#yes i DID google what a group of pigeons was called and google too was in fact baffled by my query

[rileyclaw]

More owlcraft au when??

i feel like an old woman on a bench throwing bread out to a homing of pigeons growing aggressively more demanding

soon..,, i promise . Im crunching on an animatic currently but have the next comic already paneled out

[chappyclaro-blog]

How to Renovate a House From Long Distance || Long Distance Investing

How to Renovate a House From Long Distance / Long Distance Investing

Hey guys. Welcome to Chapman Tru. Today we're gonna talk to you about renovating a property out of state. And we actually just did this a few months ago, maybe a year ago. I don't know how long ago it was , but we did it and we renovated a cabin in the Pigeon Forge area of Tennessee. So we're going to talk to you about some of the things that went great about it and give you some tips on how to do it yourself

when you're doing a long distance renovation, take it away. So the first thing when you're renovating out-of-state is finding a contractor, somebody to do the work because we're definitely not going there to do the work. I could, I could with these guns, but you know, could not, that's not gonna get you anywhere.

You have to know how to do the work anyways. Yeah. Your fake guns aren't getting us anywhere. Yeah. Well, Either way. So first things first is finding a contractor. Where do we find our contractors? We found them a couple different ways. One, we spoke to our agent who sold us the place. She had recommended a couple contractors, and we actually had them come out, walk the property with us when we were there doing a viewing of the property.

So that's one way that that can work. You can also go onto Angie's or Thumbtack. That is your favorite, right? Your favorite, yeah. I use Angie's a lot. Yeah. You like that? And then Google, you googled a lot on that project. Yeah. So at the very beginning of this project, I basically just buckled in and sat on the computer and just started getting contacts and 

one of the good things that I did which, you know, I, I do good things every now and again, you know, and I'm like, wow, that was a good idea. And Googling. Yeah, you invented it. Well, no, no. I'm not talking about, I'm past Googling. We're past Googling. We're talking about when I made a contact list on Google Docs.

Because I love everything Google. I don't, I just use Google. You wait, you made that list? Yes ma'am. I sure did. We need to go back and fact check that document because I feel as if that was not something that you maybe did. Yeah, I mean I, I can check because it says like where it originated, so Yeah. We'll have to, we'll fact check that after.

Yeah. But the point is I made a document and I had a good idea about making this document that had a list of all the contractors and then I color coded it with the highlights based on what happened in the scenario. So basically I would just get on Angie's and I got on Google and she got on Facebook and we just got all these contacts and started reaching out to them.

So local Facebook groups. That was important too, going into, this was a big short-term rental market, so going into short-term rentals. Because a lot of owners are doing the same thing. They're looking for contractors. They need people to work on their properties. So going in and searching in the groups, asking questions in the groups for contractors.

We actually found quite a few really good contractors that way. Yeah. Yeah. So she went on Facebook. I don't really mess with Facebook too much. That's her area of expertise. But Google, Angie's, I'm right there for you. So either way, we ended up getting a whole list of contractors. And this was right in the middle of just like this, the real estate and short term rental, just gold rush or whatever you wanna call it.

So a lot of these contractors were really busy. But what we did was we had well let's action, let's back up and talk about how from far away we're calling these contractors. I mean, I know I have long distance, but we're calling these contractors and how are they getting into the property even. So first things first.

We actually physically went to the property. We saw the property come up, you can check out, we have a video on it of our walkthrough thing, like with the coming up with the ideas of what we were gonna do with the property first. So first you have to know what you're gonna do with it, right? What needs renovating, what you're gonna do, how far you're gonna go with the renovations.

So that comes with the scope of work. So we created a very detailed scope of work where it was very clear what we wanted. We wanted this and this done so we could have something to send to the contractors and say, okay, this is our scope of work. This is what we want done on the property. Correct. So, Since we have this very detailed scope of work that she most likely did most of the details on, because details are not my thing, but you create Google Docs.

I do create Google Docs, and those are really, and come up with really good ideas. Yeah. So since we had this very detailed scope of work from there, we just needed it. A lockbox and cameras, so that way we could have eyes on the property without actually being near a lockbox. We actually, it wasn't even a lockbox.

We had a lockbox and a digital lock on the door so that way people could come and go, but we could keep an eye on what was going on. So we had the scope of work, which explained in detail exactly what we wanted done with the property. Then we gave away for the contractors to go in, so we didn't have to be there to let them in or have somebody there to let them in.

And then we had eyes on the property with cameras. Just to make sure as people were coming and going, they were who they said they were and they were not deciding to take up camp in the house or whatever. But that also leads to choosing your contractors right, and making sure that you are picking and validating people.

I guess, is that the right word? You wanna pick? You wanna make sure that you're hiring a legitimate contractor. So recommendations, not somebody recommending themself, but recommendations for somebody who's worked with them, making sure that they're licensed, bonded, insured, so you're not just having some random Joe Schmo coming into your property.

Right. So that's why I do like Angie's because they have reviews and with Angie's they do have to be licensed and insured. To be there. So that kind of knocks that out for me. The other way is great also. It's just going through and asking them and asking them for proof of that. So what we did was we went in and we had these contractors just kind of come in one at a time.

And whenever they were available, obviously there's, there's certain ones that they're like, we're, we're too busy. We can't get out there for two or three months, you know? So I would notate that on the document that I had the really good idea. It was a really good idea. Yeah. Yeah, it was very helpful. Yeah, I, I didn't know I already said 

It was really good idea. It's such a good idea. That was mine. So they went out and they would look at the property and they would go through the scope of work and say what they could or could not do, and send us back a price on it. And with the scope of work being detailed it enabled them to go line by line, which is one of our, our, what's the word I'm looking for?

Methods? No, no. It's one of our requirements. That's the word I was looking for. It's one of them . It's a difficult word. Requirements. So having them go through the scope of work and doing it in a very detailed line by line manner it's one of our requirements when it comes to hiring contractors because a lot of times they come in and they wanna kind of just lump everything together and it's very difficult to understand your cost when it comes to things like that.

So we would wait for responses from each one of them, and we would just go over their quotes. We would go over their quotes. And go from there and just decide which one had the, you know, the best prices, which one had the better ideas, which ones told us how they could, you know, save money.

Which ones had the best timeline? Because time is money as well. Timeline was a big thing on this project. Mm-hmm. . And we actually, you actually found our main contractor on this project. We brought in a couple different people who had skill sets. This contractor, for example, he didn't really feel comfortable handling the deck that needed to be replaced.

He didn't really handle electric work, I believe as well. So we brought in those people to handle those things. But he handled the inside of the entire interior renovation and he did a really good job. And Where'd you find him? Angie's probably right. So angi.com. So that is the basic way that we got the whole contractor list together and got this project rolling.

So after we got the project rolling, we had the timeline that they agreed to, and we would go through the timeline. And one of the main things that we do also is after they get finished with their work we pay them. Right? Yep. Yeah. That's usually how it works. That's usually how it works, but not always, because a lot of contractors ask for the payment upfront.

It's a thing that some contractors do. They say, I need this upfront , you know, half the, half the amount of money upfront and the other half, you know, a quarter of the way through or, or whatever their, whatever their thing is. But the way that we do things is we pay for work that is completed. We're happy to pay for materials ahead of time.

Mm-hmm. because they send us receipts and when they're finished with the work, they send us pictures and we get the payment out as fast as possible. And depending on how they need to be paid, depends on how fast we can get it to them if they have it set up where they can get transfers to their bank account,

wires or whatever, we can get the payment to them like the next day and everybody's happy. Mm-hmm. . Although I did have one contractor who wanted a check, I was like, are you sure you want a check? And I guess their mail system was backed up, so it took them weeks to get the check. But we had a few of those.

Actually, however they wanna be paid is how we pay them because we wanna work with them in a positive way. And if they want a fast wire or maybe they just want to check or whatever, the only thing we don't do is we're not gonna go hand 'em a bunch of cash. Right. Right. That's not really productive, yeah, for us, do everything above board.

Above. Above board. Yeah. So get those W-9's. Yeah. Yeah. This is the board. We do it up here. Yeah. So how do we make sure that the work is getting done? Like he said, we had them send us progress pictures and we were about six, seven hours away. So we did go up and check on the project, especially towards the end, to make sure that the work looked good, see that everything was being done, and so we were able to physically go there as well, in addition to pictures.

So we were paying some people based on pictures, things that were easy to see. Okay. Clearly the shower's done, we could very easily tell that it was our shower that was completed and so we didn't have to go up and see the work for that. I do recommend that you, if you can't physically be there, that you bring a third party in to check the work before you give a complete and final payment to anybody because you wanna make sure that sometimes pictures don't tell the full story.

Even if you wanna be extra safe is have an inspector come back through the property, inspect everything to make sure, especially if you're doing a major renovation where they're adding showers and doing electric work and everything, make sure that they've brought everything up to code and that everything is the way that it's supposed to be.

So you can hold a feedback from them and have that third party go in and, and view it. You can also have your realtor. If you've got a good relationship with them, go in and maybe you can send 'em a couple bucks to go check on the property. There's a lot of different ways that you can get eyes on the ground, but we definitely highly recommend that if you're not gonna go there yourself to have somebody that you trust that you can pay, that's a third party that's gonna go there and validate that the final work's done right.

And I mean as, basically as simple as that. So like she said, if you can't get there yourself, then send somebody out. One good thing is that we did have an inspection at the very beginning, so, Could go through at the very end and have an inspection as well and see if, make sure all the things that we needed to get taken care of were actually taken care of.

It was basically as simple as that. So even though we say it was simple, there was, you know, there's always headaches, there's always things, there's, you know, the timeline is never exactly the timeline. Never, it never goes perfect like that, but it completed and we were really happy with the work at the end of it.

So it was an adventure. Yeah. Of sorts. It wasn't, you know, a terrible adventure. It wasn't, it wasn't that bad. No. We're actually looking to do it again. Yeah, we're looking to do it again soon. So hopefully that answers some of your questions about what it's like to do a renovation from out of state far away or even in state, but on the other side of the state, whatever it may be.

And hopefully those tips were helpful to you. Thank you guys for hanging out with us again. We're gonna get into some of our other projects and some of our other things that we've come across throughout these, you know, these months and years of, of, of doing this. And hopefully find some stuff that is helpful to you in your journey.

Like Google spreadsheets, like yeah, like it wasn't a spreadsheet, it was a Google Doc, but it was a good idea was the main point. So if you guys wanna see more good ideas, make sure you like, subscribe, do all those things, hit the notification bell so you can hear my great ideas and her talk about some stuff that she knows about.

So, you know, yeah, that's what you signed up for. You're watching this channel. All right, well thank you guys very much again. We'll see you guys next time. Peace ciao for now.

