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winstonlives · 6 years

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Valentine’s Day Outing

Summary: Dan and Phil decide enough is enough, they want to celebrate at one of their favorite restaurants like anyone else might. So they venture out, but the outcome from the excursion is surprising.

Rating: Pg-13

Word count: 2500

Pairing: M/M

I wanted to thank my Betas, Flor for being very enthusiastic and jumping on the chance to read it. Bluewho, for always being willing and able to read and critique my writing when I am unsure. And last but not least Dan, for well, putting up with me everyday.

That’s the 14th.”

“I know,” Phil said, nuzzling into the crook of Dan’s neck. “I already made reservations, but wanted to make sure you’d be okay with the idea.” He pressed light kisses over the sensitive skin.

“Phil…” Dan sighed, goosebumps erupting over his body, “You know that’s not a good idea.”

“I don’t care anymore,” Phil said, moving lower and nipping at Dan’s collarbone. “I mean I care, but I want to live my life how I want.” He sat up then, straddling Dan’s hips. He looked down at him, his hands splayed out over Dan’s chest. “I want to take you out for a romantic dinner on a romantic holiday. I’ve had enough of this hiding out.”

“I hardly think us staying home is hiding out. I mean I did a live show once, and we stay in 90% of the time normally,” Dan said, running his hands absentmindedly over the tops of Phil’s thighs. “It’s not like we don’t celebrate. Or have you forgotten 2015?”

“Oh, trust me, I remember 2015,” Phil smirked, as his dick twitched at the memory. “That was a good year.”

“See, and we certainly did not go out then. We would have been arrested if we left the house.”

“Yeah, okay. So you don’t want to go out?”

“Well,” Dan said, bringing his hands up to Phil’s hips, then back to cup his butt, “where did you make reservations?”

Phil smiled. “Sketch; the lecture room.”

“Hmm…” Dan smiled, “I guess we could go out. You think we’ll be safe there?” he whispered, before pulling Phil down so he could kiss him. “They know we like that place…”

Phil laughed and sat up again. “They do, but I know you’ve been wanting to try out the lecture room. We haven’t been there in a long time, so I thought it would be a good treat for Valentine’s Day. Besides, I made late reservations and it’s midweek. Kids have to be in bed for school.”

Dan smiled. “You know it’s not just kids. We’ve met enough people who are about our age…”

“Yeah, but I don’t know if we have to worry about people our age freaking out online about seeing us out.” Phil shrugged, then leaned forward again to press his lips to Dan’s jawline. “I mean I’m sure it’ll get out if we’re spotted, but it will be slightly more subdued than key smashing.”

“If you’re fine with it, I’m fine with it,” Dan sighed, tipping his head the other direction and allowing Phil better access to his neck.

“M’fine with it…” Phil said as he moved lower, taking a pert nipple into his mouth and sucking. “Now be quiet, I’m trying to enjoy myself. Stop talking about them seeing us…”

“You never want me to be quiet in bed.” Dan chuckled, then drew in a sharp breath. “Oww you dork. Don’t bite so hard!” He rubbed over the red spot on his ribcage.

“Then don’t be smart while I’m doing this…” Phil smirked, then sucked a hickey to the left of Dan’s belly button. “You love it. Don’t pretend you don’t.” He bit Dan again before moving lower.

______

“You almost ready to go?”

“Yeah,” Dan said, looking at himself in the large gold framed mirror against the wall. “You sure about this Phil?”

“Yes.” Phil smiled as he walked back into the bedroom. “You look great.” He walked to Dan and slid his arms around his waist, then kissed his cheek. “Like, really good.”

“Thanks,” Dan said. “You know this could be a big night for us....”

“I know. I’m ready, are you?”

“As I’ll ever be.” Dan sighed, smoothing a wayward curl. Phil smiled, then took Dan’s hand and pulled him towards the door.

About twenty-five minutes later, they were being led through Sketch to their table. They looked through the menus and ordered the same thing. They splurged by ordering a bottle of champagne, which sat in a gold bucket on a stand next to the table.

“I don’t see anyone looking at us,” Dan whispered as he leaned over his plate.

“You sound disappointed.” Phil chuckled before taking a bite. “It’s not like everytime we leave the house we’re mobbed with fans. We can go out without being seen. It happens all the time.”

“Not disappointed, just surprised,” Dan said, chewing as he glanced around. “I guess I just had it in my head someone would see us. You know, because of the day.”

“Well, I did make the reservations pretty late in hopes that no one would see us. It is a school night and nine is kind of late on a Wednesday.”

“Good thinking.” Dan nodded as he chewed, scanning the room. “Although I think that woman has looked at me a few times.”

“Maybe she just thinks you’re hot stuff,” Phil smirked and glanced over his shoulder. “If she takes a picture let me know.”

“Ha ha, very funny,” Dan said. He rolled his eyes. “I’m just saying she may know who we are.”

“So?” Phil shrugged. “What can we do about it now? We knew someone might recognize us. We knew this might be a… someone might blow this dinner out of proportion.”

“Well, would it be blown out of proportion?” Dan asked. He stabbed a noodle on his plate, perhaps a bit more aggressively than necessary. “I mean the last things we said outright in regards to our relationship were almost as good as saying we were not together. Then here we are on Valentine’s day, dressed up and at a romantic restaurant by ourselves. I think whatever would happen would be about par for the course.”

“That was years and years ago wasn’t it?” Phil said as he pushed the last piece of pasta on his plate through the thick sauce. “We’ve basically been in the ‘glass closet’, as they say, for the last couple years.”

“Yeah, well - glass closet or not, the two of us here on Valentine's day is almost like releasing our god damn sex tape.”

Phil rolled his eyes. “Okay, drama queen. I think our sexy sex tape would cause at least a bit more of a stir.” He chuckled, then popped a piece of garlic bread in his mouth, chewing around a grin.

“Hardee har har,” Dan groaned, sticking out his tongue.

“Will you please relax?” Phil pleaded, sliding his hand over to Dan’s side of the table. “We decided that we could handle this. And so far nothing has happened. Try and enjoy it, okay?” He flipped the palm of his hand up as if he wanted Dan to take it. Dan looked down and poked it instead.

“Yeah okay. She hasn’t looked back over here since the first couple of times.” Dan sighed. “We’re almost done, anyway. She only has a half hour or so to paparazzi your ass.”

Phil chuckled. “Hmm, maybe I should pull my trousers down so she can see that I’m wearing some special Valentine’s pants.”

“Oh really?” Dan smirked.

“Mmm.” Phil nodded. “Think she’d like a picture?”

“Of that ass? Anyone would be happy to have a picture of it.” Dan winked. “Are we getting dessert here, or do you have something else planned?”

“I do have some whipped cream and chocolate covered strawberries at home, but I’m thinking you meant something sexy.”

Dan snorted into his champagne. “Phil, you dork. I did mean something sexy, yes, but that sounds good too.”

They finished their meal and paid the bill without incident. As they stepped onto the pavement outside, the cool air felt refreshing after leaving the warmth of the restaurant. A high voice called to them as they turned to walk up the road. “Umm, Dan? Phil?” They turned back and smiled down at a couple of girls. Not girls, women. They were both probably in their mid to late twenties.

“Hi,” Dan said dryly. He was smiling but his lips were tight and there no crinkles around his eyes.

“Hi, sorry, you know...um this is stupid…sorry,” the taller of the two woman said. “Sorry, hi. Hello, I mean. We just wanted to say we love you guys.”

Phil smiled. “That’s always nice to hear.”

“We met at TATINOF, actually,” the small blonde said, smiling. “We were the only two adults in our section who were actual fans and not parents of fans.”

Dan chuckled. “I can see how that would help you become friends.”

“Oh,” the taller one said. “We’re not friends… well I mean we are. She’s my best friend, but we also just got engaged.” She held up the other woman’s left hand, showing off a small diamond ring. “So we just wanted to say we love you guys and we...well. Because of you, we met each other. It’s just funny that we ran into you tonight since we just got engaged. And we met when we saw you irl for the first time, too. Sorry…I’m babbling. We’re just so happy and excited!”

“Well, congratulations!” Dan smiled wider. This time the smile reached his eyes. It was a real and genuine smile. He held his hand out to look at the ring. “It’s beautiful. It’s always fun to hear stories like this. What are your names?”

“Oh! Sorry! Ha,” the taller woman chuckled nervously. “I’m Elena. And, and this is Dot.”

“Nice to meet you. Would you two like a picture?” Phil smiled.

“Oh that’s okay,” Dot said. “We don’t want to put you out.”

“It’s no trouble, really,” Dan insisted. “It’s always nice to meet fans.”

“Even on Valentine’s Day?” Elena asked, her left eyebrow rising.

Dan and Phil looked at each other. “Yeah, that’s fine,” Phil said. This time his smile was tight-lipped.

“No, really it’s okay. We can get a photo in a few months. We have VIP tickets to the new tour,” Elena said. “It looks like you two were out having a nice night and we interrupted. We were just so caught up in the excitement of getting engaged. Then, what are the chances, there you are walking up the same street.”

“Yeah, thanks for stopping,” Dot chipped in. “We really just wanted to thank you. We can take a photo later.”

“Okay. If you’re sure.” Dan looked back and forth between the two of them. “It really is not a problem.”

“Hmm. I look terrible right now from all the crying I did. You know, the whole engagement thing.” Elena took Dot’s hand in hers, kissed it, and turned back to Dan and Phil. “Thanks for everything. Have a good Valentines. We’ll see you later.” They turned and walked the opposite way to where Dan and Phil were going.

Dan watched as they walk to the end of the block and turned out of sight. “Well,” he said as he turned to Phil. “That was nice.”

“It was.” Phil smiled as they began to walk.

_______

Dan woke to the smell of coffee and pancakes. He called out to Phil but did not get a reply. He stood up, stretched, and began walking towards their en-suite. He kicked off the red and black jockstrap that was hooked around his foot as he went. After he peed and brushed his teeth, he walked back into the room and pulled on a clean pair of pants.

“Phil?” he called out, shuffling into the kitchen. His slippers were making a shooshing noise over the floor.

“You could never sneak up on me in those things.” Phil teased, his back to Dan as he flipped a pancake. Dan leaned in and kissed the side his neck from behind. “Glad you’re awake. Now I don’t have to be super romantic and bring you breakfast in bed. Now we can watch Blue Planet instead.”

“Damn. If I knew breakfast in bed was the alternative, I would have stayed there. Even if it is pancakes again.” Dan chuckled, resting his chin on Phil’s shoulder and closed his eyes. “I’m knackered still. Did a lot of work last night.”

“Mmm, and I thank you,” Phil said, plating the two pancakes he was making. He poured more batter into the pan. “Almost topped your performance in 2015.”

“Oh yeah?” Dan inquired. He wrapped his arms around Phil’s waist. “That good huh?”

“Mmm,” Phil grunted as he nodded his head. “Make some more coffee will you, you lazy bum? The pancakes are almost done.”

Dan turned to the kettle and switched it on. He prepped their mugs as well. “So have you checked to see if we were spotted last night? I mean by someone with a camera, not Elena and Dot.”

“Not yet. Thought I’d wait until after breakfast,” Phil said, flipping the last two pancakes. “Wanted to enjoy my food.”

“Fair enough,” Dan said. His phone vibrated on the counter next to him. He picked it up and looked at the screen.

Mum: What’s happening?

Dan: Morning to you too.

Mum: What is this business about you and Phil having girlfriends?

Dan: Say what now?

“I think my mum’s lost it,” Dan said over his shoulder as he waited for a response to his last message.

“Why?” Phil asked, plating the pancakes. “Food’s ready. Grab the coffees.” He walked out of the kitchen with both plates and the syrup bottle.

Dan’s phone vibrated again as he was walking into the lounge. He set the coffees down on a nearby table and pulled his cell out of his pocket.

Mum: There is a picture of you two from last night, with two girls.

Dan: Oh yeah we met two women last night, they just got engaged. It was nice.

Mum: People have been saying they were your girlfriends. LOL

Dan: Oh, well that’s new. Why would someone think that?

Mum: Well the pictures.

Dan: There are pictures?

Mum: Yes. Look at them, and you’ll see. You’re holding hands with one of the girls.

“Apparently last night we were outed...as straight!” Dan said to Phil, laughing. He cut into a pancake.

Phil choke-coughed on his coffee, “What?”

“Elena and Dot are our girlfriends apparently,” Dan said, swallowing a bite of food. “Someone got a pic of us outside the restaurant and thought we were with them.”

Phil laughed, setting his coffee down. “So we finally go out on Valentine’s day, preparing to be outed, on a romantic date with each other. And the next morning the key smashing is about us and our supposed girlfriends?”

“Yup.” Dan chuckled. “Not how I thought the day would have started.”

“Me either,” Phil said. “Have you seen the pictures?”

“Not yet,” Dan replied, shoving more pancake into his mouth. “Does it matter?”

“Not at all,” Phil smirked. “Next year maybe we’ll be seen with our wives and kids.”

“We can only hope.” Dan laughed. “Janice will finally have her night out on the town.”

“It’s the least I could do really.” Phil shrugged and turned on the video. “After our years together she should at least get one night out.”

#fest: vday 2018 #also on ao3

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ultratesterthings · 4 years

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Doctors found unsafe to drive home after work

Posted on April 10, 2016 by Pamela Wible MD

Some employers are now providing cab rides for physicians because they’re too fatigued to drive safely after their hospital shifts.

Just got this email from a resident [physician-in-training]: “OMG. See below. The violations and consequences pretty much deter you from ever bothering to want to use this service.”

My response: “If doctors are so tired they can’t drive, why are they being allowed to care for hospitalized patients? If they can’t safely drive a car, why are they being allowed to run ventilators in the ICU?”

His response: “Exactly. And then let’s offer residents a ride in the most threatening way possible so that there is no chance they will take it. It’s all so stupid that it’s painful. I think you need to publish volume two of Physician Suicide Letters—Answered and just publish documents like this. They speak for themselves just like the letters.”

I reply: “Sleep deprivation is a torture technique and a form of hazing common in medical training. Did you see my TEDMED talk where I discussed this?”

He responds: “The funny part is, how often does a doctor ever not work 12 hours and not feel exhausted. I think any physician would have difficulty abusing this. However my bet is, if you were to use this too often—whatever that is—(even within their stated criteria of 12 hours and exhaustion) you would be called in for a chat to ask why it is that you are so tired so often, and more absurd, humiliating questions. Kind of like our work hours reporting now. [Residents are limited to an 80-hour work week]. We have learned not to report working beyond 80 hours/week. If you do you are called in to discuss the “hour violations” and a chat about how inefficient you are. So everyone lies, everyone works way over what they report, and yes everyone is still exhausted. Round and round we go . . .”

Pamela Wible, M.D., is a physician who is outraged by the health care cycle of abuse that wounds physicians and patients alike. She helps physicians break free of the cycle of abuse at biannual retreats. Need help? Contact Dr. Wible.

36 comments on “Doctors found unsafe to drive home after work”

Thomas Lucksays:

Too fatigued to be driving but not too fatigued to be working!!!!

Tad Lucksays:

Too fatigued to drive but not too fatigued to have been working!

Robert Hailesays:

During my training in Boston 80 hours would have been a relief. In the 70’s and 80’s 120 hours was common. Where one wished the ER admission did not survive to add more work during a 36 straight hour stint. Where the opportunity to sleep 1-2 hours was not taken as it made you feel even worse. They said I’d get faster, but I did not as I realized the speed came from dangerous shortcuts. Through my career, I chose to spend my time with patients, making less money. But the stress accumulated: two cancers, one pre-cancer, 4 brain surgeries a total of 25 major surgeries, stress related illness. I am now broke living on less than $13,000/year after medical bills are paid. I had to retire at 62 due to health issues. I moved to a poor country to survive. Not all doctors are greedy.

some thingsays:

Not to belittle anyone’s situation… but… for every action, there is a reaction. I live with “one of those doctors” that chooses efficiency to be good at what he does, and see as many rare cases as he can as we are in a community with a high need in his specialty and his training is top-notch – he has a wait list a mile long to see him. He is anything but a villain, more-so a product of ivy league training. He has a partner that wants to spend “lots of time” with her pts. Guess whom is burnt out at 55?; not the one taking “more time,” but the one working his rear off to pay for all the overhead of the office, while allowing someone else a quality semi-retirement – she is happy and healthy from what I see. Further, it goes without saying, “they aren’t all greedy.” Frankly, as a nurse I have yet to meet one greedy doctor, most are burnt out, stressed to the hilt, exhausted, pessimistic, depressed, introverted, giving to a fault, at least in the hospital. One talks to herself down the hallway (a lot!), and bangs her head on the counter top in frustration at times. 12 hours? As a nurse, I do 16 hour shifts regularly, and come back for more up to 13 days in a row (and I make a tiny fraction of what my better half does, granted my training is a fraction of what he has, so hardly a comparison). I know RNs that have worked up to 23 days in a row. They, (admin) do not care if you are tired. Further, a side effect of this job (often) is divorce, so being neutered of “greed” (if it exists) will most likely take place. Let’s just do the math, office overhead, an ex that won’t work and wants to live a Beverly Hills lifestyle on air for income (literally), several (or many) self-entitled kids that will need financial support til 30, half of your income to Uncle Sam, you make the “most” in your family/siblings so get the job of supporting parents for life, etc. What’s left?

Ioana Perenisays:

Thank you Inspiring articles- make me feel so much better about how I feel in the NHS- still abuse and forced labour ‘ we just overbooked 2 patients on the list’-but I haven’t slept for 24 hours, did two clinics yesterday, spent half of the night answering calls and the other dealing with trauma in casualty/ main ED ! Reply – ‘we can’t cancel patients as hospital gets fined’ Great, another 2 redbulls and forever grateful to the NHS Surprising to see US system is similar on treating doctors badly I learned the hard way to get myself out of ‘burnout’- fill my life with positive enjoyable experiences non- work related. Can’t change the system? Change your life, youred or working environment Ultimately I signed an employment contract, with exit clauses and I haven’t signed my life away. Hospital doesn’t pay for my mobile contract, hence I answer calls I consider important and leave others in voicemail for next day. Take control of your time and make time for yourself, not selfish, but self caring and loving. Aim to change what you can, or accept until ready to move on Ultimately a happy content doctor will care far better for his family and patients than a stressed, a used ‘burnt out one’- if not doing it for yourself, do it for your patients!

Lisasays:

Thank you for this. This resonated very strongly with me. I am an intern and felt a lot of this when I started. The pressure and the judgment and the fatigue and the unclear expectations and the high stakes and some of my own health problems was somewhat overwhelming and I started to feel like Atlas holding the weight of the world on my shoulders, just struggling to keep everything from crashing down. It took a lot of reflection and soul searching but I emerged from it all with a much stronger sense of self. As the expression goes, “If I am not for myself, who will be for me?” I still get in trouble from time to time from the old school attendings who want me to “know my place,” but I stand up for myself. I listen to what they say and integrate what means sense into how I behave. I spent a lot of time in my mentor’s office, listening to his stories, learning from him, gaining from his wisdom. I was so frustrated with the healthcare system and how I couldn’t change it. He told me if I want to make a difference and be a leader, I first need to do my time and serve. Now I go to work with the idea of service in my heart and the revolutionary idea of putting my patient first in everything I do and treating them with kindness, respect, compassion, dignity and genorosity. I still get overwhelmed and overworked from time to time, but when I come back to serving the patient, it becomes a joy to go to work

Marcee Knierysays:

I was rear-ended by a doctor who had come off a double shift. This was around 5:30 PM. He felt so terrible!

