekend had been planned as a celebration of Benjamin finishing his first year of graduate school, he’d wanted to give her something as a way to thank her for her support, to show her that he cared, that he he was always thinking of her, even when his nose was in a book or he spent an entire evening writing a paper. As a way to show you that you were wrong. Recently, Julia had told him that he only ever gave her flowers when he was apologizing for something. But I’m sure this will turn into something I’ll have to apologize for. Maybe this time I’ll skip the flowers. 

He winced as he reached for the handrail and started climbing the stairs, immediately feeling guilty for being spiteful. That’s not helpful. If he was being honest with himself, he wasn’t sure that flowers, no matter what the occasion, were helpful either. Though the last few weeks had been good ones, he and Julia spending a decent amount of time together on days when he didn’t have classes or study sessions, it gnawed at Benjamin that he had to mark time between arguments in such short increments. Maybe she feels like I only bring her flowers when she’s upset with me but… He reached the top of the staircase and suddenly the idea of going back to an empty hotel room felt like the last thing he wanted to do. Maybe it’s because she’s always upset with me.

A loud, raucous cheer went up then as he followed the foot traffic at the top of the stairs, passing a crowded sports bar packed with patrons wearing kits and scarves supporting Brentford. The team had been making a run at the Premier League, and suddenly everyone had been swept up in their underdog story, following along and becoming inadvertent fans. Not where I want to be right now. He continued on, passing small shops and cafes until he found another pub, this one much quieter and less crowded. There, that looks more my speed, just want to get a pint and-  

Out of the corner of his eye he saw a couple reuniting on the platform below, arms flying around one another. They look happy. He felt a half-hearted smile lift one cheek, but it fell as he found himself thinking that the likelihood of Julia greeting him with that much enthusiasm when she arrived in London tomorrow was slim. If she arrives tomorrow. He shook his head and turned away from the platform and back to the smaller, less populated bar. I need to get that pint. 

Stepping out of the bright light of Waterloo’s main terminal and through the arched doorway of the small, dimly lit pub, he blinked a few times to adjust to the lighting. It’s just one night that she’ll miss, we have the room all weekend. I shouldn’t let it… With another hefty sigh,  he unbuttoned his coat. He didn’t want to be upset that his wife had stood him up on the first night of their getaway. He wanted to believe that there was still some way to salvage the trip. She knows how important working towards this degree is to me, maybe tomorrow she’ll… But he was tired of breathing life into his hopes only to have them slashed and soured. We’ll see about tomorrow tomorrow. Glancing at the few people gathered around the bar rail, he chose to avoid the cluster of chatty looking middle aged men, instead finding a spot near a young woman sitting alone with her phone in one hand, the other wrapped around a nearly empty pint glass. She seemed the lesser of the two evils, and since Julia wasn’t there to create her own version of why he chose to sit where he did, he pulled out a stool that was two down from where she sat. 

The bartender shuffled over and raised an eyebrow, reaching for a mug from the shelf below the bar counter. “The Tyne Bank, please.” Benjamin indicated the tap handle of the beer he ordered as he sank into his chair. “Thanks mate,” he sighed as the drink appeared in front of him, pulling out his wallet to hand over his card. “Open a tab, would you?” Wordlessly, the balding, apathetic man took it and nodded, already turning away in the direction of the post he’d been leaning on prior to pouring Benjamin’s drink. Don’t know how long I’ll stay but… He pushed two fingers up under the left lens of his glasses, pressing them into his closed eyelid before rubbing them down and out from underneath. Damn it, Julia, this was-   

“Opening a tab at a commuter bar, huh?” He looked immediately in the direction of the woman two stools down, her slightly slurred accent hitting his ear. American. Her eyes were glued to the rim of her glass, watching her own pointer finger trace around the edge to create a high-pitched squeaking sound. “You must be having a day.” You could say that. She looked up, pulling her fingers from the glass so that she could wrap them around it to drain the contents. She was younger than he first thought, no more than 24 or 25 if he had to guess. She’s Leo’s age. 

He noticed that her eyes looked red and puffy when she swung them over to him, and not just from the alcohol. She’s been crying. He picked up his glass and nodded. “Suppose I have been.” Bringing his glass the rest of the way to his lips, he took a sip and let the coppery colored ale coat his tongue before swallowing it down. 

“Well then, you sir, have chosen the right seat because this end of the bar-” she flipped her hair over her shoulder in a dramatic fashion, like a matador might flourish their cape, and used the same finger she’d been tracing around her glass to point down at the wooden bartop. “Is for tying one on.” Lifting her hand from where she’d just pointed, she waved the bartender down to order another drink, the man huffing audibly at the fact that he had to move again. 

Benjamin set his glass down and cocked his head to the side as the bartender grumbled under his breath, something along the lines of ‘she couldn’tve ordered when this bloke did, of course she couldn’t.’ The young woman either didn’t hear him, or didn’t care, and Benjamin had a sneaking suspicion that it was the latter. Once he’d slid the woman her beverage, the bartender looked pointedly at Benjamin, even though he’d only taken one sip that hardly even cracked the foam. “I’m fine,” he assured the man, who was only getting less hospitable by the moment, before turning to face her. “Not trying to get too tanked up here, just,” he sighed as she picked up her glass, pausing before bringing it to her lips. Just what? What are you doing, Benjamin? And why are you talking to a stranger about it? He shook his head. “Just wanted to take the edge off.” 

“Well, that makes one of us.” She held her glass out and it took Benjamin a few seconds to realize that she was waiting for him to clink his against it. He blinked a few times before picking up his pint glass and tapping it to hers. “To me getting tanked up, and to you...well, not.” She blew out a breath in a sarcastic laugh, shaking her head.  

That was a terrible toast. His mind flashed back to the one he’d delivered at his and Julia’s wedding- how hard he’d worked on it, how he’d practiced in the mirror for days before rehearsing it the morning off, how he felt invincibly bolstered by the love that he had for the woman he was pouring his heart out to. Good toasts don’t guarantee anything though. 

“Cheers,” he responded as she took a large swig, her left hand combing her hair back out of her face as she drank. A falsely hearty sounding round of laughter rose from the opposite end of the long, straight rail, and even though it didn’t seem as though he would be granted the quiet drink he wanted, he was glad he had stayed away from whatever that was. “So,” he set his glass back down as he cleared his throat. “You had a-” 

Her phone started vibrating on the bartop next to her glass, and Benjamin couldn’t help but notice the contact photo when the screen lit up. “Shit.” She picked it up and fumbled with the buttons on the side, her fingers not completely in compliance with the task at hand. “Fuck you, Eddie,” she mumbled as it buzzed again in her palm before she slid the bar across the bottom of the screen to shut it down. 

Benjamin returned his eyes to his drink, trying to pretend that he hadn’t just seen a photo of the woman next to him laying a fat kiss to a smiling young man’s cheek and the name Edmund accompanied by a string of heart shaped emojis flash on her phone before she struggled to turn it off. I’ve got enough on my own plate to figure out, I should just finish this drink and head back to the ho-

“Damn it, sorry that was…” She reached behind her for the purse that was hanging on the back of her stool, grabbing the strap to pull it into her lap before jamming her phone into it. “Just my-” 

Benjamin leaned over the empty seat next to him. “It’s fine, you don’t have to-” 

She let go of her purse and slid from her stool onto the one next to it, leaving only one between them now. Oh, no, that’s… Benjamin straightened back up and seized his glass, but she didn’t come any closer, only reaching for her own glass to scoot it over in front of her new position. “No, I meant to turn the damn thing off anyway because I do not want to hear from him tonight...or…” she groaned into her pint. “Ever.” The last word echoed against the glass before she cut herself off by filling her mouth with liquid. 

So I guess I’m not the only one having trouble in paradise tonight. He frowned, looking down at his left hand and the wedding band he’d been so eager to earn. I love her, I know I do, but she… He closed his eyes and took a drink, swallowing slowly. Does she? Benjamin curled his hand into a fist, until his knuckles blocked his ring from view. Stop. Don’t...not here. He flattened his palm back, eyes still on the gold band around his third finger. Not now. 

“Oh, hey, you don’t have to worry about-” Huh? The woman laughed under her breath as she angled herself away from him. He looked up to see her motioning towards his flattened hand. “I saw you looking at your ring. You’re married.” She used one hand like a blade to cut a straight horizontal line through the air. “I get it, and anyway I’m not…” Her head shook from side to side, face tilting downwards as she picked up her glass again. She wasn’t kidding about...what did she say? Tying one on? “I’m not trying to flirt with you or anything I just-” Another little snort of laughter interrupted her sentence and she used the pause to take a drink. “Literally, just, broke up with one of you English assholes and I’m-” Benjamin raised one eyebrow, adjusting his glasses with a shove to the rim. “Shit, I don’t mean you’re an...ugh.” 

The laugh was out of his mouth before he had time to question where it came from. It was small, not enough to lift him out of what he was feeling, but it wasn’t forced. “You never know, I might be one.” She picked her head up and gave him a gracious smile. “And anyway, on behalf of all of us,” he gestured around the bar with his glass. “I’m sorry that things didn’t work out with your boyfriend.” 

Sighing, she let her shoulders drop as she sunk back into her stool. “Yeah, thanks.” Tilting her glass around, she swirled the half-empty contents, watching the foam cling to the sides and then run down them. “I’m sorry you’re having a shit day too.” 

“Yeah,” Benjamin looked down his nose into his glass. It didn’t start out terribly, it was actually… He blinked and downed the rest of his glass. “Thanks.” I should go. 

“I’m Jocelyn, by the way. Joss, really.” She spread her fingers to push her hair back before twisting to retrieve her purse again. Digging through, she pulled out a business card and handed it over. “Figure I should introduce myself, if we’re going to sit here drinking our woes away together.” 

Looking down at the square shaped card he read the purple print. Jocelyn Hall, Copyeditor, R.J. Tully & Associates. Huh, what are the odds? He set her card down and reached for his wallet, pulling out one of his own. “I started out as an editor, too. I’m only part-time because I’m back in school, but they have me writing copy now. Big move.” He rolled his eyes and handed over his own card. “I’m Benjamin.” Jocelyn read his card over before flicking it against her thumb. “It’s nice to meet you, Joss, though I wish it were under better circumstances for… well for either of us.” 

She laughed, turning to stuff his card in her purse before letting it swing back around the stool again. “It’s nice to meet you too, Benjamin.” When she turned back to him again, her eyes, though still puffy, looked less sad. Good. “But you know who’s having a worse night than either of us?” Well, we both had to turn off our phones because we’re avoiding people, so… She jerked her head in the direction of the bartender. “This guy really hates his job.” 

With that she stood on the rung below her stool and waved the bartender over. His humph and trudge illustrated what she’d just said, and Benjamin felt a small smile form. Joss swallowed what was left of her drink before the man had finished his long and arduous journey down to their end of the bar, then pointed at Benjamin’s empty glass. “Can I buy you another beer and tell you about my shitty day, Benjamin? Or you can tell me about yours, or,” she blew out a breath. “Or fuck, we can talk about copywriting if you really want, it’s just that I’m not…” She was speaking more quickly, her words tumbling out as the bartender finally reached them. “Not ready to go back to an empty hotel room just yet and-” 

“You want somethin’ girlie?” The man’s gruff voice cut her off as he leaned over the bar, his knobby knuckles gripping the curved edge. 

Benjamin’s palms were sweating and a warning jolt went through his stomach. What would Julia have to say about me accepting this drink? It was a rhetorical question to himself, and even though Jocelyn had made it clear that she wasn’t interested in him- and I’m not… I love my wife, I’m not interested in this woman- he knew that if Julia were there she’d be plenty busy making up her own version of things. But she’s not here. She chose not to be. He noticed Jocelyn’s face falling as she nodded, reaching again for her purse, and he narrowed his eyes. Piss it. “Yeah, set us up again would you, mate? On my tab.”  

Jocelyn smiled, letting go of her purse strap again, letting the small bag swing. “That was supposed to be on me.” I know. She leaned her elbow on the bar, setting her chin in her hand. “Thank you,” she said it as the bartender set her drink in front of her, though her eyes were on Benjamin. “For sticking around I mean, I just…” The gruff, wrinkled man passed Benjamin his ale before responding to the waves and calls of the men at the other end of the bar, grumbling as he headed in their direction. “I…” She pressed her lips together, running her fingers up and down the outside of her glass. 

“Hey,” Benjamin lifted his glass. I get it. “My most thrilling copywriting story is about the time I had to write nine thousand words on mattresses in twenty four hours,” Jocelyn blew air through her nostrils in a laugh as Benjamin took a drink. “But if you want I can try to remember which ones were rated best.” But that’s not what she wants to talk about, is it? “Unless you just want to...talk about your day.” 

She hummed, picking up her glass to take a sip. “I don’t want to,” she sighed and settled against the backrest of her stool, drawing one foot up to the seat so her shin was pressed to the edge of the bar rail. “But, I have been sitting here drinking for hours, and I have yet to say the words out loud.” Looking down into her drink, she took a breath before bringing her glass to her lips for another long swallow. “So,” she placed her glass back on the bartop and spread her arms wide, fingertips nearly brushing Benjamin’s shoulder. “Here goes. Today, I, Jocelyn Hall, boarded a plane in Washington D.C. and crossed the fucking Atlantic Ocean to visit my boyfriend in London, only to find him fucking some other woman.” Benjamin winced, sucking air through his teeth. That’s awful. Jocelyn took another big swig, clearing nearly half of her glass before Benjamin had had his second sip. “And you, Benjamin,” she pointed at him, finger swaying, “are the first person I’ve told. 

Damn. He recalled the way it had felt when Allie had delivered the double blow to his heart that not only did she not want to marry him, but that she’d fallen in love with someone else. That betrayal was unlike anything he’d ever felt prior, and he handled it about as well as Jocelyn was handling things. “That’s terrible, what a prick.” 

“You know, I never thought he was a prick.” Of course you didn’t, that’s why you were with him. “I thought he was,” she rolled her eyes and groaned at herself, one hand going to her head. “I thought Eddie was perfect.” She scoffed. “Stupid.” 

Benjamin shook his head. “It isn’t stupid to want to see the good in people.” He raised his eyebrows and brought his glass to his mouth. “Especially the person you’re with.” He let another mouthful of ale slide down his throat. Julia has so much good in her. I saw it right away, but now its… He sighed.

“All my friends told me this would happen,” she reasoned, wrapping both hands around the base of her glass, condensation dripping over her knuckles. “They all warned me, when Eddie and I met, and,” she tilted her head, eyes widening. “They were right.”    

   “They couldn’t have known- you, you couldn’t have known when you met him that things would turn out this way though.” He tried to console her with the fact that there was no real way to prepare for the unknown; that Jocelyn or her friends couldn’t have possibly foreseen that Eddie would cheat on her. That I couldn’t see that Julia would push me aside. He shook his head and rubbed on hand over the top of his hair. Change the subject. “How did, um… how did you two mee then?” Shit, she might not want to- “I mean, only if you want to tell me, it’s-”

“We met while we were both spending a semester abroad in Florence.” Another eye roll. “We both accidentally signed up for a class that we thought was Italian, but it was actually Italian Literature, taught entirely in a language that neither of us spoke and,” she gestured with one hand while the other held her glass. “Well, we were able to transfer out of it, but we hit it off and started spending time together. A lot of time, all our time. Looking back on it now I...well,” she tapped the nail of her pointer finger on her glass. “It happened too fast, got... “ she made a sudden swiping motion. “Swept up in it I guess.” 

Yeah, that tends to happen. He knew how easy it was to let the current carry you away once those first few feelings started swirling, especially when the circumstances were right. “Still, that doesn’t mean that you should have been able to predict that…”

“Our entire relationship was like a vacation, Benjamin, that should have been a clue. I mean,” she sniffed. “Weekend getaways in Vienna and Barcelona. Going here, seeing this, doing that.” She ticked her words off on her fingers. “Before the semester was even up we were already making plans to visit one another at home. He came over to the U.S. and stayed with me for ten days and it was great. It was a great ten days, but again, it wasn’t real life.”  

Like Julia and I. The thought made his mouth go dry but the beer he tried to drink only caused him to choke, coughing and covering his mouth with his hand. In the beginning of their relationship they’d holed themselves up in hotel rooms, ordering room service and visiting tourist sights. It was so easy. 

“But the crown jewel in this story,” Jocelyn smacked her palm down on the bartop causing Benjamin to snap his attention back to her. “Was me deciding to surprise Eddie by getting here three days earlier than we’d planned, and him deciding to surprise me by banging some redhead.” He frowned. Why do people cheat? I’ll never understand it. She sniffed again. “So, surprise. My friends were right, and I’m an idiot.” Her eyes were starting to shine again, and she snorted into her glass. “A drunk idiot.” 

“You’re not.” She looked at him incredulously. “An idiot, I mean.” You’re definitely drunk. He put his glass down and leaned his forearms on the bar. “You dove in, really gave it a go. Now this Eddie? He sounds like an idiot if you ask me.” He licked his lips and scrubbed one hand over his beard. “It’s not stupid to trust people or to...to fall for someone.” Am I trying to make her feel better or myself? He sighed. “It’s shitty. It’s a shitty thing that he did to you and I’m…” I’m an expert at shitty things happening so I know what I’m talking about. “I’m sorry that it happened to you.” 

Joss smiled sadly, but nodded and wiped her knuckle under her eye. “Thanks, Benjamin, that’s…” She let out a breath. “I appreciate you listening to me and trying to...just, thank you. It felt good to get that all off my chest I guess.” I’m sure. Since he married Julia he had been spending less and less time with friends like Bianca and Zach, and the few classmates he’d spoke with over the last year were no substitute, so he’d had no one to really talk to about the perceived problems in his marriage. He was glad that he was able to be a set of ears for Jocelyn to vent to. 

“You know, I am about as far away from sage council as you could probably get, but if it’ll make you feel better to talk about your shitty day, we can put the next round on my tab.” A few more patrons had shuffled in since he’d sat down that Benjamin hadn’t noticed until he’d looked up at Joss’ alcohol and emotion flushed face. I shouldn’t… But why shouldn’t I? He asked himself the question almost immediately, knowing fully that his only intention in talking to Jocelyn was conversation and possibly some mutual empathy, nothing more. 

He finished the rest of his drink and stood from his stool. “Alright,” he agreed. “But I’m going to step out for a smoke.” Joss made a scrunched face and he chuckled. “I know, bad habit, I’m trying to quit. But… yeah. Grab another round. I’ll be right back.” 

“Great,” she stood to flag down the bartender. “Misery loves company.”

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@something-tofightfor​ @its-my-little-dumpster-fire​ @malionnes​ @suchatinyinfinity​ @gollyderek​ @thesumofmychoices​ @becs-bunker​ @warriorqueenofnarnia @elanor-of-imladris​ @traeumerinwitzhelden​ @obscurilicious​ @octosapiens​ @luminex3​ @songtoyou​ @with1love1anu​ @dearmarii​ @pheedraws​ @valkblue​ @alraedesigns​ @fific7​

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[fleckcmscott]

The Vanity

Summary: Arthur tries to get ready for work. Y/N joins him.