Real estate investing is a great way to make money; if you follow the right steps, you can succeed. Make sure to subscribe to our channel to follow our journey as we explore the real estate investing and entrepreneurship world. Our realtor in the Charleston, SC area: Abasi Chapman - https://www.facebook.com/abasichapmanrealestate abasichapman@gmail.com Our Social: Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/charlestontruhomebuyers/ Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/CharlestonTRUHomebuyers Website - https://www.charlestontruhomebuyers.com/ Some of our past and present projects: Costa Rica Bar - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCim2laut5CoRAtROvdgF7kw Makai's World - http://www.youtube.com/c/MakaisWorld Fusion Profits - https://www.fusionprofits.com/ College Band - https://open.spotify.com/artist/3vrmPzWD2ilQFBFC40cZUF Real Estate Investing - https://www.charlestontruhomebuyers.com/ Here are some of the tools that we use to get things done: Design: Canva - https://www.canva.com/join/blimp-armlet-rocking Fiverr - http://www.fiverr.com/s2/394bb58b02 Promo Codes to save money: Rakuten - https://www.rakuten.com/r/KHALIL1936?eeid=28187 Honey - joinhoney.com/ref/qf57xti YouTube Tools: TubeBuddy - https://www.tubebuddy.com/MakaisWorld VidIQ - https://vidiq.com/#_l_3d1 Check out our gear used to make this and other videos: 1. Ring light Neewer RL-12 LED Ring Light 14" Ring Light - https://amzn.to/3i8TtQQ MountDog Ring Light: 14" 3 Color Lights - https://amzn.to/38a7Q2O O-Studio Ring Light with Stand and Phone Holder,10'' LED Selfie Ring Light: https://amzn.to/3t90uq0 2. Computer   Apple iMac (27-inch, 8GB RAM, 1TB Storage) - https://amzn.to/2XHS37d 3. Camera GoPro Hero 9 Black: https://amzn.to/37FtqOh   4. Storage Plugable 1TB Thunderbolt 3 External SSD: https://amzn.to/3mA7iu8 Lacie Rugged Mini 4TB Hard Drive: https://amzn.to/37fMOOy   5. Tripod Lightweight Tripod: https://amzn.to/2MAnPha **Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored video, all opinions expressed are my own. The links provided are Amazon affiliate links and other affiliate links which means I earn a small commission if one were to purchase an item via the link.

[marauderundercover]

Taking Chances Chapter Five: Paris Revealed (Stories/Memories)

Prev

AO3

Marinette flinches back as the room erupts in shouting. The younger boy, who was definitely younger than her and yet almost (if not definitely) taller than her, was fiercely glaring while he screamed at Mr. Wayne in….was that Arabic? The man that walked in with him was waving around the knife in his hand while Dick yelled at Mr. Wayne, his face filled with confusion instead of fury. Glancing around for a way out, Marinette makes eye contact with Alfred who nods behind him. Sneaking away from the group of angry men, Marinette follows Alfred into the kitchen and instantly feels at home. And much calmer.

“I’m sorry.” She mumbles, breathing deeply to avoid spiraling again. Alfred simply hands her a cookie before turning around and putting water in a kettle.

“There is no need to apologize, Miss Marinette. It seems Master Bruce has forgotten all sense today and is instead insistent on acting like a fool. It was wrong of him to announce you like that, without preparing you or the boys beforehand. I do hope that his atrocious display of proper manners doesn’t make you want to leave.” Alfred says, and Marinette’s eyebrows shoot upwards. Was he? Was Alfred actually blaming this situation on Mr. Wayne? Was it Mr. Wayne’s fault? Did he not actually hate her? Did he just make a mistake?

“I- what?” Marinette says, unsure of herself.

“You, my dear, are not at fault. Your father didn’t tell any of his sons that you were coming to the manor today, or that you existed in general. And judging by your face, you weren’t prepared for the boys to be here either.” Alfred clarifies.

“Oh. No, I wasn’t. Mr. Wayne just said that he wanted to get to know me, and he knew I wanted to get to know him. I- my birth mother passed away. But my Maman knew her, so I can find out from her how I’m similar to Bridgette. But neither of my parents knew Mr. Wayne, and I just wanted to know if I was like him, I guess. I didn’t even know who he was until two days ago.” Marinette admits.

“As in you found out Bruce Wayne was your birth father two days ago or-” Alfred trails off, waiting for her to clarify.

“Oh no. I found out the name of my birth father awhile ago. It’s just- I really don’t pay attention to celebrities. The only ones I really know are designers. So I didn’t put two and two together, and I didn’t even know about Bruce Wayne and Wayne Enterprises until a few days ago. My friend Adrien made me google him and that’s when I found out about...the boys.” She says, stopping herself from saying her brothers as she was still unsure if Mr. Wayne actually wanted her like he wanted the others.

“Well I’m certain that things will start to calm down shortly. In the meantime, would you care for some tea?” Alfred asks, holding up the kettle. Marinette nods gratefully, trying hard to stop her inner spiral from drowning her.

---

“What do you mean daughter?” Damian snarls, finally switching to English. Bruce blinks at the boy before sighing.

“I mean, you have a biological sister.” He says, tired and wishing he had been able to convince Marinette to go somewhere else. Not that he didn’t want her to meet her siblings. But it definitely wasn’t the laid back first meeting that he wanted.

“You mean half-sister.” Damian spits out, crossing his arms and sticking his nose into the air.

“Shut up, Demon Spawn. She’s our sister, get over it. Where’d the kid come from? Her mom drop her off?” Jason asks, obviously trying to actually understand the situation.

“No. I first met her at the Museum and had my suspicions. She’s in Gotham on a class trip, and before you ask, yes. We had a DNA test done and yes, I am her father.” Bruce says, frowning when he sees Dick’s hurt expression morph into one of excitement.

“Wait, wait, wait! Was she the girl who was sassing the Joker?” He asks quietly, practically buzzing with excitement. When Bruce nods, Dick cheers and runs from the room. Okay then.

“Wait, she met the Joker?” Jason asks, his expression turning dark. Bruce watches his son’s face morph into one of disgust when he puts it together. “She’s the French kid he had at gunpoint, isn’t she?”

“Yes. Which is one of the reasons why we both thought the manor would be a more appropriate meeting place rather than somewhere public.” Bruce says, sighing as Damian once again starts screaming. This was not what he had planned.

---

After just a few minutes with Alfred, Marinette already felt calmer. Calm enough to giggle at another story about something that one of the boys- one of her brothers- did. Calm enough to let her guard down. And mess up.

“If you wanna see something ridiculous, you should look up the 26th time Monsieur Ramier was akumatized into Monsieur Pigeon. He made all the buildings turn into bird cages and all the food turned into bird seed. Luckily it didn’t last long, but seeing the Mayor of Paris stuck inside a giant bird cage was kind of hilarious.” Marinette rambles, giggling at the memory. It was definitely a needed akuma, situated right between two super destructive akumas. Monsieur Pigeon was, while a nuisance, always a breath of fresh air. His akumatized form was brought on by his fierce protectiveness of the pigeons, which luckily never led to death for civilians.

“Pardon me, Miss Marinette, but could I ask what you mean by ‘akumatized’?” Alfred asks, his posture suddenly stiff. Marinette’s eyes widen as she realizes what she just did. She told someone outside of Paris about the situation happening in Paris. Well crap. Normal Parisians didn’t know about the media block that she had set up with the help of the Mayor and Max. But after her calls to the Justice League were ignored, and she realized how disastrous it would be for a member of the League to be akumatized, the media block was the best choice. Time to act clueless.

“Akumatized, as in, a person is possessed by an akuma? Surely you’ve heard of it. It’s been happening in Paris for almost two years.” She says, hoping he doesn’t ask to see any evidence. This isn’t good, this is awful, this-

“And what is an akuma?” Alfred asks. Okay, this isn’t too bad.

“It’s an evil butterfly sent out by the villain, Hawkmoth.” Marinette says, giving out more information than she’s really comfortable with. Okay, time to change the subject, no more questions about heroes or villains or-

“Marinette!” A new voice calls, sliding into the kitchen, almost immediately falling over.

“Master Dick, have you forgotten about your ban on the kitchen?” Alfred asks, his lips quirking up in amusement.

“Awww, Alfred, I just wanted to talk to Marinette. I feel bad for all of us overwhelming her back there.” Dick says with a pout that somehow doesn’t look ridiculous on him. Despite obviously being at least ten years older than her.

“Don’t feel bad. It was just...a lot all at once.” Marinette says with a small smile.

“So I have to ask, are you the one who sassed the Joker at the Museum the other day?” He asks, a wide grin on his face as he sits on one of the stools. Marinette’s eyes widen and she blinks. How?

“Oh, uh, yeah, I guess. It wasn’t a big deal though. He thought I was a Wayne- well, I guess he figured it out before I did- but I think he just wanted to scare my class.” She says, waving her hand to brush off the topic. She really didn’t want to talk about the Joker. Because she was sure it would turn into-

“I apologize for asking, but have you been caught up in the villain attacks in Paris before?” Alfred asks, Marinette instantly panicking. Sure, she’d been caught up in almost every single akuma battle as Ladybug. But there were a few on record where she was targeted as Marinette, and even a few battles that she assisted as Marinette. And then there was Kwami Buster…

“Well, a few. But basically everyone in Paris has dealt with it at some point. That’s just what happens when there’s an attack so often, you know? And my school seems to be a hotspot but that makes sense because teenagers are full of negative emotions and-” Marinette cuts off her rambling, cursing herself on the inside. Great job, Mari. Now they’re going to be worried or they’re going to think you’re a freak or-

“What do you mean negative emotions? Why would that matter?” Dick asks, his previous cheerful smile replaced with a look that clearly meant business.

“That’s how the villain chooses his targets. Negative emotion. If someone is having a bad enough day, he can take control of them and give them powers and basically destroy the city trying to get to Ladybug and Chat Noir, who are our heroes. I only know what’s been posted on official sites like the Ladyblog or miraculousparis.org.” Marinette says, smiling apologetically and hoping that this conversation can be over.

“Have you ever been akumatized?” Dick asks, tension suddenly filling the room.

“No, thankfully. I’ve found ways to manage my negative emotions so that they can’t take me over. I don’t blame anyone who has been akumatized, it’s hard not to be. But, I also don’t think I’d be able to forgive myself if I was akumatized.” Because then her family would be a target. Because Hawkmoth would know her identity. And if Hawkmoth’s insistence on her being akumatized was anything to go on, she’d be a devastating akuma. And if Ladybug wasn’t fighting in the battle….would the cure even work?

“That is a lot of pressure, Miss Marinette.” Alfred says softly after a moment of tense silence. Marinette grins brightly.

“I can handle it, don’t worry!” She says, hoping no one can tell how hard it actually is. How hard it is constantly being strong. Never truly feeling a negative emotion.

