#so im glad i got it done before the new season drops friday!

[cassberry]

(Looking to watch 3rd Life, Last Life or Double Life? Here you go!)

If you are looking for a guide of some Limited Life episodes to catch up on for no particular reason at all (certainly not a new season being around the corner), I've got you covered!

Now I'm not going to lie, trying to curate this list for Limited Life broke me. The mechanics of this season meant that you gained time by killing other players and in doing so it felt like 50 things were happening all at once constantly across the server. As such I haven't been able to get absolutely everything onto this list, but I did try my best to get all the important events and a wide range of perspectives!

WARNING: Incredibly long read more where I go over why I picked certain POV's and what to expect. I do so love to ramble. Spoilers ahead!

SESSION ONE

Skizz - Breaking from tradition from recommending Grian first because you need to watch Skizz's POV first out of everyone unspoiled. The way things unraveled this episode felt like a sitcom in the best and worst ways lol 

Grian - Just a good solid first episode honestly and with the start of the Bad Boys™ how can you not love it. 

Scar -  I really have no words for whatever is the dynamic of the Clockers because you really just have to see it to understand. It’s a fun episode and as Scar, Cleo and Bdubs have set up near spawn, you always get to see something interesting. 

Big B - Big B’s episodes are always a treat as he does super long ones that give you a little more insight into what's happening on the server, rather than just the big events. But if you wanted something specific to watch, his last 10 minutes of this episode were a blast. 

SESSION TWO

Joel - Bad Boys Bread Bridge was both the most amazing and ugliest build on the server and I’m so glad it was made. Also Joel gets some amazing kills this episode that are so tense to watch. 

Martyn - Look this one is here because of a little personal bias. Martyn shouts me out in the episode so I couldn’t not add it lol It’s also a very good episode in of itself in that it introduces the Mean Gills and I’ll always be a Mean Gills supporter. Also that Tilly roast? oof 

Pearl - Pearl is constantly on the move this episode and living up to her Nosy Neighbour title so watch her episode if you want some good gossip and to see the lay of the land. 

Tango - Tango always delivers a solid episode and as he was building the TIES Tower a majority of the time he receives a lot of foot traffic through the area creating some fun interactions. 

SESSION THREE

Scar - And in this episode of Limited Life, Scar rediscovers the joys of minecart TNT. 

Impulse - Impulse is such a fun boogey to watch, and the way he edited this episode around his thought process of who to kill was great. 

Grian - Kind of a different episode this session as Grian was sick so he was afk the entire time. It was very very very funny to watch, but as he wasn’t interacting with anyone you’re going to miss a lot of context if you only watch his POV. You should still give this a watch though! 

Joel - Watching poor Joel run around after Grian trying to keep him safe was incredibly entertaining lmao 

SESSION FOUR

Scott - I believe Grian said it best, but this session felt like a final session with the way the yellows were chasing after the greens. It was pure chaos the entire time and Scott beautifully evading them all until his descent into yellow was perfection. 

Tango - Tango is here for the same reason as Scott but as the last green the final hunt for him was terrifying to watch. 

Cleo - I love Cleo’s episodes and this one was just a joy. She was slightly sick this week but I feel like that only lowered her inhibitions to do some out of pocket stuff. 

Jimmy - The exciting saga of Judge Judy and Executioner continues in Jimmy’s episode this week and if you didn’t know anything about it, that's ok! Neither did anyone else on the server except for Jimmy, Pearl and Big B lmao consider this the best episode to watch if you want this plotline covered. 

SESSION FIVE 

Etho - Considering the episode starts off with Etho having to babysit Bdubs, then an awkward family dinner and an explosive game of catch, I really couldn’t have asked for a better Etho video. 

Big B - This session was a lot more calm than the previous, so there was a lot more alliance talk happening. Big B has a great perspective on all that as he and Pearl get up to a tonne of mischief that causes some problems with some alliances they already had. 

Scott - Once again this was an alliance building week and Scott’s episode really highlights some of the more fun things that happened to make and break some relationships. 

Grian - Poor Bread Bridge o7 you will be missed. Thankfully M-Rye 5 was there at the end to rain chaos from above. (<-sentences that make no sense out of context) 

SESSION SIX 

Cleo & Pearl - I couldn’t choose between either of these two this session. Both Cleo and Pearl were out sick so they handed over their accounts to two other players. I won’t spoil who they are but these episodes were amazing. 

