#I wonder what it is in Kentucky and Indiana

[arlo-venn]

You guys think I might need a new handicapped tag…? 😅

I love how the government agrees I am disabled enough that I can’t walk through a parking lot but says I’m abled enough to work a job lol

#it crumbles more every time I touch it #I had two #they both did this #Tyrell did it somehow (at least to this one) #I don’t remember what happened to the first one #wondering if I should get a new one for $5 or get the license plate one for $15 #idk if I need a new doctors note to get it replaced or not which is why I’ve been putting it off #I wonder if you can do it online #hey in Ohio they call the dmv the bmv #ain’t that sumthin #in NJ it’s like mvd and sometimes bmv #florida was bmv #I think Arizona was also bmv but I didn’t have a license when I lived there so I forget #I wonder what it is in Kentucky and Indiana #I live very near the border to both #oh maybe I should look for doctors in Indiana #I wonder if they have that stupid Medicaid law

[atomicwinnerdreamland]

One of my favorites of Ben's videos is "Table News: Convicts, Homelessness, and the Kentucky Derby" for many reasons, this being one of them:

Gov: He murdered his wife?!?

Indiana: Allegedly.

Gov: Oh yeah, I've heard that one before.

Indiana: Just because he admitted to hitting her head with a flower pot and then dumping her body in a river doesn't mean he killed her.

Florida: Yeah, that math checks out.

Gov: Okay, maybe we don't talk about convicted felons today, huh.

Alabama: Oh.. *crosses out something on paper*

Louisiana: Mais, come on now, just one more can't hurt.

Gov: What, Alabama?

Alabama: It ain't nothing we can't just move right on past.

Florida: Booo, spill the tea.

Gov: Let's hear it.

Alabama: A corrections officer helped an inmate escape and now they're both on the run.

Louisiana: Hehe, today just keeps getting better :D

Holy shit, these are some wild ass criminal stories. Sweet, cinnamon roll Indiana talking about a murder in his state with a smile on his face is both unsettling (like, is he used to this?!?) and cute (aww, Indy <3). This fic by @xechoecho88x is such a wonderful Indiana story if ya wanna read one :D

Along with that, Alabama's criminal story is crazy: the corrections officer apparently fell in love with the inmate, helped him escape, and then were found in Indiana (corrections officer died and the inmate was captured). Honestly this case got me intrigued, so I imagine Alabama and Indiana talking about it after the meeting like, "I can't believe your corrections officer & inmate ended up in my state, 'bama." "I can't believe it neither honestly, but your dude murdered his wife with a flower pot?" "Yeah no yeah, I can't believe he used a flower pot too." "Wha- the murder didn't surprise you?"

Loui and Florida being super into the criminal stories and Gov looking like he needs an aspirin was so lovely to see :) Of course the Chaos Duo would be intrigued by stories related to crime, but I'm kinda shocked Gov wasn't as into the stories as they are considering his shadiness lol (or... was he?)

#wttt #welcome to the table #ben brainard #wttsh #welcome to the statehouse #wttt indiana #wttt alabama #wttt louisiana #wttt florida #wttt gov #indiana x alabama are definitely true crime enthusiasts #they talk about every criminal activity they hear about (especially the ones Floui do)

[solarpunkani]

Hey do you happen to know of any resources for someone in Iowa looking to get into native plant gardening? Thanks in advance! (Love your blog btw)

*cracks knuckles* sorry for keeping you hanging since November 3rd, homie, but I'm back home and down to get started!

Before I do, a special reminder that I'm not based in Iowa! I don't think I've ever even set foot in Iowa. I'm a Florida girlie lol. However, I will do my best to give you my advice and find some resources for you!

In my experience, many native plants grow slowly from seed. This could be because I mostly prefer perennials (I am way too lazy to replace an annual every year), but they can take awhile to germinate and an even longer while to size up. I've gotten seeds that say to wait upwards of 3 weeks to see any germination, and that's often after waiting a month or more for proper cold stratification! All of this is just to say--you gotta have a bit of patience when it comes to all gardening, but especially with native plants!

If you can get your hands on some seeds now, they'll likely need cold stratification. Fortunately, cold stratification is happening right now--put the seeds where you want them to grow, and let chilly winters do the work for you! Needing cold stratification basically means the plant has evolved to know it needs to wait until after winter to start germinating, so as things warm back up in spring, your seeds'll start growing!

Once they start growing and get established, they'll really start going--if they're in their perfect conditions, they'll be more than ready to take over a bit and manage on their own! Keep an eye out for watering needs, but generally I find native plants don't need much when it comes to fertilizer and pesticides. If you don't want things to spread a lot, you can always choose to grow certain plants in pots instead--or if you're really determined to grow a plant your soil isn't quite right for, a pot does wonders. My soil isn't very moist, so I grow a good chunk of my swamp milkweeds in pots to keep a better eye on their care.

Iowa's got a handful of growing zones going on, so knowing what the zone for your region is will help you pick the best plants! You can also pick plants known to have grown historically well in your region--I've seen plant range maps break things down by counties for my state, which helps give a good idea of whether it's a good idea for me to grow something touted as a native to my state. It's entirely possible for something to be native to your state, but not your half of the state, for example!

Browsing through a couple of sites, I hope these'll be helpful to you!

This is a link to Iowa Native Plants, which has a nice primer on the importance of native gardening as well as a few guides to native plants in their Finder tab! They also seem to sell a hanfdul of books on native gardening that may be an interesting read for you!

My Home Park appears to have a lot of information on native plants, and sells native plants that can be shipped to your state! I can't say I've ever had a plant shipped to me before, let alone from them (they don't service my state) but it could be worth a shot! If anything else, could be a good source of information! They also have a blog, and a feature that lets you mock up a garden to see what it'd look like (I didn't try it though). They also seem to service North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, Ohio, West Virginia, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Maine.

The Tallgrass Prairie Center links to a ton of resources on learning about native plants, planting them, landowner incentive programs, and organizations you can join that are full of others who are passionate about native plants! The Tallgrass Prairie Center itself aims to establish and protect native plants, restore ecosystems, and increase awareness and appreciation of the Tallgrass Prairie Ecosystem. I think their site's definitely worth a look-through, or you can use it as a bouncing off point to find other sites full of info!

The Iowa Native Plant Society is a nonprofit organization full of people who are enthusiastic about native plants! They host field trips, workshops, have a newsletter, and more! It could be a fun way to learn more about native ecosystems on their trips, and if they're anything like the native plant society for my state, the calendar on their site will probably start lighting up with different chapters' native plant sales as we get closer to spring, so keep an eye out! They've also got books and lots of resource links on their site!

Oftentimes when I look up information on how to grow a particular plant in my state, the university extensions office is one of the best resources. As such, I think the Iowa State University's Extension and Outreach website is likely to have some good info for you about gardening! I've also in the past emailed some staff from various offices questions about native gardening and gotten good answers, so they're definitely a resource to be utilized!

I almost forgot to link the Xerces Society! The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation has a primary focus of protecting insects in the US, but that often goes hand in hand with native plants, so they're a great resource for learning about plants and the insects that rely on them! Especially helpful is their Pollinator Conservation Resource Center, which has lists of plants and suppliers by region! You can also find just their plant lists here!

Speaking of plant lists, The National Wildlife Federation has a list of keystone plants by ecoregion! Keystone plants are highly important, as they're vital to the lifecycle of many species of insect, which then help feed birds and other creatures--you get the picture. I used the National Wildife Federation a good bit when I was writing my Biodiversity Saga on increasing biodiversity in your yard/on your balcony/in your area on a budget.

iNaturalist is a fantastic website for cataloguing the cool insects you find in your new native garden, as well as learning about the variety of plants, animals, insects, etc. that are in your area! Make an account and just vibe around!

Books can be a great resource! Unfortunately, my attention span is frequently lacking when it comes to books, and I definitely haven't read any that focus on Iowa's native flora. However! I've got a few general books that are nice reads, so you can definitely see if you can find these in a library or online (I'm including Thriftbooks links because fuck Amazon).

Hellstrip Gardening by Evelyn J. Hadden is a book I read last month that honestly inspired so many new projects out of me that next year is gonna be busy. Might as well get a healthy dose of inspiration now so you can do some planning and be roaring and ready to go come spring! I liveblogged it on my gardening blog, and shared some of my favorite notes as well!

Attracting Native Pollinators by the Xerces Society is a book that offers a generalized view on why its important, ways you can utilize native plants at any scale from swaths of farmland to a school garden or a small yard, and provides lists of plants that can be good for your region near the end! They also have Gardening for Butterflies, which I honestly haven't read yet, but I checked it out from the library so Mayhaps Soon. PS: you can buy Attracting Native Pollinators and Gardening for Butterflies from the Xerces site directly, and support their work! However. Hoo buddy, the pricing.

(Psst, here's the plant list from Attracting Native Pollinators, don't tell Xerces)

My final message to you, young padawan, is to grow milkweed. If there's a milkweed native to your state, grow it. If there's several native to your region, grow a ton of it. Milkweed is the host plant for Monarchs, but it's also such a high-value nectar source for so many other insects you've just gotta try and grow some in my book. Also a lot of the sites I saw for your state had pictures of blazing star and black eyed susans and let me tell you. Plant those. You'll have so many happy pollinators.

I can't think of anything else. If any Iowa gardeners wanna chime in with their favorite resources and such, feel free to!

#gardening #iowa #native plants #native gardening #outdoor gardening #resources #out of queue #ani rambles #answered asks #anonymous #ok time to eat something today peace out byeeeee

[frida-kahl-of-the-rocky-horror]

I saw this back when I used to use Reddit (for animal crossing and trans+ stuff mostly), and I felt so honoured that they used my Florida flag redesign in this that I screenshotted it. But when I looked to find the original poster, they had deleted the post (likely because of negative replies, vexillology Reddit is scary).

They recreated the state flags to be more about symbolism and individuality rather than about aesthetics (which is the problem I see with a lot of over simplified state flags). All while keeping the flags that actually carry deep meaning and are beloved by the residents.