---

Bruce winces at the faux cheerfulness in his daughter’s voice. He had only found out about the Paris situation a few days ago, but he was determined to fix it. Find a solution. Do something to help the city and by extension, his daughter. She’d be going back there soon. Back to a city that was being held hostage by an emotional terrorist. Bruce would fix this. He had to.

Next

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[mevekagvain]

Chapter 93 - Fancy chair, love it.

- So my theory is that Raizel just never learnt how to write in Lukedonian either.

- Tbh the janitor is suspicious. Like how hard was he googling M-21?

Chapter 94 - SUYIIIIIIIIIIII

- Ah geez the first of the racistly depicted characters.

Chapter 96 - Suyi getting mad at the kids for complaining about Hansu is so funny like when she first appears you think she's perhaps a stuck up celebrity or a pushover but it turns out she's just a really sweet friend.

- Suyi being stunned by Rai's looks but not falling for him (same with Yuna) is one of the things I always liked about Noblesse. Like sure in the first meeting they get blushy but I'll just jot that down to the inherent beauty of nobles since I can't relate to it at all.

Chapter 97 - Frankenstein's house always being stocked with so much food because the kids just started coming over daily is hilarious. Even funnier since Frankenstein obviously thinks it's overkill but is the one stocking up anyway.

Chapter 98 - Regis and Seira 🥺 Seira's og outfit was the best one she had like it only goes downhill from here folks.

Chapter 99 - It would have been so funny if Frankenstein went "they must be cosplayers" instead of realising the two were nobles.

- Regis taking all the initiative shows how it's his roadtrip coming of age journey which is pretty clever. Also Seira's just like that but still.

- Shinwoo stop exercising in class bro. Do not flex on the rest of us this is so rude 😭😭😭

- Regis confidently saying he's a noble in class to humans he doesn't plan on mind controlling... Baby boy why are you so dumb? How is this hiding your identity??? And Seira just lets him,,, good for her.

Chapter 100 - Ah yes their elegance boner at seeing Raizel... nobles are so fucking weird.

- M-21 thinking he won't get any information because of his time at the Union and thus being surprised at how open Frankenstein is is actually really sweet. Like yeah I still think Frankenstein is an unethical and questionable person but he is kind to most humans (werewolves and nobles can go fuck themselves I guess lmao).

Chapter 101 - The second hand embarrassment I felt when M-21 called the two noblesse... how do I even consume content?

- Yeah 100% most union members don't know the difference between nobles and vampires. I bet they'd classify jiangshi as either mutants or werewolves. Or to be more specific, that would be the classification given to low leveled members. On one hand I think it's dumb that the Union gives members twisted information because how would they even use it? But on the other hand it makes sense since it prevents said members from seeking nobles for help. After all, if they believe even the 'noblesse' are vampires that drink blood, than obviously they won't see them as possible escape routes.

- 'Noblesse only applies to one person'. Yeah because Rai's brother is fucking dead. And so is whoever was his predecessor/parent.

Chapter 102 - Those bullies got backup so fucking fast like Shinwoo literally just asked Regis and Seira if they were okay then boom! They're back.

Chapter 103- Regis going ??? essentially when Shinwoo tells him to take care of Seira is so funny like yes ofc he's confused she's literally a clan leader + noble females aren't physically weaker + noble women work out just like the men.

- Rude, Regis. You can't just ask someone why they're mingling among humans. You're doing that too. Who doesn't mingle among humans smh. Even cats and pigeons mingle with us.

Chapter 105 - Love how everyone else in the household is so sick of ramyeon like Raizel stop please you're being selfish.

Chapter 106 - Frankenstein is the definition of the 'right in front of my salad?' meme at Regis and M-21 arguing at the dinner table. Then there's Seira and Raizel just waiting for the noodles to get soggy so he can't even eat. Wish Urokai could see him getting tortured like this.

- The soldier rejecting backup because he knows the enemy is the Union hurts my heart. Wanting to prevent casualties... iwi

Chapter 107 - Shark how tf do you not know about South Korea? That's one of the asian countries people actually know about. I guess maybe it's because this is from around a decade back? K-pop is more recent and made the country more visible I guess.

- Ah yes Takeo. Forever known as "the first time I read Noblesse and he appeared I thought he was Marie's sister since they had the same hairstyle". Like I thought that before even learning about the Aris Taivra fiasco. My power 😔

- Oh don't worry M-21, Frankenstein stopped experimenting on people 830 years ago. You know, as one does.

Chapter 108 - Shark has like no general knowledge. Geography? History? Tf is that I guess.

- Tao saying they're the worst possible people for the job is so funny like yeah he's right. "All we do is massacre people in warzones why are we in Seoul?"

- The rest of the squad complain or are confused about the peace meanwhile Takeo is vibing. He's the normal guy TM of the group.

- Ah yes noble lore. If you take canon at face value than the fact that nobles were around when humans first emerged and there being about 2-3 clan leaders before the current generation means you can estimate their lifespan. Ofc it differs wildly depending on how you interpret the 'first humans' part. I'll assume there were 3 generations before the current generation (mvp lord being the third generation) and won't be adding the current generation since a 0.5-2k years is kinda meaningless. I'll also be assuming that mvp lord entered eternal sleep at around the same age as his predecessors and that he would have died soon from old age anyway (since canonically they do have limited lifespans). If we assume it's just the first human ancestors (7 million years ago) than the average pureblood lifespan is 2.33 million years. If we assume it's when homo sapiens started to emerge (300k years ago) than it's 100k years. If it's about modern humans (130k years ago) than it's 43.3k years. Regardless I'll ignore it since my hcs are that nobles are effectively immortal unless killed and that the 2-3 clan leaders is a misconception due to a mix of Gechutel just straight up lying, because there are clans that have had fewer clan leaders, because I have nobles settling on Lukedonia only 30k years ago, and because Gechutel is factoring in his own age of 10.2k so it's more like 'There have been 2-3 Ru clan leaders before the Ru clan leader 10k years ago since after we settled in Lukedonia'. There's also the possibility that nobles didn't have lords or clan leaders until a few thousand years ago in canon but the species has existed for much longer.

- 'Nobles are individualistic... They don't despise humans but don't love them either.' Humans w/ ants. Now if the ants were capable of speaking with us it'd be exactly the same situation.

Chapter 109 - "What were they researching here?" Since when does the Union research anything aside from human modifications Kranz? Why do you even need to ask? More seriously this means that the Union doesn't actually only do human experimentation and weapons lmao. The other shit just isn't relevant I guess. It's a shame, I'd have loved to see how a lab focused on like, fixing up polluted waters, would be fit into the story.

- The fact that Tao beat Jake up is never mentioned enough. Also confirms that Jake was lying out of his ass about being the strongest.

- Marie being the weakest assassination squad member is interesting like I know why Crombel doesn't need bodyguards as the reader but you'd think the Union would be suspicious of him not having a stronger bodyguard. Also I still can't believe the Union doesn't bother learning who the members are aside from the ones Crombel tells them about like. Bro???

- Shark calling Takeo uptight is hilarious because the guy literally just shot the falling ceiling light which is the opposite of uptight. Either he was preventing them from getting hurt/being caught or he wanted that to happen considering the fact that he shot it and it shattered. And then he just goes back to leaning against the wall. Takeo please 🤣

Chapter 110 - And Shinwoo's still staying over at Ikhans place. Wonder when he's gonna move back. I really love their dynamic like yeah I beg my sister to get me food all the time too. Also love the apron and skeleton hoodie.

- Shinwoo went through the five stages of grief pretty quick huh? Like yeah it's his own misunderstanding that Ikhan is dating someone but still. Homophobia is annoying as always though.

Chapter 111 - Suyi paying for their food is so sweet of her and also I relate so much like yeah mood that's me and no I don't want to be paid back.

- Takeo,,, the fact that he just hands his wallet over because he doesn't like violence and doesn't want to beat them up,,, my heart. Otoh... how did he even get cornered in an dark shady alleyway lmao.

- Aris managing to make herself look like a teenager as Taivra is interesting since Takeo says he wants her to be able to go to school like Yuna and Shinwoo when he's treating them. I guess she looks younger without makeup.

- Takeo just straight up pointing his gun at Shark in public because he mentioned Taivra... anger issues much? I understand why but taking your gun out is an overreaction.

[westanabadguy]

Just regular ol’ fanfiction nothing to see here

 Ok ok so I found this site that uses AI to autocomplete a writing you give it and I decided to let it complete some fanfiction prompts for me.

It’s definitely something.

If you want to do your own version of this, the site is talktotransformer, Idk if I can fully link it (does tumblr still hide posts with web links in them?), but you’ll find it just by looking it up.

Anyways, onto the show. Words in Bold are mine, the rest are the beautiful work of the AI.

Also, quick note before I begin, this AI REALLY like to just... stop in the middle of a sentence. That’s not me cutting it off, it just decides it’s done when it’s done lol.

First one, oddly on the mark?

The AI somehow got their fighting style on point, but the rest? Well...

Despite their slim height difference, Kakuzu seemed to tower over Hidan as he pressed him against the wall. Riled up, adrenaline still pumping from the fight, their breaths intermingled, a warm touch in the dead, cold night. Hidan was the first to speak, "Yeah, and what are you gonna do about it?" Kakuzu grinned, a silver streak. "Oh, you'll see." Not being a particularly dedicated taijutsu user, Hidan actually deflected every one of Kakuzu's strikes in a manner similar to a laser defense system. Never deviating from their intended targets or pattern of attack. Occasionally hitting the hard compound area he was supposedly guarding and when he did

Second one, whomst the fuck?

This one really went off on a great start, but...

 Deidara's breath left him in sharp, pained pants and grunts. His abdomen was a bloody mess, the cost of an explosion gone wrong. Letting his gaze wonder up to the man trying to save him, he marveled at how well the blood matched Sasori's crimson mop of hair. He collapsed like a sack of potatoes under his Master's angry gaze. Master picked him up and shook him, only to drop him again. Letting his head fall back against the heat metal, he tried to think of what was next for him. "Gorō? Have you-" "Hold it!" Daihasei was shouting, loud and

... who the fuck are Goro and Daihasei?

Third one, the AI may have had a stroke

I’m starting to suspect that the AI is getting info on these characters from good ol’ google. Still doesn’t help it at all tho, lmao.

Kisame bobbed in the water, letting the current do as it pleased. He smiled, all teeth, and called to the younger man standing a safe distance from the shoreline. "C'mon, Itachi! You afraid of a little water?" Itachi raised his eyebrows, and stood just as swiftly as his eight years before. "I'm no waterman, Kisame," he said in a mocking voice. Kisame shook his head slowly, trying to decide if Itachi was truly kidding. Itachi was about as much of a comedian as he was a jounin. The older man laughed, loud enough that it startled a flock of pigeons that kept

Kept what, AI? What did the pigeons keep?