Jimmy - The Bad Boys were going through it this week goddamn lol It never stops being funny how much of a mess everything becomes when they get together. 

Martyn - It was his birthday this session and he’s just a little guy! Surely nothing would go wrong at his birthday party? And certainly not caused by him! 

Tango - The last half of Tango’s episode is just a comical amount of deaths that only get funnier and funnier as the time between them shortens. 

SESSION SEVEN

Skizz - Oh Skizz. You are too good for this world. His ending for this episode was heartbreaking and Affirmation Station will live on in my heart forever.

Scott - I love watching Scott run around the map and hunt people down because he is so good at the game! I believe he had the highest kill count this session and I loved every minute of it. 

Joel - (Major Spoilers) Ah Joel it just wasn’t meant to be! But hearing the desperation in his voice grow higher and higher as the clock ticked down was nail biting. Scar - Just a good Scar episode honestly! Shows what the Clockers are up to during all the chaos and a great view of the server devolving into anarchy.

SESSION EIGHT 

Martyn - WOOOO YESSSS LETS GOOOOOO (<- does that count as spoilers???)

I distinctly remember being on the edge of my seat this whole episode and Martyn delivers in every way possible for a fantastic final episode of the season. 

Impulse - I haven’t mentioned it yet but Impulse’s editing this season went wild and it's none more apparent than in this episode. He and his team went crazy for the finale. 

Etho - Such a fun episode!! The twist at the end with the diamond sword coming into play was everything I could have wanted and more. 

Pearl - It was really a toss up between Pearl and Scott for this last spot, but I loved her perspective for the one last minigame on the server. 

BONUS 

Bdubs - Do you have a spare 12 hours to dedicate to Limited Life? Then oh boy does Bdubs have a video for you! Instead of weekly videos he decided to collate all his episodes into one mammoth video which was an absolute blast to watch over a weekend! It’s a really interesting POV to watch because when LimLife was airing Bdubs would just appear all over the map and we never had any idea what he was doing so it was awesome to have some concrete evidence of his shenanigans. Definitely give this one a watch if you’re in the mood for a marathon! 

IN SUMMARY…

I swear if the next season is as messy as this one, I think I’m going to have to start taking notes when it's airing because I think this took years off my life haha if you think I’ve missed anything please tag it because I would love to see it! I definitely could have added more POV’s per session like I did with the Last Life and 3rd Life guides, but I think a more curated list helps keep down the overwhelming nature of trying to watch a million Limited Life episodes. 

But really, I loved watching Limited Life live so I’m glad I give myself an excuse each new season to go back and watch the season over again. There are so many little foreshadowed moments that you don’t see on the first watch and honestly it all just makes me more excited for the new season! Thanks for reading <3

#limited life smp #limited life #life series smp #trafficblr #mcyt #this was meant to be done ... ages ago but you know life gets in the way lol #i still love doing these :D #so im glad i got it done before the new season drops friday! #berry.posts

[yojakey-d-blog]

dating jenna hcs

pairing; jenna x fem!reader

requested; yes

warnings; n/a

tag list;

@mm-aureen

-

• i love jenna

• ok so jenna is always pushed aside and so she’s super introverted and protective of her emotions

• she really only talks to brooke and chloe because they sometimes care about her

• but wowie when she saw you her little gay heart went 200 miles per minute

• she’s got this thing where she can’t talk to pretty girls without completely just turning red

• so when you came up to her to ask her some stupid question for leaders core she was gone the moment she saw your smile

• she was so happy because you seemed so excited to talk to her about this stupid question

• but it made her even more happy when you asked her if when you got done asking the last few tables the question if you could sit with her

• she, of course, said yes

• christine was watching the whole interaction go down and when you walked away she was totally just like

• “jenna,,, you’re so gay”

• “yes. yes i am”

• after that you sat with her everyday and you both began to let down your walls

• it was you who made the first move

• you saw her at her locker and you just had the b i g g e s t heart eyes. you gathered up all the courage you had and asked her if she wanted to go get coffee sometime at this new coffee house downtown

• god the smile on her face was priceless (you literally were melting). she just says, “it’s a date!” and you just blush and smile as she walks off

• fast foward to the date

• well you didn’t know if it was an actual date or not

• but you hoped it was because wow you were crushing on this girl

• she drove you both to the shop and you insisted on paying for her coffee which made her blush

• you chose a spot by the window and you just talked for literal hours

• when she dropped you off at home you went to get out when she grabbed your hand

• you could tell she was staring at you even though it was incredibly dark out and you blushed

• but that was before this girl took your face in her hand and kissed you

• wow can you say butterflies?????

