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bilgisticallykosher · 1 month ago

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Settling In And Moving Forward Chapter 4

I Have A Little List...

From The Mikado

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Masterpost

Word count: 3045

Warnings: descriptive/detailed kissing

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The next morning, he went into work as usual. He was a bit self-conscious about what he could remember from the night before, sure enough. But Nicholas didn't ask him anything or mention anything or anything anything at all.

Then again, Nicholas wasn't exactly acting normal, himself. It was almost as if he'd gone back to how he was when he'd first arrived. He laughed less, he was almost all work, and he just seemed stiffer. He also had a case file in a folder that he never put down. He carried it while walking, while Danny was driving, he saw him take it into the loo, and he also ate a sandwich at lunchtime one-handed, just so he could keep the other hand on the fucking thing at all times. And asking him didn't reveal anything other than

"Important report. I'll deal with it later."

"Will you tell me what it is when it's done?"

"... I'll let you know, yes."

So that had been it.

Another oddity had been that, during special snack time, Nicholas hadn't even waited for him to ask if he wanted anything, he'd asked Danny.

"Cornetto, then?" As Danny pulled up to the shop.

"Er, yeah, thanks." He blinked, confused by this turn of events.

"I've got it," he unbuckled his seatbelt. Danny reached for his wallet, but Nicholas waved him off. "I've got it," he repeated, almost brightly, and opened the door and hopped out of the car, file still in hand. He came back before Danny could even think too much about just how odd Nicholas was being today. He did wonder if last night had anything to do with it. How drunk had he gotten? He could still remember most everything they'd said.

At least. He thought he remembered, but what if he'd forgotten something? He couldn't remember if there was something he'd forgotten...

Nicholas came back with two Cornettos, both of them in one hand, so that he could continue holding the mystery file, and stuck his hand out to offer to Danny.

"Thanks, Nicholas."

"Not a problem." Now, it weren't as if he'd never gotten a Cornetto before, but to get one when he was clearly so distracted by something and generally acting so strange? That just piled the oddities on top of each other.

The rest of the day passed, and finally, as they were taking off and putting away their uniforms, (now that was impressive, doing all that with a file in his hands like that,) Danny asked Nicholas a question that was sure to reveal some answers.

"Pub?"

"Actually," he closed the locker door, "could I meet you at yours?" Danny grinned.

"Of course!" Danny pointed at him, as he closed his own locker. "A nice relaxing movie night's what you need. Should I queue up any in particular?"

"Actually. Could you leave off the films." And Danny was so shocked by this he turned to stare right at him. Nicholas's eyes were closed, and was still in position of having closed the door. He'd have thought his one hand were glued to the door if he hadn't noticed his thumb going up and down along the metal. He wanted to question him right there, but, well, he'd find out what had gotten into him soon, yeah?

"I'll find out what's gotten into you soon, yeah?" Nicholas chuckled in a way that didn't seem like his normal laugh.

"Yeah," he promised, practically breathing out the word. "I'll meet you there in half an hour."

"Er, right. See you then, then?" A short, still-attached-to-the-locker-with-his-eyes-closed nod was all he got. Danny walked out, passed all the others with a good-natured "Not today, guys, Doris," and as little small talk as he could manage. The second he got out of the station, he legged it home, trying to come up with an answer the whole way.

By the time he finally got to his couch, he'd figured out a way to figure it out, at least. Nicholas was acting off today, so if he just worked backwards, he could pinpoint when the last time he'd been normal was, and whenever that was, that was what was going on. He opened his fridge to reach for two lagers, but then hesitated, and decided against it. He briefly considered the cranberry juice or wine, but thought he'd be too on edge to hold anything.

He sat down on his couch to have a proper think. Okay, today: odd; yesterday: not odd, so whatever it was, it happened some time last night, which, alright, he probably had half guessed that anyway. Most of the night had been okay, though- except, wait, Nicholas hadn't slept over! That was different! He'd been nice enough before that, and he willed his face to not turn red and heart to stop being so squeezey at the memory. There wasn't time for that now! He had a mystery to solve!

Okay, they didn't always fall asleep on the couch, but Nicholas usually stayed. At the very least, he'd leave something of his here. Danny got up to have a poke around, but sure enough, he'd taken everything with him last night. He sat back down on the couch, fingers tapping. Was it that he'd had to put him to bed? Well, sure enough, he'd had to do that once or twice in the past. So what was...

And then, with absolute clarity, he remembered 'Look at ya!' while he'd been pointing at Nicholas. Ah, fuck, maybe he'd cottoned on to Danny's feelings, maybe he took the gesture as a flirtation (which, fair enough, as it had been.) Maybe he knew.

Danny was so fucked. Okay. Alright, so he knew. But what did that file have to do with any of that, then? He couldn't think of anything, so he just sat, hands stiffly on his lap as he watched the time tick by. Bloody thing was going slower than usual, he swore. But then, when there was a rapping at his door, he thought that maybe it'd gone too quickly, after all.

He got up, and opened the door, smiling slightly at, yes, definitely Nicholas, definitely still holding the file.

"Hello." And he sounded nervous, damn it all. He held the door open more, allowing Nicholas to come in.

"Um. I think, perhaps, maybe it'd be best if I stayed out here." Danny frowned at that. Nicholas caught it, because of course he did, and continued, "I'm just... not certain you'll want me in your house, after this." Ah. So, he knew, and he was going to reject him, then, was it? Well. It wasn't like Danny thought he could avoid it forever. And he didn't seem horrified or any other negative emotion when looking at Danny now. He even had on a smile (but not his usual, natural one), so maybe it wouldn't be so bad.

"Don't be daft!" Danny responded near-immediately. "We're best mates," he gave a crooked grin, "no matter what," and got an answering attempt at a better smile from Nicholas. Sure, it'd hurt, but, he was sure they could get over this. Maybe Nicholas would even have some manual on how to get over him, maybe that had been in the file all along. Danny's smile grew a little, even if he didn't feel very happy. Yeah, that sounded like him, alright. "Now, come have a sit on the sofa."

Nicholas closed his eyes, breathed in, out, nodded, opened his eyes, and then walked in past Danny to sit. Danny closed the door, and then joined him. "Well. I suppose I'll let you get into it?" Nicholas nodded again.

"I've come to arrest you."

"WHAT?!" Maybe he didn't remember everything from last night.

"I'm afraid, you're a wanted man." He had no readable expression as he held out the file to Danny, who grabbed it, suddenly panicked. He opened it to find a single sheet, an arrest report. He quickly scanned it, focusing on the Reason For Arrest line and, in Nicholas's identifiable writing, was written Wanted for Dateable Qualities, all neat. Danny frowned.

"Nicholas. What-?"

"Just. Read it, please." He was staring at him, and, really, Danny had no other choice but to keep reading.

It was a list. A long, long list, under Incident Details.

Friendly: Says hello to those he knows, and quickly able to establish a connection with someone new.

Sincere: Open and honest in and out of work.

Amiable: Always has time to chat with people.

Hard-working: Gives his all into whatever he's doing, and puts the effort in, whether doing or learning.

Passionate: What or whoever he cares about, it's deeply.

Tenacious: If he can't get something on the first go, he'll have at it until he figures it out.

Moral: Knows what good is, and strives for it.

Loyal:

Oh, he could feel his eyes getting all teary now. He turned the paper over and was quite surprised to see even more writing absolutely covering the entire back of the paper.

"Nicholas." His voice was thicker now, and he looked up at him. "What?"

"I. Do you remember near the end of last night?" He was still looking at him, but he seemed uncomfortable now. Danny couldn't imagine why. He'd have never expected anything so touching in a million years.

"Yeah. Y'mean when I was on about people flirting with you, but not me." No use bandying about. Not now, after Nicholas had given him this. "Wait, is that why you did this?"

"Yes. I, um, ran out of room, actually. But I thought. That might be okay for now."

"Oh, Nicholas..." Danny was smiling widely, but a little wetly. "You wasted a regulation department paper on me? And you wrote on the back?" He gently placed the paper down onto the file so that he could give him his entire attention.

"It wasn't a waste, Danny." Nicholas frowned, as firm as Danny had ever heard him. Then his expression went back into that same Look that he'd looked at him with so often. "But yes." He cleared his throat. "There's also, two more things that I think you should know." When he saw Danny was waiting, he continued on. "The first being, you saved me." Danny chuckled.

"You'd've done the same for me, wouldn't you have?" But Nicholas was already shaking his head.

"No." Oh. "I mean, yes! I mean. That's not what I meant! I mean..." He took another breath. "I mean, I'm not talking about you jumping in front of the bullet, Danny. Or even the ketchup trick up at the castle. I mean before that. After that. Everything." Oh, there went the queasy and the squeezey at the same time, almost rendering him immobile. "The conversations on patrol, the jokes, the movie nights, your friendship. Everything." He'd been looking directly at him this entire time, but now it seemed as though he was boring through his head with his gaze.

"Oh." He didn't look away. "It's not like I were the only one. You helped me loads, Nicholas." He really wanted to touch him; to hold his hand, or touch his knee, or shoulder. To hug him to himself so tightly he'd never leave. "You know that, right?" But he was still very aware of how this visit started. Nicholas smiled lightly at him, still looking nervous. And then he remembered something else he'd said during the conversation. "Nicholas. What's the second thing?"

"I was rather hoping that you'd have figured that bit out by now. Given the other information that you now have." And Danny, a Sergeant, a good officer now, knew what he wanted it to be. Knew that he couldn't rely on his heart, had to rely on evidence. He thought about how Nicholas had almost seemed like he was hungry for something when he was talking about their friendship. Looking at him... looking at him in the way he had done, so often. He looked down at the list, and happened to zero in on Handsome: Self evident and he was pretty sure he was red in the face now.

Oh.

"Nicholas. Do you-" he fumbled over his words, "are you...?" And that seemed to be enough for him to work up the nerve to get it out, himself.