Warnings: Smut, swearing

Words: 3,774

A/N: This request comes from the marvelous brain of @ithinkimawriter. Again, thanks to @sweet-nothings04 for beta-reading!

If you have any thoughts or questions, please comment, feel free to message me, or send me an ask. Requests for Arthur and WWH are open!

After he started street performing and getting gigs again, Arthur found he needed a better place to put his supplies for work. The two small shelves in the bathroom were already covered by his and Y/N's toiletries, so they didn't fit there. He'd been keeping it all in a plastic bag in the closet, but that wasn't ideal. The enclosed space had a tendency to get too hot due to how the heat worked in the apartment, which made his make-up dry out. And the brushes were getting damaged because of improper storage.

Having to borrow money from her wasn't the only reason he was hesitant to mention he would prefer a vanity. Y/N would often sit on the closed lid of the toilet, watching him lean over the sink while he applied greasepaint to his face. If he had his own work area, he assumed she'd probably hold back from him when he was in it, like she did when he was in his writing nook. It was one of the ways she showed him respect. But he loved her keeping him company when he'd get in costume, how they would discuss the day and plan for the evening.

She'd begun asking more about his job, seeming to be genuinely interested in it. They were simple questions: how long he'd been a clown ("About ten years. Maybe twelve?"); what he liked best about it ("Every day is different. And making kids laugh."); and what the hardest part was. He pondered on what answer he could give, one that was accurate, but wouldn't cause her concern. He hadn't wanted to tell her he still had to deal with mean people (though incidents were seldom and he was better at handling them). If he did that, she'd probably insist on riding with him, despite his reassurances he could take care of himself. "The commute can be rough," he'd admitted. Then he'd bent down to her and tapped her nose lightly with the tip of his brush. "It's good knowing I have you to come home to." Her wide smile and gleaming squint had been full of adoration, in spite of her reaching for a tissue to wipe her face.

Eventually he told her, though. "There's a cosmetic table at Donahue's Department Store," he said, giving her the flyer they'd gotten in the mail as he sunk onto the sofa cushion beside her. He pointed at the picture of the vanity, with its dark brown veneer and two drawers on both sides of the sitting area. The oval mirror had sides that folded in at an adjustable angle, which, he explained, would make it easier for him to ensure the white base covered every part of his face. "We could put it on my side of the bed. By the window. It's only a couple feet long, a foot deep. I already measured the space."

She looked intrigued. "Mr. Fleck, you want to put a giant mirror next to our bed?" The glint in her eye was obvious.

He blinked at her. "I need a space to put my make-up. The lighting will be better there."

Studying the page, she leaned her head on him, a smirk in her voice. "Of course."

He wondered why she was joking around when he was being serious. But he continued with what he had to say. "I don't want you to stop watching me get ready if we buy it. It'd be yours, too. It's not expensive. But- But I'd need to borrow a little from you. I could pay you ba-"

"Don't start with that," she interrupted. "I'll call them right now." With a kiss to his shoulder, she got up and walked to the phone. He eagerly waited in the kitchen entrance, worrying his pockets while she sat on the counter making notes. Then she hung up and gave him the good news: the store would be able to deliver it Friday afternoon, cash-on-delivery, fully assembled for a small fee. Arthur grabbed his wallet, took out all $22, and shoved it at her until she rolled her eyes and stuck it in an envelope for the payment. "I'll put a couple mascaras in there," she said wryly. "Then maybe you'll stop worrying about the money."

~~~~~

The party would be starting at 1:00 PM. Arthur had to hop on the red line from Burnley, transfer to the blue line in Hinckley, then take the train to Gotham Village. The commute would be just under an hour if there were no delays (which had become more frequent ever since the prior year's budget cuts). Gary had assured him he didn't have to worry. He'd worked for a friend of the family before and they were nice people. The kid liked magic tricks and balloon animals. It'd be easy. And he'd be home for the Saturday Night Made-for-TV movie Y/N wanted to catch with him. (Courtroom dramas weren't his thing, but he wouldn't miss the chance to settle his arm around her and pretend to be engrossed.)

Sitting at the vanity, with its round stool and solid, cream color cushion, made him feel like a professional getting ready to face the day. Even if he was a clown. The light shining through the sheer, muslin curtains of their bedroom was bright enough to get started. After removing his shirt and raking his brown locks back, he dabbed the brush in his pot of white foundation. The bristles ran across his forehead and strong brow in even lines, over the straight bridge and rounded tip of his nose, then down his right temple, careful not to get the pigment in his sideburn. Tilting his head and holding steady, he painted curved, smooth strokes over his sharp cheekbone, down to his jawline, then repeated the motions on the left side of his face. His mouth parted as he colored the area under his nose, his thin lips, and chin. When the paint was distributed evenly, he blended it with a sponge, using small, circular motions.

Y/N's soft footsteps approached as he finished the blue triangles above and below his left eye. "What kind of sandwich do you want to take with you?" she asked from the bedroom doorway.

That turned the corner of his mouth up. Whenever Arthur had a job around lunch, she packed him something to eat. He hadn't yet gotten use to being taken care of. The attention made him feel self-conscious. He wasn't certain he'd ever believe he deserved it. But more and more often, he found himself able to simply appreciate her thoughtfulness. "Anything will be okay. Wait - do we have turkey?"

"Yeah. I'll make it soon." He watched her in the mirror as she walked up behind him and sat on his side of the bed. "You don't have to leave for a couple hours," she said, working on her thumbnail with a file. "I'm surprised you’re in here already."

It was a bit early to be preparing for the gig, but he didn't want to be late. If these people really were as gracious as Gary claimed, maybe he'd be able to perform again at their next party. Or they'd recommend him to other families. Then he'd definitely be able to pay off the ring he was buying Y/N and give it to her in October, as he'd planned. He finished working on the triangle under his right eye, having already done the one on his brow. "I wanna make sure I get it right," he said. "I used to do it every day."

She got up and propped herself on the edge of the table, dropping the emery board on it. "You're much better at that than I am," she said as he drew the outline of an exaggerated smile, then filled it in. "I'm lucky I don't poke my eye out with my liner."

Chuckling, he let his gaze flit up to hers before continuing. It was difficult not to be distracted by her proximity; she was pretty even in her casual, weekend outfit. The black, white-seamed tank top showed off the contours of her breasts. And its slits, stopping just above her hips, enticed him. Glancing at her legs, he admired the curves exposed by her matching, form-fitting track shorts. The stray hairs on her calves were few, leftovers from her electric razor - he’d have to remind her to change the blade.

She scooted closer. "Do you know how beautiful you are in that?" she said, indicating his make-up. "You took my breath away when I first saw it. Well, that paired with your good hair."

A scoff left him as he put red eyebrows midway up his forehead. The paint helped him get into character. But he was aware his visage was more weathered than most thirty-five year old men. And he disliked how the color would accentuate the lines and crevices in his face. "It shows my wrinkles," he murmured, to himself as much as to her.

"I love your wrinkles," she said. "And your squishy cheeks." Then she cupped his face. He recoiled almost instantly, grasping her hand. A bit of paint had gotten on her. "Oops, I smudged you." Before he could protest, she grabbed the white brush from the jar behind her and perched herself on him. It caught him off guard. But after a few seconds, he put his left arm around her waist to steady her.

The tension in his body grew and his eyelids drifted shut. The bristles tickled with Y/N controlling them - he'd never had someone else do his make-up before. The wet of the paint and the weight of her on his lap reminded him of one of his earliest fantasies of her. He'd imagined bringing her to HaHa's and showing her off to his co-workers. (In particular, Randall, that asshole who'd been married and divorced twice, constantly complained about his exes and whoever he was seeing, and probably didn't even know what a clit was.) Even though they'd made fun of him, and he didn't understand all their comments about women, he could have proven he was worthy of a girlfriend.

Arthur sighed. He didn't like how the tenderness she was showing him prompted his thinking to go to such a bitter place. Especially since he felt he was doing better and believed he was moving on. Not wanting to spoil the lovely morning he was having with her, he concentrated on the physical space around him, the way Dr. Ludlow had taught him. He focused on the warmth of Y/N's form on his thighs, the hint of her pleasing natural scent over the chalky smell of the greasepaint, the way her fingers curled on his chest as she tried to fix the smear she'd made. The burning in his shoulders alerted him to the fact that he was flushing, and he ducked his head slightly.

It wasn't the best moment to get aroused - he really did want to get ready for work. But then she leaned into him, her breasts flush with his torso, and his heartbeat quickened. Her pebbled nipples through the thin fabric of her top prompted him to slowly trace the hem of her shorts. With his blood rushing to his groin, he nearly didn't hear her sound of displeasure. "What?" he rasped.

"I'm making this worse."

He moved to look past her, in the mirror. The carefully formed triangle still had a wide base, but one side was uneven, the tapering causing it to look like an icicle. He shook his head and seized the brush, pretending to be annoyed. "This is why I started early."

"Really?" she replied, tousling his hair. A couple stray curls fell onto his forehead. "I was hoping it was so we'd have time." The slight scrape of her nails on his scalp, and the invitation in her eyes made his mouth run dry.

Since they'd gotten together, he'd been learning his boundaries and figuring out what he liked. Y/N was understanding and patient, and happily answered any questions he could bring himself to ask. And when he misinterpreted something or made a mistake, she accepted it with humor. Her easy manner and generosity healed any embarrassment, even when he needed a few minutes to stop being flustered.

Making love with his clown face on wasn't something they had discussed. But if she wanted to, he wasn't opposed. He huffed, put the brush on the table, then let his fingertips slide down her neck. When she adjusted her legs and bumped his erection, he dipped under the strap of her shirt. "Time for what?" He hoped he sounded confident enough to tease her. The kiss she gave him was urgent but he drew back. "This stuff doesn't taste good," he warned.

"I don't care," she breathed, dipping to his mouth again, arms going around him. At that, he reached up her shorts, in a hurry to have her as close to him as possible. Lips continuing to pull at hers, he helped her stand and take them off, along with her underwear. He wanted to watch as she straddled him, but her kisses were demanding, and he was losing the ability to think clearly. Instead, he palmed her ass, savoring the feel of her slow but enthusiastic undulations against his length. Eventually, she broke away from him, pressing her forehead to his. "I made a mess," she giggled.

He looked down between them. The stain of her slick had gotten on the front of his blue pants, its faint whiteness shining in the bright sunlight. "Oh..." He licked his upper lip at the sight and shuddered. "Y/N?"

"Yes?"

One of her requests had been that he attempt to be more explicit, to tell her what he wanted. He might as well try it again now. Swallowing thickly, he forced the words out. "I need to fuck you."

The light laugh that left her was delighted. "I'm right here," she purred as she helped him shed her shirt.

Once it was gone, he lifted her off him and sat her on the vanity, suddenly overcome with the need to take her. He threaded his fingers through her hair, angling his head upwards to tangle his tongue with hers. The grip she had on his biceps was almost bruising but he loved it. It made her inexplicable desire for him tangible. Slowly, he traced down over her stomach to hold her hips. His mouth reached her chest, and he panted between his sucking of her nipples and open-lipped kisses on her breasts.

He backed away, taking in the make-up he'd smeared on her body and face. The possession he felt at that shocked him, but he enjoyed it all the same. Then he gazed down at her core with hooded eyes and groaned. She was beautiful, splayed before him like she was, her center red, swollen, and so wet her arousal was on her thighs. He placed his palm on the crease of her thigh, licking his lip as he stretched to toy with her engorged clit. Her grip moved to his shoulder as she jerked up into his touch. He nuzzled her sternum as he continued, rapidly moving the pad of his thumb back and forth over the sensitive nub. The motions of her pelvis quickened, matching his fervor. But as his lips began to trail down to her abdomen, she stopped him. "I want to come with you in me."

After gathering himself, he stood and slipped out of his trousers and briefs. He bent to pick them up and put them on the bed, and she hopped off the vanity and turned around. It confused him at first. But then she braced herself on the table with her forearms. “Come on,” she whispered.

The sight of her bowed over like that, asking him to fill her, was undeniably arousing. But this was something new. They'd been exploring gradually. Despite his complete trust in her, he had to question it. “It’s- It’s hard to see you this way. Your face.”

“That’s what the mirror’s for.” Her eyes were wicked when they met his in the glass.

Ah. He chuckled, feeling silly for not knowing that. Then she pressed back, the swell of her buttocks nudging his hard-on. When she held herself open for him, he stopped doubting. Letting the clutch of her walls and her soft moans guide him, he slowly entered her.

When he was engulfed in her completely, he stilled and gazed at the mirror. The reflection made him snort - his greasepaint was smeared all over, the white, red, and blue smudged together inseparably, much like their two bodies. It was odd to see himself standing there - he wasn't sure if he liked it. So he blinked down at her face; he held his breath. He hadn’t even done anything, and she looked like she was about to get off. Then he felt the flicker of her fingertips on his cock. Reaching around her and between her legs, he said, “Let me.” She obliged, allowing him to entwine their fingers as she stroked herself.

Her words came out as a whimper. “Arthur...” She pushed towards him. “I need you to move.”

Eagerly, he withdrew and bucked into her, grunting and quickly speeding up. But he was too clumsy and slipped out of her. They both laughed as she grasped him and lined him up with her entrance. “Just go easy,” she said. “Don’t pull out too far.” Concentrating, he put his other hand on her hip and did his best to control the shallow rocking of his hips. The one or two inches of friction wasn’t enough for him; it seemed to be working for her, though. But it was hard to maintain his rhythm when the sound of her ass and thighs hitting him was making him want to lose himself completely.

Releasing her hand, he straightened a bit and allowed his gaze to rove over her. She was writhing beneath him, bent forward as she chased her pleasure. His touch ghosted up her spine, gentle along the faint knobs (much less prominent than his) under her smooth skin. Kneading her left shoulder, he looked at her reflection. Her head was tilted back, her brows stitched together as she strove back towards him. The lips he loved to kiss parted with every whine. And her breasts swayed with each thrust, their stiff peaks grazing the surface of the table.

A groan escaped him. He’d seen her expression contort in bliss a lot at this point. But it felt voyeuristic, watching her like this. Almost as if the mirror separated them in spite of their joining. A shiver went up him at the thrill of it, and he plunged faster, his palm on her side pulling her towards him. She met him, move for move, even as her hips stuttered, and he felt the familiar spasm of her muscles start around him. He drove inside her, hard, when she fell apart, and stayed buried deep while she rode out her climax. It wasn’t easy to do, the pulsing grip of her core nearly inducing him to move. She sobbed, her frame curling as she lowered her head to her vanity. Gasping, she squeezed his hand on her shoulder. The trembling of her legs caught his attention, so he rubbed her thigh soothingly and kissed her.

Once she’d relaxed, he left her body long enough to turn her around, set her on the table, and fill her again. Now he wasn’t patient. His lips devoured her mouth as he rutted within her, her walls around his hard cock flooding his senses. He hoped he’d never get use to this. At the building tautness of his muscles, he propped himself up on the vanity and grit his teeth. One of her hands held his hip, the other digging the small of his back, guiding him as he fucked her with abandon. “Arthur, don’t stop."

His movements faltered when her legs encircled his waist, then sudden, white hot fire consumed him. Everything disappeared as he moaned in the crook of her neck - everything that wasn't her. She gripped him tightly, her soft "Yes" caressing his ear and his heart. His toes curled into the carpet and his pelvis locked with hers, his essence pouring inside her, his length throbbing, surrounded by her heat.

Finally, he was able to straighten and catch his breath. He could feel her smile against his temple, and he patted her flank gently before he withdrew from her. First he sat on the edge of the bed, then let himself lay down and raked his fingers through his hair, closing his eyes. That had been intense. And a work out. He could feel the sweat on his scalp. He’d have to shower again.

He hadn’t realized Y/N had stepped out until she reclined next to him and pressed a warm washcloth to his forehead. “Sorry about your make-up.”

“I think I can forgive you,” he laughed. His fingertips dragged up her side as he looked at her washed face in wonder. The gentle way she was dabbing at him, the love she radiated, would never stop being remarkable. This was one of the moments she made him believe he was the luckiest man in Gotham, despite the wretchedness that had been most of his life, and the conditions he struggled with.

Arthur accepted the cloth from her and sat up, watching as she stood and washed the vanity's surface. “Did you like it?” she asked.

“Yes.” He wiped the greasepaint from his skin. “Were you always like this?”

Y/N glanced over her shoulder. “Like what?”

Unsure how to describe it, he gestured at her vaguely.  “I dunno. Out there?”

"Out there?" she snorted. "I think you mean vocal." With a shake of her head, she knelt in front of him and rested her forearms on his knees. “That came with experience. And you may not be. That's fine. You'll figure it out.” Then she nuzzled at his nose. “It helps when you're with the right person.”

His chest swelled at that description of him, that she regarded him as such, and he put his arm around her. “Yeah,” he said quietly. Then he quirked a brow at her, touching the marks his paint had left on her chest. “Does this mean you have a thing for clowns?”

The tickling of his ribs wasn’t entirely unexpected. “No." She nestled against him and kissed his jaw. "I have a thing for you.”

~~~~~

Tag list (Let me know if you want to be added!): @harmonioussolve @ithinkimaperson @sweet-nothings04 @stephieraptorr @rommies @fallenstarsabyss @gruffle1 @octopus-plasma

[satsangat]

Monday, August 17, 2020 – Astrotransits

 Dark Moon in Leo (Balsamic), preparing for the start of a New Moon cycle tomorrow. Not advisable to start a new project now, until probably the 20th, when you see a ‘go’ smile of moonlight in the sky. 

 The Moon entered Leo overnight. In the afternoon, she’ll trine Chiron and square Uranus. Emotionally, you may react dramatically, be able to express, realize or accept those aspects of yourself that feel uncomfortable about your personality. It could be wise to emotionally engage in their healing by recognizing them and assimilating them as the part of you that make you the complex person you are. Then when Uranus is emotionally activated  in the evening, you are ready to affirm your queerness and emotionally express those eccentricities. 

 Mercury Sun superior conjunction happens exactly mid-morning, at the same time he trines Mars in Aries. All things ruled by Mercury may not work as expected. Starting with your mind not perceiving things sharply, maybe leaping to fast conclusions without due analysis. Communication and mail can be delayed. As Mercury is also inconjunct Pluto and Saturn (powerful control) in Capricorn (institutional structures), it’s not surprising that the US Postal Service is having all those governmental blockages and introduction of powerful transformation ingeniously devised to manipulate things and protect the interests of those in power that are desperately holding to it with iron fists. Other related issues are the information channels, the news themselves, skills and practical knowledge, perception of immediate reality, walking, breathing, short travel and commute, biking, bridges, your lungs, hands and all extremities. 

 Mercury is hiding now behind the Sun for a few days, but will be under his powerful rays until November. Even though Mercury is not associated with political elections, it plays a crucial role in the ability of people to walk or travel to voting sites, casting ballots, counting polls, keeping records, surveys, calculating statistics, and the disclosure of results. Therefore, it’s to a disadvantage to have Mercury invisible at this time in the USA. 

