#i need a 2-hour episode where they go on the surf trip | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

steve0discusses · 4 years

Text

Yugioh S4 Ep 27: Joey Punches Valon to Death and Seto Kaiba buys a Car.

My favorite character is back!

THE STORYBOARDER.

Like clockwork, the best storyboarder of all of Yugioh saw in the episode notes “This is the one where we shall Destroy Joey Wheeler” and he was like “Yes! this is extremely my thing!” and he’s back at it again, destroying Joey Wheeler with such finesse.

Like it’s so hard to explain in caps because you can’t see stuff move, but this animator is so good at the Yugioh vibe--he makes these character designs WORK for him (or her? No idea the identity of the mysterious storyboarder (or team of storyboarders--maybe this was one little group they freelance out to that worked really well together? I dunno) ) they really capture what Yugioh IS in a really unique way and still remain fairly economical in the animation sense. They do not hold back on any pose, and go completely ham into this ridiculous concept of a card game where you put on a special suit and punch eachother in the face.

Mind you, it’s still a card game and I skipped all that, but man...this is such a good storyboarder and I know that next episode they’ll be gone but for now I’m just gonna bask in it.

First off, Rebecca manages to figure out Seto’s 6-letter password in order to access billions of people’s personal data off of a satellite (we don’t get to find out what the password was) and although the storyboarder is great--they did make one fatal mistake.

The bane of every Californian who leaves California. LA is like a completely different country to San Fransisco but everyone only knows of two Californian cities and assumes we’re right next door to each other.

And it’s like...no, man. I don’t have Disneyland. Do I sound like a cheerful person that lives next to Disneyland? Do I say “bruh” and smile with the force of 1000 suns as we surf the coast on the backs of Lisa Frank dolphins? No dude, I have a strong Bay Area accent that makes me sound like a dry sarcastic asshole and I wear sweatshirts to the freakin beach because it’s very cold and filled with great white sharks.

(Sorry I just had to delete like 10 k words where I compared the entire cast to US cities by saying cryptic stuff like Joey Wheeler : Seto Kaiba is like LA : San Fransisco and like it was the biggest random tangent that only makes sense to me. Quarantine brain, y’all, I got SERIOUS quarantine brain. Anyone else? Anyone else just find themselves wasting like 2 hours thinking of which cities match the personalities of different characters on a show that came out so long ago? Man I need distractions right now.)

But back to what’s happening on the show, Yami is coming to terms with Joey’s struggle about as well as Yami does.

Which is mostly Yami saying “I’m pretty sure I killed Joey in that card game with Bakura in S1 and Tea had to bring him back from the graveyard so like wtv.”

(read more under the cut)

This was like 2003??? I think I keep forgetting when this season came out but we had printers at this point. We had google maps and a printer.

I don’t think I’ve touched a map like that since the 5th grade, where we had this competition to make a hypothetical road trip across America. It was Awful, and if you won the competition to get from SF to New York with the shortest distance, you would win something like pizza and a cool engraved name plate. We did not win pizza, because I could not even unfold this asshole map.

And now we have Google so like thanks, Mrs. Lambert, it was cool, but I’ll never use that information again. I hope. It was such a vivid frustrating memory that these maps still fill me with anxiety to this day, hearkening back to my 5th grade self just desperately trying to use string to measure how many miles the freeways across the midwest contain. (spoiler: a lot)

How OLD is this kid? Rebecca’s like secretly a 68 year old. She’s secretly Mrs. Lambert.

At this point we had a swell in the music as each friend of Joey joined in to announce their willingness to risk danger and save him.

Were they...not going to join him the whole time? It just seemed like a weird thing to bring up sooo after the fact.

Yami then turned to Duke and was like “but not you. You stay here” and he was like “Oh, thank gods.”

Rebecca stayed behind because the animators don’t want to draw her. Honestly, she’s incredibly helpful and they were mad stupid to leave the only smart one in the car. But youknow...this team loves being mad stupid. It makes the show more entertaining.

As they left we had a weird aside where Arthur Hawkins reflected “Rebecca is having just a REAL hard time trusting Yami” and it’s like--Arthur Hawkins! You’ve been dumping on Yami for like an entire season, that’s why. Like don’t pretend you’re all on team Pharaoh now. Why ever stop dunking?

But youknow, character development, Rebecca is going to learn the trust the ghost that possessed her crush/best friend that she’s had for 2+ years on a kid who’s been living in Japan this whole time who literally forgot who she was 2 weeks ago. You trust that ghost, Rebecca.

Or not. I mean you really don’t have to. You don’t owe Yami anything, dude. You don’t need to blindly trust idiot men, Rebecca. You just do you. Trust that instinct of “is this guy not trustworthy?” because yep. Chances are if you’re having that thought, that he’s totally not.

Storyboarder!

Storyboarder what ARE you???

STORYBOARDER!

after this followed a scene that I’ve seen gif-ed just so, so often that I assumed it was in a Yugioh Spin-off. I don’t know why I thought it wasn’t in this OG series, but I didn’t expect it to be here, in the Dartz season. But, it does make sense that this scene was under the best Storyboarder‘s direction because *chef’s kisses * it’s perfect. Every frame is a joy. The amount of sinister expressions on Mokuba, the level of sass coming off of Kaiba. It’s such a freakin shame that this man’s best work so far only lasts like a few seconds.

PS my bro looked it up and this car salesman has a wikipedia page.

He also looked up if anyone has shipped this car salesman and it’s our lucky day because this ship does not exist with any human ever in the world. Thank you, humanity. But, they DID make a wikipedia page so maybe we’re just putting off the inevitable?

I’m not even gonna cap it because I KNOW this is a gif you can easily download from everywhere but mm--this is a SOLID piece of animation. This animator is just flexing so hard, man. Yugioh did not deserve this much care and attention to detail.

Shippers rejoice, Seto Kaiba did briefly consider helping out Joey (before he absolutely drove away in the opposite direction)

(They’re clearly in the financial district already, PS. They are driving 5 ft to Dartz’ house.)

At some point Joey nabbed Valon’s card and so now he also gets to wear a bunch of stupid armor outfits.

This one is weird! It’s very Kamen rider-ish...but it’s a color scheme that feels very valentines day. It looks hard to wear. Good thing it’s animated.

I may need to capture this walk sequence though...if I still have the energy...the picture does not display his very energetic arms-in-the-air walk cycle I haven’t seen since that one Season zero episode. I dunno if it’s a reference to that, but I can’t think of any other reason why Tristan is walking like that.

This is when Mai finally shows up.

Valon lost his helmet during this fight, which lead to this:

What a good note to end on.

Anyways, I have no idea what my update schedule will look like or be, so if you’re new here and you want to start reading these from the beginning, I have a link for that:

https://steve0discusses.tumblr.com/tagged/yugioh/chrono

47 notes · View notes

dvp95 · 5 years

Text

can’t breathe when you touch my sleeve - chapter 2

pairing: dan howell/phil lester

rating: e (eventually)

warnings: none

tags: alternate universe, slow burn, fluff & humour, tiny bit of inner turmoil wrt sexuality but trust me it’s not that deep, eventual smut, idiots in love

word count: 3,884 for this chapter (9,268 total)

summary: Dan keeps making a fool of himself in interviews, to the point where it’s basically a meme. Now he’s got to sit down for the better part of an hour and sell his show to the YouTuber he’d had a massive crush on when he was a teenager.

read from the beginning on ao3 or on tumblr!

read this chapter on ao3 or here!

It's going to take a lot more than a couple of dissociative episodes between embarrassing himself on camera for Dan to, like, be comfortable with everything that hanging out with Phil might mean or might lead to, but he knows he has a bit of a habit of overthinking, so. He empties his entire suitcase onto the hotel bed and tries to find something suitably casual but cute, because he can admit that much to himself: he wants Phil to think he's cute.

Dan spends too long on his clothes, finally deciding on some ripped jeans and a striped jumper just as his alarm goes off. He eyes his hair in the mirror - he can either leave now and meet Phil on time, or he can straighten his hair and be half an hour late.

Shrugging at himself, Dan slips his phone and wallet into his bag. He doesn't care so much about his hobbit hair when he isn't going to be on camera.

"What is that," Dan deadpans.

"It's for vlogging," says Phil, waving the small camera around. He almost drops it and Dan steadies it. "Oops, thanks. Don't worry, I don't have to film you if you don't want, I just always need stock footage of Thor."

"For your endscreen," says Dan. He knows that, now.

Phil beams at him. God, those eyes are like a targeted attack without the barrier of his glasses. "Yeah! Anyway, hi!"

"Hi," Dan echoes, a smile tugging on his own lips. "I was promised a corgi, you know."

"I thought we could get coffee first," says Phil. He puts one of his hands in his jacket pocket, the other still clutching the vlogging camera. "I'm really bad at juggling my drinks and his lead."

"Fair enough. I'd drop everything, too."

When Phil laughs and turns to walk in the wrong direction, Dan allows himself a moment to just look before gently reminding him that the coffee shop is the other way.

Dan tracks the movement of Phil's hands as he talks about London so that he doesn't keep looking at his shoulders, his thighs. He's so expressive that he almost drops his camera twice more before Dan quietly takes it and stuffs it in his own backpack for safekeeping.

Phil looks good today in well-fitted black jeans and a bright red shirt under his denim jacket. There are pins on the pocket that Dan desperately wants to know the story behind. It all really makes Dan wish that he'd taken the time to pull the straighteners through his hair, but whatever. He thinks being late would have been worse.

"But you're from around here, right?" Phil says, interrupting his own tirade about the best tourist traps. "You know all this."

"Near Reading," says Dan. He holds the door of the café open, smirking when Phil almost keeps walking right by it. Phil sticks his tongue out. "I dunno, I didn't come to the city all that much. No friends and no money meant I just played RuneScape til my eyes bled."

"Oh my god, RuneScape," says Phil. "Talk about a blast from the past."

They chat about various websites they'd lost their teenage years to until it's time for them to order. Phil rolls his eyes when Dan hangs back, intending to pay for his own drink, and curls his fingers around Dan's wrist to drag him forward.

Dan is a little transfixed by the sight and feel of Phil's hand around him. The barista has to ask him four times what he wants, and he stammers it out like he's never spoken to another human being before.

Phil lets go of Dan to pay, chattering at the tired-looking barista until they smile, and Dan has to put his hands in his back pockets so he doesn't do something stupid like reach for Phil again. He doesn't even register that Phil has stopped talking to the barista and started talking to him again until Phil snaps his fingers in front of his nose.

"Uh, what?" Dan asks, blinking back to reality.

"You were on another planet," Phil laughs. He doesn't seem to mind much. "You wanna sit and talk or walk and talk?"

"Always sit," says Dan. "Unless you can lie down, I guess. Then lie down."

"I don't think they'll let us lie on the floor," Phil muses, taking their drinks from the counter with another bright smile at the workers. "But thank god, I didn't want to walk more than I have to."

Dan follows Phil to a table, feeling a bit like a lost puppy. "Then why did you offer, doofus?"

"Wanted you to think I was someone who walked just for the hell of it," says Phil. He's still smiling, it shouldn't even be allowed.

"I'd like you a lot less if you were," Dan jokes, stirring his macchiato absently. "I'm lazy as fuck, mate."

"Same," says Phil. "So how was BuzzFeed?"

"It was alright," Dan says, wincing. "They talked to us about memes from the show, kept calling us by nicknames we didn't consent to, and I swear they were just waiting for me to fuck up the whole time."

"Did you?"

"Not a lot," says Dan. "Just tripped. Didn't even fall."

With a quiet laugh, Phil raises his coffee cup. "Well, hello, let's celebrate that."

Dan snorts despite himself. He bops his disposable cup against Phil's and takes a long drink from it.

"How was your day, filming?"

The way Phil's face lights up when he gets to talk about making a video has Dan's heart doing double time. He talks to Dan about it with the same passion he'd talked about London, gesticulating a lot and smiling at Dan like he's the only person in the room. Dan hears everything Phil is saying but retains roughly zero of it, too busy looking at the way thin lines around Phil's eyes crinkle when he's happy.

"It's nothing too crazy," says Phil, as if Dan has any earthly idea what they're talking about. "But I always get so excited when I can do something more... I don't know, creative? Really put my master's to work."

"Your masters?" Dan asks, bewilderment knocking him back into the conversation. "Think it's a little early in the friendship to tell me about your BDSM shit."

Phil blinks at him and then laughs, loud, one hand coming up to cover his mouth. His blue-green-yellow eyes are sparkling as he looks at Dan like he's the funniest person in the world. "Oh my god, Dan, my master's degree. From uni. Where the hell does your mind come up with this stuff?"

"Pardon me," says Dan, "I need to go walk into traffic."

"So it's not just interviews you do this in," says Phil, still grinning. He gestures vaguely at Dan's entire being. "This is just... what you're like."

"Yeah," Dan says miserably.

"It's endearing," Phil assures him.

"So you have a master's degree," says Dan. He can feel the heat in his face, knows he's all red and patchy. He knows he looks and sounds ridiculous right now.

Thankfully, Phil allows him to change the subject with nothing more than a smirk. "I do, it's a post-production thing I spent way too much time on. You want to uni in Manchester, didn't you?"

"I did," Dan says, a little surprised by Phil knowing that. "I mean, I didn't finish uni, but I did go for a bit."

"I grew up near Manchester," says Phil, "so that kind of stuck out when I read up on you, because I was like, what if we had mutual friends back then? Went to the same parties? What if we passed each other on the street and I didn't know I was looking at someone who was gonna be famous? It was a whole, like, existential thing."

Dan's heart feels like it's going to burst, but he just laughs. "Me? Parties? Friends? Going outside? You're drastically overestimating my uni life."

"Guess so," Phil laughs.

Like it's second nature to keep the conversation going - and as a radio host slash YouTuber, it might be - Phil offers up stories from his own time at university and asks Dan a bunch of questions about everything under the sun. Dan barely has the presence of mind to answer them accurately, let alone ask any questions of his own, and it feels a bit like he's sitting for another interview. He doesn't mind much, though, because Phil listens so intently and is really good at jumping onto new conversation threads at points that feel right.

Before Dan knows it, their drinks are long empty. He could probably get another and just sit here and talk to Phil about video games for ten hours straight, but he doesn't want to give up the option of meeting Phil's dog.

They keep chatting while Phil leads the way to his place. Dan manages to think of some questions and ask them; Phil manages to get them hopelessly lost for a few minutes while trying to rattle off fifteen hamster names in a single breath.

Dan pretends to get a phone call when they reach Phil's stoop. He isn't sure he's emotionally prepared for being in AmazingPhil's flat, or Phil's flat for that matter, and he'd rather stand awkwardly on the pavement than deal with that. It's a narrow brick building, snug in the middle of a whole row of narrow brick buildings, and looking at it almost makes Dann feel claustrophobic after so many years in the boroughs of Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles.

He doesn't feel homesick for any of the places he'd couch-surfed or filmed in, exactly, but he does feel a little homesick for privacy from nosy neighbours. He feels like someone is watching him through their blinds right now, and knowing what he knows of the British elderly, there probably is.

All thoughts of America are thrown unceremoniously from Dan's mind when the blue front door swings open again and Phil reappears with Thor at his heels.

"Oh, look at you," Dan coos, his voice going into the soft one he reserves for cute animals and small children. He's crouching down before he can even remember giving his body the command, and Thor gives him a quizzical sort of head tilt.

"It's okay," says Phil. His voice is soft, too, way sweeter than Dan has heard it before. Dan wouldn't be opposed to hearing it more often. "Say hi, Thor."

As if he was waiting for Phil to give him the go-ahead - maybe he was, Dan doesn't know fuck about training dogs - Thor barks once and jumps up, putting his stumpy front legs on Dan's knees and allowing Dan to give him scritches. Dan's eyes well up a little bit and he chokes the tears back as he pets the soft, small, very good boy.

"Hello, oh my goodness, you're such a good, good boy, your fur is so soft and pretty and I would fall upon my sword to keep your tail wagging, do you understand me? Do you even know?"

"Oh, he knows," Phil says, fond. "Fall upon your sword?"

"I'm not even a little kidding," says Dan. He can't stop staring at Thor's puppy eyes and perked ears. "I'd legit die for this dog."

"Same, but he wouldn't even appreciate it," says Phil. He gives Thor's lead a tiny tug, and Thor yips, abandoning Dan to wind himself through Phil's long legs a couple times.

Dan grins like an idiot as he looks up at Phil, and Phil grins right back at him. It takes a moment before Dan realises that he's still crouched on the pavement and he's very much eye-level with -

He stands up so fast that he has to blink spots out of his eyes.

"Uh, yeah, totally," Dan stammers. He has no idea what they're talking about anymore. His brain has gotten tripped up on the idea of being on the floor in front of Phil like it's a record scratch. He's pretty sure that Phil can tell, there's no way it's not all over his flushed face right now, but Phil just laughs and lets Thor lead the way down the street.

"He's way better at navigating than me," says Phil. He sounds so casual. Dan is focusing on not walking into a lamppost. "And that's really good for some stuff, but he also brings me to the park when I'm trying to go to the shop."

