#which i will continue to regret for another 15 years more before the debt is hopefully paid off | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

addictedtomanga · 4 years

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Shoujo manga recommendations - unrequited love

1. 360 Degrees Material

Taki is the cool yet strange guy in Mio's class. She bumps into him at the subway station after school and saves him after he almost gets pushed onto the tracks. The next day, he returns the favor by saving her from an incoming car. This marks the start of Mio's love.

2. Ai Kara Hajimaru

Sakura Ai has always loved sunflowers, as they appear like the sun, which incidentally also was the name of her first crush, Taiyou, in the 3rd grade. From since then, Ai has never had another love and has also become quite introverted, but after meeting a guy with the same name, somethings will begin to change…

3. Anta Nante Okotowari

Yui has a deep love for her "older brother" (they're not actually siblings, but are related), and she is devastated when he gets married. While at the wedding, Yui meets a sobbing boy, Kaoru. It turns out that his cousin (that he was in love with) is the one Yui's brother is marrying. When Yui moves into a boy's dorm so she can seek out new love, she finds that the head of the dorm is none other than Kaoru!

4. Ao Haru Ride

Yoshioka Futaba has a few reasons why she wants to "reset" her image and life as a new high-school student. Because she's cute and had a demure personality she was ostracized by her female friends in junior high, and because of a series of misunderstandings and mishaps, she couldn't get her feeling across to the one boy she has always liked, Tanaka Kou. Now in high school, she is determined to be as unladylike as possible so that her friends won't be jealous of her. While living her life this way contentedly, she meets Tanaka-kun again, but he now goes under the name of Mabuchi Kou. He tells her that he felt the same way as she did when they were younger, but that they cannot go back. Will Futaba be able to continue her love that never even started from three years ago?

5. Awayuki no Namida

Ritsuka, who likes to watch the snow as it falls, has an unrequited love for Fubuki, who lives with an older woman. Ritsuka and Fubuki fall in love, but Fubuki still has past debts toward the older woman, who was his dead brother's fiancee.

6. Bambi to Dhole

Yukimi is her real name but everyone calls her Bambi. She is the student discipline committee member who locks students out of the school if they're a minute late, but sneaks cigarette breaks on the roof. Lone wolf transfer student Tetsu Nagasawa hops the fence after she locks it and breaks her cigarette in half when he finds her on the roof, but he's a super nice guy to a mother and baby on the train. Bambi already has a boyfriend but will the wolf steal her heart?

7. Celeste Blue

Eishi is one of those popular guys that are smart, good looking, and is good at sports. However, he thinks people and "love" are bothersome and would rather not deal with either of them. When his teacher told him to help this girl, Uta, to study, he dreaded the idea of having to stick with such an annoying girl. Soon, though, his heart starts to lighten up towards her.

8. Datte, Kimi ga Warau kara

Let’s get into a time machine and return to that time. Where it was always fun and you were always laughing, to that time... "I only have three more months to live" Yui who just transferred to a new school in the countryside becomes Ryo’s classmate. Yui who is suffering from an illness has a "wish" that she can’t tell anyone, but Ryo wants to grant her that wish but… After death, reality hits Ryo and Yui. This is the story of the eternal promise that was made by the two of them.

9. Eien no Mae

Arisa has had a crush on classmate Nageki since the school festival, but has never spoken to him. Will she be able to strike up a conversation before they part ways at graduation?

10. Futari no Himitsu

Saijou Kiki is a model and child star and with the release of her new commercial her popularity skyrockets. At school, she harbors feelings for Takumi-kun... but somehow ends up kissing his friend Teppei?! And what's more, they've switched bodies due to some sort of old legend?!

11. Getsuyoubi Kara Kataomoi

Despite his one-sided love, a prince at school encouraged his crush to confess to her crush. But he also could not resist confessing to her. What will happen?

12. Hachimitsu ni Hatsukoi

Koharu and Nacchan are childhood friends which many of their friends thought they are a dating couple. Soon, after getting into senior high school, Koharu feels something different with Nacchan. While Koharu tries to figure out her feelings, Nacchan's already falling in love with someone else, the beautiful Saionji, but his love doesn't stop him from caring for Koharu. Does what Nacchan feel towards Saionji really be love? Why can't he let Koharu go on a blind date?

13. Hatsukoi Hakusho

A collection of one shots.

14. Hiren Trip

Miyu, an ordinary new first-year student who hopes to become a mangaka meets the schools’ class president who seems to have a hidden side to him. While being pushed around by the cool but private class president, the curtain on Miyu's stormy school life is raised.

15. Katakoi Triangle

Sekiya-san of the cultural library has an unrequited love for Yuuki-kun. The one who cares about Sekiya-san is the popular Kasai-kun, who is also Yuuki-kun's friend! And, what's this? Yuuki-kun is rooting for Kasai-kun?! It seems that everyone's feelings are one-sided... or are they?

16. Kimi ga Inakya Dame tte Itte

Nayu and Oumi are childhood friends. Without realizing it, Nayu finds she has fallen for Oumi over the years. However, just as she comes to terms with her feelings, Oumi reveals himself to be in love with the pretty Tsuzuki-san in his class. How will Nayu deal with such heartbreak?

17. Kimi o Omou Toki

What does it mean to love? Most of the time, I don't know... Falling in love with someone always ends up with a farewell. Encounters in which you can meet a kind man are very rare. For someone to tell me, "Momo-chan, I love you very much~ ♪" and to caress me with a smile... I don't understand the meaning of those things. Still, that kind of behavior gives me a warm feeling and makes my head spin.

18. Kimi to Kyun Koi, Shiyou

A collection of one shots.

19. Kobayashi ga Kawai Sugite Tsurai

The comedy starts when the cross-dressing begins! The Kobayashi twins, Mego and Mitsuru, were named after historical figures, but only Mego has grown up with a taste for history. So when Mitsuru is in danger of losing his weekends to extra history classes, he convinces his sister to swap clothes with him and ace his tests! After all, how hard can it be for them to play each other? But Mego can’t rely on just her book smarts in Mitsuru’s all-boys, delinquents’ paradise of a high school. And Mitsuru finds life as a high school girl to be much more complicated than he expected!

20. Koi dano Ai dano

After constantly transferring during middle school (Warau Kanoko-Sama), Naedoko has entered Takara No Tani High along with Tsubaki. Follow her adventures as she tries to restore the Newspaper Club's status without being noticed by the Broadcasting Club or Student Council...!

21. Koi ni Dokubari

Youthful, real love between a pure girl x sharp-tongued boy. ‘The boy I’ve had a long unrequited love for has found himself a girlfriend. On top of that, she’s my best friend. Even though I’m the one who met him and fell in love with him first. Why did he not choose me…?’ Heart-broken Aya meets Ryuu, an unpredictable, older boy. Aya gradually begins to be drawn to this sharp-tongued, but kind Ryuu. However, this love isn’t straightforward at all. “When you fall in love, you can’t keep being a ‘kind, good girl’.” Ryuu’s words pierce her heart, doesn’t disappear and is painful, but…?

22. Last Game

Yanagi is rich, smart, a girl-magnet, and always at the top of his class... well, until Kujou transferred in his primary school. She was quiet, plain, and poor, yet not once has she failed at beating Yanagi, both in academics and sports! Yanagi has made it his life goal to defeat her and thus, followed her from elementary until college over the past 10 years. Only when he decides to change the rules might he finally win. Here comes their last game!

23. Love so Life

Shiharu is a high-school student who loves kids, lives in an orphanage, and works at a daycare... Until the handsome uncle of two-year-old twins offers her a raise if she'll be their babysitter. Often relying on memories of her mother's actions for guidance, Shiharu quickly finds herself falling in love with her new makeshift family.

24. Mako to Aki-chan no Koigokoro

A collection of one shots.

25. Metallic Colors

The story of a stylish and gaudy girl who strives to win the heart of the boy she likes.

26. Nonchan to Watashi

Risa and Takumi are childhood friends, but due to a fight in the past, they stopped talking to each other. Now university students, Takumi is a famous playboy who goes out with a different girl every day, and Risa still regrets not having been able to apologize for what she did six years ago...

27. Orange

In the Spring she was 16, Takamiya Naho receives a strange, but detailed letter from herself, ten years in the future. At first she thinks the letter is a prank, but then the things written in the letter actually happen, including the new transfer student that sits next to her in class, Naruse Kakeru. The letter reads just like her diary entries, down to the same characters. It is not till two weeks later, when Kakeru shows back up at school, that Naho finishes the letter. In the letter, her 27-year-old self tells her 16-year-old self that her biggest regret is that Kakeru is no longer with them in the future, and asks her to watch him closely.

28. Propose no Okite

A high school girl becomes a wife?! And her husband is the worst man? Because she had to pay her family’s debt, she married! The husband is the son of a big Hotel company. The first time she saw him she said "You got a wife thanks to your money! You’re the worst!" "I maybe the worst", he said "but you’ll have to live all your life by my side…"

29. Saboten no Himitsu

Miku Yamada has a longtime crush on classmate Kyohei Fujioka. But no matter how many times she tries to show him how she feels, clueless Kyohei just doesn't get it. Frustrated, Miku gives up on him, only to have him start calling her "Cactus" for being prickly when he's around. Will Kyohei ever figure out Cactus's secret?

30. Shitsuren Biyoushitsu

A collection of one shots.

31. SP x Baby

A romantic comedy about a privileged man and his kickass female bodyguard. Tamaki Hasegawa misses an interview for a much-needed job in order to stop an assault on a man running for his life! The man—Kagetora Sugo, the prime minister’s nephew—then asks Tamaki to become his bodyguard. Tamaki isn’t sure she’s cut out to be a bodyguard, but Kagetora has another reason for wanting to hire her. Unbeknownst to her, they’ve met before…

32. Special A

Her whole life, Hikari Hanazono has been consumed with the desire to win against her school rival, Kei Takishima--at anything. He always comes out on top no matter what he does, and Hikari is determined to do whatever it takes to beat this guy!

33. Suki desu Suzuki-kun

Suzuki Hikaru, Hoshino Sayaka, Ito Chihiro and Suzuki Shinobu are all new students who have just entered the same middle school. Sayaka is a shy girl who secretly loves acting. Hikaru is an energetic boy who loves basketball. Incidentally, he shares the same last name with Shinobu, a popular rich boy who would be perfect if not for his rotten personality. Chihiro is Hikaru’s childhood friend and has long had a crush on him.

34. Wana Love - Wanna be the Honey Trap

Mayuko is a model. She's acting like a beauty in front of guys but in fact she's suffering of an unrequited love with the cameraman Nagumo...Will she reveal her true nature through his lens...?

35. Yoshiwara Hana Oboro

Hana is a normal teenager who goes to school normally, that is until she gets run over by a car... or did she? Suddenly, she finds herself in a weird place known as the "Red Light District"... in EDO PERIOD?! Trying to find a way to get back to her own time, she somehow gets mistaken for a prostitute and has to escape. Not expecting to be saved by a gentleman, she suddenly ends up in a geisha house.. but then she is bought by the same guy who helped her earlier?!

36. Yumemiru Taiyou

While loitering in the park, Shimana Kameko, who intended to run away from home and skipped school, meets a suspicious man in a kimono. This man, who had been locked out of his house, offers Shimana a place to stay. However, he requests she fulfill three conditions in exchange for her tenancy?!

#manga #shoujo recommendation #unrequited love #romance #ao haru ride #bambi to dhole #kobayashi ga kawai sugite tsurai #last game #love so life #orange #special a #suki desu suzuki kun #yumemiru taiyou #one shot #sherlock #shoujo manga #mangacap #mitsuki kako #wana love

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captcas · 3 years

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Screwed (A Destiel AU)

Screwed by capthamm (Part 1 of 2)

Dean inherits the old family inn and has to move home to fix it up for selling. When the work proves to be too much, he enlists in the town's only contractor's help– his neighbor, Castiel. Dean is short on time, stuck in a hometown riddled with old flames, and falling for the man who lives next door. He's screwed.

notes: I'm halfway through season 7 and missing Mr. Castiel on my screen so this poured out. I'm almost finished but here is part one. My first ever attempt in the Supernatural fan fiction world... please be kind. Thank to my lovely beta, Luke <3 (@bawley_bug) read on ao3

At this point, Dean’s left thumb had been hit by the hammer more than any of the nails and he was regretting every single choice he ever made that led him to this exact moment.

Why the fuck did he think he was cut out for restoring an inn? Not just any inn– the inn. The one John ran before he got too old and retired, eventually– well let’s just say Dean isn’t here out of any sort of living guilt.

Dean’s not sure why he’s here.

If he breaks it down, it’s because he received a letter in the mail exactly two months after the passing of his father detailing how Lawrence would have no choice but to tear down the old inn unless someone from his family claimed it.

Sam’s not going to leave his law practice and the life he built for Jess and the twins, out in California.

Dean’s the only one left.

So, taking things extremely literally, he’s here because a bunch of lawyers told him he needed to be.

Another slam into his thumb jolts his train of thought off its tracks and convinces him to pack it up for the night. He snaps the tools back into his massive toolkit and stands back to look at the old built-in shelves he decided would probably be the easiest to tackle on his own. Nodding at the good-enough outcome, he turns to scan the rest of the main floor.

Maybe the built-ins are the only thing he’s going to be able to do alone.

Dean doesn’t like the thought of teamwork– especially not with the grumpy prick who lives next door. His neighbor stopped by the day Dean arrived because apparently it was John’s dying wish that their neighbor offer his services when his estranged son eventually showed up to fix the inn. (Leave it to his father to leave Dean feeling inadequate from the great beyond.)

“No, thank you.” “Excuse me?” “You offered, I’m declining. Debt, paid.” "As you wish, Winchester.” Even wrapped in the neighbor’s deep lumbering voice, Dean winces at his last name– it feels just as constricting as it did when he thought he’d be stuck in this town forever, “Dean.” “Whatever.”

Dean thought that’d be the last he’d see of the guy until he marched away and slammed the door just across the small garden. That house used to be for whatever innkeeper his parents had hired, but when the inn closed they rented it out to whichever soul felt like a one bedroom one bathroom home was enough to live in.

Apparently that was this asshole.

They’ve seen each other three more times since then, but never long enough to even exchange names. Dean isn’t sure why he’s keeping track– each time just as unpleasant as the first. Sure, Dean could’ve been friendlier, but warning bells rattled through him every time the neighbor’s stormy eyes met his. Dean may have sworn off unnecessary human interaction for the foreseeable future, but he’s not blind and his neighbor isn’t hard to look at.

But his life has no room for attractive neighbors with an attitude problem.

Convincing himself there must be someone else in this town who knows their way around a fixer upper, Dean heads to the Roadhouse for dinner and hopefully the name of someone else to help him get the inn fixed up enough to sell.

Walking through the front door of the restaurant-meets-dive-bar, the familiar smell hits him like a breath of fresh air. He can’t believe he held out for almost a week before eating here. The Roadhouse is one of the few places left in the town left untouched by rotten memories and painful nostalgia. Nothing but good ever happens once he crosses this threshold and it’s that fact that allows him to relax for the first time since moving back to Lawrence.

He starts to order his usual and Jo winks signaling she remembers even after all these years– Dean can’t believe she runs this on her own now. Jo always swore she’d get out of this town, break the chains of her mother’s legacy, but nevertheless here she is– here they both are.

Jo looks happy, maybe even at home– Dean? Not so much.

The plate drops in front of him and Dean catches his old friend lingering a bit. He looks up and says thank you and that was all it took to spark some small town gossip from Jo. While he didn’t come back to rekindle any old relationships– friendly or otherwise– Dean doesn’t mind her company and before he knows it he’s laughing and taking his last bite of burger. The conversation starts to die and Dean remembers why he came to town in the first place, “Oh! Jo, I meant to ask. I’m fixing up the old inn and I need help. Do you have the number of someone who–”

“Of course, Dean! Chuck retired, but Castiel took over, after Gabriel ran off to Thailand.” Dean raises his eyebrow and Jo laughs, “ That’s a story for another meal. Here,” she hands over a napkin with a number scrawled across it, “Castiel is the best in town and will fix up that inn in no time.”

Castiel.

Dean racks his brain for any recollection of someone named Castiel from their childhood but the name doesn’t ring a bell— and a name like that definitely would ring a bell. He supposes people must move to Lawrence, just like any town, and resigns it to someone new since he left.

He can’t expect everything to stay the same while he spent the last 15 years trying to change in every way imaginable.

Thanking his friend for the help, Dean pays and heads home for the night. Finally having the name of someone to help has lifted a huge weight off his chest. He sighs as he crawls onto the old mattress in the first floor suite, thankful it’s dark enough that he can’t nitpick all that needs to be done. The sooner he can get the inn fixed up, the sooner he can sell it and go back to Sioux Falls and the life he chose rather than the one his parents forced on him.

Maybe it was the comfort of the Roadhouse or the knowledge that this process will move twice as fast with a little help, but Dean sleeps better that night than he has in years. When he wakes with the sun, he feels energized and ready to continue his work on his family’s property.

He decides to start with disassembling the kitchen cabinets and it doesn’t take long for him to find a rhythm in his work— four screws and a trip to the pile, four screws, trip to the pile. Lost in the easy monotony, Dean forgets his decision to call for help until late into the morning. Hoping to catch the contractor before lunch, he brushes the dust from his hands and digs in his pocket for the napkin Jo had written on last night.

He’s not sure why he feels so anxious as he waits for the man on the other end of the line to pick up, but he supposes it rests on the fact that this man only knows Dean by the reputation he left town with— John’s other son.

Sam was always the golden child— pretty blonde cheerleaders and a full-ride to Stanford are not even an exaggeration when it comes to his younger brother.

Dean, on the other hand, was always rough around the edges, emotional, and different — let’s just say he’d go for the cheerleader or the quarterback.

As soon as Dean was shoved out of the closet— his dad walking in on him and Benny not leaving very much up for debate— John shut him out completely. Dean brushed it off as his dad’s way of fighting every piece of homophobia he was raised with, but the fact is: it was more likely he was disgusted by his own son.

But that was ages ago and, from what Sam’s told him, John died swearing his love for both his boys.

Not that Sam would tell Dean otherwise.

“Hello?” A gruff voice breaks him out of his daze and he’s startled back to the present day.

“Uh, hi. Yeah, uh, is this Castiel?” It’s the first time Dean’s said the name aloud and he can’t help but notice how easily it rolls off his tongue.

“This is. How can I help you?” The man is all business, clearly not as affected by Dean’s use of his name as Dean was.

“Oh yeah, uh, I got your name from Jo at the Roadhouse? My name is Dean Winchester and I’m fixing up the old Winchester Inn and I’m realizing the job may be too massive to handle on my own.” Dean winces at his blatant request for help, never one to ask outright for assistance, but as he looks at the pile of kitchen cabinets which need to be sanded, painted, and rehung, he knows he can’t do this alone. He realizes the man on the other end of the line hasn’t said anything when he continues, “Uh, that is if you have the bandwidth for that…”

Another pause before the man, Castiel, speaks again, “I can be right over.”