I’m not the biggest fan of Nebraska’s, Virginia’s, and Wisconsin’s, but all the others are wonderful (especially Florida’s… I will not apologize for being biased lol)

The original Reddit person’s caption:

“I kept some flags which I believe are currently great. Most of them are all over State merchandise, and people of these states carry a lot of state pride for these flags. They are:

1. Alabama

2. Alaska

3. Arizona

4. Arkansas

5. California

6. Colorado

7. lowa

8. Maryland

9. Mississippi

10. Missouri

11. New Mexico

12. Ohio, my home state! [not mine, OPs]

13. Rhode Island

14. South Carolina

15. Tennessee

16. Texas

17. Utah

18. Wyoming

19. District of Columbia [I believe you mean the Douglass Commonwealth]

20. Guam

21. The Northern Mariana Islands

22. Puerto Rico

I've switched some State’s boring Seal on a Bedsheet flags into their more popular historical ones. They are:

23. Conecticut ~ New England Flag

24. Hawaii ~ Kanaka Maoli

25. Maine ~ Original State Flag

26. Vermont ~ Green Mountain Boys Flag

27. Virginia ~ Gadsden Flag

28. West Virginia ~ Original State Flag

I've made a few tweaks to some existing flags so they look more unique / are more easily recognizable. They are:

29. Indiana ~ Golden Frame

30. New Jersey ~ Added Stripes

31. North Carolina ~ Un-Tex-ified

32. Oklahoma ~ Added Stripes

33. American Samoa ~ Added Southern Cross

I designed some using the Pan Cascade colours for the Pacific Northwest (BC will have the tree one). They are:

34. Idaho

35. Oregon

36. Washington

I borrowed some other designs which I found on here which I found beautiful. I mostly looked for flags which were designed by locals from the states that they are redesigning or included state symbols on their old flags. They are:

37. Florida [omg they chose mine!!!]

38. Georgia

39. Kansas

40. Kentucky

41. Louisiana

42. Michigan

43. Montana

44. Nevada

45. New Hampshire

46. New York

47. North Dakota [I prefer my communist flag better wajajaja]

48. Pennsylvania

49. South Dakota

50. Wisconsin

51. Virgin Islands

I left the flags currently in the process of a redesign blank, for, given the recent track record, any new flags are probably going to look amazing like Utah’s and Mississippi’s. They are:

52. Illinois [this is your reminder to vote for your new state flag if you’re from this state!!!]

53. Massachusetts [this is your reminder to vote for your new state flag if you’re from this state!!!]

54. Minnesota [this is your reminder to vote for your new state flag if you’re from this state!!!]

I kept one Seal on a Bedsheet flag to honour this horrid time in American vexillological history. That is:

55. Delaware

And lastly

56. Nebraska (idk)”

While I agree with most of the OP’s opinions, I think Nebraska’s flag would look better if it looked something like this:

Better designed of course, I made this on Pic Collage in like 5 minutes

Im not sure about Wisconsin and Virginia, I just know I’m not the biggest fan of either (since Virginia’s flag has a separate meaning and Wisconsin’s is just bland.

Let me know what you think!

And if you’re the OP of this, please let me know, I like your choices!!

#usa #united states #state flags #alabama #alaska #arizona #arkansas #california #colorado #conecticut #delaware #florida #georgia #hawaii #idaho #illinois #indiana #iowa #kansas #kentucky #lousiana #maine #maryland #massachusetts #michigan #minnesota #mississippi #missouri #montana #nebraska

[blueskiesrry]

snippet time!!

@babyhoneyheslt tagged me to post a snippet so here's the debut of what has been lovingly referred to as abe lincoln au (it's uh complicated?). anyway, enjoy my lovely idiots

Louis gets Harry settled in the bath, bubbles littering the surface with lavender and eucalyptus filling the bathroom in a haze. Harry wonders briefly where Louis would’ve gotten bath supplies. Once Harry has let his eyes slip shut again in the midst of the warm water, Louis slips out of the room, returning not long later with a stool and a book. “What are you doing?” Harry asks, head tilting lazily to the side. Sitting down on the stool with a shrug, Louis says, “Thought I’d read to you.” Harry can’t make out what the book is, eyes too heavy, head still sitting in a lingering fog from his orgasm, from being so utterly consumed by Louis. Huffing a soft laugh, he lets his head loll back against the wall. “Lincoln was largely self-educated. His schooling mostly came from traveling school teachers and included two stints in Kentucky where he first learned to read—” “What is that?” Harry’s eyes pop open. He cranes his neck, attempting to peer at the book. Giving him a disapproving look, Louis shields the pages from view. “A biography on Lincoln.” He shrugs. “Lincoln only attended school sporadically after his family’s move to Indiana due to—” “Why?” Louis looks at him with saturated eyes, a soft frown painting his lips. He breaks their stare, his thumb fidgeting with the corner of the page. Shoulders dipping forward, he appears suddenly self-conscious. “I don’t know. I bought it after we talked about him that one time. Thought it’d be interesting.” Searching Louis’ features, Harry bites his lip to keep it from wobbling. He feels overcome with emotion, with the need to pull Louis as close as possible, but he swallows it down. “Well—” he takes a deep breath— “well does it say he was gay?” He sinks further into the bath, his chin dipping into the bubbles while he hides a secret grin. A slow smile spreads across Louis’ face when he peers at him again. “When did he meet… what’s his name?” “Joshua Speed,” Harry murmurs softly. “Yeah.” Louis flips through the pages of his book

i will taaaag @harruandlou @petitommo and @larry-hiatus (no pressure ofc) <3

#abe lincoln au #fanfic #snippet #rip lincoln you would've loved 1d

[evolutiononthebrain]

Alabama, Indiana, Kentucky Trio Incorrect Quotes!

I just love them <3 these three deserve more love (so do, like, half of the states tbh lmao)

I don’t BELIEVE there are any triggering topics, but some of these are Indiana/Alabama; nothing too shippy but if you don’t like the ship,, sorry ig

— — — —

Indiana: Without ugly, there would be no beauty in this world.

Kentucky: Thank you for your sacrifice, Alabama.

***

Kentucky: Alabama gave me a get better soon card.

Indiana: That's sweet!

Kentucky: I wasn't sick, they just think I can do better.

***

Alabama/Indiana Ship!

Kentucky: That shirt looks great, Alabama.

Alabama: Thanks.

Kentucky: But I bet it would look even better on Indiana's floor.

Indiana: Are you hitting on Alabama... for me?

***

*Something crashes*

Indiana: Shoot-

Alabama: *running into the room in a panic* WHAT FELL?!

Kentucky: *walking by the room calmly* What died?

***

Kentucky: Regular soda is too sweet!

Alabama: Diet soda has a weird after taste!

Kentucky: No! Ugh, oh my god. Diet soda is THE BEST! It doesn't have sugar! It's SPICY!

Alabama: It has other weird stuff in it! I'll take REGULAR sugar in my REGULAR soda!

Kentucky: It's SO SWEET like it's a dessert though! Diet feels more like a drink!

Alabama: I'm going to physically attack you.

Kentucky: Which is better, Indiana?

Indiana: Oh, I usually drink water!

Alabama: Wha- NO!

Kentucky: DISGUSTING!

***

Fun Fact: Indiana’s state drink is water, Alabama’s is Conecuh Ridge Whiskey, and Kentucky’s is milk!

***

Kentucky, to Indiana: You know, Alabama can be really aggressive, so it's important to take all the necessary precautions when approaching.

Kentucky: *blows airhorn at Alabama* GET FUCKED!

***

Alabama/Indiana Ship!

Indiana: Come on, Kentucky. Nobody actually believes that Alabama is in love with me.

Kentucky, to the South: Raise your hand if you think that Alabama is helplessly in love with Indiana.

*Everyone raises their hand*

Indiana: Alabama, put your hand down.

***

Indiana: Everyone thinks I'm this soft cute person but I'm not!

Alabama: Indiana, you cried for an hour after stepping on a bug yesterday.

Indiana: It had feelings! It was probably going home to dinner and I killed it!

Kentucky: ...It was a bug.

Indiana: It was a BEETLE, and its wife is definitely worried sick, wondering where it is, and I really don't get why you all think I'm so sentimental because I'm not!

Alabama: ...

Kentucky: ...

Indiana: Stop looking at me like that!

***

Fun Fact: Indiana’s state fruit is lychee, Alabama’s is peaches, and Kentucky’s is blackberries!

***

Alabama/Indiana Ship!

Indiana: Why doesn’t Alabama find me sexy when I bite my lip?

Kentucky: What do you look like when you bite your lip?

Indiana: *bites lip*

Kentucky: ...Have you considered biting your bottom lip instead?

***

Kentucky: If you get in trouble, I'm gonna be like... a lawyer to you. Ok?

Indiana: Okay.

*later*

Gov: Indiana! Sit down on the chair, you're in trouble.

Kentucky, whispering: Deny everything.

Indiana, loudly: That isn't a chair.

***

Alabama: I apologize for saying 'fuck' in front of Indiana.

Kentucky: You just said it again.

Indiana:

Alabama: I am not a role model.

***

Indiana: Are you drunk?

Alabama: Only on the spirit of Christmas!

Kentucky: And the spirit of whiskey.

***

Alabama & Indiana: *accidentally set the kitchen on fire*

Alabama: We need an adult!

Indiana: Alabama, we are adults!

Alabama: We need an adultier adult! Get Kentucky!

***

*Kentucky dies in a game with ships*

Indiana: This ship is no longer a ship of love, it's a ship of vengeance, a gavel of justice against all that is wrong in the world, showing no mercy, as no mercy was shown to us.

Indiana: The spark of love will now fuel the fires of destructive glory as I wage my war across the world with righteous fury.

Alabama: Legend has it that Kentucky still haunts the ship, stealing my fucking drinks.

Kentucky: Of course I do.

***

Kentucky: Alabama, I know you love Indiana. I mean, we all do, they’re a very nice person and I respect them immensely.

Kentucky: But I think they might be a fucking idiot.

***

Alabama: Hey, Kentucky you're smart, tell me what would happen if I chugged 3 gallons of chloroform.

Kentucky: Have you ever been to a mortuary?

Alabama: Yea, my grandma lives there.

Indiana: That is the worst response to that question.

***

Kentucky: I'm not doing to well.

Indiana: What's wrong?

Kentucky: I have this headache that comes and goes.

*Alabama enters the room*

Kentucky: There it is again.