"Right," says Dan.

"Oh, can you grab my camera?" Phil asks as if he's just remembered its existence.

"Yeah." Dan is thrilled to have a task that doesn't involve thinking about Phil's body more than he ought to be. He digs around in his bag and fiddles around with the settings on the camera while Thor takes a leak. "This is pretty cool. You want me to hold it for you?"

Phil grins. "You wanna film me?"

"That's not what I said, I -"

"Sure."

"- didn't mean - sure?"

"Sure," Phil repeats, tongue between his teeth as he smiles. "I don't usually have someone to help me out."

So Dan films some stock footage for the AmazingPhil endscreen, because that is what's become of his life, somehow. He gets a new perspective on Thor doing various dog things on the walk to the park, laughs every time Thor or Phil do something cute, and feels his heart start to swell more every time he sees Phil's answering smile.

As soon as they get to the dog park and take him off the lead, Thor is zooming off to bark with his friends. Dan keeps rolling and just turns the camera on Phil, who pulls a silly face.

"Is this what a day in the life of AmazingPhil is like?" Dan asks in his best announcer voice. Phil giggles.

"Honestly, no," says Phil. His hands are in his pockets and, despite a camera being on him, he isn't using his camera voice. It's all a very good look. "I stay home and answer emails until Thor forces me to stop working."

"I don't know if I could have a dog," Dan says. "I'm too fucking busy. Aren't you busy?"

"Gonna have to bleep that," says Phil, which Dan guesses is more as an aside to himself, since he doesn't pause for Dan to apologise. "Yeah, I'm really busy. Like. All the time. But I stopped being so careful for a little while, there, during some family stuff, and made a pretty impulsive decision or two. Thor was one of those, and I honestly don't regret it."

"Ooh, what else did you do? Get a tattoo? Join a cult?"

Phil winks. Tries to, anyway. He mostly just blinks a little out of sync like he's got something in his eye. "Wouldn't you like to know?"

The cackle that's surprised out of Dan is not at all an attractive sound, but it makes the happy crinkles around Phil's eyes deepen, so. Worth getting it on tape. He's not even sure that Phil will use this footage for anything.

Dan turns the camera off and slips it back into his backpack so he can fully focus on taking photos of various dogs on his phone. He and Phil migrate to a bench where they don't have to interact with any of the other dog parents milling around.

"God, I love dogs," says Dan.

Phil laughs at him but nods in agreement. "So do I. Well, I love basically all animals, but dogs are the best kind."

"Is it good, having Thor?" Dan asks. "Even though you're busy?"

"Yeah," says Phil. "I mean, do I wish I could give him more of my time? Of course. But having something else relying on me to function has forced me to take better care of myself. I couldn't keep working myself to the bone when I had this tiny thing who needed attention and, like, proper routine."

"They do say that having animals is good for your mental health," says Dan. "Maybe the routine thing is part of why."

"Not to mention the unconditional love." Phil grins and whistles over at a group of small dogs, who all perk up. "Thor, c'mere!"

Thor happily bounds over to them on his stout little legs, and Dan coos when Phil picks him up, sets him in Dan's lap. The dog seems fine with this development, giving Dan's nose a lick.

"Oh, hello," Dan breathes.

"What do you think?" asks Phil. "Is it worth turning down some work opportunities for this little dude?"

"Yes," says Dan. He's petting Thor and feels his eyes start to water when Thor lolls his tongue out in a goofy sort of grin. "Yeah, I mean - I personally still move around too much to get my own dog, but it makes sense for you. If I had a home base, maybe I'd consider it more seriously."

"Yeah," Phil agrees, sounding happy. Then he clears his throat. "Feel free to tell me off, but can I get a picture of the two of you? You're just so sweet with him."

"Course you can," says Dan. "Tag me on Instagram."

When he looks up from scratching Thor's ears, Dan is taken aback by the softness in Phil's expression. It's gone as soon as it appeared, fleeting, and Phil grins as he pulls out his phone. "I just figured you wouldn't want to, like, make this a public thing."

"I don't mind," says Dan.

There are some people who he probably would mind that for. Usually the same people who call him Dan even after he says not to. They just want to seem closer to him than they are in order to further their own agendas.

Phil isn't like that. Dan has known him for only a handful of days, but the man is so genuine in every interaction they've had that Dan doesn't feel like this is put on to gain some kind of audience.

It's fun and easy to let Phil take silly pictures of Dan, teary eyed with a dog in his lap. It's just as easy for Dan to take the phone out of his hand and snap a selfie of the three of them. And it's even easier still to take shots and short videos of Phil rolling around in the grass once Thor has had enough of sitting still. They go back and forth for what might be actual hours, training their phones on each other like they're just regular friends hanging out.

By the time Phil puts his phone away, Dan's stomach is grumbling loud enough for the whole park to hear.

Phil laughs, but it isn't a mean one. "C'mon, I should get Thor home, and you need to eat."

It isn't an invitation to keep hanging out, exactly, but it isn't a dismissal either. Dan is impressed by Phil's ability to walk a line like that, to keep his own feelings on the matter a complete mystery.

As much as Dan would love to spend the rest of the afternoon following Phil around like a puppy, he has to spend some time recharging or he'll hate himself tomorrow.

"Yeah, my leftover Domino's is calling my name," Dan says lightly. "Then I've got to prepare myself for the pure horror that will be tomorrow's interviews with teen magazines, what the fuck, I'm not a Jonas brother."

"Nice teen reference," Phil deadpans.

"Shut up," says Dan. He scratches Thor's little head, looking down at him so he doesn't have to look at Phil's reaction to his probably-desperate-sounding, "We've gotta do this again."

"We do," Phil says, all warm and happy in a way that makes Dan flush pink, bite his lip. "I had fun."

"Me too," Dan admits. He sticks his hands in his pockets so he doesn't reach for Phil, fidgeting with the inner fabric. "Like, a lot of fun. I don't get to do this a lot."

"I figured - and neither do I. Text me when you're done your interviews tomorrow, yeah?"

It's a good moment for them to hug again, probably, but Dan doesn't think he can handle that. The more time he spends around Phil, the harder it is to ignore how badly he wants to feel Phil pressed up against him.

With a promise to text and an awkward salute of a wave, Dan tries to walk away. He only gets a few feet when Phil calls, "Oi, Dan, hold up a second."

Okay, so he's not getting away without another hug after all. Dan takes a deep breath to brace himself before turning to Phil again. "Yeah?"

"You," says Phil, smiling wide, "still have my camera."

Dan narrowly avoids facepalming by digging in his backpack and muttering apologies. Phil just keeps smiling at him. When he takes the camera back, Phil's fingers brush against Dan's wrist in a way where Dan can't tell if it's intentional or not.

"Sorry," Dan says again.

"It's okay," says Phil. He bites his lip, just for a moment, and then waves with the hand holding Thor's lead. "See you around!"

Messaging Phil is the only thing that keeps Dan sane through the next few days of both print and filmed interviews, the same questions over and over, publications dying for a new tidbit of information so they can be the first to talk about it. Dan is used to all of that, at this point, but it doesn't make things any less repetitive.

Phil sends him photos of Thor and chatters about his own day and generally gives Dan something to look forward to. Dan doesn't think he's ever hit it off with someone so quickly.

Granted, Dan hasn't actively tried making new friends since uni. He's an adult now, which means he's got work friends and people he plays MMOs with and a bunch of acquaintances on his Facebook who can't wait to catch up whenever he's in town.

That's not the way this thing with Phil feels. It's just as easy as their day together had been, talking about everything under the sun between their various responsibilities.

They talk about movies and television and video games, where they find that they've got a lot in common; and they talk about music and books, where they find they don't have much overlap at all. But Phil listens to Dan's rant on why Janelle Monáe changed the concept album game and so Dan, in turn, lets Phil waffle on about Stephen King in the middle of the night.

The fact that he has trouble sleeping afterwards is entirely irrelevant.

Dan learns a lot about Phil over these days. Not all of it is good, but nothing makes the festering warmth in Dan's gut start to recede. He's got a crush, and it's getting worse by the day.

"What a cutie," is Jaime's opinion when she sees the photoset on AmazingThorgi that Dan has been tagged in, which includes six pictures of the two of them and Thor at the park.

"He takes crap selfies," Dan tells her in case she wants to snoop Phil's personal Insta.

Jaime quirks her thick eyebrows in a way that makes Dan feel wrong-footed, like she can see directly into his soul. "I meant the dog."

#phanfic #phanfiction #phan #dnp fic #words words words #can't breathe when you touch my sleeve

35 notes · View notes

dfnews · 6 years

Photo

Episode Recap of "It's All Greek To Me" July 30, 2018 Was there also a Josiah wedding episode that night? If there was, I already recapped the mini episode so I have no interest in doing it again. 1. January 2018: Josiah is primping in the boys' fire hazard of a room and is suspiciously using more deodorant than normal. All signs lead to Josiah asking a girl to court again. Why does the boys' room need a single mattress laying on the floor when it already has four triple bunk beds? Why is there a photo of a young pre-kids Jim Bob and Michelle in the boys' room? Josiah is planning an extremely casual courtship proposal. He's dressed in a long sleeve t-shirt, old jeans and sneakers. He's going to interrupt the girls who will be eating dinner together just in time for dessert. And that's about it. I get the feeling they rushed the courtship proposal to happen after Lauren and her family moved to Duggarland and just before they left for their trip to Australia. Lauren was going on the trip and they knew word may get out especially since she joined Josiah on stage and while autographing books. The Swanson's new house is really nice. I wonder if Jim Bob owns it. I wouldn't be surprised if he did. It was sad they left Lauren's sister at home instead of inviting her along. She looked kind of bummed. At their favorite restaurant, Market Place Grill, Jana, Jessa, Joy and Kendra dine with the newest sacrificial lamb, Lauren. That Market Place Grill must be owned by a Duggar-like thinker. Why else would they advertise it all the time. Josiah says he likes that Lauren "has a head on her shoulders and working on college and stuff like that." Then the girls mention that she just graduated, which I assume means high school since she was only 18 at the time. The "working on college and stuff" must mean taking an online course or two. Josiah just mentions this because he knows the criticism the family gets about rejecting a college education. He rejected it himself to work in daddy's car lot. They also mention video chatting for five hours once and Jessa talks about her phone conversations with Ben which she claims were private even though we were led to believe those were chaperoned. Remember Jana following Jinger on that fake camping trip when she was chatting with Jeremy on the phone? Why are they trying to diss their own rules? Why are they trying to look normal now? It's too late for that! Lauren is health conscience which is nice to hear because Josiah is not. Jessa says Josiah always has a bag of candy with him. That's because his parents train their kids to do work for candy. See how that backfires! I hope Lauren can break him of that addiction. Josiah sneaks in, gets a sidehug from Lauren, asks her to court in which she says yes, and then grabs somebody's dessert and chows down. Six months later they are married and working hard on bible sex. 2. September 2017: Joe and Kendra are headed to Greece after their wedding and their week-long after wedding vacation. Duggars always wait about a week before heading out on their honeymoons just in case the non-Duggar spouse ends up freaking out from all the explicit exposed unchaperoned Duggary. They do the hand holding while driving Duggary and the talking about being unchaperoned on this honeymoon while a crew of 20 follow them onto the plane Duggary. They arrive in Athens and do the Duggary thing of visiting a religious site first. They pose for selfies which looks like it might end in being a special episode of Dateline as Kendra teeters on the rocks. They eat dinner on a platform that is lifted a hundred feet up by a crane. Why is that even a thing? Joe shows his food deprived past in this scene by digging into his food like a starving wolf. He ignores the scenery and the other people around him when there is food in front of him. He has a habit of licking his plate which he blames Jessa for teaching him that particular lovely skill. Kendra chats with a lady, who was probably hired by TLC, as Joe stuffs his face. The lady asks if Kendra is working. Kendra says, "No, I'm just going to stay at home." Then she quickly adds that she'll help Joe sell cars. How long are selling used cars going to support all those marrying Duggar boys and their families? They better come up with another plan fast! The lady is shocked to hear Joe comes from a family of 19 kids and asks about Michelle's health and if Jim Bob ran away. We wish! Then the Acropolis pops up in the conversation and the producer asks the Duggars a silly question. She asks if they know any Greek gods. Jeer says Napoleon. Does that count? Jeremy can name one but Ben is the Greek god expert. Shame on Jeremy. He went to a public high school and graduated from college. I studied Greek mythology in Junior High. 3. Sometime in 2017. Before Baby Bump: Jinger and Jeremy show up just to prove they are still alive. They are randomly going to an art class for a date and Jinger is stressed. Jinger is unfortunately very self-conscious. The producer gets all the Duggar couples and Josiah and Jason and Jeer and Jed to draw portraits of each other. It's a very cute scene where the Duggars actually come off as regular people. They need to do stuff like this more often. I especially like Joy and Austin goofing around and the glowing Jessa who calls herself a cougar. Very cute but still boring reality TV. 4. Back to September 2017: Joken hit the subway where Joe says Si to a guy who helped them out. Just like his dad. Spanglish is the universal Duggar language. Then to a walking food tour to explore Greek foods. Kendra doesn't like slimy food so her spinach treat went right down Joe's throat and Joe hates olives so Kendra kissing him with olive breath almost caused a quickie divorce but the meat market was the big gross out. I liked when the lady showed them testicles and how Joe quickly backed up and said, "Oh!". Protect those family jewels, Joe! They then do the obligatory Duggar cooking class where they make a Greek salad. They are both surprised lettuce is not included in the recipe. Oh brother... Now they're off to Santorini to giggle, drive an atv thing, act out the Titanic movie (I bet they only saw the movie poster), and board surf where some guys giggled at the couple's modest swimwear. I guess they don't see long skirts worn in the water much in Greece. We find out in a talking head that Ben irons his t-shirts and jeans. Yeah, I just don't know what to say about that. His dad seems kind of prissy so I'm sure he got it from him. 5. November 2017: It's Benessa's third wedding anniversary and Ben has sent Jessa out to get her daily pedicure. How many times can we watch the Duggar women have their feet catered to? I would love to see Jessa sent to the hair salon for a couple of feet chopped off and some highlights put in. She says, "Ben is finishing up school and he has another year to go." I didn't know Ben was in school. Ben has been extremely private the last 18 months or so. Take note, Derick. I guess he's working on becoming a pastor. Hopefully, a well-rounded pastor. Ben is the dream husband on this day. He cooks a healthy dinner, takes good care of the baby and designs jewelry. I'll be your cougar, Ben! For a day. 6. September 2017: Joken end their honeymoon, not really, in Fira, Greece. They say they're going back to Arkansas but the Duggars usually do two honeymoons back to back. One with crew and one without. A theater group dances and sings their way passed the couple and get them to throw plates and yell "Opa". That's all fine but Joe is kind of thrown by the kisses to the cheeks by a woman who isn't his wife. 7. August 5, 2018: Well, that's it! Little Joe is married. He's having sex! As much sex as he wants because Kendra is staying home just for that purpose. He got a free honeymoon paid for by TLC. He was given a house and a job by his daddy. He already has his first child and is working hard on a second. So, what is Joe doing for God? Was God's plan for him to live off of others and serve his own needs? What is Joe doing for the less fortunate? Oh, he is the less fortunate. Without his dad he has nothing.

10 notes · View notes

nancydrewsilentspy · 6 years

Text

Chapter 2: The Start of the Adventure

Nancy read her book until their boarding group was called. Deirdre had spent the time fidgeting with everything, unable to settle down. Nancy could understand the feeling. If something had happened to Bess or George, Nancy couldn't rest until things were made right. She decided to let Deirdre be restless for a while. Sometimes, you just had to work through the worry so that you can get to figuring out a solution to the problem you were worried about.

Finally, their boarding group was called. The girls gathered their things and made their way through the line to the plane. The gate agent said, "Off on another investigation, Miss Drew?"

Deirdre shot Nancy a look. Nancy answered, "Yes in Massachusetts this time. It's great to see you Sally. Are your kids doing well?"

"Yes! Thanks for remembering them! Enjoy the flight and best of luck!" Sally the gate agent waved Nancy on.

Deirdre caught up with Nancy and gave her another look. Nancy rolled her eyes. "What?"

"Why are you always so happy? Seriously I see you and I just go 'ugh.' It's annoying."

"What? Would you prefer I complain and snap at people? I see the workers here a lot and sometimes spend hours waiting for flights. Talking to them helps pass the time."

The girls reached their seats and Deirdre began settling in. "Must be nice to have such a perfect life. Perfect boyfriend, perfect family, adventures all over." She continued muttering under her breath.

"Are you serious?" Nancy said as she buckled her seatbelt. "My life isn't as perfect as you think it is, but if you were nice maybe you would see how imperfect it can be! But no, you just take every chance you can to be rude to my friends and I. I know you are worried about your friend, but that's no excuse to be mean." Nancy sighed.

"Sorry I don't swoon over you like everyone else does."

"Yeah pretty sure all of the people that have tried to kill me or frame me were swooning over me."