Dean didn’t really know how to respond, he was expecting to bargain for payment or at least for a delay in starting the project. He’s not used to this immediate willingness to help a complete stranger. He’s about to stumble through a response when he realizes Castiel is no longer on the other end of the phone. He shrugs, and sets it on the counter as there’s a knock on the door.

Shit. The only way Castiel could’ve gotten here that fast is if he’s...

Dean opens the door to the man he’s now seen a mere four times despite his permanent residence on Dean’s property. His neighbor— Castiel— looks different today. The usual softness that accompanies the man overtaken by strong arms, an AC/DC t-shirt, and a tool belt placed perfectly on his hips.

Whoa, Dean.

“Uh, hi?” Dean isn’t sure how one goes about re-introducing themselves to apparently the only help in town after being an ass before. But he’s here and Dean introduced himself on the phone and he still came.

“Hello.” The man– Castiel– greets Dean so matter of factly as he glances around Dean quizzically, presumably taking in the whole of the inn. Dean is a little taken aback by this whole interaction and the way it’s entirely different than any they’ve shared previously. Castiel’s eyes meet Dean’s and Dean can’t help but notice a hint of playfulness before Castiel speaks again, “So you do need help?”

Dean rolls his eyes and Castiel laughs sending a shockwave through Dean he hasn’t felt in ages. He promptly ignores it before motioning towards the foyer and inviting his new contractor inside. They don’t exchange any pleasantries, but rather head right to work. Castiel asks questions about everything from the crown molding and stair railing to Dean’s plan for the half shattered French doors.

The man is thorough and he knows his stuff.

Maybe teamwork with him won’t be so bad.

They finish their walk through and Dean is relieved to hear that Castiel agrees the upstairs mostly needs some fresh paint. John left some money to fix up the inn, but not enough for a total overhaul. After working through the budget, they decide it’ll be more cost effective if it retains its original charm.

“Well, Dean, I like what we’ve got here and I think we can make something out of this.” Castiel slouches into one of the bar stools near the kitchen island as he surveys the room one more time. Dean does his best not to notice the sweat slowly making its way down Castiel’s collar bone and beneath the collar of his t-shirt, and the way he says Dean, and his implication that this is theirs . Dean hasn’t shared anything for most of his adult life– mostly because he hasn’t had anyone worth sharing something with.

But this inn feels like it’s meant to be shared, and Dean can’t seem to find any reason not to do so with Castiel.

“I’m glad you think so. I suppose we should discuss payment…” Dean trails off as Castiel’s gaze becomes confused.

“I don’t intend on charging you a dime, Dean.” Castiel’s matter of fact smile returns and Dean can’t ignore the way his gut flutters.

He’s not a nun, Dean’s been attracted to people for as long as he can remember being alive. From Lucy Jones in kindergarten to a myriad of characters in his adult life, he’s always been a people person loaded with an innate attraction for the kind of itches you scratch and forget ever existed.

Castiel is beginning to feel like an itch he’d like to scratch.

But that’d ruin everything, especially Dean’s plan to sell the inn for as much as humanly possible and then get the hell outta dodge.

“I appreciate that, but I have to give you something…” Castiel waves Dean off and he realizes arguing would be useless. “Thanks.”

Castiel nods before taking time to study Dean until it almost feels awkward. Dean is typically the one doing the studying, and he feels naked under this man’s gaze. They remain in a silence delicately balanced between comfortable and awkward until Castiel speaks again, “Well, best I get back to my place. I will see you tomorrow morning, Dean.”

As Castiel stands, he adjusts the toolbelt around his waist and Dean forces himself to look away, not willing to tempt himself with the flash of skin exposed during the adjustment. The contractor must notice because he smirks slightly before nodding his head in goodbye. If he didn’t know better, Dean would swear Castiel walks a bit closer to him than is necessary. He shakes it off before heading to the bathroom to shower off the grime of the day before checking in with Sam, Jess, and the kids.

. . .

They work surprisingly well together.

His new partner is a quiet but sturdy presence throughout the day– rarely chatting about more than the weather or whatever task needs to be done– but on occasion Dean will learn a bit more about him. He’s started to compile a list of Cas’s likes and dislikes– for example, Cas likes that Dean gave him a nickname.

“Hey, Cas, can you hand me the socket wrench?” "Cas?” “Uh, yeah, short for Castiel. You got too many syllables, man.”

Cas nodded and moved on with the task, but Dean can’t help but notice the small smirk everytime he has to call Cas by name. Cas also smiles whenever a screw goes in without a fight and when the first raindrop of an impending storm hits his forehead.

Dean likes it when Cas smiles. (Apparently Dean’s compiled a list for that, too.)

He’s tried to largely ignore the growing attraction for the man he’s working with for more than eight hours a day, but it gets more difficult with each glance to make sure the other is still in one piece and every accidental touch of hands when they pass off a tool.

At least Dean tells himself it’s accidental.

He hadn’t gotten enough out of Cas to even know if he “plays for that team,” as Sam likes to say. Dean is almost positive John wouldn’t have encouraged the two work together if Cas is gay, but there are moments that give him more hope that he deserves.

“Dean!” Cas’s steady voice startles him from the monotony of painting kitchen cabinets and his overflowing thoughts.

He puts down the paintbrush and walks over to the fireplace where Cas is supposed to be sanding down the mantle, “Yeah, Cas, what is it?” There’s that smile– sometimes Dean wonders if he uses his nickname for Cas just to get a glimpse of it.

“I’m hungry and I’m out of sand paper.” Cas looks up from the stool he’s been sitting on for hours with a hint of puppy dog eyes. Dean isn’t exactly paying Cas so he could definitely come and go as he pleases, but they tend to stick to a similar schedule everyday. Checking his watch, Dean sees it is lunchtime and agrees to head into town for a sandwich.

“I should probably get cleaned up a bit…” Cas trails off as he surveys his dusty jeans and sweat drenched t-shirt. Without trying to, Dean gets lost in the unfairly attractive mess of it all for a moment too long. He looks up to speak again and Cas is smirking almost knowingly.

Shit.

“Yeah, sure. You can use the shower here if you want but no promise there’s any hot water.” Dean scratches behind his ear nervously. This wasn’t any sort of purposeful invitation, but he can’t help but feel a wad of want fall into his stomach. Cas simply nods his thanks before heading into the main floor bathroom with a change of clothes he brought “just in case”. Dean laughed when Cas told him that he’s always that prepared and cited the fact that Cas only lives thirty steps away from the inn. He simply shrugged and said “You never know” and that was the end of that. Dean supposes Cas was right and the change of clothes had come in handy.

Though, not exactly how Dean thought they would.

As he hears the shower turn on, Dean goes back to painting kitchen cabinets in hopes of distracting himself from the very attractive, very naked man that is showering in the next room. It works for a while but eventually the knowledge feels stifling and Dean decides to clean up quickly and wait for Cas on the porch.

“What’re you waiting out here for?” Cas walks outside, resting his arm on the doorframe to only accentuate his bicep muscles. Dean knows if he looks at what is probably disheveled and wet hair from the shower it’ll take every piece of willpower he has not to jump the guy right then and there.

“Let’s go.” He leads Cas to his car without looking in his direction or answering his question. As Dean walks around the back of the impala he sees Cas smirk again.

Bastard.

They take the short drive into town before stopping at the hardware store. Dean needs to pick up some new screws so he can finish the cabinets and Cas needs some more sand paper so they decide to split up and grab what they need. Cas cuts right, beelining for the aisle like he lives here– now that Dean thinks about it, Cas probably does come here a lot– and Dean wanders to the left looking for the screw aisle.

He ends up finding them along with a confused pre-teen boy comparing screw sizes to an outlet cover. Dean laughs to himself before offering his help, “Anything I can help with?”

The boy turns to Dean, startled at first, but then relaxing when he doesn’t sense any immediate threat, “Yeah, that’d be great. My mom sent me in here twenty minutes ago, but I don’t know anything about this stuff.”

Dean laughs, “Well, your Dad should’ve taught you screw shopping at the very least.”

“How could he do that when he doesn’t know I exist?” The kid says it so matter of factly, Dean isn’t even sure he heard him correctly. He scans him for signs of distress, but whatever therapy he’s getting must’ve worked because the kid goes back to comparing screws without missing a beat.

“Fair enough. Here, you’ll want these ones,” Dean grabs a four pack of the screws the kid is looking for and hands it to him. “Then you’ll have extras in case you need to replace another one.”

“Awesome, thanks! My names–”

“Ben? What’s taking you–” Dean winces, he’d know that voice anywhere and the fact she paused means… “Dean?! What are you doing talking to… what’s going on here?”

“Mom!”

“Lisa…”

Ben (apparently) and Dean speak at the same time, both turning towards the woman Dean hasn’t thought about in years. They were something– more than something– for about a year, but John’s pressure pushed Dean out of town and Lisa refused to leave Lawrence... so now they're here, awkwardly looking at each other in a hardware store.

“Lisa, look, I can explain–”

“Dean, I found the sandpaper and I also grabbed some extra paint for that wall in the living–” Dean’s cut off as Cas rounds the corner looking down at the sandpaper packaging and clearly missing all the fun in aisle nine, “Oh. Hi!”

Then Cas waves , an adorable wave that if Dean wasn’t so goddamn turned around probably would’ve sent him spiraling. Dean facepalms to hide his smile and proceeds to rub his calloused hands through his hair trying to decide what to say next. But Ben must be oblivious to the absolute shit storm happening a foot above his current height because he chooses this moment to chime in, “I was confused about which screws to get and Dean offered to help, Mom. That’s all. And look,” Ben holds up the package Dean handed him what feels like an eternity ago, “Got ‘em!”

That kid just saved Dean’s ass.

Lisa still looks a little stunned to see Dean– his return had seemingly not reached the far ends of the town gossip chain quite yet– but then she glances back towards Cas… and then back to Dean.

He’s about to correct her when she surprises him with a hug.

They didn’t exactly end on bad terms, but he probably could’ve been nicer when he told her he was leaving.

Hence why the hug catches him off guard, as does what she quietly whispers in his ear, “I’m glad you found someone that makes you smile like that again.”

Dean can't even formulate a correction before Lisa’s telling Ben to thank Dean for his help and the pair is heading down the other end of the aisle. He turns towards Cas who is staring intensely at a speck on the floor by his feet, but seems to be smiling all the same.

Maybe Dean isn’t wrong about him.

They check out and head back to the Impala in silence. It isn’t until they get home after swinging through the drive thru that Dean even realizes he forgot to grab the screws.

#Destiel #destiel ff #dean winchester #castiel #deancas #castiel owns my soul #where the fuck did destiel come from?#capthamm #please be kind I've only watched halfway through season 7

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oookaline · 4 years

Text

And The Saga Continues

By saga I mean me supervising this 'fake RbbSbb' account on twitter because I want to.

also Im going to separate the posts by day, if anything else happens I'll retweet and add it on this one. Tommorow its a separate post.

If you're intrested to see the first bit (two separate days in a post, one in which I found and then kept retweeting what happened after weeks (?) of not checking on it) (! I do reccomend reading the previous one)

so if you're intrested look up the tag #Fake-RbbSbb in my account.

Sooooo as expected our buddy changed his bio to 11, which supports my speculation that it was (obviously) a countdown to Louis' show.

nothing new on the following/pfp/header etc...

They did tweet some things, but I'll touch on that later, first off the likes: It seems they are continuously trying to raise attention towards Rbb (and Rbb only???) being back in two weeks by sending anonymous statements in peoples CCs.

Also they liked this HIV support tweet- and I found that sweet so im also adding it in, because aweareness is key.

aswell as replying back with their usual variation of two emojis:

No sign of Android anywhere, just WebApp™.

Now onto the tweets:

Just like with the 12 they posted yesterday, today they posted an 11. And I got curious to know where abouts they were setting the time to:

If whatever I triod to do here is too complicated (even I dont understand it lmao) basically:

In LA posting time would've been 23:29

In London posting time would've been: 07:29

so if they wanted to (and im speculating this because I did not check) update it on midnight lets say (or close to), then logically the tweet would've come from LA.

Now this thing which then tells us there will be a pattern of when they'll update the countdown

The thing I found weird right, is that they're doing a countdown (supposedly) to Louis' show. So why update on LA time?

Next thing they posted was this:

'Well Meet at the end of the Road' at a first glance you'd guess they're talking about the countdown.

But oh to know who Rudolph Valentino was...

I'll put some intresting quotes I found of him here, you can skip all of this if you want, I'll do a short resume at the end of the indented.

"He was a sex symbol of the 1920s, who was known in Hollywood as the Latin Lover (a title invented for him by Hollywood moguls), The Great Lover, or simply Valentino.[1] His premature death at the age of 31 caused mass hysteria among his fans and further propelled his status as a cultural film icon."

"The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse was released in 1921 and became a commercial and critical success" + "For his follow-up film, they forced him into a bit part in a B-film called Uncharted Seas.(1921)" + "Rambova, Mathis, Ivano, and Valentino began work on the Alla Nazimova film Camille.(1921)" + "Valentino's final film for Metro was the Mathis-penned 'The Conquering Power.(1921) "

thats 4 movies in a year!! Talk about overworked- (depending on how long they were)

"After quitting Metro, Valentino took up with Famous Players-Lasky, forerunner of the present-day Paramount Pictures, a studio known for films that were more commercially focused."

"Jesse L. Lasky intended to capitalize on the star power of Valentino, and cast him in a role that solidified his reputation as the "Latin lover"

"In The Sheik (1921), Valentino played the starring role of Sheik Ahmed Ben Hassan. The film was a major success and defined not only his career but his image and legacy."

"Famous Players produced four more feature-length films over the next 15 months" + "His leading role in Moran of the Lady Letty(1922) was of a typical Douglas Fairbanks nature" + "Valentino starred alongside Gloria Swanson in Beyond the Rocks(1922)" + "Valentino began work on another Mathis-penned film, Blood and Sand(1922)" + "During his forced break from Rambova, the pair began working separately on the Mathis-penned The Young Rajah(1922)"

15 months 4 movies. and again I will stress the 'capitalize the star power' over there.

Seems too familiar tbh.

"Missing Rambova, Valentino returned to New York after the release of The Young Rajah. They were spotted and followed by reporters constantly."

*cough* *cough* "spotted"

"During this time, Valentino began to contemplate not returning to Famous Players, although Jesse Lasky already had his next picture, The Spanish Cavalier, in preparation. After speaking with Rambova and his lawyer Arthur Butler Graham, Valentino declared a 'one-man strike' against Famous Players.[31]"

About the lawsuit:

"He was also upset over the broken promise of filming Blood and Sand in Spain, and the failure to shoot the next proposed film in either Spain or at least New York. Valentino had hoped while filming in Europe he could see his family, whom he had not seen in 10 years.[27]"

"In September 1922, he refused to accept paychecks from Famous Players until the dispute was solved, although he owed them money" + "Famous Players, in turn, filed suit against him.[33]"

"Valentino did not back down,[33] and Famous Players realized how much they stood to lose." + "the studio tried to settle by upping his salary" + "Variety erroneously announced the salary increase as a "new contract" before news of the lawsuit was released, and Valentino angrily rejected the offer.[31]"

"Valentino went on to claim that artistic control was more of an issue than the money." + "Famous Players made their own public statements deeming him more trouble than he was worth (the divorce, bigamy trials, debts) and that he was temperamental, almost diva-like. They claimed to have done all they could and that they had made him a real star.[33]

"Other studios began courting him." + "However, Famous Players exercised its option to extend his contract, preventing him from accepting any employment other than with the studio." + "Valentino filed an appeal, a portion of which was granted. Although he was still not allowed to work as an actor, he could accept other types of employment.[33]"

Return To The Movies

"Valentino returned to the United States in reply to an offer from Ritz-Carlton Pictures (working through Famous Players)" + "Rambova negotiated a two-picture deal with Famous Players and four pictures for Ritz-Carlton.[37] He accepted, turning down an offer to film an Italian production of Quo Vadis in Italy"

PERSONAL LIFE!!!!

"Valentino once told gossip columnist Louella Parsons that: "The women I love don't love me. The others don't matter". He claims that despite his success as a sex symbol that in his personal love life he never achieved happiness.[62]"

"Valentino impulsively married actress Jean Acker, who was involved with actresses Grace Darmond and Alla Nazimova. Acker became involved with Valentino in part to remove herself from the lesbian love triangle, quickly regretted the marriage, and locked Valentino out of their room on their wedding night."

"From the time he died in 1926 until the 1960s, Valentino's sexuality was not generally questioned in print.[67][68] At least four books, including the notoriously libelous Hollywood Babylon, suggested that he may have been gay despite his marriage to Rambova.[69][70][71][72][73] For some, the marriages to Acker and Rambova, as well as the relationship with Pola Negri, add to the suspicion that Valentino was gay and that these were "lavender marriages."

"Such books gave rise to claims that Valentino had a relationship with Ramón Novarro, despite Novarro stating they barely knew each other." + "These books also gave rise to claims that he may have had relationships with both roommates Paul Ivano and Douglas Gerrad, as well as Norman Kerry, and openly gay French theatre director and poet Jacques Hébertot." + "However, Ivano maintained that it was untrue and both he and Valentino were heterosexual.[24] Biographers Emily Leider and Allan Ellenberger generally agree that he was most likely straight"

like every historian would say: "they were just good friends"

"further supposed evidence that Valentino was gay; documents in the estate of the late author Samuel Steward indicated that Valentino and Steward were sexual partners.[77] However, evidence found in Steward's claim was subsequently found to be false, as Valentino was in New York on the date Steward claimed a sexual encounter occurred in Ohio."

- Via Wikipedia

These are the few quotes from his wekipedia page in which I literally gaped at...

So in short:

Sex Symbol who was an Actor

Got his image enhanced and exploited by his manager.

Constanly Overworked

Relationships used for PR (?)

Thought about leaving his management which led to a 'one man strike' and a lawsuit.

The lawsuit started off because of finantial reasons, but it was revealed it was more because of fucking creative freedom.

Management tried to reason with him, he didn't back down. And they continued to do so before an article of the 'lawsuit' was made public, he didn't accept any.

Management tried to paint Valentino as 'ungrateful' and that they were the reason he was a star.

When other people tried to get Valentino to work with/for them, his management stopped him by "threatening to extend the contract" (?) which prevented him from acting.

His sexuality was never really questioned due to the many relationships with woman he had (one which literally was a lesbian)

Lavender Marriages / PR marriages

After his death, speculation that he dated many men came up.

One even said they did the dEEd, but its impossible because they were both in separate countries duh, right? RIGhT????

The way we can literally compare this with Harry's situation (and maybe Louis' aswell!!!) is literally hurting my mind.