***

*Alabama is laying on the floor with their eyes closed*

Indiana: Hey, are they sleeping or dead?

Kentucky: Hopefully dead, I hated them.

Indiana: Yeah, me too.

Alabama, sitting up: First of all, fuck you guys.

***

Alabama: When you work at lush and a customer comes in and bites the soap because they think it’s cheese... this happens way more frequently than you think.

Indiana: If you stopped literally presenting soap as deli food this wouldn't happen.

Alabama: Who goes into a bath store and thinks something covered in glitter is cheese?

Kentucky: Who goes to the store and just takes a bite from the cheese?

***

Indiana: So, are you two friends?

Kentucky: Yes.

Alabama: No.

***

Indiana: I’m afraid of clowns. There, I said it.

Kentucky: Indiana, if you don't like clowns, why are you hanging with Alabama?

***

Indiana: It smells like henway in here.

Kentucky:

Alabama: Kentucky.

Alabama, forcefully: Doesn't it smell like henway in here?

Kentucky: *sigh*

Kentucky: What's a henway?

Indiana: OH ABOUT TEN POUNDS!

#wttt indiana #wttt alabama #wttt kentucky #wttt #welcome to the table #welcome to the statehouse #wttsh #ben brainard #his silly little characters have infested my brain #wttt gov

[willowworkswithwords]

Who is Steve Harrington?

For all Robin says Steve’s Steveness is what makes her like him, he wonders sometimes if it wouldn’t be better for him to change. The ex-basketball star who works two jobs now and still takes girls to dates at the same diner every other week, though the dates have stopped since spring break. Something like that now seems so small in comparison to the whole world nearly crumbling for the umpteenth time. He’s still himself, after it all, and a not-so-small part of him wonders if that’s for the best.

Dustin is running out of his house, backpack on one shoulder with the zipper thrown open, books half-crammed in and half spilling out. Steve smiles. No matter what’s changed, he’s glad this hasn’t.

“Hey, you tryin’ to be late three times before the month is out, Dustin?”

“I was trying to find my algebra textbook, I think Lucas took it because I left my notes in it and he can’t figure out the third equation from last week’s test and—”

The drive goes on like that. Steve asks a question or sends a soft, harmless dig at Dustin and Dustin has a page and a half to say back to him. The cool October air whips past them. His fingers itch for a cigarette. There’s not even the ghost of a pack in his car anymore, just the zippo lighter he keeps in his jean pocket. The last run-in with the Upside Down had left Steve with a newfound appreciation for being able to breathe well, so the cigarettes (much to Robin’s delight) went out the window.

It wasn’t easy. But it was a change, and a change, so far, altogether for the better.

Dustin left the car the same way he came, a bundle of thoughts and unorganized books. Steve was laughing as he pulled away from the school towards Family Video, off to shift one of two. And the day was good. Robin was with him his whole shift, and when they clocked out at three, Robin rode her bike off to her community college classes and Steve went to Rick’s.

Rick’s Diner was the new Benny’s, a small building on the east side of town alongside the country road that ran alongside Hawkins from out of town, carrying dozens of people from Ohio, Kentucky, and other parts of Indiana right to the front doors. Tired families and truckers and college students. Most people there were just those passing through, but on occasion he’d see Mr. Clarke or one of Robin’s band friends. It was something Steve never would have thought he'd be doing, but he almost always looked forward to his shifts.

“Steve!”

Steve broke into a grin, spinning his keys on his finger once, twice, before he tucked them into his jeans next to the zippo.

Rick was a small man with a ring of thick brown hair around his head and was never seen out of overalls. He could do everything the diner needed—count the till, greet the customers, flips the burgers, fix the oven—but he’d started to feel the diner needed something, a little nudge. So when Steve had happened upon the diner one day not long after Spring Break, still bearing the bruises from the final showdown that everyone else in Hawkins assumed was a scuffle with the leftover fanatics that believed Jason’s story, Rick had come over with Steve's coffee and hotdog and sat down across from him. By the end of that night, Steve had the job.

Steve didn’t have to think long about accepting, besides telling Rick he’d never cooked at a restaurant before. Rick had just laughed at him and told him it was all about the people, not the burgers. Was he good with people? he’d asked him. He’d given a pointed yet teasing glance at Steve’s busted face. But Steve had told him that if he could survive Scoops Ahoy assholes and airheads, he’d be fine with the random people coming through.

“Hey Rick!” Steve hollered as he made him way around the counter.

“This fuckin’ fryer’s busted half to hell, I have no idea what I did to it!”

He said it was a bark of laughter and a clang of metal against metal.

“Did you turn the knob all the way and then down to four-fifty?”

“…No I did not.”

Steve rounded the corner to see Rick crouched in front of the fryer with a wrench in hand.

“Ok Mr. Fix-it. Do your thing.”

Steve took the wrench, grinned, and got to work.

#stranger things #willow writes #my fic #steve harrington #oc Rick #not Reefer Rick #mention of Robin Buckley #Robin Buckley #there will be others in this fic #i think eddie's up next #we'll see! #This was came out of me this morning at the coffee shop #I was reworking this angsty little thing i'd started a month or so ago #and i think this is a much more coherent kinda look at steve #character study #part 1 of ?

[slickshoesareyoucrazy]

We're All Mad Here

My favorite week of the year that has nothing to do with J or our son is this week. I love the NCAA tournament. J bought me a live TV service to get all the games and the selection show tomorrow (he does this every year because he loves me; he also tells me to go in the kitchen or he's gonna turn off the games if I get too worked up because he loves me).

I told my best friend of 30+ years that I lived D/s with J and found out he lives it with his partner too, because of tournament week (specifically watching Kentucky play). It went like this:

Me: Fuck! (Kentucky missed a critical shot; they're all critical in March) <starts nervously pacing>

J: You need to go in the kitchen. Or I'm going to change the channel.

Me: But you won't even tell me what's happening. :(

J: Text A. He'll give you the score and the time. You're getting too upset actually watching it. Me: <pout face> J: Kitchen. Text A.

Me to A on text: Hey. J said I'm not allowed to watch the UK game, so can you text me the scores and shit please? I know you're watching.

A: <Score; Time left in half> J said you're NOT ALLOWED to watch? ???

Me: He like...CARES about my health and anxiety and shit. You know. <eye roll>

A: Oh. So the game WAS on. But you're pacing or something.

Me: Yes. Update me.

A: <Score; Time left in half> So...he said stop watching and you just stopped?

Me: Yes.

A: <raised eyebrow emoji>

Me: Look if I could watch UK without having my blood pressure raise, he wouldn't send me in the other room. It's...*loving.*

A: I think I got it. You know S <his partner> is also a UK fan. So she'd never tell me I couldn't watch the game. Because she understands the need to watch it. She just accepts that the cardiac event that eventually kills me will be Wildcat basketball related. That's what you get for marrying a Hoosier (J is from Indiana and he's a car guy; he's not even that into basketball, which is why he can just casually watch tournament games).

Me: Is...S pretty much like J? Except for the Hoosier part? (I know that implication was really subtle, but A and I have known each other for a long time).

A: Yeah. Now you know that. But we've always been kinda leading parallel lives, you and me. <shrug>

Me: O.O !!!!!

A: Are you really that surprised? I wasn't. :)

Me: Not really. :)

I'm watching a local team play against my favorite all time college head coach for a conference championship right now. It's awesome. I'm ready for a bunch of upsets even if UK doesn't get into the bracket this year; even if one of the upsets is UK. I'm ready for Reggie Miller (huge crush since like 1990) calling games. I'm ready for wall to wall games on Thursday and Friday.

Not to be nasty, but fuck Christmas; THIS is the most wonderful time of the year.

#Shaka Smart is the man #I wish he'd coach Kentucky #I miss my buddy Eric who used to watch games with me here on tumblr #setting up to watch games long distance with A all day Thursday and Friday which is almost as good as having him here with me #college basketball is like the one sports obsession I adopted for my dad as a kid that's survived into my 40s #just let me have it #if you want to talk about games I'm here all week #if I'm quiet you know why; I'm watching hoops and probably cursing refs in my living room

[karmacommon]

I have not been updating my blog! My first journey out this year was in February and March. I was fortunate to visit my cousins Eric and Dianne Common in Guntersville, Alabama. My dOg and their Roscoe, Winston, and Teddy (cat) got along well. It's so welcoming at their home. I stayed in Nashville on my way south to Alabama. It actually *snowed* in Nashville when we were there. I had my Sorel boots and dOg had his snowsuit, so we were cozy. It all melted in two days!

I went back to Michigan for the Celebration of Life on April 2, 2022 for my brother Chris L Common and his wife, Cindy Jones Common. They were tragically killed by a distracted 17 year old girl driver in Sarasota, Florida just after Christmas, 2021. They were out running as they did on a regular basis, and the girl hit them. My two brothers were at the celebration. My niece and nephew, Kelly and Chris, did an absolutely wonderful job in this remembrance gathering for their parents.

I stayed at my son's house in Ferndale. I flew out to see our mom on her 93rd birthday on May 27, 2022. I surprised her! I hadn't seen her since she moved from Michigan to California in December, 2021. She showed me all around her beautiful new place, Emerald Court, Anaheim. Mom introduced me to her new friends. I feel her move was a very good one. I got her full keyboard set up for her to play. She also can play the baby grand at Emerald Court. It's amazing how the mind puts out the music! She's an incredible pianist. She enjoys going to activities, but I know she misses regular church attendance.

I left Michigan again on June 17, 2022. I picked up my trailer in Piqua, Ohio and proceeded to Indiana. Next I went through Kentucky, and then stayed in the Nashville area for about a week. My journey route was dictated at first by available RV sites.

Then it was across the great Mississippi River to Arkansas! This was my first time to this state. I thought about two friends' experiences in Arkansas.

Then I made it to Texas! We stayed at a Love's Truck Stop south of Texarkana. That will hopefully never happen again in hot weather. Hardly slept; my Jackery battery ran out of steam to power the fan. The only good thing about it is that we were on the road by 6am! Traveling when it's 80° rather than the afternoon temp of 107° was a bit easier. You know travel at that time of the day will not happen often for me!

I finally got to San Antonio, where my cousins live. Charlie and Debbie Common, originally from the Flint, Michigan area, are raising their 18 month old granddaughter. The four of us plus dOg hung out, and went out to dinner for their 45th anniversary.