Deirdre looked Nancy dead in the eye. "You don't understand. It should have been me in your place. I should be the one traveling all over the world, meeting cute guys, saving whatever special artifact from thieves, not you. You stole the life I could have had." Deirdre's voice was getting louder. "Now I have to put up with my parents comparing us and I can't even help my friend without your help. I never get a break!"

Nancy stared at Deirdre. "How did I steal her life?" she wondered. "What are you talking about, Deirdre? Stole the life you could have had?"

Deirdre scoffed. "I could have just as easily found that will. Emily could have called me. I heard she had called you and I went to see if I could find the will first. I was this close before you swooped in and ruined it! I would've been the hero and been able to travel the world doing amazing things."

"You're right."

"What?!"

"You're right. It could have been you. You could have just as easily found the will. Things just didn't work out that way. I didn't know you were looking for the will too." Deirdre stayed silent. "Well, now is your chance I suppose. Teaming up could change things for you." Nancy said thoughtfully.

"You think so, huh?"

"It's possible, but not for sure. If you had told me before that case that I would become a detective, I would have laughed at you...now? Heck I think anything's possible."

Deirdre half-smiled. "Okay, Drew. Let's see what happens."

Nancy reached for her bag and pulled out two Koko Kringle bars. "In the spirit of cooperation, let's have some chocolate."

The two girls dug into their candy bars, both lost in thought.

"So what do you normally do at this point?" Deirdre asked. "In the investigation, I mean."

"Well, there's not really much to do at this point. I have to start talking to people there in order to piece together what happened." Nancy paused a moment. "Sometimes I'll go over what I know about the case or I'll think through my cover...sometimes I research more about the place I'm going on my computer. Other times I read or do puzzles."

"That's it?"

"Pretty much. I'm not Sherlock Holmes or anything like that. I'm going to need to learn more about the fire than just what you told me."

Deirdre smiled at that. "I love that show! I wish they made episodes more. It's a pain waiting so long between episodes."

"I don't mind, actually. Gives me time to catch up if it comes out while I'm on a case."

"I'm surprised you watch that show. I think it would be boring for someone like you. It's probably pretty predictable."

"Ha! Not at all. One thing I've learned is to expect the unexpected. What episode's your favorite?"

The girls continued to talk TV as the drink and snack carts went by. As the girls sipped their pop, Deirdre asked, "So where do we start with all of this?"

Nancy took another sip of her 7up. "Well, normally I like to set up contact with the person or people who hired me. In this case, it would be the Parris family, right?"

"Yes, but my parents are going to set us up in a hotel. They didn't want us to get underfoot at their house."

"Makes sense. Once we're set up, we can do a number of things. We can investigate the crime scene, interview the victim, or interview witnesses. We'll need to establish Mei's alibi too. After that, try to figure out what happened."

"That's a lot."

"Yeah, I know." Nancy smiled. "But, we can do it. It's definitely not the weirdest case I've been on...at least so far."

"How do you even do all of this? Do you get paid? Do you get a stipend or something? Got a secret sugar daddy?"

Nancy laughed at that last one. "Well in a few situations, my dad has paid for me to go; however, usually if someone is calling me, they'll pay for the bare necessities: room and board, transport, etc. In other cases, I find odd jobs to do. I've even sold flowers during one case."

"You don't bring money? Just in case??"

"Not really. I find a way to get by."

Deirdre gaped at Nancy. "You're crazy! Who goes on trips without some sort of cash? What if you get stiffed by your clients? What if you don't find odd jobs?? What'll you do? Starve? Sleep on a park bench?? And your dad's okay with this? Heck, Ned's okay with this? Do you at least get money for doing all of this? You don't do this for free, do you?"

Nancy hesitated. "I haven't really run into those problems. My dad doesn't really know about the money situation, but he did make me promise to accept payment if it is offered. Ned has gotten after me about bringing money. I don't ask for payment. I just like helping people." She ended with a small smile.

"You're really not helping your case in why I shouldn't dislike you. Seriously, who travels abroad without money?" Deirdre grumbled.

Conversation died between the two for a while. Nancy took the time to practice her observation skills. People watching was an important aspect of investigating. In the nearby row, a young mom wrestled with her toddler. The toddler had been trying hop off her mom's lap and go running down the airplane. Nancy could see the shadow of exhaustion on the mom's face. The young lady looked up and saw Nancy watching. She flushed. "I'm so sorry! She's not normally this wild on the plane."

"Don't be sorry. I understand. If you need a hand, let me know. I'm happy to help." Nancy said.

The lady thanked her and Nancy continued her people watching. Most people were sleeping or surfing the internet. A few people were reading novels. Deirdre was listening to music at a volume loud enough to be heard through her headphones. Nancy rummaged through her bag and pulled out a book on the Salem Witch Trials and began to read.

Captain Reynolds was reviewing some paperwork when Lieutenant James came barreling through his office door. "Easy Lieutenant. What's the rush?"

The lieutenant paused until he caught his breath then said, "It's an update about the Danforth case. Chief McGinnis from the River Heights PD phoned to let us know that a Nancy Drew is coming by to do an investigation of the incident. He says not to worry about it. She'll pretty much stay out of our way."

"Nancy Drew, huh?" Captain Reynolds had read about some cases the teen detective had solved. She was pretty successful. "Sounds good to me. We could use a fresh set of eyes."

It had only been a day since the event occurred, but the police were already hitting a dead end. The whole event was so absurd. A young boy is dancing in the streets and then winds up in a burning building with no recollection of what happened or how he got there. No evidence about who could have started the fire. Based on the story of the Danforth boy, people were in the streets demanding that he take in that Parris girl. True, she was a bit creepy and her albinism didn't help, but being creepy doesn't automatically make you a criminal. Captain Reynolds figured that if this Drew girl could help put a peaceful end to this whole situation, it couldn't hurt to have her check everything out.

"Lieutenant, any idea which airport this girl is coming in from? I want one of us to meet her for a debriefing and to make sure she has a way to communicate with our office."

James huffed and rolled his eyes. "Yes, sir." He turned to leave, but Reynolds called him back.

"Is there a problem with my request, lieutenant?" Reynolds was giving him the stare down.

"Actually, yes there is sir." James turned around and stormed to the desk. "I don't think we need the help of some kid. We've solved weird cases like this before."

"None of those cases had dead ends, James. Yeah, they seemed out of the ordinary, but there were actual clues to follow. This case? Nada." Reynolds slapped his desk for emphasis.

"And how's some untrained teen gonna help us out? Eh, boss?"

The captain smirked. "You'd think you would've learned after 15 years on the force. Never underestimate anybody. You never know how they're going to surprise you."

Lieutenant James turned towards the door. "Whatever you say, boss. Still, think you're wrong, but we'll see who's right soon."

"Lieutenant." Captain Reynolds called sharply. "You go make contact with the Drew girl. Be the liaison for the department. Maybe she'll show you a thing or two."

The man paused. Reynolds could see him shaking. Moments crept by when finally he heard a low growl. "Whatever you say. You're the captain."

With that, he left. The captain shrugged and thought, "this'll be good for the boy. He needs to be knocked down a peg or two...or six."

Lieutenant James was a hard worker and committed officer. He could spend more time on an investigation than the average officer. The problem? He was cockier than sin. The only thing arrogance brought was a one-way ticket to trouble and Lieutenant James's arrogance got him into a lot of sticky situations. Reynolds was hoping this Nancy Drew girl could teach him a thing or two about what it takes to be a detective.

Nancy and Deirdre both exited the plane looking a bit worse for wear. Deirdre checked with one of the attendants to find out which baggage claim they had to go to. Nancy turned her phone on. She sent a text to Ned, Hannah, and her dad to let them know that they had arrived safely. Moments later, a text from Ned came.

"Surprise waiting for you at baggage claim."

Nancy furrowed her brow. What could the surprise be?

"Move it, Nancy. I want to get to the hotel before I'm old."

The two girls made their way through the crowd to the baggage claim. Nancy was lifting her flower-printed suitcase off the conveyor belt when someone shouted, "Nancy!"

She spun around to see three familiar figures coming towards her and Deirdre. Deirdre turned to see who Nancy was looking at. Ned was walking with Frank and Joe Hardy. Deirdre asked, "Did you know they were coming?" She paused. "Looking at your face, I'm guessing nope."

"This must be the surprise Ned texted me about." Nancy waved.

Joe bounded up to the girls. "Hey, Nancy! Is this that girl, Deirdre? Ned told us all about the arson case. Any suspects yet? Have you ever been to Salem?" Joe said all this in one breath.

Joe Hardy was always high energy. His brother, Frank, had always been more low key.

"Gee, Joe. Give Nancy a moment to breath will you?" Frank turned toward Deirdre. "Sorry about my brother. You must be Deirdre. Ned was catching us up on everything on the plane. I'm Frank and the annoying ball of energy is my brother, Joe."

The corners of Deirdre's mouth were threatening to turn upward in amusement. "Nancy, did you know these three were going to be here?"

"Nope. Complete surprise. So what are you guys doing here? Big investigation?"

"Oh, you know it!" Joe said. "A travel company wanted us to look into Jenna Ravencraft. She runs a local paranormal tour agency. They are considering featuring her in their Go Salem campaign, but there are too many roomers going around. They want us to check it out."

"We figured you would be heading off on an investigation soon, so we thought we'd invite Ned along," Frank added patting Ned on the back.

"Alright, enough of this. Nancy, we have bigger fish to fry." Deirdre began pulling Nancy towards the rental car desks.

Nancy wiggled out of Deirdre's grip. "Hang on just a second, will you?" Nancy turned back towards the boys and called, "What hotel are you staying at?"

"There's a Marriott nearby the travel company set up reservations at," Frank called. "You?'

"Same," Deirdre answered for Nancy. "Now if you don't mind?"

"We can catch up later," Ned said as they approached. "Let's get the cars and check in first."

"About time," grumbled Deirdre as she filled out paperwork.

As the group worked on the rental agreements, Nancy noticed several flyers advertising a Halloween festival in Salem. The festival would take place over the course of several days, culminating with a Halloween ball at the town hall.

Deirdre nudged Nancy. "Hey were you listening? I said I've got the keys. We can go...Nancy?"

"Huh? Oh, sorry. I found this." Nancy handed the flyer to Deirdre. "We may want to go to some of this. It will give us a chance to question any leads that the Parris family have without looking too suspicious."

"Okay, if you think it'll help. The car is just outside. You coming?"

The girls made their way outside. The brisk October air sent a shiver up Nancy's spine. Thick, grey clouds blocked out any sun that may have been out. Nancy smiled. Autumn was her favorite season and the weather was ideal. "Hopefully I will be able to enjoy myself a bit while I'm here." Nancy thought as the girls climbed into the rental car and sped off to the hotel. However, something told Nancy this case was going to be harder than it seemed.

#Nancy Drew #midnight in salem #MID #fanfic #ff

10 notes · View notes

mistyandmatt · 6 years

Photo

Friends (Insert the Friends theme song here)

We’ve shared a lot of our specific activities we have done while on this trip, as well as all the lovely landscape we’ve got to experience, but I want to take a quick minute to talk about a few things that have really made this trip much more meaningful for me. See, one of the many reasons I found a love in traveling (and let’s be honest entertaining strangers in my home who are also travelers) is because I’m really an introverted social person. I love knowing who people are, where they came from, the things that bring them happiness and joy, what their life experiences have been, and what truly makes them the individuals they are. It’s the innate social worker in me, I suppose. I can’t help it, nor would I change it, because it’s given me the chance to create amazing friendships and truly notable acquaintances over the years. This trip has given us the opportunity to not only meet new people everywhere we go, but for us to reconnect with our friends, many of which Matt or I have had the chance to spend time with in at least two to five years. I introduced you all to my friend Josh, the heavy-pour bartender who enabled us to miss our first flight to Hawaii, I’d now like you all to get aquatinted with Rene. Rene and I had the opportunity to work together in the Oklahoma County juvenile court system since 2008. We first bonded over our crazy work experiences, but second was our love for animals. Rene’s spirit and energy is contagious, her laugh so very lovable, and her feistiness is like none other. A few years ago she decided to move back to Kauai (she’s from here) to lead a more simpler, present-moment life. So, as Matt and I were coming into town, we contacted her to meet up and catch up on her life happenings. On Sunday, Rene gladly served as our local tour guide taking us from the Lihue/Kapaa area all the way west to the Waimea Canyon. We stopped to see several waterfalls, we did a rum tasting at the Koloa rum shop, we toured the coffee plantation at the Kauai Coffee Company, and hiked up to see the best views of the Waimea Canyon (noted as the Grand Canyon of the pacific). We got to see all the great spots, including lunch at a fantastic little side-of-the-road shrimp stand that was absolutely phenomenal. She was able to give us all the history of the area and all the fun insider details of truly being a local. A huge thank you to her for taking her day to do this for and with us, we had a great time and loved getting to catch up with one another. This was our last day in Kauai and quite frankly I was terribly sad to leave. I fell in love with this island and can see us coming back here many times in the future.

The next day we headed to the airport for our last Hawaiian island flight to make the quick trip over to Oahu for the next two days. We managed to get to the airport, get our boarding passes, and then headed towards security. Well, this is where things once again at an airport went south. Matt always tells me I’m not friendly enough with the airline people and that he is just going to “handle” the check in processes since he thinks he can use his brilliant personality to get what he wants (read: Matt thinks he is awesome and he has endless skills…) just wait. So, I took him up on the offer. He was handling check in this time. Matt always carries this specific knife with him everywhere, and he’s usually really good about remembering to take it out and put it in his checked luggage. Well, since you know we can’t get anywhere on time with him, we are cutting it close to boarding time as we are going through security. Well, “Brilliant Personality” forgot to put his knife in his checked luggage (probably because I wasn’t asking him 800 questions about do you have this, have you done that, etc.) and TSA obviously wouldn’t let him take it through. He decided to go over to the baggage check area to see if they would pull his bag and put it in there, but it had already gone out to get on the plane. At this point, they are calling our names on the intercom that they were going to shut the doors to the plane in two minutes and here he is, still not back through security for the second time. I literally ran to the gate (I’m too fat and out of shape for that kind of activity) and begged the ladies to wait so that he could get on the plane (I shouldn’t have, maybe he would have learned his lesson). Luckily, they did for his sake. Matt had to end his 12 year relationship with this specific knife at the baggage counter of Hawaiian Airlines because of his poor planning and “handling the check in process.” I’ll bet he’ll relinquish that decision back over to me again fairly quickly, since episode one of his new approach didn’t work so well. Twenty years later, some things just never change.

We were only going to be in Oahu for two days before catching our flight for the next leg of the journey, so we tried to hit a few highlights while we were there. We went to the USS Arizona (Pearl Harbor) memorial and museum as soon as we left the airport. The government was still technically shut down at that point and it was going to be the last day they were going to be open for visitors if a resolution had not been established. We stayed in Waikiki Beach that night and found ourselves making new friends in the hotel bar. At this point, we were about 11 days into this trip (which around 10 days historically is when I start to get cranky, want to sleep in my own bed, and become terribly impatient and intolerant of just about anything), we decide to go down for one drink and then we will go watch the sunset and go to bed early. Well, one drink turned into several, new friends were made, no sunset was seen, and no dinner was had. Four hours later we finally got to bed, so much for resting I suppose.

I’m pretty sure we wear ourselves totally out on these trips because we just have this drive to see and do as much as we can on our time off. With high expectations from both Matt and I, and a bucket list that seems endless, some days I just really want to rest and do absolutely nothing. No rest for the weary here, by 9:00 am the next day we were headed to the North Shore of Oahu to catch the locals surfing on what we were told were some pretty spectacular waves. January-March is the season for the 20-30 foot waves in this area that the crazy locals seem to love. After a few hours of watching the surfers (see attached photos), we also got to see a full on, out-of-the-water breaching humpback whale. Unfortunately, since nature isn’t “on demand” Matt wasn’t ready with the camera for it, but the image is permanently burned into my memory and I’ll take that, it was spectacular. We then spent the afternoon at the Dole Plantation learning all about the history of pineapples in Hawaii and of course, trying the famous Dole Whip. The tour around the gardens was interesting, as was the beautiful landscape they keep absolutely pristine. Who knew it takes 2 full years to grow a single pineapple? You learn something new everyday! The real highlight of the day was finding the mecca of all Target stores in the U.S. I needed to get a few things before we start the next phase of this trip (and lets be honest, I just really needed to get away from Matt for like one hour and mosey around looking at all the things I don’t need). With some hawaiian potato chips (they didn’t have any popcorn at this Target) and a fresh Diet Coke in hand, the three story Target store was just what I needed at that time. Next adventure: Dinner with Matt’s longtime friend, Philip and his wife, Andrea.

Back to the earlier conversation about meeting up with long-time friends, Matt and Philip have been friends since 2001. They were students at OU at the time and also worked together. Matt also became good friends with Philips brother, Ed, who served many years as our resident guinea pig on trying Matt’s random BBQ/cooking creations while he was in medical school. It’s been about 2-3 years since we’ve last seen each other, so getting together for dinner was on the agenda. We ate dinner at the Side Street Inn restaurant, which is known as a place for “local comfort food.” We followed up with hours of conversation at their house after their two sweet kiddos went to bed. As I’ve been missing sweet JuJu cat, I was able to get my kitty fix here, as the Nguyen’s recently became a kitten nursery, as their human kids let in a stray momma cat who was pregnant. Those little kitties were just so sweet and cuddly, exactly what I needed. At about 2:00 am we finally returned to our hotel to catch about three to four hours of sleep before we had to pack and be back at the airport to begin the international leg of this trip. It’s going to be a long day…..