That’s not all! In addition, Mercury will be retrograde in Scorpio during the three weeks prior to the General Election, AND STATIONS DIRECT exactly on November 3! This is a complete array of highly unfavorable factors for the success and clear development of the elections, which will be at best, ‘clear like mud’. Good luck! Make it a good day! Sat Nam. Watch my Leo New Moon video in my youtube Sat Sangat Astrology

[allproperties]

Top 3 Home Options near Metro Manila

The property sector is amongst the most resilient industries in this time of the pandemic. This is driven by the truth that buying House and Lot is the core of every Filipino family’s aspirations. Buying real estate properties is also one of the driving factors for Overseas Filipino Workers to work abroad.

House and Lot for the family is on top of the property choices, while condominium offers an opportunity for rental and property appreciation considering its location and proximity to the major establishment and commercial districts. Prior to this pandemic, the market saw a trend of overseas Filipinos investing in vertical developments as income replacement with its rental potential and property appreciation.  

In the metros, while condominium has become most preferred, quarantine protocols imposed by the government last year to avert the spread of the virus opened more opportunities to residential developments outside the Metro Manila. Those confined in limited spaces during the lockdowns have learned to realize the value of space and the importance of green spaces. In an article published by Philippine Star, Mr. Nicolas Mapa of ING Bank Manila said, “The Philippines is mirroring the global exodus from major cities, with city dwellers trading their flats for the clean and green of the suburbs outside the concrete jungle”.

Considering this and the on-set of work from home set up, we saw an upward trend of interests in House and Lot for Sale and Lots for Sale in the fringes of Metro Manila locations like Antipolo, Rizal in the east, Pampanga in the North and the favorite residential hub, Cavite in the South. The wider green spaces and emerging road networks are among their considerations. Property Management Company Santos Knight Frank also reported that these areas have recorded an increase of home buyers looking for house and lot and lots only for sale in the last quarter of 2020.  

Homebuyers in this area are actively looking for houses with wide extra lots. Others are looking for Lots for Sale with the chance to build homes that best fit the need of their respective families. Homebuyers with existing properties are also on the lookout for residential lots for sale as a form of land banking for re-sell purposes or as a future inheritance.  

Cavite

Over the years, Cavite is always an option for people looking for affordable house and lot but still wanting to be near workplaces in Metro Manila. Property developers like Camella Homes was able to establish several major residential hubs in its forty years of existence. The major infrastructure developments like road networks are under construction to make Cavite more accessible than before. Travel time has tremendously decreased by around thirty minutes to one hour.  

While nearby Cavite towns’ property prices have appreciated over the years, the town of General Trias is now home to a more affordable house and lots and lots only for sale. With impressive almost 100 hectares developments like Camella Tierra Nevada and Bella Vista, investors get to enjoy the complete and exclusive amenities of living in these subdivisions and preserved spaces.  

Camella Tierra Nevada and Bella Vista are perfect choices for all those who want to stay in the city and plan to commute to work daily. Also, the community is designed to be self-contained, offering everything from commercial centers, retail stores, restaurants, convenience stores, and drugstores, supermarkets to schools and to churches nearby.

Antipolo

Owning a property house and lot investment in Antipolo feels like going on a vacation every time you wake up in the morning. You get to enjoy natural and other tourist attractions like waterfalls, various resorts, green mountain views, art museums, and a religious pilgrimage site every waking day. These and all provide homeowners that provincial feel while overlooking the busy metropolis.

The picturesque Antipolo City is only 45 minutes or an hour away from the business and commercial districts of Quezon City, Ortigas, Taguig, and Makati. It is easily accessible with the existing and planned roads and continuously available transportation. Top educational institutions like UP, Ateneo, Assumption Antipolo, and Miriam College are just nearby. Popular malls such as Robinson’s Metro East, Sta. Lucia Mall and SM Masinag are just short rides away.

Owning your own House and Lot in Antipolo provides you access to both work, business, and nature while owning a Lot Only property gives you the advantage of property appreciation. Developed by Crown Asia, Maia Alta is a master-planned Italian-inspired subdivision with available House and Lot for Sale and Lots Only. This development is more than just spirited living; it also provides homeowners a sense of security and privacy.

Pampanga

This town in the north in Metro Manila has become closer to Metro Manila with just an hour travel time from Quezon City. With the opening of the interlink bridge between the north and south Luzon expressway, people get to reach north Luzon much quicker by avoiding the normal traffic of Metro Manila’s major thoroughfare, EDSA.  

Living in subdivisions like Camella Sorrento in Mexico City Pampanga, which sits just beside the North Luzon Express Way, makes work and the city lifestyle of Metro Manila no longer a three-hour arduous drive. This Italian-inspired exclusive house and lot development is located just three minutes away from the North Luzon Express Way. Thus, making Pampanga’s commercial and family-friendly tourism sites accessible. It also sits beside the upcoming commercial development that will house the biggest wholesale one-stop hub for housing and commercial supplies in South East Asia.  

Known as the culinary capital of the Philippines, the foods that Kapampangan offers will always delight its homeowners. These and the natural attraction that it offers makes Pampanga attractive to families looking for their own open and green living space.  

All Properties

AllProperties offers options for future homebuyers in these areas with property listings ranging from ready homes and lots only for sale in Pampanga, Antipolo, and towns of Cavite like Bacoor, Imus, Dasmarinas, and General Trias. These subdivisions are also fully developed which provides them an option for easy and convenient move-in.  

[bards-witcher]

I couldn’t leave you all hanging after the last one so here you go. It’ll probably be a few days before I post the next part as I’m pretty sure my body is screaming at me to take a break XD

As always hope you enjoy :D

Part 1, 2, 3, 4

It’s just before sunrise when he leaves the roof, not having heard a single thing except the birds in the trees and the occasional car. Once again he manoeuvred his way through the streets, not even thinking about where he was going, instead trusting that his legs would take him where he needed to be.

After Luke had vanished and the cold stone of the roof had made his legs numb he returned to his bag, hugging it tight to try and derive any sort of comfort as he forced himself to relive the worst moment of his life. No matter how many times he played it through, no matter how painful it was he could only see one thing and it involved blood splattered glass and the man who was larger than life crumple to the floor.

He’s not sure what ‘Luke’ had meant last night, or why his mind was suddenly creating cryptic messages, the sound of a car horn brought him back to attention though. He went to gesture a sorry to the driver when he noticed who it was, Marcel and Scotty. As with Tyler they simply stared at each, as if trying to feel the other out, when in a split-second Ryan made a dash for it, hopping over a parked car as he darted down the pavement.

He could hear the car following behind him as he dipped through an alley, emerging and taking off in the other direction as they passed by him. He heard them turning, not looking back he kept sprinting as he made his way to the local park. He could hear gunfire behind him, quickly ducking his head in an attempt to shield it but not slowing down.

When he reached the park, the front gate was locked, being before dawn meant that it was closed to keep people out during the night. He leapt as he got close to the gate, making it about halfway up before climbing the rest. A brief look behind him showed that another car had joined Marcel and Scotty’s, it was in front of theirs and he could see Marcel hanging out the passenger window and shooting at it.

He didn’t have time to question why as he saw a gun emerge from the other car that was aimed towards him. He barely managed to scramble and fall to the other side of the gate before shots were being fired. He turned left, heading towards the small amount of tree cover as the first car crashed through the gate, swiftly followed by Scotty and Marcel. They managed to steer the front of their car into the others rear end, turning the car away from him. He didn’t look much longer; the sounds of gunfire tore through the quiet of morning as he climbed over the fence surrounding the park before he carried on running.

He came across a subway station, jumping over the railing and just about managing to land on the stairs before finishing the descent. He walked through the opened gate, sitting down on the nearest bench as he caught his breath.

If he didn’t know any better he’d say that Scotty and Marcel had saved him from who he assumed were a couple of goons from G’s gang sent to kill him. Yes, they’d saved him, but they had found him first, probably eager instead to get rid of the competition before taking him down. It was eerily quiet in the station, almost too quiet for his liking but he strangely felt at ease, he didn’t feel that twinge of dread he normally did when danger was around.

It wasn’t long before a train pulled up, he didn’t know where it went, hell he didn’t even know where he was going, he just collapsed into the nearest chair and felt all the energy drain out of him. He closed his eyes for a moment, just enjoying the peace at that moment, the gentle swaying of the carriage almost sending him to sleep before he heard a voice beside him that sent ice through his veins.

“So, figure it out yet?”

Ryan opened his eyes to see ‘Luke’ sitting casually beside him, a playful smile on his face.

“I’m really not in the mood for this right now so can you just say what you’re gonna say and go, I’ve got enough shit to deal with right now” He turned to face the man beside him noticing how his face turned into a playful pout.

“I thought you liked talkin’ to me” Ryan couldn’t help but scoff, yes he did like talking with Luke, but this Luke was nothing more than a poor carbon copy compared to the real thing. “How about I give you another hint then?”

As sarcastically as he could he replied “Go on then”

“Mind over body”

Ryan’s brows furrowed in confusion, he turned to ask ‘Luke’ what the hell he was talking about, but he was gone. Ryan stared in the space he had been sitting not a second ago before he rubbed his eyes in an attempt to clear his mind.

He got off the train at the next stop, he could see the sky starting to lighten up as he left the station on what looked to be the other side of town, a quick glance around him showed that apart from the odd early morning commuter, he was alone.

He carried on walking till he reached the edge of town, ducking under the nearby bridge to try and get what little sleep he could.

He was standing over the rooftops watching the sunset, although he was more out in the open up here, not many had the skills to get up and manoeuvre across the uneven roofs where he now stood. In the distance, he could barely make out the small warehouse where he used to live, where he knew the members of BBS would be in. He wished he could go to them, yes they were a gang, but they were also his friends, his friends who he missed a bit more each day, the only people to know what Luke’s’ death truly meant to him.

He kept watch of it until it faded into shadow at the dying sun, and even then he still watched, wondering if he’d ever return there.

He sat on the edge of the roof, legs dangling over the edge as he thought back to Lukes’ words, still having no idea what was meant by mind over body. Just as he thought it, he felt a presence beside him, and sure enough, a cold hand clasped over his own.

“It’s pretty up here ain’t it?”

Ryan simply hummed, still looking out at the hub of life before him, watching the lights start to light up the town.

“You’re so smart you know that?” Ryan could only turn to ‘Luke’ in confusion, wondering where the hell that had come from. “When you were working for G I had some of the guys tailing you for weeks and you never knew. Now though, you always know when something ain’t quite right and it’s because of that wonderful, beautiful mind you got”

Ryan wasn’t too sure how to answer that, could only keep staring at the man in front of him, waiting for him to continue. They kept staring at each other, ‘Luke’ appeared to be waiting for him to say something and when nothing came he sighed, grabbing one of Ryans’ legs and lifting it over the edge so that they were facing one another and straddling the edge.

Cold hands clasped his face and as much as he wanted to pull away, to push the other man away and tell him never to come back he simply couldn’t, Luke had always been his weakness and he decided this time he would indulge.

“When you were with G you had no control of your body right, only your mind” Ryan simply nodded, closing his eyes as he let himself be comforted by the thumbs now rubbing his cheeks. “Well your eyes are a part of your body aren’t they, meanin’ maybe they were somewhat obscured.”

Ryan opened his eyes at this, staring into Lukes dark brown eyes as he thought over those last few words.

“But your mind saw everythin’, even if you don’t remember, you just need to think”

Thoughts were passing through his mind a mile a minute, but no matter how hard he tried to imagine something else happen, he only saw Lukes’ death.

“How ‘bout this then, you didn’t seem surprised when I said I had guys tailing you for weeks, that’s because deep down you knew. Your mind will remember, you just need to think Ryan”

Ryan closed his eyes again, thinking through some of the last few memories he had of when he was little more than a machine.

He remembered entering a warehouse where they were going to be given weapons for a raid on another gang. At first, he saw nothing, simply replaying the same scene over and over again, however, despite seeing nothing new he couldn’t help but feel a small niggle in his mind that something should be there. It was the next time he replayed the scene that his eye caught sight of a figure across the street as he entered the warehouse, it was Kryoz, hood up in the shadows as he watched Ryan slip through the door.

Then the scenery changed, he was with the two henchmen who he’d killed a couple days prior, they were supposed to get some money from a guy who owed them, a man who one of the henchmen later killed because he couldn’t cough up the money. They’d met him at some run-down bar where they later paid the manager to take the guy out back to deal with. As before, the scene played over in his mind, he tried to see some of the patrons, but their faces just seemed to blur and merge together, and no matter how hard he thought the scene wouldn’t change.

‘Luke’ seemed to sense his distress, moving his hands to his shoulders and giving them a gentle squeeze, their coolness sending a shiver down Ryan’s spine.

The scene started again, he walked in and looked to the left, except this time he saw Brock and Brian sitting at a booth, drinks in hand whilst their heads were low in deep discussion. When he looked to the bar he saw Tyler sitting there, hunched over as he nursed his drink. As the scenario played out, he noticed Tyler cast his eyes on him every now and then, watching him. Finally, as they dragged the guy through the back door he looked back, seeing Brian somewhat restrain Tyler in the corner of his eye until he passed through the door.

Next, he was back on the rooftop, gun in hand as he waited for Lukes’ car to pull up. The scene plays out, he remembers trying to fight tooth and nail to knock his aim but still, the bullet was shot, and Luke collapsed.

He’s not sure how many times the scene played out, doesn’t even know he’d started crying until Lukes’ cold hand returned to his face, thumbs wiping them away. The next thing he felt cold lips touch his forehead “You can do this Ry, you’re almost there” he then felt ‘Luke’ pull him close, almost as if he was acting like his shield before once again the scene started.

He was fighting just as aggressively before, but he still feels his finger pull the trigger, watches the bullet chase its target. Only this time there seemed to be a delay, he saw the bullet break through the window, but it was a split second later he saw blood, and before he turned away he swears he sees Lukes’ hand twitch, almost as if he quickly grabbed something that was on the floor beside him.

Ryan quickly opened his eyes, taking in a deep breath as if it’s his first one in weeks, his heart pumping a mile a minute in his chest. He notices that ‘Luke’ is no longer in front of him, instead, he was standing a bit further along the roof, smiling softly at Ryan.

Ryan hopped off of the edge and ran towards ‘Luke’ almost bouncing from excitement, he was breathless, the sudden realisation that somehow Luke was alive being all he could comprehend.

“You’re alive, no, Luke’s alive, he faked his death didn’t he”

“You did good, also helped that you missed your shot”

“What?” He’d expected some sage advice his mind could conjure up, not some sort of insult.

Luke simply smiled at him, raising his hands to once again cup Ryans’ face. “For the first time in your life you missed, and I couldn’t be happier or more proud about it”

Ryan could only stare at the man before him, confused about the entire situation until he truly felt the hands on his face, felt their warmth seep into his skin and drive away the cold that had made its home there. He kept staring into Lukes’ eyes as he raised his hands to grasp Lukes’ wrists, they were warm and more importantly he felt a pulse, it was strong against his fingertips, leaving little doubt about the man that was in front of him.

“Luke?” His voice cracked, hating how he sounded like a lost little child as he once again felt tears start to fall down his face.

Luke gave him a soft smile, he noticed the tears falling down his face as the grip on his face got tighter as if Luke couldn’t believe he was there either.

“Hey Ry”

They crashed together, arms curling tight around the other as if no force on earth could tear them apart, faces pressed into the other's neck as tears streamed down their faces. All they could do was hold onto each other, the thought running through both their heads that they were safe and they were home.

[chatting-leaves]

Thursday September 20th: Part 1 of 2

Genre: Personal. Very thinly veiled fiction.

The last time September 20th was on a Thursday, I woke up feeling very optimistic. That morning was to be the first morning of a new job assignment I had taken from a small staffing agency, my first work in nearly three months. Eight months earlier, my wife and I had moved to the northern suburbs of Boston, her home, after she had complained of feelings of homesickness and ennui and she felt she had nothing to lose by going back home. While in theory neither she - or even myself, who had been out of work prior - had nothing to lose, in practice we had everything to lose.

On that morning, I awoke in the guest bedroom of her grandparents house, our residence since we had moved as a means of having some place to stay at the outset. Instead, our lives had become what I would refer to as a “sadistic game of Wack-a-Mole” in which our employment statuses varied - first I had a contract position, then she finally got a relevant job four months after our arrival, then my position expired - and kept us from getting a place of our own. When this job arrived, I was told that it was a “sure thing” by the woman at the hiring agency; that while it was at the outset for only one month, there was “a very, very good chance” that it would become a permanent position and that my new employer, a semiconductor startup, was “a very strong operation that liked [my] background.” Over the ensuing eight months, we had become a bit more cynical, a little more than a bit chubbier, and a lot more worn down from having had little privacy for most of our first year of marriage and we were wanting to get a place of our own. After a shower and breakfast, I packed some snacks and a lunch and made my way out the door, walking down our residential street with signs for the upcoming elections littering our street, a byproduct of sorts of toxic political culture. Amidst the signs before reaching the main road came another form of litter echoing an alarming trend, discarded syringes and needle covers left by those abusing injectable drugs such as heroin. At the main road, I waited for a bus into Boston and upon boarding then weaved through an assortment of working class areas that could be seen by some more exclusionary types as the epitome of the stereotype of the “Townie”: rarely traveled, insular, working class, yet also a bit elitist in terms of town status and their defence of local sports teams. This commute is something I had done too many times to count when I had previously worked and on other days when I had taken a day off to ward off cabin fever and to try to have some semblance of the life we had left prior in a compact, accessible neighborhood of Washington, DC where everything I needed was either within walking distance or accessible by copious amounts of transit. We worked out way into Boston, eventually reaching the notorious highway of Route 1, through the twists of the post-industrial Chelsea before what some called Boston’s “other Green Monster”, the Tobin Bridge. At that time, it was a hunk of vaguely green metal pockmarked with copious amounts of rust where we sat stopped as the morning rush meandered its way through the toll booths to be waved through en route to our eventual arrival. After that point, I went through a similarly meandering journey via subway - Green Line to the historical Park Street, then Red Line to the bustling South Station, then a transfer to a confused mode known as the Silver Line, a mode often derided as a “bus that acts like a train” which would bring me to the front door of the building where I was to work. In my two weeks of waiting for this job, a period which my start date had been postponed twice as I was originally to have started the Thursday prior, I had never made the decision to do a dry run to see how this commute would have worked out and once the bus dropped me off I was a bit in shock at the scale of where I was working. I had known that it was in a relatively isolated of the South Boston Waterfront - or the “Seaport District” in modern marketing lingo - but the mass of the buildings once used as warehouses seemed a bit stunning as I tried to find exactly where to go in the linear maze I had fallen upon.