Fourth one, ok the AI is definitely cheating

... and it all honesty? It’s not helping it much. I have no clue what’s happening here.

Hidan wrapped him in an embrace, too fast for him to avoid, and hugged him tight. "Shut, up Kakuzu. Let me have this." And for whatever reason, he did. "Wow, you really are fucking badass. Get back to doing your thing," a cloaked avatar of Hidan whispered and Sasuke took that as a cue to wriggle back a bit, before he landed just beside the black-hooded Nii. He and Hidan shared a look of stunned amazement as the creature in black lifted the pendant. "Kakuzu, uh, it is good to see you're up and doing well. Maybe I'll make an appearance sometime."

Ok, since longer prompts weren’t doing too well, I decided to start giving it very short prompts, and well...

Fifth attempt, AI does not know who Deidara and Sasori are, apparently

Deidara smirked, leaned on top of Hiruko, and tapped on the hollowed wood. "Sasori, my man, you in there?" "Yeah, Hoshino-san. My friends are here," Hiruko said, pointing in the direction. "We'd like you to come out, already." The physical form of the group stood just inside the entrance, the front door and window open. Chuunin began pacing to the door, idly sliding it open for his team. Hiruko remained outside, hands in his pockets, grinning with the serpentine mandibles that caved out from beneath his scales. "But they're in the forest." Chuunin tapped

Sixth Attempt, Suddenly, Naruto

Itachi glared, eyes a warning shade of crimson. "Kisame, put me down." Itachi was calm, equally calm as he slid forward, having almost completely been wrapped by the cloak he'd been dragging behind him. "Breton," Naruto said, jerking slightly as Itachi pushed him down. Itachi hesitated as he looked up at him, clearly saying some obscure words as he grinned. "Itachi?" "Itachi?" "Itachi," Naruto repeated. "You're a real bad guy. Here, I won't hurt you." "You'll try," Itachi replied, indicating the snake that was wrapped around Naruto's throat.

And a seventh one, just for shits and giggles

These are flat out just the completely wrong characters but ok AI

Danzo pulled the plant man down on top of him. "Kiss me, Zetsu, you, big handsome man, you." "I… just woke up…" Naruto protested. "Yes, you are big and handsome." "Um…" Naruto said, bewildered. "What are you saying?" Kinkaku asked him. "You were asleep." "I'm sorry. I couldn't move…" "We can move you." "We?" Kinkaku asked. Naruto shook his head. Kinkaku sniffed the air. "Are you all right?" she asked him in curiosity. "K-Kiss me?"

[inanawesomewave]

PUT AN END TO TOXIC EMPATH CULTURE

I am in a few groups on facebook for cluster b personality disorders. Some of them are exclusively for paths (socio-, psycho-), some of them are for people of all cluster b, and one of them is for people who have these disorders, and it’s also a place where people can go for advice on the people in their lives with these disorders. More often than not people will come into this group and immediately rant about their “narcopath” husband (tip: psychopathy encompasses narcissistic personality disorder just as well as it does antisocial, read a book and stop inventing monster words). They’ll start out innocent: “I accidentally looked at my husband’s phone and saw he’s been texting other girls”, or “I just had to go into my husband’s pocket for a breath mint and accidentally found a receipt for a restaurant I didn’t go to with him”. First red flag for me: they immediately tell a lie. They come to a cluster b group to talk about how they’ve been damaged by a disordered personality, and they begin with a lie. We know that, idiots. We lie all the time, and we cheat, and we steal. And we confront them. And you know what they do? They say, “you’re just a filthy fucking narc, aren’t you”. And weirdly, that specific phrase comes up a lot, “filthy fucking narc”, almost like it’s a sobriquet that’s been encouraged somewhere, in some kind of large online community, something it’s acceptable to say to survivors of abuse and trauma that don’t behave in exactly the way you would like them to, despite your best efforts to spy on them and keep them down at heel. But that’s a different thing for a different rant for a different time. We sometimes get mothers coming into the group to talk about how they’re at their wits end with their antisocial personality disordered children, how the antisocial child has cut contact with them and the exasperated parent doesn’t understand why. One of us will suggest that ASPD rarely crops up without being coaxed out by abuse and trauma, and suddenly this hand-wringing, worried parent will start shouting and kicking off. They’ll call us “filthy fucking narcs”. Another thing we get is people with borderline personality disorder (and if you think I have a needless axe to grind, please continue reading before losing your goddamn mind about this) coming in to talk about the fact they are inexplicably drawn to “narcs” and “paths”, and that this is the fault of narcs and paths, that we are drawing them in and hurting them. They tell us that they’ve suffered abuse and we wouldn’t understand, they tell us that they are hurting and we wouldn’t understand. Then we tell them that the rate of childhood abuse and trauma is just as high amongst antisocial and narcissistic personality disorders as it is with borderline. And then they’ll react by telling us they feel triggered and attacked. Ostensibly, they’ll call us “filthy fucking narcs”. More often than not, they’ll refer to themselves as an EMPATH. Just like the estranged mother is an empath, just like the obsessive wife is an empath. Because borderlines are empaths, right? That’s where we’ve gone wrong. Borderlines have reduced empathy. You don’t like that, but it’s true. Let’s talk about why you don’t like that. If you have BPD and you’re reading this and you don’t like that, ask yourself why. Because I know why. The reason you don’t like hearing that one of your diagnostic criteria is a lack of empathy, something your therapist knows about you, something your psychiatrist knows about you, something all your family and friends know about you, is because you hear “empath” and you hear “good person”. You hear “narcissist/sociopath/psychopath” and you think “bad person”. You believe the only difference between good and evil is empathy, and therefore you believe that anything you do can be easily absolved by you insisting that you have empathy, a surfeit of it, in fact. You can do whatever to whomever and whyever you want, but if you can put your hand on your heart and the end of the day and stare that person you hurt in the eye and feel their pain as they feel it, as you inflicted it, then all’s well that ends well. And I have never heard so much fucking bullshit in my entire life. And the reason I’m writing this is because today in the aforementioned group, a woman with borderline personality disorder told a lie to the group that her ex husband had paid several men to harass and stalk her. After some questioning she admitted that this probably wasn’t true, but that she’d felt like it was probably true, and because she has BPD, she feels things before she can cognitively conceive of them, so she’s prone to whipping herself up into a frenzy. But it’s fine, she said, because she has BPD, and has been abused, and has been raped, and she has empathy. It’s fine she can implicate a serious crime that never happened, because she’s sorry she did that. She’s sorry she felt that way but it wasn’t her fault. You know what else she said? She said, to someone who had called her out on her shit (non aggressively), “I’ve been raped, but a narcopath like you wouldn’t be affected by something like that”. Can we just sit on that for a second, please? We are rape survivors and survivors of prolonged abuse and trauma. But you think it’s fine and empathic of you to tell us that we didn’t care about it? That it didn’t hurt us? Think again, empath. Toxic empath culture is using your naturally occurring empathy to oppress and abuse other people. Yes, I know you have empathy but guess what! You can also be abusive. The thing about toxic empathy culture is believing whole heartedly that your empathy is what separates you from the herd, that your empathy is so unbelievably special, that you have a gift. And an interesting thing happens when you think that your empathy is a magical gift - you see what you perceive to be a lack of it EVERYWHERE. You have become so subsumed and enamoured by your own empathy that you believe nobody must have empathy the way that you do, and therefore, what do we call people with a lack of empathy? We call then narcs and paths. We call them filthy little fucking narcs. And we can do whatever the fuck we want to them, right? Because they have no empathy. Not like you though. You’re special. And sometimes I get heat on this blog for singling out BPD but you know what? It’s pertinent. How many times have I see articles explaining BPD as some damaged, fragile gift of broken empathy that is given to victims of abuse? That it’s not rage or hostility or abuse, it’s a storm? It’s gorgeous fragility? It’s complicated, she’s mixed up. We never get to hear that they have a lack of empathy though, that’s the big secret. Because borderlines have a lack of cognitive empathy, they can feel it, but they can’t understand it. Antisocials et all are the other way around. What does this mean? It means someone with BPD will feel your negative emotion but won’t understand how to talk to you about it, or ask you how you are, or interpret it. But they’ll feel it. So maybe if you’re in a bad place they’ll get into a bad place too, but their lack of cognition will prevent them from thinking to ask you what’s wrong, or how they can help you. You’ll have to help them instead. And that’s not their fault, there’s a reason their empathy broke down and they have a genuine lack here, it’s nothing they can help. So why can’t we see antisocials and narcissists with this level of clarity, and sympathy? Because if an antisocial sees someone they care about suffering, they won’t feel it, they won’t adopt it, but they can cognitively understand that your mood has changed and you need something fixing. You know, for all the evil that apparently exists in narcissists and sociopaths, I know what I’d prefer. And it’s so funny really, because in these “survivor communities”, everything has to be forced into the boxes of psychopathy and narcissism. Any bad behaviour gets pigeon-holed into these two categories. Even if someone says “my husband has a diagnosis of BPD” or “my wife has a diagnosis of OCD”, everyone will say “google NPD hun they might have VULNERABLE NARCISSISM”, “they might be a COVERT PSYCHOPATH”. Because if they can’t find the answers they need in the DSM-V, they’ll invent categories. Do anything it takes to excuse any and all bad behaviour as being part of these two schools of evil, because they cannot begin to accept that anyone else can do anything bad, because if they accepted that, they’d have to accept that they too are sometimes bad. And there’s a reason this gets me so angry. It’s not just that some people need the monopoly on pain and distress, teaching people that victimhood can only ever be messy, bloody, stormy, emotional, anxious, dramatic and LOUD, and that because of this, everyone ignores the fact that some victims of abuse end up with different personality disorders and become withdrawn, cold, remorseless, angry and manipulative because they don’t know how to function in a world that they’ve only ever known as cold and hard and something you need to survive through by any means necessary. It’s not even that things like suicidality is now only ever taken seriously if someone is yelling I AM GOING TO KILL MYSELF all the time, despite the fact that most people who end their lives leave no clue whatsoever, don’t tell anyone and even seem happier before they do it, and it’s not even that because of this skewed vision of what suffering looks like, millions of people go ahead killing themselves unnoticed because they weren’t screaming their intent and therefore we are trained to believe they’re not victims. What really fucking ticks me off is the dehumanisation.  You’re an empath until you meet a narcissist or a sociopath or a psychopath aren’t you? But the second you meet one, or think you’ve met one, you get to do that thing that everyone wants to do - you get to become a psychopath, because you know deep down in your heart of hearts that nArCoPaThS are trying to hurt you and harm you constantly, that they can whiff you out in a crowded room and spend their lives trying to harm you, because you’re such delicious and precious bait. So what you do, before they can come at you and hurt you (even if it never happened! Even if you just think it happened which is the same, right? It’s okay to think that, right? You’ve been hurt, after all, and now you’ve got all this empathy just lying around and that’s hard for you), you hurt them first, but that’s not your fault, right? It’s a protective shield, yeah? It’s something you had to create to protect yourself from further harm isn’t it? Aw. Yeah. We don’t know what that’s like. We don’t know what it feels like to spend our lives accidentally creating maladaptive coping mechanisms that involve keeping others away from us. That’s you. You’re special. And when you do that, and you identify what you are because you read a Thought Catalog article about empaths and you really felt seen by the bit where it said that empaths are beautiful, strong, courageous, maybe psychic, and healers, and you thought that was probably you because you’re definitely not a narcissist, then it doesn’t matter about everyone else, does it? Because you’re an empath. Hell. You’re a God. And NOT a narcissist, they just THINK they’re special but you really are, aren’t you!  And so, with your great gift of empathy your first move is to push the baddies away. Because you know deep down, don’t you, that narcopaths got that way because we wanted to be. You know that even though we also kill ourselves at very high rates, we were only doing that to fuck with you, and the trauma of losing us is actually your greater trauma and that’s how we get to fuck you over one last time. You know that when we tell you we were raped and assaulted and abused and beaten repeatedly, that we’re just saying it to hurt specifically you, because you need to keep your guard up, because you’re special. And if we are telling the truth, which would make sense when you look at the statistics which you haven’t because science is for losers and you’ve just got a hunch which means so much more than empirical research, you know that the truth to them is a labyrinthine maze of potential manipulation. You read in Psychology Today that we can only ever lie and we don’t know how to feel things. I mean there’s no evidence to support that, just like there’s no evidence whatsoever that we have a cold dead stare or that we jerk off to snuff films, but you had that hunch, didn’t you.  And this dehumanisation is part of empath culture. Empath culture exists to dehumanise and demean and retraumatise narcissists, sociopaths and psychopaths, and it needs to stop. Because I’m not out here pretending to have empathy, but you are. So when I sit here and earnestly hope that you get everything that’s coming to you and maybe I’d like to be a part of that, I’m not lying. When you sit here and tell me that your empathy is a rare gift and that all the men you’ve dated were all narcissists and that your best friend is probably a psychopath and that you’ve never hurt anyone in your life because you’re an earth goddess, you’re lying. But you don’t even know you’re lying, because the lie has now got so big that everyone’s getting themselves involved. And this is why toxic empath culture needs to come to a close. It’s making narcissists out of everyone, and apparently, that’s the worst thing in the world. Empaths go fuck yourselves.