Hawaii has been a wonderful experience and we’ve enjoyed every minute of it. Can’t wait to come back! Up next: Tokyo, Japan, off to meet all of Matt’s extended relatives for the first time ever. I can’t wait to see how this goes…..

#kauaihawaii #hawaii #kona coffee #Koloa rum #waimea canyon #cats #rtw #mandmgortw🌎#room4two.com #room4two #target #pearl harbor #north shore #side street inn #TSA #hawaiian airlines #dole plantation

2 notes · View notes

mst3kproject · 7 years

Photo

106: The Crawling Hand

A movie in which a guy is brutally attacked while Surfin' Bird plays on the soundtrack. We can all strike that off our list of Shit We Never Thought We'd See.

As the film opens, astronaut Mel Lockhart (no relation to Gilderoy, but perhaps an ancestor of Brant) hasn't quite made it back to Earth. He gets blown up before he can complete the trip, but his severed arm somehow survives re-entry and washes up on a beach where it comes to the attention of a kid named Paul Lawrence. The arm is carrying some kind of alien organism that infects anything it touches with the desire to kill, and soon Paul Isn't Paul Anymore as the space bugs take over his mind. The arm, meanwhile, goes on a rather more limited rampage of its own, strangling Paul's landlady and knocking over her preserves. Cops and scientists argue over who's in charge of the investigation, and horror and comedy argue over who's in charge of the script.

I had forgotten, but Allison Hayes is in this, too. She plays Captain Lockhart’s girlfriend in a subplot that goes absolutely nowhere and she’s still more into it than she was in The Unearthly. I’m gonna assume that her boyfriend blowing up in space was what caused the nervous breakdown that landed her at John Carradine’s little home hospital. I told you guys the movies were coming together!

The bit about infectious alien bacteria in the summary isn't quite accurate. The two scientists, Dr. Curan and Dr. Weitzberg (whose name the movie has to take the trouble to spell for us), spend significant time expositing poetically to us about what's been happening to living tissue sent into space. Something about an Earth cell romancing a cosmic ray and giving birth to some vital force that evolves intelligence within minutes or hours, turning men into killers and rats into brooding supervillains. I don't know why they went with this labored explanation when 'angry space germs' is literally three words. Generally in movie exposition less is more, unless the 'more' is somehow vitally important to the plot – which here, it is not.

The Crawling Hand is a dumb movie, and it's not my favourite film or my favourite episode, but I've kind of been looking forward to writing about it because this is my chance to share my theory about Hand Movies. There are a surprising number of animate severed hands in movies. Attack of the The Eye Creatures had one, for instance, as did The Evil Dead 2, and everybody remembers the Addams family's pet hand, Thing. But hands also have movies of their own: in addition to The Crawling Hand there's The Beast with Five Fingers and The Hand, Severed Ties and that one short in Dr. Terror's House of Horrors. What can we take from this, besides the fact that I watch way too many movies? Well, I think that the Hand Movie is actually a sort of necessary partner of the Brain Movie.

We – or at least, those of us with an unhealthy love of awful old horror movies – have all seen a Brain Movie. Stuff like The Brain from Planet Arous or Donovan's Brain, and several movies simply called The Brain. Even things like It Conquered the World can be thought of as variations on the Brain Movie, because what the brain represents in movies like these is intellect unfettered by morality. Either because they have no emotions or simply no interest in the lesser beings still trapped in the flesh, these brains apply their intelligence to doing things normal humans could but know that we shouldn't.

There's a problem with being a disembodied brain, though. Humans are very proud of our brains, claiming they're the main thing that sets us apart from the rest of the animal kingdom etc etc etc, but our brains wouldn't do us much good if we didn't also have hands. The thing humans do, to a degree no other creature does, is build shit. Our brains are vitally important in figuring out how to build shit, but it's our hands that do the actual work. We talk about finding 'intelligent life' in space but intelligence alone is not what we're looking for – dolphins are smart, but an alien SETI program would never find them. That's why dolphins need that alliance with the electricians, so there'll be somebody to build their warships for them. Our search for life in space is a search for fellow builders.

The lack of hands plagues the villains of brain movies. Gor from The Brain from Planet Arous needs a body in order to take over the world, so the poor thing is forced to possess John Agar's. Donovan's Brain uses its telepathic link with Dr. Cory to carry on shady business dealings. In It Conquered the World Beulah uses human slaves, either willing or unwilling, to do its bidding. A brain without hands is mere purpose without action – which brings us to the Hand Movie. If an isolated brain is purpose without action, then an isolated hand is action without purpose.

Sometimes evil hands in movies do have a purpose – The Beast with Five Fingers seems to be taking revenge on the people who wronged its owner in life, for instance, and Ash' possessed hand in The Evil Dead is being controlled by the movie's nameless evil force. Even in these cases, however, the hand itself is just a tool. It cannot be reasoned with, and killing it does not mean killing the controlling influence, which can find another tool and try again. The Crawling Hand isn't one of these, though. It is in fact a particularly pure example of the Hand Movie, because the titular crawling hand is animated by the alien bacteria and there is no purpose to its actions at all. It's not trying to rule the world, or to make money, or anything like that. It just kills people because it can, and there's no way to stop it from doing so except to either lock it up or destroy it.

If Brain Movies are about intellect without emotion, it's also possible to read Hand Movies as emotion without intellect. The emotion involved is usually anger, whether the vengeful rage of The Beast with Five Fingers or the undirected murderous instinct of The Crawling Hand. Whether the dichotomy is thought/action or reason/emotion, Hand Movies represent the partner of the Brain Movie, and the end result is the same whether it's the hand or the brain that has been isolated. Either is an incomplete, perverse entity that cannot contribute anything to the world. True creativity, true invention, and true humanity can only come from brain and hands working harmoniously together in one being.

This line of thought, that wholeness is essential to human-ness, is probably why we get things like bad guys with partially or even mostly-robotic bodies, like Darth Vader or that guy in Lois and Clark who wanted to transplant his head onto Superman's body – which I would much rather watch than bullshit like Me Before You, in which a man who has lost the use of his limbs cannot be convinced that life is still worth living even with Emilia Clarke. For the record, if I ever lose a major body part, I am definitely going the supervillain route. If I get to hang out with the cast of Game of Thrones while I do it, bonus!

But let's get back to The Crawling Hand. The movie presents this unreasoning incompleteness as something infectious, that can spread to humans and deprive us of our intellects, leaving only the purposeless rage of the hand. In the opening scene we briefly see the doomed astronaut begging for help. He is well on his way to hand-zombie-hood, periodically breaking off his sentences to chant, “kill, kill!”, but when he describes his situation he refers specifically to his problem being in his hand. It started there, 'making him do things', before moving on to the rest of his body. The fact that it started in his hand is in large part responsible for the mess he's now in, since with that appendage out of his control, he can't activate the spacecraft's self-destruct mechanism.

Maybe it's because of the alien influence that the hand survives to land on Earth and be picked up by Paul Lawrence (man there were a lot of Pauls on MST3K), who it infects in turn. Under the influence of the angry space germs, Paul too becomes little more than what the hand is: an undirected, purposeless killing machine. In this form he attacks people he knows, but there's no hint that this is because Paul himself is in any way resentful of them. The soda shop owner was a weirdo but Paul had no reason to want him dead, and Marta is explicitly somebody Paul loves. Zombie-Paul attacks them not because he is letting out anything he has suppressed, but simply because they are available. When he has a choice, he tries to make Marta leave his house, or decides to run away from home, in order to avoid harming her or anybody else.

Sadly, most of what's interesting about The Crawling Hand is the opportunity to examine the sub-genre it lies in and how it relates to other types of body-part movies. The movie itself spends way too much of its time on Paul and the scientists, and not nearly enough on what drew the audience in to see it, which is the unavoidably humourous image of a disembodied hand strangling people. Instead the film-makers use Zombie-Paul as the main villain, probably because they knew damn well the hand thing would make people laugh rather than scream. This was probably a mistake. The surf movie soundtrack, the crusty soda shop owner, and the scientists' clumsy improvised investigation are all clearly meant to be funny, and the movie as a whole would probably have worked better as an explicit horror-comedy about a murderous hand than it does trying to divide itself into discreet 'horror' and 'comedy' sections.

And yes, you can expect to see both The Brain from Planet Arous and The Beast with Five Fingers in the Episodes that Never Were section. I wouldn't miss them for the world!

#mst3k #reviews #the crawling hand #tw: suicide #paul isn't paul anymore #60s

55 notes · View notes

noplanwithavan · 7 years

Text

A VERY LONG WAY HOME

In the last month we have covered a gruelling 3,000km, reaching the northern extreme of our yearʼs adventure, before turning tail towards home. By August we have made our way through 25 countries, finally coming full circle. Itʼs a journey that has spanned glaciers, mountains, fjords, and volcanoes. From the desert heat of Morrocco to the midnight sun of the Artic Circle.

One thing I always wondered about this trip was what it would be like when our return date became imminent. Should we come back at all? And If we did, would we revert immediately into the same patterns? Or will the experiences prove to have changed us in some fundamental way?

Weʼve still got TWO WEEKS left (gulp!), so I canʼt be sure yet. But I think the signs indicate we are not the same as a family. For one thing Iʼve realised there is not just one way to live your life. There are many and varied possibilities. And living an itinerant existence in a camper van happens to be one of them - a perfectly sustainable one at that. Financially, thereʼs no pressing need to come home. We could afford to keep going. By renting out our house and holiday cottage in Tenby, it more than covers our expenditure. We actually spend LESS by not working. That may sound bizarre, but itʼs true. We spend less because we consume less. Marcus has become the watch guard for anti-consumerist, keeping a steely eye for any signs of weakness on our part.

Even in a country like Norway, which EVERYONE will tell you is “super expensive”, itʼs not impossible to live cheaply, if you have time and a bit of creativity. Supermarket prices are probably three times that of the UK, but in this vast wilderness there is plenty to be had for free. You donʼt need a license to fish in the fjords, and in the north especially, the fish are easy prey.

Shortly after crossing the imaginary line of the Artic Circle, we entered Norway from Northern Sweden. Immediately the landscape ramped up. Gone were the flat forests of fir scored with lakes. In their place were towering mountains with spidery waterfalls spilling straight from the heavens. Trying to outrun the rain, we pushed on to Bodø, to catch a ferry to the legendary Lofoten Islands. Weʼd heard tales of their majestic beauty, and a friendly Norwegian family we met on board the 4 hour crossing helped set the scene. At over 2m tall with long flowing flaxen locks, their eldest son looked exactly like a Viking, and regaled the girls with tales of trolls, notably, “Espen and the Ashes”. His appearance set the stage perfectly, for nowhere on earth could I imagine more Viking-worthy than that first sighting of the Lofoten Islands as they hove into view. A long string of razor sharp peaks spanning across the horizon like the scale-spiked spines of a gigantic sea monster. I have navigated the girls through Roman, Greek and now Norse mythology. And Lofoten struck me as uniquely mythical - the physical embodiment of the Midguard Serpeant, coiling itself around the Earth.

In three weeks of travelling we have seen no part of Norway which is not indescribably beautiful. Every road is a scenic smorgasbord. Every angle, every viewpoint, just breathtaking in its scale and raw, naked beauty. But even against all this, the Lofoten Islands loom large in a league of their own. They make you feel invincible somehow. A heady combination of 24 hour summer sunlight mingled with prehistoric mountains rising vertically from the sea. When the sun is shining you can hike day or night. Itʼs not unusual to spot midnight walkers, scrambling up the snaggle-toothed peaks for a view of the world spread-eagled before them. One morning I wake restless at 5.30 am, and slip out of the van to climb Reinebringen. A tough, vertical scramble, but one which rewards you with a picture-postcard view from the summit, and the sight of a sea eagle circling below.

There are harbours sheltering beneath the bulk of these impressive cliffs, flecked with grass-roofed red rorbeurs (fishermanʼs cabins standing on stilts) and giant wooden A-frames. Closer inspection revealed the purpose of these industrial-sized drying racks. For the waters around here are known for both their treachery and their abundance of cod, who come in droves to lay their eggs during the winter. The writer Jules Verne spawned the idea for his book, “Journey to the Centre of the Earth” after witnessing the maelstrom (whirlpool) off the coast of the Lofoten Isles. And long before the discovery of North Sea Oil, Norwayʼs liquid gold came from the cod liver oil harvested from these shores. We visited a quaint little fishing town called Å, where all the buildings have been turned into a museum. Peering at traditional boats, nets and glass buoys, and reeling back in horror at the stink from barrels of fermenting cod liver. One hundred years ago, black and white picture frames record a horizon packed tight with fishing boats. The flotilla then would land 70,000 cod. Now the catch is much smaller, but still large enough for every town to dry hundreds of fish on giant racks in the traditional way. At this time of year only the staring eyes and papery heads remain. Someone told us the stockfish gets shipped to Spain and Portugal as salted cod, or bacalao. The lower-value end is destined for Nigeria, as a delicacy for soups.

There are no roads crossing the sprawling islands. Instead cars skirt the edges, looping and lacing from one land mass to the next. At times this network is so narrow it becomes a series of stepping stones, made possible only by tunnels which take you below sea level. We hammered home those Norse stories by visiting a Viking museum in Vestagoy, and reach our most northerly point at Unstad, where Marcus layers up with whatever he can find to surf the Artic. He has neither wetsuit hood nor gloves, but stays in much longer than we expect, emerging only somewhat pinked to declare the water is no colder than winter back home in Pembrokeshire.