Having a few minutes to kill before my shift, I made my way to a restroom to give a final check of how I looked to make sure I made an excellent first impression. While the email I had received stated that business casual was the code, I decided to side with a pair of suit pants and a nice sweater I owned with a green and red argyle pattern. This choice was giving deference to the weather that morning, unseasonably cool and a harbinger of the coming autumn set to start officially the next day. I then made it upstairs to find an office full of people mainly in t-shirts and jeans, typical for a technology startup but I always liked being one better as to set a good example. After asking for the woman who was to be my boss, Kathryn, I was given the terse word that she was in a meeting and that I should wait a few minutes. Once she returned, someone spoke with her and then brought her my way. Without given any sort of greeting or salutations, Kathryn went immediately to business.

“Can you put together those three chairs?,” Kathryn said gesturing to three unopened boxes. “I’ll give you 30 minutes to an hour to do so. The sooner you finish these, the better because we need these chairs.” I responded affirmatively but withheld the truth - that I had never put office furniture together in my life and that the job description furnished to me had mentioned nothing of the sort. I will gladly say that I am a team player and will go above and beyond the call of duty, the description had been given had a lot of phone calls, emails, editing correspondence such as press releases, nothing of the sort about light furniture assembly. Not wanting to show weakness or failure, I spent the better part of the next hour trying to put together said chairs and succeeded in doing so. After finishing, Kathryn barked another order at me.

“Can you make some construction paper footballs for the football watch party on Sunday?” I had been told at the outset that the entire office had a Fantasy Football league and that they often had day-long watch parties during the NFL season. This Sunday made things convenient as the Patriots were playing in the night game, viewed nationwide and one of a handful of games each week seen all around the world. As with furniture assembly, arts and crafts was never one of my strong points yet once again I did what I needed to do even if it was well outside my job description. While doing my best to get these assembled, both via creation and by writing the names of employees and other guests on them, I started to feel some doubts about the job as twice they had given me duties well beyond what I had prepared myself for; in fact, in assembling the furniture I had started to sweat as I obviously had not dressed for such a task. When done, Kathryn directed me to a computer and left a copy of their corporate compliance handbook with some notes attached.

“We’ve had to update our policy on bringing dogs into the office. Can you edit this in? Here’s your login,” she said while also giving me a piece of paper with a username - my name, last name heavily mangled - and temporary password. After helping myself to some complimentary pretzels and a soda, a hallmark of a startup leaving free food and drink for their employees, I tried to log in only to find the username the had created for me did not work and after multiple tries brought the matter to Kathryn who claimed that she would have it sorted out during my lunch later that day. Logging me into a guest account, I made all the edits that I had been given as well as doing some general copy editing as there were some typographical and grammatical errors lingering in the bowels of that handbook. At around 12:30, two-and-a-half hours into a six-and-a-half hour shift, I was given a request.

“Can you go to lunch?,” Kathryn asked.

“It’s a little early to take my lunch, I was going to hold off until I was completely done working on this,” I responded, knowing that I liked to take my lunch closer to the mid-point of my shift to break up the day easier.

“I really want you to take it now,” Kathryn fired back.

“Okay. I brought a lunch in with me which I put in the fridge. Let me just go get it since I don’t need anything else,” I continued.

“I really need you to leave for lunch. There’s an Au Bon Pain two buildings over. I’m sure you can get there, eat, and get back in a half hour. Your work can wait,” Kathryn insisted.

Under protest, I relented and took the walk over to Au Bon Pain, a bakery cafe with the typical assortment of salads, sandwiches, baked goods, and the like. While walking, I realized that “two buildings over” was a good five minute walk given the massive scale of each building and upon arriving I discovered that this literally was the only viable lunch spot for a pretty large community of workers as there were no other establishments open at that time. Not being a fan of salad and not wanting to hold up the line, I ended up deciding on a container of lobster macaroni and cheese from a small self-serve bar and a baguette as it was the easiest option to get, eat, and run back. This lunch set me back about $10, not much to the established people there but for someone who had not worked in three months was a relatively large sum as by that point I was not even getting unemployment due to a conflict that surfaced right before taking this job. As I ate, I wondered if my being forced out of the office had a ulterior motive to it such as ending the assignment; a prior non-temporary job I had did this to set up a meeting to let me go due to having less resources to support my position than originally thought. “Surely a job would not let someone go after only two hours,” I thought as I finished my lunch and made a mad dash back to to the office. Upon returning, I found a slip of paper with my fixed username and a temporary password. Once again, it did not work and once again Kathryn put me back on a guest account to finish editing the handbook then to add some more names to a mailing list they maintained. By 2:30 that afternoon, I had exhausted all of the work I was given only to find that she was in a meeting and the only advice given to me was to “wait for her”. For the next half hour, I sat and waited while trying to not play with my charging phone, my fear being that had I done so it would be used as just cause to end the assignment. Upon Kathryn’s return, she came with news.

“I think they fixed your username,” she said. Once again, I tried only to find that the username in the system still did not exist. After a couple of minutes, she ended up relenting.

“You can go home now if you want,” she offered. “We really don’t have anything else left here and we can just start fresh on Monday.” Going into this, both she and the agency knew that I had a standing commitment that required I not work on the 21st - we had plans to go to Vermont for our first anniversary.

“Are you sure I’ll be here on Monday,” I asked.

“Yes. As much as today seemed rocky we really will need the help starting next week,” Kathryn concluded. I went to get most of my stuff but I felt confident to leave my lunch - a package of frozen pizza bites - in the freezer for the weekend. After that, I went to catch a bus home, about an hour later reaching my front door before the afternoon rush intensified. As optimistic as my departure that day was, I couldn’t seem to shake the feeling that something might be slightly awry given what had transpired. While packing my clothes for the imminent vacation, I wondered what would happen when the agency inevitably called to see how my first day was and mulled giving them a preemptive all to get it over and done with.

Little did I know what was set to transpire.

[marvinjuana]

Lovers Fight and Sing Fortissimo

Summary: The Marvin and Whizzer of now are less destructive, less catastrophic, and more in love.

Rating: G

Genre: Fluff

Word Count: 1742

Author’s Note: lovers fight and sing fortissimo aka how many other fics can u count that are titled as such

my first fic for falsettos.

for broadway.

for musicals, in general.

Ao3

or

Marvin closes the door softly behind him, placing his briefcase on the ground. The stress of the day melts away as he takes off his jacket and kicks off his shoes. Both are left messily by the door, where he will most definitely be forced to pick them up the following morning by his lover. That’s a future him’s problem, though.

He leans his forehead on the door tiredly, as he locks it, letting his eyes slip close for a moment. It has been a long day, and he really just wants to change out of his stuffy suit into some comfy clothes, curl up under the covers with Whizzer, and sleep for ten years. He doesn’t know if he will be able to get to sleep easily, though what with the events that had occurred that morning.

As a couple prone to arguments, Marvin and Whizzer have had their fair share of disagreements. They are both too stubborn and prideful, and even though they had both been working on these flaws, sometimes they relapse to their old ways. That morning had been one of those disagreements that ended in shards of his favorite mug ricocheting against the floor and shouting that had woken him up better than the shot of espresso the mug held. Thinking back on it, he doesn’t quite remember why they had been arguing, and it reminds him painfully of three years prior when he and Whizzer would bicker for the sake of bickering; how the feuds brought their relationship to an end.

Marvin didn’t want to go back there. No, he couldn’t go back there. The two years without Whizzer had been hell, and now that he’s had the love of his life back in his life for a year, he feels like he can breathe again. His mind is already racing with thoughts about Whizzer being upset with him (he hadn’t tried to contact him once all day), and he groans.

Whether or not Whizzer is irate doesn’t stop him from needing sleep, so with a heavier heart, he straightens out and looks back into the apartment. It’s dark for the most part, which is not out of the norm, considering the time. A feeling of relief washes over him, though, when he notices a dim light coming from the end of the hallway, and a small smile tugs at the corner of his lips. Slowly, he makes his way towards the light, tripping over his own shoes in the process.

This is also not unusual (both the tripping over his shoes and the light).

Every time Marvin has to work late, he texts Whizzer as such and tells him not to wait up, and every time, he comes home to Whizzer lounging on the couch in front of their television. Sometimes, he is asleep, light blue comforter thrown over his legs, and sometimes, he is awake, scrolling through his phone or flipping through the channels. No matter what, he’s there. The fact that Whizzer waited for him lifts a weight he hadn’t even notice settle on his shoulders. This means that his lover isn’t as enraged as he had thought. Perhaps the space had done them good. Perhaps they both have cooled down enough. Perhaps time had made them more mature. Despite knowing this, Marvin is still hesitant when he steps into the living room.

Whizzer doesn’t stir, as Marvin makes his way over to the illuminated lump curled up on the suede couch nor when he carefully sits down at the edge of the sofa. The light from the television casts a blue glow over Whizzer’s face, and Marvin is captivated by the features of his lover.

Beautiful, he can’t help but think to himself. Whizzer is beautiful.

Asleep, Whizzer is peaceful, gentle, and almost angelic. The lines on his forehead smoothen out and the smirk that constantly plays on his lips, teasing and annoying, is replaced by an innocent downturn.

Marvin feels a rush of affection burbling in his chest when Whizzer scrunches his nose, the minute wrinkles on the bridge appearing and disappearing just as quickly as they had appeared. I am so lucky.

“Are you done watching me, you creep?” Whizzer’s groggy voice cuts through the calm, his eyes still closed.

“How’d you even know?” Marvin responds.

“I have eyes on the back of my head.” Whizzer cracks a smile, stretching his long legs and opening his arms so that Marvin will cuddle him.

Marvin moves in response, laying down beside him and wrapping his arms around Whizzer’s waist. He shudders when he feels Whizzer’s hot breath against his throat. “The back of your head wasn’t even facing me.”

Whizzer only hums in response, his breathing slowing as he dozes against Marvin. With the both of them lying side by side on the couch, it’s a tight fit, but Marvin doesn’t dare move. Having Whizzer in his arms like this is, as his son would say, the miracle of Judaism.

He’s just drifting off to sleep as well, when he feels Whizzer jerk up, almost knocking him off the couch in the process. In the faint gleam, he can see the taller man frowning and blinking away the sleepiness from his eyes rapidly.

“We need to talk,” Whizzer says, voice still hoarse.

“It’s one in the morning, babe,” Marvin points out, running a hand through his hair. Although he knows that they do have to talk, he also knows that it is much too late to do any real talking. “We’re just going to end up hating each other, if we talk now.”

Whizzer is silent, eyes narrowing, before softening. “Yeah,” he breathes. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. I just.” He pauses, playing with Marvin’s fingers. “I don’t want to go to bed angry. We did that too often before.”

Marvin nods. “I agree,” he responds, intertwining his fingers with Whizzer’s bandaged ones. “I’m not angry. Are you?”

“No.”

“So, we’re good?”

“We fought this morning,” Whizzer reminds him. “You work too much.”

Ah, so that’s what that argument had been about, Marvin thinks. “You’re right,” he concedes a moment’s silence. “Let’s talk tomorrow about how we can fix that, yeah?”

Whizzer looks at Marvin, and Marvin stares back.

Three years ago, Marvin would have sneered at Whizzer that he was the one making the most money, so that Whizzer could afford all of his designer shirts and jackets. Three years ago, Marvin would have snarled Whizzer that his opinion didn’t matter, that if he wanted a say, he could start raking in some cash, instead of bouncing from bar to bar and living in other people’s apartments. But the Marvin three years ago has matured to be the man he is today, for the most part. In exchange, he gets Whizzer, who has also matured in the past three years and brings his opinions to the table, so they can talk through them and make compromises without judgement from either side, who doesn’t relieve his stress by sleeping with random men, who is making it work with Marvin (and Marvin with him).

“Promise we’ll talk tomorrow?” Whizzer finally asks, raising a wrapped pinky finger.

Marvin sighs, exasperated at the childish gesture, but nevertheless hooks his own pinky finger with Whizzer’s. “We can get together on my lunch to talk, okay?”

Whizzer nods, placated, and yawns. “Okay, let’s go to bed. I have a shoot early in the morning.”

“By the way,” Marvin begins, getting ready to rise from the couch, feeling the exhaustion from the day pulling on his eyelids. “Why are there Superman bandaids all over your fingers?”

“Oh, yeah,” Whizzer says, ignoring the question. “I have something for you,” He pulls away from Marvin and rolls over him, pushing the smaller man back down, as he stands. “Wait right here.”

He disappears into the kitchen, leaving Marvin alone. “I want an answer when you come back,” he calls out, shifting his gaze to watch the muted Full House episode playing on the television. He wraps the comforter Whizzer had abandoned around his shoulders and sits up against the cushions. He’s just gotten comfortable again when Whizzer comes back, holding something in his hands. Marvin cocks his head to the side, but opens his arms for the taller man to sink into his side, which he does and the object becomes clearer. “Hey, that’s my -”

“Your mug,” Whizzer finishes. “I glued it back together. I don’t think you can still use it, but hey, now it’s a piece of modern art.”

Marvin takes the mug into his hands, inspecting it. It’s quite simple, actually, a mint green color which a single, pastel pink colored heart in the middle. However, it’s his favorite for a reason. On the handle, the letters W + M are engraved. Whizzer had made him the mug a few weeks before they had broken up three years ago. To say that he had been devastated when, in a fit of rage, Whizzer had swiped his hand across the counter and knocked it to the floor, would be an understatement. He spent the entire commute to his law firm swallowing a lump in his throat. He’d always been the kind to get too attached to things (his previous marriage is a great example). “Whizz,” he murmurs, thumbing the engravement.

“I know how much you liked this stupid mug, and I felt bad about breaking it.” Whizzer tangles their legs together. “I’m sorry.”

“You have nothing to be sorry about,” Marvin responds almost automatically. “Except, maybe calling my mug stupid. It was an accident.”

Whizzer snorts, resting his head on Marvin’s shoulder. “It’s a stupid mug that I made years ago for like twenty dollars. You’re just sentimental, but I am still sorry.”

Marvin doesn’t respond, instead pressing a kiss into Whizzer’s hair. “Thank you,” he says softly. “I really appreciate it.”

Whizzer is silent for a moment, before tilting his head up and placing a quick peck on Marvin’s lips, his eyes shining playfully in the television light. “Yeah, yeah, nerd. I love you too.”

“I didn’t say that,” Marvin responds, quirking an eyebrow at him.

Whizzer grins crookedly, genuine and mischievous. “I know, but you were thinking it.”

Marvin surges forward, pulling Whizzer towards himself to kiss the taller man more deeply, preening over the way Whizzer chases after he pulls away. “That I was,” he murmurs, leaning his forehead against Whizzer’s. “For now and forever.”

[bike42]

IAT 6/22 thru 6/26/2021

Seems like a quick turnaround as I accompanied Lynn and Kent earlier this month to make up the two days they’d missed.

We were scheduled to meet Tuesday morning at 9am at the car drop site, but because of an easy drive and long daylight, most of us arrived at 8:30am, even with a coffee stop. We redirected Dan and Tam to meet us at the start.

We continued walking the County Highway Y Connecting Route (CR) that we’d started last time. These next 100+ miles are mostly CR with a few trail segments scattered in. It’s all part of the deal, but it can be a grind.

We’d planned today so we’d walk about 10ish miles, get to the cars, then drive 3 miles to a lunch stop. We set off fast, and it was great to turn off Hwy Y onto lesser traveled country roads. We had abundant sunshine and cooler temperatures - just in the sixties, so a perfect summer day!

 It took us just over 3 hours to knock off the eleven miles. A grueling pace, but we always start off fast when we’re back together again, and there was also motivation to just “get er done” and get to lunch!

Dan had researched and found “Jen and Tonics” in a little village called Franzen on Hwy 49 - and it did not disappoint! It was a classic Wisconsin Northwoods bar with a small grill and French fry machine.  We were greeted by Jen’s mom, who got us drinks but then had to leave to go to a doctor’s appointment, leaving just Jen to tend bar and cook. About a dozen regulars came and went during our time there, and she was also preparing “to go” orders. She was busy, but not stressed or rushed. She kept up a fun banter with the regulars, telling one guy “shut up and give me your money!” She was all businesslike when taking our orders, yet even though she had an extensive menu, special orders from our vegetarian seemed to throw her for a loop! Most of us had bacon cheeseburgers and they were awesome. Unfortunately, Jen was too busy for us to ask about the “Tonic” portion of the bar’s name (we wondered if that was a partner, or just a clever play on words?).

After lunch, we went back to pick up the two vehicles from the start and drop them seven miles down the road at the Lions Camp. Our after-lunch pace was a bit slower, but the perfect day continued. We arrived back at Lions camp about 5 pm - 18.5 miles for the day and thoroughly exhausted!

Gary decided to “commute” from home for this trip - his wife Rose had a fairly major surgery two weeks ago. So, he headed home and the six of us piled into Kent’s SUV for a shuttle back to our vehicles.

We’re staying 3 nights at “Country Mission Farm” which is an old farmstead near Mosinee owned by Regan and Ann Pourchot. Ann is Tam’s sister’s ex-husband’s sister. They hiked with us for the day last October, and we found them to be likeminded adventurous souls. Their “farm” is a bit out of the way, but it was worth the extra miles to see them, and experience the operation that they’ve established! They have a Christmas Tree farm, and have renovated an old farmhouse that is just down the road from their house. They rent out the “farm” through VRBO, and are really invested in providing a great relaxing country experience for their guests. They had chickens, guinea hens, a white domestic turkey named “Lola,” and juvenile goats named “Linus and Lucy.”  They’re even working on creating a pond for swimming / paddling!

Tam and Dan made a great dinner of salad, BLTs and grilled cheese appetizers. It was nice to have Ann and Regan join us for dinner, but we missed Gary. Regan and his sons did the Northern Tier bike ride with his sons in 2011, so it was fun to rehash some of those stories.

 Wednesday morning, I awoke in time to do a little yoga session on the porch before others were awake.  We fell into our easy breakfast routine and were out the door to meet Gary at our assigned meeting point, which was today’s end point (a sand and gravel plot on Highway 161 and Trout Creek Road).  We left Gary and Kent’s car there, and all 7 of us shuttled back to the Lion’s Camp in the Knickmeier’s vehicle.  

We set off about 8:45am, roughly 5 miles of CR, 5 miles of trail, then another 5 of CR.  It was sunny, warm and humid.  Most of us agreed that we needed to take more breaks than we did yesterday, and that made the day easier on my body for sure!  The CR’s went over many small trout streams (Little Wolf River and Tomorrow River), and we found that the guard rails made great spots to sit, enjoy the river, and have a snack.

There were few cars on the small roads we were walking and we were grateful for that.  We started noticing the various types of waves we get from the drivers (and sometimes passengers) when we wave to the oncoming vehicles.  Sometimes, its just a cool nod of the head, sometimes just one finger, often all 4 fingers (like the thumb is holding the wheel), sometimes its an actual wave (hand off the steering wheel) and my favorite, was a peace sign.  All in all, the oncoming drivers were courteous and moved way over, or slowed way down when there was oncoming traffic.