Next we drove a bit out of our way, but I wanted to see the Tesla Giga Factory, SE of Austin. It was a sight to behold. Huge! Previously, I'd seen its grand opening on TV - the Cyber Rodeo!

Then we stayed at a state park near Burnet, Texas. This was my first time not having cell service! Couldn't pick up any TV stations on my antenna, either. What to do, what to do? I'd just bought my new Purple mattress, plus I had a book given to me by Kim. I read a bit and went to sleep.

Currently we are at Abilene State Park. The state parks are generally prettier, have bigger sites, and are less expensive than private RV parks. I have water and a much-needed power supply, so all is well. The rate is $20/night. Even dOg is ready to come back inside because of the oppressive heat. There's a warning out again today from the National Weather Service about the high temperatures. So far the Texas power grid has provided us with unending AC. I think it's safe to say that I can mark Texas off of my list of states to potentially move to!

I've caught you up on our adventures so far this year. I will be writing more frequently and posting pictures of the incredible things in our big country.

Bai bai for now!

(Japanese for Bye bye)

#texas #bichons #fulltimerv #Hummingbirdtrailer #wandering

[mmhaterade]

The 2023 Hater's Guide to the East Region.

This blog is not in any way affiliated with the NCAA, its entities, subsidiaries, or member institutions. This is a humor site and should be treated as such. We're all on our way out -- act accordingly. 

1. Purdue (29-5). Since the 1993-94 season, Purdue has been undoubtedly much better in men’s basketball than their fellow in-state rival Indiana. During this time, the Boilers have 635 wins (580 for Indiana), 7 Big Ten championships (3 for IU), 22 NCAA tournament appearances (18 for IU), 10 Sweet 16 appearances (4 for IU), 3 Elite 8 appearances (1 for IU), and a whopping twelve top-4 seeds in the tournament (3 for IU). Purdue has also been lucky enough to have employed just two head coaches during that time, while IU has cycled through the husk of Bob Knight and four other coaches (now a fifth). And yet despite turning into a juggernaut and dwarfing all the success of their hated rival…IU still lives rent free in the head of every Boiler fan. Rent free because this team will ALWAYS be the little brother to Indiana basketball. 

2. Marquette (28-6). Marquette is good for a Final Four run once every quarter of a century. Unfortunately, we are still five years away from this inevitability, but any showing other than last year’s evisceration at the hands of North Carolina would be a welcome sight for a program forced to endure Steve Wojciechowski for seven (!!!) years. Holy shit, he was there for seven years?!?! To experience Wojo’s coaching is to know what it’s like to wear a ball gag combined with a Roundy’s paper bag (with no holes) over your face. This year’s team was picked to finish ninth in the Big East -- by a bunch of idiots who underestimated the magical power of 77 ounces of Real Chili. No school has a cooler victory chant than “Ring Out Ahoya,” and fuck you if you think otherwise. P.S.: Tyler Kolek has previously or is currently finger-banging your sister.

3. Kansas State (23-9). Reading about this squad’s history is simply depressing, considering their best run (Elite 8 in 2010) is better known for a double-overtime thriller where Gus Johnson orgasmed on live television. If you search “Kansas State men’s basketball history” on Wikipedia, you receive an error message that redirects you to the page for the Kansas Jayhawks. SI once published a fluff piece on famed wide receiver Jordy Nelson. The author loves to visit abandoned farms, pull down their pants, and rut mud. Wait, that may actually be a sociology class at K-State.

4. Tennessee (23-10). Historically, Tennessee ranks third in the SEC in all-time wins yet has only one Elite 8 appearance and has only won their conference tournament twice since 1943. Sounds like Kentucky has owned the shit out of them for the last 75 years! Their Wikipedia site also asks if you meant to search for their women’s team, because of course you did. Speaking of them, do you remember Tyler Summitt? Are you wondering how he is doing after being named a head coach at such a young age? Well, he had an extramarital affair with one of his players, his wife was criticized for mentioning she hired him as an assistant at the Ohio high school where she was employed, and he’s receiving his mother’s state pension which will pay him $173,000 a year for the rest of his life. I hope he gets pegged by Ron Jeremy wearing a barbed wire condom.

5. Duke (26-8). My greatest regret in life is that they were not the first #1 seed to lose to a #16 seed. Do you want to know why people hate Duke? It’s not just because they win a lot of games, are always given the benefit of the doubt, and are ESPN’s favorite team. The real reason people hate Duke: every single person associated with this school, be it their faculty, staff, alumni base, fans, or even tangential supporters is a sniveling asshole. Fancy yourself not giving the proper respect to the Blue Devils for a 26-win season or an inevitable march through a mirthless conference tournament? You can fully expect to hear some sanctimonious whining until you bend the knee. Coach K retired last year and yet he will not GO AWAY. He is the Jason Vorhees of college basketball. They are going to trot Mr. King of the Assholes out for every UNC/Duke rematch for the next twenty years; after he dies, his goddamn casket will be wheeled out to the court. I have nothing good to say about this vile school. Fuck this fucking team forever.

6. Kentucky (21-11).

7. Michigan State (19-12). Tom Izzo is 68 years old but looks 88. Just look at him – he looks so inept; you can almost picture him trying to use FaceTime while screaming a spiel of f-bombs. The former Division II All-American has never left the state of Michigan save for a two-month stay as an assistant coach at Tulsa back in 1986 (Editor’s note: he is probably wanted for murder there. He has managed to coach the Spartans to eight Final Fours since 1999 (including three straight from 1999-2001) but has one championship (2000) and just one other championship game appearance (2009). Izzo does have an awesome recruiting class arriving for 2023, but in the meantime his best player is…Joey Hauser? Joey Hauser gets posterized more than Lauren Boebert got raw dogged during her days as an escort. 

8. Memphis (26-8). Fun fact: putting “Memphis State” on the uniforms guarantees you will forget about the vacated national championship game appearance. Memphis? Never heard of them! Memphis State? Yeah, great up and coming program! Completely different school! Derrick Rose? Never heard of him!  The Tigers’ current head coach is best known for starring in a 1994 movie about “blue chip” basketball recruits being paid to attend fictional Western University. Memphis' top assistant coach left his two previous head coaching jobs (at Missouri and Tulsa) amidst NCAA investigations. A perfect fit! The NCAA may be a corrupt, money-grabbing institution, but what kind of illegal activities draw the attention of the NCAA while coaching at Tulsa? Midget strippers for recruits? Dungeon methamphetamine lab? Fans of this team are super into barbeque bukkake.

9. Florida Atlantic (31-3). This is nothing more than a made up college who recruited Smash Williams of Friday Night Lights. Here’s a series of headlines detailing the adventures and exploits of FAU’s #1 fan, Florida Man: 

Florida Man Breaks into Joe’s Crab Shack, Steals Alcohol, Leaves Poop as Payment

Florida Man Busted with Meth, Guns, and Baby Gator in Truck

Naked Florida Man Humps Tree, Punches Deputy

Drunk Florida Man Drives Lawnmower on Highway

Florida Man Gets Trapped in Porta-Potty, Busted for Drugs

10. USC (22-10). Coach Andy Enfield will always be remembered for orchestrating Florida Gulf Coast’s Dunk City. Still amazing ten years later! However, USC is at least the third program in this year’s field to have a “Kevin O’Neill era” at some point in their history. In case you’ve forgotten (and you probably have), Kevin O’Neill got into an argument with a prominent booster from a former employer (Arizona) while coaching at USC. USC has pretty much whitewashed any record of this guy coaching for them but the point remains: if your favorite team has a “Kevin O’Neill” era, your school has made a grave error. Here's former Marquette coach Mike Deane ripping Kevin O'Neill.

11. Providence (21-11). Ah, the luck of the weird creepy Friars. Providence is among the luckiest teams we’ve seen. This should tell you everything you need to know about the best season (last year) in their program’s history. Look at that chart about halfway down, among all the horrible low-level teams, it’s Providence! Not to be confused with the University of Providence in Great Falls, Montana because of their equal amounts of overweight white hags – which is interesting because Providence didn’t admit women until the 1970s. That was not long ago!

12. Oral Roberts (30-4). Oral Roberts was an American televangelist whose preaching emphasized “seed faith” which strangely, has nothing to do with masturbation. Roberts made a living extracting money (er, contributions) from poor folks via direct-mail campaigns, eventually leading a $120 million-a-year organization! Too many religious leaders use their sway as a tool to criticize those they feel are weak-minded or need saving. And they always need money! The late George Carlin once said “Religion convinced the world that there’s an invisible man in the sky who watches everything you do. And there’s ten things he doesn’t want you to do or else you’ll go to a burning place with a lake of fire until the end of eternity. But he loves you – and he needs money! He’s all powerful, but he can’t handle money.” Oral Roberts was no different – the money he raised went towards fine Italian silk suits, diamond rings and gold bracelets (always airbrushed out in photos), three Mercedes cars, and a home in Beverly Hills. Roberts was sued in 1988 by City of Faith Medical Center, who claimed Roberts and his son Richard were frauds who did not visit or heal patients in the hospital. That’s a perfect summation: these Golden Eagles are frauds.

13. Louisiana (26-7). Making their first tournament appearance since 2014, the “Ragin’ Cajuns,” coached by noted Creole chef Tony Chachere, whose roots date back to 1905 when he founded this college originally known as Southwestern Louisiana. They will be a popular pick in the first round due to their surprisingly competitive games as a #13 seed: upsetting Oklahoma in 1992, a five point loss to Tennessee in 2000, and a six point loss to Louisville in 2005 (since vacated). Their beautiful swampland campus features a full-scale hunting and fishing camp. You will remember their most famous player Elfrid Payton as “oh yeah, that one guy!” Whenever you play this team, you receive a free entry into the Tony Chachere's Creole Club.

14. Montana State (25-9). Montana might be a gargantuan place, but there is no reason for this state to have TWO universities, particularly when they both offer the exact same majors of study in Cattle Decapitation, Crisco Wrasslin,’ and Bobcat Normalization. All of their dorm rooms come with built-in sleep apnea equipment. Their live mascot is a 450-pound vegetarian named Lard Biscuit.