One day we hike over a mountain to the remote Kvalvika beach. Another walker tells us two friends made a documentary here, “North of the Sun”, about their experiences living for an entire winter on their own. As we straddle the pass the drop below reveals a beach encircled with cliffs shrouded in mist. The clouds act like a curtain call, hanging low, setting the scene, nature at its most dramatic. We spot a little hobbit house and long drop loo on the beach, remnants from the film; a story of human survival. For the first time we wish we could ditch the van, and go off for longer on foot. Norway and Sweden both have a policy of the individual having a “right to camp”. For this reason, itʼs normal to see a tent pitched pretty much anywhere - by a fjord, on a beach, even atop a mountain. Iʼm suddenly aware weʼre just not properly kitted out for this environment. We have “the worldʼs worst shoes” for one thing. A paltry hotchpotch of non-waterproof specimens. And no wet weather gear, aside from one pair of kids fishermanʼs trousers we picked up in a charity shop which are 2 inches too short. At €34 for a round of coffee and cakes, Norway isnʼt the country for a spending spree to get “kitted out”. Instead we brave the rainy days and scale back our ambitions. Crossing back to the mainland, and winding our way South, we stop at Svartisen glacier, bathing in the ice cold milky waters beneath. Itʼs a boat crossing plus a 2 hour walk to reach the glacier, and itʼs hard to get a sense of scale until youʼre up close. But the sight of those spearmint blue crevices get the girls declaring it was well worth it. “Like Elsaʼs Palace up close,” Elsie muses. Norway has notched up our ferry total to 19. The whole coastline is like a gigantic lung, fed by a fine weave of arteries - the fjords stretching impossibly far inland. The only way to navigate them at points is to take a ferry hop across. The main road, the E6, is said to be the longest in Europe and though the drives here are long they are never boring. It takes you past thundering rivers and sweeping fjords, over steep mountain passes where islands of snow meet lakes. Their white lips curled up distastefully by the waterʼs edge, in defiance of fate. Itʼs so utterly uncompromising in all it offers, our only difficultly proves finding somewhere off the main road to camp - suitably “off the beaten track” so to speak. There are the scenic highlights - the world-famous Geiranger Fjord, where giant cruise ships sit dwarfed alongside the multi-storey cliffs above. The fairytale wooden stave church in Lom, itʼs Viking iconograpghy from the very dawn of Northern Christianity. The “Troll Road” - a series of 11 hairpin bends taking you past architectural buildings every bit as breathtaking as the scenery. In between all this, our days are spent fishing, canoeing and cooking. Elsie and Lulu have become hooked on old episodes of Ray Mears given to us by the friend we stayed with in Bulgaria, Cen Rees. The slow-paced TV series about Bushcraft inspires us all to hone our outdoor skills. Marcus becomes a dab hand with line fishing, striking out and catching us mackerel, cod and pollock each night. Itʼs been several months since weʼve been able to cook off our stove in the van. North of Greece, the gas canisters we needed became first sparse, then disappeared altogether. Our outdoor COBB BBQ has become our salvation. One day I channel my inner Ray and idly speculate whether itʼs high time I became accustomed with this bit of kit, rather than sitting back and waiting for Marcus to sort it out. Drawing Lulu aside, I announce that “Mummy is doing supper tonight,” followed by a plaintive, “Do you want to help?” She readily agrees, and to my delight, coaches me through the entire process. “Not like that, donʼt put the charcoal on yet....errm, actually birch bark makes better tinder than paper..etc” I decide we need shelter and begin grappling with our awning for the first time in 11 months. It wonʼt unfold properly, what the hell? “I think it pulls out like this,” Lulu gaily exclaims, manipulating it effortlessly beneath me. “How do you know all this stuff?” I ask her. With no hint of guile, she replies, “I just watch Daddy.” My culinary efforts are not great. The result is a strange burnt tasting tomatoey egg soup, which is unanimously rejected and immediately earns a place in the family folklore of terrible meals. Still, itʼs a start, and, as Ray will tell you, the secret of good bushcraft is not giving up. After weʼve poached, fried, curried and smoked as much fish as we can, we put the BBQ to further use, experimenting with making waffles and donuts, supplemented with wild raspberries and strawberries. Marcus tries out advanced fire-lighting skills with mixed success. He fails to master the wood- friction bow method demonstrated with ease by Mr Mears. But his home-made WOOD GAS STOVE, using two tin cans and a fan is a roaring success. Powered purely by pine cones which the girls scramble to collect, we have the quickest cup of tea for months. In Jotunheim National Park despite having no crampons, outdoor trousers or proper walking boots, Marcus leaves us behind and attempts an ascent on the 2,500 metre high Galdhøpiggen, Norwayʼs highest mountain. He manages just, but it proves somewhat of a challenge. Five hundred metres from the summit he is walking knee-deep in snow wearing shorts and water-logged boots. People openly stop to laugh and point. One shouts, “Ah, true Viking style!” By night we befriend a lovely Belgian family with two teenage sons. Weʼre pretty smooth operators on making auspicious acquaintances now. After spying them struggling to keep their fire going with wet wood, we send Elsie out to offer them a fan and some assistance. A few hours later, the kids are eating marshmallows and weʼre sipping on Belgian beer (which tastes a lot better than the stash of Polish beer we stockpiled before coming into Scandinavia). For the next few days we become travelling companions, stopping off to fish and camp together, navigating down from Kaupanger to Gudvangen on the most intimate, up-close of Norwayʼs fjords, the UNESCO-listed Naeroyfjord. Saying goodbye to the Belgians, we make our way through the eerie boulder strewn mountain pass between Aurland and Laerdal, headed for Gol. Weʼve graduated from dropping in on long lost friends, to targeting friends of friends. Via Facebook Chris Urack puts us in touch with his Norwegian pal Thomas, who very kindly offers us the chance to stay in his mountain cabin. It turns out to be one of those romantic looking tar-stained log cabins, complete with itʼs own sauna. The type weʼd spent weeks gazing upon longingly. They sit squat in the valleys, blending in curtesy of their living, growing, grass rooves. Iʼm amazed and humbled by Thomas and his wife Monaʼs hospitality. Marcus and I joke that itʼs like WWOOFING but without having to do any work. “Weʼve morphed into CHOOFING,” I say. “Chatting on organic farms.” We left Norway behind a week ago and have spent the best part of that on the road, plummeting down through Sweden and across the bridge to Denmark, sighting the flat island of Salthomen and scores of wind farms far out to sea. Copenhagen is a welcome distraction, and for two days we stroll the canals, snack on Danish pastries and visit museums. The girls enjoy exploring “Christiannia” best - a kind of freetown autonomous commune pressed right up against prime real estate. Itʼs a bizarre enclave, of colourful DIY houses where cars are banned and we can zip about on bikes. But the sight of the notorious “Pusher Street”, where cannabis is sold openly in every strain, variety and conceivable form, casts a seedier shadow which we steer them away from. Throughout Denmark and Germany the girls endure long days driving, devising their own playlists on iTunes for us to listen to. Elsieʼs favourite trick is to try and sneak in a rogue track by U2 to really piss Marcus off. We meet a friendly German family in the Rhine Valley where we stop to cycle, sample Bratwurst, sauerkraut and schnitzel. The girls are so desperate for playmates they tend to hurl themselves at other kids, bombarding and climbing all over them. But as we enter back into the familiar territory of France I canʼt help thinking things are different to how they were a year ago. Travel has lit the touch paper on our sense of adventure. Itʼs inspired us to get properly prepared for all weather when we make it back to Wales, and strike out more often into the wilderness. Iʼve learned it is where we are happiest as a family. Iʼve also learned to listen and understand my children better. Just as an experiment, we showed Elsie and Lulu both a Bear Grylls programme on YouTube, letting them see his different approach to survival - all fast-paced fury and revolting edible experiences. Their reactions were polar opposites. We have one die-hard Ray Mears fan, and one would-be Bear Grylls. And thatʼs ok, more than anything since last September Iʼve learned to see these differences and embrace them.

2 notes · View notes

blxcksheepcult · 5 years

Text

All the red flags I ignored

I doubt anyone cares to read this, which is why I’m putting this here

i can’t put this anywhere else since my one of my good friends are still in the same band w my ex and so I don’t think I’ll ever come out about this

So if you follow me, and you know the band I’m talking about don’t say a thing. It’s not your place.

This is my story and when I’m ready to come out about this to everyone I will.

Here’s all the things no one ever knew.

I met Harmonie when I was 17 and she was 19. We went to a show and hooked up even tho I was under age and started dating a month later. I had been homeless for about 6 months already and had been couch surfing but in late January I was finally able to get an apartment.

This is when things took a turn for the worse.

I had already dealt with my addiction to cocaine from when I was younger but Harmonie brought it back into my life knowing about my struggles.

With that came, ecstasy, shrooms, lsd, and binge drinking every chance we could.

For the first 1 year of our relationship I don’t think there was a time we were both sober simultaneously.

Looking back now I’m aware of the pain I was feeling.

There were many nights I was to drunk or high to have sex.

Many many nights I was forced to anyways.

The day I graduated high school I was told we were being evicted from our apartment, after that I moved in with Harmonie and her family.

I still have nightmares thinking back to that place. I don’t think they’ll ever go away.

Never once did she try to help them understand my pronouns or my non binary identity.

For another 6 months I was stuck in a house where I was constantly coerced into having sex, I was addicted to using cocaine and binge drinking just so I didn’t have to be sober around her. There were many times she would just take my hands without asking and make me touch her. Many times I fell asleep crying after scrubbing my body raw to try and forget her hands on my body.

And then New Years 2018 came, I was blamed for giving heaven, harmonies 15 year old sister cocaine (no I did not Miranda, the bands guitarist did).

Harmonies whole family hated me thought I was a crack head, in retrospect I was but I never gave a 15 year old hard drugs so fuck you.

Not long after we found out Miranda the 19 year old guitarist was hooking up and heaven the 15 year old bassist.

And I was throwin in the middle of that too

Even tho it wasn’t my fucking band or business to deal with Harmonie made me talk to them about it

And then my relationship with Heaven was fucked, everyone was somehow fine with this full ass adult fucking a child and I had sit by and watch as everything I stood up for went to shit

On April 20,2018 I went to Joshua tree with some friends and had a bad acid trip. I’d never been more afraid in my life and the friends I was with did nothing to help me and I had to go through that completely alone, afraid out of my mind while they were laughing and screaming in a run down hotel and I had to lay down and take it.

For 12 hours and then go to work

With no sleep.

I was understandly fucked up and tried killing myself not long after

And then my friends abandoned me when I needed them most

When I was lower than I had ever been before

They abandoned me and left me with Harmonie who blamed me for the whole thing. It took me months to recover

I still have flashbacks from my trip I’m not even completely recovered

I went into a deep depressive episode and Harmonie just watched and let me cry everyday in our dark room and would come back after shows every night, drunk, and take advantage of me.

In January I moved back into my parents house

My parents are very abusive so for me to move back into my parents after 2 years of being homeless really shows just how low I was.

And then we decided to have an open relationship which was really my way of opting out of having sex with her and her fucking whoever she wanted. Even when we had our friends over she made me lie to them about what was actually going on. And on the other hand I did not sleep with anyone, Harmonie was always to jealous and the one time I almost slept with someone she pulled up and made it stop before anything happened. Like what kind of open relationship is that dude. I barely wanted to have people even touch me and the ONE time I almost had sex with someone it was over before it started AND I ended up with a stalker

I think that’s about it

Fuck my life it’s a joke

Everybody uses me and I’m probably going to die alone cause I’m a sad piece of shit with no future

0 notes

nightmareonfilmstreet · 7 years

Text

[Recap] STRANGER THINGS 2, Episodes 6-9: A Stunning Finish

New Post has been published on https://nofspodcast.com/recap-stranger-things-2-episodes-6-9-stunning-finish/

[Recap] STRANGER THINGS 2, Episodes 6-9: A Stunning Finish

I’m back with recaps of the final four episodes of season two of Netflix sensation Stranger Things. If you haven’t looked over the recaps for the first half, you can find them here. Alright, let’s dig in!

Episode 6 – “The Spy”

If things start to come together in episodes four and five, six is where Stranger Things season two really begins to deliver on its potential. Following Will (Noah Schnapp)’s seizures, Joyce (Winona Ryder), Hopper (David Harbour), and Mike (Finn Wolfhard) wind up at Hawkins Lab where Dr. Owens (Paul Reiser) and his team struggle to properly diagnose him. What is clear is that Will‘s memory is being affected by the otherworldly presence and, as the episode progresses, his amnesia is symptomatic of the fact that he can no longer be trusted.

It’s unfortunate that the titles of Stranger Things are so prominently displayed at the start of each episode, because the reveal that Will has broken bad is blatantly telegraphed. Despite this, I still found myself swept up in the action, especially when Steve (Joe Keery), Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo), Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin) and Max (Sadie Sink) wind up trapped at the abandoned car junkyard thanks to the appearance of multiple demi-dogs. Collectively the cliffhanger at the lab and Steve‘s near-death helps to ratchet up the momentum as the series heads into its final few episodes.

Odds and Ends:

The relationship building between Steve and Dustin is easily one of the episode highlights. Plus: the scene of the group walking along the train tracks is heavily evocative of Stephen King’s Stand By Me.

I’m no big fan of Nancy (Natalia Dyer) and Jonathan (Charlie Heaton)’s sojourn into conspiracy theory-ville with Murray (Brett Gelman), though his ability to diagnose their unrequited love affair is mildly amusing.

The fatal climax, in which Will‘s deliberately leads the soldiers into a trap, is a clear homage to James Cameron’s Aliens, right down to the images appearing on the radar screen. Love it.

This is the first episode of the series that doesn’t feature Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown).

Eleven’s standalone episode 2×07 “The Lost Sister” is a singular mistake

Episode 7 – “The Lost Sister”

UGH. I wanted to give this episode the benefit of a doubt, but five minutes in I began checking my watch. Then I did some laundry. Then I began surfing YouTube for funny cat videos.

Yes, folks, this is undoubtedly THE WORST episode of Stranger Things that the series has ever produced. Yes, it pays off Eleven‘s “family” arc by reuniting her with her titular “lost sister”, Kali (Linnea Berthelsen). Outside of teaching Eleven how to hone her powers and helping her to realize that Mike and the others are her real family, however, this is 55 minutes of duds-ville.

It got so bad that I began making jokey memes about its awfulness on Twitter to pass the time. Seriously, this is one to tell friends to avoid – as Alan Sepinwall of HitFix suggests, it plays more like a bizarre backdoor pilot for a spin-off series that no one asked for.

Odds and Ends:

This is the first episode of the series that doesn’t feature any of the rest of the regular cast.

When Kali and her friends give Eleven an 80s punk look, I couldn’t help but think of the iconic ditty from Clone High about makeovers. MAKEOVER!

This is your first Matthew Modine-cameo alert for S2.

Seriously, I’d like to know who thought this episode (and its timing in the season) was a good idea? The only element that I enjoyed was that weird moment where the episode turned into a home-invasion thriller in the vein of The Purge & The Strangers.

The harrowing escape from Hawkins Laboratory is a focal point of 2×08 “The Mind Flayer”

Episode 8 – “The Mind Flayer”

With the worst creative decision that Stranger Things has ever made firmly in the rearview mirror, “The Mind Flayer” picks up right after the cliffhanger from 2×06. The escape from the Hawkins Lab is superb, particularly the cross-cutting between Bob (Sean Astin)’s solo mission to reset the power and Dr. Owens‘ guidance on the surveillance cameras (shades of Jurassic Park). And while horror fans undoubtedly knew that the writing was on the wall for Bob the moment he was told his exit path was “home free,” his death – and Joyce‘s reaction to it – are well-done.

With the season’s big death crossed off, the time comes to reconvene the disparate groups at the Byers house and prepare for the big battle. This is the calm before the storm as everyone catches up and they strategically plot their options. I’ll confess that while I appreciate the effort made to gently address the lunacy of Dustin‘s Mind Flayer/hive mind connection plan, it’s pretty unbelievable that everyone basically just goes along with it.

Once again the focus returns to Will and, in a well-executed montage, the infected boy is awoken and treated to trips down memory lane that double as opportunities to communicate how to shut down the otherworldly threat (using Morse Code, naturally). With a plan in hand and time running out, the group is seemingly beseiged by demi-dogs when Eleven returns from Duffer Brothers purgatory to finally rejoin the main group. Thank goodness – let’s get this climax on the road!

Odds and Ends:

In an episode filled with highs, the extended scene of Billy (Dacre Montgomery)’s dad beating him up for losing track of Max just feels so unnecessary. It’s still unclear why this storyline needed to exist.

Eleven and Hopper’s reunion is one of the finale’s strongest emotional beats

Episode 9 – “The Gate”

Here we go – the big finale. If there’s anything surprising about this episode, it is how quickly the threat is dispensed with: we’re barely half through the episode when Eleven manages to close the gate. This winds up being a smart decision because it avoids a long, drawn out battle in favour of narrative and emotional closure for nearly all of the characters, while once again teasing another season of Stranger Things.

After coming together briefly last episode, our protagonists split into three groups: 1) Hopper and Eleven head for the gate, 2) Joyce, Jonathan, and Nancy create a home sauna to steam the demon out of Will and 3) the D-Listers (eventually) head back into the tunnels to draw attention away from the gate and clear a path for Eleven and Hopper. And barring the occasional hurdle, including – UGH – Billy, as well as one last encounter with D’Art, things more or less go to plan.

Of course I’m doing the finale a complete disservice by being so nonchalant. In all honestly “The Gate” is easily one of the most satisfying hours that the series has ever produced, hitting all of the right action AND emotional beats.

Let’s talk about each of those individually:

1) The action when Eleven goes up against the gate (and begins levitating!) is a stunning achievement. Visually (those special effects!) and aurally (that score!), the scene delivers a more bombastic finish than some big budget Hollywood tentpoles. Throw in Millie Bobby Brown’s absolutely commanding screen presence, masterfully conveying the entirety of Eleven‘s two season journey in a nearly silent performance and you have an absolutely killer sequence.

2) As significant an achievement as the action is, however, it would be nothing without the quieter moments. I was particular awestruck by Eleven and Hopper‘s extended conversation in the truck. There’s a reason why the Duffer Brothers paired these two together and while I complained about how repetitive their storyline was in the first few episodes, it really pays off here.

Ditto the moments when Mike attacks Hopper for lying to him and when Eleven and Mike lock eyes at the dance. These scenes only work because of our investment in these characters, so kudos on making us give a damn about these people in between all of the action and special effects.

Odds and Ends:

I mentioned last episode that I didn’t understand the point of Billy‘s storyline and aside from adding an additional obstacle to the team’s success, my opinions have not changed. I have nothing against Montgomery as an actor, but this was one addition too many in S2. Seeing Max finally stand up to her step-brother’s abuse (when he’s already drugged) just didn’t work for me.

Now that the Hawkins Lab has been shut down and Barb got her damn funeral, is this a wrap on #JusticeForBarb? PLEASE?

Nancy‘s pity dance with Dustin at the Snow Ball gave off some pretty heavy John Hughes vibes. If Stranger Things had been made in the 80s, I could easily see Molly Ringwald in the Nancy role.

So Joyce and Hopper are totally going to hook up now, right?

Finally, what do we think of the final teaser/twist? Personally I found it underwhelming (the Upside Down still exists? Colour me unsurprised!) but I appreciate that this is a way to hint that there’s more to come without undoing the narrative closure covered by the second half of this episode.

So that’s it for season two. What are your thoughts now that it’s all said and done? What do you expect to see in season three? Hit the comments below and sound off with your reactions and predictions.

#caleb mclaughlin #dacre montgomery #David Harbour #finn wolfhard #gaten matarazzo #horror on tv #millie bobby brown #Netflix Stranger Things #noah schnapp #paul reiser #sadie sink #sean astin #stranger things #stranger things 2 #stranger things recap #The Duffer Brothers #winona ryder

0 notes

darcyfarber · 4 years

Text

46 Easy Ways to Get Money Quickly

We all experience times when we need money now. It might be an unexpected bill, having to replace your car prematurely, or a last-minute opportunity to take the trip of a lifetime.

Regardless of the circumstances, having to replenish your emergency fund is never a fun task. These suggestions can help you make money quickly to stay out of financial trouble.