Today’s segments were New Hope – Iola Ski Hill. We were so happy to be on the trail again – it felt so soft after 25 miles of pavement!!  The first piece of New Hope was short lived, then we were back on the road for about a half mile, then back on the trail, then a road detour around a piece that was reportedly flooded.  It was enough variety that it was enjoyable.

We entered the Iola Ski area and it was reminiscent of the several other cross-county ski areas we’d been through – lots of hills and trail intersections.  This one had some “trail art,” which honestly, I found it too creepy to photograph (stick people in various poses and “snakes” made out of drain tile with wooded forked tongues).  The part that made the Iola Ski Area unique was their 100+ year history as a ski club specifically for ski jumping!  We had lunch on a nice patio of the Iola Winter Sports Club, and looked at a few of the ski jumps at the base there, but we didn’t notice the massive jump until we were walking away from the area and looked back – it loomed over the trees!!

Also noteworthy was we hit the official 500-mile marker of the IAT (west to east)!  We made up words to “500 miles” and sang that for a while, but didn’t record it.

We went up and over a huge ridge, and over a few more trout streams, but the rest of the road walk was quick and we were motivated to power through.  The guys were up ahead, and the ladies lagged behind.  We saw a few deer, chatted with a guy mowing the parking for the trout stream and were greeted by a lady enjoying the solitude of the day from her porch.  We wrapped up and were back at the farm by 4pm.

Another great dinner as Kent and Lynn brought pulled pork and potatoes (their specialty, which is funny due to Lynn being a vegetarian), served with a great salad and chocolate for dessert.  Regan joined us for dinner, and shared plans to renovate the old barn into an event center – they sure are creative people!

After dinner I went outside and sat near the chicken coop to see if I could get Lola to approach me and let me pet her.  Just as Ann said, she walked over and leaned into me.  I never thought I’d be petting a turkey in my life!  Up close, she was really interesting.  She had this rope like thing hanging on her check (Ann said that’s a beard!?), and the colors and textures on her head were really beautiful. Up close, her beak and the size of her talons were a little frightening to me, but she leaned into me and closed her eyes and sort of purred.

I went into Linus and Lucy’s pen – they have a smart double door entrance via the barn so they don’t get out!  They’ve been socialized so well and are so sweet to be around – watching them play just made me so happy.  Beautiful night on the farm.

Thursday morning, a thunderstorm came through while we were having breakfast - the perfect time for rain to come! We headed out at 7:30 AM in just a light rain.  I wasn’t paying attention to the driver and we took a little detour through downtown Stevens Point, but we still made it to the rendezvous point with Gary just after 8:30 AM. We dropped two cars at the finish and Dan drove the seven of us to the start. It wasn’t raining, so we had the quandary of rain gear versus no rain gear; most of us went without. We headed up the highway and of course then the rain started so we scrambled for ponchos, rain gear and umbrellas. The rain was light and only lasted a few minutes but it made things very humid and layers were coming off as we hit the two-mile point.  We seemed to be lacking the nice breeze we’d had the previous days, but we were primarily walking on marvelous small roads winding through wooded areas.

The connecting road continued through farm area and woodlands and when it was open, we were relieved to find a breeze. Some fields were alfalfa but most were corn and beans. Despite the drought the fields looked really healthy but we also noticed that nearly every field had an irrigation system installed, and it was interesting looking at the various models of those close up.

We climbed a few hills and went past an area of cottage area around Rollofson Lake, which seemed odd after all the farms. About 5 miles in we stopped along Peterson creek one of many trout fishing creeks that we’ve crossed over the past few days. We sat on the bridge and ate our lunch and then we continued walking. The group was tired and we splintered off into pairs however Gary continued to walk ahead at a really fast pace like he always does.

We went through some really awesome beautiful wooded areas and then again came out to some farmland. We were surprised to see a dam or Peterson Creek which made a little pond right on the farm - seemed very unusual (established prior to the DNR I’m guessing!). The cows were gathered under trees seeking shade, probably knowing that it’s going to rain again. One cow stood up and did a perfect down dog which he held for a few breaths and then proceeded to do the yoga pose “cat.” I waited for her to do the cow pose but she didn’t do it.

We turned onto a busier road and Jeff and I were in the back we were surprised to see a dog come out from behind a barn barking at us and running onto the road. It was the closest a dog has come to us on the whole trail and we were a little bit frightened by it. Jeff continued to yell at the dog to go home and his deepest voice, while I reached for the mace spray in his backpack. We were all glad we didn’t have to use the mace.

About 10 miles and we finally got to the trail portion of today’s hike. Before going into the woods, we sat on the road and had another snack and the guys had a nap. It was awesome to get back into the woods although it was hot and humid with no breeze. The soil was sandy and soft to walk on. It felt so good after 10 miles of walking on the road. The spring flowers were done, and other things were just beginning to bloom. Most impressive were the ferns!

We were on the skunk and foster Lakes and Segment which actually went through past several lakes:  Skunk, Mud, Foster and Grenlie Lakes. It was a roundabout segment and soon we were back out on a little bit of CR until we entered the forest again and the Ice Age trails Farmington drumlins section. I don’t know if we saw any drumlins there but I do know we saw a massive ant hills bigger than some of the erratic rocks!

The segment skirted several farm fields but it was still better than walking on the road. Much of the second half of that segment was walking over an area that had been logged years ago but still left with a lot of scrap which was just starting to grow over and be a little bit less ugly.

I retired my old “transition” sunglasses that had been my adventure staple for the past 15 years. They got to the point where they would no longer get dark in the sun and they also had a broken piece that I would hold together with a croakie. I bought a new pair of glasses have good dark UV blocking lenses without the progressive gradients (bi and tri focals that my 60-year-old eyes need for every day functioning). I left them back in the cabin today because I thought they would be too dark for the grey day. So, I was wearing my glasses with transition and progressive lenses today.  They work fine on the road and are great when I’m reading the map or my phone, but the bi/tri-focal lenses are a little challenging for on the trail - walk you have to learn to hold your head just right or you stumble over the roots and rocks, so consequently I slowed my pace, which allowed me to absorb the beauty around me anyway!

One of the coolest parts about being in the woods alone is the sound of the birds.  I can’t identify what kind they are, but the variety of songs and calls is so soothing.  On this segment though, we were getting close to Highway 10, which made for a constant din of highway noise. Not only that, but a train track runs parallel to Highway 10 and seemed to have a lot of activity given the noise of the train whistle. You lose some of the “middle of nowhere” mojo with that kind of sound.

We walked along the edge of a farm, and past a lot of unique deer hunting shacks before we were out on the road again.  We passed a large dairy farm where the cows were in their stanchions, but one was standing on her back legs, very interested it us – it looked so funny.   We crossed the railroad track and also ran across the very busy and fast four-lane Highway 10, which is the major thorough fare between Stevens point and Appleton. Once safely across the highway, we entered the Waupaca River segment where we climbed a steep hill and found an awesome old cabin where hikers could spend the night. About another mile down wonderful packed sand trail we came along the Walpaca River and shortly after that the side trail the parking lot.  It dawned on me that one thing this group hasn’t yet done is swim in the middle of the day – that would have been a perfect spot, but our group is pretty mission focused and I’m glad just to get regular breaks – a swimming break might have pushed it too far, but it was hot and humid and that river looked like paradise.

Back to the farm, we showered relaxed and put together enough leftovers to make another awesome dinner. As we were cleaning up after dinner, Tam and I noticed that the sky to the south had turned a spectacular orange color. We went outside and watched the clouds move with spectacular pink purple orange colors.  The weather radar showed a storm traveling through a band from Stevens point to Waupaca, so it cut just south of us. Beautiful night and Reagan had already put all the animals to bed.  We went back in and Jeff and I, and Tam and Dan had a little dance party in the kitchen, practicing the West Coast Swing that we’re working on in our Friday night dance classes.  Ann came by and we chatted a bit and said our goodbyes to her. We talked about playing a game but honestly no one had the energy for it. We made a plan for tomorrow’s route and everyone drifted off to read their books and go to bed.

Friday morning, I was up at 6 AM hoping to get a little yoga in before the routine of the morning. While it felt great to stretch, by the time we were hiking at 9 AM I was still really stiff.

 Helen Reagan’s place is 40 minutes from where we’re hiking now and they had another reservation for the weekend so we packed up this morning and will stay one night at the Ramada inn in Waupaca for the segment. We had breakfast and we’re packed up and leaving the farm, with a final goodbye to Linus and Lucy before 7:30 AM. By 8:15 AM.  Lola and the chickens were still cooped up in the hen house (Regan said if they get them out too early, they still have a chance of being lost to foxes and owls).   We rendezvoused with Gary at the spot where we’ll end today. We left two cars there and then drove to the start. I had a Google maps breakdown and accidently lead us to our halfway point, so we had a longer drive than expected but got to see some of the route. Just before 9am we arrived back at the Waupaca River segment and hiked the final half mile of that before punching back out to the road for an easy CR hike to the next segment.

It was about 65° when we started, but very humid it was also a little foggy.  We were glad for the cloud cover and hoped that our breeze was going to pick up again today. We walked about 2 miles on the road and then turned into a really cool strip between two farm fields that were parallel to Highway 54.  What a relief it was to us to not have to walk on Highway 54 and to be able enjoy the farm fields from that little vantage point of the strip of land. It looked like tobacco growing on one side, and a variety of vegetables for a nearby “farm market” on the other side.   There were raspberry bushes, as we’d seen along the trail for the past few days, but these had some ripe berries and I grabbed a few as I walked along – yum.

We turned right and then crossed Highway 54 and there we found a detour sign saying the trail was closed because of water up ahead.  We’d seen the “high water” alert on the Guthook app but we didn’t really understand that the trail was going to be closed. Disappointed, we turned and walked up Highway 54 which was kind of nasty and had to do a detour around that piece of the Hartman Creek segment.  It was an unexpected 2.5-mile road walk, which also added mileage to the end of the day as we still had to hike to where we’d left the cars.  Moods were down, but Lynn and I dragged back and got lost in conversation which always makes the grind bearable.   We had a snack and restarted the Hartman Creek Segment.  While it goes through Hartman Creek State Park, we saw little of the park facilities, and didn’t see a creek! The segment ended up being through beautiful pines with an occasional oak tree, with a sandy but not too soft trail which was just a blessing on our feet.  While it was humid, it didn’t feel too hot – the shade from the trees was just right, the air felt like it had so much oxygen and the singing of the birds - once again we were walking in paradise.

About 10 miles in, we stopped at what was a “P” on the map, but was actually just a gravel forest road.  We spread out and had lunch / naps there.  Jeff and Dan propped themselves up against the bank, in what we later discovered was probably a tick hangout (they’re both tick magnets anyway).

We travelled through the Emmons Creek segment as a dispersed, quiet, tired bunch.  It continued to be beautiful primarily pine forest, with occasional openings to oak savannahs and prairies with flowers just starting to emerge.  After that, we still had three more miles to slog along the CR.  I changed into my walking shoes and stashed my sandy low hikers in my pack – that gave me a fresh feeling in my lower extremities and Tam and I powered through the last three miles, talking about books we’re reading, the time went quickly. Gary, of course, finished up first, changed into dry clean clothes, and drove back to check on us and offered to carry our packs to the finish.  We all encouraged him to leave, but he wouldn’t do that until we all arrived at the finish. Its just the kind of guy he is.

Gary left for home, we piled into Kent’s car and he shuttled us back to the start.  Then a quick 10-minute drive to the Ramada Inn in Waupaca, where we were glad to grab showers, pick a few more ticks off our packs, get a cold beer from the cooler and relax.  

We gathered at 6pm and headed to what we’d heard was the best gathering spot for dinner – Clearwater Harbor on the Waupaca chain of lakes.  We got a great table on the deck, overlooking the docked pontoon boats and watching the bar crowd.  We had a good meal, and hung around for the entertainment to start at 8pm, Brad, a one-man show.  Brad was a great cover artist and we had a nice exchange going with him from our table next to the stage.  We also had a view of the TV and watched the Brewers win in extra innings, and the Bucks get off to a great lead in their playoff game.  We could have stayed all night, with the great music and people watching, but we left about 9pm, the practical thing to do.

The forecast called for 90% chance of rain all day Saturday, so it wasn’t a disappointment to wake up to a rainy day - the kind of day where it is just going to rain all day.

The Ramada had a breakfast, but we had our bananas, Greek Gods yogurt and homemade granola so we ate that in our room while we watched the local news. The news was out of Green Bay, which was surprising, and I didn’t expect that until we got to the end of the IAT. But it must be closer than Wausau, the next biggest media market.

The hotel coffee was awful, so I took to Google to find a coffee shop in Waupaca, and found a Dunkin’ Donuts a quarter mile away … otherwise it was going to be Cafe Karuba at Kwik Trip! I took a load down to our car and did my coffee run (drive) in a steady rain. Jeff was waiting in the portico with the rest of our stuff when I returned, and our fellow adventurers were there loading their cars as well.

We drove down Highway 22 through Wild Rose and scoped out a few spots there to come back to for lunch, and met Gary at what would be the start to the Deerfield segment. The rain remained steady and we caravanned two vehicles to our starting point at County Highway AA and 15th Avenue.

We donned various rain costumes and settled in for a hike in the rain. It was a fairly steady rain, and around 70 degrees, so I struggle with being too hot which can be worse to me than being damp! I had on my low hikers and added my low gaiters (which I’d normally not wear on CR), hoping they’d keep my feet dry (they didn’t). I wore my backpacking poncho which isn’t completely waterproof, but good enough. With that and my pack cover, my pack stayed dry. I also carried an umbrella that’s normally in my car; I’d only use an umbrella on CR as I always use hiking poles on the trail, but rarely on the road. Also, on the trail, an umbrella gets hung up on trees. But with 11 miles of CR today, it was great to be able to use it. Jeff started out in rain jacket and rain pants, but got too hot with the pants so they had to come off! He was also using an umbrella, but without a poncho to deflect the water, he had water pooling inside his pack cover, which dripped down to his shorts then! However, he was the only person with dry feet at the end of the hike so he had that going for himself!

We walked about 4 hours to do the 11-mile CR. It was the longest I’d ever hiked without taking a break or having a snack, but they were buried too far in my pack under too many layers of rain protection – and it never really stopped raining, it’d just rain heavier at times.  Traffic was ok, and we walked a lot along wooded roads – some with lots for sale, but I didn’t see an attraction to the lots unless you want to live like a hermit in the woods.

My feet were wet, but it was a cushy kind of wet, not a blister forming wet.  Of course then, Jeff came up with the “walking home in soggy old shoes” line from Jim Croce’s “Workin’ at the Car Wash Blues.”  We worked hard to come up with other lines from that song, and we came up with some, but couldn’t get the melody.  As we’ve done with other adventures, we can come up with lines to other songs on his “Greatest Hits” album, but we only have the tune to “Bad, Bad Leroy Brown,” when we are not singing along to the actual songs with Jim.  It sure kept our minds occupied as we were slogging along (in soggy boots).

Our plan was to hike the 11 CR, drive back to Wild Rose for lunch, then hike the 3.7-mile Deerfield segment. With a high misery factor (7 on my scale), the group voted to bag it for the day. We shuttled back to get the vehicles at the start, then on to Wild Rose for lunch. I’d looked at the Pioneer Pub online and thought that looked great. However, when we got to town, that looked super busy. No waiting at the Chatterbox, but perhaps there was a reason for that? We were the only patrons in there, which should be a bad sign that one should pay attention to.  The only staff person, RC, tried hard, but he had a creep factor that I couldn’t see beyond.  We’d already ordered by the time I saw the state of the bathroom and part of the kitchen. Even though we were warm and dry, my misery factor remained high and I mainly just ate my French fries as my sandwich was horrible.

It was just over an hour back home from there. We detoured to the Dairy Queen in Wautoma on our way home (made up for the yucky lunch).  

All in all, it was a great five day stretch on the IAT. We hiked over 74 miles in 5 days, and the long days pushed us mentally and physically.  While we aren’t able to train for the altitude that we’ll encounter hiking Kilimanjaro in September, the mental toughness we’re developing on days like today is what will make us successful!

[trumpsupportersunited]