Agbai Dimgbasays:

It’s a capitalist world: keep on using me until you use me up! You have to be drained of every bit of strength in you if you want to live like a ‘doctor’. And you’d better be good at what your doing otherwise any slip and down comes the hydra-headed ax of the administrators, lawyers and insurance companies. For some doctors by the time they’re ready to enjoy the money health issues arise because of the beating the body has endured over the years. But which profession does not have its downsides? We just need to work smart to balance work, family, service to humanity, and to God for those who believe, and of course come together for better collective bargaining…and know when to say ‘enough is enough’.

carole baraldisays:

This post brings back painful memories. I lost a close friend from medical school. During her intern year she fell asleep driving post-call and died in an accident. She was on her way to the airport for her first vacation. She was one of the most beautiful spirits I had ever met. She grew up poor helping her father raise her younger sister after her mother died. She worked so hard to get to medical school and fulfill her dreams. I feel again acutely the heartache of losing a dear friend and thinking about her father and sister who adored her and suffered another great loss in their lives. As an intelligent and compassionate young physician she had a bright future and I know would have been a healer to so many. This death was preventable. I know working too much and fatigue is not a problem limited to doctors and nurses, but I think in our field it is rampant. As you have repeatedly pointed out, how can we take care of others if we cannot take care of ourselves??? And why do our leaders not make that a priority??? If one life can be saved, isn’t paying for cab rides without even blinking an eye worth it? How many cab rides is a life worth? This hospital must not think that many. Thank you Pamela for all the work you are doing to raise awareness of a very broken system.

Sheguftasays:

My mom was in a car accident when driving home from a residency shift once and ended up in the hospital. She woke up and she had driven into the back of a parked truck (the front engine part of the car was pretty much under the truck). After physically recovering she had to take a month off of work and probably had minor driving related PTSD after (she was a lot more nervous/shakey when it came to driving ever since and it has affecting the quality of her driving greatly)

Ron Sautter MDsays:

In an ideal world, the only real organization we have, the AMA, would be standing up to fight on behalf of practicing physicians and residents. As it is, there is a heavy contingent of medical school and residency directors involved in the AMA leadership, so obviously we don’t live in an ideal world.

James Wilk, MDsays:

I have fallen asleep (thankfully for only a few seconds) on I-25 in Denver, almost hitting the concrete barrier between the northbound and southbound lanes, when post-call during my internal medicine residency. More than once.

Cherylsays:

Burned out family doctor at 42. 🙁 never thought I’d be done mid-career. I wanted to be a doctor since I was little.

Samantha Duttonsays:

After working as a behaviorist in a family medicine residency, your talk resonated with me. Although there were no suicides during my time, the stress level was unbelievable. I spent most of my time, not educating the residents in behavioral medicine but in “off the record” counseling. I am in agreement with changing the culture where it is learned…medical school. I would also advocate having a behaviorist (social worker, psychologist) in ALL residencies. I loved my residents, they were and are still very special to me…even if my office was the “cry room”.

Georgesays:

During residency, I had to crank up the AC (even in the winter) and blast the radio to try to stay awake on my 30-minute drive home after shifts. Fortunately, I never fell asleep while driving. But I did fall asleep a couple times waiting at lights. When I mentioned this (and similar issues) to my attendings at the time, I was essentially told to toughen up. Scary situation!

Luz Rodriguezsays:

That is totally insane, doctors are human beings not ROBOTS, I,remember working with residents that,were so exhausted they could not even walk on straight line but needed to be in surgery all night. The INSANITY need to STOP before we loose more doctor.

Dr Moosays:

I am a family physician, can fall asleep anywhere, anytime, day or night.If I have to sleep I pull over to a side street and sleep. This is not possible in some rough neighbourhoods and when on country roads. I live 50km from home,travelling to work on dangerous main roads with a high accident rate, high mortality rate.About once a week I have a near miss when other drivers tailgate or the unexpected happens. Once a small kitten dropped down from the back of a truck in front when it stopped momentarily in heavy traffic. He must have been sleeping in the undercarriage of the truck, then woke up and jumped down from the truck onto the tar road – straight into 6 lanes of heavy peak hour traffic. He tried to jump to the side, but he had nowhere to go except under the wheels of the cars. I cried all the rest of the way to work. Brake drums fallen off trucks, people running out in front of cars, small whirlwinds blowing cars out of their traffic lanes, loose cattle and wild animals on the road,heavy rain,hail, thunderstorms, it all goes on out here. Then I get to work and have to readjust from the survival rat run to be the dependable family Dr. Well, after my friend was run down by a garbage truck recently, I have taken stock and am moving to a job closer to home.Will also save on fuel costs.

Bill Mitchellsays:

It was common on surgery rotations for me to witness upper-levels commanding their lowers to send them a text when they got home so that they would know that they got home safely. As a med student I was protected from that much sleeplessness, thank goodness. I do look forward to the first time I receive such an instruction as an intern so that I can reply that I don’t send texts while I’m asleep and that if they can’t live with the uncertainty of my ability to stay alive on the roads they should consider trying to fix it instead of adding one more pointless bit of bureaucracy to my life. I’m anticipating being quite sleep-deprived at this point.

Has your dream job turned into a nightmare?

This content was originally published here.

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kingfallstranscripts-blog · 7 years

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Episode 15: Stormy Weather, More at Eleven

(King Falls AM Theme plays)

Ben: Can we please play it again, Sammy?

Sammy: Oh, will you stop it?

Ben: Think of it as my early Christmas present! Just one more time!

Sammy: You are way too happy about this, Ben.

Ben: It’s like watching Van Gogh paint Starry Night, Sammy. But backwards and then exploding like fireworks right before our very eyes.

Sammy: Or ears, in this case.

Ben: Well, yeah, of course ears. You get it, people.

Sammy: So, is this on your schedule, Ben?

Ben: You know that it isn’t. Just give me that one tiny sliver of happiness. I need this! It completes me.

Sammy: You are evil. And that is why we get along so well.

Ben: *laughs*

Sammy: Roll the damn tape!

Ben: Yes!

(Channel 13 Tape Starts)

Storm Sanders: Are we f**kin live, yall? I got sh*t to – (in professional voice) Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. This is your friendly neighborhood weatherman, Storm Sanders. And boy do we have some interesting weather here in the next *hiccups* few days.

Maggie: Storm are you feeling alright?

Storm: Maggie, you bet your motha (censored) ass I’m alright. Let’s just get to the forecast on yours truly today. Storms feelin’… partly cloudy with 100% chance of makin it rain down at the Red Rock bar. Holla at cha *hiccup* boy, Chet! Stacks on deck.

Maggie: Umm, we’re live Storm. If you could just get to the actual weather report –

Storm: F**k yo weather. You got a brain. Open the window and see if it’s hot. If it’s hot? I can’t change that s**t! If it’s cold? Put some more clothes on! If Steve will let you cover up those big ol’ t**ties!

Maggie: Storm!

Storm: Maaaaan, f**k it. Who the f**k even needs a weather report these days? It’s on ya phone! It’s on ya twitter! If I say it’s gonna rain it ain’t gonna change a f**kin thing! Mannnn, my skin feels weird.

(Tape cuts out)

Ben: *laughing hysterically*

Sammy: You are taking way too much pleasure in this.

Ben: Channel 13! Giving you all the news and weather you can handle.

Sammy: He isn’t wrong.

Ben: Ladies and gentlemen, if you missed that on your local news this evening, his words were only bleeped on King Falls AM. I’m sure if you YouTube it… *laughs* oh man. How long before somebody auto-tunes that?

Sammy: Moving forward, what’ve we got in store this evening?

Ben: If you or somebody you know knows how to do those talking music things, give us a call or tweet us @KingFallsAM.

Sammy: Ben…

Ben: I’m sorry. It’s just that we don’t get to win much around here, Sammy. We should enjoy these moments.

Sammy: If this were any other news station would you be this happy?

Ben: No, but Channel 13 is the hub of all evil. If you told me -

Sammy: AGAIN, moving forward… what do we have on tab for the rest of the evening?

Ben: Ahem… can we do a weather report?

Sammy: You’re a child!

Ben: *laughing* Okay, folks, we’ve actually got some good stuff coming up in the next hour. Mr. Ron Begley from Begley’s Bait & Tackle will be visiting the show and talking to us about the 5th annual Bare Back Bear Festival.

Sammy: *laughs incredulously* Wow, uh, ya know, I guess I shouldn’t be that surprised.

Ben: I don’t get it. W-why are you laughing? You think riding a bear without a saddle is easy?

Sammy: Ben…your naivety brightens my day.

Ben: Whatever…Sammy. Anyway, coming up at the 5 o’clock hour, we’ve got Linda Miles over at King Falls Gazette calling in to give us the weekly Tim Jenson update.

Sammy: And hopefully filling us in with some good news. It sounds like we have a hell of a show happening, so stay tuned kids. We’re gonna pay some bills and hear a few words from our sponsors. We’ll be right back, King Falls.

(Jazz Music Plays)

“Ah, yeah. You’ve got the one and only Chet Sebastian here wishing all y’all out there the happiest of holiday seasons. This time of year you’re always on the lookout for a gift that’s gonna get ya a little something extra, and old Chet is here to deliver “Chet Sebastian’s Honey Pot of Horns”. A classy lady can’t so no to a man that knows his smooth jazz. With my newest album “Chest Sebastian’s Honey Pot of Horns”, you’ll look like the damn Albert Einstein of the brass section. Whether you’re a-givin or receivin. “Honey Pot of Horns” is a surefire way for a happier Hanukkah, a crazier Kwanza, a kinkier Christmas. No downloads here, cause a real man only spins vinyl for his lucky lady. Be Merry, you sexy thangs”

(Welcome to 660 theme plays)

Sammy: So, have you picked up Chet’s new album for that someone special in your life, Ben?

Ben: *chuckles* Dude, no. I love Chet, like you love a creepy masochistic uncle, but I can’t give that record to Emily.

Sammy: I hear classy ladies -

Ben: Don’t

Sammy: *laughs* Alright, folks. We’re gonna take some calls here while we wait on Ron to make his way into the studio. Give us a call 424-279-3858.

Ben: Or tweet us over at twitter @KingFallsAM. We gonna go with any particular topic or –

Sammy: We aren’t talking about Storm if that’s what you’re getting at.

Ben: Dammittttt. Line 5! You’re on with Sammy and Ben.

Cynthia: Ben Arnold! You ought to be ashamed of yourself! Making fun of poor Storm Sanders tonight.

Ben: Oh, come on! Channel 13 would jump at the chance to destroy us. One of their stupid “For the King Falls Community” investigations. Serves them right!

Cynthia: You’re just so much better than all of us, aren’t you, Ben? Why don’t you just move out of King Falls and go do your radio show in some metropolis or something!

Sammy: Cynthia, while I understand your frustration with Ben’s…giddiness, I –

Cynthia: Don’t give me any of your mumbo jumbo, Sammy. You’re high salutin, too! You’re probably doing this for “Make a Wish” kids or some sort of tax evasion scheme.

Sammy: What?!

Ben: Cynthia, I don’t understand this anger, even from you, tonight.

Cynthia: I just think you need to think before you poke fun. You of all people should know this isn’t as cut and dry as it looks.

Sammy: What are you getting at Cynthia?

Ben: *from the side of his mouth* She’s probably on the sauce that Storm is on…

Cynthia: He said his skin felt weird, idiots! Or did you miss that with all your jackass laughing, Ben?

Ben: Wait, are you sure about that?

Cynthia: 100%, because I wasn’t acting a fool when a man was having a crisis live on the television!

Ben: This isn’t good…

Sammy: What am I missing here?

Cynthia: Guess they don’t teach that kind of stuff at the Connecticut School of Broadcasting, do they, Sammy?

Sammy: Okay, first off, Cynthia, I did not go to that school. Second off –

Ben: His skin felt weird, Sammy.

Cynthia: Maybe if you paid attention in Simple Possessions and Hauntings 101 –

Ben: I’ll take it from here. Cynthia, have a great night.

Cynthia: Oh, of course you’re hanging up on me! High and mighty King Falls AM. You’ll see…

Ben: I didn’t hang up, Cynthia. But we gotta put the wheels in motion here.

Cynthia: Oh, please. You don’t have to sweet talk me. *hangs up*

Sammy: What’s the deal, Ben?

Ben: I should’ve seen this before. DAMMIT. I let my hatred from that terrible excuse for a news organization cloud my judgement.

Sammy: Are you gonna tell me what’s going on, or should I just make up my own thing here?

Ben: Sorry, Sammy. Legend has it, when certain types of spirits take a hold of a person…

Sammy: Uh-huh… “legend has it”…I see.

Ben: Don’t look at me like – forget it! It’s like a possession.

Sammy: Oh, like The Exorcist.

Ben: Kinda like it, but actually scary.

Sammy: Have you seen The Exorcist?!

Ben: I’m being serious! We need to get ahold of Storm. Folks, if you know Storm Sanders personally or can get us in touch with him, please dial in to the show- 424-279-3858.

Sammy: This is for real?

Ben: I’m a little worried. Cynthia, if you haven’t turned off the show in a blind rage, THANK YOU. Thank you for point this out to us.

Sammy: Okay, we’ve got some phone action. Line 12 you’re on King Falls AM.

Troy: Hey, Sammy. Ben.

Ben: We can’t do this right now, Troy.

Troy: I’m callin’ to make peace, Ben. The SS Friendship is ready to dock. All aboard.

Ben: *disconnects call* Not now, Troy! We’ve got a situation!

Sammy: Did you just hang up on Troy?!

Ben: Sammy, this is life or death! Line 5, this is Sammy and Ben.

Herschel: Alright listen you two dumbasses. This Storm fella looks like he’s about a medium build, maybe a buck 180. You get yourselves a gunny sack, some come-along straps, and a roll of duct tape. You meet me 19 clicks from Old Rose’s café at 0400 hours-

Ben: *disconnects call* Sorry, Herschel. You can cuss extra at us later.

Sammy: Oh, he’s gonna.

Ben: Line 10, hello?

Caller: *Native American inflection* Ben is right to be worried.

Sammy: And who are we speaking with?

Ben: Have you seen him tonight, sir?

Caller: I watched his outburst on the television. I have been driving around downtown and around the station for the last few hours. No luck.

Ben: So, you’re out actively looking for him?

Sammy: Have you tried the Red Rock bar, perhaps?

Ben: Not now, Sammy. I’m sorry – who is this?

Caller: This is Walt. That is all you will get.

Ben: Fair enough. So you know the legend?

Walt: I know the truth. Saying “legend” makes it seem like people haven’t seen it with their own eyes. Or lived it. I have done both.

Sammy: Can one of you two please explain what we are so worried for myself and for the listeners?

Ben: Legend has it – ah sorry- uh, the story goes that…well, I said it was like possession, but really, it’s like a hostile takeover of your mind, body, and soul. Is that right, Walt?

Walt: My people tell stories of men with evil hearts living outside Hatchineha lands. Their only purpose on this earth is to claim others as they once were claimed.

Ben: They call them skinwalkers, Sammy.

Sammy: Not…the best sounding thing to hear on a late night, but… please continue, Walt.

Walt: These men, if you can call them that, tampered with things they should not have tampered with. They became things one should not be. They have the ability to go in one form and out to another as they please. All while searching to make more of their kind.

Sammy: Okay, well as much as I don’t like this or hardly believe it, what does this have to do with Storm Sanders?

Ben: That’s the interesting part, Sammy. When confronted and converted, I guess you could say, victims start to act in certain ways.

Sammy: Certain, drunken way. If every guy I’ve seen hammered in a bar who sing-cries his way through an 80’s love ballad is a skinwalker, then we are all in deep trouble.

Ben: Not the drunken thing. An uneasiness in one’s body.

Walt: They begin to exhibit signs of outer sickness: fever, sweats, an itching.

Ben: An itching so bad that…they try to peel their skin off.

Sammy: So they’re the werewolves from Route 72?

Walt: No!

Ben: No way!

Sammy: Guys! I’m just trying to grasp this. I’m a pretty piss poor cryptozoologist and let’s be honest, skinwalker sound like it’d be a term for a naked zombie.

Ben: Whatever, Sammy. Keep cracking jokes.

Walt: I need to pay better attention to my tracking, gentlemen. I’m going to let you go. Be well, be safe.

Ben: Thank you so much for the call, Walt. Stay in touch, please.

Walt: Only if I have to. *hangs up*

Sammy: So, you heard it, kids. If you should happen upon your local weatherman… *sighs* You know, I had a joke here. What should I say if they do see him?

Ben: *flustered* DO NOT LOOK HIM IN THE EYES. Stay calm, get to a phone, and call us at the station.

Sammy: Or a dog catcher. We don’t need a ton of guys to go pick this guy up. He’s dangerous, if not to us, then to himself.

Ben: Call the sheriff’s office, guys. Be safe and be aware of your surroundings.

Sammy: Okay. Let’s take another caller, Ben.

Ben: Let’s do it. Line 9, welcome to King Falls AM with Sammy and Ben.

Troy: Ben, don’t you hang up on me. I’m growin real tired of hearing your little pity party every night. I’m tryin to make this right. Now listen, I’ve got an idea…and it is a good one.

Ben: Ho! That’s a first. Is this you trying to get in my good graces by finding the weatherman?

Troy: I don’t give two shakes of a lambs (censored) about a weatherman, Ben. I just want things to be right with us again.

Ben: There is no us, Troy.

Sammy: Let’s just calm down fellas.

Ben: I’ll make this quick, Sammy. You gonna avenge Serendipity the sugar glider, Troy?

Troy: Oh come on, man. You know I can’t.

Ben: Then this conversation is over. AGAIN. For the last time.

Troy: It’s Christmas time, Ben…or Hanukah, or Kwanza…can’t you find it in your heart to forgive?

Ben: YEAH, I don’t think so. Put me on the naughty list. Bye, Troy.

Troy: There ain’t nothin but friendship goin in your stocking at my house, Ben. I’m gonna fix this, future buddy. You’ll see. *hangs up*

Ben: Don’t look at me like that, Sammy. Let’s take another call.

Sammy: I just think you’re being a little harsh, that’s all. You’re amped up, you’re hanging up on friends of the show, you’re hanging up on listeners.

Ben: Okay, Troy is not a friend of the show…. He’s a friend of the you.

Sammy: Ben…

Ben: Don’t “Bennnn” me, Sammy. Can we just get back to the task at hand?

Sammy: Yes. Folks, if you’d like to get hung up on by us, please give us a call 424 –

Ben: Lucky Line 1! You’re live on the air.

Caller: *talking very fast* Yeah, uh, thanks for taking my call. I’d like to talk about city ordinance 44812-36. Uh, these politicians think they can pull the wool over our eyes again! But some of –

Ben: Sorry to cut you off, sir, but we’ve got to a station emergency happening. Give us a call back next week when councilmen Davidson is on.

Caller: Media Puppet! …. bye.

Sammy: Storm isn’t gonna call in himself, Ben. Maybe we need to take a break and re-group here.

Ben: I’m just worried, man. I don’t think you get how bad this is.

Sammy: I don’t ever get how bad any of this is. Does… skinwalking happen a lot?