You can pursue one or many of the following income ideas. Once you decide how much time you can commit each week for your new money making hobby, you can focus your efforts on what you excel at most.

Online Opportunities to Pursue When You Need Money Now

Making money no longer means having to work an evening shift at a restaurant for a couple months to make ends meet. That might be what our parents did, and what plenty of people still do, but we have one tool today that previous generations didn’t have: the Internet.

Finding side hustles online might be the first place you start for the following reasons:

You can name your own hours (no shift work)

Can still be home with your family while you work

No commute required

Online side hustles offer the most flexibility because you can work from anywhere with an internet connection. Think about this, an online side hustle I pursued two years ago even let me quit my job! ?

Do you need any more reasons why anybody should try making money online?

1. Take Online Surveys

Online surveys are one of the easiest ways to make money quickly. Most surveys take less than 15 minutes to complete. You won’t get rich from surveys, but they are an easy way to make money when you have a busy schedule. Surveys can be taken online or with a survey app on your phone in between errands, on a lunch break, or before you go to bed.

I participated in online surveys to make money as a student and to help repay my student loans. Personally, I enjoyed the variety of topics as I might rate a product I used recently one day and a current event survey the next day.

Money Tip: Survey Junkie is our favorite survey site and is the most user-friendly site for surveys. They also have a Trust Pilot rating of 4.5 out of 5 from users just like yourself.

2. Sell Your Unwanted Possessions

One of the first places to start making money online is selling items you no longer need. You can try selling your items to an instant buyback vendor for immediate payments or selling the item yourself. Instant buyback vendors are more convenient, but you might not always get the most cash back.

But, if you need money now, you might not want to risk having your item sit for two months before it sells.

Some of the online marketplaces you might consider are:

OCBuyBack (Used Cell Phones for the most cash)

Decluttr (Electronics, CDs/DVDs, Video games)

BookScouter (Books)

ThredUp (Clothing)

In a matter of seconds, you can scan the item barcode using the vendor’s mobile app to get an instant buyback quote. When you’re ready to sell, you print off the prepaid shipping label and receive next-day payment after the vendor receives your shipment.

Some of the best DIY marketplaces to sell are Craigslist, eBay, and Amazon because they are high-traffic marketplaces with reasonable seller fees.

Tip: You can also sell used shoes for cash online too.

3. Get Paid to Use The Internet

Maybe surveys aren’t exactly your cup of tea, but you still want an online side hustle that requires minimal effort. You have two different options in this instance.

MobileXpression

MobileXpression is an app that pays you to use the internet. Each week, you receive credit based on the number of hours you use your phone’s internet. You can then request a cash payment.

You can download the MobileXpression app for your Android or iOS device.

Earning Station

Another popular online niche is “get paid to” sites like EarningStation. With EarningStation, you get paid to complete some of the following activities:

Surf the internet

Complete surveys

Watch videos

Play games

Sample products

Shop online

One reason to consider EarningStation is that you earn bonus points when you visit at least 10 days in a row. This “EarningStreak” opportunity is what helps set EarningStation apart from the others.

4. Shop Online and Get Paid

Even when you no longer need money now, you should still consider using a cashback app like Ebates or Honey. Every time you shop online, you have the chance to get money back and you don’t pay extra. Online shopping is very competitive and retailers offer cash rewards through these portals so they don’t lose a sale to the competition.

Instead of going directly to the retail website, open a shopping session with Ebates and you’re all set. In most cases, you can expect to receive your cashback email before you go to bed.

You will need to wait a month before you can cash out your earnings, so you will still want to pursue another income stream, but cashback apps are an effortless way to get cashback on every purchase.

Money Tip: Install the browser extension to make sure you never forget to activate a shopping session. And, learn more about how Ebates works.

5. Sell Unwanted Gift Cards

You might have a few gift cards in a drawer collecting dust. If you’re not going to use them, sell them for cash on Giftcard Granny. In many instances, you can get instant cash payment that you can immediately withdraw via PayPal or Direct Deposit.

To save some cash when you shop online, you can also use Giftcard Granny to buy gift cards at a discount. You also earn rewards points that can be exchanged for free gift cards too.

I’ve also sold a few Amazon gift cards online and it’s very easy and the sale proceeds can be in your account tomorrow when you sell your unwanted gift cards today!

6. Freelance Online

This can be one of the most lucrative income ideas. After all, many people have eventually replaced their full-time income by freelancing online. Although it might start as a one-time gig, you will earn a steady income if you stick with it. Trust me, I’m living proof!

You can freelance in almost any industry, but there’s always a demand for:

Graphic design

Music

Programming

Social Media

Virtual Assistant

Writing

You should create a profile on Upwork and Fiverr to begin connecting with clients. Upwork might be the better option because you can apply for jobs. To earn more per job, also keep your eyes open to pitching clients.

Tip: On Episode 80 of the Money Peach Podcast, learn how Kayla earns more than $10,000 a month by being a “jack of all trades” virtual assistant with her $10K VA course. Use the discount code PEACH to get $50 off too.

7. Sell Customized Gifts

On CafePress, you can also sell custom t-shirts, drinkware, stickers, and home decor with your unique designs. This is one of the easiest ways to design clothing and gift ideas because you upload the design and CafePress handles the printing and shipping when an order is made.

8. Teach English Online

Teaching English online to international students can be the perfect side hustle opportunity if you want to work before your children wake up or after bedtime. VIPKid is one of the leading online classrooms. To get started, you need a webcam, microphone, and a love for teaching.

Most of these online teaching sites require you to have a teaching degree or prior classroom experience.

9. Tutor

It’s also possible to tutor online or locally. Tutor.com is one place to try so you can tutor students of all ages and any subject. Being able to tutor advanced classes and the “hard sciences” is a definite advantage too.

10. Proofread

If you have an eye for detail and can spot typos from a mile away when you read the news or visit a restaurant, you might find your calling as a proofreader. Several proofreading companies require prior experience, but you can also get your foot in the door at Cactus Communications or freelancer platforms including Upwork and Fiverr.

11. Transcribe Audio Recordings

Do you excel at dictation? Audio transcriptionists put sound recordings to paper. With sites like TranscribeMe, you transcribe one or two-minute recordings on a variety of topics. If you have medical or legal experience, you can make extra money transcribing these recordings that require a professional background.

12. Create an Online Course

With Udemy, you can create a video course to teach others something you’re an expert in. Your video can be teaching computer coding, cooking skills, making a craft, or anything else in the Udemy course catalog. You collect a royalty for each course purchase and you can easily create new courses to continue earning residual income.

13. Test Websites and Apps

Another fun way to make money online is testing websites and apps. UserTesting is one of the most popular testing platforms. Each test takes up to twenty minutes to complete and you make $10. At that rate, you make $30 an hour for testing websites!

To become a tester, you will need a computer or app that has a functioning webcam and microphone. You are given a series of tasks to complete during the test and you verbally share your thoughts as you complete each task.

14. Lucktastic

Lucktastic can give you a break from your other side hustles. This app is an instant win game where you can scratch multiple tickets each day and potentially win cash prizes. If you need money now, you should still pursue other recommendations that provide a guaranteed income first.

Make Money Locally

You should also consider making money within your local community. After all, not everybody wants to stare at a computer screen to make extra income. If you enjoy being on the move or have handy skills there are plenty of ways to have a gig without working a regular shift.

Also, ask your friends and family if they have any potential clients. Word of mouth referral is always one of the most effective forms of advertising.

15. Be a Rideshare Driver

It seems like you see cars with Uber and Lyft stickers in the windshield more frequently. If you own a four-door vehicle, you can make some extra cash in your free time driving passengers from point A to point B. You can name your own hours and choose which ride requests to accept.

The highest demand for rides is usually on the weekends and during rush hour, but you can also earn a steady income driving in mid-day too.

You will need to be at least 21 years old to drive and pass a background check. Many rideshare drivers drive for Uber and Lyft to pick the best available route at the moment. You’re an independent contractor and aren’t restricted to only working for a single company.

Tip: New drivers often have the chance to earn a signup bonus with both Uber and Lyft!

16. Deliver Food

Many restaurants are moving away from hiring an in-house delivery team. While many pizza joints are still looking for drivers, restaurants are partnering with UberEats or DoorDash to offer delivery service for online orders. Once again, you have the flexibility to deliver during your free time and choose the days and hours.

The requirements for being a food delivery person are more relaxed than being a rideshare driver. You’re not required to have a car, for example, because you can deliver by bike, scooter, or foot.

17. Deliver Groceries

You can also sign-up to be an Instacart grocery shopper. The most lucrative option can be working as a full-service shopper because you shop for the order and deliver it to the buyer. If you don’t own a car, you can also be an in-store shopper who gathers the order so the buyer doesn’t have to walk the aisles.

18. Get Cashback on Grocery Purchases

Each time you shop at grocery stores, you can get cashback with Checkout51. By activating offers and scanning your receipt, Checkout51 gives you a cash reward for every redeemed offer. These cash rewards are in addition to any paper coupons you might clip, and you can potentially double your savings.

Checkout51 publishes their newest offers every Thursday. Once your account balance reaches $20, you can request a cash payment.

Tip: You can still earn bonus cash on every item you purchase with National Consumer Panel too. It available for both mobile and desktop.

19. Rent Your Spare Bedroom

You can also make money by listing your spare bedroom or a second house as an Airbnb host. An increasing number of travelers prefer staying at Airbnb because it’s typically more reasonable than most hotel rooms and it’s a more enjoyable experience. Airbnb will help you through the listing process so you can begin taking guests and putting your vacant real estate to good use.

20. Be a Handyman

If you enjoy working with your hands or completing projects around the house, you can be the neighborhood handyman at TaskRabbit. You can get paid to perform some of the following tasks:

Assembling furniture

Basic home repairs

Installing TVs and appliances

Moving and packing

Pressure washing

Many homeowners don’t have the time or skills to perform these tasks and you can be there to lend a helping hand.

21. Babysit

By joining Care.com, you can get paid to:

Babysit

Housekeeping

Pet care

Senior care

Tutoring

Caregivers are in high demand. Maybe you only need to babysit for date night or you can find a long-term client. Either way, you get paid to do what you love.

22. Deliver Phone Books

This job is seasonal, but it can be perfect if you only need to work for a few days. Neighborhoods all across the country still get a phone book delivered at least once a year. You can even get your daily exercise requirement in on delivery days too!

You can find local positions online to begin delivering phone books.

23. Pick Up Trash

You might find this income stream a tad bizarre, but you can make money picking up trash! Brian from Clean Lots has been doing it for thirty years and makes a six-figure income.

Business and shopping center parking lots don’t clean themselves. If you’re not afraid of getting your hands a little dirty, you can put some extra green in your wallet.

Tip: Hear Brian’s story on Episode 59 of the Money Peach Podcast.

24. Sell Your Clothes

You could do what you always do and hold a garage sale, or you can also try selling your clothes to a nearby consignment store. It’s less work and you might make more money! You can also use the same tactic for bulky household goods that are too expensive to ship to an online buyer.

Another option is to try selling your more valuable clothes online if you think you can earn more selling it yourself. Make sure you take good pictures and factor shipping prices into the equation too.

25. Flip Garage Sale Finds

One man’s trash is another man’s treasure. Some people might be selling their treasures at a discount because they need money now. By perusing garage sales and thrift stores, you can find bargains that can be sold online for a profit.

You can also scour the “Free” section on Craigslist for steals too. Once you figure out the average selling price of the items you plan to flip, shopping will be much easier and quicker.

You will need to find the system that works best for you to find treasures and the best places to sell them.

Every town has a different dynamic to find discounted items. One tip is to visit the thrift stores in the wealthier parts of your town as they are more likely to sell quality items at steep discounts. For example, you might be able to find designer clothing for a dollar that can be sold for $10 or more.

26. Wash Cars for Cash

You can offer to wash cars by hand by having a mobile car wash station or you can travel to a person’s house to wash the car. If you provide house calls or interior detailing, you need to provide your own cleaning supplies in addition to the car wash soap you use.

It’s also possible to offer exterior car waxing services to if you have the time and want to make some additional cash.

27. Pressure Wash Houses

Here’s one task that many homeowners neglect is pressure washing their home. Some people only pressure wash their homes when they get ready to sell it. You can advertise your services online or the old-fashioned way of knocking on doors.

To increase your chances of landing a job, take before and after pictures of a few homes that you pressure wash. Being able to show your clients visual examples of your quality work goes a long way.

28. Mow Lawns

You can also mow lawns and offer basic landscaping services to make money to while improving curb appeal for the homeowner. This is a great idea to boost your income in the summer months when there’s more daylight and you’re probably outside already.

If you live in a region with significant snowfall, you can get paid during all four seasons to keep lawns and driveways in tiptop shape.

29. Clean Houses

Another way to make money any month of the year is to clean houses or places of business. You can find openings on Craigslist. For example, you might be able to clean vacation cabins on the weekends if you live near a touristy area. Or, cleaning services might also be looking for people to clean office buildings or industrial properties.

Depending on your personal network, you can also ask your friends and family if they know of anybody that needs help cleaning. Asking a simple question can help you find long-term clients or cleaning before somebody has company arrive to visit.

30. Donate Plasma

For two hours a week, you can make up to $400 a month by donating plasma and help save a life in the process. Plasma donation centers are in most large and mid-size cities. This can be your time to read a book, watch a movie, or pursue an online side hustle while you make a donation.

You get paid cash for each complete donation, but you need to donate twice (two one-hour sessions) before you get paid. This is because the donation center needs two separate donations so your plasma can be used to help others.

31. Participate in Paid Clinical Studies

Another option for making money locally is to participate in paid medical studies. You can find studies by searching for “paid medical studies near me” to find paid opportunities. You can also ask your local college or medical center if they are aware of any opportunities too.

When medical studies are available, you may have to be experiencing certain medical conditions. You will also need to be okay with being a “medical guinea pig” and testing new medications and treatment ideas.

32. Teach Lessons

All those piano lessons or karate lessons your parents paid for can finally be put to good use. You can teach a skill one night a week or multiple nights depending on how many students you have. Whether it’s music lessons, karate, gymnastics, or another talent you can teach individually or to a group, you can advertise locally to get students.

Once you decide what you can teach, you can advertise your services on Craigslist or also leave flyers at local businesses, community centers, or the public library.

33. Recycle Scrap Material

It’s also possible to make money recycling scrap material for cash. You can get cash for some of the following items you might have in your house:

Loose metal (i.e., sheet metal, copper, tire rims)

Appliances

Metal cans

Glass bottles

For larger objects like your old washer and dryer, you will need a truck and trailer to haul your scrap off. You can look online for scrap yards and recycle-for-cash facilities near you.

Immediately Cut Your Spending for an Instant Pay Raise

Are you ready to learn the secret on getting an immediate pay raise? Reduce your monthly spending.

For example, if you can spend $100 less each month than right now, you get an instant $1,200 indirect pay raise for the year. And, it might only take a few minutes to make a few quick changes to immediately begin saving money.

Besides using your free time to make money, you can also use these money hacks to instantly cut your spending. Another mantra you might take to hear is, “Spend less, work less.” By cutting your spending, maybe you don’t have to sacrifice your work/life balance to make extra money.

34. Cancel Unwanted Subscriptions with Trim

Do you know how you spend every dollar each month? Trim is a free app that analyzes your spending and cancels the unwanted subscription, especially those ones you’ve been meaning to cancel but haven’t because it’s only $10 a month and doesn’t pinch your wallet.

You can cancel subscriptions ranging from streaming plans like Netflix to gym memberships with a text message. Trim will also apply the best promotions to your cable tv, home internet, and cell phone plan so you don’t overpay for these services either.

Finally, Trim can also monitor your bank accounts and credit cards to make sure you don’t overdraft or forget to pay a bill.

35. Cancel Your Cable TV Subscription

The average cable tv bill costs $100 a month. You most likely have the internet at home, so you can watch the same channels for a fraction of the cost when you switch to a streaming service like SlingTV or Hulu.

Even better, you can completely cut the cord because you’re using your free time to launch a side hustle instead of watching tv. There’s nothing wrong with watching a movie or your favorite sports team from time to time, but tv doesn’t have to be your full-time hobby.

36. Switch Bank Accounts

This hack won’t give you more spending money, but you can avoid overdraft fees, monthly account fees, and earn more interest on your deposit. In addition to thinking about short-term ways to make money, you should also pursue long-term income streams to earn recurring wealth.

Best Savings and Checking Accounts RateDetails CIT Savings Builder2.05% APR$100 monthly deposit OR $25,000 account balance CIT Money Market Account1.75% APR $100 min opening deposit UFB Direct2.00% APR$0 min to open account. $10,000 minimum to earn full 2.25% Axos Rewards Checking Account1.11% APRNo overdraft or non-sufficient fund fees, unlimited domestic ATM fee reimbursements and no minimum balance requirements

37. Stop Going Out to Eat As Often

Food is a large portion of most people’s household budget. You might be spending more on food than you must because you go out to eat all the time. In many cases, you can make the same meals at home for a fraction of the cost. For a family of four, you can easily spend at least $40 for each restaurant meal.