"I like you, Danny. Romantically." And Danny was suddenly not paying attention to Nicholas's expression at all. His heart had stopped being squeezey and instead was beating harder and harder, different than any high-speed chase, different than even the shootout all those months ago. So loud that it was a wonder that Nicholas wasn't hearing it, too. Nicholas scoffed. "What am I saying? I'm mad about you. And, I know this is big. And this is probably going to change everything, and it's probably unwanted, and I'm sorry, but..." He looked at Danny, hands fisted tense in his trouser legs, "but I just couldn't keep it in, after last night. Not anymore." He sat quietly, then, ready for Danny's response.

"Yeah," he smiled, finally able to speak, after taking a moment of being blindsided, and completely overwhelmed in the best way. "Yeah. Nicholas." Nicholas was looking at him, still tense and now also confused, but patient. Danny shook his head, smiling so widely that it hurt. "Me, too."

"You-" Nicholas's eyes got wider, and his gaze got intense again. "You, too, what?" He asked like he was terrified. Of being wrong, of thinking he was right, of Danny- well, Danny refused to even finish the thought, he couldn't, not when...

"I'm mad about you, too!" Danny declared, slightly louder than normal. "Romantically!" Nicholas's mouth dropped slightly in shock, before he was smiling, too. And Danny pressed on, physically moving towards him on the couch, and also verbally as the words came to him suddenly. "I mean, completely non-heterosexual like!" Nicholas gave a short laugh, his grin matching Danny's. "I mean, I have done for ages now, it seems like. And you make me nauseous and give me chest pains," Nicholas looked briefly concerned before he pieced out what he meant, "and I thought you'd figured it out from last night, but you didn't, because you were busy with-" he gestured down at the report, "and you actually like me back, too, and Nicholas."

He breathed. "Nicholas." Nicholas's hand was still fisted tightly in his trouser leg like he was afraid of letting go, so he grabbed the top of Nicholas's hand, giving it a squeeze. Nicholas immediately flipped his hand over, brought it up off of his lap, interlocked their fingers, and squeezed back. Danny blinked and would have been more shocked at how blurry his eyes were if he hadn't noticed the same in Nicholas's eyes.

"Under the circumstances, there's one more thing I should tell you." Nicholas was still smiling, but a little more reserved again. As if there were anything that Nicholas could tell him that would make Danny upset, now. "Last night. After I put you to bed..." Danny wiggled his eyebrows at him, which made him laugh, and he started again more confident. "I, kissed you on your forehead."

"Ah," Danny forced himself to stop smiling, eyes closed in contemplation, bottom lip sticking out. "Well, I don't think that's acceptable at all." He opened one eye. "I think you should do me a proper kiss to make up for it." Nicholas huffed a laugh, and then slowly drew closer.

"If you insist." Danny matched his movement, getting closer and closer. And then, both of them met in the middle, eyes closing as they finally kissed.

Danny hadn't done too badly for himself, over the years. He'd done his own fair share of snogging, after all. A few girlfriends in school. But this kiss... he didn't know if it were because it was with another bloke or just because it were Nicholas. Their lips moved ever so slightly against each other. Nicholas's hand came up to his shoulder, grabbing, clutching, the other still tangled with Danny's own. Danny, in turn, lifted his free hand up and around the base of Nicholas's neck, pulling him closer, holding him.

Nicholas made a quiet Aa! and his mouth stayed open. Danny took advantage of the opportunity, opening his own mouth in kind, tongue slipping into his. Nicholas responded immediately, and their tongues stroked each other, twisting and tasting. Danny broke off to explore, underneath and around. Nicholas's thumb rubbed his arm, as he suddenly pushed, and then they were both in Danny's mouth. Nicholas's tongue tickled against the roof of his mouth, and Danny breathed out a laugh, and then they pulled apart, heads falling forward, resting on each other's foreheads, and then they were both laughing. Laughing hard, and unable to stop. Nicholas's hand came up to cradle Danny's head now, and he felt his heart was fit to burst.

They finally quieted down, and they brought their heads back up to look at each other.

"Think I'm reconsidering something," Danny said, moving his hand away from Nicholas's neck, to stroke up and down his arm.

"Oh?" He was still relaxed. "What's that?" He was looking at Danny with the soppiest expression he'd ever seen.

"Gonna dye my hair bright pink." Nicholas turned his head to the side, laughing again. Danny imagined he must be looking at Nicholas with much the same expression he was. He didn't think he'd ever grow tired of that sound. Or the looks. Or kissing him, which he actually would quite like to do again.

"Is that right?" Nicholas looked at Danny again, and curled his hand in the back of his short hair. "I suppose I'll have to adjust to that."

They smiled at each other, and Danny gave Nicholas a small kiss on his lips. Before he could pull back all the way, Nicholas gave him one, as well. Mmm, yeah.

"Have to adjust to a lot of things, I reckon."

"I reckon we will." They brought their mouths in for another kiss, but stopped when their teeth clacked together.

"Ah!" Danny rubbed at his mouth with a short laugh. "How'd we get worse?"

"I'm not sure," Nicholas smiled. "Care for some more practice?"

And quite honestly, Danny couldn't say no to that.

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One more chapter coming up! Nicholas's POV. And a bunch more fics in the works.

#my stories #not ts #hot fuzz #angelbutter #siamf chapter

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coralsgrimes · 2 years ago

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I mean yeee VIP tickets are a very pricey thingy but they do include lotsa perks and what imma getting here with Benny is that ye get let in without a line and get a quick selfie after?/

I'm only quoting the first bit to give some reference, but I'm basically commenting on all of it.

So, as for Ben: sure, he's found himself a way to earn more money. His quick post show meet&greet/selfie session sounds cheap and a bit too quick, but I definitely wouldn't categorically state that all meet&greets are packed with perks, because there's a LOT of differences between artists here. Some artists absolutely go out of their way to make it a fantastic experience worth every cent, but other artists just skip through with an absolute minimum effort. Like, barely a nod and a long distance phone shot for the fans. I don't think Benny's quite that bad, though I suppose I'll wait and read the reports from fans who do the m&g stuff after the next few shows. I might end up changing my opinion in either direction, who tf knows anything for certain these days? *cries in existential crisis*

See we are getting into these philosophical discussions now about this but this comes down to greed and Benny being as obvious as he can.

Will say it again - he found an untapped market so he's gonna OPENLY rip off his fans even more. On his two coast 'tour' he found out that tipsy sweaty women want to take pics with him after listening to his pained sounds and looking at his constipated face. So why do it for free when ye can get more monies outta them?

Tho it's two ways street, he uses them peeps but he can do so cuz they are willing in the first place.

I said it before, he always delivers at cons. But with his gigs? He sings for about an hour and he loses energy half way. The extra selfie will be that lol a line next to the loo queue. Prove me wrong tho Benny lol

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kyotakumrau · 4 years ago

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2021.09.04 DIR EN GREY at CLUB CITTA' -a knot only- report and setlist

00 SE

01 輪郭・Rinkaku

02 人間を被る・Ningen wo kaburu

03 鴉・karasu

04 Devote My Life

05 CLEVER SLEAZOID

06 赫・Aka

07 てふてふ・Tefutefu

08 滴る朦朧・Shitataru murou

09 Ranunculus

10 HYDRA-666-

11 Rubissh Heap

12 T.D.F.F.

13 落ちたことのある空・ Ochita koto

14 詩踏み・Utafumi

ENCORE

en15 朧・Oboro

en16 VINUSHKA

en17 Followers

en18 朔-saku-

Another rainy day but a rainy day with a concert. However I was held hostage in bed by my cat so I only arrived in Kawasaki at 4 and at the venue past 5.

Ticket exchange was very smooth and I was inside very quickly. There was a bit longer queue for goods but I didn't wait longer that 10 mins. Today's sticker design has Shinya.

Then (well after the loo run) I was at my seat waiting for the concert to start. It was weekend so the schedule was 30 mins earlier than the previous day. This time they started almost on the clock.

The sick people in the SE video were also representing people with mental conditions. There was 'RIP AMERIKKKA' on the US flag, another sign (road sign/informative sign?) had a longer text that included something about disabilities.

The band members started to come out and fans greeted each of them with clapping.

Shinya's new haircut is quite nice, he wore the cream jacket. Die had a long vest and black sleeve kinda things (they accented his arms in a very nice way). Toshiya had the jacket with gold embroidery. Kaoru a suit with thick black and white stripes.

Kyo had a white shirt with frill front and black fitted vest. He wore special make up that looked like a fool clown mask - the white paint covered most of his forehead but from the eyeline down started to narrow, so it really looked like a mask. The overdrawn lips went outside the white.

SE finished with the burning letters forming the tour title. Then they were replaced by DIR EN GREY that looked like it was made of ice.

Rinkaku was a good song to start with. The silence after MINERVA but with all hands in the air.

Then with NwK the energy levels were really high.

And then I heard the first notes from Karasu Love the guitars there, Kaoru was so interesting to watch.

But Kyo was easily pulling my eyes back! He kept such a good contact with audience today😭❤️

Yet one more stolen moment during Karasu: Toshiya got his bass close to upright then reached for the mic stand, basically using it to play for a moment like an oversized bow (he didn't lift the stand just leaned it toward the bass).

And I can't pinpoint the exact songs but he went to the right side of the stage few times today, also came to the stage edge many times.

And by then Kyo's make up was already starting to melt and drip with sweat which really just added to the performance.

Aka had Kyo using the mic cord to create a loop.

Which song was it with the war scenes? There were many dates from the European theatre of WWII but it at some moment showed a medieval battle. And they also added more scenes from Middle East.

One more video I can't place is zombie subway game.

D.T.F.F. aka the song you will want to experience live at least once, I promise you. IT IS A LIVE 'let's have the audience go crazy' MASTERPIECE.