• you literally immediately kissed back and you were RED

• she pulled away and smiled at you

“well im glad we both feel the same way”

• OK NOW ONTO THE ACTUAL DATING HEADCANONS SORRY I GOT CARRIED AWAY WITH CUTE GAYS

• ok so jenna has so many cute nicknames for you. sometimes they’re seasonal themed, like in fall she calls you pumpkin; while in summer she calls you sunshine

• this girl is the queen of social media and is very open about your relationship, so when you go on dates she always takes candid pictures of you and posts them on instagram with some cheesy caption

• can you say double dates with chloe & brooke because i can

• she always stay the night at your house on fridays and you watch mean girls and other cheesy movies and just cuddle and be happy

• she loves to go shopping with you (especially bra shopping wink wink nudge nudge) and she always picks out special pieces for you

• you have matching anklets to constantly remind you of one another

• she loves to hold your hand so much!!!! in the hallways you guys are constantly around eachother and when you are at your locker she’s wrapping her arms around your torso and kissing your neck lovingly

• jeremy hates it because you always end up making out on his locker and he has to interrupt you guys to get his ap biology book

• you’re always super red faced but jen is super smirky and confident when it happens

• outside of school she’s even more touchy-feely though. she’s always got an arm around your waist and her signature thing is grabbing your ass.

• jenna is definitely an ass/thigh girl (me too jenna)

• all in all you two are very happy and love eachother so much

#be more chill x reader #be more chill imagine #be more chill fanart #bmc imagine #bmc headcanon #be more chill #jeremy heere headcanons #jeremy #heere #jenna rolan #jenna rolan x reader #jenna rolan imagine #jenna rolan oneshot #chloe valentine #jake dillinger x reader #rich goranski imagine #michael mell headcanon #michael mell x reader #michael mell imagine

[mceproductions]