[jerardeusebio]

Retrospect: Saigon

The first thing I do in Vietnam is pee. It isn’t very glamorous, isn’t something that would end up on my Facebook timeline, but here it is. The mundane, inane realities of traveling is oftentimes obscured by the prescribed highlights, but in order to get to them, there are necessary steps to be taken. Most of the time, these are the things we don’t bring out our camera phones for. Technically, the first thing I did after Dylan and I looked through the airplane window, to marvel at the city lights of what presumably was Ho Chi Minh, was to wince in pain. My ears were throbbing and in a matter of seconds became temporarily deaf. Change in altitude. It figures. I think I even cried. Minutes later, no longer deaf and wincing, backpack strapped securely on, two feet back on land, I am peeing.

17 December 2018

The first morning in Ho Chi Minh is dedicated to phở. Dylan and I learned from our many local travels prior that it is vital to watch where the locals eat. We are in Vietnam, hungry. We want the best of their food. And what is about to be proven, yet again, is this: the best referrals aren’t always found online. From our hostel, we randomly choose to turn left and walk the length of the street. We log only a few meters and find a crowded corner restaurant. It isn’t fancy. In fact, it looks like a lot of the eateries in the grittier parts of Manila. Stainless steel tables. No air conditioning. Staff in different clothes. Men and women crowd its tables as soon as they get off their motorcycles, which they park close by. It is almost as if the place is part of their routine for the day, an automatic stop. There’s no way of knowing of course except to ask them. Dylan and I are too hungry to attempt that so we order instead. We continue to wonder, briefly as we begin munching on the generous greens that come with the large soup bowls. I forget what I was just thinking. I forget what day it is. I forget that we’ve committed to veganism for more than a quarter of a year. For a fleeting moment, I forget all the other delicious meals I’ve ever had up until that point.

We walk to the City Hall and gaze at its European architecture. Dozens of other tourists are taking a picture of it, with it. Dylan and I do the same under the shade of a small tree. We walk afterwards to a group of pigeons pecking at whatever we couldn’t see on the pavement. I run to them and Dylan takes a snap as they scatter away, flying for their lives. This is the better-looking part of the city. Our feet, moments later, brings us then to the Notre Dame church, where the crowd is thicker, even though the church is closed. We take more photos of ourselves and the structure, and I couldn’t help but dismiss it. Sure, I’ve seen in it before, blown-up on a wall in a Vietnamese café, a block from where I worked in Makati. It isn’t at all impressive next to the churches, basilicas, and cathedrals I’ve been to back home—but this is Vietnam, it’s part of their history, so we take a couple more photos, even a video. We catch on camera pigeons flying right behind us and get a charge out of our luck.

After checking out the large and interesting post office, we find our way into a charming street left of the church. Bookstores, cafés, and kiosks are lined up the length of the road. I browse through the books on sale and see everything is in Vietnamese, including the fifth installation of the Harry Potter series. Dylan lines up at the prettiest café and orders us cream puffs, which we instantly decide we love. The coffee is too bitter for him, though, and we leave for the Imperial Palace with his cup still half full.

The line for entry at the Imperial Palace is long. Patiently holding our spot in the line, we gaze at the structure through the wrought iron fences. It takes us quite a while, but we get in in the end. At the vehicle ramp, we’re greeted by these bonsais in gorgeous pots. I recognise the plant as kamuning. I push Dylan to smell the flowers, to notice it, to believe I identified it correctly, and to take a photo of me, naturally. The palace interiors is as could be expected. Grand, intricate, Asian, and dated. The palace reminds me of the Marcoses’ Malacañan of the North. The thing I like most are the bunkers, and the maze-like layout of the basement. The garden at the back of the palace is home to a beautiful giant tree, its roots visible on the surface of the ground, the pattern revealing an intricate and altogether interesting display. Dylan and I marvel at the sight before deciding it is time for the War Remnants Museum.

We walk a long way and, in the middle of our search for the museum, even get lost. We tap, tap, tap on our phone screens and wonder what offline Google Maps has that could help. When we finally find it, we’re hungry again and a bit impatient, but the war is such a part of Vietnam’s history and identity that our resolve is renewed. We are certain we want to be here, of all the places we could be going at this hour. Honestly, there has been considerable anticipation for this part of our visit here, at least on my part. To say that I was inconsolable at the end of Miss Saigon would be an understatement. This museum visit is about to give me the cold, hard facts of how the war was for Vietnam and its people. But of course we had formed manageable expectations, and in the first few galleries, our low expectations are met. But gallery after gallery, room after room, we begin to understand the story from the Vietnamese side of that story. We arrive at the top floor, where they show the effects of the chemical warfare not only on the forests and crops, but also on the people who have been disfigured and debilitated by these chemicals. We examine the photographs and read the writings on the wall. My lips part partially. I turn to Dylan and find tears rolling down his cheeks. I look at what he’s eyeing—a disfigured man, a second generation victim and survivor, trying to carve wood using his feet. I scan the room and take in these testaments. Outside, when we exit, a soft wind arrives, rustling the leaves of a towering ficus, and we leave the museum compound knowing well what evil looks like.

On the way to Ben Thanh Market, we pass by a Jollibee. We’d be absurd not to try, so of course we do. And of course the food tastes similar but different, even the drink options are exotic-looking. We spend the rest of our time there watching a skilled staff arrange balloons for a kiddie party.

At Ben Than, Mika lures us with her prowess in Tagalog. The small Vietnamese woman has been selling here a long time and so has worked and is actually friends with a Filipina, who presumably has been teaching her. We compliment her repeatedly for her mastery of our language, her sheer interest and charm while using it. “Mura lang, bigyan kitang tawad.” She could easily pass as one of us, albeit very business-minded one. We buy embroidered wallets and trinkets of all sorts. We leave unsure if we really got the promised discounts.

The first night in Ho Chih Minh is also dedicated to phở. This time we try to be a just a tad bit fancy and walk in Phở 2000 for dinner, above a swanky looking Seattle’s Best. We feast on vegetarian options until our tummies hurt, enough to call it a day, enough to know that it’s a perfect first day.

18 December 2018

Of course the tour guide chose a Hollywood star’s name, the original Tomb Raider. Equipped with a microphone, Jolie is a small lady with brown-orange hair and red spots on either cheeks. She spews out a joke, which half of the van’s passengers laugh at, including me. I laugh purely to show courtesy. Jolie’s English deliciously betrays Angelina’s, and I love her for it. I stare at her for a few seconds and wonder what her actual name is. Could it be Nguyen, as what’s on every other signage we pass by on our way to the Mekong River? I would ask her, except Dylan and I are way at the back. Right across the isle is an Australian-but-Asian-looking dad with his two sons. I look at the passengers and feel a sense of pride that most of us have some Asian features about us. I don’t know why I’m saying this, but I think the whites win in the end, because we all understand English.

We booked this tour shortly after our encounter with Mika at the market, for a ridiculously discounted rate. Dylan is a pro at haggling—and math—and I have therefore advised myself never to leave without him. Even this time, I can say, he out-haggled himself. Prideful people like me find it hard to ask other people for discounts. It could easily be mistaken for begging. What I learned from Dylan is that it’s not bad to try, and the savvy entrepreneur would never say yes to a breakeven setup.

When I finally get the hang of balancing myself in the boat, I get this thought: Mekong River is okay. I mean, it is historic and has given a lot to the people around it. That’s all good. That’s all well. It is an honour and a privilege to be gallivanting on its waters, a dream even. The tour, as it turns out, though, is as basic as it can get. Back to how mundane, uneventful things are and can be necessary, too? That’s what I am beginning to feel. We’ve been navigating through narrow ducts into wider ducts and back into narrow ones. The boats are plenty, enough to obscure the brown waters where they float on. Water palms encroach the space above us, on either side. It’s wonderful and certainly interesting in photos, but that’s about it. (Either this or we didn’t get the best tour.)

At lunch, while waiting for our feast, Dylan and I interact with a couple from Brazil, who like us have been on a vegetarian diet for a while, but (still like us) have decided to make exceptions on this trip every now and then, just like we were all about to do with the fried elephant ear fish that has just been served. We also interact with a Polish couple, who recommend highly that we visit northern Vietnam for its milder, more provincial feel. After finishing off what the rest of our table couldn’t, Dylan and I explore the rest of the place (there were snakes and crocodiles and monkeys) with the others and followed the rest of the itinerary.