I can't write about each song, they were all just so raw and hitting at all right places. I was headbanging, jumping, fist-pumping, rocking basically non stop (thank you my aisle seat that gave me space allowing to reasses the definition of 'excessive headbanging'😂).

But one thing that changed for me for sure, yesterday I could still feel very keenly the loss at not being able to sing and scream my heart out, but today it was gone. I felt more confident that we can communicate our feelings and reactions to them even without it.

Kyo gave us 'let us hear your heart voice' just as they were starting Utafumi, and during the song hitting his chest with the mic. It was🔥🔥🔥

And then the main part was over and we were clapping and clapping and clapping👏

They came out for encore in different clothes. Kaoru had a black tshirt without sleeves, Toshiya a black blouse with the flower piece from the day before, the string kind of tie is actually part of the piece I think. Shinya also wore a black t-shirt, same as Die I think (not 100% sure).

Kyo had a white piece with black straps that was almost like a white version of the alice uaa piece he wore for Androgynos, but it was asymmetric, one side was sleeveless. He wore the same (I think) wide cropped pants underneath it as with the black piece.

Oboro had the video in the back.

Vinushka had more current scenes added to the video, it could be Afganistan but definitely some scenes from a conflict in the Middle East. Kyo definitely reached very deep into us.

Followers after Vinushka was a genius decision. The energy again was just❤️

And then before saku Kyo started announcing last song, screaming 'LAST! LAST! GUYS!! GIRLS!! Let us hear your heart voice!!!! LAAAAAAST!'

During saku all members were going to other side of the stage, Toshiya went to play in front of Shinya for a bit as well. And Kaoru was for a moment headbanging with Die. Kyo moved around his stand coming to the edge of the stage and kept looking at the fans as we were headbanging and fist-pumping.

Then when the encore was finished Kyo stayed on the stand, the emotions on his face😭😭😭😭😭❤️

He then stood up and pointed at the audience, from his eyes to the audience and again and again. He waves us goodbye before leaving.

Shinya left very quickly, Toshiya came to the edge of the stage before leaving. Kaoru took one pick and saluted us. Die waved as he was walking off.

🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤

#dir en grey #tour21 desperate #attempt at live report #setlist

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thessalian · 2 years ago

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Thess vs Work / Space Aggro

Well, today was no fun at all.

At the very least I wasn’t woken up before my alarm by window people and/or my stepfather. That’s something. However, just as I was logging in at the start of my day, my stepfather rings my mobile saying, “Looks like we’re getting it done all in one day after all; we’ll be there in anywhere between forty minutes to a half-hour”. So I moved all my stuff over to the one more or less vacant spot at my dining table because it as easier to just get it done then than to settle into the workday and then get interrupted midway through a report or something.

My dining table is not a good place to work, I’ll say that right now. The only spot that gives me enough room to have the screen and keyboard where I need them doesn’t allow for much space for the mouse, and to even be able to function there at all, I have to cram right up against the wall. Not a thing I’m looking forward to repeating. But at least all the connections worked and I could do my thing.

And then, of course, I was interrupted midway through a report anyway because it didn’t occur to my stepfather that audio typing requires headphones to be able to hear things particularly well, and knocked at the door instead of dropping me a quick “On my way” text or something. He knows for the next time. Though I’m praying there’s not a next time.

So I got, “We’ll just shut the living room door so we don’t disturb you”. Like that was going to work; the living room door is not that thick and hammering away at hinges and the like gets loud. So instead of my music, which helps keep me from distracting myself, I had effectively construction work. Oh, and the windows being opened or even removed at points. When the temperature was something like 2 degrees Celcius. Great. Wonderful.

At least it didn’t take an awful lot of time. Turned out that they didn’t have to do the kitchen window so I moved all the stuff in the kitchen around for effectively nothing, which is irritating. But, y’know, it could have been worse than two hours. Once I got myself settled back in the study, I did treat myself to switching on the space heater in the study for a little while, just to beat back the chill a bit. (Note: it’s still cold. It’ll get better when I shut all the blinds and maybe switch on the heater a little more when it’s less expensive to do so. I can manage meantime.)

So I did my usual “let’s get this shit done” routine, doing some pretty atrocious longer bits and pieces, in between having to move rooms twice. Finished up the wodge of typing I had in my queue with a little under fifteen minutes to go, got up for a bio break noting that there was another one of those long ones. I knew I was never going to get it finished before close of play so I figured I’d see what it looked like when I came back from the loo. So with just over ten minutes to go, I came back... Well, first I should mention that Temp is back. I noticed this earlier today but she really made her presence felt when she took something like thirty reports out of the queue, leaving an hour’s gap between that long one she was so intent on avoiding and the next bit of dictation in the queue, timeline-wise. I mean, she’s done some audacious shit before, but that just takes the fucking biscuit. Note it’s at around the same time that Scruffman leaves, so complaining to him about it when there was actual evidence was more or less impossible.

Joke’s on her, again - I DID NOT HAVE TIME TO FINISH IT. And I was not going to work over my normal time just because she doesn’t like to do reports over two minutes long. I know seven minutes is a hassle, but I did the one from that guy that was twice that long; she can suck it up. Also did a seven-minute monstrosity of bowel and a couple of hysterectomies - I did my time in the salt mines of long typing dictated by people with aggravating accents, thank you. So when she finishes her nice short dictations, it’s still going to be there, unless Milady or Violet spares her. I hope they fucking don’t, you know. I had to deal with everything yesterday - I still don’t even know where she was and at this point I don’t want to ask. But if she wants to be so blatant about leaving all the nuisance-typing to the rest of us, I can be just as blatant about making her do them. I picked up a couple of urgent reports instead - again, I can’t be faulted for picking up urgent cases before regular cases, especially when I don’t have time to do what’s next in the queue. I am so fed up with her, though.

Worst part? I don’t even have a nice quiet day to get shit done tomorrow. Yeah, the window guy is done, and that’s fine, but the tiles are falling off the wall in the bathroom and my stepfather wants to do something with that, and also try to clean the windowsills without wrecking too much more of the paint. I’ve had to move my plants outside because ... well, gardening novice that I am, it didn’t occur to me that plants would probably need less watering when they’re not doing so much over the winter, and the result was these mites you get from overwatering your plants. Of course, most of these didn’t survive the cold temperatures, so that was a bit of a mess. So I’ve had to move most of my plants outside again, right when it’s going back to freezing. Well, I would have had to replant some things in the spring anyway; if they die, at least I know when to plant things, how much I need to plant, and just a lot more about their care generally. So anyway, point is that my stepfather’s going to be prowling the house tomorrow while I’m trying to work. It never occurred to him, apparently, that maybe he could give up a part of a weekend, or ask when I have some time off? He’s waited this long to sort out the bathroom tile; he couldn’t wait another week or so?

Ugh. Today has just been not fun. I mean, it could have been worse, but ... not fun.

#Thess works from home #Thess has parental units #Thess on gardening

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bopinion · 4 years ago

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2021 / 40

Aperçu of the Week:

Don't push me 'cause I'm close to the edge / I'm trying not to lose my head

(Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five)

Bad News of the Week:

How many times have I been upset about the U.S. justice system? Okay, that was a rhetorical question.... Political instrumentalization, systemic racism, questionable accountability, unclear responsibilities, and more make me doubt the much-used imagery that "Justice is blind" (and therefore just and neutral). Two decisions of the week ending are unfortunately grist to my mill:

Last August, a white police officer shot Jacob Blake multiple times in the back. The African-American has been paralyzed ever since. However, the Justice Department does not see sufficient evidence of "intentional excessive force" against the shooter, so the officer will not be prosecuted. And an appeals court has reinstated Texas' blatant abortion ban, which makes my hackles stand up for many reasons: de facto repeal of Pro Choice and Roe v. Wade. Unsustainable six-week pregnancy deadline ("heartbeat law"). No exceptions, even for rape or incest. Call for denunciators to blacken collaborators down to the cab driver and collect a $10,000 bounty (no, that's not too harsh a wording).

America's right wing cheers that government overreach has been prevented. Aha, so this is how the separation of powers works: the state legislature in Texas passes a law, the federal executive in Washington DC sues it, the judiciary in New Orleans (yes, that's in Louisiana!?!) plays referee. Does a shutdown actually affect those employed in the judicial branch? Then the Republicans would know what to do. Or to refrain from doing. Pontius Pilate sends his regards.

Good News of the Week:

Unregulated fake news going viral and purposefully placed disinformation have become a real threat to democracy. Uncontrolled social media earn their money specifically with conspiracy theories. The Internet is still proving to be a largely lawless space where everyone can find an echo chamber for their own personal delusions. Established media with flawless track record are reviled as mainstream manipulators with the same switch, the tail wagging the dog. Bob Woodward is surely a Jewish puppet of George Soros, drinking the blood of children while working on the Great Reset in the basement of Hillary Clinton's pizzeria.

Put another way, solid journalism has never been more important. The "fourth power in the state" must fight its loss of importance in shaping public opinion. The importance of cleanly researched and discursively commented reporting cannot be overstated.

So it is all the better that the awarding of this year's Nobel Peace Prize takes this into account by emphasizing the proverbial peacemaking function of journalism and freedom of the press. It is certainly no coincidence that the Philippine Maria Ressa and the Russian Dmitri Muratov are two representatives of their profession who, on the one hand, come from countries where independent media professionals are not the norm. And who, in addition to their actual work, explicitly stand up for freedom of the press, even though this puts them personally in danger. Bravo!

Personal happy moment of the week:

On Friday we went to the movies "for the first time since Corona" (this phrase is clearly trending). With nachos, queue in front of the loo and so on. Wonderfully normal, even if currently with 3G control and - this should be maintained - empty seats between groups of visitors. I also liked the projection "as a reminder": cell phones off and no talking during the film. By the way: James Bond will return!

I couldn't care less...