December 2018 Blurbs

12/1/18 The final Chapter on 2018's book began with me checking out the sequel to Wreck It Ralph. And it was Near perfect in every way possible. What wasn't was my drive back and the snowstorm that laid waste to the road, never had driven in snow that bad until today. Honestly was shaking for nealry 20 miles. Luckilly came back in time to see Bama win in epic fashion. I may not like them but they are #1. UCF won as well hopeful they can make the jump. 12/2/18 Connor ended up picking up a new kitten, he and Amber named Nelson. Now I know how Peele felt in Keanu. That cat was adorable and so sweet to be around. Especially that poofball tail. Packers stink as usual to the point where McCarthy got fired during his postgame press conference. Bama, Clemson, and Oklahoma will batlle on the 29th to see who gets the chance to play in Santa Clara. Notre Dame will join them, this should be expanded by all counts. 12/3/18 Andrew has another job, this one late at night. Hoping he'll stick this out. Heisman this year went down to the 3 QB's from Bama, Oklahoma and Ohio State. Wonder how the finalst math is done to drop the number from 5 to 3. Gifts need to be sent out to Eric and Company soon. New Tree skirt looks hopefully ok. 12/4/18 Stuff can take the cake really quickly when it comes to life. Connor apparently has broken things off with Amber now his gut is killing him. Karma at its finest people. Other than that, I don't mind having to get called out to do carts what irks me is when someone like Cole, drops off so I'm completley alone out there. His weaseled out method just really iritates me more. Bowl Mercahndise looking rather dull this year, may save money along those lines. 12/5/18 Well, Connor may have gut problems like me. The real kicker is how incompitent our hospital is here, and how they were throwing in words like liver failure and appendix issues. Grabbed mounted photo which allowed me to finish wrapping the gifts to be sent out to Eric and them. Hopeful that Eli Like gummi Bears. Main gift hunting will begin next week. Do love Holiday seaons, and all that they entail. 12/6/18 The cat may be be cute, but Connor breaking, entering and placing him on me in the middle of the night. Nope. He, can really take the cake when it comes to not knowing how to amicably end a relationship. Rebought Hobbit and that gave me, Legos for the first time in 15 Years. Will only get the Target lego hobbit editons and that will be it. Survey for class is adjusted and will hopefully be done by weekends end. Seminar I still have to do, hoping Dad will give a hand with that. Looking forward to Mamoa on SNL. 12/7/18 Pearl Harbor, a tragic event that led to a worse movie. But on this day there should be a new atalige on when it rains it pours for the winter. I call it When it snows it bursts, cause we all had issues today. Bravada may have a frozen gear shift. Eric lost another girlfriend, Connor may be out of a job, and Andrew may actually be doing better than any of us for once. This is a burst of bad luck. 12/8/18 A day that i had originally set out to do nothing now had me doing even less, thanks to the Bum gear shift. Not sure how we can fix that, other vehicle still waits in the wings. Watched more SpongeBob then i had in a long time wow I missed a bunch. Could really use some good in these next few days. 12/9/18 Packers finally won, just need miracles to happen in order to squeak into wild card. Vehicles e break lite may give me clue in order to fix it. Winter and Christmas need to show up quicker cause it certainly doesnt feel like it especially not around here. 12/10/18 Early night when it came to the back. Used VTO to leave early, stinks i lost a day but at least i caught up on stuff. 12/11/18 Bravada i bought finally became mine with licence plates. Saving insurance for after Christmas. Store had less on today which made the work at least plenteful. But the group with the exception of me and 2 others all left at 9:50 as we got left with the bulk of the cleanup. Not cool in the slightest. 12/12/18 First day with Bravada, not a bad go of things. Penultimate class, surprisingly am at an A hoping i can get this done within the next week. Contingency plan needed for tomorrow, will see SpiderMan on Saturday and hold off on Aquaman until after Christmas. 12/13/18 Nice to find out i can still tack miles on my feet. Will need to do that again soon. Packages got sent including book for retun. Retuned a bunch of stuff for gift stipened, hoping dad likes revenant more than hacksaw ridge. South Park finale made no sense. 12/14/18 Saving spiderverse for sunday, mainly so i can get rid off stuff at BAM, more cash more presents. Will still read Mortal Engines even though movie looks lousy. A lot of ties on countdown, and just discovered a couple i overlooked. Binging Bob's Burgers like crazy. Man that show is a lot better than i gave it credit for. Busted truck is gone from parking lot, didn't expect to have to have management nearly call cops on stolen vehicle though. 12/15/18 Day from hell is an understatement. Eric getting arested, Im working on stuff and Andrew seemed to not know when to keep his mouth shut. Bowl games starting today brought only form of relief. 12/16/18 Better day, Animated Spiderman was something to behold. Got bulk of christmas shopping out of the way. Bravada held up just wished i could get it back fully. Packers got knocked out of postseason. Just hope we can win one more, at least chances are good. Smash Bros Ultimate is awesome. 