HAPPPPPPY SATURDAY, CENTIPEDES!Welcome to your Presidentially dank Afternoon Recap thread! This is your girl u/IvaginaryFriend back at it again with a weeks worth of spice for you lovely Deplorables! (◠‿◠✿)Let's get on with the show!Sunday, December 17th:TODAY'S ACTION:Readout of President Donald J. Trump’s Call with President Vladimir Putin🔥🔥TRUMP TWEETS🔥🔥:As a candidate, I promised we would pass a massive TAX CUT for the everyday working American families who are the backbone and the heartbeat of our country. Now, we are just days away...Wonderful weekend at Camp David. A very special place. A lot of very important work done. Heading back to the @WhiteHouse now.More than a century after conquering flight, the #WrightBrothers continue to motivate & inspire Americans, who never tire of exploration & innovation. This GREAT AMERICAN SPIRIT can be found in the design of every new supersonic jet and next generation: http://45.wh.gov/WrightBrothersSIGNIFICANT TWEETS AND NEWS:Get Back to Work, Swedes! The Migrants Aren't Going to Pay For Themselves!Oh boo hoo, owners of $750k+ mansions in California are going to need to pay more in taxes. I thought the democrats wanted to #TaxTheRich?Four government critics found dead in Sweden. Everyone of them has had a heart attack. Everyone of them is less than 35. One of them was a journalist who was found dead the day before he was to release an in depth report about a journalist and his connection with ANTIFA and the Bilderberg group.Merry Christmas Deep State (Banned By Youtube last time!)🐸 TOP SPICE OF THE DAY 🐸:When you copy homework from your friend and change only a couple words...."He posts on T_D, guys!"I can hear the reeeeeeeeOffended a few coworkers tonightMonday, December 18th:TODAY'S ACTION:President Donald J. Trump Announces a National Security Strategy to Advance America’s InterestsA New National Security Strategy for a New EraRemarks by the Vice President Introducing the President for Remarks on the Administration’s National Security StrategyRemarks by President Trump on the Administration’s National Security StrategyText of a Letter from the President to the Congress of the United StatesPresident Donald J. Trump Announces Intent to Appoint Caren Harp to the Department of Justice🔥🔥TRUMP TWEETS🔥🔥:Remember, Republicans are 5-0 in Congressional Races this year. The media refuses to mention this. I said Gillespie and Moore would lose (for very different reasons), and they did. I also predicted “I” would win. Republicans will do well in 2018, very well! @foxandfriendsIvanka Trump will be interviewed on @foxandfriends.The train accident that just occurred in DuPont, WA shows more than ever why our soon to be submitted infrastructure plan must be approved quickly. Seven trillion dollars spent in the Middle East while our roads, bridges, tunnels, railways (and more) crumble! Not for long!My thoughts and prayers are with everyone involved in the train accident in DuPont, Washington. Thank you to all of our wonderful First Responders who are on the scene. We are currently monitoring here at the White House.Our deepest sympathies and most heartfelt prayers are with the victims of the train derailment in Washington State. We are closely monitoring the situation and coordinating with local authorities...Over the past 11 months, I have travelled tens of thousands of miles, to visit 13 countries. I have met with more than 100 world leaders and everywhere I traveled, it was my highest privilege and greatest honor to represent the AMERICAN PEOPLE!When the American People speak, ALL OF US should listen. Just over one year ago, you spoke loud and clear. On November 8, 2016, you voted to MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!As the world watches, we are days away from passing HISTORIC TAX CUTS for American families and businesses. It will be the BIGGEST TAX CUT and TAX REFORM in the HISTORY of our country!So True Ivanka!Thank You Maria B!70 Record Closes for the Dow so far this year! We have NEVER had 70 Dow Records in a one year period. Wow!With the strategy that I announced today, we are declaring that AMERICA is in the game and AMERICA is DETERMINED to WIN!Together, our task is to strengthen our families, to build up our communities, to serve our citizens, and to celebrate AMERICAN GREATNESS as a shining example to the world....SIGNIFICANT TWEETS AND NEWS:COLLUSION FOUND: Obama Admin Colluded With Iran and HezbollahLinda Sarsour Accused Of Enabling Sexual Assault Against Woman Who Worked For HerCOLLINS IS A YES. WE HAVE THE VOTES TO PASS MAJOR TAX CUTS. NOT TIRED OF WINNING! Take a look at how much you'll saveAS WE PREDICTED!!!! - Franken urged to reverse his resignation The demands from Democrats that he step down were 'the most hypocritical thing I’ve ever seen done to a human being,' Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) says.The Trump Curse strikes again! ESPN CEO John Skipper resigns due to substance abuse!ESPN President*🐸 TOP SPICE OF THE DAY 🐸:Russia Hacked SW8This should be common sense. Should.Liberalism is a mental disorderEvil Chick-Fil-A with its Christian "baggage" steps up to feed the people stranded at the Atlanta airport. On Sunday. When they're officially closed.Tuesday, December 19th:TODAY'S ACTION:Press Briefing on the Attribution of the WannaCry Malware Attack to North KoreaReadout of President Donald J. Trump’s Call with of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev of UzbekistanReadout of President Donald J. Trump’s Call with Prime Minister Theresa May of the United KingdomFour Nominations Sent to the Senate TodayPresident Donald J. Trump’s First Year of Foreign Policy Accomplishments🔥🔥TRUMP TWEETS🔥🔥:DOW RISES 5000 POINTS ON THE YEAR FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER - MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!Stocks and the economy have a long way to go after the Tax Cut Bill is totally understood and appreciated in scope and size. Immediate expensing will have a big impact. Biggest Tax Cuts and Reform EVER passed. Enjoy, and create many beautiful JOBS!A story in the @washingtonpost that I was close to “rescinding” the nomination of Justice Gorsuch prior to confirmation is FAKE NEWS. I never even wavered and am very proud of him and the job he is doing as a Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. The unnamed sources don’t exist!Congratulations to Paul Ryan, Kevin McCarthy, Kevin Brady, Steve Scalise, Cathy McMorris Rodgers and all great House Republicans who voted in favor of cutting your taxes!The United States Senate just passed the biggest in history Tax Cut and Reform Bill. Terrible Individual Mandate (ObamaCare)Repealed. Goes to the House tomorrow morning for final vote. If approved, there will be a News Conference at The White House at approximately 1:00 P.M.SIGNIFICANT TWEETS AND NEWS:Let this sink in, Mueller confiscated every single Trump transition email without a subpoena. Hillary Bleach Bit her 30,000 emails, from an illegal server, that were under subpoena and it was dismissed as "careless."Harvard poll found only 1 in 3 Americans approve of the tax bill but when asked their opinion on specific parts of it they overwhelmingly approve of nearly all of it (pg. 53/54)FACEBOOK SUSPENDS USER FOR CALLING FOR “SENSIBLE MIGRATION POLICIES”: 7 day ban for user as social media censorship scales new heights!#1 It seems like some People here NEED to be reminded: THE MEDIA IS OUR ENEMY! ALWAYS BUILD YOUR OWN OPINION! TRUST NO-ONE!Actor Who Was Arrested for Assaulting Trump Supporter, Now Investigated for Violent Sexual AssaultPRESS BRIEFINGS, INTERVIEWS, RALLIES:Press Beating🐸 TOP SPICE OF THE DAY 🐸:Twitter Censorship at its finestA year later and this monster isn’t banned and is still verifiedWowWhat America First Means. Updated. Made child the world.Totally Different Scenarios!Wednesday, December 20th:TODAY'S ACTION:Statement from President Donald J. Trump Regarding Final Passage of Tax LegislationRemarks by President Donald Trump, Vice President Mike Pence, and Members of the CabinetCabinet Meeting Marks Tremendous Year of ProgressThe Tax Cuts Act Follows through on President Donald J. Trump’s Promise of Middle Class Tax CutsPresident Donald J. Trump Signs S. 1266 into LawReadout of President Donald J. Trump’s Call with King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud of Saudi ArabiaPresidential Executive Order on a Federal Strategy to Ensure Secure and Reliable Supplies of Critical MineralsPresident Donald J. Trump Announces Ninth Wave of Judicial Nominees and Tenth Wave of United States Attorney NomineesRemarks by President Donald Trump, Vice President Mike Pence, and Members of Congress at Bill Passage EventPresident Trump Commutes Sentence of Sholom RubashkinEight Nominations Sent to the Senate TodayPresident Donald J. Trump Announces Intent to Appoint Personnel to Key Administration Posts🔥🔥TRUMP TWEETS🔥🔥:The Tax Cuts are so large and so meaningful, and yet the Fake News is working overtime to follow the lead of their friends, the defeated Dems, and only demean. This is truly a case where the results will speak for themselves, starting very soon. Jobs, Jobs, Jobs!I would like to congratulate @SenateMajLdr on having done a fantastic job both strategically & politically on the passing in the Senate of the MASSIVE TAX CUT & Reform Bill. I could have not asked for a better or more talented partner. Our team will go onto many more VICTORIES!Together, we are MAKING AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!We are delivering HISTORIC TAX RELIEF for the American people!WE ARE MAKING AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!SIGNIFICANT TWEETS AND NEWS:President Trump Delivers Remarks at a Bill Passage EventIT’S HAPPENING!!! #Boeing announces $300M employee-related and charitable investment as a result of #TaxReform legislation to support our heroes, our homes and our future.Let's have a moment of silence for the 200,000 U.S. AT&T employees killed by the $1,000 bonus given to because of tax reformFifth Third Bancorp will pay more than 13,500 employees a bonus and raise the minimum wage for its workforce to $15 after the passage of the GOP tax plan that will cut the bank's corporate tax rate.Wells Fargo raises hourly minimum wage to $15, also to donate $400 million in 2018!COMCAST joins the party - Announces $1,000 bonus for employees and invest $50 billion in U.S. marketAl Franken confirms he will leave the Senate in January 2, 2018DEMS BTFO. Judge throws out Dem win by 1 vote in Va., rules that race was a pure tie. Re-vote expected. No fucking around; we have to go out and vote in this one.Tuesday’s seven-hour interrogation of Deputy FBI Director Andrew McCabe contained numerous conflicts with the testimony of previous witnesses, prompting the Republican majority staff of the House Intelligence Committee to decide to issue fresh subpoenas next week on DOJ and FBI personnel.Rosie O'Donnell just attempted to bribe two senators. Could face up to 15 years in prison!🐸 TOP SPICE OF THE DAY 🐸:🎶 On the eighth day of Christmas The Donald gave to me, 8 anchors lyin', 7 years remainin', 6 dems a gropin', 5 pepe memes, 3 fat koi, 2 icecream scoops, and no pardon for Hillary🎶Tax Cut Pepe!TFW ShareBlue won't give out $1,000 bonuses and still have to work overtime during Christmas and New Years day/pol/: It’s been a few hours since Trump’s Tax bill passed Congress and companies are already announcing $1,000 bonuses and pay increases for all employees as a result. Any Leftists at these companies who opposed this bill should turn down all extra money as a matter of principle.Thursday, December 21st:TODAY'S ACTION:President Donald J. Trump Approves Disaster Declaration for the Pueblo of AcomaPresident Donald J. Trump Approves Alaska Disaster DeclarationUnder President Donald J. Trump, Americans Are Getting Back To WorkExecutive Order Blocking the Property of Persons Involved in Serious Human Rights Abuse or CorruptionText of a Letter from the President to the Congress of the United StatesStatement by the Press Secretary on Saudi Arabia and YemenRemarks to the Troops by Vice President Pence in AfghanistanBackground Press Briefing on Year-End AccomplishmentsFour Nominations Sent to the Senate Today🔥🔥TRUMP TWEETS🔥🔥:The Massive Tax Cuts, which the Fake News Media is desperate to write badly about so as to please their Democrat bosses, will soon be kicking in and will speak for themselves. Companies are already making big payments to workers. Dems want to raise taxes, hate these big Cuts!Was @foxandfriends just named the most influential show in news? You deserve it - three great people! The many Fake News Hate Shows should study your formula for success!Home Sales hit BEST numbers in 10 years! MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAINHouse Democrats want a SHUTDOWN for the holidays in order to distract from the very popular, just passed, Tax Cuts. House Republicans, don’t let this happen. Pass the C.R. TODAY and keep our Government OPEN!THANK YOU to everyone who joined me at the @WhiteHouse yesterday. Together, we are MAKING AMERICA GREAT AGAIN! https://instagram.com/p/Bc-U59UAVws/SIGNIFICANT TWEETS AND NEWS:Oh, Rosie. Offering $2 million each to Susan Collins and Jeff Flake to change their votes on tax reform could result in criminal charges.Susan Rice - Could this be the high ranking Obama official Rand Paul was hinting at for investigation?“The US will move it’s embassy to Jerusalem, and no vote here at the UN will change that” Give it up to this firey MAGA woman for putting these people in their placePresident Trump Delivers a Statement Upon Departure: Heading to Walter Reed to spread some Christmas cheer to those who deserve it most! I LOVE THIS POTUS!🐸 TOP SPICE OF THE DAY 🐸:The US at the UN todayHappy Tax Cuts Day!A genius move by the UNKiss 2018 goodbye shitlibs. This man has saved America"If that f'ng bastard wins,we all hang from nooses." It's starting. . .Friday, December 22nd:TODAY'S ACTION:President Donald J. Trump Signs H.R. 1370 and H.R. 1 into LawRemarks by President Trump at Signing of H.R. 1, Tax Cuts and Jobs Bill Act, and H.R. 1370Executive Order on Adjustments of Certain Rates of PayPresident Donald J. Trump: Year One of Making America Great AgainPresidential Proclamation to Take Certain Actions under the African Growth and Opportunity Act and for Other PurposesText of a Letter from the President to the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President of the SenateText of a Letter from the President to the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President of the Senate🔥🔥TRUMP TWEETS🔥🔥:Our big and very popular Tax Cut and Reform Bill has taken on an unexpected new source of “love” - that is big companies and corporations showering their workers with bonuses. This is a phenomenon that nobody even thought of, and now it is the rage. Merry Christmas!So True!At some point, and for the good of the country, I predict we will start working with the Democrats in a Bipartisan fashion. Infrastructure would be a perfect place to start. After having foolishly spent $7 trillion in the Middle East, it is time to start rebuilding our country!“The President has accomplished some absolutely historic things during this past year.” Thank you Charlie Kirk of Turning Points USA. Sadly, the Fake Mainstream Media will NEVER talk about our accomplishments in their end of year reviews. We are compiling a long & beautiful list.With all my Administration has done on Legislative Approvals (broke Harry Truman’s Record), Regulation Cutting, Judicial Appointments, Building Military, VA, TAX CUTS & REFORM, Record Economy/Stock Market and so much more, I am sure great credit will be given by mainstream news?Will be signing the biggest ever Tax Cut and Reform Bill in 30 minutes in Oval Office. Will also be signing a much needed 4 billion dollar missile defense bill.95% of Americans will pay less or, at worst, the same amount of taxes (mostly far less). The Dems only want to raise your taxes!Congressman Ron DeSantis is a brilliant young leader, Yale and then Harvard Law, who would make a GREAT Governor of Florida. He loves our Country and is a true FIGHTER!The United Nations Security Council just voted 15-0 in favor of additional Sanctions on North Korea. The World wants Peace, not Death!Today, it was my great honor to sign the largest TAX CUTS and reform in the history of our country. Full remarks: http://45.wh.gov/TaxCutsRemember, the most hated part of ObamaCare is the Individual Mandate, which is being terminated under our just signed Tax Cut Bill.SIGNIFICANT TWEETS AND NEWS:Tucker Carlson Reveals Shocking New Gov't Statistic Democrats Don't Want You to HearToday I owned an entire sub...got gilded and upvoted to 1300 karma on a troll post. In the spirit of Christmas..this is my gift to my MAGA family."She Had Dreams Too" Kate Steinle Posters TRIGGERS Leftist Rage on Campus of UCSD🔴 ALERT: President Trump Signs Tax Cut Bill into LawPresident Trump presents the Purple Heart to one of our wounded heroes at Walter Reed Hospital.🐸 TOP SPICE OF THE DAY 🐸:W e r e a l l g o n n a d i eTHAT'S MY VICE PRESIDENT!James Woods: Nikki Haley has my vote for President in 2024WTF I HATE SUCCESSFUL, PATRIOTIC, AND INDEPENDENT BLACK MAN NOW?!Sarah Huckabee Sanders: "No Intentions of Firing Bob Mueller... WE LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING THIS HOAX WRAP UP VERY SOON!" ahahhhahaaha give 'em hell, Sarah!Saturday, December 23rd:SIGNIFICANT TWEETS AND NEWS:So Obama allowed Hezbollah to traffic narcotics in the USA to secure the Iran deal. But then there was also that time he gave $221 MILLION to Hamas hours before leaving office just because he could.SESSIONS ORDERS DOJ REVIEW OF OBAMA AND HEZBOLLAH FUCKERY!!Cenk Uygur, ‘Young Turks’ founder, apologizes for ‘insensitive and ignorant’ posts about women — Step down Cenk! Resign! Peachmints!Here I thought CNN couldn't set the bar any lower, they go and prove me wrong by publishing this article.🐸 TOP SPICE OF THE DAY 🐸:HAHAHA Tucker just made Fauxcahontas' fake Native American crab meat omelet recipe on the air. God bless him.UN's priorities are interestingJournalism these daysMy Favorite Picture of President Trumpaaand of course, what's a Christmas party without the proper Christmas tunes!?All I Want For Christmas Is YouSanta BabyThe Most Wonderful Time Of The YearMerry Christmas, Happy HolidaysI Saw Mommy Kissing Santa ClauseBaby It's Cold OutsideSimply Having A Wonderful Christmas TimeMERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!!!!! via /r/The_Donald

[thisdaynews]

ABIA STATE: Federal Roads in bad shape,The Reason why Contractors run-away....

New Post has been published on https://thebiafrastar.com/abia-state-federal-roads-in-bad-shapethe-reason-why-contractors-run-away/

ABIA STATE: Federal Roads in bad shape,The Reason why Contractors run-away....

Nkporo-Abriba-Ohafia Road project —Abandoned by Contractor

IT was about 12:46pm, midday Monday, February 4 on a sweltering afternoon when this reporter arrived the take-off point of the Nkporo-Abriba-Ohafia road project. The ride through a rough patchy stretch of road with a taxi was far from being adventurous.

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As the reporter looked at the faces of a few residents walking by, their facial expression of disappointments said it all.

Continuing the trip via the only bridge in Nkporo linking the community with other communities and nearby states like Enugu, Ebonyi and Cross River, one is faced with an almost impassable motorway depicting a collapse waiting to happen.

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Sadly, residents of this community have to make their way across this death trap each day of their lives.

Even students, who use the bridge every day to-and-from their schools, say the risk falling off the bridge because the handrails easily fall off at a light touch. In fact, motorists, who convey commuters and goods, lament attendant loss of lives in addition to damages incurred while navigating the bad roads with untold difficulty.

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And to say this road project with contract No: 6130, had been awarded to Dutum Construction Nigeria Limited since May 30, 2012 at the huge cost of N2,739,105,600.20 billion, raises a lot of questions. Its construction was to be completed, sealed and commissioned for commuters’ use in two years; that was by 2014.

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Seven years later, however, the road and bridge projects linger unfinished. Shockingly, contractors handling the projects were nowhere to be seen. When Ripples Nigeria visited the project sites, commuters and nearby residents bemoaned the sad reality that construction workers had since left the projects site and yet to return. Residents further expressed doubts if the contractors will ever return, given the way things are done in Nigeria as they shook their heads, waving their hands with resigned regrets.

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A bridge in the community has almost failed with bent hand rails as cars slowly navigate to avoid falling off. Photo by Patrick Egwu

 Taking the reporter further into the projects site, a tour guide disclosed that the residents are not happy because, not only did the contractors abandon the projects; the bit they did was also shoddy and substandard.

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On a bit-by-bit verification of the projects, it was clearly seen, despite the FG’s claim of ongoing works, that only a small portion of them were constructed and completed. It was also observed that these were works done years back, not in the recent times, as proved by the residents.

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Till the time of visit in February 2019, the Okwoko part of the road leading to the bridge and only local market in the community, where diverse traders engage in sundry transactions, remained largely untouched, let alone done. In the milieu, this reporter witnessed first-hand, the strain motorists and cyclists wade through in their bid to navigate the bumpy road.

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Speaking on their plights fueled by abandoned projects, a community resident, Kalu Akuma, said: “The road has made it difficult for our people to access other communities because equipment brought for the job by the contractors are fairly-used. Most times, they are not even working. Till present, compensations are yet to be paid to those whose houses, built along the road path, were demolished. It is for this and other reasons that we want the FG to hasten up and finish the road projects because that is very important to us.”

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Kalu Akuma, a resident of the community said the contractors handling the project abandoned the site for a long time until recently. Photo by Patrick Egwu

Also sighted by the road side are two stationed tractors nearly rickety, surrounded by grasses.

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Expressing his disappointment at the slow pace of works, Hon Amb. Arunsi Nwankwo Uka, the traditional ruler, said it was quite unexpected. His words: “What the FG told us at the inception was that the timeline of the project was two years. But up till now, not much has been done.”

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A shop owner along Okwoko road, added: “we wrote a petition to the federal ministry of works. They told us that the money released to them has not been fully utilized. So, I am highly disappointed with what we are seeing. They are supposed to complete this road to a certain level based on the money released to them. But if you go to that bridge, you will see how motorists struggle to pass through. It’s really a big challenge for us.”

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Umuahia-Bende-Ohafia Road —Rehabilitation ongoing

IN 2018, when Prosper Kalu sighted tractors’ movements in front of his residence, he dismissed it as the usual elections and votes-hungry politicians’ gimmick. Little did he know then that they were tractors to be used for the rehabilitation of the Umuahia-Bende-Ohafia road.

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Kalu noted that prior to the rehabilitation, the road was impassable. He added that if anyone visited during a rainy season, it was always very impossible to get any means of transportation as commercial transporters would decline plying the route. That’s to stress how bad the road was.