If you don’t think it’s possible to feed a family on a budget, visit $5 Meal Plan. You can access delicious recipes that let you feed an army for pennies.

Why I Stopped Going to Restaurants

With my old job, I spent $20 every workday at restaurants or $5,000 a year. While I wouldn’t have recouped the entire $5,000 each year by cooking my own meals, I would have spent significantly less at the grocery store. After seeing how much money I could save by not going out to eat as often, I made the switch and instantly saved about $200 to $300 a month in food costs.

38. Rent Movies Instead of Buying

You might be trying to sell your old DVDs because you buy movies instead of renting them. Instead of buying moves for $15 each, you can rent movies for free from Redbox or even stream movies online for free too. Not only will you save money, but your movie collection will no longer collect dust.

39. Borrow Clothes Instead of Buying Clothes

Another area where it can be easy to overspend in clothing. Instead of buying name brand clothing in the mall, you might decide to rent designer labels from Rent the Runway. You can also find bargains at local thrift stores and consignment stores, but make sure you don’t buy something you really don’t need.

40. Ditch Your Permanent Life Insurance Policy

One of the worst “investments” an adult can make is buying permanent life insurance – aka Cash Value Policy. In most cases, the policy benefits are not worth the extra cost. Apply for a term life insurance policy instead that can be ten times cheaper than a permanent life insurance policy. Once you have your new term policy in place, cash out your cash value immediately!

41. File Price Protection Claims for Online Orders

You can already get cashback on every online purchase when you shop with a shopping app like Ebates and you can get additional cash back if the price drops after you make the purchase.

With Paribus, you can get free price protection notifications when a retailer drops the price on recent purchases. Paribus then submits the claim on your behalf, which means you don’t have to monitor for price changes yourself and then submit it.

Disclaimer: Paribus does compensate MoneyPeach when you sign up for Paribus using the links we have provided in this post.

42. Earn Credit Card Rewards

Many people stick with debit cards because you’re still required to immediately pay for your purchases with cash. While you won’t go into credit card debt, you’re missing out on credit card rewards for cash back or travel rewards.

If you are going to use a credit card, make sure to pay them off in full so you don’t incur high interest payments. The best way to do this is to set a reminder to pay your credit cards in full once per week. If you don’t feel like paying them in full each week, then set up auto-pay so you never carry a balance.

Also, choose the best credit card rewards that fit your lifestyle. If you notice you spend most of your money at the grocery store and on fuel costs, then you may want to look at a card that gives you the highest cash back on those types of purchases.

Conversely, if you are someone who enjoys traveling, then it may be a good idea to look at cards that offer the best travel perks.

Check out Nerdwallet’s credit card reviews to help you choose the best option.

43. Save Your Spare Change

Maybe you’ve heard the tip of stashing all of your $1 bills in a savings envelope instead of keeping them into your wallet to spend on coffee and candy bars to easily save money for the future. The Acorns app makes it even easier to save and invest your spare change instead of spending it.

With each purchase, Acorns rounds up the purchase amount to the next dollar for every credit or debit card purchase. For example, a $4.25 purchase becomes $5 and the extra 75 cents is invested to build a small nest egg. You can also get extra cash investments by shopping online through Acorns retail partners too.

44. Stop Paying High Investing Fees

Each time you buy or sell a stock or ETF, your brokerage might charge up to $7 per trade. If you’re only investing small amounts of income at a time or are simply tired of paying hundreds of dollars in trade commissions each year M1 Finance is an option you should definitely give a look.

45. Refinance Your High Interest Debt

There are much better options for you instead of high interest credit card debt or any high interest debt for that matter. Borrowers are literally saving thousands of dollars in interest payments by trading their higher interest debt for a lower interest personal loan. The nice thing is you have so many more options than you did just a few years ago and with the competition for your business, your new interest rate could be much lower than what you have now.

Check our our favorite places to start for lowering your high interest debt.

46. Refinance Your Student Loans

If you have a mountain of student loans to repay, you can refinance the balance for a potentially lower interest rate. This is because you now have a job and your credit score has likely improved since you earned your diploma. Credible is a leader in student loan refinancing and they even offer job loss protection benefits and incentives for entrepreneurs too.

Summary

Instead of shrugging your shoulders and thinking you need to borrow money or do the “same old thing” when you need money now, try a few of these tips instead. You will make money and you even save money by making a few adjustments to how you utilize your free time.

46 Easy Ways to Get Money Quickly published first on https://mysingaporepools.weebly.com/

0 notes

kennethherrerablog · 4 years

Text

46 Easy Ways to Get Money Quickly

We all experience times when we need money now. It might be an unexpected bill, having to replace your car prematurely, or a last-minute opportunity to take the trip of a lifetime.

Regardless of the circumstances, having to replenish your emergency fund is never a fun task. These suggestions can help you make money quickly to stay out of financial trouble.

You can pursue one or many of the following income ideas. Once you decide how much time you can commit each week for your new money making hobby, you can focus your efforts on what you excel at most.

Online Opportunities to Pursue When You Need Money Now

Finding side hustles online might be the first place you start for the following reasons:

You can name your own hours (no shift work)

Can still be home with your family while you work

No commute required

Do you need any more reasons why anybody should try making money online?

1. Take Online Surveys

Money Tip: Survey Junkie is our favorite survey site and is the most user-friendly site for surveys. They also have a Trust Pilot rating of 4.5 out of 5 from users just like yourself.

2. Sell Your Unwanted Possessions

But, if you need money now, you might not want to risk having your item sit for two months before it sells.

Some of the online marketplaces you might consider are:

OCBuyBack (Used Cell Phones for the most cash)

Decluttr (Electronics, CDs/DVDs, Video games)

BookScouter (Books)

ThredUp (Clothing)

Some of the best DIY marketplaces to sell are Craigslist, eBay, and Amazon because they are high-traffic marketplaces with reasonable seller fees.

Tip: You can also sell used shoes for cash online too.

3. Get Paid to Use The Internet

Maybe surveys aren’t exactly your cup of tea, but you still want an online side hustle that requires minimal effort. You have two different options in this instance.

MobileXpression

MobileXpression is an app that pays you to use the internet. Each week, you receive credit based on the number of hours you use your phone’s internet. You can then request a cash payment.

You can download the MobileXpression app for your Android or iOS device.

Earning Station

Another popular online niche is “get paid to” sites like EarningStation. With EarningStation, you get paid to complete some of the following activities:

Surf the internet

Complete surveys

Watch videos

Play games

Sample products

Shop online

4. Shop Online and Get Paid

Instead of going directly to the retail website, open a shopping session with Ebates and you’re all set. In most cases, you can expect to receive your cashback email before you go to bed.

You will need to wait a month before you can cash out your earnings, so you will still want to pursue another income stream, but cashback apps are an effortless way to get cashback on every purchase.

Money Tip: Install the browser extension to make sure you never forget to activate a shopping session. And, learn more about how Ebates works.

5. Sell Unwanted Gift Cards

To save some cash when you shop online, you can also use Giftcard Granny to buy gift cards at a discount. You also earn rewards points that can be exchanged for free gift cards too.

I’ve also sold a few Amazon gift cards online and it’s very easy and the sale proceeds can be in your account tomorrow when you sell your unwanted gift cards today!

6. Freelance Online

You can freelance in almost any industry, but there’s always a demand for:

Graphic design

Music

Programming

Social Media

Virtual Assistant

Writing

7. Sell Customized Gifts

8. Teach English Online

Most of these online teaching sites require you to have a teaching degree or prior classroom experience.

9. Tutor

10. Proofread

11. Transcribe Audio Recordings

12. Create an Online Course

13. Test Websites and Apps

14. Lucktastic

Make Money Locally

Also, ask your friends and family if they have any potential clients. Word of mouth referral is always one of the most effective forms of advertising.

15. Be a Rideshare Driver

The highest demand for rides is usually on the weekends and during rush hour, but you can also earn a steady income driving in mid-day too.

Tip: New drivers often have the chance to earn a signup bonus with both Uber and Lyft!

16. Deliver Food

The requirements for being a food delivery person are more relaxed than being a rideshare driver. You’re not required to have a car, for example, because you can deliver by bike, scooter, or foot.

17. Deliver Groceries

18. Get Cashback on Grocery Purchases

Checkout51 publishes their newest offers every Thursday. Once your account balance reaches $20, you can request a cash payment.

Tip: You can still earn bonus cash on every item you purchase with National Consumer Panel too. It available for both mobile and desktop.

19. Rent Your Spare Bedroom

20. Be a Handyman

If you enjoy working with your hands or completing projects around the house, you can be the neighborhood handyman at TaskRabbit. You can get paid to perform some of the following tasks:

Assembling furniture

Basic home repairs

Installing TVs and appliances

Moving and packing

Pressure washing

Many homeowners don’t have the time or skills to perform these tasks and you can be there to lend a helping hand.

21. Babysit

By joining Care.com, you can get paid to:

Babysit

Housekeeping

Pet care

Senior care

Tutoring

Caregivers are in high demand. Maybe you only need to babysit for date night or you can find a long-term client. Either way, you get paid to do what you love.

22. Deliver Phone Books

You can find local positions online to begin delivering phone books.

23. Pick Up Trash

You might find this income stream a tad bizarre, but you can make money picking up trash! Brian from Clean Lots has been doing it for thirty years and makes a six-figure income.

Business and shopping center parking lots don’t clean themselves. If you’re not afraid of getting your hands a little dirty, you can put some extra green in your wallet.

Tip: Hear Brian’s story on Episode 59 of the Money Peach Podcast.

24. Sell Your Clothes

25. Flip Garage Sale Finds

You can also scour the “Free” section on Craigslist for steals too. Once you figure out the average selling price of the items you plan to flip, shopping will be much easier and quicker.

You will need to find the system that works best for you to find treasures and the best places to sell them.

26. Wash Cars for Cash

It’s also possible to offer exterior car waxing services to if you have the time and want to make some additional cash.

27. Pressure Wash Houses

To increase your chances of landing a job, take before and after pictures of a few homes that you pressure wash. Being able to show your clients visual examples of your quality work goes a long way.

28. Mow Lawns

If you live in a region with significant snowfall, you can get paid during all four seasons to keep lawns and driveways in tiptop shape.

29. Clean Houses

30. Donate Plasma

31. Participate in Paid Clinical Studies

32. Teach Lessons

Once you decide what you can teach, you can advertise your services on Craigslist or also leave flyers at local businesses, community centers, or the public library.

33. Recycle Scrap Material

It’s also possible to make money recycling scrap material for cash. You can get cash for some of the following items you might have in your house:

Loose metal (i.e., sheet metal, copper, tire rims)

Appliances

Metal cans

Glass bottles

For larger objects like your old washer and dryer, you will need a truck and trailer to haul your scrap off. You can look online for scrap yards and recycle-for-cash facilities near you.

Immediately Cut Your Spending for an Instant Pay Raise

Are you ready to learn the secret on getting an immediate pay raise? Reduce your monthly spending.

34. Cancel Unwanted Subscriptions with Trim

Finally, Trim can also monitor your bank accounts and credit cards to make sure you don’t overdraft or forget to pay a bill.

35. Cancel Your Cable TV Subscription

36. Switch Bank Accounts

37. Stop Going Out to Eat As Often

If you don’t think it’s possible to feed a family on a budget, visit $5 Meal Plan. You can access delicious recipes that let you feed an army for pennies.

Why I Stopped Going to Restaurants

38. Rent Movies Instead of Buying

39. Borrow Clothes Instead of Buying Clothes

40. Ditch Your Permanent Life Insurance Policy

41. File Price Protection Claims for Online Orders

You can already get cashback on every online purchase when you shop with a shopping app like Ebates and you can get additional cash back if the price drops after you make the purchase.

Disclaimer: Paribus does compensate MoneyPeach when you sign up for Paribus using the links we have provided in this post.

42. Earn Credit Card Rewards

Conversely, if you are someone who enjoys traveling, then it may be a good idea to look at cards that offer the best travel perks.

Check out Nerdwallet’s credit card reviews to help you choose the best option.

43. Save Your Spare Change

44. Stop Paying High Investing Fees

45. Refinance Your High Interest Debt

Check our our favorite places to start for lowering your high interest debt.

46. Refinance Your Student Loans

Summary

46 Easy Ways to Get Money Quickly published first on https://justinbetreviews.tumblr.com/

0 notes

titandnene · 5 years

Text

Hey I need to say this to you Lauren.

I dont know the best was to express or say how I feel but I’m finally at a point where I need to explain myself fully for all I’ve done and why i keep coming back into your life. For the past 3 years my life has been a rollercoaster through stages of hell that I really need to tell you about because in the darkest parts of it the idea of what we were and you in general have been my only light. That’s the reason why I’ve been popping back into your life when I’m sure you would rather have it otherwise. The night that we first tripped togther really shows the power that I see in the universe and how horribly cruel honest and true to form it can be about life. Lauren it had to happen the way it folded out. And I learned that it always does no matter what you want. The beginning of it like the beginning of us was great but that moment when I was facing the door and immediately snapped back to look at you started a chain of events that no one was prepared for. That’s when I started to go “crazy” or my mind started to twist my life started to twist everything started to go out of whack. That’s when me being here with you and me always coming back into your life started to turn things bad in my life. I’m deeply sorry for making you cry during the trip but what you don’t know is what happened after you left. I started to plan out what I would think would be our life together. And that was also my first manic episode.

After your left I started writing on the table and in my note book about a surf shack that we were going to have and this fantastic life that was going to happen because I could see it all in that moment. I felt like I knew it all in that moment. But the reality was I was having my first manic episode. Mania makes me feel like that. Like I have the world and it’s story and the universe and it’s story and our story tied up together and I just have to talk it into existence and it will happen the way I say it will. I felt like I had so much energy and enlightenment just pouring out of me and people were on the same brain wave that I was. But it’s never the case.

I was writing and then I finished with the thought of the universe could be this place that I’m envisioning or I could just be crazy and loosing my mind. And then I sunk deep down into that hole. Thinking that my mind was broken and that I couldnt stop this train that was my brain. So I got in bed shut my eyes and just wished for sleep and it came and I woke up the next day fine like back to normal. Hoping that you would still want to be with me after what I did to you that night.

That in essence has been the last three years on repeat starting January 1st 2016.

It’s a cycle of slowing going manic. Mania brings in good feelings and somehow you get involved in my head. That then branches out to me trying to contact you because if this vision that I’m so clearly seeing. And then the destruction of that vision as the episode ends.

On that day I started to go crazy or manic. I dont really know how but by the 4th I was in the back of an ambulance loosing my mind. My universe was fracturing reality was loosening I thought that everyone was going to die and I was going to be alone forever. So they put me in the hospital and they were running test and I was like a wild animal because I had no idea what was going on and then the seeds of my psychosis started being planted. Because within all of that madness I had one light one person that my mom made me think of and that was you. I was talking about the color of your eyes. And then I saw a girl that I thought was you enter a room but I didnt see her face. But I assumed it was you. But the seed was the idea of you always being just in the other room waiting for me. It’s been a constant theme when I’ve become manic. After some weird things happening they wheeled me away to get a brain scan. As they were wheeling me away and I tried to get away because I thought that they were going to do something like “dissect me” or take away a part of me that made me me. That part is hard to explain but. This part isn’t. I accepted the fate that they were going to take all that away that I was going to not come back the same. I put my hand over my heart and said the name Sandy. This was the first solid root of my psychosis that revolves around us. Sandy was the name of a daughter that I saw us having. And it was basically me saying if they are going to take me away i hope she’ll live.

I made it out of the MRI alive and eventually found sleep and woke up the next day still manic. But thing about mania is when your in it you never know that you are. It’s a lobster in water that’s slowly rising in temperature. Once it’s boiling it’s adjusted so it doesn’t know the difference. You just feel normal.

The next day they had me admitted to a inpatient mental hospital. That’s where you called me and we talked. The first few days were a manic mess. I was going crazy I thought that there was a game that had to be played that was going to get me to leave. I thought that my life was going to be this road trip to all these places to save the world. You basically think that you’re jesus and an undercover spy and you have to solve the clues to get out. After seven days in there I got out. But because it was my first time with mania I was still kind of on a high. It’s like coming back from the moon. I made it into the atmosphere of earth but Not quite back to ground and even then not on target. I’m lucky if I hit the ocean.

So I went into a day program where you meet kids who are going through similar things as you. People with depression mania and everything. I meet some people it was nice the first time. But it was a rough start. What made it tougher was the fact that the day that I got out of the mental hospital was the day after classes began at HP. So even if I wanted to, I couldn’t go back. My parents wanted me at the house and monitored on my new medication making sure I sleep and don’t go back into mania. I think I still might have been smoking weed at the time I’m not completely sure but I picked up 2 classes at the school that I’m at now still went to group and truly fucked things up with you.

The last messages that we sent to one another I really regret. I didnt like how I was pushing you away and trying to bring you close. How I wanted an open relationship when I really didn’t even know what it entailed I just wanted to keep you for emotional support and fuck other people. I remember sitting somewhere and having that talk and hearing you cry on the other end of the line and that’s just not right. And then the last Facebook messages that we sent where I was a true asshole and manic because I was smoking weed and it triggers my mania. And how I ended the relationship with a saw and a sawed off.