15. Vermont (23-10). Beautiful state? Check. Cool college town? Check. Legal weed? Check (if you are 21 or older). Killer mascot? Check. The 2004-05 Vermont Catamounts in the NCAA tournament introduced me to the genius of Gus Johnson. His play-by-play call of this game is sublime; when UVM guard T.J. Sorrentine hit a LONG three in overtime to extend a narrow Vermont lead over heavily favored Syracuse, Gus lost his mind. Given the chance, I would pick Vermont every year in our annual NCAA draft/pool, knowing full well they will not advance. They are allergic to offensive rebounds, have not beat a top-125 team all year, and must be sacrificed to meet Weber's insatiable blood lust.

16. Texas Southern (14-20) or Farleigh Dickinson (19-15). Texas Southern, of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (only two teams with winning records) is becoming a regular “who gives a fuck, we are watching the NIT game instead” play-in team. FDU finished second to Merrimack, losing in the conference tournament final. Merrimack is ineligible for the Big Dance as they are still transitioning from Division II to I. So FDU is fortunate to be playing at all (not for us, they fucking suck)! I wonder if the guys on the teams selected for the play-in games ever feel like Chris Farley’s character in the classic SNL skit Japanese Game Show. No, no…you’re not watching a tournament game, It’s a totally different game!

#march #march madness #college basketball #college sports

[avoidsuspension]

Shocking Ways to Have a Suspended License

Picture this; you are driving to work. You see a police officer trailing you but think nothing of it. Then the infamous blue and red lights start flashing. You wonder what the reason could be.

Were you speeding, tailgating, using your phone, or your headlights out?

Tension builds as the officer walks back to your car with your license and registration.

Next thing you know, the officer informs you that your license is suspended.

“Suspended?! How?!”

You start talking to yourself — Don’t you remember that ticket you got on vacation four months back? Well, you forgot to pay for it, which now got your license suspended without you knowing.

Here you are, thinking you are just living life with nothing to worry and now you are currently getting arrested and taken to the police station.

“What just happened? Did I just get arrested because I forgot to pay a lousy ticket?”

Unfortunately, yes. There are many ways to get your license suspended without knowing it. The obvious ones include:

Reckless driving

Forgetting to pay for tickets

Driving under the influence

Failing to appear in court

Accumulation of points

Some of the reasons can be related to your driving, while others can be nondriving violations that result in the suspension of your driver’s license!

Here are some surprising reasons you might have never known:

Defaulting on your student loans

Missing a payment doesn’t only lower your credit. It could lead to a suspension of your driver’s license in certain states!

States like: Florida, Illinois, Texas, Virginia, Georgia, Iowa, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Washington, Alaska, Minnesota, Louisiana, and South Dakota.

So, in addition to dealing with your lender, you’ll need to deal with the Department of Motor Vehicles.

Using your license illegally, let me explain.

Illegal activity with your driver’s license can include:

carrying a fake ID

providing false information on your driver’s license

giving your license to your underage friend so they can get into a club or bar.

You get the idea. Any suspicious activity with your driver’s license can risk license suspension.

Don’t forget to pay your debts to the state.

If you live in South Dakota, Iowa, or Massachusetts, you can lose your license if you fail to pay your state debt. A temporary suspension will go into effect if your debts are $10,000 or more.

Typically the state will notify you of the situation before anything happens, so be on the lookout.

Failed to pay your child support this month?

Failing to pay child support can lead to suspension.

Missing child support payments could cause a license suspension in many states. The grace period varies from state to state, but a temporary suspension can be at play. States do notify delinquent parents for a chance to correct the issue.

This rule applies to the following States; Alabama, California, Colorado, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Minnesota, Montana, New Mexico, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, and West Virginia.

There are many reasons to get a suspended license. A lot of the time, it’s a headache to get out of it. Spend many hours waiting in DMV lines to get proper applications, risk going through the court system with a hired attorney, and pay additional fines along the way.

If only there were a way to know your license status before risking the event of being pulled over, heavily ticketed, and arrested. Avoidsuspension.com is here to help!

Become fully aware of your driver’s license status by getting email notifications and text messages to resolve the issue before it worsens. With fast response rates and affordable subscriptions, AvoidSuspension cares for its subscribers and seeks to provide relief for people who might be driving with a suspended license without their knowledge.

Head over to Avoidsuspension.com today and sign up!

#avoidsuspension

References:

#avoidsuspension #driving license #driving laws and regulations #how to avoid suspension #expired licenses #dmv

[dwellordream]

“Girls’ schools promoted an intense female peer culture which contrasted with the disciplines of moralistic home environments. Evidence from the accounts of girls attending the myriad female seminaries and girls’ boarding schools throughout the Northeast suggests that their academic programs were relatively gentle, and that their peer culture was powerful and often fun. Despite the best efforts of outnumbered teachers, relations with friends tended to overshadow lessons learned. Overwhelmingly when girls wrote home to their parents, they described the girls they had met, and the antics they had shared; in diaries they noted the romantic intimacies they had formed, with academic work generating only occasional mention.

Girls’ peer life at school was high-spirited, collective, and ritualized all at once. Teachers themselves often participated. At Miss Porter’s in Farmington, Connecticut, in 1860, teachers organized a costume party, suggested characters for everyone, and helped sew costumes—perhaps in part a sewing lesson. (For Lily Dana, suggestions included an elf, Mischief, or a witch.) At a Prospect Hill School party in 1882, townspeople came, the girls wore flowers and white dresses, and Margaret Tileston reported that she had done the quadrille with Miss Clarke and the gallop with Miss Tuxbury—concluding that she had had ‘‘a very nice time.’’

Girls remembering their days at convent schools report similar good times. Julia Sloane Spalding recalled elegiacally her years at Nazareth Academy, a school run by the Sisters of Charity in Louisville, Kentucky, in the 1850s. ‘‘The sisters allowed us to romp and play, dance and sing as we pleased and our stage performances were amusing, if they had no greater merit. Musical soirees, concerts, serenades and minstrelsy kept our spirits attuned to gladness. Varied by picnics, lawn parties, hayrides, phantom parties, nutting parties in summer and candy pullings and fancy balls with Nazareth’s colored band to fiddle.’’

Exclaimed Spalding, ‘‘O what fun!’’ in fond reflection on the good times among the sisters who served ‘‘good substantial sandwiches, cakes and fruit’’ from ‘‘great big baskets.’’ She concluded, ‘‘and so, the spice of life conduced to our health and happiness.’’ Mary Anne Murphy arrived at Nazareth Academy with her sister in 1859 during a quadrille, the slave musicians calling out the figures. She and her sister stood in ‘‘wonderment that such fun was tolerated in a convent.’’ Whatever the nostalgia of middle age, certainly these reflections suggest that elite Catholic and Protestant girls’ academies left some of their richest memories in collective fun.

If teachers sponsored some activities, they implicitly sanctioned many more. Wilfrida Hogan attended the Sisters of St. Joseph convent school in St. Paul in the 1870s and remembers fondly her class, which was known for its lively irreverence: ‘‘Each girl seemed to view the other as to who could play the biggest pranks, or have the most fun.’’

Ellen Emerson overflowed with delight in a letter to her mother (significantly, not her father) while at Miss Sedgwick’s School in Lenox, Massachusetts: ‘‘Every night we do things which it seems to me I can never remember without laughing if I should live to be a hundred. The most absurd concerts, ludicrous charades, peculiar battles etc. etc. Then the wildest frolics, the loudest shrieks, the most boisterous rolling and tumbling that eye ever saw, ear ever heard or heart ever imagined. I consider myself greatly privileged that every night I can see and join such delightful romps.’’

When teachers were around, the pranks were more likely to occur upstairs in student bedrooms. Lily Dana and friends joined together to victimize two other girls by putting crumbs in their bed, and cutting off candle wicks. Another evening Dana noted that she ‘‘Had some fun throwing pillows and nightgowns,’’ and though Miss Porter caught her, it did not seem to dampen much her spirits. Teachers at girls’ schools were occasion- ally disciplinarians, clearly.

One teacher told Lily Dana that ‘‘she supposed my mother let me do everything,’’ and the sisters at St. Mary’s Academy in South Bend, Indiana, turned the piano to the wall in order to keep girls from waltzing with each other. Yet students often emerged victorious; at St. Mary’s they played combs for dance music instead. (One participant reported that ‘‘the Sisters had to give up, for they knew not what to do.’’) The ideology of nurture combined with the shared exuberance of age mates overpowered much teacherly remonstrance.

It is sometimes hard to read such tales of schoolgirl exuberance without wondering whether the inmates had taken over the asylum, however, so a corrective is in order. One such account which requires a second look is the spirited account of Agnes Repplier, In Our Convent Days (1906), about her time in the late 1860s at a Pennsylvania school run by the Sisters of the Sacred Heart. Repplier writes of the pranks and passions of her band of seven partners in crime, in an ebulliant account designed to appeal to a readership newly attracted to childhood naughtiness in revolt against Victorian propriety. It is clear in retrospect, though, that she must have concealed or minimized an- other side to her experiences. For the denouement of her story is her expulsion and removal from a school she adored.

Peer cultures could also be cruel and hurtful beyond the control of evangelical teachers, as the practices of hazing in British public schools testify. Some of the most painful memories of inclusion and exclusion in girls’ schools centered around that most primal of media, the sharing of food. Food boxes, customarily sent from home, were the occasion for impromptu parties, a demonstration of wealth and taste, or an opportunity to play favorites.

The elation which greeted such arrivals might well prove a commentary on the regular fare at boarding schools, which sometimes undoubtedly was very poor. (The advice giver Mary Virginia Terhune’s critique of girls’ boarding schools included the accusation that they fed their students from a ‘‘common vat’’ which supplied breakfast, dinner, and supper all together, a practice partially confirmed by one account of eating the same stew at least twice a day at an Ursuline academy in San Antonio in the 1890s.)

At any rate, the arrival of food from home occasioned select gatherings and provided opportunities for discrimination among friends. When one friend’s mother brought good things to eat, Josie Tilton noted that ‘‘we’’ had a feast tonight, explaining for the future who she would always mean when she said ‘‘we’’—‘‘Lizzie, Emma, May and I’’— the groupness secured by inclusion in this select group of diners.