It is almost dusk when we arrive back in the now familiar Ben Than Market. We look for Mika and buy more items we think we can’t afford to forget, like ref magnets and more of those wallets. For dinner, we decide to continue on our never-ending quest for phở served by the street. We find it, and about an hour later are licking ice cream at the Note Coffee place at Bùi Viên. 

When we arrive back at our hostel, we decide to try the local beer. It is our last night in Ho Chi Minh, and we finally strike a conversation with Túan, who mans our front desk.

Tùan here, we discover after just a bottle of beer, has a different view on the United States and the war. He believes that his government has been tricking people to believe the US forces were bad, that they did them wrong and should be hated. It’s all propaganda and politics, he says. To him, Ho Chi Minh will never be Ho Chi Minh—it has and will always be Saigon. He confesses he loves Americans and dollars, and that he’d love to get to the United States someday. Tùan reminds me of The Engineer character in Miss Saigon, and I climb up the stairs minutes later playing the songs from the musical, all in my head. I feel a bit sad.

19 December 2018

We have our last Vietnamese meal at Veggie Saigon, a vegetarian restaurant we spotted yesterday. The food arrives on our table and we are blown away by how delicious and different everything is. We immediately get sad for not knowing about the place sooner, that we were about to hop on a bus three blocks from where we were, it was just a matter of hours now. We’ve never heard anything about Cambodian food—that made me anxious, a little bit, and then it didn’t. 

As far as Dylan and I are concerned, Vietnam has delivered and given us an unforgettable gastronomic experience, among so many other things. 

When the best meal of our Ho Chi Minh stay is done, we begin our walk to where the bus is supposed to pick us up. I feel my bag pressing against my back and weighing my shoulders down. It has gotten a tad heavier, as I know I have these past days. 

It is late afternoon when reach the border. From the bus window, I look at the building we’re approaching. With the sunlight slanting the way it is, I only make out the roof’s silhouette, but Khmer architecture is unmistakeable. Our conductor instructs of the procedure. We’re about to go down and appear before the immigration officer. I open my bag to check that my documents are ready. After I confirm this, I make a quick run to the bus’s toilet, which I begin to smell two meters away. 

Bracing for the ordeal, I inhale a lung-full of air. I step in. Yes, the last thing I do in Vietnam is pee.

[umnachtung]

survey stealing prof again this day wow really

When did you meet the last male you texted? on tumblr in ...2014??? idk

Are you currently looking forward to anything? getting my first job and money, going to the Hunchback of Notre-dam musical with my friend, always looking forward to random cat encounters.

Do you have someone of the opposite sex you can tell everything to? most things, i suppose.

This time last year, can you remember who you liked? No one.

Who was the last person you went out to eat with? My family for my sister’s birthday I think.

Whats going on with you and the person you last texted? I don’t know...? I don’t text much on phone.

Were you single on your last birthday? Yes. So what? who gives a fuck?

Did anything brighten up your day today? I went to the museum of communication and used the pneumatic post system there.

How are you feeling at this exact moment? Okay. Hungry.

Do you ever wonder how other people see you? Only people I care about.

Within the next 5 months, what are you looking forward to MOST? hopefully having a healthy arm again by then. maybe a job?

Do you want to cut your hair? Yes. It’s been months. Im dying, squirtle.

Would you rather have roommates or live alone? I would like to have a non-invasive flatmate or two.

Do you have any scars? Several from my cat.

Will you be in a relationship next month? Not that I know of.

Has someone upset you in the past 48 hours? Yes, myself.

Do you get drunk every weekend? No.

What makes you happy? cats, hot tea, rainy quiet days, a good funny conversation with friends, pigeons, crows, getting enough sleep, FOOD

Do you think relationships are ever really worth it? To an extend. You sure gain experience.

Is it possible to be single and happy? Very much so. A relationship shouldn’t define your happiness.

Is your profile private? Not really. They aren’t all too personal anyway (no naked profs or too tmi posts i think??)

What are you doing right now? Browsing tumblr, relaxing, doing this survey lol

Are you taller than 5 foot 7 inches? No. 5,3.

Are you one of those people who just don’t care? I am both extremes.

Do you find piercings and tattoos attractive on the opposite sex? Depends on the piercings and tattoos....

Who was the last person you talked to before you went to bed? online friends i think????

What’s the last important thing that you broke? How? I smashed my new lamp i got for my birthday one day before my actual birthday while cleaning with the vacuum cleaner and i knocked it over. luckily nothing in the internal electrics broke.

Are you planning to go see a movie anytime soon? I wanna watch the “Lego Batman” movie but im broke.

Do you break things when you are mad? No. 

Is it okay to kiss people if you’re single? I don’t really get this question.

What was the first thing you thought about when you woke up? My brain goes into full planning and thoughts flood mode while my body is not up for it usually.

Have you ever intentionally pissed someone off? Yes.

Do you want to be single? -shrugs-

Last three people to text you? Timo, Abelina, Rhoda

Does anyone completely understand you? I don’t even understand myself. I don’t expect anyone else to.

Is this summer gonna be a good one? Maybe? I am not a fan of summer.

How many piercings do you have besides ears? None. I don’t even have my ears pierced.

Do you think you can last in a relationship for 6 months or more? Sure. But it takes two to make it work.

Do you prefer to call or text? Text. Tho I like calls with close buddies more.

Expecting something to change in the next month? Not really. Maybe I will win the notebook that i participated in a raffle for.

You’re thinking about someone, aren’t you ? No. fuck you.

Ever like someone older than you? These questions are getting really dumb.

Can you remember the last time you really liked someone? No.

Where were you at 10:00 pm last night? At home.

When did you last cry? Saturday..???

Have you ever kissed the last person you last texted? No.

ONE OF YOUR SIBLINGS: Mon (there is only one sibling tho)

1. What is the age difference between you two? 

1 year. 

2. Do you know what this person is doing right now? I guess she is back from home after work.

3. How often do you and this person argue? Never???

4. What do you do together? Talk, walk her dog. We don’t really hang that much since she moved out.

5. Is this a step-sibling, half-sibling or full-sibling? a fully fleshed full big sis

THE LAST PERSON YOU TEXTED: Rhoda

1. What was the text about? She asked me how a person was called to google this very weird dumb valentines video.

2. When is the last time you saw this person? On webcam last moth I think?

3. Do you text each other more than you call each other? No. We call more often.

4. How old is this person? turning 25 this year.

5. What is this person’s favorite movie? I don’t know. Maybe a ridiculously funny zombie splatter movie.

YOUR FAVORITE TEACHER FROM LAST YEAR: Does Uni count? Prof. Brandhorst then.

1. Did this teacher give a lot of homework?

No. I was doing my bachelor thesis so we agreed on what to do for deadlines and meetings with her since she was my mentor for it.

2. Did the other students like them too?

I think so?

3. What subject did they teach?

basic design principles, character design, Environment design, prob design for games

4. Have they ever taught you before this year?

Yeah.

5. Does this teacher run any after school programs?

No. just consultation once a week.

ONE OF YOUR FRIENDS: Abelina

1. How long have you been best friends? About 12 years > yes

2. Have you ever fought about something silly then quickly made up? I don’t think so.

3. Where did you meet your friend? In highschool hell having each others backs.

4. Do you live near each other? We live in the same city. But soon she will move to China.

5. Do they have a significant other? Not that I know of.

THE LAST PERSON YOU SPOKE TO: Jane 1. Was this in person, through the telephone or the internet? In person.

2. What was the conversation about? hobby related.

3. How long did it last? 30 minutes?

4. What was the tone/mood of the conversation? Small talk, getting to know each other.

5. What is your relationship with this person? group member of a job integration program.

THE LAST PERSON YOU KISSED: my cat

1. Where did this kiss take place? on the floor.

2. Have you ever kissed this person before? Yes.

3. What were they wearing at the time of the kiss? her fur???

4. How long have you known this person? 14 years.

5. How often do you talk to this person? Not anymore. my cat died in 2015.

YOUR MOTHER: Allex

1. Do you spend a lot of time with her? Kinda. I still live at home.

2. How strong is the relationship between you two? Wasn’t that great. It’s getting better.

3. Do you tell them a lot about your personal life? Not really. 

4. What personality traits did you acquire from her? kicking my own ass when needed, tidiness/cleaness?, high quality standard for food?

5. What is the most frequent topic of argument? the crumbs on the counter in the kitchen.

YOUR FATHER: Andreas

1. What does your father do for a living? organising and restocking for the food used for ferry boats here.

2. Is he considered the head of the household? No. Currently the money  holder tho.

3. What personality traits did you acquire from him? sarcasm, this chill calmness only a true cow can radiate?,  sneezing too loud

4. What do you do together? making tasteless gross jokes to shock my mom.

5. Do you look anything like your father? Not anymore but you can’t really tell us apart on pictures where we both are the same age (3-6 years old??)

[karionawill-blog]

Arc de Troimphe was the goal for today.  I started my day walking down the street across from my hostel, this road leads to a big square area.  Before this there was markets on.  I had a nose around these first and took in the atmosphere and seeing the rubbish they were selling (lets be honest here) but when I was in the south of France I used to love going to these and I did pick up a few things from time to time.  I stopped by a bakery that seemed to be hoping (always a good sign for good food) and got my self a croissant and a pain au chocolat.  The pastry just fell of them as I eat.  They were what I dreamed of for so long.  As I was dropping crumbs, I was attracting loads of pigeons who went crazy for the croissant as much as I did.

I got a metro that brought me close to Champs Eylsees.  I sat down on a bench on the Champs Eylsees and could see the Arc de Troimphe coming through the trees.  The CE had its own wifi. (can you tell that I am addicted to my phone unfortunately) as I was seating there I noticed a gate with a security guard and people coming and going from this gate.  Near the gate was the sign Abercrombie & Fitch so I said out of curiosity I would go for a look after I had checked the internet for nothing but still afraid I would miss something.  There was a walk with manicure brushes and you follow this to find the coolest entrance ever made.  It was indeed the shop A&F and what an impressive place they had.  I just had a quick look then back out to head for the main attraction.

I was actually on the CE and what an expensive street I was on.  All the shops were big name brands.  They even had car showrooms the same as if it were just another shop on the high street (nothing high street about CE) There was a store selling Paris Saint Germain merchandise, an arcade called la tete dans les nuages, louis vuitton had a long queue going to the store but it wasn’t because it was packed more as maybe only a select number of people allowed at a time.  Expensive sport cars that you could drive from 90 euro so I say 90 euro probably give you 5 minutes in the car.  This street was exciting and out of my price range.  I passed a Rolex shop and looked at the price in the window.  Over 10,000 for a watch; yea if I had 10,000 I would be buying myself a car not a watch.  It would be terrible to bring it home and the battery not work.