The next parts is so I can round everything out and really get this psychosis out of me so take it or leave it I need to write it out.

My mom says I have a season when it comes to mania but really it’s just when I start smoking weed and loosing sleep and stop taking my meds. But the next time I got manic was almost a year to the day. If you want to really see when I get into the manic place look for when I contact you or try to reach out that’s how you know I’m floating back.

The next time was the long haul to the hospital. This time I spent 5 hours talking to myself and making up a fictional son named Steven that you and i would have. Back story lore the reason for his name and universal significance. The whole gambit of this kid. This was also a time where i you were still following me on Spotify and i would look and think that we were communicating through our songs.

Eventually i got to loud and out about everything and got sent back to the hospital and what I now call my restart button. Hospital around winter break then group during classes and then back to the grind until I pick up weed again and then restart. But the time I stopped is worth noting.

After I got out that time and spring summer started rolling around I picked up again but weed wasn’t doing me the same. Instead of making me feel good it started to make me feel like shit. I would get on myself about being stupid that I couldn’t do anything every time I smoked I would just fall deeper into a pit and I couldn’t stop. So the universe made me stop. There was one night where the next chapter of my mental illness would kick in.

I said I was done but my friend called me out and said he’d smoke me up and buy my ticket to go see a movie. It was the worst expierence of my life I had a panic attack that twisted my brain into developing a type of OCD that I now know as Harm OCD. It’s not fun. But what that leads me to is the cocktail that that and mania made me go through and how that lead to the mania endured birth of a 3rd child named staysea. Basically the mania brought on the fictional reality glasses that had been brewing since my last manic episodes and the harm ocd brought on the horrific thing that I did to our child in this other dimensional state which was essentially rape.

Harm ocd is not fun it’s something that i go through every day and regret every day for not listening to the universe when it told me to stop. It’s consistent intrusive thoughts that have to do with violence and sex. It’s like being mind raped by a demon. I dont want these bad things to happen but when I say stop this demon in my head says go and I have to visualize atrocities happen multiple times a day. It’s not fun. But I’m getting better at dealing with it.

After the movie theater I stopped smoking for a while and got better felt better I didnt go to the hospital that January and got through the year. I was finally getting over you coming back into my life in these fantasies and having to deal with it. I metaphorically burried the kids that we had I was getting better. But about a year and half i picked it up again. And I would have moved on and stayed out of your life if not for one moment that started this years run of come ups.

I was at my grandmas old folks home. And she has dementia but I talk to her and her roomate still and I was fiddling with a piece of paper and my brain had been starting to go into a manic space. And my grandmas roommate said something to me which was basically for me to try to reach out to you because “she’s the one for you.” This ticked off my mildly manic brain and then everything that I spent the last years settiling came up and I started to believe in The future that I made back then kids and all. All the past things that I made up started coming back. And I started to try to believe in a universe that follows some narrative that works like a book compared to one that just is.

I ended up having a manic episode and going back to the hospital for the entire month of January this time. I think that was after you messaged me on Instagram. I was pretty manic when I was messaging you but I still had some of myself together. But I got out and here I am now. Trying to come to you with some sort of explanation of my actions towards you.

I hurt you a lot over these past years. Far more than anyone really should. You’ve told me time and time again how you don’t don’t want to see me and just want me to leave but every time I’m close to letting go I pull myself back somehow. For that I’m sorry. This is something that I wanted to write you but never knew how to put into words right. I wrote another letter essentially saying hey I’m coming back down to HP in late April to see Haleigh but I don’t even know if Im going to anymore. I barley have the money and I would halfway want to see you but you don’t deserve to just have me in your face without notice or permission.

You remind me of a time when I didn’t have all this weight on me when life was easy. And I was happy with someone I loved. And how a life with them would be all I ever needed. And that’s probably why I go back to it always because that’s all I want.

But this letter serves you and me better. I think. Life has been really really rough for me and you were a life that I saw that could’ve been and I always regret not just staying loyal to you because of how much i cared about you. Just being patient with us. I just want to fix everything I did. But now moving on is best but I needed to say something like this explaining why. I am the way I am.

It would be nice to talk to you though.

I would want to be your friend or just someone who you don’t hate, someone who you can forgive.

I love you Lauren. You’ve helped me through dark Really lonely times. And the only reason why I come back to you is because there’s no one else who made me feel so loved and secure. I wish that I could go back and advise myself about how good of person you would be to be and to treat you right because of it. You were my ace, the one person who was there for me always. I’m sorry that I couldn’t be a better person to you when I had the chance to.

Thank you for helping me whether you knew it or not.

Jordan.

1 note · View note

consciouslyrebel · 6 years

Text

Japan As A First Timer: Be Prepared.

This is the eighth installment of my Japan travelogue. Read my first impressions here, my visit to Odaiba here, my visit to Akihabara here, my last day in Tokyo here, my first day in Kyoto here, my shrine visit here, and my traditional inn excursion here.

After nine days in Japan, my sleep schedule finally caught up to Tokyo time. That meant that instead of getting up at 5 AM to write my travelogue, I woke up just in time to go sightseeing.

Our final two days in Tokyo passed like a blur, as we made the most of our Japan Rail passes and cheap subway fare. Instead of climbing Tokyo Tower or the Skytree, we went to the top of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Center, a free observatory where you can see both. We ate crepes in Shibuya, saw peak cherry blossom bloom among the temples at Asakusa, and in Harajuku I bought myself a capsule wardrobe on a dime.

Now that I’m home and have had some time to reflect, however, I would rather spend my final post not recounting, but sharing the most valuable things I learned traveling to Japan. If you’re planning on making your first visit there, here are my top ten suggestions:

Take an internationally run flight if you can.

On the way to Japan, we took a United Airlines flight, which was exactly like any domestic flight except that it was 13 hours long. On the way home, however, we flew All Nippon Airways and it was leagues better—roomier seats, footrests, personal TVs on the back of each seat. What was especially cool is that, aside from blockbuster films, the TV also came with dozens of documentaries on Japan. They would have been great to watch on the way there.

Get a JR Pass if you’re planning to leave Tokyo.

Much fanfare has been made of the Japan Rail (JR) Passfor foreigners. For about $250, you get a pass that will allow you to access any JR line in the country for seven days, including several different shinkansen (high-speed) trains.

I was in Japan for 10 days and couldn’t bring myself to spring for $500 on the 14-day JR pass, so John and I used the Tokyo subway for the first few days we were there, activating our JR passes on the day it was time to visit Kyoto. This turned out to be a great idea! Not only are Tokyo subway fares extremely cheap (in the $2 range), but very easy to get from electronic ticket machines, which all have English menu options. With such low prices, it would have been very hard to justify a JR Pass just traveling around Tokyo. However, a 7-day JR Pass conveniently costs about the same as a round trip ticket to Kyoto. In conclusion: it’s only a great deal if you’re planning to travel outside of Tokyo, and not so much of one if you’re not.

Bring cash and a way to get more.

Japan is a cash-based society and many places that you might expect to take credit card normally—like McDonald’s—do not. A lot of stores simply aren’t equipped to take card and usually have a sign out front on the rarer occasion that they do. We ended up taking cash out of ATMs twice on our trip, at 7-11 and the post office, both recommended. I also recommend taking a card without any foreign transaction or cash withdrawal fees, like Capital One.

Also, since everything from 1 yen to 500 yen (about $5) are coins, I highly recommend bringing a coin purse with you, you’ll need it. After realizing how often I took mine out, it wasn’t any surprise to me that coin purses are one of the most common souvenirs at tourist shops.

Convenience stores are your friend.

If I could bring one Japanese thing back to the US, it wouldn’t even be those cool toilets with the heated seats—it’d be their convenience stores. Where else can you get a filling, semi-nutritious meal for about $5 American? From their ambient music (usually an instrumental version of a Beatles song) to their easy-to-use ATMs to their friendly staff who will go out of their way to understand your bad accent to the food that they WILL heat up for you right then and there, I wish I had one. If I had one instead of my local Rite Aid, I would probably never cook again.

Almost every morning, I now admit, we ate breakfast at 7-11, grabbing sweet melon or bean jam bread and hot coffee (or, on one occasion, cocoa milk that was certainly darker and more bitter than any kiddie chocolate milk), and saving ourselves dollars and time while we were at it.

Eigo o hanashimasu ka? / Do you speak English?

Though I strongly recommend that you learn Japanese before visiting Japan, you should at least know just this one phrase. Don’t be fooled by Japanese modesty either—as long as somebody doesn’t say “iie” AKA “no,” they speak well enough. Some of the most articulate English speakers told us they spoke English “just a little” or “not well.”

There are also places where people are more likely to be good English speakers—train stations, airports, and major tourist attractions especially. Try to save your questions for those places.

The five-story pagoda at Asakusa.

Bring hand sanitizer and a plastic bag everywhere.

In the end, there were only two things that I didn’t like about Japan. First was the lack of soap dispensers in many public restrooms. People would exit the stall, dribble some water from the sink over their hands, and leave. I thought at first that maybe soap was mixed into the water—the toilets are high tech, maybe the sinks are too? But no luck. To avoid finding yourself without soap after using the bathroom, always carry hand sanitizer with you.

The second thing that was hard to live with was a lack of trash cans in public spaces. Apparently this began as an anti-terrorism measure in 1995 after a cult attacked the Tokyo subway by leaving explosives in public trash cans. Now the only trash cans you can find in Tokyo are privately managed, at convenience stores and the like. I got used to carrying a plastic 7-11 bag in my purse and just putting my trash in it, dumping it out at the end of the day.

A wifi hotspot is essential.

When we arrived at the airport, we picked up our eConnect hotspot at the airport post office and instantly had data on our phones. At any time, we could make calls to the US, check out Google maps, or be assured of wifi connectivity even in remote places (like our mountain inn).

I think I used my phone in Japan more often than I usually do, and I always had it open to a couple specific programs. First, a yen to dollar conversion, so I could always tell instantly how expensive something was. Second, a Japanese to English translation window in Google. Third, jisho.org, a fantastic kanji dictionary, so I could more easily read signs.

Want to surf the net like an American? You need a VPN.

Like many Japonophiles, I’m a big anime fan. In fact, I review anime professionally for Anime News Network, a North American fan resource. The anime season finales were airing while I was on vacation, so I needed to watch those final episodes and review them for my work.

But when I tried to access US streaming sites, like Crunchyroll, Funimation, Daisuki, and even Hulu, I wasn’t able to see a thing. None of these sites have permission to air shows online to Japanese users. In order to let them know that I’m actually an American, I had to first connect to my Virtual Private Network (VPN) that I run off of my Raspberry Pi mini-computer back in my Virginia apartment. If you’re curious about setting up a cheap VPN before your trip, I once wrote a tutorial about how to turn a Raspberry Pi into a VPN.

Bargains take effort.

Japan seems to reward an adventurer. In general, the further away you go from the train station, the cheaper everything becomes. Souvenir shrine amulets at the entrance to the Fushimi Inari Shrine cost 800 yen; amulets at the top of the mountain cost 500. Women’s shirts at the entrance to Harajuku’s most fashionable street, Takeshita dori, cost anywhere from $15-$30. But when I stumbled into basement shop Smile Market, I found comparable clothing for around $2.50.

This might be obvious advice, but I just want to encourage you to keep walking before you make any purchases. There might be more of the same later on, and for less.

Tokyo Skytree, as seen from Asakusa.

Take it one thing at a time.

From the moment I booked my trip last August, I received tons of useful advice for cool stuff to see and do in Japan. Planning out my trip, I originally had a more ambitious itinerary that would allow me to check a lot of these experiences off the list, but after John had to get emergency surgery on the eve of our trip, I decided to scale it back a ton, to just one activity a day. I thought that would be “taking it easy.” I was wrong.

I haven’t traveled internationally for eight years, and back when I visited Italy I was advanced enough in my language studies that I was reading Dante’s Inferno. When you don’t know the language or the culture, the little things intensify. Stuff you take for granted in your home country, like visiting the post office or ordering a coffee with skim milk instead of whole milk, are suddenly on hard mode. Doing one of those things first thing in the morning, when I am refreshed and have my best language skills at my disposal, is OK. Doing one of those things at the end of the day when I’m already tired, not so much.

Since I’ve gotten back from Japan, a lot of friends and family have asked me, “Did you do X? Did you do Y?” And I’ve had to answer in the negative. I did not see everything in Japan, or close to it—and yet I still wrote a 10,000 word travelogue about the things I did see. I don’t feel like I missed out at all, and you won’t either. One thing at a time.

#Travel&Experiences

0 notes

panamagreg · 6 years

Text

As I write it is early morning, and I am enjoying the sound of the ocean surf and the cool breeze coming through the windows. We are in an area that it is really hard not to love. This time of year we have a lot of wind which keeps the humidity down. They call it Summer. Since arriving we have not seen a bit of rain, and we have enjoyed the pool or the beach every day. Our windows are always open and there are no screens. At first we couldn’t believe it, but there are no bugs here at ocean front. We absolutely love the balcony in the early morning and late evening, but it gets unbearably hot for a couple of hours in the afternoon when the sun is high, and to the West (our unit has a western exposure). People on the East side of the building say that theirs is hot in the morning. Both have advantages and disadvantages. This is all information valuable when looking for a beach front condo.

We did survive Carnival and hope none of you are expecting to see pictures of parades, floats, and scantly dressed people partying in the street. We did not venture to the activities. It is a party that happens across the entire country. The government closes down and many private business chose to close as well. Traffic is everything we have been told and just moving about during Carnival is near impossible. There were fireworks here in the complex and all our neighbors who own vacation homes were here. That meant that there were several predominant languages being spoken and a few families. The Internationale Highway is a 4 lane divided highway with limited places to cross from 1 side to the other. It is not limited access. When traffic gets heavy they close the places to cross. Just about anywhere you would go involves using this road, so mostly we stayed nearby. Monday we ventured out to take a look at one of the places that may be nice to live. It was to our West and travel there and back was tolerable. I can’t say the same for yesterday when the Panamanians started heading home. We ventured out to see another place early yesterday morning and returning the traffic was gridlocked on the highway. The only way back for us was to get on the Highway heading east toward Panama City, with the traffic, and drive about 30 Km to the first place we were allowed to turn around. When we got back to our road we were not allowed to turn (cross traffic) which caused us to travel back several Km West before being allowed to turn around. When we got way West of Coronado we decided to take a look at another place before heading home. Every trip during heavy traffic has to be carefully planned. We were home by 1:30, had a late lunch and spent the rest of the day by the pool on the roof.

Everyone Heading Home

We are sure all of you are interested in what we have found as far as homes go. One thing everyone needs to know is that if you’re planning to move to Panama one should rent for at least a year. This will give time to make sure the place is right for you. It is a buyers market here currently and real estate prices are a little lower than they have been. The buyers market may continue for several years so if you buy now you may lose money if you decide to sell too soon. Many places can be rented out weekly or monthly to tourists, should you decide to move back home. Remember it isn’t easy to be a long distance landlord. All that being said, we are interested in finding out basically what our dollar will buy and learning what is important and not important to us. As we travel and explore the country over the next few weeks we will be taking a look at homes and condo’s to get familiar with the market in each area. If we settle on an area and decide to move we will rent in that area until we find the perfect place to buy. We are feeling like our own episode of House Hunters International right now. I embedded a YouTube video below, which is an episode of that show filmed right here near where we are staying. We met a delightful lady from Canada, who has lived here now for several years. She is a sales agent for the developer who built 2 of the condo projects where we have looked. One of the projects is Bahia and she was the actual selling agent for the guys in this video. We will be touring the condo directly next to them in the next few weeks (it is occupied by tourists now). This video will give you a good feel for the Coronado area. Time will tell, but it may be too busy for us here. CLICK HERE TO WATCH VIDEO

Coronado Golf Club

Coronado Country Club and Bahia

We hope you took the 20 or so minutes to watch the video. It really does paint an accurate picture of what we are finding on the ground here. We are continuing with our Spanish tutor today and heading out to the Azuero Peninsula tomorrow. It may a great time to look back at our post of October 24, 2017 when our excursion planning began. On Friday we are planning another visit to a nearby condo project with a local agent. Our friends here are interested in buying there and the agent has come highly recommended. We will keep you all informed as we work through the process of looking for a place where we may one day live.

Thank-you for once again checking out our awesome adventure. We are still in awe of this whole thing. We hope you are all entertained and enjoying as much as we are. Please like, share and post questions. We love hearing from all of you. We just surpassed 2000 visits to our blog and we have new visitors signing on daily. Without all of you, it certainly wouldn’t be as much fun to write.

Buenos Dias,

Greg and Jen

We survived Carnival As I write it is early morning, and I am enjoying the sound of the ocean surf and the cool breeze coming through the windows.

#azuero peninsula #Bahia #Carnival #cool breeze #Coronado Golf Club #HGTV #living our own episode of house hunters #no bugs #no screens #ocean surf #summer wind #traffic gridlock #windows open

0 notes