Also adding that @eyupdaisy is helping me a lot, kuddos to her aswell. She found this:

If you search the actual name of the post 'We will meet at the end of the trail' on google, this picture comes up

Which the HT account made a very lovely and subtle connection to it a few days ago

Guess well have to start lowkey monitoring them too? Or maybe just what they interact with the Mr.R acc...

wait- max images reached ;-;

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anne-lister-adventures · 4 years

Text

Tuesday, 23 April 1839

8 5/’’

12 55/’’

Rainy morning – Had Mr. Shackleton (A-[Ann] had him first) at 8 3/4 she for 1/4 hour and I for rather longer – Dressed – Breakfast 9 3/4 in 35 minutes then had Mr. Harper – Before settling with him about windows &c. wrote and sent by George note as follows:

“Mr. Gray junior Petergate

Mrs. Lister and Miss Walker would be glad to see Mr. Gray at 12 at noon today, if that hour will not be inconvenient to him –

George Inn. Tuesday morning 23 April 1839”

Note in answer would come at 11 1/2 having an engagement soon after 12 – Settled with Mr. Harper about windows and a long list of items to be done in our absence so that we might find all comfortable on our return – (Vide rough book entry of all directions) –

Mr. Gray came at 11 1/2 and staid till 12 20/’’ – Old G-‘s[Gray’s] money when paid in to be invested in the funds – So that there will be no difficulty about A-‘s[Ann’s] paying it in a little sooner or later – By the way sooner was not hinted at – My estate safe from the mortgage till some one should come into possession who could cut off the entail, and pay off the mortgage – The money not likely to be wanted during Miss Jane Preston’s life – And if wanted Mr. G-[Gray] will transfer the mortgage without giving me any trouble whether I may be in England or abroad desired him to prepare a little codicil to my will giving A-[Ann] and him as executors and trustees the discretion to sell all or part of my property in H-x[Halifax] to pay off the mortgage – He gave me a sheet form of agreement for letting the colliery from year to year – To see him again on our return from North Cave – He will be at home all the day on Thursday – But not after 10 tomorrow morning –

An agreement to take requires only a 20/- stamp – An agreement to let requires a stamp according to the amount of rent; but if the amount is altogether uncertain, vide Kearsley’s Tax Tables what the stamp will be – Something considerable –

Mr. G-[Gray] went at 12 20/’’ and then seeing that we could not get off till Thursday wrote and sent as followed (on 1/2 sheet of note paper) to Mrs. Oddy, Shibden Hall, near H-x[Halifax] to be delivered immediately:

“York – Tuesday morning 23 April 1839.

Mrs. Oddy.

We shall not be at home at home till Thursday, but expect to be there on that day in the course of the evening – You need not sit up later than eleven o’clock at night – We shall not want dinner –

A Lister”

Kind note this morning from Miss Henrietta Crompton enclosing the card of ‘the Miss Cromptons’ for A-[Ann] regretting that the rainy morning prevented her calling – Had just written so far at 12 50/’’ – Then did up our imperials &c. and got all ready for being off to North Cave, to see Marian –

Had ordered up luncheon (our cold loin of roast mutton of yesterday and bread and butter) at 2 and had nearly done when I[Isabella] N-[Norcliffe] came soon after 2 and staid above an hour – Determined to go abroad this summer but unfixed when and where – will be away the Winter –

Off at 3 48/’’ to return to dinner tomorrow – But took all with us – Changed horses at Bamby[Barmby] Moor at 5 10/’’ – Passed the Inn (Devonshire Arms) at Market Weighton at 6 1/4 – 6 miles from there to Mill Cottage N.[North] Cave but they charged using (at Bamby[Barmby] Moor i.e. 6 miles B.[Barmby] Moor to Market W-[Weighton] and 8 from there to N.[North] C.[Cave]) and it was 7 22/’’ before we alighted at Marian’s door –

I had not written – She had no notice of our going – She was upstairs – Lucky – Mrs. Button dangerously ill; and she had only left her and returned home yesterday – The girl woman servant did not know me – I gave no name –

Marian soon came down looking thin, and pale, and nervous – I soon set all parties at ease – I had done right to give no notice – Marian owned if I had written she should not have known what to do – Should have feared she could not make us comfortable – Should have sent to Hull for things the bed had been slept in last night –

No trouble to re-sheet it and light the fire – We had perfumed Russian tea, and good coffee and bread and butter and toast &c. and reindeer’s tongue and all very comfortable in a few minutes and I believe poor Marian was very glad to see us – We never stirred till A-[Ann] went upstairs to bed at 10 20/’’ and I followed at 11 50/’’ –

Talked over everything – It seem she did not expect A-[Ann] to give £600 for Lee Lane – Thought it was only £500 she had bid before – Marian would have taken £550 as Mr. Parker knew – Mitchell had valued the place (coal and all) at £500 – all parties behaved very handsomely Marian in telling this and A-[Ann] in rejoicing that she had the £600 to give as she thought the place worth it –

Marian had had some trouble in determining but had at last made up her mind to sell High Royds – Mitchell’s valuation of it = £2268, odd – Had told Mr. Parker to offer it to me first – And then to Holt at £2300 he having to pay for Copperas House which Marian bought and for which a title is now about to be made – But she would take £2,000 of me – No! No! Sorry I could not give her the valuation – Sorry I could not buy it – She wants £2400 for immediate use – But not necessitated to sell High Royds at the moment as the £600 for Lee Lane will pay the bank debt – Had this money towards the end of last month – Knows that borrowing at a bank (a new and said to be liberal bank at North Cave) costs one way or another 6 p.[per] c.[cent] – Has £200 of Mrs. Button who cannot continue long, and Marian would like to be prepared to pay this off – Expects a legacy but only of one hundred – The debts on Highroyds = £1600 – These 3 sums = £2400. Skelfler is at the same rent as in my father’s time – Not quite £600 a year? Or not more than £600 her present income net from £200 to £300 per annum – And yet she every year lays out money in [marling] &c. to say nothing of accidents –

The great wind (7 January last) blew down the barn at the Grange – Butterworth End cost above £120 - £10 of damage done by the great wind at High Roydes (chimney blown down) – And she gives £20 a year to Mr. Edwards of Market W-[Weighton] for looking over the Skelfler Estate seeing that the drains are kept open &c. for she herself receives the rents which she says are now paid at the day –

I remonstrated on this over payment to Mr. E-[Edwards] for doing nothing – Yes! He would look after the barn building up again – He said it was more than he expected but Marian herself offered it because Mr. Robinson the attorney employed by my father had had this sum (independent of law expense) for receiving rents and doing everything –

Poor Marian – The thought of all this makes my heart ache – But what can I do – She will not hear of giving Mr. Edwards less – I said a professional land agent would go over the estate and note its state of management and repair – (its condition and value) 2 days per annum at 2 guineas a day and expense which could not exceed 3 guineas a day –

I advised the letting the tenants farm in a proper husbandlike manner without her laying out one sixpence more especially as she says the rents are very low – And in the case of Skelfler she is so persuaded of the hundreds that the tenant has in the land that when she made her will on going to Market W-[Weighton] on my fathers death (the summer of 1836) she willed that the tenant had the farm for ten years from that time at the rent he then paid –

She said however that tho’ she had consulted Mr. Robinson about this (and she did not say he had made any objection) that the tenant himself knew nothing about it – I advised her to sell – The Estate nets under £600 (I should think from my remembrance of the outgoing drainage &c. &c. above £30 per annum that the net income is about £560) she says (in spite of this hampering about the tenant right) she would not take less than £20,000 for it!

How can I help her – Advising is quite in vain – I urged her selling – Said she might in the course of a few years (which I believe) make her income a clear £500 a year on which, with her knife and fork at Shibden, she might live without being buried alive –

Her cottage here is damp, and too near the mill-dam – (Originally a paper mill, now a corn-mill) But pretty enough – The house is sufficient 4 rooms on a floor – 2 sitting rooms below with bedrooms over them and at the back good kitchen and pantries and rooms over them – A small cellar – A little sheltered nice bit of garden ground about 25 or more? x 15 yards and a little island (perhaps 60 to 70 square yards) in the midst of the water on which island she grows her potatoes – Good ones –

The man who does her garden, finds her all seeds and sets, and does all, for £5 a year – He might suit me – He is to speak to me tomorrow – Clerk, too, of the parish church – Ivy-covered and very picturesque – Close to here, and to the entrance gate to Hotham (Mr. Burton’s) – Marian pays £20 a year and has all taxes paid for her –

I congratulated her on her escape from her thought of marriage – I thought she had been much mistaken in her judgment in this matter – Mr Abbot not a gentleman mentioned his having called here she did not explain how the thing was off I conclude he let it die a natural death she shewed neither pain nor pleasure on the subject – but said it was all off –

Light gentle rain in the morning fair the greater part of the afternoon – Poor A[Ann] had thought me long but behaved very well about it she got in to bed soon after my getting upstairs –

[symbols in the left margin:] ✓ N N ✓ L N ✓c

[in the margin:] Mr. Harper

[in the margin:] Mr. Gray

[in the margin:] stamp for uncertain rent

[in the margin:] Mill Cottage North Cave

[in the margin:] Highroyds

Page References: SH:7/ML/E/23/0026 and SH:7/ML/E/23/0027

#anne lister code breaker #anne lister #ann walker #York 1839

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celestial-luminary · 5 years

Text

Anthem of the Heart

by Bethany Moraño & Laika Camposano

Night had fallen, which meant Celesta would be at the studio. Tonight, she figured, would luckily be a short one, seeing as she was only going to rearrange a finished song. 3 hours in and she’s done, the recordings ready to be submitted to her seventh label this month. It’s been 2 years since her first audition, 6 years since she decided to pursue a music profession, and 6 years since her parents drove her to her grandparents’ to “stay there for the rest of your career.” It didn’t extremely bother her given that her grandparents were supportive of her ‘creative knack’ they’d call.

“Maybe it’s time to try other paths. I mean, I got into business and it pays me well enough. There are still tons of opportunities to explore. And, what if this isn’t really what’s meant for you?”

The sun rose slower than usual on the next day, and so did Celesta. As she was making breakfast for her grandparents, Rose’s voice kept floating around her mind, “What if this isn’t really what’s meant for you?” 6 years ago she couldn’t have imagined herself not fiddling with the synthesizers nor working outside of the music field. It was always that one dream. But in those 6 years, no opportunity came to pave the way towards her big break. Maybe. Maybe this really isn’t for me… But maybe not.

“We can’t let you stay anymore, Celesta. You owe us $950 and that’s only for this week. The boss said you can’t come back unless you’re fully-paid. Real sorry.”

Okay, fine. Maybe!

The sun rose even slower the following days. Just the other day, she found out that she got kicked out of her usual record studio and, to add to that, her last application was yet another failed one after receiving their reply one afternoon.

Things weren’t going the way Celesta wanted it to. For the past 2 years she was unemployed. Now, she was unemployed, dispirited, and had debt. Although she had expected all this, even when she was still studying, it still felt heavier when she actually was in the situation. So she ran to her grandma and grandpa with a heavy heart, and poured out everything she had been carrying. Tears were shed, warmth was given, and the next thing she knew, her eyes had fluttered shut to a deep sleep.

A new morning came, and Celesta rose before the break of dawn. Their talk last night lessened the weight on her chest. Her grandma told her to face the problems one by one, so she decided that she’ll begin with paying off her debt. She planned on having a part-time job of any type, just so she could easily get one rather than having to be picky, and she wanted to begin her plan as soon as possible. As luck would have it, most of the stores and diners near their block accepted walk-in applicants. The search ended shortly for, unlike her usual experience, she got in on her first try. A diner, just a block away from their house, needed a cook. They had her prepare a simple meal to taste within 15 minutes and, fortunately, Celesta learned from her grandma who was an ace chef, and so she was able to prepare an ace meal which had her hired.

“This is a good start, Celest. Just keep your eye on the ball and you’ll get there.”

A thought crossed her mind that made her stop in the middle of her half-run moment. In the midst of all the busy people under the night sky, she was confused. The chitchats from the people suddenly disappeared, the happenings around her became a blur as if everything was in a time lapse mode. She looked up at the starry sky with questioning eyes.

Should she continue her career as an artist?

Her grip on her bag tightened because of the thought. Flashbacks started to play in her mind like a filmstrip. The times where she experienced discrimination, inequality and more as an artist.

“You should stop already and go find a decent job.”

“We don’t need a music-geek daughter.”

“No one’s going to notice you anyway.”

“You’re not popular so why would you even try?”

“Set out a new career!”

Maybe they’re right. Maybe it’s time to accept the truth and to face the reality. She lets out a heavy sigh. She has decided to just go with the flow of life. No one knows what will happen next. All she has to do is to hope that everything is going to be okay. She believes that everything has a reason. She might get a successful life if she continues her cooking career or she might regret at the end. No one knows. The next song begins to play in her earphones.

When I was just a little girl

I asked my mother, what will I be

Will I be pretty

Will I be rich

Here's what she said to me

Que será, será

Whatever will be, will be

The future's not ours to see

Que será, será

What will be, will be

Celesta smiled and silently agreed with the song. When she arrived at their home, she hugged them tightly and thanked them. Her grandparents asked her why she was so happy. She smiled and grabbed their hands. They playfully danced in circle while she was telling them about her promotion. They were so proud and happy for her and that made her contented. Just seeing them happy is what matters.

On the next day, she was walking on her way home drained when she saw a poster on a lamppost. There was a word that caught her attention. Music. It says that there will be an audition for the aspiring artists and she can tell that the company was just a small one and not well-known since she was unfamiliar with the name. Half of her was saying that she should try it but the other said she should just ignore it. She nearly jumped of shock when someone spoke beside her.

“Are you really happy?” a man asked. She was caught off guard by the question. She stared at the man beside her. He looked like he was in his 40s. He was wearing a coat and holding a cigarette. The man was just staring at the poster, ignoring her reaction. She cleared her throat before answering the stranger beside her.

“O-Of course.” The man didn’t move or even react. She gulped before bidding goodbye to the stranger. She turned around and took a step but she froze at what the man said.

“Life is full of opportunities. Why would you only pick one, when there’s a lot?” The man said and smoked his cigarette before walking away. She was left thinking hard about the stranger’s words. He’s right.

Days had passed and she’s currently in the kitchen cooking for her grandparents. She was humming a song and realized that it has been a while since she last sang. She remembered the poster and the stranger’s words. Should she try it? But everything is going well already. She came back from her senses when her grandma came in and helped her with the cooking. They’ve talked about many things like life and exchanged warm thoughts to each other. Grandma held Celesta’s hands firmly and gave her a smile.

“Your parents are happy to know about your progress, Celest.” Celesta smiled too but at the back of her head, she was still hurt by the fact that her parents gave her away to her grandparents just because of her dream to be an artist. “They will visit tomorrow dinner. I hope that you will get along with each other again.” Her grandma hugged her tightly.

“Let your heart speak, my dear Celesta.”

Night had fallen and it was past eleven o’clock already but Celesta was still wide awake. Her thoughts kept on popping in her mind as if they’re debating. She couldn’t get rid of the thought about meeting her parents tomorrow after all these years. She was nervous but at the same time, excited and… sad. The night had come and everything was all set. Celesta was wearing a simple white lace dress with her hair tied in a bun. Her heart skipped a beat when she heard the doorbell ring. She nervously walked to the door and opened it. There, she saw her parents smiling at her. For almost 6 years, finally they’re here in front of her.

“Celesta, my daughter.” They hugged her and her heart was so happy that she couldn’t stop herself from tearing up a little bit. They were happily eating while telling stories about their life. Celesta’s heart was still aching but what’s important was that her parents are here. She’s been thinking carefully about this lately and now, she has decided. She called her parents’ attention. Her hands were shaking but she had to do it.

“I will audition to a small company--” Her parents’ smiles faded and before she could even finish her sentence, her father cut her off.

“No, Celesta. What’s happening to you? You already have a decent job,” her father said. The tension began to rise. Memories were coming back again but this time, she will speak what her heart wants.

“I tried. I tried everything just to forget it but I can’t.”

“Then try harder! We thought that you’ve come to your senses, but we were wrong. You’ve gotten worse, my daughter. Stop chasing dreams that are meaningless and will not bring you a good life,” her mother said and grabbed her bag. Her grandparents tried to stop them but they were too upset to listen. Before they got out of the house, Celesta spoke,

“Give me one last chance. I will officially stop if I were rejected. However, I will choose to be an artist if I were to be accepted.”

Behind the curtains was a girl who dreamed to be an artist since she was little. She remembered all her downs and failures. This was her last chance to show the world what she got and what her heart wanted. It’s time to speak, to sing.

“Number 9, you’re up next!” She lets out a heavy breath before standing. It’s time. She then opened the door where the audition was taking place. A familiar man greeted her, wearing his coat, and instead of a cigarette, he was holding a paper where Celesta’s profile is seen. It was the stranger.

She was momentarily stunned but the music brought her senses back. She grabbed the microphone and smiled at him. He nodded and smiled back. Celesta sang with all her heart. To all the people who put her down, who didn’t trust her, who doubted and those who judged. This is her dream and to live with her dream is what life is for young Celesta.

Hear what my heart is saying, let the anthem of my heart rise.

Cheers, screams and chants of a million voices, now singing back to her. She stared at the people who supported and loved her. A tear escaped from her eye. In the midst of the ocean of people, she glimpsed her fans, parents and grandparents singing the anthem of her heart.

~The End~

#fiction

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mikeduffy123-blog · 6 years

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Personal Narative

Complicated Decisions

In high school, waking up every day and heading off to school really wasn’t a difficult task for me, and it was something I honestly didn’t mind. But I can remember this one morning last year, during my senior year, I really didn’t want to go to school. I hear my alarm go off, which is the same song that I woke up to every morning that year. Now awake, I wrap myself up in my warm, fuzzy blanket, and just stare up at my spinning ceiling fan on the ceiling. I can hear the birds chirping outside through my windows, and see the sun peaking its way through my black-out curtains. I slowly roll over and put my head into my pillow, and just lay there not ready to get up and get ready for school. Some mornings I would do this if I was really tired or stayed up late doing homework the night before, but this wasn’t one of those mornings. This was one of the only days my senior year I had dreaded going to.

For me, school has always come fairly easy to me, and I really never struggled with it much. Whether it was a spelling test in 2nd grade, a science or reading test in middle school, or a history or math test in high school, I would typically get a pretty exceptional grade on whatever it was. Throughout middle school and all the way through high school I was always on honor roll or high honor roll. Now I’m really not one to brag, but I guess you could say I am a pretty good student. I can’t really take full credit, because I think my parents are the reason I’ve become the student I am today. They have always pushed me to work my hardest, do exceptional in school, and strive for the best. But I do like to give myself credit for the achievements I made in high school, because the only help with homework and studying I could get from my parents was math, only because my mom is a math teacher.

All of this hard work I had been putting in through my years in school were leading up to another step of my life, which was college. As a junior in high school, I really didn’t know much about colleges and all I really knew about college was the craziness that I saw on Instagram pages. As a 17-year-old, I knew I had and wanted to continue my education after high school, but I didn’t have a clue what I wanted to do or where I wanted to go. After talking with my guidance counselor, I was really starting to want to go away for college, possibly somewhere down south. I was always looking online at the different schools and checking out different degree programs I could pursue. After gaining interest in the idea of going away for college, I was presented another option for school. Because I was in the top 15% of my class at the end of my junior year I was presented with the NJ Stars grant, which would pay for my tuition for an Associate’s Degree at Sussex County Community College.