12/17/18 Mom's gift now safley wrapped. Football continues and the Saints better be hoping they stop stinkin things up. 12/18/18 Cap 2 was down to 4 with a mysterious virus going round. As everyone left by 6, i managed to get out early. Just hoping this doesnt come back to bite me in the butt. Hoping to wrap up gifts by Friday, Aquaman on Saturday may be possibile. Glad thats in town at least. Also did annual watch of Haruhi Suzumiya movie, how come they can't make a movie that long in America. Stinks it has to be shorter than 2 for animated. 12/19/18 Last Class, thankfully was short and sweet. Walked out in good mood after making thank you card. Just curious to know when i may get funds, cause have to take 2 classes otherwise just to get scholarship. Rose Bowl shirt looks great. Will finish gift wrapping by friday at least. 12/20/18 I dont know why but it just doesnt feel like christmas this year. Snow almost gone, skies are dreary and whatever mood were in around here just keeps going up. Better Days by Goo Goo Dolls seems more and more perfect in telling the moood were in right now. Hoping for a few good days, free christmas dinner at store tommorow should lift funk. 12/21/18 The mood certainly is festive store wise. Finished grabbing gifts. Wil be hoping they like them. 12/22/18 Down to the single digits in days left of 2018, one goal of mine i wished i picked up more on was the sign language aspect. Will be putting that back on the 2019 docket. Store for a few more days. Just hoped to go watch Aquaman thanks to VTO but based on what i got coming, better to hold off on that. 12/23/18 Penultimate truck of 2018, thankfully got that done by 10, finally got tree from mountain, bulbs i picked up worked brillantly. Hard to belive it all ends in a week. Good year overall. 12/24/18 Short 4 hours with only Chris and Cheyenne. Best store day of the year in which we turn off all lights and tell people who come in to leave. Cole on the other hand, once again, i got drugged out to fix his mess. Not pleasent. What was was prime rib and quiet dinner with family before i gave them gifts. Poofball hat idea worked on all but Dad may have to return his. Looking forward to nba on christmas day. Wonderful life and Polar Express double feature to round things out. 12/25/18 Linus from peanuts says it all. With angellic hosts proclaim christ is born in bethlehem. 12/26/18 Amazing how one day in total silence with family can turn into one explosive return to reality. All for the best 5 days of the year i suppose. Aquaman movie ended up being pretty great, never figured Julie Andrews would play a squid. Badgers Bowl game tomorrow then final day of work for year on friday. Just hopin i can get final blog posted on monday before library closes. Year is rapidly closing fast. Also 2nd Charlie Brown Christmas special sucks, a little bit much on the meaning of the season and not on what made the first special great all around. 12/27/18 Rain filled the day, a lot of water that may turn whatever snow we have into ice. Badgers won in Yankee Stadium and tomorrow is Walmart 2018 finale for me. Just wish i didn't have a week off after that, but i can make do with micro paycheck for a bit. Already trying to figure 2019 Goals, dont know whether to up it or lower it. Found Attack on Titan Season 3 on Digital. Yeah gonna be good tv this weekend. 12/28/18 The 2018 Season finale at Wallyworld. Epicly enjoyable. Just miffed that  have a week off with little to no Coverage coming in. May seek alternative option. Truck tire thankfully got fixed but other issue may now have arisen. Bad luck streak wrapping this year up strong isn't it? 12/29/18 Another college football playoff another Bama Clemson beatdown. At least Kyler and Oklahoma actually put up a fight. Not sure what movie to see tomorrow. Possibly saving Bumblebee for next week, or VICE. 12/30/18 Entry 364 and on this penultimate day, I chose to go see the Mary Poppins sequel. Oh man it was charming. The welcome balance of modern with slight hat tips to what came before. Packers embarrassingly concluded thier season. Orville came back on tonight and that was equally good, a bunch of side plots that somehow all culminated in one odd ritual where Bortus took a dump, and it was good. Looking forward to adding that on DVR. 5 Packages to send out tomorrow, not sure what i'll be doing when ball drops. 12/31/18 Bye Bye Yesterday...The culmination of 365 Days of life, and as we conclude 2018 I think, there was so much more I could have gotten done. 2 Weddings, A Super Bowl visit, watching Connor finish school, buying my first vehicle, nearly seeing a sporting event, and a prmomotion at wally world. So much more I could have squeezed in. Finished today up with helping dad with bread, and  he made chili, hoping that that wont make us all sick as hes been these last few days. As for this journaling buiness.  I may look into continuing this come 2019. After all that is now as i have put it the year of the endgame.  Definetly would want to chronicle that. Though maybe i'll go the Your Name Route and download an app to chronicle that for my Phone and Ipad. Here's to you 2018, now as Thanos snaps at 11:53 you'll crumble to dust and fade away in our minds and hearts. Its time for the next chapter, and im ready...To Be hopefully continued.