I finally reached the Arc de Troimphe and how beautiful this moment was!  It has to be seen with the eyes.  I took a few pictures here and found where you can take the tunnel to get to the Arc.  The roundabout around wasn’t crazy busy at the time I was there but I can only imagine what it would be like with more traffic.  You have to pay to get to the Arc but if you are under 25 EU citizen it is free.  I was only delighted with this.  I showed my passport and continued on to the exit.  I climbed up the steps and there was a queue to security.  Without really knowing why this queue was here or where it was going I joined it.  It was to bring me inside the Arc.  I didn’t know that you could go inside the Arc and that there was a museum inside.  To get inside you must go through security (standard at every tourist area in Paris) then you show your ticket and up about what feels like 5000 steps to the top.  There was people taking breaks along the way up.  I finally made it to the top and fell onto the bench there like many other people.  There was one person even checking her pulse, I was thinking that’s a bit dramatic I say mine would have flat lined.

The first thing that caught my attention once I regained use my my legs was the arcs of the world.  It was a map showing where there is arcs and you press on and the screen in front shows a picture and explains what it is dedicated to.  The centre of the floor showed a live picture of the Arc.  They had a bathroom so I took the chance to use it now instead of trying to find later.  There was a room with screens showing different uniforms from the different French military through the early years.  Upstaris had a souvenir shop and a model of the Arc de Troimphe.  You could go outside onto the roof and see for miles around and see the cars going around the roundabout.  There is about a million roads (well not a million) of this roundabout.  I see a guard stopping traffic to let a group of black cars with flashing lights pass.  Must have been someone important.

From the Arc de Troimphe I walked down the other side of CE.  There was a Disney shop which I had a quick look.  I am obsessed with teddys and it was difficult not to buy.  They actually had a sale on teddys but I didn’t buy anything.  I found a cafe and got a lovely roll with cheese and ham, looked at a few souvenir shops.  I found something very very exciting.  A Mac store!!  I never used their products but have heard great things about them.  I covered my hand again as I always do in makeup stores and loved the switches but I left empty handed.

I wanted to go to Sacre Coeur and see the Moulin Rouge even though I hate the film I still wanted to see the actually place I see in photos.  This was a long enough walk to here.  It was getting up hill now and I was getting tired.  I found a church in a quiet area and a had a nose inside.  This was a nice place and I say less visited.  I found Moulin Rouge  first and went this direction.  It literally was a porn street; there was shops selling that kind of porn stuff we will say equipment for use during certain activities.  There was a club that was adverting for private dancing.  I won’t lie I felt uncomfortable here and don’t like to see that kind of stuff.  The MR place seem to be set up for a show and dinner for around 70 euro.  There was a souvenir shop on the corner of the street with the MR place and I got some stuff in there.  They were selling more normal everyday items than many other shops around here.  I got a bag for 10 euro with images of Paris all over it.  I couldn’t leave it behind.  I got 4 pieces of jewelry for 10 euro; a necklace that says Paris, two sets of earrings in the imagine of the Eiffel Tower and a pink bracelet.  I got 2 postcards and a fridge magnet and a scarf with imagines of Paris and like a smaller version of a serving tray total was 30euro.  Ok can you tell i really love Paris.

I left this street still traumatized after seeing those shops and headed for Sacre Coeur. After another up hill battle I was faced with steps that brought me to the SC.  I manged somehow to get up this steps (i still don’t know how) I noticed they have electric buses around Paris.  It was getting late by the time I made it here; there was big crowds here and more fabulous views across Paris.  This place was impressive but I didn’t go in this time.  I kind of started wondering around the back streets here, and what a find.  I have found my favourite part of Paris (and here you were thinking around MR was my favouite)

These streets were like a village in Provence.  The cafes and restaurants and artists out painting and selling their art.  It was so peaceful and quiet here.  It didn’t feel like you were still in Paris but definitely still in France.  I loved it here!  Everything felt so French.  I got a crepe here with strawberry.  The crepe was only 3 euro but I only had a 50 euro note, no change so I say your one was like nearly emptying the til for change.

After a walk here I tried to find my way back to a metro station.  I loved the area around here; its so nice and quiet.  I got two metros back but I got off in one station and got the next metro in the same station which was handy.  I got my key and headed for the room.  The trip switch kepted tripping so tonight I had no lights.  I told the guy he turned it back on it went again after another few minutes.  I told him again and he came and fixed it, nope no good.  I said I would go to the Monoprix then hit the bed early.  No one sit down on the bed and I was gone.  I was like the switch in that box.  I did wake awhile after and it still wasn’t working.  Someone had something plugged in that was pulling on the power from the box.  By morning it was working again but it was no good then, daylight had come and it was time for me to go to Paris Orly.

I was crying leaving Paris.   I didn’t want to go.  I wish I booked for longer in Paris but then I would be really exhausted for Rome.  I hated leaving but at least my trip wasn’t over and I wasn’t going back to Ireland.  Then I would really be in a ball of tears.

I had to make my way out to Paris Orly to get the flight to Barcelona.  After making sure I had everything packed, I left the key at reception for the last time and left.  I got the metro from Belleville, the last time getting this from outside the hostel to the terminus Chalet.  This station was at a shopping centre but the shops were not opened yet.  With one last look at Paris I got the next metro to meet the train that would bring me to the airport.  Yes two trams and a train to the airport. Early morning start. This was a long journey and I had to keep an eye to the phone as there was a stop for going to airport and a few people got off with suitcases but I decided the best thing was to stick to the Google maps route as I had no internet to plan a route if I severed from it.  I didn’t know what the story was with this stop even though it was advertised for Orly.

The train was there when I arrived, the station was very well signed posted for this airport train and the train was in the actually station.  If you didn’t mind where you were going you could take the first exit out and miss how to get to train.  This train stopped at Orly west and south.  This airport seems to fly to a lot of the North African airports.  I think Barcelona was the one of few European flights that day anyway.  My flight wasn’t for another while yet so I walked around got some air then tried to find a seat.  This wasn’t easy.  I found a seating area and stood there with my suitcases waiting in hope someone would move.  It was still too early to go through security and this wasn’t a big airport so I guessed the duty free would be small.  Finally a woman started to make moves like she was going to leaving.  She took her time about leaving and I was giving up hope of getting a seat but finally she left.  I made a dart for the seat and the relief was brilliant.  The airport had wifi so I could play on my phone to pass time.  After a while I attempted to leave my much sought after seat and went for security.  In the mean time my seat was taken.  The airport had a massive rolex clock. It could hardly be real that would cost a fortune.  The usual going through security I could nearly be employed in security by the end of this trip without needing training I have been though so many times.

There was two different directions to go for the flights.  Both directions seem to have security so you had to pick the right one or possibly go back through the security possess to get to the right gate.  This area was very small for the gate to the Barcelona plane.  I was flying with Transavia.  This was my first time flying with them, I hadn’t even hard of them before I was booking for this trip so I didn’t know what to expect.  If they were like Ryanair or not; they wouldn’t allow the two bags like other airlines.  I read this before I left but still arrived to the airport with my two bags.  Everyone had two bags that were waiting for this flight.  They made an announcement over the intercom about only allowing one bag on broad the aircraft.

When everyone stood up to start a queue for the desk the place got even more crammed.  They started letting people through without opening the door to get access to out of the building to the plane.  Which made no sense.  The queue kept moving and the doors were opened but they were checking suitcases in the size thing that you put your bag down into.  Of course I was checked with my bag and backpack stuffed into the case which made it look worse.  She give me tag for not admissible on broad but I still got on with my suitcase.  I was afraid I was going to be charged for the bag but thankfully not.  I was preparing an argument for why no way I was handing over any more cash.

Actually my bag was never weighed once in any airport from the start of these trips but saying that the next flight I will take I will probably be weighed.  I was so tired that I fell asleep on the flight.  Transavia let you choose a seat free of charge unless you want the emergency exit which is great so I booked the last aisle window seat.  Another fact every flight expect this one I was sitting around the middle wing seats. This airplane was more comfortable than any Ryanair planes and had room for my legs.  I hate small leg room.  The view when flying over the Pyrenees was breathtaking that was an experience in itself to see the view.  I had awoken in time to see the Pyrenees.

Next Post —–Barcelona……..

DAY 3 In Paris Arc de Troimphe was the goal for today.  I started my day walking down the street across from my hostel, this road leads to a big square area. 

[rainforestdawn]

I’m bored, so why not?

Thank you Charlie @adeathnoteblog for reblogging the questions in a blank format.

1: when you have cereal, do you have more milk than cereal or more cereal than milk? Always more cereal than Milk. Lactose intolerant, less milk the better.

2: do you like the feeling of cold air on your cheeks on a wintery day? Yes, but only if it’s snowing big fat snowflakes.

3: what random objects do you use to bookmark your books? Receipts, Grocery Lists, and Candy Wrappers, lol

4: how do you take your coffee/tea?I like it very sweet, with one dollop of cream. Or just black hazelnut.

5: are you self-conscious of your smile? Yes. It’s very big, and I really dislike drawing attention to my mouth.

6: do you keep plants? No, Each time I try, I wind up killing it. Even the hearty “hard to kill” ones.

7: do you name your plants? Nope.

8: what artistic medium do you use to express your feelings? Magazine Collage, and music.

9: do you like singing/humming to yourself? Yes

10: do you sleep on your back, side, or stomach? I’m a right side sleeper. 

11: what’s an inner joke you have with your friends? One Word. Macarena.

12: what’s your favorite planet? For reals? We’re supposed to have a favorite? Earth…I guess?

13: what’s something that made you smile today? Not a damn thing, actually. I haven’t laughed or giggled or chuckled, either. That’s unusual.

14: if you were to live with your best friend in an old flat in a big city, what would it look like? That depends on which best friend you’re talking about. Like, I actually don’t have one best friend.

15: go google a weird space fact and tell us what it is!   *Do constellations look different other planets?*  The planets of the Solar System do revolve around the same central body, but they do so on different orbits, so they will observe the stars from slightly different angles. This will make the constellations we see from here slightly different from the ones you see from there.

16: what’s your favorite pasta dish?Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo

17: what color do you really want to dye your hair? I’ve always wanted to go completely blonde, or smurf blue.

18: tell us about something dumb/funny you did that has since gone down in history between you and your friends and is always brought up. That fucking time I sat on a goddamned apple pie. It was a Christmas party, and I had excused myself to the porch to have a cigarette. I sat on a chair, and it occurred to me that it was warm, and didn’t pay it any mind. I don’t see well in the dark, and there was a towel on the seat, covering the pie, so I didn’t notice it until I got up. SO fucking embarrassing since I knew literally, two people, at this party.