When I was presented this opportunity, my first reaction was absolutely not, I’m not going to a community college, while at the same time my parents were super excited for me. At first, I was so turned off by this idea due to two reasons, one being I had my mind set on going away for school, and the other being the stigma that surrounds community college. What I mean by the stigma surrounding community colleges is the way that a lot of people see students that go to a community college and how they think of the education at a community college. A lot of people out there think that if you go to a community college you’re a failure, you’re not smart enough to get into a four-year school, and that you just can’t handle the difficulty of four-year schools. I’ve also heard a lot of people saying that if you go to community college, you won’t make it as far in life or get a job as good as someone who attended a four-year college. And in addition to that, the overall stigma around community colleges is that you’re just a “loser” and inferior to your peers who go to a four-year college.

My parents were really upset that I wasn’t interested in this opportunity of getting free tuition for two years, and really started persuading me. They would tell me about all the money I would be saving, how it’s not an inferior education at a community college, and how it didn’t even matter where I got my associate’s degree from because I could get my Bachelor’s Degree at the college of my choice. And my only arguments to this was that I would miss the “real college experience”, and that it was embarrassing to go to a community college. Which in all honesty, I had believed fully until I actually started classes at community. After lots of discussions with my parents, other students, and my guidance counselor, I had decided that I would suck it up and go to SCCC for two years, then transfer to a four-year school. I wasn’t going to let this stigma get to me and stop me from making a smart decision for my future life.

This was probably one of the hardest decisions I’ve had to make in my lifetime, and it wasn’t the end of my problems after I made this decision. Throughout my senior year all my friends and peers were applying to all different colleges, getting accepted to their colleges of choice, and sharing these acceptances. And there I was “just” going to the local community college, which anybody could get into. This was really annoying at first and always had me feeling embarrassed. One of the toughest times about this was during my senior year, it was the day everyone wore their college t-shirts. We had been given a date that this day would take place, and I had been dreading it for a while knowing everybody would get to show off their prestigious colleges, while I had nothing to show off. The morning of this day I woke up and just didn’t want to get up or go to school. I had been overthinking things way too much, and was worried about being embarrassed for nothing. After lying in bed for an excessive amount of time, I eventually got the courage to get up and head to school. When I arrived, everybody was wearing their various college-themed t-shirts and hoodies, but throughout the day no one really made a big deal about it or criticized me for going to community college.

After this day it had finally hit me, it really didn’t matter that I was going to Community College for two years. This wasn’t something I should be upset about or embraced about, but something I should be glad about. I was given the opportunity to go to school for free for two years, which could have been like $50,000 if I went away to another school. And once I actually started class at the community college, I was even more relieved about going there. But this didn’t come as soon as I started taking classes there. The first day, walking into my first class I was thinking “What did I get myself in to? Why am I going here?” but those thoughts were quickly changed. And at first, especially my first three classes I had on the first day of school, I was full of regret and just upset about the decision I had made, but I kept thinking about it and trying to put it into a better perspective. Before I could put my situation in a better perspective, I just kept saying to myself that I was at a bad school, my classes were stupid, and that maybe in fact I was going to a school for failures. But it really didn’t take long before I was thinking “Wow this really isn’t that bad of a school and the people who go here really aren’t failures”.

Reality finally hit me, and I was now aware of this beneficial and smart opportunity I was taking. Now all of this decision-making had caused quite the stress on me, and was something I thought about all the time for a good amount of time, but it was also an amazing life lesson. After all of the stuff that I went through, I was able to take a few good life lessons out of it. The first thing I learned was that you should not worry about what other people think about you. I was so worried about what people might think about me for going to SCCC, that the idea of saving $50,000 was going right over my head. When you begin to worry about what other people think about you, then that is when you forget about what’s best for you. Another lesson that I learned from this experience was that sometimes you have to make sacrifices, in order to give your future-self a great potential. By sacrificing going away for two years, I am able to save myself and my parents a boat-load of money, and now hopefully my student loan debt will be easier to get payed off in a timely manner. One more lesson that I learned from choosing to go to community college is that community college really isn’t as bad as people make it seem, and the education you are given there is actually pretty outstanding. Having to choose whether I was going to go to go to a four-year school or community college was probably the hardest decision I’ve ever had to make, but having to make this decision, and ultimately choosing to go to community college, taught me a lot about myself and life itself.

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100dad · 3 years

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Why I sold my Businesses in 2019

I get this question a lot and the truth is there isn't just one reason. It was several factors that all came together at what I felt was the perfect time. To put this into perspective, this was not our first offer. We have had regular offers since 2014. Some were good and some were ridiculous. By 2019 I was pretty confident I could sell at any point and time.

At the same time RCS was eight years old, AG was six years old and FBV was three years old. I started them from scratch with zero customers and zero employees, and had built them to a modest size. We weren’t focused on aggressive growth, we were focused on taking really good care of our clients, keeping the business profitable, and not stretching our resources thin. We had zero debt, paid for all our inventory when we received it, and had cash reserves. The business was running well. At the same time, we were getting to the point where we needed to consider borrowing money to grow. To continue to grow the business at this point would have been expensive. We were a two-truck company and were soon going to need a third truck, a third driver, and a layer of management to help run the company because I was being stretched too thin. The cost to pick up customers can be very expensive, especially on the market and vending applications. I had a couple accounts in the pipeline that would cost us almost 100K in new equipment. That’s 100K in cash just to buy the equipment to install into two customers. I was preparing to spend a couple 100K on equipment, people, assets, and inventory. On top of the need at that point to grow more to generate more income. Which would have meant a salesman and even more cash out the door to buy more equipment for the new accounts. No, don’t feel sorry for me. This is just how business runs and I was in an industry that while profitable, requires a tremendous upfront cost to service customers and you make your money back in the long run. We were just on the bubble for our current resources and borrowing was realistically the next step to do that.

I should mention I hate borrowing. I started my career in 2007. I saw the good times for a few months and then I saw the economy completely buckle. I saw good long-standing businesses going under. Not because they did anything wrong, but because their customers disappeared. There was little they could do and that was before they needed 15 trucks all with big payments. They also needed to buy to 50,000 sq. ft. warehouses, and they leveraged their inventory and everything else because that was the smart move. But then there were no more customers, and they still had the big mortgage, they still had to pay for the stockpile of inventory and equipment, and they still had to make 15 truck payments. They could reduce payroll, but they were stuck with debts and that was the end of a lot of businesses from 2008 to 2012. They did not run the business into the ground. The economy collapsed. I watched a lot of good business owners brought to their knees during this time. At the same time the people with no debt and cash were making a killing. Buying businesses and real estate for pennies on the dollar. But no one could take bank loans to make that happen. You had to have cash. All that to say I am really against debt for that reason... I live happily knowing if everything goes to crap I’ll be fine. My cars are paid for, my house is paid for, my business is debt free… everything can go bad and I’m still okay.

I will admit I did try to hire a few people to step up and actually run my businesses. I attempted to train and hand over the reigns, but none of them were capable. Either for lack of motivation, lack of integrity, or simply lack of natural talent needed to be a small business executive. So combine the failure of me to hire a quality manager on top of the complete and utter fear of debt, tied into the need to take debt on… The clear decision from a pure business standpoint was I had taken this business as far as I was willing to take it as a solo owner and executive.

On the personal side, a dad has to factor in his family. Financial stability, what is next for my career. Will the family be okay if I were to sell? We were. Financially we are 100% debt free. The house has been paid off for a few years. Retirement has been funded, our kids’ college is funded. We have a solid cash reserve.

As far as a future career goes, I’m 32 years old. I have about seven ideas a minute for new businesses. Most of them suck, but a few are good. We know as a family I will always be able to do something to at the very least generate a living income. Realistically more than just a living income. I have always wanted to dabble in real estate. Buying and holding commercial properties and rentals. Maybe a beachfront house to rent out since we live in a beach town. Now we have the cash to make that happen. We can buy properties and/or fund the next business idea with cash. And of course a 100% DAD forum has been on my mind for a couple years. So being able to invest the resources and time into creating content for the brand feels almost like a calling.

We talked it over as a family and one of the thoughts that went through our heads was the ability to travel. I don’t mean vacation… but really travel. Explore the country and really get to dig deep into the vast array of geography and history our country has to offer. That was always kind of this nice fantasy to be able to do for us and now it is a real possibility. Again I go back to timing. At this point in our lives our kids are three, six, and nine. By the time we leave in the spring the three year old will be four. So from the kid perspective the nine year old is not yet in his preteen or teenage years where it would be harder to rip him away from his social roots and the youngest will be old enough to actually remember a good amount of what he sees. We really felt like one to two years on the road at this stage of our lives, while we are young and our kids are at good ages, is really an opportunity not many people get. It would be a real regret in our lives if we did not seize that opportunity.

So from a business standpoint. We were on the brink of the next big reinvestment and restructuring of how we operate. The timing lined up there. The valuation for our business was strong and I felt the valuation would actually decrease once we needed to incorporate management and grow because of the extra expenses the business would require to operate. We have been on a strong run economically. I’m not Nostradamus, but typically these good economic times correct. It could be next year, it could be in five years. But there was always the risk that we could correct next year and selling would be less advantageous. In normal circumstances that would not be an issue since we were in a good fiscal position. We would just ride out the bad times. But we wanted to travel and build the 100% DAD brand. So that would really affect the ability to do so and if we waited another four or five years for things to turn around then our oldest would be a teenager and the others would be 11 and nine. Those are much bigger bodies to store, feed, and otherwise travel with.

Timing is important. It seems like all things are coming together. So we took action. Negotiated the sale of our biggest assets and prepared for the experience of a lifetime.

Follow 100% DAD on Social: Instagram: @100Dad Facebook: @100Dad TikTok: @100Dad YouTube: 100% Dad Twitter: @The100Dad

#business #smallbusiness #exit strategy #retirement

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restlesstymes · 7 years

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A rant about the job market.

Frustrated. I have 10 years administrative experience, web design experience, project management, accounting, editorial and social media experience. I fucking taught myself how to code before I even set foot in a classroom. I have even fixed 3 computers (one of which wouldn’t even boot up) without taking one computer repair class. I acted as a marketing director before I even had any “official” experience in the field; during that time I developed two marketing/ business plans, developed not one but TWO websites, one of which was a fully functional ecommerce marketplace with more than 10-15 THOUSAND products, the listing of which I combed through multiple times manually to ensure data accuracy. Started at an online publication this year as a goddamn intern and now doing event coverage, writing film reviews, photography and social media management. I even went out and bought a $600 camera that I couldn’t afford in hopes that it might move my career forward, adding value to an already stuffed repertoire.

My last *6+* semesters in school I earned a 4.0 grade point average, getting inducted into TWO national honor societies – all while working two jobs one full time, the other part time, interning and developing this blog which I naively hoped would help me in my career. I trained and supervised two groups of interns in one year at one of my last jobs, hired third party web designers and vetted ecommerce software companies at another. I balanced books for 15 separate company entities simultaneously as a bookkeeper at yet another job. This is only but the tip of the iceberg.

I can’t say that every decision I’ve made over my ‘career’ has been the right one, some I have l lived to regret for years afterward. Regardless, are mistakes a measure of a person’s life? Are we only to be measured by the mistakes we make instead of what we’ve accomplished? I’ve left many jobs I shouldn’t have and my career suffered for it. The amount of money I owe in student loans, in an effort to try to increase my value in the marketplace is astonishing and soul crushing.

So now, with almost 20 years experience in so many things, it clearly isn’t enough experience for the job I want or even one that I AM qualified for on paper. I spent some time trying to work for myself, thinking, “Yes! Let me try to make a way for myself!” I said, “I’ll work a bit for free so people see how valuable I am” since again, NO ONE WILL FUCKING HIRE YOU WITHOUT EXPERIENCE. So I said okay, let me work for free and get that experience employers say I lack. STILL the experience of working for free doesn’t legitimize past experience nor is it viewed as valuable. I was told recently, “you were freelancing and interning, that’s not a real job.” Why is that? I have no idea, maybe my age (recent college grad = “okay to intern”, grown adult interns in an effort to change careers = “why are you taking a job as an intern and what’s wrong with you”), maybe my skill set but truth is I have no idea. I feel like Robert DeNiro in “The Intern” and he managed to find *some* semblance of success in that film and he was 70! If the experience gained working for free isn’t valuable, then how can you work to obtain the experience you need and at what point is this experience acceptable enough to parlay into a paying job? I am greasing all the wheels I can, helping out anyone who asks but it seems while their hands come up full, mine are always empty.

I have applied to countless jobs, ones where they even initiate communication by emailing me and then not responding – that’s even AFTER I follow up. Granted yes, the holidays are upon us sure, but that is no excuse to email ME to speak and then not respond when I confirm interest. Another job felt that the experience I had wasn’t enough for me to even set foot on their company property for an interview – when I had twice the experience they were looking for, according to the job description.

I, by no means, believe that I am the only person in the world effected by this. I know I am not that special, but I know that there must be tons of people with the same frustrating experience. Trying to figure out how to navigate a job market that doesn’t believe in transparency, a job market that allows a company to decline my application because of how I live my life in private, a job market that tramples on the working class as if they are useless garbage.

I can continue to put myself into debt and get more education, but where is the return on investment? How do I know once I am done accumulating hundreds of thousands of dollars in student loan debt, that I’ll be able to find a good job or a job that even pays well enough for me to pay it off? Now, with the way the law is changing as it pertains to student loan debt, I can expect to pay hundreds, even thousands over the cost of my initial loan in fees (if you are in the US google it for more information – use the resources available to you before they are gone for good).

So how do I dig myself out of this pit? Education isn’t the way, even if I graduate with a doctorate it won’t matter because I won’t have the experience. Internship isn’t the way, I am stuck now doing work for free with no possibility of monetizing those tasks. A paid internship, you ask? You tell me who in New York can survive on an intern’s salary and I’ll show you a liar or someone living at home with their parents.

The most frustrating part of all this? That the same job that declined me today saying my experience was insufficient, will be the same one back looking for another assistant in 6 – 12 months’ time. I have seen it time and time again. I have worked jobs where I was paid less than others and yet they asked ME how to complete their job duties. Some of which I even had the pleasure of watching get higher and higher paying jobs over the years, while I spin my wheels in the dirt. Is that the way to success? Using the kindness of others and presenting the work of others as your own? Even with all this, I refuse to be a jerk and I will continue to help anyone that needs it. It’s just who I am. Anyone who needs my help needs only but to ask. I’m that employee that would rock a hoodie with the company name on it everywhere and be proud as shit. I’m that employee that when someone is doing well, I’ll come by and say “good job” and clap for you when the suits are rolling their eyes. I’m that employee, who will work late if I know it will save the company time the next day. That’s who I am, I want to see you successful because it means we can all be successful. Who wants to work on a team where no one gives a shit about the person next to them? Not me. But alas, I guess none of that matters because it’s a reflection of the world now – these things you can’t translate on paper don’t matter in this job market. The fact that I was once laid off from a job and my manager liked me so much that he couldn’t even let me go himself, he had to have HR do it AND SUBSEQUENTLY LEFT THE ROOM. This man STILL calls me on my birthday even though I haven’t worked with him in almost 5 years! You can trivialize that if you want, but to me it speaks to how much the man liked and respected me – that he goes out of his way all these years later just to toss me a “Happy Birthday.” How do I show people that in text on a resume?

This has been a rant and I do apologize. This job market is beating me over the head constantly telling me I am not worthy, but I refuse. I refuse to believe that. I refuse to believe that the path I carved for myself over 15 years is a waste. I refuse to think that I’ll never find a good paying job. I deserve it and I’m ready to fight for it.

#restless speaks #im so angry #im sorry you guys had to read this but i had to get it off my chest

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taegdcl1018 · 7 years

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3 Billion Dollars [Part 6] - G Dragon Mafia!AU

Summary: When your father owes 3 billion dollars to the mafia, he must repay his debt. Although things don’t exactly the way he hoped.

Genre: angst? a little fluffy at some parts. this low key is another chapter filler

Warning: None really here, at least I don’t think

{part 1} {part 2} {part 3} {part 4} {part 5} {part 6} {part 7} {part 8} {part 9} {part 10} {part 11} {part 12} {part 13} {part 14} {part 15} {part 16} {part 17} {part 18} {part 19} {part 20} {part 21} {part 22} {part 23}

A/N: So I’m sorry to my Kpop Fans if you see Teen Wolf stuff on your dash or my blog. It will not change, I love Teen Wolf and it has helped me through a lot. I’m sorry if this bothers you. Anyways, like always my inbox is open and I will always reply to everyone. I hope you enjoy!

~ Admin Brooklyn

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Ji Yong hated mornings. He just wanted to sleep, and the clearly irritated expression on his face showed it. He had to start his day though. A meeting, then grabbing Seungri and going for a quick check up on a special talkative someone. Ji Yong raked a hand through his hair, walking out of his room and down the hall. His eyes met with Youngbae's tired ones.

“How are you doing?” Youngbae sighed rubbing his eyes with his hands. “Why the hell did you make me do this Ji Yong?”

“You were the only one that I trust and was free. Plus she knows you, maybe that’ll help her cope with this.” Youngbae nodded his head, sleep hanging in his eyes. Ji Yong looked at the door, a little anxious to see her. He needed to get his day started. He had an important meeting that he called for. No skipping this one.

“She was crying until, I think, two last night.” Youngbae’s words made Ji Yong perk up. He was paying full attention to you now. concern and a little regret on his face. Youngbae looked at him expectedly.

“I’m just gonna go in and check on her.” Ji Yong mumbled. He opened the cream door, and light flooded into the dark room. The dark colored walls turned everything into a shadow, the only other light source was the light shining from the window. As he stepped into the room, he saw you.

You were laying on your bed, the covers a mess underneath you. Ji Yong sighed deeply, grabbing your blue blanket still in its bag. He walked over and tucked you in with the blanket just the way you like it. He stopped abruptly, noticing the way you shifted into the blanket unintentionally. He stared at you, your peaceful state was heartwarming for him. It didn’t last too long when he noticed the dried tear stains on your cheeks. He frowned and rubbed his thumb over your cheek lovingly. He slowly pulled back, being careful so he wouldn’t wake you up.

“I’ll explain everything later (Y/N). Just stay alive and listen to me.” Ji Yong mumbled, brushing your hair back lightly. He sighed softly before leaving the room. Shutting the door behind him. He grabbed Youngbae and shook him awake, leaning on him a little.

“I’ll send Seungri over to watch over her for now. You go sleep. I’m gonna need you later.” Youngbae nodded his head, closing his eyes once again before rubbing them. Ji Yong nodded his head, clearing any thought of you, before getting back to work.