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Listed as the oldest project under investigation, the Umuahia-Bende-Ohafia Road was awarded on October 3, 2005 to Niger Construction Limited at N2, 093,033,385.88 billion. With contract No 5821, its rehabilitation had been previously stalled for about 15 years.

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Residents noted that it was the recent intervention in fixing bad spots with asphalt along most parts of the road linking it to Umuahia and Bende that gave some signs of rehabilitation. Yet, motorists and tricycles were seen as they struggle to dodge patched spots on the roads.

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On a drive from the state capital in Umuahia to Bende and Ohafia, pockets of craters and pot-holes remain, causing a nightmarish ride for road users. Stuck on a lonely patched road leading to Umuahia was a motorcyclist. He had a heavy load on his back seat, but looking at the bad road ahead, he disembarked and began to manually maneuver the motorbike to get to the other end of the terrible portion.

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Whilst a large portion of this road had been rehabilitated, some parts are yet to be attended to. Responding to an email enquiry sent to Niger Construction Limited, the Managing Director, Engr Elie Chedid, asked this reporter to provide his phone number so he could call. Minutes later, he called and said that the project in question was completed years back.

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He, however, said he has directed the Area Manager of the company to search for the project’s contract and make it available. About an hour later, he sent an email that they have lost the documents of the contract.

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“The project you are asking for is as old as 2005 (14 years old), so I am afraid to inform you that we have lost most of the documents related to the project. Moreover, the whole management team has been completely changed since that time, thus even story-telling may not be available,” part of the email read.

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A section of the rehabilitated Umuahia-Bende-Ohafia Road. Photo by Patrick Egwu

Arochukwu-Ohafia Road —Works ongoing at Bende

Sounds of heavy duty tractors bellowed as the ground shook at the level hilly grounds opposite the Army Barracks in Ohafia. Trucks toot their horns as danger’ signals as they drop off the contents on the project site.

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With a section of the road barricaded, on-coming vehicles are prevented from obstructing the construction works. This was complemented with the regular “Slow down, men at work” sign-posts.

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To show they meant serious business, workers, with their crested vests, were seen working on a construction yard few meters away from the project site. Also seen were some heavy duty tractors conveying granite and asphalt to the field at intervals.

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A few other field workers not yet too busy surrounded a nearby make-shift kiosk where a middle-aged woman sold food and drinks to them.

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Efforts to speak with the contractor-in-charge of the site was stalled as he was said not to be at the construction yard. However, a senior staff of the engineering company, Bilal Ahmed, head, mechanical section, gave assurances that the project will be completed before 2021, which is the agreed date for completion.

“The work is moving efficiently and we are going to end the work in Arochukwu which we normally call kilometer 00. As you can see, a lot of machines are on ground to make sure the work will be faster. Initially, we said the project will take up to four years to be completed. But from my personal observation, it cannot get to that point before we complete it,” Ahmed said.

He however, claimed not be competent to speak on the monies allocated or spent on the project.

At the Bende-Arochukwu-Ohafia Road, major construction works could be seen going on at the project sites. Water ways and drainages were being constructed at both ends of the road to allow for easy flow of water during the rainy season or in cases of flooding.

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A jointly awarded rehabilitation project in July 2018 to Hartland Nigeria Limited. Whilst N5,490,680,078.33 was budgeted for the Bende-Arochukwu-Ohafia Road, the sum of N199,475,325.00 was allotted for the Bende-Arochukwu-Ohafia Road Phase II. A section of Ohafia towards the beginning of the road leading to Arochukwu has been constructed. But works remain ongoing at another section of the road.

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A regular road user, Sunday Ogah, noted: “We are happy with the ongoing works. Before it’s a nightmare passing through here because of the bumps, but things are different now. The rehabilitation work is such a big relief for us.”

Motorists struggle to pass through the damaged section of the road. Photo by Patrick Egwu

Attempts to speak with the contractor handling the project on the status of the contract and monies released were not successful. The administrative manager at the construction yard who identified himself as Muritala, told this reporter to write to the ministry of works for approval. Knowing that this would take a longer process due to the bureaucratic bottlenecks, this reporter sought another way of getting a hold of the contractor. Using his contact at the yard, the phone number of the project manager, Hishan Yass, who doubles as the contractor, was obtained. During a telephone conversation, Mr Yass told this reporter to also write to the ministry to get approval before he can release the contract details and other such information.

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“We are not hiding anything. There is nothing to hide; but you have to either speak with our public relations officer or write to the ministry of works through the controller before I can give you any information,” Yass said at the other end of the telephone. When asked how much the company has received so far, he said “I’m sorry I can’t tell you anything.”

Works stopped at the Umuahia-Ariam-Ikot Ekpene Road

AT the failed section of the Umuahia-Ariam-Ikot Ekpene Road, motorists and cyclists hoot their horns as they jostle to drive past. Commuters inside one of the buses were audibly heard mumbling with impatience at motorists on the other end as they all bellowed on one another to clear the obstruction so they could navigate out of the commotion.

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No works were seen going on during the reporter’s visit to the site. By the road side, a heap of granite and sharp sand could be seen as motorists plying the road try to dodge it. Also, pot-holes and bumps spread across the road prevent easy and safe navigations of vehicles.

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But whilst majority of the road remain in a very bad shape and in need of very urgent intervention, the section leading to the Federal University of Agriculture, Umudike, remains passable for road users. Stones and gravels were also sighted used to fill up the bad spots, with pot-holes further compounding shuttling through the roads for motorists.

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Heap of gravel along the road by the construction company obstruct movement of vehicles. Photo by Patrick Egwu

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An elderly man who lives along the road, Pa Michael Udoka, lamented his agony to the reporter. He retorted: “I don’t care whether it is PDP or APC, all I want them to do is to come and fix this road. Every four years during elections, they will come and make promises to us and give us money to vote for them. But after the election, that is the end of the story. We continue facing our challenges by ourselves.”

While taking pictures and videos of the bad spots of the road which were filled up with stones, a commuter who was in a moving bus, sneaked through the window and shouted: “Please snap all the pictures and do the video recordings. Perhaps, that will compel them to come and fix our road for us.” About the same time, another commuter in the bus added: “I hope this is still not for campaigns?”

Other residents also informed the reporter that for the emergency repairs of the Umuahia-Ariam-Ikot Ekpene road failed sections, in February 2018, an amount of N156,469,825.05 was awarded to Desak Construction Company Nigeria Limited. Sadly, till date, nothing has been done on the road despite the fact that it connects to neighbouring states like Cross River for example.

Efforts to speak with the contractors or other officials of the company were unsuccessful as they had moved from the construction site. Information on their website did not give details on how they can be reached. A Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) registration search on the company reveals that it was incorporated on December 21, 2012 with the purpose to “carry on business of construction works and maintenance, plumbing works both conduit and surface plumbing materials, suppliers, electrical installations among others.”

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Partly done, Ahiaukwu-Amangwo-Umuahia Road still needs rehabilitation

Nine years ago, in December 2010, the road project for Ahiaukwu-Amangwo in Umuahia-Ngwa, was awarded to La Ann Engineering Nigeria Limited at the sum of N589,544, 3017.65. Then, it was meant to be completed in one year. Today, it still lingers.

The project remains partly done with only a few of the sections partly motorable while a larger part remains untouched.

At the time of the reporter’s visit, no signpost was seen to hint on its details, neither was there any indication of ongoing works, nor signals that constructions may likely start anytime soon.

A shop operator close to the failed section of the road, John Chike, bemoaned to the reporter that: “It is only in that area of the road project that one witnesses such a situation. If you move up a bit, you’ll see that it is fair enough. So, I really don’t know why they don’t want to come and finish the work.”

A man stands at an uncompleted section of the road. Photo by Patrick Egwu

As the reporter vividly experienced, while the road from Ahiaukwu is travelable, the Umuahia section remains in a very bad shape, begging for urgent repairs and intervention, as most parts of the road are pot-holed and washed up.

Along the busy impassable section of the road, road users especially tricycles and vehicles find it difficult to pass through the bumpy spots.

A CAC search on the company shows that it was incorporated on May 10, 2002 with the purpose of “carrying out business as traders and builders and contractors for construction works of any kind.”

At Enugu-PH Expressway, road works ongoing

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When the reporter arrived a section of the road leading to the popular Umuahia Tower by 7:30a.m on February 6, a group of construction workers were seen fixing their equipment and getting ready for the day’s task. About five heavy duty and pickup trucks were stationed along the busy road as regular cars and commercial buses drove by.

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After a few minutes, the reporter saw two of the tractors parked along the road leave for the construction site. They were then followed to their yard where he witnessed as they carried granite and sand.

Sighting the road beginning from Lokpanta leading to Okigwe, Umahia Tower and Aba; works could be seen currently ongoing up to where it connects with the Enugu-PH Dual Carriageway Sections 1 and 2.

The Section 1, with contract Number 6208, for the rehabilitation and reconstruction of Enugu-Port Harcourt dual carriageway all the way from Lokpanta to Umuahia Tower was awarded to Setraco Nigeria Limited for N39,548,900,597.79 billion, on August 21, 2018.

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As at the time of investigation in February 2019, the project had reached about 50 percent completion.

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At the site, tractors and heavy duty vehicles were seen parked along the road close to the Tower. Construction workers were also seen moving about the project site and handling different equipment while some were directing the tractor unloading granite and sand to the exact spot to unload.

The site’s project manager, Mohammed Yusuf, said workers are ready to ensure speedy completion of the ongoing works on the project. When asked of the timeline for completion, he directed the reporter to the Federal Controller of Works in the state.

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The situation is not different at the Section 2 of the road project. With Contract Number 6209, rehabilitation and reconstruction of Enugu-Port Harcourt dual carriageway which spans from Umuahia Tower to Aba Township Rail Road Bridge crossing at the cost of N50,892,770,722.04 billion which was awarded to Arab Contractors Nigeria Limited on August 21, 2018.

It was found to have been awarded on the same date with the Section 1 and has reached an appreciable level of completion.

When contacted for comments, the deputy project manager handling the project who gave his name as Hussein, said he was at the airport waiting for his flight to Egypt for his annual leave. He, however, gave the phone number of the project technical manager, Engr Ahmed who was acting in his place.

Engr Ahmed did not respond to several calls put across to his phone.

Olokoro-Isiala-Oboro-Nnono Junction – deserted

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Findings reveal that this is, perhaps, another abandoned road project. A drive along the road from Olokoro to Isiala to Oboro and Nnono showed no works going on at the site. There was also no project signpost to indicate the exact spot of the project.

It was a project awarded on December 21, 2010 to Bok Company Nigeria Limited at the sum of N515,315,493.00 with Contract Number 6091.

A failed section of the road with mud water logged in the middle. Photo by Patrick Egwu

 Till date, investigation reveals, it has not received its deserved attention as specified in the contract agreement. Except for a small section of the road, which was rehabilitated to a point in 2018, the reporter saw that a larger portion has been washed up by rainfall. However, most part of the road remains untouched, creating havoc for users.

When the residents living around the bad spots of the road were asked if they have seen works ongoing at the site, or movement of tractors and heavy duty vehicles as indication of construction activities, they responded in the negative.

In unison, they informed the reporter that they have not seen anything of road works in their vicinity. They also pointed out to the reporter if he could see any sign of life. But they all agreed that they want the government to help them build the road as lack of it is badly affecting their movements and businesses.

Olokoro-Ahiaukwu-Itaja-Obuohia-Ikwuano project abandoned

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The sight of the reporter’s camera nearly drew the ire of some young men and cyclists who were converged at a community square. Typical of a communal life, they were seen engrossed in some conversation while other passersby went about their daily routine.

As they saw the reporter attempting to snap pictures and do video recording of the spot where the road project stopped, a cutlass wielding young man came closer and demanded why he didn’t first seek their permission. The reporter introduced himself and despite that, the young chap insisted he should have sought permission “from the boys around”. He intoned: “If not, they will see you as working for somebody or your personal interest.” Thereafter, the reporter continued on his mission to the location.

Later, a community resident, James Emeaghara, informed the reporter that “since 2010 when the project was awarded, this is where they stopped their work (Pointing). And going down, you will see that because the bridge has not been completed and the road is very bad, we cannot connect the other community.”

On being awarded eight years ago since March 10, 2010, with contract Number 6063, to Rhas Nigeria Limited for N990,673,340.00 million, the construction of Olokoro-Ahiaukwu-Itaja-Okwu-Obuohia-Ikwuano Road, was expected to last five years.

It has, however, been abandoned while other sections worked on were poorly executed. Close observations also show that the initially completed sections are always crying for reconstruction as some parts have washed-out while flooding have damaged the waterway constructed along the road.

Prince Nweze, a cyclist who frequently plies the road conveying people to the neighbouring community said: “It’s been a long time they constructed the road but stopped at a point. It is incomplete, but the one they did was fine.”

Also, the bridge that links the area to other communities and states has remained uncompleted. Motorcyclists have to pass under the bridge to turn around to the drivable end of the road. When they turn around, they have to push their motorcycles up the hill before hopping on it to continue their journey.

Speaking on the situation, Site Manager, Rhas Nigeria, Moses Onyegbule, disclosed that main works on the project commenced about two years ago around May 2017 until August 2018. He noted that when they stopped at the bridge; he had hoped that within a few weeks’ time, the rest of the job will be completed quicker, according to the message received from his boss.

He told the reporter that he expects work to commence soon as the contractor informed him via text message that they are getting ready to return to the site. When this reporter asked for the contractor’s phone number to speak with him on the contract and monies released, he declined.

Probing further, Emeaghara who worked as part-time staff for the company during the early stage of their work, said he believes monies meant for the completion of the work has been embezzled as the contractors abandoned their equipment in his compound for some years now and are yet to complete his payment.

Moses Onyegbule, the site manager of the company said they would soon return to work. Photo by Patrick Egwu

“They have stolen the money for the work. If not, why have they not come back to finish it up.”

A CAC search on the company shows that it was incorporated in December 16, 1991 with the purpose to “carry on business of general merchants, traders, importers, commission agents, carriers or in any other capacity in Nigeria.”

Sections of Abriba-Arochukwu-Ohafia remain unconstructed

NOW in its sixth year, the construction of Abriba-Arochukwu-Ohafia Road, awarded since 2012 to Beks Kimse Nigeria Limited at a budget of N2,265,982,372.50 billion with contract number 6158; remains a largely incomplete project.

Large chunks of the road are laced with pot-holes, while other areas are patched.

A commuter simply identified as Emmanuel said the contractors might have finished their work and left since last year. “But on plying the road, you’d see patched works. Then, two heaps of asphalt were seen dumped by the road side. Also, along the same road, a deep gully like an erosion spot, almost dividing the road into two, can be clearly seen.”

The reporter saw that a cordon was used to alert road users to the portion of danger for them to apply caution. On a closer look, the erosion site shows that no recent or previous work had been done on that road given the size of its expansion.

It is so bad that each motorist that gets to that point is forced to slow down to a snail speed as they try to gently traverse before they could dare attempt to increase their speed.

Ohafia-Oso Road in Abia/Ebonyi —project ongoing

SHARING a common boundary are the Ohafia-Oso road project linking Abia to Ebonyi state. It is sited along a border patrol check point between the two states.

A sign post of the project commissioned in 2012. Photo by Patrick Egwu

It was awarded to Uniglobe Construction Engineering Limited in December 2012 at a budgeted sum of N2,293,965,030.00 with Contract No 6160. As at the time of visit, works was seen ongoing on the project.

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It was however noted that most part of the works were being handled by the Ebonyi State Controller of Federal Works.

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A motorcyclist, Sunday Uka, affirmed that the road runs from Abia to Ebonyi State. He said: “We stay here and see them carrying sand and moving their machines and going inside where they are working.”

The reporter also saw heavy duty tractors moving granite to the site while field workers were practically tying bolts to the knots.

A commercial cyclist, Chibuzor Chukwu, affirmed that works have been ongoing with trucks visibly conveying construction materials to the site. Pointing towards the site, he said: “If you just wait awhile, you’ll see how much works is being done. One only hopes they will finish it in time.”

When this reporter did a Google search on the company, two addresses of the company; One in Nigeria, the other one in the US were seen. When the phone number on the website was dialed, the person who answered the phone said he no longer works with the company, but said they are still located in Port Harcourt. When asked if he could provide any information on the company when he worked with them, he declined.

The company was incorporated on July 11, 1985 but later changed its name from Uniglobe Construction Limited to Technical Systems Engineering Limited on September 1, 2011. According to its registration records, the objects of the company include; to manufacture all types of garden furniture and other types of furniture for export and domestic use; to borrow money and to guarantee the payment of performance of any debts, secure, mortgage among others. Nothing in its registration details shows that it is licensed to engage in construction work.

A tractor at the site, levelling the ground. Phot by Patrick Egwu

Erring contractors will be penalized —Government official

In the bid to grasp the level of government awareness of the rots in the road projects, the reporter spoke with Engr Nwankwo Chukwudike, Federal Controller of Works under Federal Ministry of Works. He is the official assigned to supervise all federal government projects in Abia State.

Chukwudike admitted that most of the projects under investigation were awarded by previous administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan. He said that only a few were awarded by the current government. He added that most of the previously awarded projects were paid for by the present administration.

He also spoke on variation in costs, which he said were due to a rise in the cost of construction materials since the contracts were awarded. For instance, the prices of materials like cement, granite, oil and other site equipment have gone up since some of the projects were awarded years ago. He then lamented that it affects the progress of works.

He showed the reporter a file containing projects’ specification for each contract as he reiterated that though they were awarded as far back as 2010; some of the works done between 2010 and 2012 were not paid for until 2016. “And I can tell you that was when the contractors began to perform,” he said.

He was then promptly queried that if the contractors were performing at all, why were some of the projects abandoned and uncompleted? He responded that efforts are on to bring every contractor that abandoned any projects to book. “I assure you that their contracts would be revoked and awarded to new contractors,” he told the reporter.

Chukwudike then continued to stress on some of the challenges met on ground when the projects were re-awarded. He said: “By the time they were being paid, most of their previous rates became obsolete. You know what a bag of cement was sold for back then as different from what it is now; the price of petrol then and what it is now. I want to believe you now have a feel of what I am talking about. However, the FG is finding it difficult to make a blanket increase in rates. If such is done, it will be very difficult for any government to bear the weight. So, all the projects that are currently ongoing were the ones which were awarded newly,” he noted.

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Engr. Nwankwo Chukwudike, the Federal Controller of Works in the state said works are ongoing and non performing contractors will have their contracts revoked. Photo by Patrick Egwu

He further said that the government is looking at the possibility of an increase in their rates so that the contractors can come back to sites.

To do this, he added: “We are trying to see whether we can use a little variation of price in the increase of basic rates of items as cement, petrol, iron, bitumen –vitals for road construction -to cushion the effect of the lower prices. A meeting was held with most of them in Abuja recently to see how this will work. They also promised to do something. Some other projects are also on hold because of poor rates.”