                                       End of 2018 Journal

[sealnarcisa]

Kyle Woodward’s final blog post from Southern Africa. My visa issue finally got resolved, albeit with quite a lot of effort and frustration on my part. Unfortunately they couldn't swap my business visa for a tourist visa while in the country and the only way to fix it was to leave the country and come back in. Luckily Zimbabwe is just a 10 minutes drive to the border. It also just happens that the Zambia/Zimbabwe border is right at Victoria Falls. The border bridge is a tourist attraction, where people zip-line across the gorge and bungee jump off the bridge. Walking across the bridge with Victoria Falls as a backdrop was an unexpexted and surreal moment, and i made sure to take my time walking across both ways. It was a much needed stress reliever. The Falls are so close to you as you walk toward the Zimbabwe border post that the mist creates a perpetual light rain. Having not seen or felt rain in 2 months I was very confused at first. Since i got my necessary tasks done on Friday, I decided to go see the Falls properly all day on Saturday. I was going to be a tourist for a day, so exciting! On Saturday I had a relaxing morning and got a shuttle to the Victoria Falls Park entrance. I met another friend from the same hostel, and we hiked all the trails together. The Knife's Edge trail leads you out on a narrow peice of land thats been carved away by the Falls over time. It's the closest you can get to the Falls, and when you get out onto the edge you are completely soaked in a matter of seconds. Its like walking into a category 1 hurricane: the force of the water falling into the gorge creates a powerful uplift of air that shoots the trailing mist straight back to the top of the gorge, creating a barrage of wind and rain. There is no escape, and we willingly walked out to meet it in our bare feet and cheap ponchos. It is one of the best 20 bucks ive ever spent, and somehow my passport didn't even get wet. On our way down a separate trail to the bottom of the gorge, we were ambushed by a massive male baboon. We learned quite quickly that its not wise to carry food or drinks out in the open in this park because of these guys. We dropped our bottles of soda in order to avoid being mauled. It was actually terrifying in the moment but we laughed about it later. It was pretty funny watching this baboon open our soda bottles, dump out a ton of orange Fanta and sit there slurping it off the ground. On Sunday I went to the bus station at noon to catch my bus back to Sesheke, only to find out that the 12:00 bus i had purchased a seat on had left at 10:30 just because it got there early. It was another lesson in how things work out here: Disorder and unreliable public services create enough inevitable inconveniences in day to day life that society has adapted in order to provide quick and easy solutions. One of the bus company managers immediately took my money back from the attendant and drove me in his own car to the outskirts of town where a bunch of vans wait all day to give rides at the same or cheaper rate. He paid the van driver my bus money, I hopped in, and within a half hour we were on the way to Sesheke. We even got there right around the same time my bus would have. I met up with Michael and one of our enumerators in the afternoon and we drove back up to Sioma District for the night. The next day we drove the 1.5 hour journey into the bush to Makande. The drive seems to take forever as we creep along through a narrow sandy track, dodging trees and trying not to get stuck. Even with a 4wd truck it's not easy to get to by any means, yet people live here the same way as those right on the tar road in Lusu, Kaale, and Kalobolelwa. It's a remarkable thing seeing these communities operate with little to no outside aid. The idea that one can create and maintain their entire livelihood from the surrounding natural resources is so foreign to me, as I presume it is for many other 'Westerners'. Your health (ability to perform manual labor) and work ethic (determination to do so) hold greatest weight in village life. Lin, Michael, and I split our enumerators into teams of 2 for the first day of household surveys, then the second day Lin and I finished the rest of the surveys and did reference samples while Michael worked on resource area mapping. It went by so quick that I found myself scrambling on the last day to take a few pictures to remember this experience by. My pictures are mediocre at best, but Im pretty sure I won't ever forget this. Our last night camping in Makande was so fun. We ended the month of work talking, joking, singing, and dancing around our campfire, trading ideas, experiences, and standing on common ground. We also chased this weird goat around that kept walking into our camp. It was the funniest thing ever. No matter how far we chased it away from our camp, it would eventually wander back and stand there just staring at us. If they make another Disney movie based in Africa (shout out Lion King), this goat needs to be the typecast dumb animal comic relief character. The long weekend was spent back in our home sweet home, Sesheke. Michael needed to finish resource area mapping in Lusu, and Lin and i decided to collect more reference samples in Kalobolelwa, so we decided to set up at our usual campground in town. We took one of our enumerators along who wants to study environmental science, and he absorbed all the vegetation and GPS stuff like a sponge. It was a really fun day just walking around, seeing different landscapes, and talking about plants. Since we were officially done with the Zambia field season by the end of that day, we got to be lazy the next day in Sesheke. We walked around the market, bought some food and gifts, learned how to play Zambian rules Checkers, and had a good dinner in town. This past Sunday turned out to be a really special day, and may turn out to be one of the most important for future research pursuits in Zambia. Henry from DNPW allowed us to come along with him into Sioma-Ngwezi NP, where they are working on re-introducing wildlife the next 4 years. They created a fenced-in 100 hectare enclosure for the animals which they use to acclimate them before releasing them into the park. They had about 180 impala and 32 buffalo that they transported there a few weeks ago, and we got to come along on their weekly check up. We got to stand in their pickup truck bed as we patrolled inside the fence perimeter, trying to spot and count all the buffalo and impala. Michael and I came up with another research idea pretty organically as we chatted about the wildlife re-introduction process and the ways they currently monitor wildlife numbers in the park. The folks at DNPW and WWF sound quite keen to begin some research collaboration this coming year with us, and I'm glad Michael and I prioritized time to build those relationships. On Monday we said goodbye to Lin as she headed back to Botswana, then Michael and I drove to Livingstone. Having been in Livingstone last weekend, I already knew what it was like, so it was really great seeing Michael be totally blown away by all the city people, restaurants, shops, and 2 story buildings. We had fun wandering around, getting lost, and eating a ton of really good food. We have a special place in our hearts for Sesheke, but it is by no means a city. The fact that Sesheke ever felt like a city to us speaks to how much time we have spent in remote areas of rural Zambia. We felt like the Zambian village children this time, amazed to see so many white people in one place. I'm writing this on my flight back home and reflecting on all of the new and unique experiences I've had these past two months: flying drones in the Chobe river floodplain in Botswana, digging ourselves out of the sand more times than i can count, being immersed in village life and the language, playing sports with village children in Kapau and Makande, crossing international borders on my own, learning to drive stick in Zambia, and many others. They've all offered an opportunity to learn, challenge my own paradigms, and grow into a more worldly and introspective person. Southern Africa has given me so much, and I am eager to give back in any way an academic researcher can. I am so grateful to Dr. Pricope and all of the KAZAVA collaborators for supporting me and allowing me into their network. Michael gets a special shout out; we started out as two unacquainted grad students working on the same project, but by experiencing all the challenges and joys of a productive field season, we became both an unstoppable duo and great friends. I'm excited to pursue some of the research ideas we have developed in Zambia together. Lastly, for anyone who has not yet stepped foot on the African continent, this is my 5 star recommendation. It turns out Africa is huge and offers so much to the new traveller: the diverse cultures, the wildlife, and spectacular landscapes. I've only seen small parts of 3 countries, but I'm obsessed now. Africa will be high on my list for travelling the rest of my life, and I will do everything I can to get family and friends to experience it as well. Kyle Woodward.