19: do you keep a journal? what do you write/draw/ in it? I tend to doodle spirals, or repetitive lines, kind of like concentric circles. I write about how I’m feeling in that moment, the things that are randomly floating through y head, stuff I need to remember, grocery lists, phone numbers and appointments, and other random bits. I carry a hard covered spiral bound book or a children’s school notebook at all times with a pen.

20: what’s your favorite eye color? I really do enjoy all eye colors. No one in particular. Each eye is different, and I rather enjoy looking into them and noticing the variations. But I rarely do this.

21: talk about your favorite bag, the one that’s been to hell and back with you and that you love to pieces. I don’t have one in specific that I think of in these terms. I pitch any bag that carries a major association with. I do, however, have a green duffel bag that I’ve had since my first trip to the states with my first husband. That’s nearly 20 years old now.

22: are you a morning person? I can be. But I prefer waking in late morning.

23: what’s your favorite thing to do on lazy days where you have 0 obligations? Nap. Listen to soothing music. Watch the leaves moving in the trees. Curling up on the couch. Watching a favorite movie. Eat yummy food. And then nap some more.

24: is there someone out there you would trust with every single one of your secrets? My followers, of course. I haven’t given my tumblr address to anyone in my family, or my close friends. There’s actually only two people whom I’ve shared this site with that I know IRL. You’re all privy to my worst secrets.

25: what’s the weirdest place you’ve ever broken into? An old Jail? I dunno, breaking into something isn’t really my forte.

26: what are the shoes you’ve had for forever and wear with every single outfit? Nada. Crocs from the dollar store, hahaha. Not a fashonista at all, and gave up matching shoes before I had my second child.

27: what’s your favorite bubblegum flavor? Excel Green. Whatever flavor that is. Spearmint I think?

28: sunrise or sunset? Depends. If I’m with someone I love, Sunrise. If I’m real fucking down, Sunset.

29: what’s something really cute that one of your friends does and is totally endearing? Christ. This is a thing?! I dunno, they banter back with my sarcastic insults.

30: think of it: have you ever been truly scared? Yup.

31: what is your opinion of socks? do you like wearing weird socks? do you sleep with socks? do you confine yourself to white sock hell? really, just talk about socks. OMG. I’m a toe sock junkie. I prefer the fuzzy, soft kind of socks if the floors are cold. I like Toe socks because I can wear flip flops with them, and I call them my campfire socks. Less Mosquito bites if I wear those during an evening campfire. I have a lot of crazy patterned socks because my ex and the kids tend to steal them if they’re plainly colored.

32: tell us a story of something that happened to you after 3AM when you were with friends. Uhhh…I sobered up? No, really. There aren’t a whole lot of people I’ve stayed up all night with. It’s my time. It’s private.

33: what’s your fave pastry? Strudel.

34: tell us about the stuffed animal you kept as a kid. what is it called? what does it look like? do you still keep it? I have two stuffies I got as gifts as a kid. I don’t know why I keep them. There’s no association with them at all. Maybe because most of the things I had as a child were so often thrown away…Huh. I haven’t named them. Both are bears. One is on all fours, on is sitting on it’s backside. Now that I think of it, I really should just pitch them out.

35: do you like stationary and pretty pens and so on? do you use them often? I <3 comfortable, smooth writing pens. And when I find one, it stays with me until it goes dry, and then I miss it for months, and mourn it’s loss. I once had a pen I kept for seven years before it dried out, no joke. Stationary makes no diff to me at all.

36: which band’s sound would fit your mood right now? Umm. The Cranberries.

37: do you like keeping your room messy or clean? Clean. I feel good when my room is clean.

38: tell us about your pet peeves! I fucking hate wet towels on my bed. When people refer to the USA as “America” and not the United States, they aren’t the only goddamned country on this continent.

39: what color do you wear the most? Black. I love bright happy colors, but when I had my first child, my husband and mother in law insisted they help me build my wardrobe. It was all pastels or white & black, and a lot of khaki. So, I gave up my own sense of style. I wear a lot of black.

40: think of a piece of jewelry you own: what’s it’s story? does it have any meaning to you? I have a diamond and Ruby ring that my kinds’ dad gave me as an “I’m sorry” gift. He didn’t take my side in an argument with his parents. He didn’t agree with me.

41: what’s the last book you remember really, really loving? Mo Willems Don’t Let The Pigeon Books.

42: do you have a favorite coffee shop? describe it! Not at all.

43: who was the last person you gazed at the stars with? My youngest son.

44: when was the last time you remember feeling completely serene and at peace with everything? That happens so rarely I actually don’t recall.

45: do you trust your instincts a lot? Absolutely.

46: tell us the worst pun you can think of. No. I refuse to start punning.

47: what food do you think should be banned from the universe? I dunno, jalapenos? NO clue.

48: what was your biggest fear as a kid? is it the same today? The Dark, or being in the dark with a lit doorway. It’s not my biggest fear now, but it’s still up there.

49: do you like buying CDs and records? what was the last one you bought? I love buying CD’s from Thrift Shops. The last one I bought was a Better than Ezra album I haven’t listened to yet.

50: what’s an odd thing you collect? i try not to collect things, they tie you down, or somehow they get thrown out. When I notice I’m doing it, I give them away.

51: think of a person. what song do you associate with them? Calvin - Who’s thinkin about you now by Jason Mraz

52: what are your favorite memes of the year so far? Gawd, I dunno. I have no idea which ones are new and which ones aren’t. And I really don’t care.

53: have you ever watched the rocky horror picture show? Yes I have, and I didn’t get what the hype was all about. heathers? Never heard of it.  beetlejuice? Yup, and I thoroughly enjoyed it’s creepy vibes. pulp fiction? yes, and identified way too much with it. what do you think of them? —–^

54: who’s the last person you saw with a true look of sadness on their face?  My kids. They’re entitled.

55: what’s the most dramatic thing you’ve ever done to prove a point? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA  Oh man, there’s WAY too many of those things to list here.

56: what are some things you find endearing in people? Their imagination, and their sense of humor.

57: go listen to bohemian rhapsody. how did it make you feel? did you dramatically reenact the lyrics? yes, every time. I <3 this song.

58: who’s the wine mom and who’s the vodka aunt in your group of friends? why? This would indicate I have lady friends whom I might drink with. I don’t keep lady friends, the last time I did my ex slept with each one.

59: what’s your favorite myth? All of them

60: do you like poetry? what are some of your faves? I do like poetry, but writing it. I don’t have any favorite writers of poetry.

61: what’s the stupidest gift you’ve ever given? the stupidest one you’ve ever received? I’ve given condoms a few times. I’ve received them too.

62: do you drink juice in the morning? which kind?Nope. Water water water.

63: are you fussy about your books and music? do you keep them meticulously organized or kinda leave them be? Not at all. I usually just arrange my books by size, when I have them out.

64: what color is the sky where you are right now? Dark blue with a grey tinge because it’s cloudy and night.

65: is there anyone you haven’t seen in a long time who you’d love to hang out with? My childhood besties, Crystal & Jaime.

66: what would your ideal flower crown look like? Daises and clover.

67: how do gloomy days where the sky is dark and the world is misty make you feel? Introspective? Reflective?

68: what’s winter like where you live? Cold. And multiple feet/meters of snow

69: what are your favorite board games? Sorry, Pay Day, trivial Pursuit?

70: have you ever used a ouija board? Yes

71: what’s your favorite kind of tea? Black

72: are you a person who needs to note everything down or else you’ll forget it? Sometimes.

73: what are some of your worst habits? I chew my nails, and I text paragraphs before I consider how it sounds when people are hurting and I’m comforting//advising.

74: describe a good friend of yours without using their name or gendered pronouns. They listen without judgement, give as much affection as I need, and let me cry. Then they cheer me up and make me laugh until I cry again. And finally, they feed me and put me to bed.

75: tell us about your pets! I have a white, Californian bunny, named Mr. Benjamin. One of my children is allergic to cats and the other dogs, and I had a terrible experience with a Hamster once. Traditional pets really aren’t our forte. Mr. B travels well, and is typically well behaved until you piss him off.

76: is there anything you should be doing right now but aren’t? Finding something for dinner, since mine was scooped by one my sons’ friends. Or cleaning because our home will be shown by a realtor tomorrow.

77: pink or yellow lemonade? PINK *drools*

78: are you in the minion hateclub or fanclub? I think they’re cute, but only because they’re yellow.

79: what’s one of the cutest things someone has ever done for you? Hm.I really don’t know. Someone sent me a jar with sand and shells in it recently, but that was more thoughtful and sweet, not cute.

80: what color are your bedroom walls? did you choose that color? if so, why? Wine red. Nope. I’m a renter. And these walls are fucking ugly.

81: describe one of your friend’s eyes using the most abstract imagery you can think of. Whoa dude, tone back on whatever it is you’re on.

82: are/were you good in school? I was until I hit 8th Grade, then I was a fucking badass who shit on those who wanted me. I’m quite ashamed of who I was in my youth.

83: what’s some of your favorite album art? Pink Floyd’s The Wall, Boney M’ Nightflight to Venus? I haven’t actually looked at album art in a long time.

84: are you planning on getting tattoos? which ones? Nope, all done with those. now I’m waiting until my wait time ends so I can start donating blood.

85: do you read comics? what are your faves? Not anymore. Classic Archie comics are my favorite.

86: do you like concept albums? which ones? I guess so? I dunno.

87: what are some movies you think everyone should watch at least once in their lives? Christ. Anything Disney & Pixar.

88: are there any artistic movements you particularly enjoy? Like, a group? Or a dance? Sheepers. I’ve no idea.

89: are you close to your parents? Not even.

90: talk about one of you favorite cities. I’ve always enjoyed Columbus, Ohio. It was the first city I explored and learned on my own. It’s the place I learned to navigate and not fear being lost.

91: where do you plan on traveling this year? I hope to find my way to the ocean on the West Coast someplace.

92: are you a person who drowns their pasta in cheese or a person who barely sprinkles a pinch? Sprinkle a pinch.

93: what’s the hairstyle you wear the most? I’d love to have thicker hair, style doesn’t matter

94: who was the last person you know to have a birthday? My youngest son

95: what are your plans for this weekend? It’s Canada Day Weekend, so we’re spending the day at the local festivities at our local beach.

96: do you install your computer updates really quickly or do you procrastinate on them a lot? Both

97: myer briggs type, zodiac sign, and hogwarts house? Don’t know, and not doing the test right now. Libra. And Gryffendor.

98: when’s the last time you went hiking? did you enjoy it? when someone close came for a visit. Yes I did enjoy it.

99: list some songs that resonate to your soul whenever you hear them. Honey Bee by Tom Petty, Free by Train, Home by Sheryl Crow

100: if you were presented with two buttons, one that allows you to go 5 years into the past, the other 5 years into the future, which one would you press? why? Neither. I wouldn’t risk it.