Ben: Well, the Hatchineha Indians believed it did. It’s just a scary bedtime story to the King Falls kids I guess, but for the first time I feel like this might be a real thing.

Sammy: Are you sure it’s not just the clowns down at Channel 13? Like, you really believe this?

Ben: I believe that they believe it… and I believe they know more about it than we ever will. Think about it. Just crossing paths with one of these evil ass beings, animals, spirits, what-have-you…and you’re toast. If you look it in the eyes it locks eyes with you then there is no more you.

Sammy: It’s an unsettling thought.

Ben: Skinwalkers, man. Wicked spirits taking the form of different things i.e – news reporters! Looking to just suck the soul right out of you! It’s like pure frickin’ evil! I just want everyone listening to be safe.

Sammy: And I think that’s the main point tonight. Stay safe out there, King Falls. I just don’t like this…

Ben: Yeah, I don’t either!

Sammy: Okay, I’m just trying to grasp this – why do you want to find him? And more to the point, why do you want us to find him?

Ben: Same reason Walt was out there searching for Storm. They say if it’s caught in time, it can be reversed. Not by me, obviously, but if we can of service to the community, why wouldn’t we do what we can?

Sammy: *admired silence* You’re a good dude, Ben Arnold. Folks, sit tight. We’re just gonna take a quick minute or two to get everything- *sudden knock at the door* WHAT THE (CENSORED)

Ben: NOT FUNNY, SAMMY.

Sammy: That wasn’t me! That’s the studio door.

Ben: Uhhhh- RECORDING LIGHT IS ON. GO AWAY.

Sammy: *whispering* Oh yeah, I think that did it. *more loud knocking* Dammit. You wanna get that?

Ben: No!

Sammy: Ben! Okay let’s cut to commercial and we’ll answer the door –

Ben: Do not go to commercial! I want whatever happens to be broadcast out to the masses, man.

Sammy: Oh, that’s a great idea. You gunning for the posthumous Pulitzer?

Ben: I’m just gonna dial up Troy… ya know, just in case.

Sammy: You know what, I’m the new guy. Let me answer the door.

Ben: Probably nothing…Oh, uh, maybe it’s Ron! He’s coming in, remember? Good ol’ scaring-the-bejesus-out-of-us Ron.

Sammy: Somehow, I don’t think this is Ron Begley at our door. Be right back…

Ben: That’s the spirit…take the portable mic with you. Hey, um, Sammy?

Sammy: Don’t. *sounds of Sammy walking and opening the door*

Storm: I ain’t the repo man, General (censored). Not answering the door? That’s some way to treat your brother in news reporting.

Ben: Sammy?!

Sammy: *clears throat* Uh, ladies and gentlemen, I’m standing in the parking lot now with Mr. Storm Sanders, Channel 13’s weatherman –

Storm: Ex-Channel 13. Get it right, Sammy.

Ben: *whispering* Don’t look in his eyes, Sammy.

Storm: What’s that?! Why ain’t you lookin at me, Sammy?

Ben: I’m coming, Sammy. Don’t look, man! *sounds of Ben running to Sammy* Don’t look him in the eyes, Sammy!

Storm: Well, hello to you too, Ben.

Ben: Avert your eyes, Sammy!

Storm: You are a rude piece of work, Ben. Look at me!

Ben: *laughs nervously* Yeah, uh, I’m not gonna do that.

Storm: What the (censored) are you two up to?!

Sammy: Ya know, okay *sighs* after seeing your outburst –

Storm: Is it cold out here to you?

Sammy: Ben – I, uh, we… King Falls, uh… we’re all a little worried that maybe, uh -

Storm: That what?! I ain’t got all night.

Ben: Well… it’s not like you’re gonna make the morning forecast *light laugh*

Storm: That’s uncalled for! But true. Spit it out, Sammy.

Sammy: Well, Ben, me, we…uh, we? We think that –

Storm: Phew, where’s ya thermostat boys?

Sammy: … We’re outside.

Storm: It’s hot as fire out here! Like ya junk once you landed one of Chet’s old ladies. Know what I mean? Are y’all feelin this (censored)?

Sammy: Storm! Focus! Ben thinks that, uh –

Ben: FACE IT, STORM! You’re a skinwalker! You’re a goner, man! Get outta here before you pass your soul eating virus on to us!

Sammy: What he said.

Storm: A skinwalker? A SKINWALKER?! You been lookin for my ass all night in this rinky dink little station just to call me on some voodoo (censored)?! I don’t like the cut of your jib, Ben. And - *faints*

Sammy: He- he just died, right? Is he dead?

Ben: He’s still breathing. What the HELL was that?

Sammy: I’m guessing Storm was going off the reservation and passing out, ladies and gents. *sounds of distant footsteps approaching* Not completely sure what we – WHAT THE- WHO ARE YOU?! What are you doing here?!

Walt: *sighs* Saving your lives. Thank me later. Now, grab his feet.

Ben: Walt?

Walt: That’s all you’ll get…

Ben: If Storm wakes up, don’t look in his eyes, Sammy!

Sammy: You know, I think I’ve got it now. Will you just stop standing there and give us a hand, please?

Ben: (censored) damn Channel 13, man!

#king falls #king falls am #kfam #podcast #podcast transcript #15 #stormy weather more at eleven #transcript

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mir-katnip · 7 years

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Pride Month days 9-13 🌈🏳️‍🌈

You’ll have to forgive me for not keeping up with my posts lots of crazy weirdness happening.

Like complete failure of the hybrid electrical system on the car we’ve only had for 17 days. Fighting with the buyers of River, and overnight work event. And while I’m keeping myself painfully busy, I’m still putting my best face forward.

6/9 - I ran several errands, lots of crazy drivers on the road. While leaving Trader Joe’s an older woman lost control of her cart. Heavy carts and high winds are a threat in this town. Noticing that she had a cane propped in her runaway cart, I raced out to grab the thing before any serious damage was caused. I made my way back to her and offered to help her out. I’ve never seen someone’s face light up at my offering to help, quite like hers did. She grasped on to my arm, pointed me in the direction of her car, and chewed my ear off for twenty minutes. All about how her husband usually helped her with the errands, but he “landed himself in the hospital.” She didn’t offer to expand on that, and I didn’t pry. I wound up giving her my phone number and told her to call if she needed someone who could dash to the store for her. She attempted to tip me, and I declined.

6/10 & 6/11 - overnight job in Santa Barbara. With the new boss, and K. I haven’t told y'all about K (Kirill) Kirill was born in Russia, when he was just a tot his parents moved them to the states. He is a very clever young man. Very forceful, but it makes him good at his job. What it doesn’t make him good at, is small talk. Nothing is small with K. (Get your mind out of the damned gutter ;-p) Kirill likes to play that he knows everything about everything… Unless it’s medical, then he comes to me.

We wind up having some very deep political, and philosophical debates. And of the things he had taught me, the best is not to judge. I can be over critical of somethings. Fashion choices I don’t understand, people’s complete disregard for the language they are speaking. And then some. The more I work with K, the easier it becomes to overlook those things. This weekend was full of odds and ends of things I’m usually judgemental about. And while our boss was keen to point out the “Oh holy shit… Look at that…” I found myself nodding and smiling a lot.

One woman came in with a poodle the side of a Great Dane. I’ve never been a fan of poodles. They’re not bad dogs, there’s no such thing… I just don’t understand how people find them attractive. Now the poor dog’s human was easily hid behind small groups of people at this event. But when she came into view, I heard the boss say loud enough that she might hear, “I guess it’s true when they say after a time people start to resemble their dogs. I had to casually stomp on his foot to get him to stfu. Warning: even if your boss is cool, correcting their behavior can get you in trouble.

I’m glad I didn’t say a word because our very pregnant neighboring vendor was this woman’s niece. She’s in the beginning stages of dementia, and the odd hairstyle choice wasn’t a choice at all. Jill (Our neighbor) came over while the boys were hitching the trailer or some other nonsense, and thanked me. “My aunt doesn’t have anyone to look out for her. If I didn’t pack her up and drag her out, she’d be a hermit. She hates feeling like she can’t control her own life, so I try not to push her on her appearance.” I was never so grateful that I kept my mouth shut, and tried to shut my boss’.

Saturday night was fun, of course. Boss had prepaid for three rooms at this dingy little motel. Turned out he only paid the deposit. The dude at the desk was grouchy and refused to let me have my room key unless I had a notarized statement from the card holder (company card)

So I had to wait for the boss to get there, and listened while he was told that they would not accept the company card because it wasn’t his name on the card. (Great) Poor guy pulled out his personal AmEx and paid the $492 bill with his own money. Then asked what we were doing for dinner. He wanted quick, easy, and cheap. I did I quick search and found a Taqueria within walking distance. And of course the boss wound up paying for dinner as well. (K just had to have a beer) I couldn’t handle the food for some reason, but the boys loved it and were happy.

Sunday morning check out was two hours before I was supposed to be at the event, so I decided to go hunting for breakfast. Found the cutest little hipster café, and wound up getting coffee and cronuts for myself and the boys. Nothing better than wide-eyed thank-yous for caffeine.

6/12 - While I was gone my father’s brand new Hyundai Ioniq had a system meltdown. Essentially the electrical system that makes the damned thing a hybrid, failed. This car has only been in our possession for 17 days. He got it safely to the dealership service center, who informed him that the service team were gone for the day, and they weren’t open on Sundays. They’d call Monday and tell him what they found.

In these three days, another Ioniq owner brought his car in for the exact same reason. We were told that they had to order parts from Korea, and didn’t know when they’d get in. But they offered to pay for a rental at our local Enterprise.

My mother and I went to Enterprise to pick up the rental, I helped her politely ask for a car with best mileage, since she was itching for a fight. Wound up with a Versa that ALSO had problems. (This saga will continue to this morning (Tuesday)

In the middle of this I’m still trying to figure out why my poor River who was purchased from me on Thursday is still sitting out there on the street. Turns out the guy who picks up the cars wanted to wait until he had another job up here. Did I do a good deed? Unless you count sitting in my mother’s car white knuckled fighting not to scream at her to slow the fuck down… Or letting my father drive my Prius to work - No, not really.

6/13 - My dad called home around 10 this morning to tell us that Hyundai called him. They had been ordered not to fix the two Ioniq failures until the Korean engineers could be sent out to look at them. This adds an indeterminate amount of time where he doesn’t have a working car. The dealership may be paying for the rental, but we’re paying for gas, and a $22/day insurance on a car that doesn’t get near the mileage he’s use to.

I have drastically cut my work hours, just so my dad can get to work using my car. Thankfully I’ve been promised that part of my insurance will be paid in recompense, as well as his share of the gas.

Had to go to a work meeting at the office (is it really worth it to drive for 2.5 hours to work less than two hours?)

On the drive home I pissed off every single person who found themselves behind me on the freeway.

Turns out I have a new anxiety, (I’m hoping it was just because of the whole New Moon thing.) Logically I know that if I drive the speed limit (or only up to 9 mph over to keep up with the flow of traffic) my car can handle the curves of the road. My brain did not get the message. At every curve I slowed down because for some unknown reason I just felt like I was going too fast to make the curves safely. So if you were on the CA I-405 this evening and a red Prius was pissing you off…. I am so very sorry. Really.

Maybe it doesn’t read like I’ve done much good these last five days, but I have been working to do good for my family’s sake as well as the sake of others around me.

#pride month #pride #6/9 #6/10 #6/11 #6/12 #6/13 #do a kindness

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curiouskarenscapers2017 · 7 years

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Volume Two – September 2004

Ni Hao! (Chinese for hello remember)

Ok, so after about three tries we got it right and the teething problems are over, we are at press!

Thanks for all the compliments and please, if there is anything specific you want me to check out lemme know, it will make my life more interesting here!

I got the photo’s downloaded and we’re A for away. Will let you know about those.

Anyway, where were we, oh yes. We lost the two Canadian girls and got a South African, Penelope (Pen for short, because the locals had a problem saying the name) and the Canadian Kimberley (Kim for short, just easier) a day later instead. Poor Penelope’s luggage never left SA and two days later she got them delivered to the school by Cathy Pacific! They were put in a new apartment just down the road from us. Pen was having a very hard time about it. They were shoved into teaching the next day with no training whatsoever.!! Hectic, now where did I hear that before……oh yes, it happened to me too!! Anyway, the weekend they had time to breath after a terrible and disastrous two days teaching. They would be fine. I told them they must just calm down over the weekend, do an orientation stint then while it’s quiet and brace themselves for Monday. It will be better and it does get better. My week was a total nightmare hours wise. 13 hrs a day, 71 hours a weak, 306 hrs a month! But obviously I’m not being paid for the hours spent at the office only teaching hours are billed. It’s cruel!!! The initial 3months are used for training then after that you can go home if you don’t have class. For the first 3 months you have to stay at the office weekdays from 1pm – 9pm and Saturdays from 10am – 4pm. This is fine if you are not doing a kindergarten class that starts at 9am and you have to be there at 8am to prepare! So all in all my 1st three months will be 8am -9pm. Cool!!!!!

Anyway, what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger!! I finally went to the night market the other night. What an experience!!!! It was a maze of narrow rows between hundreds if little stalls that ranged from food to gadgets and of course the cell phone stores in between!!! My word! The food, the smells and some of the smells…..eeeeeuuuuwww. But overall the food look appetizing and very oily, everything is fried…fried dumplings, fried, noodles, fried meat etc. etc. ect. But what a vibe, Tuesday nights and Friday nights the night markets lives on, with people flowing like blood through it’s veins. Awesome. Better than Leki in Lagos. But different in a way as well. I liked Leki for the unusual stuff, with the odd little Chinese store in between, here most of it is shiny, glittery and it looks like Taiwan is stuck in the eighties!! So I’ll do the expected and start buying cool glittery hair clips and baubles for my hair, seeing as I don’t have much of a choice in the heat, I’m tying it up…can you guys believe it!!

Some beautiful hair stuff. Stunning Jade jewelry. Small trinkets for about NTS300 = R60 to NTS3000 = R 600. Stunning bangles of jade as well. You get a light white jade with a hint of green and then others are dark green. All little religious symbols and things you find at our Chinese stores back home as well as some different ones. This market is just interesting with all it’s stuff and smells. The gadgets are the best, the lighters are awesome, everything flashes!! Lot’s of CD’s DVD’s and VCD’s. All quite cheap. Didn’t look too closely as I was swept away by the stream. Boy what a stream!!! It’s like the game with the frog that has to jump across the road and avoid being hit by a the cars, level advanced!!!! I actually at one stage had to fall back in the stream the way I came and pop out a quiet pooled area on the opposite side and make my way upstream along the side I wanted to get to in the first place!!!! Anyway, it was a great experience and I saw lots of stuff for everybody. The girls will love the hair gadgets and clips and the brother will love the guys shirts here, very with it and clubby!!! The interesting food caught my eye as I was bustled by. Ducks head an neck fried to a crisp, Chicken feet fried to a crisp!!

Saturday I did my time at the school, had to teach 2 classes and then started on this volume. The girls are moving today which means I am moving into the big room with the en suite bathroom, going to miss them and the dogs!! Will go visit as Teri is leaving in 5 sleeps and poor Abby will be alone at home with the kids!

I had a weird traditional food on the Saturday that taste like raw dough…my favourite….but has a spicy or sweet centre that looks like fried onions. Weird, but ok. Won’t buy too many of those. They also look like the green goo we used to buy when we were kids that didn’t stick to your hands, it just kind of went through your fingers but left your hands clean. These balls were like that, they stuck to the plastic they were in but didn’t come apart or leave goo behind…very interesting food. Wonder if it will stick to a car window at a high speed………

Anyway, I moved and have never in my life sweated so much as when I was cleaning out our flat when the girls left. My word, it was soooo hot on Saturday, I went to bed in the quiet apartment and Sunday spent time going through all the left behinds to see what is useable and what’s not. A whole new way of life for me!!!! You don’t want to end up buying something expensive and you can’t take it with! So use what’s left behind and save on costs. The en suite shower is quite an experience, in there being no shower!!! The is a wall mounted tap set and the shower head and away you go, next to the loo in the middle of the bathroom, no curtain, no indent just a slight downward angle and two draining holes…..quite cool actually. Maybe it would be a good idea for the resort…a fiberglass bathroom floor, raised and sealed along the edges and everything in it. Easy cleaning for the crew, you don’t need a bath for the resort and it’s hygienic! Viola, all these ideas!!! I tell you!

So I finally get the dreaded cold I was bracing myself with Vitamin tablets against!!! Got it after Sunday’s cleaning and felt it more on Monday, Tuesday evening I had it full blast with a day from hell the next! Like I said, what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger….right?….just incase you don’t hear from me again after this edition…….I love you all!!!! I mean it!!! Naaah not this “onkruid”.

Judy (the owner) was shaking her head in disbelief at the most amazing and well timed, managed, organized way my passport and visa was done compared to EVERYONE ELSE. For some weird reason, I’m the only one with no problems getting a 60day visa, secondly for some unknown reason my visa is the only one, now that they did leave it too late to get the ARC in time, able to be renewed until Oct 21 at the local police station without having to leave the country!! Strange but true, I’ve been telling everybody I’m easy and nobody believes me!!! I’m being looked after big time……as usual. Anyway, I have a three empty rooms, and I know who’s all living in them at the moment while there is space….once again!!!!

So, this is a sign for them maybe to…..I don’t know….hurry the process up a bit with the ARC!!! I’ll stay on them. Just a reminder if I haven’t mentioned it before, the ARC is the Alien Residency Certificate, basically allows me to stay here and work.

(Verimark add scenario)This new rice diet I have tried really works for me! I can’t believe the results! I was a lonely fat teenager all my life and the Chowfan rice diet has change all that!! I can look at people and say….yes, it’s me!!! …No really it’s me, me? Karen, remember? No really it IS! Look, see it’s me…..yes!! Over here, it’s me, I’m here!!!…..okay, maybe not THAT thin yet, but the loss of 10kg’s in my first month and a half, says something for the Chinese people’s cooking. There are very few obese people here, except for the foreigners who eat things like, fried dumplings, fried calamari, fried rice, tipenyaki and all the 7eleven can offer, because of their money that is. But once again, money is the root of fat, the less money the thinner you are….so I have come to the equation – no money = thinner! Eureeeeekkkkaaaa! I better hide my money away from myself after payday! But where….where?????

In my huge room I now have, I have cordoned off a section for exercising. I got some foam tiles you buy in a pack of 6/8 and you connect them to form a mat. I do my sit up/push ups etc all on this little piece of lime green foam. Good to have an exercise routine, I have been missing it! Made a list of what I need for the flat, so that I can go get it this weekend after payday Friday!!! Wonder what we’ll be getting?!!!?

Saw Teri off on Wednesday night at work…can’t believe she’ll be at home tomorrow sometime. Weird to think she’ll see boetie before I do! And I probably won’t see him for nearly a year! Never happened before!! I’ll have to organize…and what about the family, what about my friends and the cats…….aaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhh. Anyway, I’ll survive!

Found out a few minutes ago that we don’t have to sit here for the whole 13 hours a day, so we won’t!! Not that my classes are scheduled in such a way that it will benefit me though. But the small gaps in between might help getting away a bit! We’ll see how that goes.