...that after the Panama and Paradise Papers there are now the Pandora Papers. Is anyone really surprised that the rich and powerful of our world use all possible tax loopholes?

As I write this...

...I am considering whether I actually want to listen to Ludwig van Beethoven's unfinished 10th Symphony, now completed by a supercomputer with artificial intelligence. Because actually I don't even want to think about whether there could be artificial creativity. Mmmh...

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chrysaliseuro2019 · 6 years ago

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We go Slavic

Our brief and enjoyable sojourn in Trieste was over and it was time to head for our hire car and the next stage of the trip. We continued to consider southern Italy (East Coast to the boot) vs our original plan Croatia. Googling various potential stops on the way south in Italy (a trip of at least 1000kms) suggested a lot of naff destinations on the way there. What seemed like acres of beach umbrellas and not so many of the quaint little fishing villages or smaller seaside towns which we found in Greece. In this neck of the woods mass tourism is prevailing it would seem. Still, southern Italy the real goal if that's the way we decide to go ie bypass the North and we can always hit the motorways south to speed up the journey. Croatia seemed to have some of the same problems with some pretty busy places. Anyway step 1 which might end up being the prevailing influence on which way we go was would budget rent-a-car let us move countries with the car at a reasonable price. Liz had a bit of a headache in the morning, may have been the spritz or the marginal glass of rose the night before, so had a snooze while I sussed out trains and buses. It's Sunday so we can get a very cheap train ride to the airport (where we pick the car up). 3.30 euros each. That's about A$11 for the two of us compared to taxi fare of 58 euros/A$100 No brainer and only takes half an hour. A taxi would take longer. Liz managed to make breakfast at the hotel which was the same frenetic scene as the day before and we headed for the station about 150 metres away around 11.45. The train train departed at 12.15 and by 1.00 ish we were in the short queue for the car. Very helpful and friendly Budget guy confirmed that no additional cost for travelling into Croatia or Slovenia and no problem taking the car on a ferry. We are now thinking Croatia first, followed by ferry to southern Italy from possibly Split. As ever we had a cheapo car and they were offering a Fiat Panda. Our bags would not fit in the boot so the budget man helpfully then moved us "up" to a Fiat Punto at no extra cost. Budget like thrifty seem to flog their cars a bit more than hertz so they are a bit older. Our car needed detailing given it was a late switch which he swiftly did (well, he vacuumed and cleaned the windows) and we were off with both bags stowed in the boot section. We were headed for Slovenia first, just to pass through on our way to Croatia. Our Budget man advised that we needed to get a pass for 15 euros for the Slovenian freeways or face a 400 euro fine but we could buy one at any garage en route in Italy. We always, where time permits, avoid freeways in favour of more interesting backroads but "Narelle" the trusty voice of Apple maps seemed to have us on toll roads. The hefty fine very much in mind we headed for the town of Muggia in search of the elusive Slovenian freeway pass as somehow no garages appeared on the first part of our journey. Muggia had a pretty pleasant central section and we tried to stop for lunch but like so many small towns in Italy (at least by the sea) there was nowhere that we could find to park so we continued on our way searching for that damn petrol station. We were following the coast around towards Slovenia which was not far away and feeling frustrated that we couldn't buy the pass. The coast road was one long car park with narrow beaches and cars parked much of the way along as people enjoyed the beach and sea. It was Sunday afternoon so we presumed that that was one cause for the crowds though stinking hot around 33 degrees and quite humid. We got to the border and there was a duty free shop which thankfully sold the pass so we could continue on feeling reassured. Of course it is probably a waste of money as we passed through Slovenia and totally avoided the motorways though the pass lasts for a week so who knows? We laughed to ourselves. At around 3.00 we reached Slovenia (no customs) and around 3.45, after a slowish crawl of 20 -25mins in a traffic jam to get through Croatian customs, we were in Croatia. Not hard to move countries and so quickly. Where to now? We headed for Umag which had good crits on various travel sites and reports. After a couple of circumnavigations of town we were not enthused. As a local said to us a few days later. It's a bit industrial looking - and it was. Obviously some nice sections but we either missed them or it just didn't hang together. We moved on. Liz saw the smaller town of Novigrad (Croatian) or Citinova (Italian) - same place. We headed there. This immediately ticked the buttons it seemed smaller, also on the coast but looked quaint and attractive but also quite lively. Now around 4.15. We decided to stay. We parked up and Liz started looking at booking.com. She quickly identified an apartment with good crits (10/10) at an acceptable if not exactly cheap price and we went for it. Other rooms looked pricier. Obviously a town in some demand. While we were looking for a room we had tried to pay an hour or two's parking so we could deliver our bags to the rooms but it was proving tricky to crack the system. My fault partially as I was inserting 2 Kune (local currency) coins instead of 10 Kune so no wonder a prob. However we were also getting some conflicting advice from s local on whether we should be parking where we were. Luckily we had our eyes peeled and the traffic warden was wandering around booking people so I legged it down and explained that we were still in the process of acquiring (not a word I used with him) - ticket so no prob. Close shave. Meanwhile Liz was communicating with the guy at the apartment who was keen for us to get there so he could hand over the keys and no doubt sorph off for tea. He advised that we could go to a local larger car park and park for 24 hours for about A$10/11. We found the park which was absolutely full. A couple of navigations later we struck lucky and were in but still not sorted. Despite our hosts affirmation that we could pay for 24 hours the ticket machine stubbornly refused to allow anything past midnight. A few patrons were gathered around trying to crack the system to no avail. Luckily I had gone into a bar to ask for some advice and the guy had told me you can go to the parking office around the corner and pay there. Liz was still getting angst from our host who was wondering where the heck we were. All a bit of a farce. I called her to advise of my probs getting my hands on a ticket and got a bit of relayed angst. Anyway, I found the parking office, went in, the guy spoke impeccable English said yes he could help and 1 minute later I'm on my way with a 24 hour parking ticket. They don't make it easy. He said the machine would not allow you to do that even though it indicated it would. Ha! I returned to an agitated Liz keen to get the apartment bloke off our back. We grabbed the bags, backpacks, various other bits and pieces and trundled down to the apartment just 200 metres or so away. It was still stinking hot at around 5.30 so arrived in a lather. We had just wasted an hour or so, really on nonsense. Anyway, all good. Apartment guy was very friendly and helpful. Apartment nowhere near 10/10. He must have got his mates to do the crit. Still, adequate and quite roomy and excellently located right smack in the centre of town. Had to laugh after a few hours on the road I needed to visit the facilities and the cheapo plastic seat on the loo was not affixed properly. I nearly fell in. The whole contraption fell apart later and I had to do a reco. It was not a seat for sitting on really unless you were motionless which seems a real contradiction in terms. We decided to head off promptly so had the quickest of showers and then hit town. A drink was in order and we found a nice bar by the sea. Sunset could be watched and passing promenade of people. A nearby restaurant similarly situated by the sea also looked good and we opted for that. I had the sea bass fillet and Liz crusted Tuna. Bass was magnificent, tuna good but a little less rare than Liz would have liked. Portions quite large though and neither of us could fully finish. The wine is better here than in Greece though they seem to follow the Italian style with measures which are restrained to say the least. Glasses with 0.10 mls. In Greece they give you that as a taster. Though wine basic in Greece. We had a great night, relaxing, good food. Great atmosphere. The town was pretty lively too without being over the top. Post dinner we walked around the little funfair which had dodgems which were hilarious to watch with cars crashing and backing into each other and much jolliment amongst the patrons Also other madcap rides which for us would have seen dinner re-appear. Finally we strolled back along the beachfront sort of up on the prom. Our host had said there was a bar where music was played and we found it. We didn't go in just sat on the wall above it for probably 45 mins listening to the two person female band. Both on guitars and one with a very powerful voice. They sang a variety of love ballads but not schmaltzy, some quite funky and quite a few that you knew but couldn't quite name. Shazam was employed. Really nice end to the evening. One fortuitous thing we did was literally stumble across a little hotel as we wandered around town. The Santa Marija. We asked if they had a room for the following night and yes they did including breakfast. Price acceptable. Smack in town and certainly the establishment looked better than our current joint. We couldn't check the room until the 10.00am the following morning but it was going to be a no-brainer. The lady said she would hold it for us. The next morning Liz was down there just after 10.00 and the deal was sealed. We left our digs not long after and checked straight in at the Santa Marija this was more like a 10/10, the other place - 8.0 based largely on location and certainly not the fragile latrine. Our biggest task now was to find a beach seat. Straight down there and there was plenty of choice at around 11.00. Liz went in search of some breakfast (toasted sandwich) and brought me one to the beach. We just did the usual and read, slept, blogged, watched the passers by and generally chilled for the rest of the afternoon. Heading back to the digs around 6.00pm. Dinner was very pleasant. Different place. Sticking largely to the seafood. Liz the grilled squid which was excellent and me the sea bass with grilled vegetables which was the same. Not really large portions but very rich and very filling. Liz risked the Rose which I had to polish off though was a notch up on Greek offerings. Really friendly waiter too. We had front row seats just off the prom and just soaked it all up. Post dinner bought some ice creams and floated around town ending up above the same bar as last night but different musos tonight. We were in for a treat. 3 man band, good sound and lead singer had a great voice and was the most manic guitar strummer we have ever seen. He set the place alight and second song was of all things " Men at Work - Down Under". The bar was fuller tonight and after each song applause were pretty loud. Of course we loved MOW but plenty more - "Without Love - The Doobie Bros" comes to mind so just lots of rock classics all belted out and the guitar thumping. We headed home pretty happily after a great day. We are realising how much we are enjoying smaller towns rather than the big ticket places. Also we are feeling less inclined to head out of our way to see the Roman ruins etc and other sights unless of major significance. Little villages/ small resort towns are our preference if we can find them. The car is pretty handy here as you can stop or go a you please. Liz did very well sniffing out Novigrad as it really doesn't get too many mentions in travel blurb (including Lonely Planet) yet for us was a gem.