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You woke up at noon, the sun filling the dark room. The memories of last night were unpleasant, so you chose to ignore it. It wasn’t easy though. Was it because the room that you were sleeping in was his? Maybe it was the fuzzy blue blanket that he bought for you, was pulled up over you. It could also be the fact that you're still in his clothes. They were all just things that reminded you of what happened. Your mother is dead, along with your brother. Ji Yong killed your brother. Ji Yong’s dad killed your mother. They took you away from your father. Your family planned it without you knowing. Ji Yong knew as he became your best friend. Ji Yong is in the mafia.

You groaned, just the thoughts of all of these things are just too overwhelming. You ran a hand through your hair, taking a deep breath. Your head shot up to the sound of your door opening. Your eyes widened, not wanting anyone to see you. A man stepped into your room. He looked so familiar, but you just couldn’t figure out who it was. He had platinum blonde hair and wore dark clothing. It wasn’t until he gave you a signature smile that you recognized who it was.

“Lee Seunghyun?!” You questioned. He gave you a sheepish smile and waved awkwardly. He stepped closer as you gave him wide eyes. “Morning (Y/N). Well, good afternoon at least.”

“Is everyone from high school in the mafia?” You groaned. He was your best friend, well after Ji Yong he was. You met each other through Ji Yong, and he was there for you ever since that fateful lunch block. Whenever Ji Yong left you unexpectedly for his work, which was starting to make more sense now, Seungri was always there to cheer you up.

“Technically speaking I was here before I was in high school.” You stared at him in shock. He chuckled awkwardly, scratching the back of his head. “Anyways, you were supposed to eat a few hours ago, but I didn’t want to wake you up. We can go down to the kitchen now if you would like?”

“Ummm,” you didn’t exactly know what to say. Seungri was never like this around you. He was always playful and witty. It was different to see this side of him, and it made you a little nervous. “Okay?”

“Wonderful!” Seungri seemed to pick up his attitude. A wide cheerful smile appearing on his face. He smirked quickly a sly expression on his face. “You might want to get changed first.”

A blush crept onto your face as you rolled your eyes and threw a pillow at him. He giggled and left the room in a rush, wanting to avoid your aim. You sighed, getting up from your messy bed. The growling of your stomach made you realize how hungry you were. You did a quick stretch, a weird screech like groan left your lips as you did so. You face contorted in confusion, only to brush it off and continue with changing your clothes. Switching from Ji Yong’s baggy clothes to your own baggy sweats wasn’t much of a change. The only difference was the loss of his scent on your clothing, but being that he practically lives here meant that his scent lingered everywhere.

You stepped outside of your room timidly, looking out for Seungri. Not a second later did his face pop into your view. A cheerful smile was on his face. You gave him the best smile you could give. He held his arm out for you, and you smiled before linking your arms together. He leads you away from your cream colored door, towards what assumed was the kitchen.

He leads you down multiple hallways. As you got farther away from your room the silence that surrounded your room started to go away. The sound of people talking, hurried footsteps, and the occasional sound of a gun reloading, filled the building. Seungri leads you past people. They all stared you down, each with different looks. Some looked at you with curiosity, it was very rare to see a girl with sweats on in the mafia. Most girls were either strippers or wore the shortest clothes to get what they want. Others stared at you with interest. Some wanted you, others wanted to power that you possibly had.

There were rumors about a girl that the great G Dragon brought in yesterday night. About the fuss that he made when she saw strippers fucking some men. The extra precautions he took for her. Almost everyone in the building knew about how you got here, and about how much you meant to their boss, G Dragon. It meant that you had power over him, and that was dangerous for you. Seungri noticed your discomfort with the looks that you were receiving, so he placed a hand on your back and pushed you to move faster. You looked down, wanting to avoid any eye contact with these people.

“Here we are!” Seungri said, leading you away from the people and into a big kitchen. The walls were cream colored just like everything else. The chairs were cream, the island counter was cream colored, even the granite seemed to be cream. There was a huge fridge that seemed to be two times bigger than you. Seungri opened up the fridge and started to give you breakfast options.

“What do you want? We have cereal, waffles, toast, ice cream.” Seungri listed. You raised your eyebrow questioningly at his last option. He turned to you and jokingly smiled at your confused expression.

“What? Nobody else but Seunghyun hyung will eat it, and he’ll eat it all. Gotta eat it early.” He said. You smiled lightly at his playful manner. You liked it. It seemed to brighten your mood that at least someone hasn’t dramatically changed their attitude. “So what do you want (Y/N)?”

“What kind of ice cream is it?”

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“He is out there somewhere. We have to do something.” Kang Seung Yoon said. Ji Yong ran a hand through his hair, trying to clear his head and think things through. He remembered that you would always run your hands through his hair whenever he was stressed. It always seemed to do the trick. Right now he needed it.

“Obviously we have to do something, otherwise Ji Yong wouldn’t have called you.” Seunghyun said. Everyone looked to Ji Yong. He had called for this meeting. He called some of his closest allies and friends. 2ne1, a group of girls who lead a neighboring gang. Winner, with Seung Yoon as their leader. iKon, with B.I. as their leader, also lead a gang with some territory. The newest addition was Black Pink. They were new and it was obvious.

“So Ji Yong, what do you want to do?” CL, the leader of 2ne1, asked. He looked at her. They were close, and she could see not only the lack of sleep in his eyes but also the stress that he carried with him. He sighed leaning against his chair.

“Well let’s go over what we know about him, then what we can assume.” His words seemed to hang in the room. Nobody really knew Flynn too well. He just seemed to pop up a few years ago. He looked around. Everyone remained silent, either not willing to give info or having no info to share. “I’ll go first then.”

“He’s been after everything that we’ve been working for. Everything, land, weapons, money. We don’t know really know why, but we know that he’s been attacking areas.” Ji Yong started, waiting for someone to pick up. Thankfully someone in Winner did.

“The first time we got an attack from his was roughly four years ago.” Song Mino. Ji Yong knew him. He was told that Mino was the mini him, Ji Yong couldn’t exactly see it though. “He took a few guns off of some of our people he killed. We tried going after him, it didn’t work.”

“He seems to vanish whenever we try looking for him.” Seung Yoon finished Mino’s thoughts. Ji Yong nodded his head, looking down at the table. Four years ago. You were in college, so he shouldn’t know you.

“Something is obviously bugging you,” CL said. Ji Yong looked up at her. She had this stern expression on, but she still managed to show that she cared as well. She looked at him expectantly. “You can tell us oppa. Not like we aren’t your friends.”

Ji Yong laughed lightly. He raised an eyebrow at her, questioning her playfully. She raised one back, but hers was sassier. Seunghyun cleared his throat. Ji Yong looked at him, who clearly was getting agitated at the lack of progress as well.

“Might as well say something. Better not hide it from people who can help.” He said. He knew what was on Ji Yong’s mind, and he knew that Ji Yong is hesitant to share info on his princess. Ji Yong sighed and looked down at the dark wood table.

“You remember (Y/N), right Chae Lin?” She nodded her head, confused slightly at why he mentioned you. He looked up at her, watching her as her expression changed. Her confusion went to slight shock and a small amount of excitement.

“She’s back from college?” Ji Yong nodded his head solemnly. He remembers how close you were to Chae Lin, but he knows you’ll be upset when you find out about her and the mafia. She looked at him expectantly, waiting for him to continue.

“She finished school about a few weeks ago, got back home last week. We picked her up yesterday. She isn’t exactly happy with me right now.” Everyone else was confused. The only people who seemed to know what was going on were Chae Lin, the rest of 2ne1, Ji Yong, and Seunghyun.

“She’s been mad at you plenty of times, no matter what stupid thing you’ve done. Why are you worried about it now?” Chae Lin looked at Ji Yong skeptically. He was about to say something when B.I. spoke up first. “Who is (Y/N)? Why is she so important?”

“She’s somebody you probably won’t meet.” Ji Yong said harshly at him. B.I. sunk into his chair, as Ji Yong sighed again. “She’s important due to something that happened twenty plus years ago. Okay? She’s important now because she’s linked to me personally. It now makes her a target.”

“So why does this have to do with Flynn?” Mino asked. Seunghyun sighed and rubbed a hand through his hair. “The night we brought (Y/N), we had a deal with Flynn. He would bring back a few of our men for a few guns. It didn’t work out cause he left the building roughly the same time we picked up (Y/N).”

“That could just be a coincidence.” Taehyun, the maknae of Winner, said. Ji Yong looked up at him. His sharp eyes almost glaring at him. “Of course I thought that it could be, but I’d rather make sure I stop him from hurting her.”

“I have a question.” Jisoo finally spoke up. Ji Yong looked at her almost surprised. She hesitated, waiting to make sure it was okay for her to speak. Ji Yong waved his hand, letting her know that she could speak freely.

“He showed up four years ago right?” Jisoo asked for confirmation. B.I. nodded his head. The table was silent, content on waiting for what she has to say. “And that girl, (Y/N), she was in college right? What if they knew each other in college?”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It had been weeks since your first full day in this house. Each day you were stuck in your bedroom, with books, a sketchbook, your music, and the boys to keep you company. Usually, Seungri or Daesung would be the ones to keep you company. Occasionally Youngbae and Seunghyun came in to talk and watch over you. Ji Yong never showed up though, and you didn’t know if you were happy about it or not. It’s not like you particularly love his actions and his choices at the moment, but he did have answers that you wanted. You were distracted by them each day thanks to Seungri.

Ji Yong wasn’t having a very relaxing month compared to yours. He was stressed to no end with Flynn. What Jisoo brought up was shot down immediately, people saying that someone in the mafia doesn’t go to college. Although it was true, people in the mafia don’t go to college, he couldn’t help but think that there is a small chance. He’d have to bring it up with you though, and he knows that you still aren’t happy with him. He’ll have to figure things out first before he could do anything.

Currently, you were reading your favorite book, laying on your bed. Ji Yong’s cat cuddled up against your side. The cat purred as you pet it, soft noises emitting from its mouth. Everything was pretty calm considering the situation you were still in. A knock sounded on your door.

“Come in.” You carelessly say, expecting Seungri or Daesung to open the door with a pizza. But this time, both the older and the younger Seunghyun stepped up with Mr. Kwon in between them.

“Look at you, already adjusted to your new life.” Mr. Kwon said. The two boys stood behind him on either side. They were quiet and looked very stiff, almost as if someone was holding a gun to their heads. Mr. Kwon looked at you, an amused look on his face. Honestly, Ji Yong took a lot after him, and that expression was one that you saw on him at times. Although whenever Ji Yong gave you that look it was more playful.

“Well almost adjusted. That’s where I come in princess. So get up, we’re going to make sure you know what exactly you’ll have to do to survive here.”

#gdragon #gdragonxreader #g dragon scenarios #G Dragon #g dragon angst #g dragon imagine #g dragon reactions #big bang #bigbang #big bang scenarios #big bang reactions #big bang g dragon #kpop #kpop scenarios #mafia #mafia au #g dragon mafia

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alexsmitposts · 5 years

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Mueller’s Deep State Ploy Against Russia America has been at war with herself since 1787. America’s war of independence has gone on for centuries now, a war against the Deep State and the banking interests that brought about century after century of European war, fueled colonialism and engineered two world wars in the 20th century. Russiagate, the Mueller report and the corrupt Trump presidency are simply another page in this long saga. We begin. Decade after decade, Soviet propaganda held to one theme, that the United States used its military and economic might to rule the world on behalf of criminal elites. With the fall of the Soviet Union, a new era of world peace and prosperity was to emerge. Instead, something else happened, war upon war, hot war, cold war, economic war, and a resurgence of colonialism and bullying. How does this apply to “Russiagate?” The story isn’t simple, nothing is today. Here is what we know. The Russia investigation was always fake, a cheap ploy to kill time while the Deep State consolidated power inside the US under a puppet president with a long personal history of criminality and emotional instability. It wasn’t just Russiagate. It was also the fake Skripal poisoning, the fake Russian based gas attacks in Syria, an opportunity to re-create the Cold War and the old boogeyman that the Deep State needed to distract the public. Evidence? Despite promises, the US has seized 40% of Syria including all oil reserves and is now entrenched as a permanent occupying power. The US is now fabricating another “coalition of the willing” as cover for military intervention in Venezuela. Donald Trump just vetoed a congressional resolution to stop US military action against Yemen. Donald Trump, by executive order, and in violation of the Geneva Convention, awarded Syria’s Golan Heights to Israel and has announced his intention to further award the West Bank to Israel as well, despite dozens of UN Security Council resolutions to the contrary. Trump has deployed American missiles and AEGIS systems along Russia’s borders, in violation of the INF treaty On April 19, 2019, Russian presidential spokesman Dmitri Peskov made the following statements, from TASS: “’We regret the documents of this sort are causing direct influence on the development of Russian-US relations, whose condition leaves much to be desired,” Peskov said. ‘Speaking less seriously I should say that in a similar situation our Audit Chamber would’ve certainly probed into what the taxpayers’ money has been wasted on. Anyway, it’s up to the US taxpayers to ask such questions.’ He stated that as before Moscow dismissed the charges of intervention in the US presidential election, because there was no such interference at all. ‘The latest version of the Mueller report contains nothing new. All that information had been published by different sources and mass media earlier,’ Peskov stated.” Russia had been “blindsided” by events in the US and, having made this statement, Peskov was perhaps unaware of the furor going on in the US. When an American Attorney General issues a legal opinion, as William Barr had, it isn’t typically expected that he will lie outright yet this is exactly what Barr did. Trump was never exonerated. What did become clear is that the Mueller investigation, which found considerable, perhaps even “endless” criminal wrongdoing by Trump, was fake. One thing the investigation did make clear is that Trump knew he was guilty. From the Mueller report, in reference to a Trump statement made to then Attorney General Jeff Sessions on May 17, 2017 when Trump learned of the Mueller appointment: “Oh my God. This is terrible. This is the end of my presidency. I’m fXXXXd.” What this tells an insider is that Trump himself wasn’t aware “the fix was in,” and that Mueller had a long history of gutlessness, cowardice and selling out to the highest bidder. The “fall guy” in this fix was to be Russia and behind that, the American people, the Constitution and America herself. The strings, as always, the Deep State taking control in Washington as always. The Mueller debacle was a plan, it bought time, two years, and had one purpose, to “inoculate” Trump against prosecution for years of criminal acts that were expected to end with Donald Trump dying in prison. Background William Barr and Mueller had, since the 1970’s when both worked for the CIA engineering coverups for corrupt practices there, as outlined in the Gene “Chip” Tatum book, The Mule. From Tatum: “Robert Swan Mueller III has been the go to man when secrets go awry. Recruited as a CIA asset in Vietnam as an member of the Phoenix Project it was embedded in him that there are no borders, no limits, no restrictions, and no repercussions. With these standards ingrained in his persona, Mueller became an invaluable asset in protecting what today is called “The Deep State”. When the need arises, invariably the Deep State handlers call on “The Mule.” With the release of the redacted Mueller Report in late April 2018, a number of things should be clear. They aren’t. In fact, nothing is clear except that US Attorney General Barr lied when he claimed Trump was exonerated by the report, far from it. What is clear is that none of this had anything to do with Russia but that Russia was used to provide “cover and deception” for Trump. You see, Trump came into office with dozens of lawsuits hanging over him, some for sex assaults, including children, criminal fraud tied to Trump University and the Trump Foundation and income tax evasion. When Michael Cohen, Trump’s attorney, described Trump to congress, he knew what he was talking about, from Time Magazine, February 27, 2019: “Michael Cohen, the former personal attorney of President Donald Trump, testified publicly Wednesday that the President is “a racist,” “a con man” and “a cheat,” in remarks before the House Committee on Oversight and Reform. “I am ashamed that I chose to take part in concealing Mr. Trump’s illicit acts rather than listening to my own conscience. I am ashamed because I know what Mr. Trump is,” Cohen said Wednesday in his opening statement. “He is a racist. He is a con man. And he is a cheat.” The Real Target, the Constitution America’s constitution was always a weak document. Prepared initially without the Bill of Rights, the first ten amendments that guarantee due process and personal freedoms, the “Magna Carta” basis for what some assumed wrongly was the real heart of the document, America has always been vulnerable. At the outset, America was subject to the same economic pressures the nation states of Europe bowed to. In fact, each nation state of Europe found its economic roots in the banking houses of Venice and her merchant princes. For the US, birth was defined when, in 1689 William of Orange with a mercenary army of 40,000 arrived in England to collect a 15 million guilder debt for those same Venetian princes. England got a central bank, today known as the Bank of England and both England and their American colonies fell under the economic stranglehold of the Deep State. When America broke free by declaring independence in 1776 and through ratifying the Articles of Confederation in 1781 after 4 years of debate. After the defeat of the British, pressure was put on the new nation to replace the Articles and in 1787 a new constitution was ratified. The problem was that those who penned the new document were not those who fought the war but rather those with continuing economic ties to Britain and those who had taken over that nation on behalf of the money lending houses of Europe. In 1913, scholars at Columbia University led by historian Charles A. Beard penned a controversial examination of the constitution. An Economic Interpretation of the Constitution, the result, helped fuel the progressive movement and provided an academic framework for challenges to limitations within the constitution. Beard provided the fuel to pass the Seventeenth Amendment which established popular election for Senators who had, under the constitution been picked from among wealthy elites much as with the British House of Lords and the Nineteenth Amendment which gave women the vote. Beard’s work, long under attack and now virtually erased from the academic and legal world, hypothesized, with extensive primary document support, that the “Framers” of the constitution were intent on building a “failed state” with limited opportunity that empowered Europe’s banking houses to take control over America’s government. However, history will show that not all Americans chose to submit, among them presidents like Andrew Jackson. Daniel Feller in his “King Andrew and the Bank,” written for the National Endowment for the Humanities, outlines the struggle against a central bank than defined America prior to the Civil War: “Yet, in its day, nothing galvanized American political conflict more than banking, currency, and finance. In the republic’s first half-century, no subject, save foreign relations and war, gave greater vexation to American statesmen or aroused more heated public debate. The creation of the original Bank of the United States in 1791 sparked the first major division within President George Washington’s administration, which later ripened into the Federalist and Democratic-Republican parties. Jackson’s veto in 1832 repeated the process: It became the touchstone issue in his reelection campaign and precipitated the organization of the Whig and Democratic parties, the latter, still surviving, now the oldest mass political party in the world. The very language of Jackson’s veto, departing sharply from all that came before, furnished a political grammar since claimed by Populists, Progressives, New Deal liberals, socialists, free marketeers, libertarians—in short, by just about everybody.” Among American presidents who opposed a European and by that we mean Rothschild controlled central bank were Jackson, of course. Then came President Lincoln, but he was assassinated. Lincoln refused loans from the Rothschild’s at interest rates up to 40% and chose to print “greenbacks.” Then came President Garfield, but he was assassinated. Then came President McKinley, but he was assassinated. Last was John Kennedy who issued $4,292,893,000 in “United States Notes” through the US Treasury after an announcement that the US was ending its central bank with Executive Order 11110. After Kennedy was murdered, the “notes” were quietly removed from circulation. That executive order in its entirety, now otherwise removed from all public records and history books: Executive Order 11,110 AMENDMENT OF EXECUTIVE ORDER NO. 10289 AS AMENDED, RELATING TO THE PERFORMANCE OF CERTAIN FUNCTIONS AFFECTING THE DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY By virtue of the authority vested in me by section 301 of title 3 of the United States Code, it is ordered as follows: Section 1. Executive Order No. 10289 of September 19, 1951, as amended, is hereby further amended- a. By adding at the end of paragraph 1 thereof the following subparagraph (j): (j) The authority vested in the President by paragraph (b) of section 43 of the Act of May 12,1933, as amended (31 U.S.C.821(b)), to issue silver certificates against any silver bullion, silver, or standard silver dollars in the Treasury not then held for redemption of any outstanding silver certificates, to prescribe the denomination of such silver certificates, and to coin standard silver dollars and subsidiary silver currency for their redemption and – b. By revoking subparagraphs (b) and (c) of paragraph 2 thereof. Section 2. The amendments made by this Order shall not affect any act done, or any right accruing or accrued or any suit or proceeding had or commenced in any civil or criminal cause prior to the date of this Order but all such liabilities shall continue and may be enforced as if said amendments had not been made. John F. Kennedy The White House, June 4, 1963. Conclusion Seemingly endless fake reports of Trump issuing arrest warrants for “Deep State operatives” and ending US participation in the Rothschild controlled Federal Reserve System are more game playing and deceit. Trump has run up trillions in new debt already and America’s coffers have been emptying into the waiting hands of the Rothschilds at a record pace. The global jockeying, the endless tantrums, all of it is a game, cheap theatre. Follow the money, from the pockets of the poor and middle class into the rich and powerful. War and politics are for show and no more.