Lily Dana suspected a friend of being miserly and so snuck into her room to inspect. ‘‘There was a box which had been filled with cake, part of a pie and several other things filling her trunk nearly half full. . . . If I had a box sent to me I think I should give my friend more than ‘five or six cookies.’’’ If girls could feel short-changed by each other, relations with parents could also strain over the sending of food boxes, which represented extremely conspicuous con- sumption for girls attempting to ‘‘belong.’’

In an unusually direct letter home in the 1840s, Maria Nellis passed on to her parents her unmediated hurt and sense of disadvantage in the competition for food—and the status that came with it. Elizabeth got her box yesterday and was favoured with six times more things than I was. Her box was so large and heavy the master found it his match to carry it upstairs. She has 4 kinds of cake, nuts, apples, candy, clothing and every thing else, but after all, Dear Poppy, I am not jealous. . . . When you sent that box you did not send half what I asked. I was very disappointed. You said it would be eatables, but it wasn’t. You sent only a few apples, one cake and some clothes. Why didn’t you send me some nuts? I haven’t had a nut yet this winter, and indeed I expected nuts above all things. E. Fox had a box worth speaking of. Now that shows that you don’t care enough for me to even send me a few nuts.

Intermittently, Nellis regained control, but her grievance was palpable. Finally at the end, she acknowledged to her parents that she might be hurting their feelings, reassured them that she loved them all with ‘‘a deep and fervent love,’’ and promised better behavior in the future. Clearly at stake for her was both status in the school world and a primitive sense of deprivation in her own family.

As the correspondence suggests, the emotional atmosphere in girls’ boarding schools was not only intense but more expressive and enacted than that within moralistic, Victorian households. Within private, female, boarding academies, duty-bound Victorian daughters learned languages of sentiment, desire, and emotional excess censored from other parts of their lives. The elaborate conventions accompanying the expression and affirmation of affection among boarding-school girls, sometimes involving teachers as well, was indeed a separate ‘‘female world of love and ritual,’’ as Carroll Smith-Rosenberg affirmed in a classic article about nineteenth-century women’s culture.

In recent years, Smith-Rosenberg’s ‘‘Female World of Love and Ritual’’ has been attacked for its overgeneralizing characterization of an exclusively female emotional sphere in the nineteenth century, but her strongest evidence confirms the significance, the power, and the longevity of girls’ boarding school friendships, which were enacted through elaborate rituals in a range of schools.

The rituals of boarding school life centered around the making and breaking of special friendships, known variously as ‘‘affinities,’’ ‘‘specials,’’ or ‘‘darlings’’ and increasingly as either ‘‘smashes’’ or ‘‘crushes.’’ One way of expressing interest was to ‘‘filipine’’ with someone, to leave her a surprise gift outside her door. (When Lily Dana was caught, she needed to give her gift, a large apple, outright.) Such relationships played out in diaries, letters, and the poetry of autograph books. Girls expected to pair up for many school activities and entertained a variety of ‘‘dates’’ with different girls for walking, going to church, and sleeping.

Sally Dana wrote home to her mother explaining that she was following her father’s advice not to form special friendships too soon, and so had ‘‘slept in eight different beds.’’ During these private moments, girls would share secrets about their own likes and dislikes, each other, their teachers, families, and their school lives. The intricacy of such social calendars opened ample opportunities for misunderstanding and frayed feelings.

These peer relationships characterized elite female seminaries in the North- east, but they also appeared in a range of schools, including the African American Scotia Seminary, founded by the American Missionary Association in Concord, North Carolina, following the Civil War. Scotia had northern roots, which may have influenced its student culture. Glenda Gilmore tells us it was modeled on Mount Holyoke, and was ‘‘calculated to give students the knowledge, social consciousness, and sensibilities of New England ladies, with a strong dose of Boston egalitarianism sprinkled in.’’

Roberta Fitzgerald went to Scotia in the early twentieth century and kept a composition book, likely in 1902, which was filled with the talismans of schoolgirl crushes. A note inside addressed to ‘‘Dear Roberta’’ asked, ‘‘Will you please exchang rings with me today and you may ware mine again,’’ and Roberta herself wrote a sad poem to a friend ‘‘Lu’’ who had thrown her over.

And so you see as I am deemed

Most silently to wait

I cannot but be womanlike

And meekly await my fate.

Ah! sweet it is to love a girl

But truly oh! how bitter

To love a girl with all your heart

And then to hear ‘‘Cant get her.’’

And Lulu dear as I must here

Relinquish with a moan

May your joys be as deep as the ocean

And your sorrow as light as its foam.

On the back of the notebook, which also contained class assignments, was a confidence exchanged with a seatmate. ‘‘I was teasing Bess Hoover about you and she told me she loved you dearly.’’

For those much in demand, this charged atmosphere of flirtation and intimacy in the North and South represented an exhilarating round of fun and sport. For those less secure, diaries and letters presented an obvious outlet for the anguish of the neglected. Agnes Hamilton, a member of a Fort Wayne clan which sent several daughters to boarding school on their way to prominent careers in progressive America, experienced some of both. Sometimes she basked in the glow of family reputation; often she worried over her own inability to keep up with her illustrious cousins. Her unusually detailed accounts document an entire school culture rather than just an individual emotional life.

Hamilton’s first impressions of school social life at Miss Porter’s School were favorable, but even these revealed insecurities to come. In an entry from November 1886, when she was seventeen, Hamilton noted that ‘‘Farmington is just as perfect as they all said it would be, the girls, Miss Porter, and all.’’ Her reservation had to do with her own imperfections: ‘‘But I don’t think I am the right sort of a Farmington girl.’’ Even so, Agnes was in demand, describing a flurry of close attentions from numerous girls. A week later, in her cousin’s absence, she received displaced attentions:

Yesterday Mannie was very nice to me. I suppose she thinks I am lonely without Alice. We walked past the fill around by the river to the graveyard. Then she came in and we talked for an hour. All evening we were together. This afternoon we walked together too for Tuesday is her day with Alice. We went down to the green house where Mannie gave me some lovely roses. I would give anything to know what she thinks of me. . . . Will I ever be able to talk and be jolly as other girls? Some girls are frightfully stupid and yet they can make themselves somewhat agreeable. I have struck up a sudden friendship with Lena Farnam. We were together Saturday afternoon and evening and Sunday I asked her to be my church girl in Alice’s place.

Agnes was still in a position to be picky, noting one drawback: Lena ‘‘seems very nice indeed but I wish she were not only fifteen.’’ Lena was far from the only prospect. Agnes noted another new friend: ‘‘I have seen a great deal lately of Edith Trowbridge too. When she overcomes her shyness she will be exceedingly nice.’’ Not surprisingly, with all the intensity of the socializing, Agnes mentioned with no comment that only three out of thirteen in the class were prepared for their lessons that Tuesday. In those early weeks, Agnes Hamilton’s enthusiasm for this exciting life of emotional intrigue was palpable. The next week (she seems to have written on Tuesdays), Agnes announced to her diary ‘‘the jolliest crush in school’’ involving one of her very own intimates of the week before.

‘‘I walked with Edith Trowbridge this afternoon, on purpose to have her tell me about Lena. I hinted and hinted in vain. I told her about every other crush in school but she never said a word about Lena’s, so at last I told her that I knew all about it but even then she would not say a word about the subject. I hope she will tell Lena so that she will speak to me about it next Saturday when we are driving.’’ The triangulation of such relationships increased the possibilities for intrigue. Agnes wearied a bit of the uncooperative Edith, though, observing that though ‘‘very nice . . . she did not get over her stiffness.’’

Agnes Hamilton seemed to be trying to do her schoolwork, but her roller- coaster social life intervened. One day when she was preparing for class, a friend came by to teach her a dance step, from which she was interrupted by the arrival of a buggy she had rented to take another friend for a ride, the same girl whose ‘‘jolly’’ crush had amused her the week before. (‘‘The more I see of her the better I like,’’ she now reported. ‘‘Her face is rather attractive at first and then it grows on one.’’) When she returned, she found another visitor who stayed till it was time for tea.

The result: ‘‘I have not looked at my Mental since Thursday.’’ By the end of the same day, yet a new ‘‘crush’’ had taken over when Agnes got word of someone’s interest in her, and Agnes wondered ‘‘if I have ever been as actively happy.’’ The frenzy had settled down a week later, when Agnes announced that she had all her walking days ‘‘just as I want them.’’ Each day of the week was assigned a different companion, with whom Agnes would exchange intimacies and gossip, using the rituals of girls’ school life to structure its emotional extravagance.

One must conclude that the intensity of the social life was seen to serve some purpose, for evidence suggests that it was allowed to flourish until the turn of the century. (Lily Dana noted that Miss Porter’s permission had been sought for at least one and probably more sleeping dates.) At that time, new sexualized interpretations of girls’ and women’s friendships brought a crackdown on such friendships. At the time, though, they appear to have received official sanction. In fact, one of the first of Ladies’ Home Journal ’s ‘‘Side Talks with Girls’’ took up the question of ‘‘School Girl Friendships.’’ The Journal endorsed such girlish relationships for their innocence and energy and their precious brevity, saluting ‘‘the giddy, gushing period’’ as one which ‘‘never comes to some and to most it soon passes.’’

In particular, it contrasted this girlish spontaneity with the superficiality of the jaded young lady. Its contrast of ‘‘young girls, lively, radiant, energetic, spirited, loving girls’’ with ‘‘young ladies who talk of their beaux, dresses and the surface shows of society’’ represented another version of a conventional warning against precociousness. Girls’ crushes on other girls were still perceived as innocent and healthy—and would be well after doctors first began to cast suspicion over such relationships in the 1880s and 1890s.”

- Jane H. Hunter, “Competitive Practices: Sentiment and Scholarship in Secondary Schools.” in How Young Ladies Became Girls: The Victorian Origins of American Girlhood

#victorian #history #education #sexuality #american #jane h. hunter #how young ladies became girls

[lilhawkeye3]

This Ohio discourse has got me dying to create discourse about every other state now hehe so I officially present:

Hawk’s review of 36/50 US states!

In alphabetical order because that fuckin song “50 nifty United States” has been stuck in my head since fourth grade.