Asked what happens to already paid monies to contractors should their contracts be revoked, Chukwudike said: “If any contractor had worked for the money paid, the work done is there already. Similarly, if you pay somebody for a job done, everyone sees it there on the road. For instance, if you visit the project site, you will see that some works had been done for the money paid. But if a contractor decides not to come, we will terminate the deal. And if there is anyone already paid but has damaged the works, such will make refunds. That’s the usual way things are done with government contracts. Because once we terminate, we determine, and thereafter, checks are done to verify who is owing whether it is the government or contractor.”

On the performance of respective projects, he said some contractors have achieved about 20 percent while that of Enugu-Port Harcourt are nearing completion. “They were awarded just in 2018 and are among the ones performing very well with about 50 percent in performance. Hopefully, they will complete it on their contracts specified period.”

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Adding that the government cannot be totally absolved on the slow pace of works, Chukwudike said: “Due to late and incomplete payments, the little that contractors did in 2018 are yet to be paid for. So, they are not there because of poor rates which will affect cost of construction materials in the market as well as the last certificates they submitted. It is still being processed for payments. Hopefully, once they are paid, we expect them to come back to continue works, so they can speed up completion. More importantly, we hope that variation of prices will really enable them continue the work.”

[technologyinfosec]

Toll gates in Abu Dhabi from October 15

Abu Dhabi's Department of Transport (DoT) on Thursday (July 25) officially announced the implementation of the new electronic toll collection system similar to Dubai, which will see all motorists entering and going out Abu Dhabi Island pass through the toll gates. (Photos: Four locations in Abu Dhabi where you have to pay toll) The announcement was made during a press conference on Thursday. The system will be active from October 15, 2019. Earlier this week, viral messages had been floating around on social media, indicating that the toll gates system would soon be implemented in Abu Dhabi. According to the DoT, toll gate system is aimed at encouraging the public to use Abu Dhabi's public transport network, to reduce the use of private vehicles and to encourage carpooling by company employees and even family members.

Abu Dhabi Government Media Office✔@admediaoffice #AbuDhabi toll system operated by @AbuDhabiDoT & @ITCAbuDhabi, launching 15 October, is set to reduce traffic in the city, ease congestion for commuters & encourage more sustainable options like public transport, ride sharing & electric cars, which are fee exempt for 2 years.

2012:43 AM - Jul 25, 2019Twitter Ads info and privacy31 people are talking about this

Abu Dhabi Government Media Office✔@admediaoffice · 10h #AbuDhabi toll system operated by @AbuDhabiDoT & @ITCAbuDhabi, launching 15 October, is set to reduce traffic in the city, ease congestion for commuters & encourage more sustainable options like public transport, ride sharing & electric cars, which are fee exempt for 2 years.

Abu Dhabi Government Media Office✔@admediaoffice An integrated online registration system, which opens on 30 August, automatically creates accounts at no charge for #AbuDhabi registered vehicles. Payment of the toll fee is made through an e-wallet.1012:43 AM - Jul 25, 2019Twitter Ads info and privacySee Abu Dhabi Government Media Office's other Tweets Toll gates and charges Four toll gates will be implemented in Abu Dhabi during October at the following locations: Al Maqta bridge, Musafah bridge, Sheikh Zayed bridge and Sheikh Khalifa bridge. Toll will be Dh4 for peak hours (7am to 9am, and 5pm to 7pm) and Dh2 for non-peak hours. On Fridays and public holidays, the toll will be charged at Dh2 throughout the day. The toll collection system is a 24/7 continuous process, with a daily maximum fee of Dh16 per vehicle. Unlike the Salik system in Dubai, in Abu Dhabi, vehicles passing through the toll gates will be identified by their plate number without having to stick a tag on their windshield. Motorists will pay for toll gates through e-payment machines distributed across the emirate. The amount due will be automatically deducted from a prepaid user account (the Integrated Electronic Payment wallet).  All road users should open a special toll account to manage their own vehicles and process payments due through a simple, user-friendly online system. All Abu Dhabi registered vehicles on the official system registration launch, August 30, 2019, will have automatically registered accounts at no charge. Account holders will automatically receive an SMS message stating their user-name and password for that account, and can then add any additional vehicles to the registered account as required. For vehicles registered outside Abu Dhabi, the owner must be registered in the system before crossing the toll gates. In case a vehicle which is not registered in the toll gate system crosses under the toll gates, the user will be given a grace period of ten business days, starting from the crossing time, to register in the system, otherwise a fine applies. Fines Users must have sufficient credit in their account when crossing the toll gate system. Vehicles registered in Abu Dhabi may pay the toll fee according to the post-payment system during any vehicle licensing procedure in case of insufficient balance. For vehicles registered outside Abu Dhabi with insufficient credit available in their user account, drivers have five business days to top up the account, otherwise a fine will apply as per the regulations. Traffic fines for crossing the toll gate with a non-registered vehicle, after the ten working days grace period, will be Dh100 for the first day, Dh200 for the second day, and Dh400 for the third day, up to a maximum of Dh10,000. Crossing under the toll gates without sufficient balance in the user's account for vehicles registered outside Abu Dhabi and after the grace period deadline, will result in a fine of Dh50 incurred each day. In case users tamper with the vehicle's license plate for the explicit purpose of evading the payment of fees, the fine is Dh10,000. Additionally, causing damage to any e-payment machines or toll gates, will result in a fine of Dh10,000. Ambulances, Armed Forces and Civil Defence vehicles, public buses, taxis licensed in Abu Dhabi, school buses, police and Ministry of Interior vehicles, trailers and motorcycles will be exempted from the toll system. Electric vehicles will also be exempted from toll fees for two years from the date of activating the system. Vehicle owners must always keep the information on their license plates visible and clear at all times to ensure correct data-reading by the system. They must update their personal and vehicle information in the account in the event of any changes occurring to that data within five business days. The Decree The President, His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, had in 2017, issued a decree to introduce the toll traffic system to ease traffic on Abu Dhabi roads. According to the decree, the Department of Transport (DoT) will be responsible for implementing the decree and determine areas to set up the toll gates, its timings and toll fees. Law No. 17 of 2017 states that the DoT's Integrated Transport Centre's toll system will monitor every vehicle that passes through the designated tolled areas. The DoT will collect the toll fees. The fifth article of the decree states: "Car owners should register in the new toll system and follow the rules and regulations specified by the DoT prior to passing through the tolled areas." If a person is found guilty of toll evasion, a fine not exceeding Dh10,000 will be imposed on the violator. The total fines should not exceed Dh25,000 one year after the first offence. Dubai introduced Salik in 2007 Dubai had implemented an automated toll collection system called Salik in 2007. The scheme, which means 'clear and moving' in Arabic, consists of seven toll gates set up around the city. Read the full article

[hbincph-blog]

Planes, Danes, and Silent Trains

I had high hopes for my first transatlantic flight the moment I took my seat, mainly since the in-flight entertainment offered four solid episodes of my favorite show, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. It’s hard to imagine a better way to leave the states than enjoying a show which has watered down countless American issues in the City of Brotherly Love.

A few weeks prior to my departure I updated my British Airways profiles to ensure I’d receive vegan meals, and I’m happy I did because I was quite hungry when I boarded. Granted, it was airplane food, but was satisfying enough. After exhausting the episodes of Sunny and watching the movie Skate Kitchen, I was able to sleep for three hours or so, and was awakened by a flight attendant pushing a box of fruit in my direction. I caught my first glimpse of Europe as we began to descend, most notably my first sight of a true football stadium, Brentford F.C.’s Griffin Park.

I basically sleep walked through Heathrow and on to my flight to Copenhagen, only to continue sleeping. I’m thankful for this though, as I had plenty of energy for the brief DIS welcome session and to meet my host family! My host mother, Sanne, and host brother and sister, Rasmus and Emma, came to pick me up, and we picked up my host father, Axel, on our way home to Roskilde. I unpacked and then went to Kvickly, a grocery store, with Axel and Sanne to shop for dinner. They have been very accommodating to my diet and Axel is a fantastic cook, probably because he worked as a chef in England for a bit! So far I’ve enjoyed many medleys of fruits and vegetables, my favorite probably being either the potato and mushroom home fries or the honey roasted beets, chickpeaks, parsnips, and walnuts. However, my most exciting food moment yet has been my reunion with Violife cheese, a vegan cheese I’ve only ever had from a pizza vendor, Screamer’s Pizzeria, who frequents NJ Vegfest events. I gasped when I saw it on the shelf and nearly ran over to make sure my jetlag wasn’t causing me to hallucinate. Guess all I needed to do to find it in stores was come to Denmark!

After a wonderful night’s sleep following a long day of travel, I joined Axel to watch Rasmus’s soccer match. I was blown away with the differences between the American and Danish approaches to youth soccer. First off, we drove to their club’s facilities to meet up with their trainers and the rest of the squad. I can’t even begin to explain how helpful this practice could have been to my team growing up, since anywhere from one to six guys were late to any given match Another thing to note is the quality of the facility, which had multiple locker rooms, a cafeteria, plus turf and grass fields - probably over ten total. If I had these types of facilities growing up, I would’ve felt like a professional and taken everything a bit more seriously.

Although the game did not go as we had hoped, the quality was certainly better than any U-13 match I’ve refereed in the states. I’d credit two things for the impressive play. First, the emphasis on the education of the game. Axel stressed this a lot, he coaches a team a step below Rasmus’s level, which I thought was quite telling since I’d never heard the words “education” and “soccer” in the same sentence. The most obvious sign of this value was the pre-match routine, where equal time was spent in the locker room and on the field. Second, and this may be true for Danish children in general, was their level of discipline. The on field warm ups were crisp and organized, something my dad, who coached me for twelve or so years, would have enjoyed from my team when we were U-16’s.

My second night of sleep was not as pleasant as my first, probably due to the fact I was following the Eagles play by play as they blew it against the Saints. My excitement for my first day in Copenhagen kept me going though, and I was out the door before 7:30 to walk to the station, a very convenient three minute walk around the corner.

The DIS ceremonies kicked off at the cirkusbygningen (circus building), which opened in 1886 and was originally used for, you guessed it, circuses! An up and coming Danish artist, Elisha, played three songs between speeches from DIS staff about different ways to optimize the study abroad experience. Following the ceremony, a group of four other students who I was sitting with and I went looking for the meeting point for a tour of Copenhagen. Once we found out the tour was self-guided, we put our trust in the hands of Michael, who had arrived a few days earlier and already familiarized himself with the city. Giving him our trust paid off, as we started off with a walk up the Rundetaarn, or Round Tower, for a view of Old Copenhagen and the Øresund Bridge to Sweden. Next up was the picturesque Nyhavn canal, followed by Amalienborg Palace, home to the Danish royal family. After a quick look inside Frederik’s Church, we walked out to the Royal Life Guard, who are responsible for guarding Amalienborg Palace, marching through the streets. Finally, after a quick walk around Kastellet, one of the best preserved fortresses in Northern Europe and still an active military area today, we made our way back to the DIS lounge to enjoy lunch and discuss the upcoming semester. It was quite the day exploring the city! I was overwhelmed with its beauty and comforted by the willingness of locals to guide any puzzled students in the right direction.

I ended my day in Copenhagen with an introductory meeting with other homestay students in and around Roskilde, which is nice since we can plan to commute and go out together. I took the train home with two of them and got my first taste of the silent car. There is a very noticeable difference between a quiet car on American public transit and the silent car here, since anything beyond the noise that filters in during stops will surely draw a few glares. While it’s strange that a portion of public transit here has a lower tolerance for noise than the infamous third floor of Swem (William & Mary’s library), it’s actually quite peaceful. It’s great for dozing off, reflecting on the day, or just enjoying music - with your headphones at a low level of course.

My study abroad experience is off to a great start, albeit without the study portion so far. I enjoy spending time with my host family and learning that hygge is inherently Danish. The contentment and warmth that embodies hygge calls for a reduced-stress work culture, communal family dinners, and a cold, rainy, rarely sunlit environment to hide from under a blanket with a cup of liquorice and peppermint tea nearby. My interactions with other DIS students have all been pleasant, and everyone is eager to explore the city far and wide, even if it means a six mile walk in occasional sleet.

I took a stroll through Freetown Christiania today to get a peak at noma, the four-time named world’s best restaurant. My next post will be about the history of the anarchist commune, its three rules to follow, and my feelings on the community there.

[eralynmae-blog]

Bukal Falls and Underground Cemetery 2K17

The countless number of people, the unbearable noise, and the endless pollution in the city can really tire a person out. So, it’s no wonder people not only in the city, but also people from other provinces explore the country and find amazing places where they can unwind, relax, and be carefree. Popular destinations are beaches, resorts, and even places that offer the most delicious delicasies. But, one of the most sought after vacation places are the ones nature can offer, and places once included in the Philippines’ history.

Let’s head over to the province of Laguna, and let me share with you one of the most enjoyable weekend I had.

It was a sunday, and we are to celebrate my friend’s birthday by having a swimming getaway to one of the falls offered by Laguna, my home: Bukal Falls, the enchanted river of Laguna. Bukal Falls is located in Majayjay, Laguna and is one of the most hidden jewels in the country. The falls is deeply hidden by many ornate trees at the foot of Mt. Banahaw. It is not only a waterfall, but also it is a natural spring. What I liked about the falls is that it is almost void of any human interference, and it offers the coldest and most refreshing water I’ve ever bathe in. 

The journey from my city to Majayjay was long and I woke up very early so we can get a head start to Majayjay. There was a bit of traffic, and it almost took us two hours of driving but it did not bother me because I was with my friends and we had a catch up with our lives since we were on our on-the-job training and we didn’t get to spend this summer term together. We had our internship in different companies (mine was in Pepsi-Cola Products) and it was fun to share what I had experienced so far. Truth be told, we didn’t really know how to get there so we had to use a very useful app called Waze. It’s a very good app for locating destinations in the country, and very accurate. I’m glad that there was an invention like this. 

Our first stop was the Underground Cemetery in Nacarlan, Laguna where we all agreed to meet for there were other people invited to the birthday celebration of my friend. After, we followed the celebrant’s car to Bukal Falls. To get there, we had to pass through Liliw, Laguna which is very known for creating slippers and shoes. It’s like a little Marikina in the south. Above the road we passed through were multiple colored umbrellas suspended on air and the locals showcased their merchandise of adorable slippers, step-ins, and shoes. It was very beautiful.

A very poor picture obviously, but this is a road in Liliw that we passed through.

Upon consulting with Waze, it is possible to use the app to get to Bukal Falls for those with private cars. For those who are commuting, I kindly suggest to research on the place and its location or sample itinerary on the internet :)

Upon arriving, the first thing to do was to go the Barangay Hall and pay a fee of twenty-peso (PHP 20) registration fee and to get a local to be your guide. I also recommend to rent a life jacket for only fifty-pesos (PHP 50) for those who are not good in swimming, just like me. Otherwise, you are good to go. 

The journey to the falls is very challenging. I suggest that you do a bit of cardio prior to your engagement, because if you just did a YOLO and thought you could do that trail easily like me, then you will suffer a whole lot of consequences. If you are on foot, the first part of the trail is concrete and you won’t have trouble with it. Unluckily, the concrete stops at a certain point and the rest of the trail is soil. It can get muddy and slippery, remem,ber that the trail is to go up a mountain then down, then up to the falls. If I remember correctly, the trail is about 2 km and 50 m up to the waterfalls. It was very hard, I got exhausted easily. My sweat were pouring down and I had forgotten a hair tie that would obviously made my life easier while going up and down that trail. The local guide was kind enough to give us stop overs, so we had time to catch our breath. There were tiangge’s along the way, but not entirely on the trail so it is advisable to pack food and water when going to the falls. 

There aren’t any bathrooms or shower rooms on the waterfall, so I advise you to pee/poop/change to your swimming attire at the barangay hall where there are comfort rooms available or the available shower room on the trail (with a PHP10 fee, by the way). Otherwise, bring a blanket to cover yourself while you change in the falls like I did. 

The trail was my first trek in my whole life and it was so difficult I felt like crying whenever I would feel my knees trembling or getting a bit dizzy because of my fear of heights, but when I got to the base of the waterfall all I can say was it was worth it. It was beautifu;, amazing, and instagram-worthy. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get pictures of the trail because I was so focused on not tripping, not slipping, or not falling down the trail (matarik talaga siya, guys) that I can’t share any photos with you. 

The local guide told us that there were a lot of tourists so we can’t set up camp on the falls, instead we had to settle on one of the rocks at the base or the first level of the falls, which has a bamboo bridge that would cross you to the start of the climb of Bukal Falls. It was with all of us, so we settled on the rock formations and ate pur food like we were beggars (no offense meant), because the trek to that base was so exhausting. I suggest to bring wide plastics, or anything you can use as a sapin, for your belongings so it would not get wet like we did. And to bring garbage bags so we can all preserve the natural beauty of the place. It is our responsibility to practice the “Clean as you go” habit. 

After that wonderful rest, we proceeded to put on our life jackets, and start the 50 meter trek to the falls. Be careful with tis one guys, because the journey there is very slippery and the path is MATARIK. When we saw the falls, we were in awe. It was beautiful, and the water was blue and clear, and it was so inviting we did not waste time to soak ourselves on the blue liquid that nature has offered. It was good that there were locals offering life vests for tourists on a low price because the falls was eighteen (18) feet deep. 

The water was ice-cold, so you can get cramps. Nonetheless, it was very worth it and was very enjoyable. I, who did not know how to swim, got to cross the whole of the waterfalls backa and forth thanks to the vest, althought the locks kept unlocking themselves! So you better check all the locks before renting out a life jacket. 

All-in-all I rate this hidden jewel of nature a 8.5 out of 10, the trail was a bummer for me, and for next time a resort would be a good choice for the next vacation getaway. 

This is my friend who secretly took a photo of us after the swim at the falls. We’re at the rock formations that I have mentioned.

The photos here are taken by my friend, Christine Emerald Ricohermoso.

This is us trying to stay afloat LOL

Our next destination was the Undergorund Cemetery at Nagcarlan, Laguna which we didn’t get to exmplore upon arriving there. We went straight ahead to Majayjay. To get there, you can always use the Waze App. 

Now, I don’t know much about this place, but this is a historical landmark in Laguna because it was a secret meeting place for the Katipuneros (KKK), and that the burial sites were under a church fifteen deep below. It was also beautiful there, and the place was so clean and serene. You have to log in a very large book there before going down to the graves, and good news - no entrance fee! Totally free

The burial sites were cold, and were fascinating to look at. The ones buried there were as old as 90 years and bore the names of probably you great ancestors in the time of the spanish era. 

I recommend this for tourists both local and foreign, so they can get acquainted with the country’s rich history, and for those who have the passion to unravel the past and its stories.

This is me, taking advantage of the church’s walls for an instagram picture. As you can see, this is also my tumblr avatar.

Here is a poorly taken panorama of the cemetery. (I hope that you can view it properly, and still appreciate my photo-taking skills.)

For my next post, I hope to get many pictures of great quality!

Yours truly,

Eralyn