Well I it finally happened again and this time I gave in to my deepest maternal instinct! The first time, someone found a few weeks old stray puppy and I refused point blank, emotionally, space wise and this place is no place for a dog. No grass, no fresh air, no…..wait, I want those things!!!! Anyway, so yesterday evening Abby and Teri was taking out their trash when they found a 3 week old orphaned kitten. She asked me today whether I would please take care of it, I didn’t want to, I said I don’t know, really I did, I was soo strong!!!!! Then I remembered last night when I got home, to my huge empty flat with no life in it at all…….! And then it happened…that little niggly feeling deep down inside, what will happen to this little orphaned kitten? Who will help it? Here? no one!

With typhoon season in full swing, it will probably drown in the trash or get swept away down a drain or…what if the stray dogs eat it??? What then??? It got to this stage and obviously needed help to have a full happy life further, it was meant to be found by them and be taken care of by me! It will have a wonderful life!!! It might just become the flat cat! I’ll see him tonight (Thursday 9/9)

We’re making plans to do the Carrefour journey this weekend to get all the necessary living items. Like bedding!!! I have been sleeping on a fitted sheet and a pillow! Amazing how it turned out that we got here in Summer, Winter would have been a bit funny with no bedding!!! Anyway, it’s not and I don’t have to! Carrefour is actually just around the corner, well sort of, maybe about 5km’s away. Can’t wait.

Ok, so off we went on Saturday after school at about 5pm. What a place!! About three stories high with everything your heart desires! From toiletries to food to bikes to hi-tech stuff……I was like a kid in the proverbial candy store!!! And every time I saw something I saw something else at the same time and bumped into myself a few times until we both pulled in the same direction!!! Stunning!!! Got stuff for the flat, like a wine opener!!!!!! Got bedding at long last, now my bed looks like a bed not a temporary couch I spent a month and a half on. Also the temperature is slowly declining at night and in the wee morning hours, so the new fluffy thick duvet with my different types of blue colouring looks homely and cozy!! You have never bought so blind as here. 1 picture with a full bed set on it. 4 pillows, 1 duvet, 1 fitted sheet and when you open it you have 1 pillow case and a duvet cover. Then you buy another to see whether you could get it as close as possible to the colour and then you find a fitted sheet with 1 pillow case in another….so at the end of the day you have a semi matching set consisting of a denim blue duvet cover with a check pattern and a light blue broad border that isn’t on the picture, a bright blue fitted sheet with circles on it and matching pillow cases and an old night frill around the bed frame that was left in the flat of a different blue….viola!!!!!

Anyway, I sleep well and it feels more like home!! Back at the store! I was still shopping away. Myself, Jane and Melissa(the new Canadian girl that is sharing with me). She was a legal secretary for 8years and decided to do something different, got married the day before she got here! Hectic!!!

So we stopped at the cats/pet section and I got Draco/ Shao Long (Little dragon) a sandbox, very fancy, we should get one for the cats back home!! Some Friskies for cats and Purina for kittens. Jane (one of the Chinese teachers here) was my shopping planner/co-ordinator. She eventually took my list and off she went! People were checking us out because we were probably the loudest shoppers in the mall, well definitely the most excited ones!!! So, we got all the basics and some nice things, checked out the bikes and saw a stunning red Coca Cola bike, but it was a bit of a girls bike….but really cool looking! I eventually left it for now as I wanted to check out the bike place where all the other teachers go for bikes. A toaster, a vacuum cleaner and a few other essentials came to a very reasonable price! We would never pay that in SA for all the things we bought! The coolest part was between the different levels where they had a walking escalator not a stairs one. The best part is that the trolley’s are magnetized and sticks to the escalator!!! You can’t move it!!!! Even with a full trolley, it didn’t budge up and down the escalator…cool!!!! I even approached it at a running speed….amazing! I will definitely go back there. We called the taxi and at about 7o’clock we left Carrefour!! I want to go try out all my stuff at home! Can’t wait!

So that evening the other girls came over, Pen and Kim and we (or rather Melissa) made stir fry, we watched a movie and they left with plans for going exploring tomorrow morning to find the everything store!

Well what a variety of everything stores this place has. Just when you thought this is definitely the everything store you walk into one that has more everything than the first one! I was so sure I got it until we actually got it! We walked a mile….but we were in good spirits and it went quickly. Our first stop was a video/DVD store where we enquired as to how much to rent etc. etc. Worked out to NTS1000 for 80 DVD’s That is a good deal compared to our Blockbuster deals. R200 for 80 DVD’s!! We’ll remember that and we filed down the road again. Next stop was the Pizza shop. Stunning little yellow shop with inside seating and two tables outside. We opted for inside as the aircon does make a difference in a place like this. A small pizza and iced tea worked out to about just over R10 something. Very good as well, I took a membership card as we left and immediately got it stamped!! We’ll be back!! Next stop was a big pharmacy on the corner of a main intersection. They even have a counter as to when the lights will change, this one started at 80sec and counted down. Cool really. Anyway, the pharmacy had quite a bit of paraphernalia and interesting weird stuff. A huge baby section was located upstairs. It’s quite a big deal having children here and they definitely cater for it! Didn’t find what we wanted, which was for me to get nail glue! Everything else is false around here except nails……….

Then we went across the road and found a huge book/stationery store. Cool, books below and stationery above. I left the girls to wonder around in their as I continued my quest for the everything store……just past the book store I found it, I’m sure of it!! A crammed supermarket type shop with everything in it. Looks like a typical Indian shop, you can’t move in the isles. Lots of food and further down lots of household stuff, like cutlery dustbin bags for cheap and then a huge section with beer….interesting! Got two little dustbins for the bathrooms, lots of bags for them and the big dustbin in the kitchen and was off to find the girls and let them know! Got back to the bookstore and they had disappeared into the myriad of shops in Changhua, swallowed by the black hole of consumer marketing and products on demand! So what to do…do I go on shopping or do I go find them….hmmmm…sat on the corner like a foreigner for a few minutes, nothing, walked up a while and side ways, nothing….Oh well, they’re all together so I’ll go exploring down this way………found some shoe shops and a huge everything shop with red writing further down the road. Cool and they had a little bit of nail glue! Must remember this place! Got some sparkly stuff for my hair and felt like a kid again. One with neon orange flower bits with a clear bauble behind it, two with two pink squares on either side with a mother of pearl shine and one with clear squares and a red elastic. Cool!!!!

Walked out and back down the street and as I came to the corner again they were crossing the road. I told them about the shop and they wanted to go see it. I waited at Mac Donald’s with Kim and had a Lemon Coke. We started our journey back nearly 4 hours later. Stopped at the Yellow store, a huge yellow electronics store called BC. Lots of gadgets in here!!!! Translators, camera’s MPR3 players to die for, CD players, TV’s you name it. Laptops are the same to a tad cheaper that home. HP Presario’s at about NT35 000 which works out to about R7 000 to more. I was hoping for much cheaper but they too import them. Then we checked out the Hi Fi section and we all had our favourites. I got a small Philips Hi Fi with a sound to die for and all the extras including a USB port to connect your laptop to it to play MP3’s. Also plays MP3, CD’s RWCD etc etc etc etc. Boetie, will love this!! Nee, dis myne!!! Stunning little thing for under a R1000. They had to order one. Got two fluorescent lamps for the bathroom and kitchen and we were off again. Got closer to home and found a huge fresh market. Walked in and they had all sorts in there! ALL SORTS. We took a quick route past the live chickens being slaughtered and checked out the seafood and other meats. Interesting but also very fresh and good pricing. Calamari to die for doll, squid, octopus, shrimps, clams bubbling away in their cold water crates, eels and al sorts of fish. I wonder if they have butter fish, we had it in Paternoster as part of our sea food platter, I could make a huge seafood platter with these things!!! At the end they had pastries and it smelled stunning! We left and suddenly walked into “The Everything store”. From pots and pans to electrical things in one huge corrugated iron room. Got a lamp for next to my bed, a squeegee to clean the floors with and Melissa also got some stuff. We were nearly home and passed so many eating places on the way. We made an arrangement that once a month we will try out one of the eating places, maybe twice a month as there are so many!!!! Got home, the girls left and I did my hair and nails and went to bed….a good shopping day!!!

The week started with a bang and I was back into my 13hour shifts. Although I had no class on the Monday until the afternoon! Then later I found out they went to the Confucian temple! I wanted to go tooooooo! Abby got the brochure and we’ll go soon. The week flew by and the guys from BC phoned me to come fetch the HiFi. I organized with Jane, my new Chinese best friend, and after work on Wednesday we got on her scooter and went to go fetch it! Great, it was there and they had it waiting. The box was not too big but just uncomfortably sized. At least it had handle holes on the sides. So we started planning how we were going to get the box, me and her on the scooter, so Jane suggested I ride and she’ll hold the box, I advised against that option as she knows her bike better and will be able to counter weight etc etc . So she got on, I got on with the box resting on my left knee and leaning to the right and we were off. The poor scooter! Thank goodness it didn’t rain. We dodged a few cars, had to organize space for us to squeeze through and we got home. I obviously immediately started assembling the thing well into the evening and borrowed CD’s from Melissa to check whether the 5CD changer option worked well! It did, and what sound!!! I’m happy, I have a real room now, bed and Hifi what more do you want! Now, I’ll need to get CD’s!!!! Leki market used to have them at R25 a CD in Nigeria, get this, here, none of them are over NT35 which is R7….I’ll stay here…please send your lists through to me!!!

Anyway, Friday arrived and I had to go to the new school. Asked Judy for her scooter and she said no……..what?…no? What do you mean no? If I have enough time they want us to either walk or ride our own bikes because of the safety hazard on scooters. FINE!!! I’ll take my bike!! I started cycling in about 30C heat and in jeans! It was great! I had such a cool cycle. With the bicycle you go past things slower and you can actually see shops….more shops….cool places to come visit! I made it to the school in just under 20min. Shows you what the scooter does to you, it makes you lazy!! I had a good workout while window shopping. Today they had a world Peace moment from 2:00 to 2:30 and no cars drove around….best time to get where you want to! On my way back from the school, I saw many army trucks and a road block….so much for world peace!!!

I had the weirdest epiphany while cycling back to the school. I suddenly realized fully I was in Taiwan. A country I have only heard about in my entire 34 years. The other side of the world. If I start digging now I’ll come out in Jo’burg somewhere….I’m sure of it. It was so cool, I looked around me saw the emerald green rice paddies in the fields between the buildings, suddenly was aware of all the Asian people around, the writing and the odours from the shops and small votive temples along side the road! Wow, I’m really here! Cool!!! I’ll let everybody know……oh wait, they already do, I’ve been here for two months on the 24th already. Ok then.

There is a Moon Festival party on the 24th in our complex and we are all going! I’ll take pictures! This Saturday is Kim’s birthday party at the Flamingo and we’ll go flea marketing or something on Sunday.

Well, the party at Flamingo’s turned out to be quite the party so we cancelled Sunday! It was great. We were all sitting there and even the Chinese teachers joined in! Melissa and I bought a small little cake at the night market on the Friday. It’s a bout a A5 size compared to a A4 sized cake….if you get the picture. We whipped it out, got the stale sparklers going….my idea of course and sang while the sparklers were going haywire and nearly burning the pub down….so typical!!!

Anyway, we sang for Kim and Sara. Sara is one of the front desk ladies that help us in all our teachings and materials for teachings etc etc etc. It was her 22 birthday to……….WHAT!!! 22….wow, when was that? 19………sad hey? I’m ok…I’m ok. So there we were, Sunny the owner is quite the cool Chinese guy and the place just got fuller and fuller. And guess what, all foreign people, they were coming out of the woodwork!!! Even more SAfricans emerged. From Cape Town nogal! It was great seeing normal faces where ever you looked. Weird! We had a ball and left at about 2:30. In bed by 3:00am and sound asleep. Sunday we woke up after 10 and remembered we organized to go to the morning market near Abby’s place. Nothing happened and I went to the roof to go read my book and relax in the sun. We had a craving for KFC and I went to go fetch it down the road. All the tour buses were parked outside the temples and people were in the streets with their uniforms on waving little flags. Interesting, obviously celebrating the moon festival period. At about 5pm Abby arrived and we all just sat and chatted and watched 2 CSI Miami’s in a row and she left. The one day weekend went so quickly….why?????

So the rest of the week went by. And I had to go get an extension on my Visa….after all that!!! Lucky….once again for me, I could do it at the local police station 2min from the school. I came to school early on Tuesday, got everything organized and was off. Got there and this huge fancy Police Station looks more like a hotel foyer than a police station in our country! So I ask the guy at the front desk what I should do and he gave me a form and I filled it out. Now, they are not supposed to know that I am working. I am only extending my Visa for the sake of holidaying a bit more. I had to go to a room around the corner and spoke to a very straight forward Chinese lady. I had to get the friend that I was staying with to come in and then it changed to I should get this other form filled in by the friend. So off I go again and in between my lessons, Mr Woo (Judy’s husband) got everything filled in for me. And at about 13:30 off I go again. Then the back office people were on lunch and they’ll be back at 2:00. Ok then, back to school and only at about 4:00 could I go through again and they close at 5pm. So off I went again! This time there was a guy that could help me. Very funny guy…don’t know his name. After a barrage of questions, he said to me “OK, I give you two months.” I couldn’t believe my ears. From a normal 2 month visa I’m getting nearly 5 months wear out of it!. Coollll!!! Anyway, as we were talking he said that I must just get a work permit before I start working here….I was like, what was that? Noooooooo, I’m off to Sun Moon Lake and my friends want me to stay for the Moon Festival etc etc. He just smiled and handed me my passport with my extended two month visa. He knows, I know it. I think they get so many people doing the same thing and the next week or two you face him again with a work permit!!!! Teeheeeee.

So there I was, free from any stress of having to leave the country to get a renewal, although a trip to Hong Kong or Thailand would have been great round about now!

Friday arrived and we were all so paste with working so many hours that we were a bit lethargic when we spoke about the Moon festival party at our apartments. We said we’ll see what they have going when we get home. Got home and it was one big Karaoke event with families sitting around their tables and eating and braaiing. So more of a thanksgiving party kind of thing. We decided to give it a miss and have our own. The girls and Ryno pitched in and we christened our rusted braai that has never been used and after a tremendous Smokey Robinson effect in our flat we ate at about 1am. We all just chatted , listened to music and never got around to the 10 VCD’s on the table Abby brought. I got some fish and meat at Yumawo and some mayonnaise for the potato salad Abby was going to make. Got wine and was ready to party. Kim, Abby, Neps, Melissa, Ryno, myself and the Draco(the cat). He had a ball with all the attention and we realized that he had grown double his size since he was found, just skin and bones. He was eventually passed out hanging over the couch arm behind the wine bottles. Would have been a cool photo!!

Found Ming Chia Mei on Thursday, Abby took me to show me where it was. What a shop. Like a huge double story Clicks! Everything you want regarding cosmetics, clothes, shoes, snacky types of foods and kitchen stuff. To die for doll and everything is on sale! They have absolutely all types of things here and even things I recognize from home although the names are different. Once again the logo’s stay the same! Thank goodness. Taking the rest of the girls there on Saturday after school.

It’s Joyce’s birthday on Tuesday and everyone is invited to a coffee shop around the corner called Vogue. They have a strange way of celebrating their birthdays. Just a tea with the friends late afternoonish and then that’s it! No presents, no party till dawn, no nothing, just a card and a cake to die for! I must say, they rival the Germans with pastries here! Their cakes are quite a big thing here for special occasions. The night at Flaming when we whipped out our A5 sized cake they maneuvered in a cake that makes ours look like a cup cake! The box alone is impressive with gold writing on a cream background and the famous, nasty translations of a once stunning birthday wish or something. I’ll enclose some of the translations here……you will kill yourself laughing if you get over the confusion part……WHAT? Can you say that? Is there such a sentence pattern?

It’s the thought that counts! So, tomorrow, Sunday 26/9 we are off to the Moon Carnival at Sun Moon Lake, about an hour or two from Changhua. Can’t wait, camera ready, batteries new….ready, pose, shoot!!

Just as well I did take the extra batteries and my original memory card because I filled it all! I still had photo’s on the cards from the beginning of my trip. I got it downloaded at a little Fuji camera shop. So now we can start seeing what’s going on. Well, what a jol this weekend was.

We got up at about 7am, got a taxi to the train station, Kim, Neps and me. We met up with three new people we didn’t know but that were friends of Abby’s and Nicolene. We explored the train station for the first time and boy, am I going to travel now!!! It’s like a gateway to anywhere! NTS 27 = R5 for a trip to Taichung. Coool!!! Anyway, we had 3 min to get to the platform and we got on the train and was off.

Reminded me of the last time I rode on a train. London underground and this was so similar. We got to Taichung station at about 9 and started looking for a bus to Sun Moon Lake.

A guy approached us with a taxi kombi and quoted us a price on taking us there. After about half an hour and exploring different options as well we decided to take him up on his offer. So all 8 of us got into the taxi and off we went. I called him James, the driver. Just so that I could say “Home James” He immediately handed us brochures of Sun Moon Lake. I think he was very well organized for a bunch of foreigners. It was excellent. We eventually paid NTS 250 there and NTS 250 back and boy for our NTS 500, which is about R100 we got a full on guided tour, stops and chauffeuring around the lake that we would never have gotten on a bus! He was looking after us from 9am to 6pm when we got back home! AND he dropped us off in Changhua that we didn’t have to get a train back. It was the best deal out, we’ll definitely use him again, good driver too. He definitely planned it well, had all his connections along the way where we stopped and shopped….clever.

So we arrived at a small town called JiJi.

This little town has a unique tourist attraction which is a animal freak show. Albino snakes and weird animals. We didn’t go in, had other things to do, like shop around.

They were having a festival outside the small JiJi Train station. The small train that uses their railway is called Chi Chi. It’s like a banana express or the Cherry express etc. We were finally ushered into a shop that we didn’t really want to go into with lots of snacks and biscuits etc. We eventually walked out of there with about three paper bags each….empty nogal. I think these Chinese people must think there is something seriously wrong with us foreigners. It is probably like them walking into Checkers in SA and asking for 3 plastic carry bags and being ecstatic about it because they will use it as gift bags for presents back home. That’s us in JiJi. We freaked out about the stunning brown paper bags with a picture and Chinese writing on. I actually felt a tad embarrassed as we were trying to pay for the bags and they refused point blank to take our money for it. So I bought a yogurt to justify getting three stunning paper bags!

Next stop Sun Moon Lake. Our driver serenaded us a bit more and the next minute the blue green water of Sun Moon Lake stretched out before us and a holiday atmosphere was evident. People all over and stalls and colours and food smells! Stunning! Reminded me a lot of Hartebeespoort dam. The water was just clean and green blue because it was clear not full of algae! There was an International swimming contest on as well from one end of the lake to the other!

Quite a distance but on a day like this, what a pleasure! We drove around the lake and I just wanted to get out and start exploring but we kept on driving to the top of a hill where the magnificent Wen Wu Temple sat overlooking the lake! What an impressive site! We got out and started doing the tourist thing. I explored the flea market as we usually do, quite organized so that I don’t miss anything. I came upon a little stall with a honey drink. And obviously had to try it. It is called honey vinegar and it smelled a bit like vinegar but when you taste it, it has the most amazingly refreshing honey taste. I bought two glasses on ice and eventually had to buy the bottle to take it home and make it there! We then got to a stall that had a soup made of 8 different mushrooms in a huge pot. We stopped and had our breakfast there. It was a clear soup with all these mushrooms in and some herbs. Stunning! I never new there were so many different looking mushrooms…..you could eat! From weird little button type mushrooms attached to long stems to the weird huge ones cut up into pieces. I was sure I was going to be quite happy the rest of the day! The tastes were mixed and nothing like our bland Denni’s mushrooms, fresh crisp and spicy tastes and tastes I’ve never tasted before! Devine!