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purplelovebethstuff · 5 years

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Anthem Of The Heart by Bethany Moraño & Laika Camposano

Once she got home from the studio, she immediately submitted her profile and recording via email and went straight to bed, exhausted after a long day. She met with one of her friends that afternoon. Rose took BFA in Painting at the same university Celesta graduated, and now she helps her father manage a retailer of art materials & supplies. They caught up with each other and after knowing Celesta’s situation, her friend gave her a slightly sharp but sincere advice, “Maybe it’s time to try other paths. I mean, I got into business and it pays me well enough. There are still tons of opportunities to explore. And, what if this isn’t really what’s meant for you?”

“We can’t let you stay anymore, Celesta. You owe us $950 and that’s only for this week. The boss said you can’t come back unless you’re fully-paid. Real sorry.”

Okay, fine. Maybe!

“This is a good start, Celest. Just keep your eye on the ball and you’ll get there.”

Days, weeks, months, years had passed and Celesta noticed that her skills in cooking were improving. Even her boss noticed her determination and her hard work, which is why he decided to promote her as the Head Chef. She was shocked by the unexpected promotion but at the same time, she was happy and thankful for the opportunity. As soon as she finished cleaning in the kitchen, she immediately took the path to her home. She couldn’t stop herself from smiling because finally, she had a decent job. She begins to imagine her grandparents’ reaction after knowing about her promotion that made her excited to go home. A thought crossed her mind that made her stop in the middle of her half-run moment. In the midst of all the busy people under the night sky, she was confused. The chitchats from the people suddenly disappeared, the happenings around her became a blur as if everything was in a time lapse mode. She looked up at the starry sky with questioning eyes.

Should she continue her career as an artist?

Her grip on her bag tightened because of the thought. Flashbacks started to play in her mind like a filmstrip. The times where she experienced discrimination, inequality and more as an artist.

“You should stop already and go find a decent job.”

“We don’t need a music-geek daughter.”

“No one’s going to notice you anyway.”

“You’re not popular so why would you even try?”

“Set out a new career!”

When I was just a little girl I asked my mother, what will I be Will I be pretty Will I be rich Here’s what she said to me Que será, será Whatever will be, will be The future’s not ours to see Que será, será What will be, will be

“O-Of course.” The man didn’t move or even react. She gulped before bidding goodbye to the stranger. She turned around and took a step but she froze at what the man said.

“They will visit tomorrow dinner. I hope that you will get along with each other again.” Her grandma hugged her tightly.

“Let your heart speak, my dear Celesta.”

The night had come and everything was all set. Celesta was wearing a simple white lace dress with her hair tied in a bun. Her heart skipped a beat when she heard the doorbell ring. She nervously walked to the door and opened it. There, she saw her parents smiling at her. For almost 6 years, finally they’re here in front of her.

“I will audition to a small company–” Her parents’ smiles faded and before she could even finish her sentence, her father cut her off.

“I tried. I tried everything just to forget it but I can’t.”

Hear what my heart is saying, let the anthem of my heart rise.

~The End~

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ronaldmrashid · 6 years

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How To Plan For Your Retirement The Second Time Around

The main reason why I’ve gotten more conservative with my investments is not because valuation for the S&P 500 is near an all-time high and earnings growth is decelerating.

Nor have I gotten more defensive because housing inventory has shot up across major parts of the country and prices are clearly declining.

No. The main reason why I’ve gotten more conservative with my investments is because I’m very close to retiring for a second time.

Let me recap my background and share some retirement preparation plans if you’re also planning on retiring soon.

The Return To Retirement Living

After first retiring in 2012, I spent about nine months living the early retirement lifestyle. I wrote a book about my experience negotiating a severance and my wife and I traveled around the world for about 12 weeks.

By the beginning of 2013, I no longer told anybody I was retired. People gave me funny looks whenever I mentioned I had left corporate America for good. I also felt stupid saying I was retired in my mid-30s.

I longed for more purpose and a more acceptable identity that didn’t require explaining my background each time. So I decided to pivot from early retiree to full-time writer and entrepreneur.

Almost immediately, I felt better about my new role in the world. Growing Financial Samurai all these years has been incredibly fun.

On average, I spend about three hours a day on the site, which is one of the main reasons why it’s been so enjoyable. If I was forced to work 10 hours a day on FS and commute, I’d have probably started hating it after a year.

Having something intellectual to do, especially after my son was born in early 2017, has been a blessing. Being cooped up in the house all day is no fun for this stay at home dad.

Another thing I’ve enjoyed doing in my second career is mastering everything that relates to online publishing. From writing, to marketing, to business development, I now have a strong grasp on all the things it takes to build and run an online media company from the ground up.

Although it’s been seven years since I left full-time work, it’s been almost 10 years since I started Financial Samurai in 2009.

Back then, I had told myself that if I could reach various stretch goals by the summer of 2019, I would give myself the luxury of taking it easy once again.

The main stretch goal was to regularly generate over one million organic pageviews a month.

As fate would have it, I have the option to let go this summer and fully retire once more.

The Origin Of Luck And Fear

What I realize now is that whether by coincidence or on purpose, I’m living my life in 10-year cycles.

I first got a job out of college in 1999. Getting a job at a major investment bank was mostly luck because graduates out of a non-target public school usually don’t get these front office jobs in NYC.

Although there was the dot com bust in 2000, the 10-year journey from 1999 to 2009 was an overall positive for my career.

After about two years at the first investment bank, I got my second lucky break when a recruiter placed me at a new firm in 2001 in San Francisco. If I had not changed jobs, I would have been kicked to the curbed after my two years were up.

Then, of course, everything started crashing in 2008 – 2009. I was scared for my future given Lehman Brothers, Bear Sterns, Washington Mutual, and a bunch of other firms had collapsed. Friends were losing their jobs, their houses, and their savings.

Somehow, I managed to escape seven rounds of layoffs in a two year period at my firm. My immediate boss had left the firm to become a client the year prior. Thus, if the firm was to lay me off, it wouldn’t have had anybody to run the business. Another lucky break.

I was so worried about my future in 2009 that I decided to finally start Financial Samurai, an idea I had had since graduating from business school in 2006, but had been putting off.

If you look at the chart of when Financial Samurai was started, you’ll see that it was started at the exact bottom of the previous financial crisis in July 2009.

To start Financial Samurai at the bottom of the last financial crisis and then have a massive bull market help propel the site forward was also tremendously lucky.

Yes, I’ve spent many hours developing this site, but I fully admit that most of the growth is serendipitous. Living in San Francisco, the epicenter of technology and financial innovation has also helped me develop some key industry relationships.

If you started something in 2009, it would be relatively hard not to have successfully grown your business or your wealth.

The tailwind is like having a mentor who is actually the CEO of your company and also happens to be your dad who wants to give you the company. In such a scenario, how can you fail?

Since 1999 I’ve constantly wondered when my luck will run out. I’ve already talked about experiencing survivor’s guilt after my friend passed away when I was 15. All the good that has transpired since has only made me wonder more about the future.

Don’t Push Luck Too Far

Despite the good fortune, 2009 still burns deep in my psyche because of how badly my finances got crushed. Perhaps this is how survivors of the Great Depression felt for the rest of their lives.

I don’t want to ever again suffer through a 2009-like experience. I recently got a taste of temporarily losing lots of money in 2018, and that was enough.

I’m so thankful we’ve recovered and I no longer wish to push my luck.

2019 is the year where I plan to retire again after 10 years of running Financial Samurai. I’ll either sell the site, write less, or hire talented staff writers or guest writers to write using the Financial Samurai principles.

It’s been a great run, and I want to leave on an up note. If you are thinking of retiring for a first or second time, here are some things you should consider.

Retirement Planning Checklist

1) Adjust your risk exposure down.

As with any classic retiree in their 60s or 70s, it’s important to take down risk exposure because you no longer have the ability or the desire to work any longer.

Measure your risk tolerance in terms of the Financial SEER ratio. In other words, how many months are you willing to work to make up for a potential loss in retirement.

Once you’ve retired, you don’t want to be forced to go back to work. Giving up precious time for money is one thing, but so is the embarrassment of having to go back to work because of poor financial planning.

Debt should be completely eliminated or reduced to a level that will never be able to sink your finances.

2) Calculate your various income streams.

If after taxes, your income streams can sustain your desired retirement lifestyle, you’re golden. If not, keep working or build more side hustle income. To be conservative, it’s best to have at least a 20% cushion above your living expenses.

Plan out a tax-efficient safe withdrawal strategy based on a combination of your pre-tax and post-tax retirement accounts.

Those who want to stay conservative should try to only live off their after-tax passive income and never touch principal. Only when Required Minimum Distributions are in effect should you start drawing down principal.

3) Make sure you’ve accomplished all your goals.

When you leave your profession, you want to leave with as few regrets as possible. The best way to leave with few regrets is by fulfilling your stretch goals.

One of the reasons why professional athletes retire after winning the Super Bowl, a Major, or the NBA Championship is because there is no greater glory. During the rare times when such a champ tries to make a comeback, it’s often a sad affair filled with struggle.

If you cannot reach the pinnacle of your profession, one thing you must ask yourself is whether you’ll be leaving the place better than when you first started. If the answer is no, then you must take measures to rectify or continue working.

Retiring when your fund or company burned to the ground will make you feel like an unsettled ghost, unable to rest in peace. You want to go out on your own terms, which is why negotiating a severance can be incredibly powerful to your mental well-being.

4) Ensure your legacy will be left in good hands.

The longer you’ve worked, often the harder it is to walk away. The transition is made easier if you have someone you’ve trained or trust to take over once you’re gone.

The last thing you want is to have all your good work get undone by someone with a completely different philosophy. If this happens, you will feel as if you wasted many years of your life. Find an excellent successor and don’t leave until you do.

5) Have a next purpose.

You don’t want to retire into nothingness. Going from working 12 hours a day to having all the free time in the world can be very disconcerting. After being so used to structure for so long, you might start wondering what else is there to life. Some of you might even get depressed if you don’t have purpose.

Instead, diligently map out your retirement goals months or even years before you retire. You want to retire to something, not from something.

Start talking to people in the fields that interest you when you still have a job. Once you retire, it may be tougher to build relationships because society tends to look down of those who no longer work.

Having a clear purpose in retirement will make your remaining days at work even more meaningful. You’ll also experience a much more joyful retirement life.

Retire As Many Times As You Can

There doesn’t need to be only one retirement in your life. Instead, I encourage you to retire multiple times because that means you’re challenging yourself with new endeavors.

Whether you decide to retire for six months or for six years is up to you. There’s nothing more professionally fulfilling than mastering a new skill and enjoying its accompanying rewards.

Skills are highly fungible today thanks to technology. So long as you’re able to work hard, communicate intelligently, get along with others, and produce more than you cost, you can do well at almost anything because the rest is learned on the job.

I truly hope we never see another 2008 – 2009, nor am I anticipating a correction of such magnitude. I’m just not willing to take unwarranted chances given I’m satisfied with what I have.

With now a wife and son to take care of and potentially zero active income if I sell Financial Samurai, I can no longer afford to take any excess risk. To go through another 40% loss as I did in 2009 at this stage in my life would be devastating.

Our passive income should keep us afloat, but I haven’t truly been able to means test it yet due to my severance that paid out from 2012 – 2017 and the active income I’ve been generating from Financial Samurai.

From July 2019 – July 2029, I plan to spend my 40s primarily focused on raising my boy and spending time with my parents. If we relocate to Hawaii, we’ll have more than enough activities to keep us busy in our second go around.

Let’s pray the next 10 years are as lucky as the past 10!

The First Rule Of Financial Independence: Never Lose Money

The Fear Of Running Out Of Money In Retirement Is Overblown

Readers, anybody on a 10-year cycle like me? How do you plan to ensure good fortune for the next 10 years of your life? Anybody retire a second or third time? How long did each retirement last and what did you do? What else should people do to prepare for retirement?

The post How To Plan For Your Retirement The Second Time Around appeared first on Financial Samurai.

from https://www.financialsamurai.com/how-to-plan-for-your-retirement-the-second-time-around/

#Financial Samurai

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thechasefiles · 5 years

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The Chase Files Daily Newscap 17/12/2019

Good Morning #realdreamchasers. Here is your daily news cap for Tuesday, December 17th, 2019. There is a lot to read and digest so take your time. Remember you can read full articles via Barbados Government Information Service (BGIS), Barbados Today (BT), or by purchasing a Daily Nation Newspaper (DN).

PM’S FINE WARNING – Stiffer fines will be handed to Barbadians who ignore warnings and fail to clean their properties and wells. Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley gave that warning to householders and landowners yesterday as Government embarks on a national $2 million clean-up drive. She urged Barbadians to take note of an upcoming public education programme to sensitise them about the severe health risks related to poor sanitation practices. The programme is set to begin during the new year and run until the end of March. “The law already exists but it needs to be enforced. I’ve already spoken to the permanent secretary [in the Ministry of Transport, Works and Mainteance] who has advised that come the new year, after initial sensitisation and letters, they will be telling the owner you will be fined under the law. (DN)

POT HOUSE ROAD FIX COMING – They cried out for relief from a problem-plagued road, and yesterday residents of Pot House, St John, got a visit, and promises, from Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley that a fix was around the corner. After their long-running grievances over a partially collapsed road were highlighted in yesterday’s DAILY NATION, a team of Government and private sector officials, led by Mottley, descended on the rural area to survey the damage and promise action. It included Member of Parliament for St John Charles Griffith, Minister of Health Jeffrey Bostic, Minister of Water Resources Wilfred Abrahams, Minister in the Ministry of Transport, Works and Maintenance Peter Phillips, Minister of Youth and Community Empowerment Adrian Forde, as well as chairman of the Sanitation Service Authority Senator Rudy Grant. (DN)

MORE GARBAGE TRUCKS COMING – Another ten garbage trucks are expected to arrive in Barbados before the end of this week, Prime Minister Mia Mottley has announced. And by early 2020, there should be another ten on island, to help the Sanitation Service Authority (SSA) overcome the significant challenges it faces in collecting garbage in some parts of the island. “I think [we] have ten trucks coming in another day or two, and another two, I suspect, by the end of the year and then another eight in the early part of the new year,” Prime Minister Mottley told reporters today after a tour of Pot House, St John, where she also expressed concern that garbage continues to block drains across the island, and urged Barbadians to stop littering. A year ago, Government said it was planning to import several garbage trucks for the SSA. In January this year, the first two Mitsubishi Refuse Compactor Vehicles, each costing $600,000, arrived in the island but the delay in the arrival of more trucks was attributed mainly to US/China trade tension. By May, the SSA had added seven new garbage trucks to its fleet, moving it from 17 to 24, and two weeks ago, it received another two. As she announced the expected arrival of more vehicles in the coming days and months, Prime Minister expressed regret at not being able to get more trucks sooner. “I wish I could have done this earlier, but when you are operating on a patient, the first rule is that you have to stop the bleeding and the bleed had to stop with us restructuring our debt,” she said. “By us restructuring our domestic and external debt, we have saved the country $1.2 billion a year. There are other things we are doing: [the Barbados] Water Authority has now reached an agreement that the Minister will brief you on later in the week, to be able to settle some of the egregious and outstanding claims and hopefully we can go forward.” (BT)

BARBADOS PASSES ANOTHER IMF TEST, GETS ACCESS TO MORE FUNDS – Barbados has passed its latest International Monetary Fund (IMF) test with flying colours, in the process impressing the directors of the fund, and opening up for itself access to almost $100 million from the Washington-based institution. However, it was the comment of the directors of the IMF as they reviewed the progress on the island’s Barbados Economic Recovery and Transformation (BERT) programme that was most heartening. According to the directors, in spite of its limited technical capacity, Barbados has made impressive progress towards achieving fiscal and debt sustainability, rebuilding reserves, reducing uncertainty towards generating growth. This development was explained by Dr Kevin Greenidge, Government’s economic advisor on loan from the IMF, who noted that today the Executive Board of the IMF completed the second review of our BERT programme which is supported by an IMF Extended Fund Facility (EFF). The completion of this review allows us to draw the equivalent of SDR 35 million (about US$98 million). “This passing of the second review reflects Barbados meeting all its targets under the BERT programme and in some instances, with a wide margin. There were lots of praise from the Directors at the Board.... “Of course, there is significant work to be done, and we remain resolved to stay the course and continue meeting our commitments under the EFF. “Passing yet another IMF review, completing the debt restructuring and having our credit ratings upgraded are all sending an important message to the world – that Barbados is back; we are serious about our reforms and about transforming the economy,” Greenidge said. (BGIS)