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ourworldlytravelsstuff · 6 years ago

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Wednesday 17th April 2019

Well... this is it! 8.5 Months, 8 countries, 15 flights and here we are in the last airport terminal. It’ll be some time before we grace these uncomfortable seats again, and pay through the nose for lack-lustre food. We are coming home!

Not much to report today. We both felt ill, didn’t want to be too far from a working toilet, packed and read books and now we are waiting for our flight.

There are so many British people around us! I’d forgotten how rude we are as a nation... but seeing an entire 50-long queue tense as someone pushed in at the front made us feel at home. A far cry from the “strength determines your place in the queue” tactics of Asia.

We are both cream-crackered, but we are staying awake till our (hour delayed) flight in the hopes of arriving home with minimal jet lag. I’ve dropped two Imodium for safety and I’ve got a roll of loo paper in my pocket. We also brought spare clothes in hand luggage... take no chances!

There’s a lot to reflect on, waiting to come home. We’ve seen some amazing things and some really heart wrenching things, and we’ve learned a fair amount about ourselves and each other. I could go into detail, but I’m incredibly tired and a lot of it is pretty personal.

I will write an ending post for this blog, from my perspective, and Ede will do one from her’s. I think it’ll be an excellent chance to reflect. But now is not the time.

This could be the most long-winded and expensive proposal I could have ever pulled off... but it goddamn worked, didn’t it 😉

See you all soon, missed you all terribly!

That’s all for now folks,

Conor

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outfitandtrend · 3 years ago

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[ad_1] We’ve made leaps and bounds in the in-flight space over the last three decades. You no longer have to breathe in cigarette smoke. You can now watch thousands of hours of entertainment at the click of a button. You have (admittedly, still pretty slow and expensive), wifi. You can even cancel out the noise of crying babies with soundproof headphones. Oh, and you can check in online. But despite all this, we are still stuck in the dark ages with certain things. We still have pissed off passengers opening the doors and sliding down the inflatable slide. We still have flight attendants wrestling drunken passengers. We still have people doing chin-ups on the overhead lockers. And we still spend 5 minutes awkwardly hunched over at the end of the flight waiting for the doors to open, fearful someone in a row behind us might overtake us if we were to sit down. We still have to queue to use the toilet, even. On some crowded long haul flights, this can require passengers to undergo some quite strategic planning as to when they are going to use the bathroom, so as to avoid an awkward 20 minutes standing in the aisle, pretending to stretch, while actually busting for the toilet. Or worse: a standoff with another desperate loo user who arrives at the same moment as you do.Image Credit: New York TimesGiven how advanced technology is, it seems a bit ridiculous we are yet to find a smooth solution to this. But fear not: a solution is “likely” in the works, Anthony Harcup, senior director at design house Teague recently told DMARGE. Harcup said that just like how rideshare apps are able to use data to streamline the user experience, airlines will eventually be able to do the same with meal deliveries and toilet usage. “In the same way that ridesharing services have used GPS, Smart Devices and AI driven system design to increase the utilization and efficiency of cars and drivers on the ground, the digitization of the airline industry will increase the efficiency of passenger management and de-congest the passenger experience,” Harcup told DMARGE.“This will likely extend to the use of bathrooms on-board and the delivery of meal service too. Already some airlines are implementing smart systems of boarding (this was rapidly accelerated by the social-distancing requirements throughout the pandemic).”Anthony HarcupIt’s not just this part of the travel experience artificial intelligence is due to disrupt. Speaking about robots being tested at Heathrow (to guide passengers around), Andrei Danescu, co-founder and CEO of BotsAndUs told CNBC in 2020: “Automation has already significantly changed how airports function, across all areas of operation — from passenger services to luggage maneuvering, security and many more.” “What we see as a key next step is actually bringing all these together so they can communicate and collaborate with each other, offering a seamless and safe experience from the car park to boarding the flight.”Andrei DanescuImage Credit: KarryOnEven at the time of writing, robots (though you might not think of them as robots, but rather computers) are ‘working’ at airports all around the globe, checking people in, scanning bags and providing concierge services. CNBC reported in 2020: “Nearly half of the world’s airlines and 32% of its airports are seeking a partner to further investigate robotics and automated vehicles in the next three years, according to the 2018 Air Transport IT Insights survey.”“By 2030 robots are expected to have replaced check-in processes, according to a report published… by UK-based inventory management company Vero Solutions.”CNBCFlashpack also predicts there will be robot hotels, driverless everything, AI travel agents, no more passports and cleaner, more efficient travel in the future, all thanks to robots. Let the revolution begin. Read Next Did you enjoy this story? If so, subscribe to our daily newsletter to receive our top tending stories. [ad_2] Source link

#FASHIONFORMEN

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designdekko · 4 years ago

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Public sanitation: Design interventions lead the change

A 2017 report by the WHO found while 74% of the world’s population used at least a basic sanitation service, approximately 2 billion still did not have access to basic sanitation facilities like toilets and latrines – a rather shocking statistic when weighed against the amount of progress you see in the world today. Another highly disconcerting statistic on the subject is from a UNICEF blog, which noted 673 million people still defecate in the open, for example, in street gutters, behind bushes, or open water bodies.

Most urban millennials are unaware of the actual impact human waste and its incorrect disposal has on life across the planet. But trips around the country highlight the glaring shortcomings of India’s public sanitation system and every successive government’s inability to stick to its pre-electoral promises of improvement on that count. Of course, there has been improvement, but the pace at which we are changing isn’t still satisfactory.

Also Read | Holt Renfrew Ogilvy dazzles as a sustainably forward luxury flagship

In 1999, the Indian government introduced the Total Sanitation Campaign (TSC) to accelerate sanitation coverage throughout the country, particularly in rural areas. It focused on information and education to generate public demand for sanitation facilities, particularly in schools. The TSC made some progress, but it suffered from its relatively low priority and ineffective deployment of resources. Renamed Swachh Bharat Abhiyan in 2014, the GOI, armed with a barrage of shocking statistics and a revised mandate, took up the cause with renewed vigour, putting a significant dent in the widespread problem of sanitation.

Where to draw inspiration from?

Japan’s spotless, pop-anime, Kawaii-cute, tech-driven toilets are the stuff of legend, with tourists excitedly using them for that perfect Instagram moment. In fact, the country gained global media attention for its Tokyo Toilet project. Who’d think a public urinal would make for a perfect photo-op?

Switzerland is one of the world’s favourite tourist destinations, has toilets so clean that you can lie down in them. In Paris, the City of Light: a monolithic domed structure stood with a few scattered people standing in a queue in the middle of a Parisian cobble-stoned street. A sliding door whooshed open, revealing a clean albeit soaking wet toilet inside. Pictorial instructions outside the loo read: Post a single use, the entire toilet is sealed and sanitized, and only then access is granted to the next person.

Also Read | Marieville Celebrates Its Past While Building for the Future

All this was planned and executed before the pandemic took over the world. Also, it is free. It is definitely impressive but is this a viable option for a country like India with its large populace and disparate economic structure?

Modern problems need modern solutions. I spoke to Rohan Chavan, principal architect at RC Architects and the mind behind Lightbox, a one-of-kind public urinal for women with space for social gatherings. Rohan engages with projects and issues related to public and community sanitation, urban design, affordable and low-cost housing, single-family houses, space design, and institutions. His signature approach to design created the Lightbox. This public urinal redefines the concept of ‘restroom’, taking it beyond just being a public toilet and creating a unique, visually attractive space that caters to the peri-urban female population living in and around the Thane region in Maharashtra (India).

Also Read | MERAKI: New Adhesive Wall Coverings Designed by Artists From Quebec

Over a short phone interview, Rohan spoke of how, as a designer, he took the initiative to design the Lightbox when Agasti, a social enterprise working in urban sanitation in Mumbai, floated a brief.

Wanting to create something to take to the municipal corporations to add to public sanitation infrastructure, in the hopes that it would be a departure from the largely unappealing ones that already existed, Chavan structured his design around a tree, aware that paucity of space in an urban setting was likely and he would have to work with what he was offered. His design was just as adaptable to smaller or larger spaces and could be tweaked to fit different venues.

Also Read | Bright whites, chrome yellows, and curved geometry put together a space that promotes life

Lightbox is covered under the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals at #5 – Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls. Built around a large tree, the 10’ x 30’ restroom features two urinal blocks each at both ends, with a standard washbasin, a nursing room and a toilet for handicapped or senior citizens. The centre of the restroom was a garden measuring 15’ x 10’ that was meant for various activities like a place to rest, a free gallery to display art for amateur artists, a place for lectures and awareness campaigns, celebrating festivals, seasonal activities and events.

The central garden was a metaphor for spaces where people can sit and relax under a tree in the shade and socialize. The restroom with toilet blocks was fitted with a biodigester to reduce freshwater use and improved waste management. It also included a nursing room and amenities like sanitary pads vending machine and incinerator, CCTV cameras, mobile charging points, and a panic alarm system.

Rohan’s efficient use of modern materials resulted in natural light in the restroom, eased the process to keep the toilets clean and ensured high durability and construction within a specific budget. Rohan, however, is quick to point out that the design can be customized to fit a variety of sizes and use different materials, thus making it more sustainable.

Chavan recounted an instance when policemen at the police station across the street from Lightbox were so taken with the concept that they eagerly inquired about why there were no such facilities for men. He was also excited about the amateur artist showcase within the restroom, an unusual venue for an art show but an important one to highlight the accessibility of art and the opportunity to incorporate culture into everyday life.

While Lightbox sees social interaction as the key to the solution, LooCafe wants to hit the root cause of why public sanitation projects fail: Lack of safety, technology, and revenue-generating opportunity.