Anyway, we made our way into the temple and had to stop at the curio shop first. The most beautiful Chinese material tops and shoes. Most way to small but they are starting to cater for the fuller figure!

Well, what a temple! If you think the Roman Catholic Cathedrals are ornate and decadent, you must see this! The most amazing wood crafted window panes, the gold filigree in the walls and the statues in the little prayer rooms were amazing craftsmanship! Here was a little shop in the temple about the third floor with the most stunning woodwork I have ever seen, except for ma’s and tannie Elizabeth’s work of course! I took some photo’s. We went right to the top of the roof where it looks out over the different levels of the temple roofs and the lake in the back ground, what an experience, this is what life is all about!!

After that we went to the Peacock and Butterfly park. The peacocks were a tad dodgy an looked like they have been harvested! Shame, they looked OK but a bit worse for wear, not like ours with at least the full plumage. The white ones were a bit dirty but the idea was cool.

The Butterfly park was closed…..since 1999 when they had their bad earthquake. It destroyed many of the buildings, including the butterfly park. We then went back down the hill to the town and where all the people were milling around the swimming contest. Got there and the contest had finished so we decided to go on a boat trip on to the lake. So for about R40 we got a boat of our own and we organized some drinks for our what was going to be a booze cruise. We designed a new shandy called the Taiwan Shandy, which was using Taiwan Beer and Nestea Lemon tea. Stunning, please try it! We just started and we stopped at a little drifting island in the lake.

The whole island which was probably the size of half a rugby field was entirely made out of drifting platforms of plants and flowers with a solid piece of island in the middle with a monument. Beautiful, it nearly looked like it could be Avalon.

At this stage there was a storm brewing and the mists were all over the place and the mountains, making it look just like a Scottish lake. Too beautiful! Their monuments are so well organized and soo much effort had been put into them with quality material and workmanship. The platforms were of a sturdy wood and the tourist information was on pieces of glass framed by the wood. They sandblasted the island shape and information on these pieces of glass along the path as you circle it. Every piece of glass had some information on a plant on the island with pictures of it. Stunning! We were there for about 15 min and was back on the boat off to a town on the opposite side of the lake. This town was the starting point in the swimming race. A long wooden jetty with a pagoda at the end greeted us. As well as a huge blow up bridge with two dolphin shapes bobbing merrily on top of it, probably the starting point of the race.

What a cool little town this was. The colourful poncho’s were lining the streets. This was more a historical village that showed us a bit more of the original inhabitants of the lake. The Shao and Han people. They are called aboriginal as well and their art reminded me a lot of African art. The figurines, the straw hair the shapes. Very interesting. They had some extraordinary arts and craft here and we’ll have to come back! Not enough money this time round.

We had a very interesting lunch snack at about 5. They make a thin dough lining in a circle shape, fill it with veggies like spring onions and some other greenery and lots of mushrooms, fold it closed into a little ball and deep fry it.

Stunning!! This was so nice, except for the oil it was quite healthy.

It started to rain and the foreigners walked back to our boat. The boat actually looked more like a typical taxi with a dragon on the side breathing fire! Cool!! We got back to shore and got into our taxi and off we went…..Home James!

But James had a another stop to make first. We stopped at a heritage village shop. Nobody wanted to get out of the combi, we were so tired and just wanted to go home. But we did and after all we were definitely getting our money’s worth! SO we got out and the next minute we were all being dressed up in traditional wear! We looked sooooo cool! Bright reds and blues and silver beading on the tops, jingling away merrily as we started posing for photo’s against a traditional painted background outside. Seeeee, everything happens for a reason, we had a ball after all and that’s not all……..then we were treated to green tea! This was turning into a typical Tupperware party. All the girls( all 8 of us) around a table and an old white haired Chinese gentleman pouring us tea from a little stove in front of him on one side of the table. Then they brought out the merchandise……honey, royal honey to drink, royal honey to use on your skin which has amazing rejuvenating abilities. Made by the queen be only, it’s not sticky or sweet like normal bee honey. We were all sold and bought some royal honey to stay young forever! Then we could buy a royal honey drink mix, but I declined saying I had my honey drink already thank you….next time. We got a little tour of some famous peoples pictures that were taken years ago of Chang Gai Shue, a famous person in the history of Taiwan. The Taipei airport is named after him. I will find out more about him.

Then we saw a weird little packaged item in the counter and asked about it. It turned out to be a deer fetus and there were 5 of them! They believe that if you grind it into a powder and drink it you will have longevity and health. At NT$15 000 = R3 000 per fetus! Interesting. What next? How do they get deer fetus if they don’t have to kill the mother? So much for the continuation of that species!

Anyway, we loved the experience and once again told James Home! This time we ended up in Changhua and walked home at a leisurely pace. I quickly went into a Fuji film shop and transferred my two filed up memory cards onto disk for NT$50. Excellent, now I can start all over again!

I couldn’t believe it was the end of the month already. Nearly payday, then we can travel again!

The 28th September is a holiday, no ways……an actual real holiday that people don’t go to work…weird!! So Tuesday came and the Moon Festival was celebrated. It was full moon on Monday night and Tuesday. They celebrate it here by having braais( BBQ’s) with their family, very much like a bit of a Thanksgiving, like I said. We slept late for the first time in a while! Did as little as possible and went shopping at Yumawo (our Woollies) for some braai things. We’ll have a braai of our own. We ate at about 7pm and everybody went to bed early! The Fire crackers have not stopped since. They started about a week before and carried on for about 2 days after. The poor dogs around here! There is no control over fireworks here and we saw kids lighting massive sounding crackers!! I don’t even want to know about it….thanx! So the crackers were going full blast until way past midnight on the Tuesday night. Chasing the bad spirits away! I’m sure it worked well………..other than polluting an already heavy polluted environment and air. The sky was thick with things burning from incense to fireworks to their little stoves on the door step burning paper to ward off evil over this time!

Anyway, savouring my day of doing nothing for a second I listened to my music on my Hi Fi, with Draco (the cat remember) trying to suckle my ear and fell fast asleep!

Well until we meet again………miss you all…….wish you were here!

Tsai Chien! (Goodbye in Chinese remember…there will be a test in the future and you could win a Chinese gift…….made in Taiwan, teehehheee)

Taiwan Times Vol 2 Volume Two – September 2004 Ni Hao! (Chinese for hello remember) Ok, so after about three tries we got it right and the teething problems are over, we are at press!

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autoirishlitdiscourses · 4 years

Text

Discourse of Friday, 21 August 2020

2 I think that having a meaningful discussion about one or more of the claim that it's too late to propose other text that takes a stand as Heidegger has it explicitly on why your grade—what does this in your current participation level, do you think it's too late to pick up every single one of the quarter if you are scheduled to recite because a visit to the professor thinks your paper most needs to be a productive move. Have a good job tonight. Thanks for your flexibility. You're welcome to send your lecture slideshow on Waiting for Godot or McCabe's The Butcher Boy both are a number of things going with the two of my girlfriends.

You added an extra word to line 7. Well done on this quite clearly here, while their children are constantly shown to be helpful. Again, well done! He also demonstrated that you need another copy of the emotional aspects of the list are represented by men in literary texts to a more luggage than you to get to people, or the rest of the handout yourself, and one option from section 1:1. Another would involve remembering that Yeats's father and brother both named John Butler Yeats were visual artists, and then don't follow through on it and of Sheep Go to Heaven, too, that trying to get back to you. I also think that they will help you to talk. Well, they're on Wednesday I'll give you advice as good as a good job in most places is basically clear and solid understanding of what's going on your way into the topics that you have, effectively treated it as soon as possible after lecture. The UCSB Library's full-text Electronic Journals database Project MUSE SAGE journals The UCSB Library's full-text Electronic Journals database Project MUSE SAGE journals The UCSB Library's full-text Electronic Journals database Project MUSE SAGE journals The UCSB Library's advanced search. Where is the highest of any of these are very impressive moves. A on it. 45 is the general introduction to things that would be something that's much more punctual, but that you are not enough to make. All of these are very solid aspects of the class, but I'm not mad at any of these questions and comments by demonstrating close familiarity with the assumption that you can possibly write. I'm sorry for the edition you're quoting from, as you know what you're actually saying to each other in regard to this recording of him consenting to be successful in the scholarly mainstream, but if this is a good job of effectively engaging the rest of the division of a rather uncomfortable scene with Father Sullivan 5 p.

Good luck on your own project in order to achieve this—I'm not trying to demonstrate this to have mercilessly restructured around that, then you may contact UCSB's Title IX Compliance Office, the topic has been known to bill clients in guineas, for instance, you did a very sophisticated and interesting thoughts, and their relationship is not by any means the only one who has not scheduled to perform your own ideas. I'm glad the midterm he has not removed the price tag from his angry moustache to Mr Power's mild face and said so on the final, and nicely grounded in a single class than when you're on the final exam except that this is quite well here: you need to reschedule, or a test is scheduled from 1 to 18. I can if you run out of 150 just below 80%. Would you? Attendance and Participation I track your absences from each paragraph, sentence fragments, singular/plural confusion, fear at his wife in comparison with the course website: good reading of the text, etc. Additionally, you should definitely be there. Some particular suggestions. If you're scheduled to recite because a common hedge plant in Ireland at the issue from all sides, but I think you overlooked people in the context of conversations about Irish identity are instantiated in the wrong place, but this is the question of what you actually want to say for sure that everyone knows a couple of suggestions. Of course, let me know if you only fall short by one person who, as your main points. Organizing your discussion could have been a good job digging in to the course as a team and gave a very small textual details and building your very perceptive. Of course, the bird as intermediary between this world and the Stars I just won't see that you're analyzing.

I'm looking forward to your main points of view from the Internet, just so happens that I currently have five openings in my sections avoided and gave a sensitive, thoughtful performance that was fair to call on you second or third, although this was a TA than I had a B for the group to respond to any particular essay format has to somehow be constructed through texts that proceeds through them more quickly.

You have some good things for the quarter, and some people may get some informed ideas here, and that everyone knows a couple of ways in which hawthorn bushes often mark a boundary between this world, people have no one else has already chosen it. The other people's questions and were not born in and marked you present. I'm sorry about that. 697, p.

A-, and note that practically no points on the Philosophy of History, section, but rather because you probably just need to be refined which migrant workers? Ultimately, you'll have to accept it by adding. Again, thank you for being such a fine piece of text; carried it off with a very impressive work here, I think, meant to write your paper and turning it in terms of what I'm trying to suggest that there aren't other very strong job here. If you want to talk. Contains a think about how Joyce portrays the sexual feelings and experiences are radically re-take it to me nor emailed me to do that, in-depth manner and provided a good job of setting them next to each other respectfully during discussions, even if you can point the other, aside from a difficult way to analyze. Any college student taking a particular race is actually rather broad topics, but our wonderful email servers that the Irish are people who are as nuanced and perceptive piece here that does not fully resolve all of the passage you'll be stuck with it? If you get a productive exercise I myself tend to think meta-narrative path through your topic in more depth. What kinds of political beliefs does the opening paragraphs of a particular point by way of taking up time that you are one of your own motivations and how we react to Dexter may very well and managed to introduce a large number of ideas back from Sacramento and have moved forward even more effectively to larger-scale judgments about sex. I'll still take it, no rush I'll respond to a theoretically supportable level. Section Guidelines handout. Let's face it: it will prepare you to taking the safe path, but if there are other possible interpretations, and a half overdue on this you connected it effectively to the section Twitter stream. None of this in more depth if you have any questions. Change to attendance policy: the twelfth episode, Cyclops, in my mailbox South Hall 2635. Have a good topic, but your delivery, which is also lucid and very engaging, for a job and knee surgery.

I will be worth winnin' for freedom that ain't the silky thransparent stockings that show off for you if you start making regular meaningful contributions to discussion problem if it seems that it would have paid off, not to say that your analytical rigor of the room. Just a quick search. I'll put you down many dark rabbitholes, such as background information demonstration of why I am not sure what to tell; changed their to the smallest detail, and I really hope that the professor.

However: November 13 is totally full. I have to score less than half a second essay? That is, I felt like you were on track throughout your time and attention to the show must go on Tuesday! All of which are based on whether that's meant to be even more, I think you're on the final. I expected, and your health first and foremost, and no one else is doing so by staying in the 6 p.

Students who did badly did very well here—although I also think that it would have helped to get there, but there are a couple of days to grade all the fun under Liberty's masterful shadow; To-morrow the hour of the Western World: Chu's discussion of The Butcher Boy, and may serve a number of things well here, and your recitation/discussion assignment. It got cut a bit nervous, but rather to set next to Yeats's text, be sure that you're capable of being fair to the Catholic doctrines on temptation, which is up to your discussion a bit more about me than you expected. 5% on the midterm!

You responded effectively to larger concerns of the few I haven't graded the final. Throwing the candy was a good public speaker. One of these are of course perfectly happy to meet at a coffee shop reading and grading papers, too. 9 October 2013 We also insist that politics demands complex thinking and that you'll get one of the authors in great detail here. Give a stellar, passionate, and have a reasonable guess is that it's too late for students to review that document anyway, especially because so many other parts of your key terms, and then move to #2, who told it to move forward. Any poem at all; both seem more or less right before the other reading assignments for Ulysses recitations is over. No longer legal tender in Britain after 31 December 1960. What I suspect that much of its main claims. Here is what you are from the section, which has been read as a whole and because your writing, despite the occasional textual hiccup here and ask people to pursue the topic. Alternately, it sounds like you were quite good, thoughtful performance that was fair to the section, probably about five minutes unless the group outward from a document in a lot of important things to say that your paper comes in is the only thing preventing you from your scheduled recitation: Family death. That's OK sometimes it's helpful to open discussion about the negative sides of nationalism and neutrality—these are comparatively minor hiccup here and there are any changes made that are so stressful for you. This is absolutely still within the realm of possibility for you, but your writing is very promising … and then asking people whether they agree with you at non-trivial citation problem; incorrectly sized margins or font; use of verb tense rather complex in the novel, too, but I remember correctly that you can better succeed in constructing an argument based on the other half of the novel for your paper has that passage on page 4 and you'll get other people in the attendance or performance that was fair to Yeats's The Song of Wandering Aengus. I think, too, that there are a few things that you also gave an engaged, and talk about, exactly, by the way that shows you paid close attention to your main points out while still letting the discomfort of silence force people other than the one-half percent, you're on the section for the other group. Don't forget to bring your participation score a small number of presentations. Because she really wanted to wait for your section who was buried that morning in terrace she was excellent. If it falls flat, try moving on to present your complex thoughts in your reading of Stare's Nest by My Window Yeats, The Song of Wandering Aengus but that would need to represent them even better work on these trees in the sense of having impaired mobility; bone spavins are caused by osteoarthritis. Just a reminder that you're covering. Think about what you're ultimately proposing, as Giorgio Agamben has pointed out; if you were strong and, again, and that there are some books that I have you scheduled on 27 November or 4 December. Both of these are impressive moves. Grade Is Calculated in excruciating detail. A timely fashion in order to fully explore your own experience. Just a chance. Your initial explication was thoughtful and focused, but this would have helped, I think that you will have the overall meaning of the implications that this is my nation? Section Discussion Notes These notes are posted here. However, I think that what most needs to be a person, dropped off in my experience, if you'd like to discuss the readings explicitly to each section, and instead think about how to draw deeper into issues raised in orphanages, or Synge or O'Casey, both of you who have not yet posted, with staying within the absurdist tradition. From Arnhold Program is a good and your boost from the opening and using it. This does not take an explicit statement of what you're going to be time management you've only got ten to fifteen minutes. I've gestured toward, though, you can bridge between them having intermediate questions leading up to be caught up with something you like the poem before the beginning of section; we haven't yet fully thought around what your overall payoff will be. You picked a wonderful quarter, so if you want to do when they want to do with your paper, if I can reschedule you for being such a way to put them in some places where I wanted to talk about the amount of time that you wanted the discussion requirement. Though it's not you, with this ambiguity; you could take this into account when grading your paper there were things that interest you in the past that there are also very well require that you want it to one of the texts are also likely to have a few exceptions, listed in a more specific thesis statement at the heart of what interests you about the offer, you should definitely be there. So, I'd move into discussion of the play. Though the description of your discussion.

Volunteering to be: ultimately, I'd be happy to have a good job digging in to work harder for the actual purpose of the room to make this offer to you, and does so in a way as to let the discussion in a fairly full schedule this week I'll send you during the Great Hunger. Just let me know as soon as you plan to recite, or the historical and literary readings are quite interesting. I realize that not taking the class and the overall arc that you do not re-inscribe Gertie into the next thing what does this in 1914-1922, of course readings or issues leading up to your presentation out longer, I think you've got an interesting contemporary poet, as well. Again, you did a good idea, but keep in mind when writing September 1913, which requires the willingness to suffer an injury to one's self-characterization at several points in the novel's take on the theory of reader it assumes that you've identified this as the major, it's a reliable source some guy ranting about sociopathy in a radio interview. Just a reminder that I am happy to talk about, and this is certainly the best I can also refer you to demonstrate this to everyone who is alive, for instance, it would have involved, but will not necessarily a reason that you do well, here is to efface yourself as a group that's often been painfully silent this quarter. Hi! I think that what you're going to relate Ulysses to cubism as the student who wants to do so, probably about five minutes unless the group, and I will cut you off. Here's the email but don't yet see a different direction. Besides attendance, not to the text s involved, but has the maximum number of points 1 and see whether I can attest that this is a rhetorical move that would have helped to think about Irish identity that signals that the final exam except that this will just mean that you inform people who were getting a why you picked to the connections between the IRA and the humor that people can find out. We will then schedule an appointment with me. Professor Maurizia Boscagli has specific ties, but I think this could have been hoping for. But your readings of The Song of Wandering Aengus—6 p. Looks good to me about your health allows. What kinds of things well here, and went above and beyond. You cannot rewrite your thesis would be to make your readings sometimes fall flat because you're bright and can take the midterm helped, I absolutely understand that this would result in further disciplinary action even if you can't get it in any case, that one thing, I think, is to think meta-narrative path through your subtopics. It's all yours! I look forward to your plan, either for the quarter, I supposed I'd have to complete everything by 17 Dec so I suppose another way, and good choice to me I'll post it as 1:30 tomorrow, as it is still theoretically in range for you. If people aren't talking because they will be out of lecture on Tuesday! You also did a number of ways to do this or anything else that you have not held your grade another 5%, which would make it a better way to add compliance with that requirement this late in the Fall 2013 Anglo-Irish Nugents may very well on the section website. Thanks for all three of the song choice is a scholar's job to do more than that, if there's anything to talk to your ultimate conversational goals. Should I have a week when we're discussing the work you've already sent it on a Thursday, October 10. I've finally figured out the eighth one without grading it, but I can't imagine why he would email you to lift you naturally into the final, you'll still want people to do with the Easter Rising rebels: Wikipedia's disambiguation page for each document from IMDb. It's not necessary to have a good selection and you related it effectively to questions like these two particular pieces is a piece of elevated political rhetoric. Thanks! Among other things well, here, and cultural context of your overall points. Ultimately, what early twentieth-century, and I think that there are potentially a number of recitations, that you will go last, or turf, from a B his grade based on general claims such as information about your thesis statement? I think that having a more productive question is a don't make a specific question. Once you have a good thumbnail background to the day's reading assignment, so you legitimately crossed the line into A-range papers: Papers with substantial deviations from the opening of the twentieth century. Don't want to treat each other personally.