ANSA TAKES OVER TRIDENT - After months of negotiations, ANSA McAL (Barbados Limited) has purchased the shares of Trident Insurance Company Limited. Chairman of ANSA McAL Andrew N. Sagba made the announcement in a statement issued today, saying the Trinidad and Tobago conglomerate was delighted to welcome Trident Insurance into the wider ANSA McAL family which comprises 73 companies in more than eight countries. It is not clear whether the sale of Trident Insurance will affect the staff complement there. Sabga only offered assurances to policyholders in the statement, saying “Trident insurance would continue to conduct business as usual”.Back in June, David Alleyne, General Manager of Brydens Insurance, which is a branch of the ANSA McAL-owned Tatil Insurance Company in Trinidad and Tobago, told Barbados TODAY, that the companies had come to an agreement to join forces to create a stronger, focused entity. At today’s signing, President and CEO of Trident Insurance Algernon Algie Leacock said the resources of the ANSA McAL conglomerate would enable Trident Insurance “to better support the evolving needs of our policyholders, and to remain a strong player in this fast-paced and aggressive financial environment”. “We are therefore extremely pleased to accept this offer,” he added. Leacock also revealed that the deal paves the way for the Leacock family and Group to pursue “other business opportunities which are a better strategic fit to their existing businesses and future expansion plans”. The over 39-year-old Trident Insurance Company offers a range of products including property, motor, travel, liability and marine insurance. It is in the top ten of insurers in Barbados, based on gross written premiums. (BT)

DOUBLE TRAGEDY – The anguished wails and screams of Stacie Howard filled the air at Welches, Christ Church yesterday evening after she identified the bodies of her daughter and grandson who died in an apparent drowning. Howard, canteen operator at the Caribbean Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), had clung to her other daughter Jamila for support as they slowly made their way down the beach to where two covered bodies lay on the sand. They were those of Nioca Howard, 27, and her five-year-old son Nico Roach, who both lived with Stacie at Emerald Park West, Six Roads, St Philip. Nioca used to help her mother run the canteen. Police public relations officer, Acting Inspector Rodney Inniss, said police at Oistins received a report about 4:15 p.m. that two people – an adult female and a young boy – had drowned while at Welches Beach. “On arrival at the scene, police confirmed the two bodies on the sand. Further investigations informed that they were both floating in the water and were pulled from the sea by two individuals who were walking along the beach, who tried unsuccessfully to resuscitate them,” he said. (DN)

RESCUE MISSION – One day after the tragic drowning of a mother and son at a popular south coast beach, the Minister who holds the responsibility for beach safety, says there needs to be an urgent ramping up of the presence of lifeguards on local beaches. In fact, Minister of the Environment, Trevor Prescod told Barbados TODAY that he plans to meet with the board and management of the National Conservation Commission (NCC) today, where the subject of recruiting and training more lifeguards is expected to take centerstage. The Minister explained that the numbers of persons frequenting the beaches have increased, which also increases the chances of drowning incidents. Pointing out that while lifeguards come with no guarantees, Prescod contended that their presence could reduce the number of drowning incidents. “We have had several cases last year and this year of persons drowning and to some extent this triggered a response. We also understand that we need to upgrade the facilities in the lifeguards’ huts because we recognize the increase in numbers of persons frequenting the beaches,” said Prescod, noting that his concern about the current state of affairs is heightened because the schools’ Christmas vacation began today. Prescod said that even though it was approaching the final quarter of the fiscal year, there may need to be some “re-jigging” of expenditure, to determine what actions can be taken in the short-term. “Children are going to be out on vacation and lots of persons will be going to the beach for relaxation, so we have to be concerned about saving the lives of people. We have to look carefully now and see out of what I have there in the estimates, how we can respond to the request for lifeguards. I will discuss in detail with the board and the management to see where we are. We have to make sure that if we employ these lifeguards, we can afford to train and pay them,” he said. Back in 2014 under the Freundel Stuart-led administration’s homegrown austerity programme, sweeping cuts were made to the staff at the NCC, which included lifeguards. Thirty-one of the 97 lifeguards were retrenched, which resulted in a number of beaches being unmanned. However, this morning, Prescod made it clear that he would do all within his power to ensure that seabathers are safe. “We are going to explore the entire situation to ensure that anything that can be done, is done. The reality is that we already know that lifeguards is an issue and we are now working on a number of posts for lifeguards. Later today I would be able to better state how soon we can have these plans in place but I can definitely tell you that it is going to be an issue that will engage a significant amount of our attention this morning,” he stressed. On Sunday Nioca Howard, 27, and her five-year-old son, Nico Roach, 5, of Emerald Park West, Six Roads, St Philip, lost their lives while at Welches Beach in Christ Church. Around 4:15 p.m., police received a call about the possible drowning and discovered the bodies on the sand on their arrival. Beachgoers reportedly saw the woman and child in a shallow area of the water and pulled them to the sand where they tried to resuscitate them. Medical personnel later pronounced them dead. (BT)

CRASH VICTIM LOSES LEG – Hours after a car crashed into a shop at Tweedside Road, St Michael, one man lost his leg and another was being prepared for surgery to repair the damage to his. Police reported that a vehicle owned and driven by 62-year-old Michael Derrick Collymore, of Baywoods, St James, ran into the the Eagle Nest Bar & Grill around 3 a.m. where several people had been enjoying a karaoke session. The incident left seven injured. One of them, Carl “Singer Man” Henry, was so badly hurt that his foot had to be amputated and he remained at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH). His family declined to speak on his condition yesterday evening. Cheryl-Ann Daniel, sister of another of the victims, Ian “Sharky” Daniel, said he went to the karaoke session and was leaving with a container of food when the accident occurred. (DN)

AG’S 2020 PLAN – GOING INTO NEXT YEAR, the Royal Barbados Police Force (RBPF) will be putting more pressure on criminals, says Attorney General Dale Marshall. And if he has his way, fewer officers will be required to operate the Police Certificate Of Character Office, and the days of officers responding to minor accidents will be a thing of the past. Both changes, he said, should give the force additional time to pursue more serious matters. The St Joseph Member of Parliament was speaking to reporters yesterday at Grantley Adams Memorial School during his Christmas luncheon for the elderly. He was reacting to the 48 murders that have occurred so far this year, the most in a single year in Barbados’ history. Rondell Alexander, 27, who was shot and killed at 1st Avenue, Gills Gap, Eagle Hall, St Michael, on Friday night, was the most recent victim. (DN)

MAN PLEADS GUILTY TO ASSAULTING COP –A man charged with assaulting a police officer was released on bail when he appeared at the No.1 District ‘A’ Magistrates’ Court this morning. Peter Lee, 56, of Wellington Street St Michael pleaded not guilty to assaulting police constable 1905 Alex Hall on December 13, 2019. However, he pleaded guilty to possession of a cutlass and a knife on the same date. Prosecutor Sergeant Vernon Waithe had no objection to bail and the matter was adjourned until January 13, 2020. (BT)

TEENAGER SENT FOR DRUG TREATMENT – A teenager was ordered to drug rehabilitation today after he pleaded guilty to drug possession charges. Jaden Jamar Harris, 17, of 3rd Avenue Bibby’s Lane, St Michael pleaded guilty to possession of cannabis on December 14, 2019. Appearing before Magistrate Douglas Frederick in the No. 1 District ‘A’ Magistrates’ Court this morning, Harris was also charged with stealing a bicycle valued at $989 belonging to Kemar Austin on December 10, 2019. However, the court learnt that Austin was no longer interested in proceeding with the matter. Frederick dismissed the theft charge but ordered Harris to return to court on March 27, 2020 at which time a report would be given on his treatment. (BT)

GUILTY OF POSSESSION – An Orange Hill, St James man was released on $3,000 bail today after pleading not guilty to several drug-related and money laundering charges. This morning, Rommel Orlando Jordan, 40, of Endeavor #3 Orange Hill, pleaded not guilty to charges of possessing a traffickable quantity of cannabis and intent to supply the drugs on December 15. Jordan also pleaded not guilty to possessing $2,900 in cash allegedly the proceeds of crime. He however pleaded guilty to the charge of possession of cannabis. When asked by Magistrate Douglas Frederick why he was pleading guilty to possession but not the other drug offences which are tied to the same possession charge, Jordan denied having the amount of the illegal substance that would constitute a traffickable quantity. “I know I had a little weed but not the amount that they say that I had,” said Jordan. It was then revealed by prosecutor Sergeant Vernon Waithe that the police had found 460 grams of the illegal drug in Jordan’s possession. Jordan was granted bail with one surety and was ordered to return to court on April 27, 2020. (BT)

HAZELL PLEADS NOT GUILTY TO WOUNDING – Ron Darien Anthony Hazell, 24, of Venture St John, pleaded not guilty to wounding charges when he appeared before Magistrate Douglas Frederick at the No. 1 District ‘A’ Magistrates’ Court this morning. It was alleged that on December 15, 2019 Hazell maliciously wounded Bertram Barrow. It was also alleged that on the same date he entered the premises of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital and behaved in a threatening manner. Prosecutor Sergeant Vernon Waithe did not object to bail and Frederick released Hazell on his own recognizance. The matter has been adjourned until January 13, 2020. (BT)

MONITORING “WE GATHERING” –The ‘We Gatherin’ 2020 national event will have a motorsport component, as a drag racing event will help to open the action in St Lucy next month. Chairman of the Barbados Association of Dragsters and Drifters (BADD), Jason Downey, made the revelation during his address at the 2019 awards ceremony in the cafeteria at Bushy Park last Saturday. “January 19, two days before Errol Barrow Day, interest will be on the drag race meet at Bourbon, St Lucy. All the fast men are expected to face the starter,” he announced. Downey said the format would be different from what was done in the past by the Motoring Club Barbados Incorporated (MCBI), as the event would start from an area near to the St Lucy Parish Church. (DN)

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tgr489 · 5 years

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30 things...

So I’ve thought about this somewhat and trawled a few sites to see if I’m ahead of the curve on things and below are a few lists that the web throws up. Have added some helpful colour coding as to what I’ve done, not done, or have got part way there. Enjoy…

Here is your Bucket List: 30 Things to Do Before You Turn 30:

1. Travel somewhere you don’t know the language.

Going somewhere you can’t easily communicate with other people is terrifying. But not only would it enlighten you and make you savvy to another culture, it would also force you to really learn the language — something we’re rarely forced to do.

I’d say the majority of places I’ve travelled to, and around, I’ve not known the language, initially. If you’re staying anywhere for anything longer than a few weeks then you need to pick up some local basics, it’s just plain rude otherwise, general pleasantries and basic ordering of sustenance will go a long way to not annoying the fuck out of the person your conversing with. Us westerners can score damn high on the annoyance scale, and I’ve seen the shout loud and slow enough to know the stereotype is true. I know enough to not be without food, beverages and substances in any country that speaks in Spanish (LatAm), French, Dutch, Thai, Malaysian.

2. Date someone who isn’t your “type”.

You will learn and grow from being around people who are different from you. Maybe the relationship won’t work out in the end or maybe you’ll meet your future spouse. At any rate, you’ll either have a great time or a terrible time, but you will learn from the experience.

I don’t really have type of girl I go for, or I do but I’m less conscious of it and don’t single it out. I lived with this guy back in London who was obsessed by girls with big boobs and would always seek them out whenever we were out, but when it came down to it his obsession for him tongue tied which prevented him from actually getting together with anyone which fit the bill. Such a shame for him

3. Start your 401(k).

Retirement might be a blip on the map but it will be here before you know it. Do yourself a favour and start saving now. Especially if your company offers matching. Grow money, grow!

This is true. To be smug and somewhat boring I’ve had a pension/super/old age fund since I was 18. That’s what happens when you’re surrounded by family involved with money, and how to grow it and more importantly, protect it. Start early enough and it’ll hopefully be big enough to keep the party going well into your 90s.

4. Take a risk: Go bungee jumping or skydiving or swim with sharks.

I’m talking to you non-adrenaline junkies and typical stay-at-homers. Get outside, put yourself in the hands of trained professionals, and experience that exhilarating feeling of being this close to staring death in the face.

5. Start investing.

This is a risk in itself. Learn enough to invest some money or have someone else do it for you. No risk, no reward.

This kinda goes hand in hand with 3.

6. Form your political opinion.

We live in a politically turbulent time. It’s up to us to educate ourselves and advocate for what we believe in. Many people shy away from political discussions but by having them, you’ll come out with new, more well-rounded knowledge and, hopefully, will get to know your own opinions better.

Politics are bullshit. I’ll say no more.

7. Stop holding grudges.

Past grievances are overrated. You don’t need negativity in your life and you definitely don’t need it over something that happened years ago. If you need to, unfollow of block the involved parties on social media. Don’t “hate follow” someone just for the heck of it. A grudge only affects the person holding it.

8. Start a collection.

Something fun, quirky and totally you. Be passionate about it but don’t be a hoarder! My collectable of choice is mugs. They take up a lot of space, but they are something I use daily and always bring back memories from places I’ve visited.

This is a bit weird. Reminds me of one of my school friends’ grand parents who had this thing for tea plates. They started out as mere decoration in the kitchen but slowly spread into the dinning room and then hallway in a bid to conquer the house. I do have collections of sorts, things like sneakers and cameras, but I consider these to be practical as I live in one and use the others a lot.

9. Take a cross-country road trip.

Particularly if you are in the United States. You’ll get to experience many different nuances of the country and you can support local mom-and-pop businesses. Pro-tip: avoid the highways for the best scenery.

Did a US road trip last year with Elise when I moved to Cali, and have done a few in Europe and Australia.

10. Pay off your credit card debt.

No one wants this to begin with, but you have a chance to start off your thirties with a clean financial slate if you play your cards right (or in this case, not at all). Debt can not only be financially devastating for building the future you dream of, but it can also be tough on your confidence.

I hardly ever use my credit cards but when I do I pay the balance every month.

11. Go see live music you love.

There’s something so special about seeing your favourite artists live. They aren’t going to be on tour forever, so buy the tickets and make the drive. You won’t regret seeing them live.

I see live music a few times every month

12. Set an annual reading goal.

I could bore you with the list of benefits of reading, but I won’t (but if you’re curious, we’ve got some right here). Go make yourself a Goodreads account and set yourself a reading goal to accomplish each year.

I think I read a lot already, as in I’ve always got one or two books on the go. Sometimes I read prolifically, other times maybe a couple of pages a week. I think setting a target would put too much pressure on me.

13. Overcome a fear.

Sometimes your fears hold you back, but don’t let them. Take steps to overcome your fear of public speaking or heights. Once you know you what you are capable of, anything is possible.

The only fear I’m really conscious of is growing old, so overcoming that will I guess happen in time, not something that’ll happen in the next week. I’m sure everyone has this fear at some point because no one really wants to be frail, piss stinking and relying on everyone else to do shit for you.

14. Get a tattoo.

Permanence is scary, so make sure it’s something that really represents who you are at this point in your life, particularly if you’re prone to regret. Make up your mind, do your research and go for it. If tattoos aren’t your thing, there’s always fake tattoos you can wear for a few days or a piercing you’ve always liked that you can eventually remove. Check out our Guide to Surviving Your First Tattoo!

Have 4, maybe time for another. Designing that tat for Lily did have me thinking about it for a short while.

15. Join a club.

And I don’t mean the list of resume-fluffing ones you joined in high school and college. I mean ones that you are really interested in and passionate about. For example, try and join a running club or a book club. Maybe you’re into intramural volleyball or something else entirely. Either way it’s a fun way to meet new people and spend some time on a hobby!

16. Treat yourself to something really expensive.

…and pay for it in cash. Whether it’s a trip of a lifetime, a new computer, a Chanel handbag or a weekend away at an upscale resort and spa, you totally deserve it for working hard. If you don’t have the cash now, start saving! Make yourself a savings account called “Treat Myself” and transfer $20 a pay-check until you have enough.

What’s really expensive? 4, 5, or 6 digits, or even 7? This is a relative thing but using the writers theory above would see someone waiting a while to buy anything. Does Vera Visa come out to play and then pay it off by the time you retire? I used to obsess over having a Rolex, a Traveller model to be exact. They’re vintage and not flashy in any way, have no diamonds and they’re not gold, just stainless steel with a coloured green face. Simple and elegant. At that time they were around $20k, would be nice to walk into a shop and lay that wad down. But I do actually have a small collection of watches already, to go along with 8 above, that I never wear, primarily because we are surrounded by clocks and second I can never be bothered to go to the jewellery store to get the batteries changed when they die. So I used to just move on to the next one. Without looking I think I have about 7 G-Shocks, an Ebel, a Storm and a Seiko. The last one is special because it was my fathers and the only thing I wanted when he died, because he was wearing it at the time.Maybe I should look at that Rolex again, or look into some more art.

17. Be the first person to apologise.

It’s hard to admit when you are wrong. But it’s usually for the greater good. Saying “I’m sorry” is something we learn as children but don’t often implement as adults. Apologise when you’re in the wrong.

18. Run a marathon.

Pushing yourself physically is not only good for your body but good for your mind. And plus, you’ll feel really awesome with your medal. We’re capable of far more than we think we are — and this is your chance to prove it to yourself!

Not enough time to train for this, but I’ve flirted with the idea, although I have reservations about putting my body through such torture. I know 2 people that have run one and they both say never agin. I guess it’s an epic accomplishment but there are far more things to achieve than seeing whether you can continually run for 26 miles. Climb a mountain is far better especially if you can board down it after!

19. Forgive yourself for mistakes.

Realising you made a huge mistake by passing over an amazing job offer might seem like the end of the world, but it’s not. Forgive yourself and move on. This goes along with letting go of grudges–don’t hold them against yourself.

This is so true. I beat myself up at the start of the year thinking I’d made a big mistake moving to LA only to be leaving after a few months, and I still kind of hang on to it a bit. I think I feel more pain for the girl I unceremoniously dumped to pursue that dream, even though she’s OK with it now (we are on talking terms and see each other around every now and then).

20. Learn how to cook.

I’m not saying you should aspire to be Ina Garten; just learn how to make a few fancy dishes for one of those special occasions. They might come in handy sooner than you think. Knowing how to make risotto is a great recipe to always have in your back pocket. It’s easy one you know the steps and can be made in any variation based on the ingredients you have on hand.

I think by the time anyone reaches 30 they know how to cook, if not they must still live at home a la Norman Bates. This is one thing I really love doing, as I use it to de-stress, and the more people I have to cook for the more satisfactory the experience.

21. Eat really expensive food.

Treat yourself (and maybe your significant other) to a meal at one of the world’s top restaurants. Find out what all of the fuss is about and indulge in food made by someone who invented the cooking method.

I agree. When you go to an expensive restaurant and the food is fantastic with unnoticeable service it’s something to behold. Thing is not everyone like to go out a blow several hundred $ on a meal, no matter how good it may be. Don’t get me wrong I don’t dine out 5* often but I do for those special occasions.

22. Pay it forward.

Ever had someone help you out when you didn’t ask for it? Even if you haven’t, you can still start a chain of positive events by paying for someone’s coffee or helping them change a flat tire. Positive momentum is a powerful thing, people!