Also Read | An Ambitious and Thoughtful Vision for Montreal’s Largest Insular Park

With over 450 locations to its name, LooCafe, the brainchild of Abhishek Nath, MD & CEO, Ixora FM, is all set to expand across Kashmir, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Karnataka. The concept is a simple tuck shop with a public urinal attached, sizes ranging from 4x8 ft, 20x8ft and 40x8ft, made of a shipping container or pre-fabricated materials to maintain long-term cost-effectiveness – basically a study in upcycling. And the brand is constantly learning, adjusting its designs and making changes where necessary. A cafe is attached to the front to add a layer of revenue generation opportunity. The attractive facades and cosy, clean interiors are home to thoroughly cleaned and disabled-friendly washrooms which use several sensors and technology to make them sustainable, clean and trustworthy.

With an increase in road trips during the pandemic and transportation of goods and personnel across state lines, initiatives like LooCafe are a viable business model and encourage safe sanitation practices, thereby slowly but surely transforming the nation’s response to public sanitation.

Also Read | Everything's Visual: food photographer Shumaila Chauhan and visual artist Shaun D'sa

The societal impact of projects like Lightbox and initiatives like LooCafe was clearly visible. Such unique design interventions represent a burgeoning design collective bent on creating distinctive architectural and spatial perspectives. Some of these are initiatives that governments and municipal corporations across the country must take advantage of and be utilized by the public.

Yes, there have been concentrated moves to build a network of public urinals, with their glossy tiled facades promising better facilities and clean services to its users. But inside, in barely-lit caverns of fetid water, lie disease and stench and the hopelessness of an impoverished citizenry in desperate need of what others might constitute as a fundamental human right.

Also Read | Public sanitation: Design interventions lead the change

However, hope now lies in the hands of a few thoughtful individuals contributing ideas and government bodies prioritizing public sanitation in their regular mandates and worldwide recognition of an endemic issue deeply rooted in neglect.

The article is part of a series of blogs by the writer on public sanitation and design interventions experienced during her travel around India and the world. Views expressed are of author.

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#home decore #home decor tips #decor tips

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stuza1 · 4 years ago

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An update and revisit to “hey huh”

Sometimes I will cross post and sometime not.. https://stuzasmeanderings.blogspot.com/2011/01/surrealist-alphabet-clapham-and-dwyer.html

Something that my gran would rattle off if you said "hey" or "huh" instead of "I beg you pardon" .. just love it!

A SURREALIST ALPHABET

performed by Clapham and Dwyer A for 'orses (Hay for Horses) B for Mutton (Beef or mutton) C for th' 'ighlanders (Seaforth Highlanders) D for ential (Differential) E for Adam (Eve for Adam) F for vessence (Effervesence) G for police (Chief of police) H for respect (Have respect) I for novello (Ivor Novello) J for orange (Jaffa orange) K for ancis (Kay Francis) L for leather (Hell for leather) M for sis (Emphasis) N for lope (Envelope) O for the garden wall (Over the garden wall) P for relief (Pee for relief) Q for music (Cue for music) R for mo ('Arf a mo) S for you (it's for you) T for 2 (Tea for two) U for films V for la France (Viva la France) W for a fiver (Double you for a fiver) X for breakfast (Eggs for breakfast) Y for God's sake (Why, for God's sake) Z for breezes (Zephyr breezes) And a few alternatives... C for miles (See for Miles) E for ning Standard (Evening Standard) E for brick ('Eave a brick) O for the wings of a dove Q for a bus (Queue for a bus) R for Askey (Arthur Askey) S for me to know and you to find out (That's for me to know etc.) T for biting (Teeth for biting) V for L'Espana (Viva L' Espana) Y for mistress (Wife or Mistress)

via monologues.co.uk

Alphabets - the Cockney Alphabet, the NATO Alphabet and the new Home Office-Approved Alphabet for the new millenium. This has been around for some time and thinking of new entries or updating old entries can be quite entertaining. S used to be "S for Williams" (Esther Williams) except that you have to be over 60 to remember who she was. It could have been updated to "S for Rantzen " except that you have to be about 35 to remember her reliably. It is mostly Cockney (A for Horses, L for Leather) except for the Z in this alphabet. This replaced "Z for a light breeze" or, in a similar vein, "Z for Zodiac". A for Horses B for Mutton C for Miles D for Kate E for Brick F for Lump G for Police H for Consent I for Novello J for Nice Time K for Restaurant L for Leather M for Cream N for Lope O for the Wings of a Dove (O for the Rainbow) P for Relief Q for the Loos R for Mo S for you, you can take it in the other room T for Gums U for Me V for Espana W for a Quid, guvnor? X for Breakfast Y for Mistress Zee for Moiles (Somerset version

The new Police Phonetic Alphabet. For many years, the old police phonetic alphabet has been seen as not being relevant to modern policing methods and needs.

Here is the old Alphabet together with the Home Office-proposed changes: A Alpha ASBO B Bravo Bent C Charlie Charlie D Delta Dealer E Echo Ecstasy F Foxtrot Fit up G Golf Golf H Hotel Hooker I India Illegal J Juliet Joint K Kilo Kilo L Lima Large M Mike Monkey N November Nonce O Oscar Opium P Papa Ponce Q Quebec Queens Evidence R Romeo Rascal S Sierra Scally T Tango Truncheon U Uniform Uniform V Victor Villain W Whisky Whisky X X-Ray X-Rated Y Yankee Yobbo Z Zulu Zipper

From: http://www.bluebullfrog.net/alphabets.htm :

Clapham and Dwyer version

In the 1930s, the comedy double act Clapham and Dwyer recorded the following version: A for 'orses (hay for horses) B for mutton (beef or mutton) C for 'th highlanders ( Seaforth Highlanders ) D for 'ential (deferential) E for Adam ( Eve or Adam ) F for 'vescence (effervescence) G for police (chief of police) H for respect (age for respect) I for Novello ( Ivor Novello ) J for oranges (Jaffa oranges) K for 'ancis (Kay Francis), or K for undressing L for leather (Hell for leather) M for 'sis (emphasis) N for 'adig (in for a dig, or infra dig.) O for the garden wall (over the garden wall) P for a penny (pee for a penny) Q for a song (cue for a song), or Q for billiards (cue for billiards) R for mo' (half a mo') S for you (it's for you) T for two (tea for two) U for films (UFA films) V for La France (vive la France) W for a bob (trouble you for a bob?) X for breakfast (eggs for breakfast) Y for Gawd's sake (why, for God's sake?) Z for breezes (zephyr breezes, see West wind)

There are many alternative 'definitions' offered for each letter, some of which include: !A for effort (school report comment to encourage a student who is never going to excel but tries hard) A for gardner (Ava Gardner) Bs for honey (bees for honey) B for stew (beef or stew) !B for you go (before you go) B for eaters (Beefeaters) C for fish (sea for fish) !C for miles (see for miles) C for ships (sea for ships) !C for yourself (see for yourself) !D for dumb (deaf or dumb) D for 'cate (defecate) !D for 'mation (deformation) !D for 'ential (differential, as part of a vehicle) E for brick (heave a brick) E for castle (Hever Castle) E for 'ning Standard (Evening Standard) !E for 'or (either or) E for Le Gallienne (Eva Le Gallienne) E for Gabor (Eva Gabor) E for Peron (Eva Peron) F for after (forever after) F for body (everybody) !F for lump (elephant) F for but don't get her pregnant (f*** her but don't get her pregnant) F for I'll kill you (f*** her, I'll kill you) F for one (everyone) G for crying out loud (gee, for crying out loud) !H for go (have a go) H for beauty (age before beauty) H for consent (age for consent) H for a film (age for a film) H for scratch (itch for scratch) H for it (hate ye for it) !I for lootin (high-falutin') !I for an eye (eye for an eye) I for the Engine (Ivor the Engine) !I for the ladies (eye for the ladies) I for or (either / or) I for knack for nickin' off (I've a knack for nicking off) J for cakes (Jaffa Cakes – similar sentiment to Jaffa Oranges) J for good time (did ya have a good time) !K for 'teria (cafeteria) K for toway (gave it away) K for restaurant (cafe or restaurant, mispronouncing the word café) !K for Sutherland (Kiefer Sutherland) K for a cuppa (care for a cuppa) !L for 'bet (alphabet) L for 'Romeo (Alfa Romeo) M for sema (emphysema) N for a profit (in for a profit) !N for 'lope (envelope) N for 'lade (enfilade) N for 'lid (invalid) !N for mation (information) N for a penny (in for a penny, mind the conflict with P above) N for eggs (hen for eggs) N for En (end for end) N for Hoxha (Enver Hoxha) N for Pasha (Enver Pasha) !O for crying out loud (oh, for crying out loud) O for Gawd's sake (oh, for God's sake) O for the wings of a dove (oh, for the wings of a dove) !O for the rainbow (over the rainbow) O for my dead body (over my dead body) O for a life of endless bliss !O for draft (overdraft) P for relief (pee for relief) !P for 'ming seals (performing seals) P for nanny (pee for nanny) P for pleasure (pee for pleasure) P for a whistle (pea for a whistle) Q for chips (queue for chips) Q for a theatre (queue for a theatre) Q for tickets (queue for tickets) Q for hours (queue for hours) Q for almost everything (queue for almost everything) Q for a pee (queue for a pee) !Q for a bus (queue for a bus) Q for snooker (cue for snooker) Q for the loo (queue for the loo) R for Askey (Arthur Askey) R for dozen (half a dozen) R for Lowe (Arthur Lowe) R for Mullard (Arthur Mullard) R for pint (half a pint) S for Costello (The Story of Esther Costello) S for instance (as for instance) S for Rantzen (Esther Rantzen) S for Williams (Esther Williams) S for zando (sforzando in music) T for hurtin (teeth are hurting) !T for chewin (teeth for chewing) U for 'mism (euphemism) U for me (you for me) W for quits (double you for quits?) W for a match? (trouble you for a match?) W for a tenner (trouble you for a tenner?) !Y for girlfriend (wife, or girlfriend?) Y for Heaven's sake (why, for Heaven's sake) !Y for crying out loud (why, for crying out loud) Y for biscuit (wafer biscuit) !Y for a husband (wife for a husband) !Y for mistress (wife or mistress) Y for runts ('Y' fronts, underwear) Z for his hat (his head for his hat) Z for a joke (said for a joke) Z for Zodiac (Zephyr Zodiac Ford Zephyr)

From: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cockney_Alphabet

My dad had a "special alphabet". He was a Liverpudlian/Londoner. The alphabet started:

A for horses (hay for horses)

B for mutton (beef or mutton)

C for (the) islanders (Seaforth Islanders)

D for dumb (deaf or dumb)

E for you or me (either, pronounced eth(f)er)

F for vescent (effervescent)

I can only remember one more and that was

L for leather (hell for leather)

Can any one remember more?