Just for the Arnhold Program Assistant Lindsay Thomas: The Clancy Brothers and the Troubles in Keeping Going is from page 4 McCabe TBD McCabe TBD Paul Muldoon, though. I'm not trying to suggest that you previously got on that without also pulling in the discussion could have been a pleasure to have been pushed even further. Incidentally, you did a good question. That would give you some unsolicited advice. Yes/no pass, knowing where you should put a printed copy.

Have a good job of thinking about what you're actually doing the reading yet, you've got some really perceptive readings of Butcher Boy, and that they each see themselves as being the plus and minus for each text in my paper-writer may be an indication. Think about how you're using it as soon as you should definitely be there. I do think you've got some really good reason for pushing the temporal envelope, note the recurring discussions of course grade. All in all, this was a nice plan here. I notice you.

One thing that I record your performance. It's a good student this quarter! Another student from my grading spreadsheet or have been structuring your examination of how Ireland looks, which would be the most significant thing to do this assignment. Like This One By the way; the Irish nationalism, and I think that your paper and for which I think that there are a number of important concepts for the quarter, and that you may contact UCSB's Title IX Compliance Office, the larger context of his identity entirely.

#Irish literature #automatically generated text #Patrick Mooney #Python #Markov chains

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dazombi3fari3 · 4 years

Text

Hey doll hey!!! Hope you are having a great day today. Today I will be reviewing the complexion products I purchased from the J Cat Beauty website. I do have to say that I’m low key obsessed with this eye look and I used glitter. GLITTER!!! Tati Westbrook knows what she is doing with eyeshadow!! So let’s get started with this Face of the Day, and also mini product review ….

Base: I primed my face using the J Cat Beauty Prime & Glow Face Illuminator Primer ($7.99 on their website) the Licorice formula. For foundation I am using the J Cat Beauty HD Perfection Skinsealer Foundation ($7.99 on sale for $5 on their website) in the color Warm Honey. I chose not to color correct today so i could test out the new concealer …. I concealed my under eyes using J Cat Beauty Staysurance Water-Sealed Zero-Smudge Concealer ($7.99 on their website) in the color Custard. I set my face using J Cat Beauty Aquasurance Compact Foundation ($13.99 on their website) in the color Natural. I warmed up my face using J cat Beauty Golden Soleil Baked Bronzer ($7.99 on their website) in the color Cancun Golden Tan. I then set my under eyes and baked my jaw line, center of my forehead, and bridge of my nose using RCMA No Color Powder ($15 on the Beautylish website).

Eyes: I primed my lids using Tarte Shape Tape ($27 at Ulta) in the color Light-Medium Honey. For today’s eye look I am using Tati Beauty Textured Neutrals Palette ($48 on her website). I set the Shape Tape using the color Aura-Matte (the cream row of colors). I then took the color Soothe-Matte (the tan row of colors) and used that as my crease and transition shade combined. I then took Soothe-Glitter on my mobile lid skipping the very inner part of the mobile lid. I used the color Soothe-Metallic on the inner part of the mobile lid and used Ritual-Matte (the dark brown row of colors) on just the outer 1/3 of the mobile lid over the glitter. I used Hikari Cream Pigment ($15 on their website) in the color Fair Tale (an icy white shimmer) to highlight the inner corners. For my brows I used Benefit Precisely My Brow Pencil ($24 at Ulta) in the color 4.5 and Benefit Gimme Brow ($24 at Ulta) in the color 6. I carved out my brow line using BH Studio Pro Brow Highlighter ($5 on their website) on the shimmer side and set the brow line using more of Aura-Matte. I lined the waterlines using ColourPop BFF Creme Gel Liner ($6 on their website) in the color Get Paid (a rose gold shimmer liner) and then used more of Smoothe-Matte on my lower lash line. For mascara today I am using Revolution’s The Mascara Revolution ($10 on their website) in the color Black.

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Final Thoughts:

J Cat Beauty Prime & Glow Face Illuminator Primer: A++ You get 1.05 fluid ounces of product for $7.99. This is a pretty primer. It gives the skin a nice glow that has a pinkish shift to it. It felt very hydrating and created a great base that allowed my foundation to go on very smoothly. It also seemed to blur my pores.

J Cat Beauty HD Perfection Skinsealer Foundation: A+++!!!! You get .85 fluid ounces of product for $7.99, it is on sale on their website for $5. This foundation is billed as a flawless, full coverage foundation that gives the skin the most beautiful natural finish. It’s offered in 10 shades with 4 shades for deeper skin tones. This foundation is so freaking beautiful!!! It left my face so dewy and so fresh. The color was a tad bit darker than my skin tone but I loved the finish so much that I will finish the bottle up and then purchase the shade Sweet Buff (which is one shade lighter than Warm Honey). This foundation is definitely full coverage but when using a Beauty Blender it lays down more like a high medium coverage so I went in with a 1/2 pump more (I used a total of 2 1/2 pumps to get full coverage) and it built on itself nicely. I waited 7 minutes to see if it would oxidize and it did not. I seriously can’t tell you enough just how much I loved this foundation with just 1 application!!! It didn’t emphasize pores or fine lines, in fact it seemed to make my skin look perfected and flawless.

J Cat Beauty Staysurance Water-Sealed Zero-Smudge Concealer: A- You get .33 ounces of product for $7.99. It’s billed as a light-weight, yet, long lasting concealer that combats dark circles, redness, and any imperfection for a flawless look that is waterproof and has a medium to full coverage. It comes in 16 shades with 6 shades for deeper skin tones. This is a thick concealer and is so pigmented that a little goes a very long way. It reminds me a bit of the Tarte Shape Tape, however it’s more hydrating than the Shape Tape. It isn’t as light-weight as their claims say, but that’s Ok because it leaves the under eye smooth and polished. I haven’t tested the waterproof claim but it does feel like it could be at least resistant to water. I will definitely be using this product up but am not sure if I will repurchase it… I want to test it in the Florida Summer heat.

J Cat Beauty Aquasurance Compact Foundation: A+++!!! You get .31 ounces of product for $13.99. It is billed as a finely milled luxurious, silky texture that minimizes the appearance of pores with medium to full coverage. It comes in 13 shades with 4 shades for deeper skin tones. This powder foundation is the first one that I have come across that is actually full coverage if you use the sponge… it is about high medium coverage with a fluffy powder brush. I don’t know how, but this powder actually blurs the pores! My skin looks flawless. I really, REALLY like this powder and have already purchased a back up.

J cat Beauty Golden Soleil Baked Bronzer: A+++!!!! You get .35 ounces of product for $7.99. It’s billed as a velvety SOLAR baked formula that wears all day and won’t transfer onto clothes. The smooth texture blends effortlessly with any powder brush for buildable, customizable coverage that wakes skin up and delivers a lit-from-within luminosity. The non-dusty and non-drying color stays true and even for hours without oxidizing. Lately I have been loving a glowy bronzer… this one takes the cake!!! It’s glowy without having shimmer to it like the other satin bronzers I own. It’s the perfect under tone and buffs into the skin so nicely that you can’t tell when the bronze begins and ends, it just leaves your skin looking sun kissed. I love this one so much I’ve already repurchased it.

ColourPop BFF Creme Gel Liner in the color Get Paid: A+++!!! You get .007 ounces of product for $6 however this color is on sale for $4.50 on their website right now. This color is so beautiful on the waterline! SO BEAUTIFUL!!!! It’s creamy and did not skip or tug at my skin. It stays pretty good on the waterlines too.

J Cat Beauty Blush-Mallow Soft Blusher: A++ You get .14 ounces of product for $4.99. It comes in 16 shades. This is a cream to powder formula. It reminds me of a matte version of ColourPop Super Shock Cheek. It is extremely pigmented! I used a duo fiber blush brush and tapped it into the product just slightly and still had to buff some of the product out. I really love the color I chose but do not see my self purchasing other colors.

J Cat Beauty You Glow Girl Baked Highlighter: A+++!!! You get .30 ounces of product for $8.99. It comes in 9 colors. It’s billed as a multi-dimensional Baked formula brings instant GLOW all day long due to high intense shimmer pigment. It is designed to complement all skin tones and all skin types. The smooth texture blends effortlessly and gives the perfect luminous finish that complete your look. There is no glitter in this highlighter and yet it’s so super reflective! I love the formula so much, it’s smooth and doesn’t go on patchy or chunky. A really good find!!

**** On a side note …. I tried the Tati Beauty glitter formula and I have got to say I am obsessed with it!! There was very little fallout with this glitter formula, it went on smoothly and opaque and super stunning!!! OH MY GOSH ….. I never thought I’d ever like glitter…. I do now….

Well that’s all for now dolls. I hope you enjoyed this look, I’m so in love with it! I hope the rest of your day is amazing and remember save a spoon for a bit of lipstick.

XOXO

Ethereal Eyed Face of the Day Hey doll hey!!! Hope you are having a great day today. Today I will be reviewing the complexion products I purchased from the J Cat Beauty website.

#Beauty #Face of the day #J Cat Beauty #MAC #Makeup #makeup review #Product Review #Tati Beauty

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marcusssanderson · 5 years

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50 Music Quotes on How it Heals our Soul

Looking for the best music quotes that will fuel your soul?

Music is an essential part of human existence. Listening to music leaves a major impact on each one of us. It can boost your mood, reduce stress and improve your health and overall well-being.

According to studies, the majority of people have positive experiences when listening to music; whether it’s sad, or upbeat music.

During times of loss, for example, listening to sad music that describes what you’re feeling can be compared to listening to an empathetic friend who truly understands what you’re going through. On the other hand, listening to upbeat music is a wonderful way to improve your mood and boost your happiness.

Music has also been used as therapy for a long time, helping people to cope with pain, manage stress and improve memory. In fact, some researchers found that patients experienced less pain and anxiety when they listened to music before, during, or after surgery.

To remind us of the Everyday Power of music and how it heals our souls, we’ve prepared this collection of inspirational, beautiful, and funny music quotes, music sayings, and music proverbs.

We hope you’ll enjoy reading these music quotes as much as we enjoyed compiling them.

Music quotes on how it heals our soul

1.) “Where words fail, music speaks.” – Hans Christian Andersen

2.) “Life seems to go on without effort when I am filled with music.” – George Eliot

3.) “Music is to the soul what words are to the mind.” ― Modest Mouse

4.) “Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything.” – Plato

5.) “Music is the language of the spirit. It opens the secret of life bringing peace, abolishing strife.” ― Kahlil Gibran

6.) “A great song should lift your heart, warm the soul and make you feel good.” – Colbie Caillat

7.) “My heart, which is so full to overflowing, has often been solaced and refreshed by music when sick and weary.” ― Martin Luther

8.) “Music is the mediator between the spiritual and the sensual life.” – Ludwig van Beethoven

9.) “Music is the divine way to tell beautiful, poetic things to the heart.” – Pablo Casals

10.) “Music is like a huge release of tension.” – James Taylor

Music quotes that remind of the impact it has on us

11.) “Without music, life would be a blank to me.”― Jane Austen

12.) “One good thing about music, when it hits you, you feel no pain.” – Bob Marley

13.) “Music is the strongest form of magic.” ― Marilyn Manson

14.) “Music was my refuge. I could crawl into the space between the notes and curl my back to loneliness.” ― Maya Angelou

15.) “Music brings a warm glow to my vision, thawing mind and muscle from their endless wintering.” ― Haruki Murakami

16.) “I need to listen to chill music when I’m driving. It prevents road rage.” – Aaron Paul

17.) “If you were music, I would listen to you ceaselessly, and my low spirits would brighten up.” ― Anna Akhmatova

18.) “Music is my higher power.” – Oliver James

19.) “I haven’t understood a bar of music in my life, but I have felt it.” – Igor Stravinsky

20.) “Music is a language that doesn’t speak in particular words. It speaks in emotions, and if it’s in the bones, it’s in the bones.” – Keith Richards

Music quotes to remind of its power

21.) “Without music, life would be a mistake.” ― Friedrich Nietzsche

22.) “Music is powerful. As people listen to it, they can be affected. They respond.” – Ray Charles

23.) “People haven’t always been there for me but music always has.” ― Taylor Swift

24.) “The only truth is music.” ― Jack Kerouac

25.) “I wanted to prove the sustaining power of music.” – David Bowie

26.) “Sometimes I feel like rap music is almost the key to stopping racism.” – Eminem

27.) “Music can change the world because it can change people.” ― Bono

28.) “Music has healing power. It has the ability to take people out of themselves for a few hours.” – Elton John

29.) “Music is the moonlight in the gloomy night of life.” ― Jean Paul Friedrich Richter

30.) “Music is … A higher revelation than all Wisdom & Philosophy” ― Ludwig van Beethoven

Music quotes to inspire and enlighten

31.) “Music changes, and I’m gonna change right along with it.” – Aretha Franklin

32.) “Country music is three chords and the truth.” – Harlan Howard

33.) “I lose myself in music because I can’t be bothered explaining what I feel to anyone else around me.” – Robert Smith

34.) “Music is the literature of the heart; it commences where speech ends.” – Alphonse de Lamartine

35.) “Music, once admitted to the soul, becomes a sort of spirit, and never dies.” ― Edward Bulwer Lytton

36.) “How is it that music can, without words, evoke our laughter, our fears, our highest aspirations?” – Jane Swan

37.) “Music is a weapon in the war against unhappiness.” – Jason Mraz

38.) “After silence, that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible is music.” – Aldous Huxley

39.) “Music is well said to be the speech of angels.” – Thomas Carlyle

40.) “When words fail music speaks. – Irena Huang

Other inspirational music quotes

41.) “I see my life in terms of music.” – Albert Einstein

42.) “There are two means of refuge from the miseries of life: music and cats.” ― Albert Schweitzer

43.) “Music is the movement of sound to reach the soul for the education of its virtue.” – Plato

44.) “Words make you think. Music makes you feel. A song makes you feel a thought.” – E.Y. Harburg

45.) “The power of music makes all the difference to me with motivation throughout the day.” – Paul Brodie

46.) “Music is by far the most wonderful method we have to remind us each day of the power of personal accomplishment.” – Chris S. Salazar

47.) “It’s like if the music is loud enough I won’t be able to listen to my own thoughts.” – Nic Sheff

48.) “Music – that’s been my education. There’s not a day that goes by that I take it for granted.” – Billie Joe Armstrong

49.) “Music is the greatest communication in the world. Even if people don’t understand the language that you’re singing in, they still know good music when they hear it.” – Lou Rawls

50.) “Without music to decorate it, time is just a bunch of boring production deadlines or dates by which bills must be paid.” ― Frank Zappa

Which of these music quotes was your favorite?

Each one of us has experienced an emotional connection with music. Music can make you feel happy or sad, in love or angry.

There is music that lifts your mood when you’re feeling down and music that can motivate you to reach the next level. In short, music is therapy for the soul and mind.

Hopefully, these quotes about music have fueled your soul and reminded you of the impact it has on each one of us.

Did you enjoy these music quotes? Which of the quotes was your favorite? We would love to hear all about it in the comment section below. Also, don’t forget to share with your friends and loved ones.

The post 50 Music Quotes on How it Heals our Soul appeared first on Everyday Power.

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112 Legitimate Ways To Make Money Fast - Get Out of Debt, Save More Money, and Retire Early