Arizona: Phoenix is hot. Can’t believe y’all choose to live in a place that gets haboobs. Saw Sen. John McCain in the airport. I feel that sums up the state well. 4/10

California: as a resident of the state of Oregon, I’m legally required to say fuck California😌 unless anyone else talking shit about Cali and then we got your back😤 SoCal vs San Fran vs Northern Cal are totally different worlds though. 7/10

Colorado: damn idk how y’all breathe there, them air is thin. But really pretty out there! 7/10

Connecticut: oh my god fuck New Haven. And Stamford, and Hartford, and— Yknow what? Let’s just toss the whole state into the Sound. For real, traffic is the WORST here and I’m so sorry that y’all gotta live like that. 3/10

Delaware: I cannot believe this is considered a state. There’s no difference between Delaware and Maryland/Pennsylvania. 1/10 should not be a state

Florida: “the only hills in Florida are the highway ramps and the Matterhorn!” —the shuttle driver at Disney World. He was right. Shit is flat as fuck here. And hot. And humid. The Gulf Coast is nice? But tbh it’s just all very touristy which is kind of a bummer. 5/10

Georgia: ...I can’t with the humidity or thinly veiled racism. But y’all got nice peaches! Also Black Panther filmed there so thank you for blessing us with that. 6/10 for fruits

Hawaii: okay pineapple farms are cool. Tbh I just feel really bad for how much mainlander/tourist bs all the islanders put up with. Ik price of living is v high and keeps going up. That said I did love Hawaii... although I was stung by a jellyfish. Hate those little bastards. 8/10 for wonderful people and nature

Idaho: as an Oregonian I’m required to also say fuck Idaho 😝 you da hoes. Okay for real tho southern Idaho has become v white white and kinda scary tbh. The northern part of the state is pretty chill tho. Also Oreida kettle chips are partly made in Idaho so I gotta give you half credit for that. 4/10

Illinois: at least you’re not Indiana. 4/10.

Indiana: I never want to step foot in Gary, Indiana again in my life. (Passed a Mack truck hauling a race car to Indy 500 though so that was cool.) 2/10

Iowa: I almost moved here. I’m so glad I didn’t. Why are the Quad Cities actually a group of five towns? I hate that. Also the roads were all cement, felt like driving on a sidewalk. Was also interesting because the second we got out of the city proper, it was just... corn fields everywhere. 2/10 y’all raising children of the corn.

Kentucky: I really don’t have anything to say about Kentucky. I thought the trees were pretty? 5/10 yeah idk

Maine: my relative has totaled two cars by hitting moose in Maine. Maine scares me. Or rather, the moose do. Also the lobster roll hype is real. And the coast truly is beautiful. 8/10 but an extra point for the moose bc I hate that relative so 9/10

Maryland: oh god Baltimore. Also I’m blaming you for the DC traffic because it’s on the land you gifted them. 3/10

Massachusetts: Patriots fans are the worst NFL fans (the racism is real, especially after fans burned the jerseys of Black players who knelt for the anthem). Liking Dunkin’ Donuts is not a personality trait. The North End in Boston is truly the best place to get pizza in the entire country. Western Mass is not the same state. And the Cape Cod bridges give me nightmares. 5/10 but cause I had to pay taxes two years and it really is Taxachusetts, knocking it down to 4/10

Michigan: it’s a lot bigger than I initially thought. 5/10

Minnesota: it’s Canada but in the US. Pretty driving through the southern part. Cops suck tho. 5/10

Montana: okay Montana is downright gorgeous. (Except Billings. Sorry, Billings.) I must include a photo. I wanna get a cabin here and just exist. 8/10

New Hampshire: can’t decide if it hates Massachusetts or wants to be Massachusetts. All it knows is that it’s better than Vermont. Which... y’know, valid. (If you wanna see NH culture watch North Woods Law tbh). 4/10

New Jersey: why are there so many goddamn highways in this state? Also there are more places to weekend trip than the Shore or the Poconos. Although you do have people pump gas for you just like Oregon, so... that’s valid. Things my friends have added: Newark airport is cursed (valid), the jughandles are nightmares (true), pork roll/Taylor Ham is good and so are bagels and New Jersey pizza (allergic so idk), and everyone is split on whether the shore is actually decent or not 😂 I give it a 3.5/10 out of spite

New York: NYC is fun, Upstate is MASSIVE but really beautiful. Long Island is... yeah I don’t have anything nice to say about Long Island. 8/10 For NYC, 6/10 for Upstate, -2/10 for Long Island, gives us an average of 6/10

North Carolina: very good peaches. Isn’t South Carolina. Keep it up👍🏽 6/10

Ohio: I already told y’all how I feel about this flat ass boring state. I feel no need to slander it any more lmao. 3/10

Oregon: she flies with her own wings, mi amor🥰 to list all the reasons I like Oregon (and the issues too bc it ain’t perfect), I would need a whole other post. I’ll just leave you with this picture I took of Mt. Hood, the queen of our Cascades. 11/10

Pennsylvania: so apparently PN is three states hiding in a trench coat like NY. There’s upstate, philly and Pittsburg. Personally I think they’re just trying too hard and wanna get the same recognition as NY. Meh. 5/10

Rhode Island: THIS FUCKIN SHAM OF A STATE Just merge it with Connecticut and be done with it!! It’s tiny. Providence sucks. There’s nothing unique about this state that you can’t find in Southern Mass (except MA has cheaper taxes so y’all come to work and shop in MA anyways smh). Also the fingers are really annoying to drive down to get to some beach areas haha. 2/10 you’re barely better than Delaware.

South Carolina: my Black father was invited to a party celebrating General Robert E Lee’s birthday. So... 0/10

South Dakota: very gorgeous, didn’t realize the Missouri River went this far west, but VERY LARGE. I mean it looks big on a map but then you get there and... yeah. No speed limit on highways is a great time though. And the Badlands have mountain goats! 6/10 bc while pretty, living there seems really hard. (Picture is me in the Badlands).

Texas: gave us Juneteenth and Beyoncé and JJ Watts. Thank you Texas. But is very big, got independence from Mexico to keep slavery (yikes), is like 97% private land (yikes) and is like the second or third largest state. Very big. That said, everyone I’ve ever met from Texas is lovely. 6/10.

Utah: Other than Idaho, this is the whitest state I’ve been to. Or it feels that way. Like a, the people crossed to the other side of the street and held their bags because I’m brown, state. And I don’t ski so I can’t even say that’s a good thing (I fell off the ski lift the one time I went, long story). Yeah 0/10.

Vermont: wants to be New Hampshire or Canada and can’t decide which. So it’s just kinda there. Pretty hills though. 3/10

Virginia: let’s be real we all forget that Virginia exists west of Richmond. Nova is a beauracratic and traffic nightmare and half our neighbors had to pass security clearance checks. Hampton Roads and beach area is a tourist and mosquito nightmare. But there were dolphins and I made snowmen on the beach. Good times. 6.7/10

Washington: again, legally required as an Oregon resident to say fuck Washington because it’s all your fault we now are getting a toll on the I-5 border. But you’re better than California. And the Sound is really cool for fishing, love Wicked Tuna. And the fish market. Best salmon I’ve had. Eastern Washington... y’all got Spokane but the rest is kinda sparse. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 8/10

Wisconsin: cheese is actually good. Again, pretty state, much larger than I initially thought. 7/10

Wyoming: this was the ONLY STATE I lost cell service in when diriving cross country. Kinda surprised it wasn’t Montana, but no, it was Wyoming. Views are gorgeous though so I was distracted either way. 4/10

Thank you for joining me on this cross-country edition of Tea Time with Hawk. Please respond with any reactions, corrections, addendums about any and all of the states mentioned. And thank you for taking part in this wholesome Clone Wars fandom discourse with me 🥰💕

DISCLAIMER: THESE RATINGS ARE ALL A JOKE PLEASE DO NOT ACTUALLY GET MAD ABOUT IT

#ohio discourse #50 states reviews #oregon #midwest #california #texas #New York #massachusetts #deep south #midatlantic #New England #united states #the clone wars #DISCOURSE COMMENCE

[cherriesradio]

Kay can we just talk for a second that there are many places in the United States where you can legally (LEGALLY) SHOT someone for being LGBT?

Here’s a article and wiki on it:

https://lgbtbar.org/programs/advocacy/gay-trans-panic-defense/

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gay_panic_defense

So I, a minor who identifies as non-binary and bisexual, can legally get assulated or killed for coming out to someone.

If someone, who I didn’t want to know, found out that I was LGBT then they could legally kill me depending on where I am in the moment.

Directly from the Wikipedia for this:

A defendant may allege to have found the same-sex sexual advances so offensive or frightening that they were provoked into reacting, were acting in self-defense, were of diminished capacity, or were temporarily insane, and that this circumstance is exculpatory or mitigating.

So, simplifying this, the fact that being bisexual implies that I would have sex with someone who is the same biological gender as me, can apparently make someone so offended and homophobic that they made the decision, thinking on weitehr or not to kill me. Apparently, the fact that I like multiple genders could cause someone to be temporary INSANE or act in “self defense” aka homophobia and hurt/ kill me.

And then with the transgender panic defense?

Wikipedia:

The trans panic defense is a closely related defense applied in cases of assault, manslaughter, or murder of a transgender individual with whom the assailant(s) had engaged in sexual relations unaware that the victim is transgender,engendering in the attacker an alleged trans panic reaction, often a manifestation of homophobia or transphobia.

Therefor if I were to have sex with someone who didn’t know I was transgender that would mean that they could kill me.

AND THAT IS CONSIDERED A LEGITIMATE DEFENSE.

Staes this at the time of writing this post from a random article I found by a quick Google search (January 25, 2021) :

Alabama

Alaska

Arizona

Arkansas

Delaware

District of Columbia

Florida

Georgia

Idaho

Indiana

Iowa

Kansas

Kentucky

Louisiana

Maryland

Massachusetts

Michigan

Minnesota

Mississippi

Missouri

Montana

Nebraska

New Hamshire

New Mexico

New Carolina

North Dakota

Ohia

Oklahoma

Oregon

Pennsylvania

Rhode Island

South Carolina

South Dakota

Tennessee

Texas

Utah

Vermont

Virginia

Wets Virgina

Wisconsin

Wyoming

Since this is the majority of the states so you can safetly assume that the majority of people in the USA can kill someone for being LGBT, or be killed for being LGBT.