Ann McGregor, Goulburn

From https://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/books/why-do-politicians-always-run-up-entrance-stairs-20050108-gdkg73.html:

#Funstuff ChildhoodMemories

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yahoosg-workreadygraduates · 6 years ago

Text

A lean way to address industry problems

As part of SIT’s applied learning pedagogy, 160 students from SIT’s Sustainable Infrastructure Engineering (SIE) (Land) degree programme have embarked on 30 lean projects with 16 host companies since 2016 to help improve productivity and work processes.

This mutually beneficial endeavor was initiated by SIT faculty, Associate Professor Mustafa Shabbir Kurbanhusen, as part of the ‘Lean and Quick Response Repair’ module in the SIE (Land) programme.

The first six weeks in the learning journey are focused at equipping students with knowledge on the lean principles and tools to eliminate the ‘8 wastes’ commonly found in any process. This is reinforced through activity-based workshops to apply the lean concepts. The remaining six weeks will see the students working on ‘real’ industry problems. Companies are engaged as industry hosts to the students to work on lean-based productivity enhancement problem statements. These companies are from various sectors including government agencies, healthcare, transport, engineering, real estate and food manufacturing.

Students have to regularly visit the companies on-site to obtain crucial information for continual improvement opportunities. This is in tandem with weekly consultation with SIT faculty and professional officers to address industry challenges and come up with implementable solutions. Deliverables include a report, poster and presentation to the industry host detailing the ‘value stream map’ – a visual map showing the current process – as well as the proposed recommendations for follow-up.

PHOTO: Activity-based workshops to equip students with lean knowledge, coupled with hands-on application.

Improving Processes at Old Age Home

Lee Ah Mooi Old Age Home is one of the pioneer organisations who came on board this initiative. It engaged the help of SIT students to look into improving its processes, including the adult diaper storage and retrieval system, as well as the laundry retrieval, sorting and storage process. The teams from SIT were able to identify the wastes in the processes and recommend feasible solutions, such as implementing gravity flow rack, diaper dispensing bins, and storage boxes with dividers for laundry.

“Throughout the course of the project, we achieved key milestones such as increased efficiency in store and inventory management of essential medical consumables. With the experience gained, we are able to better manage and improve workflows. Furthermore, the sense of satisfaction upon fulfilling the module is tremendous and applicable to future work,” shared Veronica Chng, SIE (Land) student.

“We appreciate the help of SIT students in executing these projects, which may be trivial but beneficial for us. The walkthrough of our processes gave us an opportunity to rethink them and the students’ inputs have helped us in making some minor changes and streamlining our work too. The changes will ultimately benefit our residents greatly,” said Mr Then Kim Yuan from Lee Ah Mooi Old Age Home.

PHOTO: Some recommendations for Lee Ah Mooi Old Age Home included the use of gravity flow rack and diaper dispensing system to improve the work flow.

Enhancing Deployment of Mobile Dental Clinics

Another team of SIT students took on the task to review and streamline the deployment of mobile dental clinics for Unity Denticare. After an extensive analysis of the current work process, the team came up with a standard operating procedure (SOP) document to ensure clients are aware of their respective roles. To ensure a seamless flow of patients, the students also designed banners and signage to encourage walk-ins from the public.

“It is good that the students are encouraged to go to the ground to observe and ask questions. Kudos to the students for being patient and proactive to get to the root of the problem,” remarked Mr Jonathan Tan from Unity Denticare.

PHOTO: The banner designed by the students to encourage walks-ins from the public.

Improving Customer Engagement

COMAT, a training services centre under ST Electronics, was keen to enhance its customers’ experience. The SIT team focused on tackling issues such as long queues during peak period, manual registration process, and difficulties in finding training rooms. The team came up with a detailed wayfinding guide, including visual map, floor and wall markings to direct customers to the correct training location. In addition, the team also designed a self-directory information display for the TV screens, which had received positive feedback from the users.

PHOTO: One recommendation from the students was to display clear, colour-coded course information on the TV screens.

“The programme provided us an independent perspective on our current processes. In addition, the students proposed several areas of improvement in which we could look into to improve our customer engagement and experiences,” commented Mr Alton Loo from ST Electronics (e-Services).

PHOTO: The SIT team with Mr Alton Loo (in red).

For the students, the lean module provides them with industry exposure before they go out for their one-year Integrated Work Study Programme (IWSP). They can then proactively apply the lean knowledge learnt to initiate productivity enhancement projects in their IWSP organisations, reinforcing SIT’s mission to produce industry-ready graduates.

Alfred Tan, SIE (Land) student who completed the project with COMAT, remarked, “Through this project opportunity, our team took back many valuable lessons on how lean can be applied to enhance the service standards of a company. For example, the ‘Gemba Walk’ concept allows us to gain a deeper understanding of the company through interactions with full-time staff.”

Another student, Shaun Lau, commented, “Performing Lean for Unity Denticare has allowed me to work closely with the industry to provide more value for my clients, while benefiting the community. Improvements in turnout rates of dental patients and operational procedures are examples of key milestones achieved. This experience has translated to benefit my IWSP organisation – SYSTRA, through enhancement of various processes such as the creation and implementation of a new quality management system and efficient client facing.”

#1197784419 #Work + Study

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yahoosg-workreadygraduates-stage · 6 years ago

Text

A lean way to address industry problems

PHOTO: Activity-based workshops to equip students with lean knowledge, coupled with hands-on application.

Improving Processes at Old Age Home

PHOTO: Some recommendations for Lee Ah Mooi Old Age Home included the use of gravity flow rack and diaper dispensing system to improve the work flow.

Enhancing Deployment of Mobile Dental Clinics

PHOTO: The banner designed by the students to encourage walks-ins from the public.

Improving Customer Engagement

PHOTO: One recommendation from the students was to display clear, colour-coded course information on the TV screens.

PHOTO: The SIT team with Mr Alton Loo (in red).

#1197784419

0 notes

yahoosg-workreadygraduates-org · 6 years ago

Text

A lean way to address industry problems

PHOTO: Activity-based workshops to equip students with lean knowledge, coupled with hands-on application.

Improving Processes at Old Age Home

PHOTO: Some recommendations for Lee Ah Mooi Old Age Home included the use of gravity flow rack and diaper dispensing system to improve the work flow.

Enhancing Deployment of Mobile Dental Clinics

PHOTO: The banner designed by the students to encourage walks-ins from the public.

Improving Customer Engagement

PHOTO: One recommendation from the students was to display clear, colour-coded course information on the TV screens.

PHOTO: The SIT team with Mr Alton Loo (in red).

Another student, Shaun Lau, commented, "Performing Lean for Unity Denticare has allowed me to work closely with the industry to provide more value for my clients, while benefiting the community. Improvements in turnout rates of dental patients and operational procedures are examples of key milestones achieved. This experience has translated to benefit my IWSP organisation – SYSTRA, through enhancement of various processes such as the creation and implementation of a new quality management system and efficient client facing."

#1197784419

0 notes

adventuresineurope2017 · 8 years ago

Text

RECOLLECTIONS of HUNGARY

Our bus trip to Zagreb from Plitvice was definitely the 'local ' experience Tony had been hanging out for. Not only did we stop frequently to pick up local scout groups, wandering minstrels etc, but the driver engaged in a full on conversation with a man sitting in the 1st seat behind him. This entailed turning his head to conduct his conversation which resulted in our bus meandering all over the road regardless of oncoming traffic. The bus schedule had allocated 2 1/2 hours for a 135km distance but we were feeling seriously doubtful that we would arrive on time or at all.

At one of the villages a old man boarded the bus and he was 89 years old, had been an Olympian pentathlon athlete and had participated in the 1956 Olympics in Melbourne. He spoke 7 languages and his English, while rusty, was adequate for us. He displayed such pride in his country and we got a run down of all the major landmarks en route to Zagreb-better than any booked tour.

Miraculously we arrived on time and after discovering where to catch our next bus we continued on to Hungary and Budapest. Our introduction to Hungary was less than welcoming: we stopped for a break shortly after our border crossing and after a couple of hours we needed it. The asking price to use the loo was 400 kuna- about $2. Unprepared, we had no local currency, and no euro note small enough for their change machine. Big queues at checkout too so we just had to cross our legs and wait to get back on the bus. The closed door lost its handle in the pitch dark. But (wee) overcame 🤣.

Public transport in a foreign country can be very daunting, especially with no internet and few English instructions. First we tried Uber-none in Budapest. Then we thought of a tram but couldn't but couldn't work our where to catch one, let alone which. In the end we decided on a train. We bought a ticket and got some garbled instructions on where to go and with little confidence boarded our first train. We found generally that people gave very vague instructions, leaving us frustrated and confused, but we gradually found our bearings.

Budapest is a city guaranteed to dwarf you. Every building towers over you and all the statues are massive. It is very ostentatious and almost oppressive, however there are many places of beauty and magnificence. Our first treat was the national gallery, where paintings of 5 x 3 metres were displayed. (Nicky) I'm not usually an art fan but these paintings, dated back centuries were amazing.