https://120profit.com/?p=2286&utm_source=SocialAutoPoster&utm_medium=Social&utm_campaign=Tumblr We’ve all felt the financial crunch of living paycheck-to-paycheck which is why I’ve put together this list on how to make money fast.These tips have worked for tens of thousands of people. And not only have we included links and steps on how to get started, but I’ve shared my own examples of times I’ve paid people for many of these things.Ready to get some extra money in your wallet or purse? I spent a lot of time finding the best ways to earn extra money, and came up with 112 legitimate ways to make money fast.There won’t be any ridiculous money-making schemes like being a NASA test subject or offers to sell you a get-rich-quick $2,000 course for building an online business.This is an awesome list, and I guarantee there are ideas you haven’t come across. Some will make you a few dollars, while others can be very lucrative and even turn into careers.This article is super long, so please bookmark it so you can come back to it later. You won’t be able to do all of these tips to make money fast in one sitting. I’ve broken the list up into 11 sections to help you find just what you need.Find free moneyWe’ve shown thousands of people how to make money from home with many articles on this site. But by far the quickest way for you to make extra money is to get free money without having to do any work. How I Saved Over $1,000 On Everyday ExpensesTake this FREE 7-day challenge to learn how you can do the same 1. Make money while you’re watching TVNo, you can’t retire on the extra money you can make while filling out surveys, but why not make a few bucks while you watch your favorite shows (Walking Dead anyone?)Signing up is easy and only takes a few minutes.Survey Junkie and InboxDollars are two of the best survey sites. InboxDollars will give you a free $5 bonus for signing up.On both sites, you earn points by completing surveys. You can redeem your points for cash via PayPal or gift cards. If you want cash instead of gift cards you can always sell your gift cards online for cash.2. Provide search engine feedbackHow would you like to get free cash by swapping your search engine? SwagBucks pays you to use their search engine. Plus there are other ways to earn money including shopping online and other activities.Sign up for SwagBucks here and get a free $5.3. Negotiate your current bills and save money with a few phone callsIf you have insurance, cable, a cell phone, utility bills, or any recurring monthly charge you can get more money today just be calling and negotiating with your current service providers.You could potentially save thousands of dollars on your monthly bills by making a few phone calls and asking for a discount.Check out our guide and get the exact word-for-word scripts that will help you negotiate and get big savings.4. Get bank fees waived and overdraft fees refundedDid you receive one of those annoying overdraft fees from the bank? Or a $3 fee for having a low balance?If you have a few minutes on your lunch break you can often get money back today by getting bank fees waived and overdraft fees refunded.Follow the scripts and see how it goes.5. Check if you have unclaimed moneyAccording to Money magazine there is an estimated $60 billion in unclaimed money. If a government or company owes you money and you don’t collect it, the money is unclaimed.I found $100 in missing money from a credit card refund mailed to the wrong address. And I found my mother-in-law had $20 from an old utility provider. – ScottHow to find missing moneyVisit MissingMoney.com to search for missing, lost, and unclaimed property, money, and assets.Don’t forget to search for your friends and family too! All you need is a first and last name, and a state of residence.6. Get a free $10 Amazon gift cardMyPoints is a cash-back website where you can earn points by shopping online or by printing and redeeming coupons. It’s a simple way to save money by getting rewarded for stuff you’re buying anyway.MyPoints is a Better Business Bureau accredited business.How it worksJoin MyPoints for freeShop for your favorite brands and make purchases, including Amazon, Walmart, Ebay, Groupon and TargetGet a free $10 gift card when you and spend $20 or more with a qualified partner.7. Get $36 for telling about your Amazon purchasesDo you shop at Amazon? Then here is another way you can earn money simply by sharing your purchase history with companies interested in researching consumer buying habits.Install the ShopTracker app and connect it to your Amazon account. You’ll get a free $3 for signing up, and another $3 for every month it’s installed, and you report your purchase history.How it worksTake two minutes to sign upInstall the ShopTracker appEarn rewards – you’ll get a $3 code within 48 hours of signing up8. Automatically get reimbursed for price changesDo you keep your online receipts for your purchases or do you delete them? If you delete them – hold on! You could be costing yourself.The Paribus service searches your email receipts to check if a product’s price was reduced. For example are the $40 pair of shoes you ordered online now $30? Paribus will notify you!Sign up for Paribus and it will check receipts from Target, Walmart, Costco, and many more major retailers.9. Get a free $5 to start investing with ClinkAre you afraid of investing or don’t think you have enough to get started? Clink is the answer to helping you get started towards a rich retirement.There are a lot of investing apps out there, but Clink is one of the few that follows a proven investing philosophy backed up by academic and Nobel Prize winning research. I wouldn’t recommend anything less. – Scott, author of the best-selling book 99 Minute MillionaireOpening a Clink account is easy and takes about 5 minutes. You can choose to invest as little as $1 a day.To get the $5 bonus:Download the Clink smartphone appSet up your account with your email address.10. Mystery shop to save moneyI’ve done a lot of mystery shopping, though not as much since my twins were born. A myth about mystery shopping is you can make money.The truth is you’ll get reimbursed for your shopping costs in exchange for the time you put into making a very detailed review of the experience. So is it worth it to spend an hour writing up a mystery shopping report in exchange for a free $30 or even $60 meal?For me it was. The experiences are fun, and you get to eat at some amazing restaurants.So if you have a friend and you like to eat out, mystery shopping is a great way to trim your eating out budget.Check out the following legitimate mystery shopping companies:11. Get a free $10 gift card from EbatesEbates is cash-back shopping site that will give you a free $10 gift card if you sign up as a new user and earn your first cashback rebate.It’s super-simple. Just sign up and then shop where you normally shop, including Target, Walmart, Kohl’s, Macy’s and much more! Ebates earns a small commission when you buy something, and they split that commission with you. Win-win.You basically get money back on stuff you’re buying already. You do have to wait 30 days to get your cash back, but money is money!Those are the ways you can get free money fast. Now we’ll get into the ways you can use your skills to make money fast.Selling your skills12. Tutor on your own schedule for $20/hourAre you smarter than a 5-th grader? Yes! Tutoring someone can give them the knowledge and confidence they need to succeed. Not only can you get paid, but you’ll be rewarded by helping a child or adult grow.Working at Chegg Tutors top tutors can earn $1,000+/month and start at $20+/hour.How it worksApply with CheggChoose the subjects you’re best atStudents get sent to youTutor from anywhere and on your scheduleGet paid each week.You can work with middle and high school students, college students, and even professionals.13. Teach locally at a community centerEvery community – large or small – has some community center that offers adult education classes.Example topics:How to use a smartphone efficientlyHow to organizeSelf defenseDriver safetyCPRSewing + crochetHome brewingYou get the idea. If you have a skill or hobby, you can make money by teaching others during a one-time 2-hour course.After listening to your show, I found a lead to my first side hustle. For my wife’s program and mine, we are required to have CPR. We took our class to meet these requirements, and I talked with our instructor who passed my name to the owner letting him know I was curious about becoming an instructor. I was contacted about certifying myself to teach classes! – John S.How much can you make?If you get 20 students paying $20 each for a two-hour course, figure you can earn half and half goes to the community center.14. Give referrals to sales peopleWhen my brother moved from Ohio to Texas, we referred him to a home builder in our neighborhood. Once my brother closed on his house we got $500 from the builder!There are all kinds of programs and people that will pay you for referrals.car salespeopleinsurance sales peoplerealtorstravel agentsCheck with the people you know and ask if they have a referral program for their business. By handing out someone else’s contact information to the people you know you can be compensated for 2-minutes of conversation.15. Work as a transcriptionist or translatorIf you’re good at listening and typing, you can make $15 to $25 an hour transcribing audio.I’ve paid out thousands of dollars to transcriptionists over the years for taking my classroom recordings and my shows and typing them up into a word doc. – ScottYou can bid on jobs on Upwork or apply to be a freelancer on RevRev pays $0.40 – $0.65 per audio minute. Keep in mind if it takes you five minutes to transcribe one minute of audio, you’ll get paid for the one minute. Attention to detail and a good ear are a must to maximize your earnings.Transcribing is perfect for people who want a flexible schedule.16. Earn up to $60/Hour working from home as a part-time bookkeeperThe average bookkeeper earns $40,000/year, or around $60 an hour. And they can work from home (or Starbucks) or wherever else they want. Sound interesting?No, you don’t have to be a CPA to be a bookkeeper. In fact, I hired my dad (who was a former pastor) for over six years to run my business books using QuickBooks.Check out the free training series by Bookkeeper Business Academy showing you how to prosper in this proven profession-even if you have no experience.Interested in becoming a bookkeeper? Find out more at Learn To Be A Bookkeeper17. Easily create and sell online coursesDo you have skills but can’t figure out how to package and sell them? Teachable is service that lets you easily build online courses.Over 7,500 instructors have used Teachable to earn over $36M in sales. Where teaching locally, you might get 10-20 students in class; teaching online exposes you to thousands of potential students from all over the world.How it worksCreate a courseUpload the contentMake it prettyPromote your courseGet paid monthly for every student enrolledTeachable costs $39/month to host your courses.If you want a completely free option where you can earn an average of $3,000/year, take a look at SkillshareSkillshare is similar in that you upload videos of yourself teaching, and promote your content. Students pay a subscription fee for access to the Skillshare course library. You get paid based on how many people watch your course.18. Fix grammer and splling errors for $17/hourHaha did you spot the errors in the title? Are you cringing right now at a misspelled word? Freelance proofreading might be for you.In 2014, Caitlin made $43,000 as a freelance proofreader, while also going on several fun vacations. Caitlin teaches other people who want to correct bad grammar to build a lifestyle business where they can earn money and have freedom in their life.Freelance proofreaders earn an average of $17 an hour.Check out the FREE 7 day course on how to become a proofreader. And learn more at Make Money Proofreading By Becoming A Freelance Proofreader.19. Become a freelance writerAs a freelance writer, you can work as much or as little as you want (which means you can make as much or as little as you want).To showcase the portfolio of your work, you can start a blog to show off your writing skills. Prospective employers will want to check out your writing style to make sure it’s a good fit.Some sites will pay three cents a word. As you grow your business, top freelancers can command $500+ per article.To get started as a freelance writer learn from one of the best. Holly Johnson has a course called Earn More Writing where she teaches how she went from earning $0 to $225,000 a year as a writer.Here’s a list of websites that pay writers $50+ per article20. Dress others for successDo you have a passion for fashion? Consider being a virtual stylist and help people look and feel their best.Stitch Fix Stylists work part-time from home (or the coffee shop) helping clients hand pick clothing that meet their style, size, and price preference. If you’ve ever thought about being a fashion consultant, now you can do it from anywhere!On a personal note my cousin works for Stitch Fix and loves it.Learn more about Stitch Fix21. Organize closets and homesSome services are needed, but people don’t even think about having them done. Cleaning out attics, garages, and closets are one of those tasks people will put off until they move.Entire industries (Container Store, Self-Storage) have popped up to accommodate all the stuff we own. An industry of professional organizers and de-clutterers exist to help us get rid of our stuff.If you’re good at cleaning and re-organizing things why not get paid for it? Post an ad on Facebook or Craigslist to get started.Things you’ll needCardboard boxes – You’ll get more organized if you have storage containers to pack stuff inMarker and tape to label containersTrash bagsThe bonus to organizing closets is someone doesn’t want the stuff you clean out, you can sell it on eBay for extra money.22. Develop websites or appsCan you build a web page? Code an app? Fix a broken responsive design?I have a computer science degree. If you love to code, you can make extra income doing part-time or occasional contract work. It pays well, and you can work from anywhere. – ScottTop programmers can earn $75 to $150 per hour depending on your skill set. Linux gurus and Oracle database administrators can make big bucks. HTML and web page coders earn less because as far as programming goes, it’s a much easier skill to learn.There are tens-of-thousands of freelance development jobs on sites like Upwork. Some jobs might only take 5 minutes while others require long-term contracts of weeks or months.23. Graphic design servicesHow many millions of websites are out there? And they all need a good logo – the perfect job for a graphic designer.There are many places for freelancing as a graphic designer.How much you can earn varies by the size of the job. For example, on Fiverr, you might earn $5 for a quick, simple logo. For a custom logo with multiple revisions and multiple concepts, you might charge $300. Some jobs are quick cash and others might take a couple of weeks.Read how much you should charge for design work for an idea of setting prices.The best way to showcase your work is to have a personalized website with your portfolio. Include your availability, skill set, and examples. Your website should be a visual resume of your work.24. Address envelopes (no, not that scammy business)Getting paid to stuff envelopes is one of the oldest scams around. But addressing envelopes with calligraphy – the art of creating beautiful lettering – can turn your writing skills into cold hard cash.If you’ve mastered the art of fine writing, you could make a lucrative side hustle out of addressing envelopes.How much can you make?Hand-lettered envelopes run $2 to $5 each on sites like Etsy. During wedding season that could earn a fair amount of income.How to get startedTo start practicing head to your local library and check out books on how to learn calligraphy. While you can also find books on Amazon, you can’t beat free resources at the library.Once you’ve learned the basics, you can continue to learn through free online courses like Skillshare or by watching YouTube videos.You might also consider a local course to get training from an expert. Here in the Dallas area, Lyndsay Wright offers workshops on calligraphy.To figure out how much to charge for your work see what other people are charging25. Write or improve resumesWith all of the resources available to write such a simple document, it’s shocking to me how many people have bad resumes.Which is good news for you if you want to help people land their next job. People change jobs ten times in their lifetime, on average. Having a great resume is one of the tools you need to get your foot in the door.Sites like Freelancer and Upwork will let you bid on jobs. While you’re helping people create the high-quality resumes they need for their career, you’ll be making some side money for yours. Win-win!26. Write and sell ebooksWhat’s nice about an ebook is you can write it once and earn money on it with every sale. Writing a book is something 95% of people say they want to do but never do. It’s too bad because it’s pretty easy to self-publish a book.An ebook doesn’t have to be that long. You could probably write a rough draft in a week during the evenings. Bestselling author Jeff Goins has a list of simple steps for writing a bookWhat’s the easiest way to create a book? If you’ve already started a blog you can package up some of your posts and sell them as a collection.How much can you make?I’ve made thousands of dollars selling my book on the Amazon Kindle platform. Kindle Direct Publishing is free to use and gets your book on Amazon. Amazon takes a percent of the sales, but you can’t beat being in front of all those potential customers. – ScottAmazon will pay you 70% royalty on books priced between $2.99 and $9.99, and 30% for books priced $0.99 to $2.99.Learn how to write and launch a profitable eBook in 90 days or less with Abby Lawson. Abby makes over six-figures a year with the sales of her digital products. Wow!27. Create and sell info productsEbooks are pretty easy to create. Information products require more time and include more resources. You might include videos, audio, checklists, templates, worksheets, and other resources. Think of them like mini-courses on a specific subject.For example check out Unconventional Guides, founded by bestselling author Chris Guillebeau. The guides are on topics ranging from saving money traveling to building a more profitable business. Some of the topics include:Make money working as an artistGet paid to writeEmpire buildingPublish your bookGet rich slowlyHow much can you make?Chris’s Upgrade Unlocked is a $39 program that shows how to travel hack and see the things on your bucket list, all while saving you money. The product contains a field manual, spreadsheets, cheat sheets, checklists, and videos.I earned 800,000 miles and took my wife to Hawaii- and then I took my mom to the Bahamas for $6 plus tax. – Austin YoderDesigned to Sell shows artists, designers, and crafty people how to turn their creativity into a career. The product is priced at $147 and includes a book, audio interviews, pricing toolkits, and templates.Our infamous cat training DVD made me $5,000 profit in the first year.For a more serious business, my business where we created classes for architects and general contractors about green building technologies was built into a seven figure per year business with products that averaged $50 in price.The first step towards success is to get started and try something. – Scott28. Become a virtual assistant to help others create a profitable businessA virtual assistant helps a business or person run more efficiently. Businesses require a lot of skills to run and grow. As a virtual assistant, you allow people to focus on what they do best.While the following list isn’t extensive, here are some things you might do as a virtual assistant:Schedule travelManage emailResearchManage appointmentsSocial media updatesEditing and writingHow much money do virtual assistants makeFor someone based in North America, you might make $15 to $50+ per hour. The pay range varies widely based on location, your skills, and what tasks you’re responsible for. For example, a virtual assistant who is an expert in search engine optimization would earn much more.How to get started as a virtual assistantCheck out the course 30 Days or Less to Virtual Assistant Success by Gina Horkey. Gina started a freelancing career and within six months was earning $4,000 per month on the side.29. Use your voice to make moneyCan you speak? This next one might be for you – recording voice overs.If you’re concerned you don’t have ‘the right‘ voice, you’ll never know what people are looking for unless you try. We’ve hired:A 60-year-old man with a raspy voiceAn Irish person to sound like a hobbit from Lord of the RingsA Darth Vader impersonatorA woman to do an English accent for the end of Scott’s showAnd many other ‘normal‘ voicesHow much can you make?In our previous company, we hired dozens of people over the years to do voice-overs for our online courses. For one hour of voice over we paid a contractor $350-$750 per project.Note – as a voice over artist you might spend 4-8 hours to record and edit one hour of audio. You’ve got to take out all those pauses, umms, ahhs, coughs, sneezes, dog barks, screaming kids, etc.How to find work:You can post your voice samples on places like Upwork, Voices, Freelancer and Fiverr to find voice over work.Related: Read Carrie’s story about how she was able to quit her job, be a stay-at-home mom, and make more money doing voice over work than what she used to make at her corporate job.Sell your stuff30. Sell your used cell phones and iPads for cashGazelle is a site where you can buy or sell used smartphones and other devices. The service has done over 2 million trade-ins and paid out over $200 million.How it works:Fill out your device information and get a free offerShip your device to GazelleGet paid! You can pick from a check, gift card, PayPal or Amazon.comHow easy is that? Now go check out your junk drawer for that old phone.31. Sell your booksDo you have old college textbooks? There are several places you could unload them (Craigslist, Amazon, Half-priced books).One of the easiest ways to get cash for your books is using Bookscouter.How it works:Find the ISBN of the book (that long number on the back)Type the ISBN into BookscouterBookscouter will search over 25 companies to find you the best price for your bookOnce you’ve found the best price, fill out some additional information about how you want to get paidShip off the book and you’re done!Most of the companies buying used books offer prepaid shipping labels. All you’ll need is a box or padded envelope and some tape to package things up.32. Sell your used clothes the easy wayLong gone are the days of dragging a trash bag full of clothes to the consignment shop. Sites like Poshmark and thredUp make it easy.threadUpWith thredUp you order a Clean Out Kit to pack all your clothes in, then ship it. That’s it! You send in your clothes, and they handle the rest.For clothes that are in style or trendy, you’ll get paid as soon as the items process. For unique items, you’ll get paid when they sell.PoshmarkPoshmark is similar in that you can sell your used clothes, but you list them through the Poshmark app. Buyers browse by brand or categories. When you make a sale, you print a pre-paid, pre-addressed label and drop off your package for shipping.33. Sell your CDs, DVDs, Blu-rays, video games and electronicsDo you still have these lying around? Me too. But for every DVD I own, I can watch it for free on Netflix or Amazon Prime.With Decluttr you can get cash for your stuff using the FREE, easy to use iPhone and Android apps.How it works:Download and install the Decluttr appScan the barcode from your stuff. You’ll get an instant price.Pack up your stuff and ship it for free.Get paid by check, PayPal, or direct deposit the day after your package arrives.Maybe I need to get off my butt and use this service.34. Sell your handbag for instant cashI’ve sold a Kate Spade purse on eBay for quick cash, and Scott even sold on eBay a Coach man-purse (don’t ask) he used for an overseas trip one time.With Cash In My Bag you can turn your designer luxury handbags, jewelry, and accessories into cash. Cash In My Bag immediately pays top market prices. Selling your unwanted designer items is no longer a hassle. They pay you upfront, so you don’t have to wait for consignment.How it worksGet a quote by submitting your item along with picturesShip your itemsReview the final offerCash inCheck out Cash in My Bag35. Sell your unused gift cards for cashWho doesn’t have unused gift cards in their wallet or junk drawer? Now you can sell your unused gift cards for cash.CardPool and Raise are two sites that you can sell your unused cards. You won’t get the full value, but you will get money which you can spend on anything.Dig through that kitchen drawer and see if you can find any old cards to sell!Related: Best places to sell your gift cards36. Sell your junkWhen all else fails, and you can’t find a specialty site to sell your things, use the old stand by’s:EbayCraiglistHave a garage saleFacebook groupsAnd be sure to check out letgo where you can buy and sell secondhand products in the United States quickly, safely and locally on the free letgo app.The free app let’s you post your stuff for sale using your smartphone quickly and easily.37. Sell other people’s junkNo, this isn’t buying and reselling. It’s offering to list other people’s stuff on eBay for them and taking a cut of the sale.Some people are either too busy or not technical enough to use a computer and sell stuff. Ask your friends and neighbors if they want help unloading their junk.38. Sell on AmazonYes, the Amazon marketplace is a thriving place to sell your used stuff. Right along with new items you can have your used book, electronic device, or just about anything else for sale.If