I’ll attribute this to Karma, which I’m a big believer in, help as many people as you can through life and it will pay you back in spades when you need it. Even if it doesn’t, or you don’t believe it does, being kind and helping people is the thing we need to do more of as a species. A story - About 18 months ago I went out for a relatively expensive meal with Elise, which I’d booked because I wanted to impress her, there was a tramp walking towards us as we were making our way home. As we got closer I could feel Elise tighten up as she knew as well as I that he was gonna tap us for some change. As he closed in on us I could see that he wasn’t much older than us, but was obviously freezing cold, it was December after all. I had this sudden feeling that I had to help him, it was cold and I was going home to a warm apartment and comfy bed, he was gonna be sleeping where? I took out my wallet and gave him all the notes I had left, about $100 and told him to find somewhere to get warm. As we walked away Elise was annoyed that I’d given him the money saying that he’ll just spend it on drugs and drink. I hoist told her that may be the case but that’s a reflection of his character rather than mine and I helped him as best I could at that moment in time and I can’t be responsible for him beyond that. She didn’t buy it and just said I’d wasted my money.

23. Attempt to break a world record.

In the Guinness Book of World Records, of course. There are records for everything, so round up your friends and give it your best shot. Even if you don’t quite break a record, it’s still a pretty cool memory to have.

Can I be the first person to OD on weed? That would be a world record for sheer quantity consumed.

24. Attend the Olympic Games.

Whether it’s Winter or Summer, you’ll never regret being in the presence of the world’s elite athletes and having the opportunity to watch history in the making.

I think if I was in a city when this was on I’d go, but I’m not gonna travel to one specifically for the event

25. Pick a cause and be passionate about it.

Whether it’s cancer research or clean water, donate and make efforts to help others and advance your cause. Don’t just say you’re interested in a cause, go live it and be it — volunteer your time, fundraise or donate. Change doesn’t happen by sitting at home on your couch.

How to pick a cause when there are so many that need help. I’ve volunteered occasionally in the past and it has been good fun but I’ve never tramped off to some remote location to dig wells or anything like that. One of my friends work for Operation Raleigh and always says how much he loves his job, but whilst he works for a worthwhile organisation he does receive a salary so it’s kind of cheating. I will make this a goal to do more of especially as the planet is on the brink and stuff needs to be done about it.

26. Make your family tree.

There is no history more interesting than your own–figure out who your ancestors were and how they impacted the world and your own life. What you find out might surprise you. Take it a step further and record your family’s complete medical history. This will not only come in handy for you, but for future generations are well.

I’m not sure I need to know who my ancestors were, it won’t serve any purpose, unless I’m in line to throne and near the top of the list, but I doubt that very much. What I know about my family is that both my paternal grandparents died before I was born, he was a doctor and she was a housewife. My maternal grandparents were never together, he bailed as soon as he became a father and she eventually turned into an alcoholic so my mother never spoke to her. Both my parents were only children so there’s no expansive collection of relatives for me. However, I do have 2 half brothers from my dad’s first marriage, but they’re much older than me and they openly dislike me and always have. I’m kinda glad I never see them any more because they are a right pair of wankers. Their dislike of me turned to hatred when my dad left me pretty much everything in his will, but that wasn’t my doing so not my fault. I wonder if it still bugs them or whether thy employed number 7 above.

27. See a Broadway play.

Or a Cirque show or Blue Man Group. Put on your best dress or your tux and live it up.

Everyone should go to the theatre more, and I’ll put myself in this camp. I do go a see shows when there’s a story that sounds captivating or an actor I really wanna see, but I don’t go enough. Time to change up.

28. Work a menial job.

A job where you know you won’t advance but also requires tipping. You’ll gain a better appreciation for people you come across in your future who count tips as the largest part of their salary. If this doesn’t fit into your career plan, try picking up a second job around the holidays — you’ll appreciate the extra income and you’ll gain some eye-opening experience for those who work for minimum wage full time.

I have done so many of these it’s laughable. Packing pineapples, cleaning windows, waiting tables, sorting trash in a recycling centre to name a few. All of these jobs were essential at the time to make money to live and in some of them I met the best people, really down to earth types just trying to make ends meet.

29. Become a connoisseur in something.

Whether it’s cheese, wine, tea or coffee, your garnered knowledge will always help you make small talk but also enrich your life in ways you haven’t even imagined.

I am a connoisseur of weed and whiskey amongst many other things but they would be my faves.

30. And finally, make a list of 40 Things to do Before You Turn 40.

If only because it’s fun!

I guess I have time to do this so I’ll start it at some point.

Here’s another list I found with a few differences but has the same general theme

1. Take care of my body

I think I do this, but I smoke too much weed and probably drink to much, because I binge, so I know I can do better. I do ride my push bike pretty much everywhere, even when I’ve had a few, which is bad and not really taking care of my life. But don’t ride when it’s raining because the odds of accident are increased, then I walk, even if I have to get uptown.

2. Visit Amsterdam

Yep, everyone should

3. Aprender Español (Learn Spanish)

4. Take a creative _____ class

Have started my sewing group thing. The first results are disappointing but I will fulfil my obligation and post a photo of the pouch I made, much to my shame.

5. Publish an eBook

These entries are kind of an eBook. My shrink thinks my back story is fairly interesting and sometimes entertaining so I’ll put some of it up as the need arises to provide perspective.

6. Go on a road trip in Europe

7. Make a cheesecake for the first time

Yes everyone should try this, then go buy one that is actually any decent, because I’ve never known of anyone to make a great one first time

8. Host a dinner party

9. Send a postcard from every trip I take

This is actually a good idea which I do not do any more. I keep postcards around forever. You generally know when someone is away because it’s all over FB or Insta, but postcards are a surprise and a tangible thing that a friend will hold in their hands and possibly stick up somewhere as a reminder of you.

10. Plant a tree

11. Have a morning routine

What defines a routine? I pretty much do the same thing every morning before I leave the apartment, with the odd exception of when I can be bothered to box up any food left over from a previous dinner, I get up, make a coffee, if there’s none, drink coffee whilst staring out of the window and casually looking at newsfeed, chat with anyone who’s around, shower, brush teeth, get dressed, pack bag, go. If the journey to work is included in a routine’ I don’t think I want one. I like mixing up my ride to work along different routes and with some stops along the way for breakfast and more coffee. Isn’t variety the spice of life?

12. Turn off the internet’

This is definitely something I need to do. Those days away on the ayahuasca where I had to surrender my phone were amazing, once I’d gotten over the initial shock. But for me that fear was more about the lack of a music player over not being connected to the web. Even when those things are in your pocket they are a distraction, and being without that device really connected me with those around me.

13. Learn the art of cocktail making

If you can’t mix some simple cocktails by the time you’ve hit 30 you simply haven’t lived. Surely everyone had a favourite or more, and when you do you learn how to make them, no?

14. Jump more often (and get better at it)

I have no idea what the fuck this one is about. Jump where? Off, on, out, into anything?

15. Take a spontaneous trip

16. See more live music & concerts

17. Attend more unusual & creative performances

Does nude neon life drawing count?

18. Read___

19. Decorate my bedroom

20. Try a fast/meditate

21. Write more often in a journal

That is what this is supposed to be but I think I’m not writing enough, or maybe too much but not enough entries…

22. Explore my own city

23. Practice photography skills

24. Take weekends off

25. Use my hands more often

Have you ever tried not using your hands as much. Once, after trying to brush my teeth using my feet I realised everything else was going to be impossible so I went back to bed.

26. Buy more souvenirs (for myself and others)

No No no. No one needs souvenirs. They are tat junk that fill up peoples lives with utter shit. They are generally plastic and will almost certainly end up getting trashed and going to landfill or for incineration.

27. Read more news (but don’t get stuck in it)

28. Take a trip to visit someone I know

29. Give a talk or presentation

I present concepts and tell stories all the time, it’s my job

30. Do 30 days of something!

I did lent, wahey!

And this is a list I found targeted for the girls

1. Travel solo.

We cannot stress how valuable this is, even if you're in a relationship.

2. Take a class to learn a new skill.

Doesn't matter if it's pottery or pole dancing.

3. Master cooking at least three dishes.

And mixing three cocktails. (Without needing to panic-Google the recipe.)

4. Run a half marathon.

Or just walk it. Either way, sign up.

This is a bit more like it, a half is easy

5. Go skinny dipping.

Do this often.

6. Learn to speak another language.

7. Learn how to read a wine list.

And seriously impress your friends and future suitors forevermore.

8. Throw yourself a birthday party.

Because, if you want something done right...

9. Get private health insurance.

Because if you don't have hospital cover by 31, you'll pay a loading fee once you finally do get your sh*t together and sign up.

10. Get your super in check.

Snoozy, but it's important to consolidate and start making contributions. (Future You will thank you.)

11. Invest in a good quality bag.

You carry it every day, so why not?

Does good quality equal expensive? I treated myself to a lovely smart mulberry satchel bag once in a bid to look a little more professional. Was good until the strap broke whilst I was riding to work one morning and the contents ended up strewn across Madison Ave, with my laptop broken beyond repair. After much arguing Mulberry actually replaced the laptop so the outcome was favourable, but it took months. Now I just use my heavy duty Burton backpack. Has a life time guarantee against wear and tear so this is ideal. Plus as a guy I don’t need a bag as an accessory. The girls I live with have far too many bags, by their own admission, and spending a couple of g’s on something that won’t even fit a laptop seems rather a waste of cash to me.

12. Take a grown up weekend away with friends.

Even if you end up getting wasted on the wine supply.

13. Go camping.

Not glamping, either. We mean legit, set-up-your-tent-yourself-and-suffer-through-the-mozzies camping.

14. Learn to meditate.

And "namaste" your way to a better life.

15. Learn about politics.

You should know the difference between the Senate and a socialist.

16. Take a road trip.

Whether solo, with bae, or your best m8s.

17. Pay off your credit card/personal loan/HECs debt.

The feeling will be priceless.

18. Treat yourself to a fancy dining experience.

As a reward for 17.

19. Volunteer for a cause you believe in.

Not just as a one-off, either—make it a regular thing.

20. Live abroad.

If only for the hot foreign strangers.

21. Cross off some of the classics.

Add Charlotte and Emily Brontë, Jane Austen, Virginia Woolf, Maya Angelou, Joan Didion and Anais Nin to your reading list, stat.

22. Take control of your sexual health.

Which means finding the right birth control for you, and making time for regular STD checks, among other things.

23. Do something that scares you.

Swimming with sharks, skydiving, even just going to the top of a really tall building if heights freak you out.

24. Ask for a pay rise.

Even if it falls into the above category. Actually, especially if it falls into the above category.

25. Have savings.

Because having financial freedom is so, so important. (Also money can buy you fun things like holidays and cars and doggos.)

26. Find a mentor.

If you don't have one in your workplace, reach out to someone in your industry via LinkedIn and see if they'd be open to you shouting them a coffee.

27. Start and finish an educational course.

Whether it's finally finishing your uni degree, or upskilling yourself in something like coding.

28. Find your 'thing' in exercise. And do it regularly.

29. Be able to ask for what you want in bed.

Yes, even that.

What is ‘that’ ladies?

30. Start taking your health seriously. Because if you don't, who will?

On the whole the lists show that you need to be taking more control of your life and know what the fuck you’re doing. You should be getting more experiences in your life with some spontaneity added for good measure. I consider myself lucky enough to have achieved more than most, but I don’t want to brag about it. I could’ve sat back, done very little and still been comfortable, but the world is a wonderful place and the people on it can be even better and removing yourself from the comfort zone enables you to be more accepting of everything. I did expect to see lists of some pretty wacky far out shit, which I’m sure everyone has a bit off in their lives, but I suppose turning 30 is meant to mean starting to put the more foolish things behind you. I agree with it a little but I still want to be doing the things I’ve done in my 20s well into my 40s. Call me sad for not wanting to grow up but it’s true, I don’t so I will cling on to as much as possible for as long as I can. Will be making my 40 before 40 list over the next few months but I have plenty of time to write and fulfil.

My birthday is now less than a week away and I’m now starting to review my annual resolutions, which have panned out somewhat different to how I envisioned.

Enjoy the week peeps.

#life story #life stories #birthdays #30 things #goals #accomplishments #the big 30 #bucket list #tattoos #savings #getting old

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kennethherrerablog · 5 years

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Survey: Lack of Financial Literacy Means Lower Incomes, Less Savings

Almost one quarter of Americans have no savings and nearly half — 40% — don’t keep a budget. One driving factor: a lack of financial literacy in the U.S., according to a new survey by The Penny Hoarder released this month.

The problem, say experts from government organizations, advocacy groups and academia, comes from a lack of education on personal finance topics, beginning at home and continuing in school.

“Parents will sooner talk about sex, drugs and alcohol than they would about money,” said Rob Sansome, director of strategic initiatives at the Florida Prosperity Partnership, which partners with local organizations and agencies to promote economic stability.

The survey also found that one-third of Americans while growing up did not discuss basic personal finance topics, such as credit scores, debt, being a smart shopper or opening a basic savings account. Less than 15% of those surveyed talked about their own family’s financial situation.

It’s like teaching a kid how to ride a bicycle. We didn’t get them a book on balance and motion, we put their butts on a bicycle and let them scrape their knees a little bit.

The survey of more than 1,500 adults underlines just how much early financial education impacts financial health in adulthood:

17% of those who discussed finances growing up have no savings at all. That figure balloons to 40% among those who had no early financial literacy.

18% of those who talked about money management at home report household income of less than $50,000. But for those who didn’t talk about money, almost a third — 31% — earn less than $50,000.

Here are some other survey highlights:

Less than 15% of those surveyed talked about their family’s finances while growing up.

Only 20% of Americans learned about the importance of credit scores.

40% of Americans do not maintain a budget.

23% of Americans have no savings; 40% of Americans have less than $1,000 in savings.

So how did we get here?

Financial Literacy Gap Widens Across Generations

Teaching basic financial concepts to children leads to better money outcomes when they grow up. It’s a point experts can’t emphasize enough, but it’s easier said than done.

Embarrassment. That’s one of the main reasons parents struggle instilling financial literacy in their children. They might be embarrassed about their own finances and even bringing up the topic brings on pangs of regret.

“I can’t tell my child not to go into debt without cursing myself because I’m in debt,” Sansome said. “It all comes together in this quiet, creeping lack of knowledge.”

Another factor driving financial illiteracy, Sansome said, is our culture’s obsession with tackling debt versus saving in the first place. For example, if you turn on the TV you’re far more likely to be hit with a barrage of advertisements for loan refinancing services rather than budgeting apps.

“I call it the Smokey Bear concept,” said Bill Mills, president and CEO of the Florida Prosperity Partnership. “We need to have a national campaign on the good of saving, and not have it be perceived as spending’s stinky brother.”

Further compounding the problem with saving, those who didn’t discuss personal finance topics while growing up are more likely to fall within a low-income stratum, according to The Penny Hoarder survey and an analysis of data from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Our survey found that nearly one-third of Americans who didn’t talk money management as children report household income of less than $50,000.

That and other factors can lead some parents to question their own financial knowhow and whether they’re qualified to be passing on information to their kids, said DeAndrew Geels, a junior who works as a financial adviser at Texas Tech’s Red to Black financial literacy program.

“Money is such a taboo topic,” he said. “It’s something you don’t really like to talk about, and that can be pretty harmful for everyone.”

For one, it’s a factor driving the rise in student loan debt, which has soared past $1.5 trillion this year. Many parents and students don’t take the time to understand the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA. The form determines whether a prospective student is eligible for financial aid.

Students or parents may who miss FAFSA or other deadlines for financial aid awards leave free money on the table — and end up taking on debt to fill the void, said Erin Dunn, associate director of financial aid at the University of South Florida St. Petersburg.

“Students were coming in the door without ever being exposed to financial concepts, and it was a much bigger conversation than financial aid,” she said.

The repercussions stretch into the retirement years.

In 2000, 12% of Americans over the age of 64 — about 4.1 million workers — were in the labor force, according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. That number has increased to 20%, or roughly 10.6 million people, this year.

“People are very concerned about not having enough money for retirement and many people don’t,” said Helen Colby, assistant professor of marketing at Indiana University, who studies consumer financial decision making.

Financial Literacy Programs Can Help Break the Cycle

There are hundreds of financial literacy programs run by nonprofit and educational groups throughout the country that are based on the FDIC’s MoneySmart program. The federal agency offers a guided online course that ends with a nifty certification.

In the 15 board game-style modules, the FDIC covers everything from making sure you get the best deal on a credit card to identity theft. And you can even order a physical copy for free.

For those who aren’t into playing games, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau broadcasts free monthly webinars on personal finance topics. The agency also has a database of answers to questions its experts have been asked over the year, and you can ask your own if you don’t find what you’re looking for.

Pro Tip

When crafting a monthly budget, be as specific as possible. You’ll be surprised at how much more you spend than you think. Every cup of coffee counts.

The Penny Hoarder Academy offers simple, easily digestible information on budgeting, credit scores, groceries and even homebuying if you’re that far along on your financial journey.

College students who want to get out ahead of looming debt have some options right on campus.

Dunn, from USF St. Pete’s financial aid office, recently launched AFLOAT, a campus financial advising program that has attracted freshmen interested in budgeting, juniors and seniors interested in learning about student loan payment options and post-graduates hoping to catch up on personal finance topics.

Dozens of colleges have programs like USF’s AFLOAT and Texas Tech’s Red to Black available free to students. For many students, college is the first time they’re dealing with money on their own, so this is an ideal time to take advantage of financial literacy programs.

Teaching Your Kids About Financial Literacy

Travis Sickle, a Tampa, Florida-based financial adviser, vividly recalls watching middling interest accumulate in his bank account when he was around 5. His dad, a banker, would bring home a ledger to show him the three cents he made for doing nothing but saving.

“I would sit there and think, ‘three cents, this is awesome. In a hundred years I’ll have a dollar.’ And to me, that was everything,” he said.

For kids, the FDIC game is a great start, but Sansome emphasized that real-world experience is key in understanding financial topics.

“It’s like teaching a kid how to ride a bicycle,” he said. “We didn’t get them a book on balance and motion, we put their butts on a bicycle and let them scrape their knees a little bit.”

A savings account and allowance is a good start to get kids thinking about basic personal finance. Colby, the IU professor, said research shows kids who grow up with an allowance have a better understanding of prices of toys and candy.

Pro Tip

Scary as it may seem, parents should let kids actually spend some of their allowance. They may make mistakes, but this is a chance to teach the idea of wants vs. needs.

The Penny Hoarder has an expansive guide to talking to your kids about money before you’re ready to fork over that allowance.

Even going about your daily to-do list offers opportunities to bring up financial literacy. When you stop for gas, explain to your kids why it’s important to budget for recurring expenses, or when you find yourself with a flat tire, explain the importance of emergency funds.

Sickle’s 4-year-old twins have a special chant when they leave the bank with their father.

He asks, “What are we going to do with our money?”

And they answer: “Save and invest! Save and invest!”

Alex Mahadevan is a data journalist at The Penny Hoarder.

This was originally published on The Penny Hoarder, which helps millions of readers worldwide earn and save money by sharing unique job opportunities, personal stories, freebies and more. The Inc. 5000 ranked The Penny Hoarder as the fastest-growing private media company in the U.S. in 2017.

Survey: Lack of Financial Literacy Means Lower Incomes, Less Savings published first on https://justinbetreviews.tumblr.com/

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