We also visited the Jewish synagogue and holocaust memorial. There were 600000 Hungarian Jews killed at Auschwitz during the Second World War and many were later exhumed and returned to Budapest, where they were placed to rest in a cemetery at the synagogue. It was a sobering experience. We managed to tick off most of the "10 best things to do in Budapest" - visiting parliament, the chain bridge, St. Stephens basilica (where we even went to mass), and a trip on the Danube. The first day we walked everywhere and were exhausted so next day we purchased a "hop-on, hop-off bus" ticket. This experience was not as easy as it seemed. Red buses, pink buses, blue buses, yellow buses and variations with and without giraffe heads, all ply their trade around the city forming a spaghetti like tangle of intermingled routes, some of which were included in our "package" and some not. Tony had a sense of humour failure of epic proportions and Nicky floated on and off buses with gay abandon, trying to placate the grumblebum. All this in 35 degree heat might I add. We did however, manage an included night tour of the city and a bowl of free goulash soup.

Hundreds of young people gather here every day, drinking, smoking and hanging out with their feet in the water.

This is a replica of the parliament building made from marzipan!

We "I'm making a gourmet breakfast" said Nicky. My anticipation grew as she piled muesli, yoghurt, banana, cream (bought from a Hungarian shop owner as "full cream milk"), topped off with a liberal sprinkling of sugar. It was only when we started tucking in that we discovered to our dismay that the white granules in the green packet were actually salt! Thanks Nicky!

Our breakfast provided a metaphor for our "charming, newly renovated flat...in the most gorgeous part of Budapest...with a terrace for a lovely breakfast or for smoking." More aptly phrased "derelict building still under reconstruction with rudimentary facilities overlooking decaying brick walls in a seedy Budapest back street". I can report that the breakfast was better than the terrace! The latter being a 4x4m patch of dirty, weed infested concrete surrounded by high stone/cement walls you couldn't possibly see over. Oh... and a rusty pipe that might have served as a washing line a couple of centuries ago. The bedroom, fitted with heavy burglar bars, looked out on the "terrace". Late on our second day there Nicky discovered that were unsecured to the wall, and easily swung out to provide easy access to our worldly possessions, not to mention us!

The night we arrived we piled a few days of dirty laundry into the provided washing machine, sans soap dispenser, which sprayed water as the cycle started. McGyver-style, I managed to stem the flow with a cover made from a plastic egg tray and sat back contented as the machine churned away. It was Nicky again who discovered a while later that the kitchen floor was inches deep in water, courtesy of a leaking inlet tap in the sink cupboard! It was at this point that we began to feel a little disgruntled, and duly passed our thoughts on to our charming host, holidaying as he was in far-off Sardinia.

We bore the incident stoically. However, our Airbnb review of the place did not mince words!

On our last evening there we attended a concert in St Stephens basilica - a string quartet playing pieces by Bach, Mozart, Vivaldi, etc. It was a wonderful experience in this huge, centuries old cathedral.

It must be mentioned that while waiting for the performance in the nearby piazza, we happened across a fair dunkum italian restaurant, where Tony was persuaded to try an affegato- basically a shot of espresso topped with vanilla ice cream and served with a spoon. The rich aroma filled coffee oozes up around the ice cream and provides an ice coffee second to none. He had two in succession.

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shannrussell-blog1 · 6 years ago

Photo

Music festival season is an excellent excuse for a few days away, and with a little preparation, you’ll be sitting back tapping your toes, not shaking your head in confusion.

The first thing to organise is to secure your ticket package.

Annual festivals sell out fast. Some offer reduced rates for early birds, and often the best value is a ticket and campsite combo. Look for a local school or sports group offering camping in their grounds. Often these are much closer to the music than the local caravan park.

A place to rest your head

Festival regulars know to buy early and sort accommodation as soon as it’s available. The Port Fairy Folk Festival showground camping may only be booked by ticket holders. This is common for many festivals around the country. Leave it too late, or book in the wrong order and you may get a ticket and no bed or vice versa.

There are many options camping, B&B, holiday houses, hotels/motels and caravan park sites with power and without. It really depends on what you’re looking for and which festival you’re attending.

Sort our your accommodation in advance.

It’s all been asked before

Once your ticket and accommodation are sorted you can relax. Event website FAQs are your friend, so take the time to become familiar with what they say. Falls and Rainbow Serpent festivals like many others are contained on a property and require different needs and guidance from those held in a town.

If you’re unsure about any aspect of attending, use the local information centre or study the festival website. Experience means they are a treasure trove of hints and tips.

Read all the FAQs during your planning stage.

Pack tight and light

Some event campsites are small, with no room to spread out or for your car. A gazebos, cram tents together and set up for shade over or beside them.

You may have to carry everything, including the tent, to your site from the carpark or, like the Big Red Bash the long walk from your site to the audience area.

Best tip: pack light in bags easily carried. The Bash website has a comprehensive what to bring checklist and is a great resource for all event types.

Bring clothing that can be layered depending on the conditions.

Don’t forget the essentials

Double check essentials like

Prepare for limited options

Depending on location the shower/toilet situation may take a bit to get used to. Cold showers or none for a few consecutive days could be on the cards. Use dry shampoo, a large pack of wipes, and hand sanitiser instead. Hope for an enviro composting loo, these are smell free and nicer than a portaloo. Take toilet paper with you as well just in case.

The more remote the fewer options you have. Be prepared for your phone to die and to have little or no reception. Charging and power sites are rarely offered, so it might be worth bringing your own small portable power pack for your devices. Bring a footy or pack of cards and get to know your neighbours.

Don’t be stuck on the side of the road, ensure you have enough fuel to get to the closest petrol station once you leave the carpark.

Don’t miss your favourite artist – make up your setlist in advance.

Make up your setlist

Download the band schedule, event guide or app before you leave home while the internet is reliable.

It’s surprising how easily if there are multiple stages, you can miss one performance caught in the moment of another. Highlight your must-see musos, so you know when to move between stages and where to go.

Getting to the gigs

Most festivals are within contained spaces, so you’ll need comfortable shoes, not car keys. If the venues are set around town like Tamworth and the Elvis Festival in Parkes, there may be a hop on, hop off shuttle or bus service from outer locations.

If you drive to town, park only where indicated and note your parking spot. It’ll be dark and look very different after the last set. Have a small torch or use the one in your phone on uneven ground or if there is no path.

You’ll likely be walking to get to each spot.

Food for thought, cash or carry

Decisions on food are next. Will you be taking food with you, or buying it on location?

Think ahead, if you plan to eat at a restaurant, make a booking if you can; otherwise you may find you can’t get a table. This is particularly important on the night when everyone arrives in town. Local cafés often pop-up at festivals. These, community groups and food trucks are handy on-site options.

Don’t miss the music you’ve come to see in a food queue, miss the encore of an earlier band. Head to the food vendors or bar before everyone else does.

Most events won’t allow BYO alcohol or glass so don’t bring them in. Vehicles are security checked too. Read the entry conditions/restrictions carefully to avoid seizure at the gates.

Figure out your plan for eating at the festival before you leave.

Cash is king

Some events are NO CASH with pre-purchased tickets or wrist bands for purchases. Understand the rules about refunds and loading amounts and how that’s done. Don’t get caught short or overloaded or without any internet to increase your balance.

Cash is king for vendors especially if the internet fails. Fill your wallet before you arrive, don’t depend on ATMs, they’re rarely on site and in a small town they’ve been known to run out. Keep spare change handy for merchandise and rewarding buskers.

You’ll need to know exactly what you can and can’t bring in. Image by Alamy

Picture this

Do you want to take photographs while you’re at the festival? Most people do.

If you have got a good camera or several lenses, consider the weight and how to keep them secure if you leave your spot to take some pics. Maybe a small camera or your phone will do. They’re easy to carry and take great low-light images.

If no professional cameras are allowed, it’s not worth the argument, leave it at home. When in doubt call or email the organisers. If they say bring your big zoom, ask for it in writing to show security who may stop you at the bag check.

Know the rules before you bring your camera to take snaps of artists.

Sit down in front

Another consideration is seating. Is it provided, do they want you to have only low seats or rugs, so everyone can see over you?

If you bring a folding chair, be prepared to set it up further from the stage and to carry it with you from one set to another. You’ll be walking a fair bit so make sure you can stow belongings, so they won’t fall out, or swing into someone’s face.

It’s going to be a long day, so aim to be as comfortable at the beginning as you’re at the end.

Consider your seating choices when at the festival.

Staying safe and secure

Secure your possessions out of sight in the car. Don’t leave valuables in your tent or unattended.

Some events are 18 and over and other’s family and pet-friendly. Some patrons drink too much or when it’s hot they don’t drink enough. Keep hydrated, use sunscreen and wear your hat. A large water container pre-filled for the campsite is a good idea. You can fill up there and avoid water cart and tap queues.

There is potential for sensible and irresponsible behaviour if alcohol is involved. Move away and report if you think something could get ugly.

Overall everyone is well behaved, and security has little to act on.

Keep your belongings close when you’re walking around.

Get in the groove

It’s great to enjoy the people you meet, the value for money and friend catch-ups.

Festivals are all about discovering someone new to follow and getting close to your favourites on stage.

Long live live music, it can’t be beaten.

What’s the best festival you’ve ever been to?

The post The Ultimate Music Festival Preparation Guide appeared first on Snowys Blog.

#>4-man #/specFilters=5m!-!52&pageSize=48&orderBy=0&pageNumber=1 #/specFilters=5!-!154!-!11m!-!92&pageSize=48&orderBy=0&pageNumber=1>tent #/specFilters=5m!-!70!!2117!!2118&pageSize=48&orderBy=0&pageNumber=1">poles</a>

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