[thoughtsiguess2]

wowza. it’s been a weekend to say the least. this past weekend was supposed to go a certain way. i had it all mapped out in my mind, but one thing lead to another and it was nothing like i, or anyone for that matter, could have ever thought it would be lie. first of all, i went to colorado last thursday which was the start of my weekend. i flew out in the middle of the day. the flight was fine, my mom picked me up from the airport, and then i was supposed to surprise portia at school, but my plan to do that fell through the cracks. that’s a long, boring story that i don’t really feel like telling so i won’t, just know it didn’t work. so then i opted to surprise portia at home, which i did and that was all great or whatever. then the rest of thursday went off without a hitch, i surprised my dad blah blah blah. 

so on friday, me, my mom, and portia all flew to california. and then when we landed, we discovered that my grandma had the wrong time for when our flight got in so she and my cousin, who is staying with her, were still both asleep when we landed, so we had to take an uber to her retirement community. and that was a wild ride bc the guy didn’t speak english which would usually be whatever, but he didn’t know where to go when we tried to get in and it was a hot mess and my mom was being so rude to him bc he didn’t speak english and then she told him the wrong way to turn when we got into the place. so we got dropped off and then we were just walking around trying to find my grandma’s house for like 5 minutes before my grandma found us on her golf cart. so then we got to her house and put our stuff down and relaxed for a hot sec, actually more like a hot few hours, but those few hours were actually super cold bc my cousin who is staying with her lives in sweden now and he likes it super cold so her house was super cold. then later we went to the main street area of the town she lives close to and we shopped for a bit and ate dinner and went out on the pier by the ocean and then we went back to her house, got ready for bed and such. 

then saturday, we got up super early to get ready to go to Disneyland. my cousin drove us and then we started our, what we thought was gonna be 18ish hour Disney adventure. the early part of the day wasn’t so bad, we waited in short lines to ride rides with lines usually estimated to be waited in for up to two hours, nothing bad at all. then portia was a brat like usual, but who wasn’t expecting that. we went to california adventure and rode a ride or two over there, got some lunch and then my mom’s cousin who we had never met before was there and found her getting beer (bc let’s be real, that’s the most logical place to find pam anywhere) and so we met her and then went about our day. then back to actual Disneyland we went. so around dinnerish time, we got a turkey leg to split between the 3 of us, bc they’re gigantic and we all love turkey. so we ate some and then kept it to eat later bc there was still a lot left and we weren’t gonna pay for another one later when the lines were longer and we were more tired. so then we walked around for a bit longer and then we sat down to eat some more turkey and here’s where we (more like i) made the biggest mistake of the entire goddamn trip. i ate some turkey leg and it was so good that i forgot how to chew it properly, and so some got stuck in my throat. but like i’ve had that happen before so i was like, i’ll just chill for a sec and it’ll pass. but it didn’t. so i went to the bathroom to get it out and it wouldn’t come out. i figured i’d be fine after a while, but i was oh so wrong. after that, we went in line to ride the train and then i was like “im gonna throw up,” so i went to the bathroom to do so and it was still bad and i couldn’t get it out. 