And yes, I have put research into this. I know I’m definitely not an expert, a fifteen minute search can’t make you and expert. But this is still horrible none the less. And now it’s lots less talked about, from what I’ve consumed in the media.

If someone living in my household let someone in and they found out I was lgbt then they could walk into my room while I doodle cute girls while listening to someone sing about being a bi boy and kill me with a knife I used to cut chicken the other night for my family.

This shouldn’t be real.

I have had nightmares about this.

This has kept me and many others up at night, wondering if tomorrow morning they may go out to get the mail and get killed by their homophobic neighbor because they heard they where lgbt a while chatting with their parents.

There are people who have used this to defend of taking someone life, no matter if they loved their lives or wanted to end it in a few hours, it is still a terrible crime and no good way to die.

This needs to stop.

This shouldn’t be real.





#lgbt panic defense #lgbtq #lgbtq news

[dromaeocore]

Rating the states I drove through on my way up here in June:

Florida: Endless. Endless. Endless. There's nothing but swamp once you leave Orlando. I stopped at a gas station somewhere north of Gainesville and got stuck behind a giant lifted pickup with an ALL TRUCKS MATTER sticker. I never thought I'd get out of the state. I saw the biggest Confederate flag I've ever seen in my life in Northern Florida and I kept getting visions of crashing and dying somewhere along the road. It was the middle of the day, but my memories of driving through Florida look physically dark. I kept seeing oddly forboding Buc-ees's billboards that said shit like IT'S COMING and TICK-TOCK. The moment I crossed the state line into Georgia I screamed in joy and elation and relief and released the panic from my body I didn't even know I was holding. I had made it, I had made it, and in that moment I knew I would survive the rest of the trip. 1/10. (It would be zero, but I'll give it one star as a thank you to the eldritch being that is Florida for letting me out alive.)

Georgia: Not ten minutes into Georgia, the first store I saw was an enormous strip mall looking building labeled BIBLE STORE. Don't get me wrong, there were plenty of Bible signs on my way out of Florida. But for the first hour into Georgia, you see nothing but run-down billboards fortelling the coming End Times or showing crucifixion scenes or random Bible verses or pro-life organizations. Every so often there'd be these MASSIVE gas stations called Magnolia Plantation and they looked like this. Yes indeed, that is a giant tourist trappy gas station in the shape of a plantation.

I stopped for gas in the middle of bumfuck nowhere about halfway through the state and got a chicken sandwich and watched a suprisingly kind and hospitable interaction between the gas station owners (who had T shirts for sale that said stuff like "I'm a TRUMP GIRL, does that OFFEND you?") and the dudes who were driving up to Atlanta to protest.

The northern part of Georgia is all Smoky Mountains and all absolutely beautiful. I watched the sunset and listened to Sleeping at Last as I crossed the border into Tennessee about thirty minutes before the curfew, and for the first time in a while, I felt at peace. (6.5/10, actually, mostly for the Smokies. My main regret is not listening to more southern gothic music on the road.)

Tennessee: I stayed in an AirBnB in a mountain house in Chattanooga for two nights and there was a wonderful cat who'd beg for pets all the time. Spent the morning hiking around in the mountains up there and got a little bit lost but there was a tiny waterfall, some VERY stupid-looking daddy longlegs, lots of rocks, and a Very Fun tree swing in the middle of the trail that was kind of haphazardly nailed to a pine tree.

I was yelling "I'M GONNA DIE I'M GONNA DIE I'M GONNA DIE FUCK FUCK FUCK" the ENTIRE drive through the winding mountain roads. SOMEHOW I made it. And then got stuck in the mountains with no reception or data in back to back traffic for an hour. It was pretty much just me and the truckers. We'd be at a standstill for ten minutes at a time so I just... Put honey mustard on my sandwich and ate it. While strumming my guitar aimlessly and singing nonsense. It was kind of nice, actually.

Nashville was cool. I also remember seeing some signs hung across the bridges by protesters with Fucked Up Nashville Police Brutality Facts. And before I left Tennessee, I stopped at the last Publix before I hit the land of... whatever the hell Piggly Wigglys are. Tennessee Publixes are the same as Florida Publixes. I got some of their fried chicken and sweet tea and a turkey salsalito sandwich and mourned. 8.5/10

Kentucky: There is nothing in Kentucky. There's just nothing. I think Louisville is the only city there and that's basically just in Indiana. I remember driving past a Kentucky Derby sign and thinking, "This is it. That's all that's in the state." If I ever have to road trip again I might just drive AROUND the state. I hated it. 0/10.

Indiana: Indiana is, essentially, the South of the Midwest. It's the South without any of the hospitality or the charm or the good food. It's the South without a soul. There are towns named shit like Whiteland and Plainfield and that's exactly how it is.

I had to stop for gas somewhere around here and I felt my soul die with every minute I was there. The air was dry. The grass was pristinely perfect. The white picket fences and suburban houses were perfectly spaced. And there was a horrible, horrible, horrible energy underneath all of it. The parking lot adjacent to mine was for some kind of Trump club? My memories of it all were so vague and so unpleasant and full of bland Republican nonsense. At least the South had a soul about it. But I could get the sense that the families here probably boiled their chicken breasts or some shit. Unsettling/10.

Illinois: You know what? I don't really have any complaints about Illinois. I didn't know how big the Chicago area was, and there were some pretty rocks, and it was overall pleasant.

Fuck.

Fuck.

FUCK.

I can't believe I forgot. The wind turbines. I don't know WHAT it is about them, and wind turbines (and other massive energy generating machines that sit out in fields in immeasurable numbers, like oil wells) are already inherently unsettling to me, but driving through an endless field of thousands of them, towering all around me, their blades rotating hypnotically like the too-sharp arms of some kind of monster, the deep whirring sound permeating through my car and through my brain, with no end in sight and no memory of how they begun, was easily one of the Top Ten Scariest Moments In Neil's Life.

For an eternity, I was some character in The Magnus Archives who'd just been unwittingly thrown into the Vast. I thought it would never end. I thought I would be trapped there, driving through that endless sea of turbines, forever.

And then it did. It ended. I didn't dare look back, lest the turbines take me again. 0̶̛̲̩̞͚͙̓ͅ0̷̡̰͔̯̟͌͠0̸͍̹̂́̈́̕̚/10.

Wisconsin: The moment I got to Wisconsin, I saw a wooden statue of a moose and some Outdoorsy Adventure Companies in the shape of log cabins and just about lost my shit. I was tearing up and shaking like a goddamn puppy. I drove through a tunnel and lost my shit again. Oh my god. Oh my god. Oh my god. Oh my god. Oh my god. I'm here. I'm here. I'm here. Tunnel. Tunnel. Tunnel. I was so confused by the concept of surroundings changing with the seasons that when I got to the house, I was half-convinced Jude had moved to a different, much greener neighborhood. Seasons? Seasons? Seasons? WISCONSIN/10

#personal #the great apocalypse roadtrip of 2020 #american gothic #roadtrip gothic #my writing #PLS ENJOY THIS I WORKED SO HARD #long post

[starcloud-nova]

states off the top of my memory since we’re getting a new one apparently

okay let’s do this. under the cut ↓

pacific northwest:

washington - contains seattle and multiple of my friends and i think some fancy tall building as well. not to be confused with washington dc. both are named after our first president

oregon - tbh not much here. no sales tax which is wild. has the city portland idk if you’ve heard of it. 

california - technically not part of the north west but its okay dw about it. has different laws from most of the country for some reason????? really specific stuff like pollution wise and a few other things. cities LA, san diego, san fransisco. has good sushi

the north bit of the country that i do not know the area of:

montana - named after the hit tv show hanna montana

nevada - las vegas and casinos and shit. fairly sure there’s quite a bit of native land here. has the city of reno

north dakota - mount rushmore. definitely native land here

south dakota - this state might as well not exist

idaho - potato land

the states next to california:

arizona - hot. dry. desert. it snows there too but eh who cares. grand canyon state

new mexico - idk it’s just kinda there

utah - that weird square shaped state. uhh i think salt lake city is here??? idk

colorado - square state with farms. flat as fuck. same as wyoming

wyoming - square state with farms. flat as fuck. same as colorado

the middle of the country whoohoo:

texas - cowboys horse shows hot weather. cursed state. dont ever go here. has the cities dallas, austin and houston. nasa station here i think. we’ve reached the deep south 

oklahoma - texas’ arch nemesis. shaped like a pan and has a part known as the panhandle. tbh i mostly know of this state because of the outsiders book. has city of tulsa! (native land)

nebraska - i think grows corn

kansas - flatter than fuck. legitimately forget we have this one. america is like the cat hoarder with too many cats

what i’ll kindly refer to as east of texas:

louisiana - home to new orleans! ppl associate this state with mardi gras i think. hurricane katrina go brr because NO is a fucking bowl. 

arkansas - ‘america explain’ vine

minnesota and missouri - these are the same state idk what to tell you

iowa - too many vowels to be legal. pronounced “eye-oh-wah”

illinois - there is no s in this tate. home of chicago

wisconsin - ????? idk what this one does

michigan - has those lakes which are oceans

indiana - i dont know what to tell u

ohio - i think this is self explanatory

the daughters who live away from home:

alaska - cold

hawaii - hot

where it all started:) (the 13 colonies) :

georgia - peach state ;) home to atlanta

florida - swamp and beach. there is no in between. melbourne is the most depressing city you’ll ever see

alabama - we have reached the even deeper south

mississippi - still remember learning to spell this when i was 6

tenessee - dont remember learning to spell this at all

kentucky - fried chicken

south and north carolina - idk what made them split tbh

new york - the only city that exists in hollywood apprently

delaware - first state

rhode island - smallest state

virginia - right under dc

maryland - right over dc

west virginia - okay so you know the reason why this exists? during the civil was viriginia was wondering if it wanted to secede and join the south or not. their western part had no need for slaves due to their geography and they were split on what to do. so they split the state where the appalachain plateau (coal mine shit) started and made wv. and then virginia sided with the south

massachusetts - too many letters

connecticut - fun to say:D

maine - cold

vermont and new hampshire - the same state

pennsylvania - liberty bell and hershey’s factory go brrrr

new jersey - hell

#nova talks #if dc gets made a state im going to scream #50 is such a perfect number:(