at this point, i was lowky dying but i couldn’t do anything about it. and having this turkey stuck in my throat was an experience i would only wish upon my worst enemy, not even my 2nd worst enemy deserves to go through that. what was happening was the turkey was blocking the opening from my esophagus to my stomach, so nothing could get in my stomach, not even my spit. i could breathe, but spit was filling up my throat and i was having to throw it up in order to keep breathing and to not die. this caused us to go back to my grandma’s way earlier than we anticipated, but it was for my sake.

when we got there, i tried everything google suggested i do. i drank soda, nothing. i ate bread to try to push it down, nothing but me having to spit up gross bread and spit. i tried drinking hot water, nothing. i tried sleeping it off, nothing but having a spit bow next to me while i slept. in the morning, my grandma had me try some more stuff and still nothing worked. finally, after taking a shower to get ready for my grandma’s 70th birthday party (which was the only goddamn mother fucking reason i was in california in the first fucking place), i made the executive decision (as i am the one in charge of me and my body) that i needed to go to an urgent care to get this fucking thing out of my esophagus so i could continue on normally, bc i had flights to catch so i could get back to school so i didn’t miss more than i already had planned on missing. so my mom was like “can you wait until we leave to go to the party in like an hour and a half?” bc the party wasn’t close to where my grandma lives and my mom didn’t want us to be stuck there without a car or anything, so i was like, yeah, fine, i’ll get ready and sit here with my spit bucket and wait for everyone to be ready. so that’s what i did. 

so my cousin dropped me and pam off at the urgent care near LAX bc that was the closest one and it was gonna be easy to get an uber to the party once we were done. so first, they didn’t take our insurance for some fucking reason, and second, they were like, we can’t really do anything for you. so my mom and i were like fuck, now we gotta go to an ER bc that was the only place that was gonna be able to help us. so our first option was to take an uber, but that was gonna take 5eva and it was gonna cost hella money. so pam texted my cousin, and she texted her best friend who was gonna be going to my grandma’s party to see if she had already left her house to go to it, but luckily, she hadn’t and she agreed to pick us up (she is my godmother after all) and take us to the ER and even stay with us for a bit. so we did that and i got into the ER fairly quickly and i got a bed in the hallway and we waited for ages to be seen by the ER doctor, which was annoying but like i wasn’t gonna die if she didn’t see me right away so i was fine with it. and she was basically like, we can give you some carbonation and some drugs to see if it’ll work and get whatever’s stuck out and if not, we’ll have to call in a GI doctor and you’ll have to have a procedure done later. to make a looooong story shorter, the drugs and stuff didn’t work and i ended up having to have minor surgery to get it out. it sucked and i missed my grandma’s party and i missed getting to see people i haven’t in forever, but i could finally go on like normal. 

then on monday, i flew from los angeles to denver and then right away from denver to lincoln. and now i’m back to my normal life. but this weekend was an EXPERIENCE to say the least. i’m glad i was able to see people i haven’t seen in forever, but i’m also super sad that i had to deal with what i had to deal with. but the aftermath of it all isn’t necessarily impacting me, but i know that miranda is being impacted by this more than i am. pam is taking all the resentment she has against me and missing the party out on miranda because miranda couldn’t go because she had to work and it’s all just a hot mess and i know that now pam is spiraling into an even hotter mess than she usually is bc of stuff and no one knows how to deal with her. even mamaw is at a loss for how to handle her own daughter. but now miranda is super ready to move out and pam thinks the world is even more against her than usual, and i can’t do anything to help miranda deal with pam because i’m almost 500 miles away from it all. so now all i can do is watch this play out from afar and hope that i don’t feel any lasting impacts from their (pam and miranda) falling out. 

but now i have this new, weird appreciation for what life has to offer. i didn’t almost die, but i had a life changing experience. i’m taking things slower now and trying to live life like i want to, not how others want me to. i’m not gonna be doing winter guard this season even though i already signed the contract, i need to find myself before i can commit to something like that here. i’m gonna become more involved in my studies so i’m not just barely retaining information that i need to know and understand. i’m changing my major to something i’m actually interested in and not just something that will let me have a career that makes me money. my life should be lived by me, for me, on my terms. not the terms of others and certainly not by the terms of my parents. 

#10/4/17