you have a lot to sell, it can take quite a bit of time to get everything listed. You might be better off with a garage sale if you want to sell things quickly. But if you don’t mind shipping every item and going to the post office to drop off packages, you’ll likely make more money.Check out Amazon Seller Central if you’re an individual selling a few items.39. Gold, jewelry, and silverwareCash for gold! You’ve probably seen the signs before.If you have jewelry or valuable silverware visit a jeweler or reputable gold dealer for the best price. The storefronts found in strip malls will give you pennies on the dollar.40. Visit a pawn shopIn college I had a couple of gold necklaces that I sold to a pawn shop. I think I got about 1/10th of what they cost me. But I wanted the cash more than I wanted the jewelry. – ScottPawn shops are still a way to get quick money. And if you need the money now, there might not be a better option.41. Where to sell music instruments and gearScott’s take: I’m an avid musician and have bought and sold all kinds of music stuff over the years. From pawn shops, eBay, Craigslist, Amazon Marketplace, and probably other online sites I don’t even recall.By far the best way to make the most money on your instruments is on eBay. The bidding process results in people getting emotional and paying too much for stuff. Which is good for you!Craigslist is hit or miss (mostly miss). People want to hardcore negotiate, or offer trades. Neither is a good way for you to get the most money.42. Sell crafts and other things you can makeEtsy is a great place to sell things you make. Hold on – it’s not just for knitted scarfs and scrapbooks!Scott bought me wine glasses and a couple of t-shirts for Christmas off Etsy. Take advantage of current trends, hot topics, and seasonal items to create things to sell.43. Return stuffDid you buy something and never use it? Returning it for a refund is a quick way to make back your money.Check your garage, junk drawer, closets, the attic – anywhere where something might be that still has the price tag on it. Even if you don’t have a receipt, bring it back to the store and see if you can at least get store credit.44. Flip electronics, lawn equipment, cars, appliancesMy brother found a $4,000 riding lawnmower at a garage sale being offered for $800 because it didn’t run. He replaced the battery, spark plugs, and put in some engine starter and vrooom! A perfectly working lawnmower. – ScottMost people will replace a faulty appliance or piece of lawn equipment before spending $80 on a repair person to show up and diagnose the problem.Fixing and flipping broken things you can buy on Craigslist or at garage sales for pennies on the dollar can turn into a nice little side business.I knew a person in my small hometown that fixed and flipped kids bicycles!Make money fast by doing quick projectsQuick projects you can do in person or online can make a few extra bucks for each project. You make money fast by doing a lot of small projects in a short period.45. Sell your smartphone photosGot pictures on your smartphone? With the Foap app you can upload pictures to the Foap community and sell your pictures.Companies buy photos on Foap for $10 each, and you make $5 for every one of your pictures that sell. It’s that easy! You can turn your photos into cash.How it worksDownload the free Foap appSign up for an accountTake new pictures or upload existing photos to the Foap marketplaceWhen someone licenses your photo for $10, you make $5.If you sell 20 photos, you’ll make an easy $100 for just a few minutes of your time. And who doesn’t have photos to sell on their phone?46. Use your intelligence with AmazonAmazon has 700,000+ micro tasks that require human intelligence to complete. You might get paid $1-$2 per task. You can work from home, choose your own hours, and get paid quickly.How it works1. Visit Amazon Mechanical Turk2. Browse through the Human Intelligence Tasks (HITs)2. Accept the HIT to get started3. Submit your work4. Get paid by AmazonI’ve hired workers to do HITs and love the quality of work I get. It’s a great low-cost way for me to have small tasks completed quickly. – Scott47. Start GiggingGigwalk is a mobile app for Android and iOS that allows you to find quick jobs (Gigs) in your area. A Gig is represented by a pin on the map in the app and can take anywhere from 5 minutes to a few hours to complete. Each Gig pays anywhere from $3 to $100.Work when and where you want to – you can even start making money today.How it worksBecome a Gigwalker by downloading the appPick Gigs to work.Link your PayPal account to get paidApply for Gigs to start working48. Inspect things for othersHow would you like to join one of 30,000 field agents responsible for inspecting things like autos, homes, vacation rentals, or auction items for purchase?Sometimes a picture just isn’t enough. People will hire you to be their eyes to inspect things they can’t visit themselves if they don’t have the time or are too far away to travel.You can turn your time into income with the WeGoLook app. For example, you might get offered $15.00 to inspect a vehicle and take pictures of it.How it worksInstall the WeGoLook app and sign-up for freeYou get notified when Looks are available near youAccept the Looks you wantSchedule to view the item or propertyComplete the questions, take photos, and submit your report to get paid49. Become a PostMate and earn up to $25/hour plus tipsInstead of just delivering food, how about delivering anything? Post Mates is a service that connects customers with local couriers that deliver anything from a store or restaurant quickly.You might be asked to pick up a food delivery, packages, groceries, or whatever the customer wants delivering.You can deliver items with your car, bicycle, a skateboard, or on foot – whatever way you like to get around.Learn more about becoming a Post Mate50. Sell your skills on Fiverr for $5 and upFiverr is an online marketplace where you can sell your services for a $5 minimum.While $5 may not sound like much, you can add on additional services for another $10, $15, $20 or more.I’ve used Fiverr before and bought:voice overscustom logosbook promotioncopywritingInstagram quotesAnd you can sell just about anything (which doesn’t mean people will buy it):Making prank callsDrawing your face on a pizza with sauce and cheeseDoing pushups on camera (???)Shooting things with a gun51. Get paid $10 to test websites (only takes 15-20 minutes!)Have you ever gone to a website and asked yourself ‘what are they thinking?’ Well now is your chance to get paid for your thoughts and help companies improve their websites and apps.Companies like Home Depot, Walmart, Apple, Facebook and more contract with testing services to get feedback. I’ve done a few myself, and you can earn $10 per test in about 15 minutes. Plus the money hits your PayPal account within seven days (that really is making money fast). There are several companies that will hire you to test websites.How it worksSign up at User TestingVisit a website or appFollow the instructions to provide feedback by speaking your thoughts out loud into a microphoneGet paid $10 via PayPalEarn extra money by freelancing on the sideIt’s easier than you think to get started with a side hustle or freelancing and make money fast. You don’t need a business card (though they can help) or to start a blogYou can take the skills you already have and make money off them.52. Sell your photosDo you have photos on your smartphone? Of course you do! Turn your photos into cash is easy.I’ve bought somewhere around $2,000-$4,000 of stock photography over the years. You never know what photo someone might want to buy. – ScottShutterstock has paid over $350 million to photo contributors in over 150+ countries. People (like us) are always searching for images that include cityscapes, people, objects, landmarks and more.That dinner out you ate last week and put up on Instagram? It could be worth cash. How I Saved Over $1,000 On Everyday ExpensesTake this FREE 7-day challenge to learn how you can do the same 99 Minute Millionaire. A MUST LISTEN:My best-selling book is available as a FREE audiobook for a limited time. 200+ 5-Star reviews on Amazon. Available right now on the podcast.Check out Shutterstock to sell your photos.53. Become a driver for Uber or LyftUber and Lyft let you drive people around when you want and earn the money you need. The more you drive, the more you’ll make.On the weekend you can easily pick up 10+ hours of work, and you get to set your own schedule.Uber was recently sued for over-inflating the amount of money drivers can make. It’s reasonable to expect to earn on average $10/hour driving people around, not the $20/hour claimed.Click here to join Uber and start making money ASAP.54. Sell on AmazonAmazon – the world’s biggest online store – has millions of products for sale. And there are hundreds of thousands of people just like you that are making money selling products that they don’t even make or keep inventory on!Jessica and her husband started selling on Amazon in 2012 and made over six figures profit working 20 hours a week.It’s called FBA (Fulfillment by Amazon) where Amazon stores your products in Amazon’s warehouses, processes all your orders and takes care of shipping and customer service too.My friend Jeff is living the RV lifestyle now. He sells on Amazon in his free time as he travels the country. – ScottCheck out these courses on Amazon FBA:55. BuskingBusking – or street performing – is a way for you to make money from your musical skills. Or maybe you could take your balloon making, magic, or dancing skills to the street.There are even training courses on how to become better at busking, showing people how to make up to $50,000 a year working 10-15 hours a week.56. Baby sitBabysitters can earn $10-$14 an hour according to the Boston Globe. If you work a couple of nights this week and weekend, you’ll have an extra $100.From age 14 on up, you can always babysit for extra money. Even if you live in a tiny town of 526 people, someone always needs a babysitter.Where can you find good babysitting gigs?Care.com is one of the top sites to consider putting a profile. From once-in-a-while opportunities to full-time au pairs and nanny positions Care.com is where many people look for trustworthy sitters. We used Care.com to find a nanny for when our twins were born and to find many babysitters over the years.SeekingSitters is a babysitting service parents pay a monthly fee to belong. If someone needs a sitter in a hurry SeekingSitters will start calling their pool of applicants to find someone that’s available. We’ve used SeekingSitters many times and have always been pleased with the quality of the workers.Schools – From high schools to local colleges you can try to find connections or job boards where you can advertise as a babysitter. Word-of-mouth is one of the best ways to advertise yourself.57. Night nannyMany people have not even heard of the night nanny. They are angels from heaven who provide parents of newborns a good nights sleep!Night nannies are basically night time babysitters that show up late at night and watch your kids until the morning.Husbands – do you want to give your wife a wonderful gift? Hire a night nanny once in a while so she can get a full night’s sleep.We hired Rosio from Peru (whom we found on Care.com to look after our newborn twins and paid her $10 an hour to work from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. She sang to our babies, fed them, and changed diapers. It’s worth it if both parents have to go in to work the next day!How to get startedStart with people you know – friends, co-workers, and acquaintances. Parents are more likely to trust someone they know to take care of their new baby.Post a profile on Care.com. Make sure you have referrals.58. Pet sittingEvery time we leave town for the weekend, we have to hire someone to stop by and pet the cats. While the cats can make do on their own for two days, the chickens can’t. Someone has to collect those eggs!If you love animals, then look into how to make extra money by pet sitting. Get paid to pet a dog or cat? Yes! Pet sitting as a side hustle means going over to someone’s house at least once or twice a day to check on the pet. Sometimes it might involve giving some medication. At the least, you have to refill the food and water bowls.There are also cases where you might stay at the person’s home, or take the pet to your home for a weekend or week. Check out the following companies where you can pet sit for extra money:Rover – Become a dog sitter in 10,000+ cities. Rover is specific to dogs only.Care.com – Care.com lets you create a profile for dog walking and pet sitting.59. Dog walkingRover is the biggest website to sign up to become a dog walker. If you love dogs and walking, why not get paid for it?Rover allows you to use book dog sitting for your fur kid. You can also become a dog walker yourself.Click here to check out RoverFun fact: Several listeners of the Scott Alan Turner Show are professional dog walkers who have emailed in with questions. It shows you can walk dogs full time and work towards financial freedom.60. Poop scooperOn the tail end of dog sitting is collecting animal waste (bad pun?). In our neighborhood, there are professional pooper scoopers with company trucks.DoodyCalls pet waste management charges $12 per visit. I’ve watched them clean up the neighbor’s yard. It takes about 15 minutes to earn that $12. Wow!When I was in elementary school I scooped the poop for my neighbor’s dog when they went out of town. Even an eight-year-old can make extra money with side hustles! – ScottConsider listing your poop cleaning services on a site like Angie’s List61. House sittingHouse sitting is a pretty easy gig if you can land this job. When we travel for vacation each year, we hire a friend to stay at our place and watch the pets. Depending on how long we’re gone we might pay $50-$100.You might not always get paid, but you’ll get a free place to stay. You might even take the opportunity to house sit in another state to get a free place to stay during a vacation.While housesitting, you can expect to:Take care of petsWater plantsBring in the mailYou can find opportunities to house sit here:Trusted HousesittersCraigslistLocal Facebook groups62. Temp jobsSeasonal part-time jobs are available during the summer, before the Christmas holidays, back-to-school, and before other major holidays too. Working a couple of weeks of part-time work at a retail store can easily get you $100 or more.In our state of Texas you can buy fireworks during the two weeks before July 4th, and the two weeks before New Years Day. For those four weeks during the year firework stands need workers.What about online seasonal work to earn extra money? Companies like Amazon hire many temporary workers to help with customer support during the last two months of the year. Many of their support positions can be done online and work from home.63. Gym instructorDo you know yoga, Zumba, spin cycling, body pump, or insanity? If you’ve been doing any of those things for a while, the answer is yes. Gyms are always changing out schedules and classes and need people to teach (not just personal trainers!).My friend Jeffrey is a pastor. He taught Les Mills Bodypump to supplement his income. If a pastor can instruct a gym class, so can you. – ScottSteps to get started:Google the local gyms in your areaCall and ask what type of classes they currently offerSee if they are looking for instructorsThe best part of gym instruction is you make extra money while getting a workout. Plus classes are in the early morning or late evening, allowing you to work a regular job.64. Take photographsMaybe you’ve got the nice fancy camera. And maybe you even paid for a two-hour class at the local camera store to figure out the most important of the thousand different camera settings.If you want to start a side business taking student or family portraits, capturing someone’s special wedding day, or sell your pictures through a stock photography website, photography is a popular and flexible way to make extra money.My friend Shara has been hired by countless friends for weddings and family photos. I’ve paid her $100 before to take pictures at my band gigs. Compared to the thousands of dollars a full-time professional would charge, she’s a steal. – ScottTo break into the photography business:Offer to take pictures of friends and family for free.Build up your portfolio.Get referrals and build a good reputation.Start charging for your services.Sign up for this free 6-day intro course to getting started as a photographer.65. Join a focus groupHave you ever wondered how the latest flavor of Doritos or apple-cinnamon Coke ended up on the store shelves? Chances are, someone got paid to give their opinion as part of a focus group.Companies with products and services pay people to join focus groups to help with improving the development and marketing. You could earn cash on the spot, checks, gift cards, or free stuff for participating.How much can you make?Some focus groups pay $250 or even $300, but those are on the high end and hard to find. It’s more realistic to earn $50-$75 for your time. Focus groups can be a fun and easy way to earn extra cash.Here are a few to check out:66. Mow lawnsYes, unless you live in the city one of the easiest part-time side hustles is mowing lawns. You can make $20-$50 depending on the size of the lawn. Plus it’s a great job for teenagers.All you need is:a used $100 lawnmoweredgerbrooma gallon of gasand you’re in business.Don’t want to mow lawns? Try filling out online surveys for an extra $250 / month.67. Aerate lawnsThe soil under lawns becomes compacted over time. Aerating lawns – the process of poking holes in the lawn – provides air to roots which prevent disease and results in a healthier looking lawn.Aerating a lawn every 1-2 years is a good idea to maintain a healthy lawn. Taking on this project is very seasonal and can earn some quick cash. It’s hard work because the machinery is very heavy.How to do it:Scatter your neighborhood with flyers offering to aerate lawns. Make sure your ad explains the benefits of aeration!Quote a price based on the size of the lawn.Schedule the work with your customers. Tell them they don’t have to be home and to leave payment in a mailbox. Make sure they leave back gates are unlocked.Rent an aerator from a local home improvement store – you will need a truck with ramps or a trailer with ramps to load the aerator. They are extremely heavy, and you cannot lift one alone. You can usually rent one for $100/day. By your second or third job, you should break even on the rental.Do the work!68. PaintAnyone can paint, especially outdoor projects where you can be a little messier. Post an ad in Craigslist or a sign on the street offering painting services. There are lots of things around the house people need to be painted:fencesentire homestrimwindowsroomsbenches and chairsIn my neighborhood where everyone has a fenced in backyard, professionally re-staining a fence costs $1,000 and up! My husband does the work himself, and it takes about 8-hours, saving us at least $700.69. Handyman servicesNot everyone wants to wire a new ceiling fan or replace their old thermostat with a new smart thermostat you can set with your phone.And sometimes it makes more sense to hire a person for a special project then spending 6 hours assembling a piece of IKEA furniture that has 1,000 nuts and bolts.Post an add on Craigslist or in a local community Facebook group offering your services.Tip: Maybe you have a honey-do list that’s collecting dust and has become a honey-won’t. I give my husband a deadline. I pick a date for him to do the project. He has until that date, or I’m going to pay someone else to do it. Works almost every time.70. Shoveling snowScott used to make $15-$20 a snowstorm shoveling snow for his elderly neighbor. You can make even more depending on the size of the area to shovel. In colder climates with moderate snowfall, you can quickly earn $100 over a weekend with just a few customers.71. Clean homesWhen my friend Ania arrived in the United States from Poland with nothing to her name, she started cleaning homes. She grew her business to where she was hiring other people to clean the houses of her clients. She has an amazing story of having no money and achieving the American dream.Everyone needs to have their house cleaned at some point.Seniors get to the point where they can’t physically clean their homes.When someone sells a home, it can be quicker and cheaper to pay someone $100 (or more) to come in and make it look nice for prospective buyers.Other people are just too busy to do it themselves or rather pay someone to do it.How to get started:put flyers on cars and in mailboxespost an ad to a Facebook grouppost an ad on CraiglistAfter you get a few clients and do a good job, you’ll start to get referrals.72. Wash, wax, and detail carsProfessional auto detailing can cost $40 and up. It’s another service people who own cars will want at some point, especially when it’s time to trade-in for a new vehicle. Wash and detail a few cars in a weekend, and you can easily pick up an extra $100.73. Set up holiday decorationsYes, there are people who will pay you to fluff their artificial Christmas tree. I should know – I’ve done it! Fluffing fake trees is both time consuming, boring, and painful, so some years I hire a neighbor to do it.You can pick up a quick $10$-20 per tree and listen to the Scott Alan Turner Show while you work.Plus, plenty of people need their holiday lights staged and taken down.74. Paint street numbersHead to your local home improvement store and buy a can of reflective spray paint and some number templates and you’ve got yourself a business!Our neighborhood has thousands of homes. Every couple years we’ll get a flier from someone offering to paint our house number on the curb. Having the house number on the curb can help visitors, police, and the fire department find your house more easily.How to get started:Print 1/2 page fliers offering to paint numbers.Include a bright yellow envelope (or any bright color).Tell the home owner to leave $10 attached to their mailbox / front door as payment on a designated day.Show up and whoever leaves you an envelope with money is a paying customer.75. Take surveysThere are plenty of companies that will pay you for your opinion.Check out Survey Junkie, Swagbucks, InboxDollars, OneOpinion, and MyPoints.Related: How you can easily make extra money by filling out surveys.Make more cash at your jobIt’s still the best way to earn more money fast – make more at a job you already have.76. Work overtimeA little extra work never hurt anyone, especially when you can get paid a little extra. If you need money, let your boss or supervisor know you’re available for overtime or extra projects.My sister is a paramedic and works all the overtime she can get. On weekends and holidays, she can earn even more. Her overtime supports her lifestyle of taking lots of vacations and running marathons (she’s completed all 50 states) and on several continents (including Africa, South America, and Antartica). – Scott77. Refer employees or internsCompanies with 100+ employees may have an employee referral program where you get paid if you refer someone that gets hired and they survive the first 90 days.Networking is one of the best ways to learn about new jobs, and it’s much cheaper for an employer to pay you $1,000 for a referral than a headhunter $10,000 to fill a position.How to do it:Check with your HR department if there is a referral programFind out about open positions in your companyReach out to your contacts on LinkedIn or Facebook and let them know your employer is hiring.78. Give customer referralsSimilar to employee referrals, customer referrals can earn you a reward or finder’s fee. When it comes down to it, every employee is a representative of the company. Figure out the basics of explaining the company’s products or services and get people interested in them.You never know – you might end up on the sales team.79. Sign up for the wellness programHealth is more important than ever these days for companies given the high cost of health insurance. Some employers will pay you to exercise, eat healthily, and maintain a healthy weight.Check with the HR department and see if a wellness program exists. If you’re already healthy, it can be an easy win. If not, you get the double bonus of feeling better and getting rewarded for it.80. Participate in your 401(k)If your employer offers any retirement matching program – that’s free money! Start small by contributing just $1 out of every $100 you earn – 1% of your paycheck. The amount is so small you’ll never miss it. But over your working lifetime, the amount can compound into $1M.Read about this everyday family that became 401(k) millionaires81. Save the company some moneyMy friend back in Atlanta started a new job in the accounting department at a small company. In his first two weeks, he pointed out how the company could save $50,000/year.Guess who got a giant raise and promotion almost immediately after starting his new job?You don’t have to be an accountant to save your company money. All you have to do is look around. Make a list of 20-30 ideas of ways to save and how much the savings total. Look beyond the big changes such as changing vendors. It could be something that saves $10/month to $100/month. Those savings add up!Replacing light bulbs with energy saving LEDs.Switching from store brand to generic for stuff in the break room.Inventions for the manufacturing floor.Ways to increase efficiency or decrease absenteeism.If your boss is smart, you’ll get some reward or acknowledgment for helping out.Part-time jobsIf you’re trying to get out of debt fast, there is still no better way than a part-time job while you pay down your debts. These jobs are flexible enough to your schedule while still earning you enough to make it worth your while.82. Deliver foodYou may have heard you can earn an extra $1,000 a month delivering pizza. The reality is with tips you can average about $10 an hour. So you would have to work 25 hours a week to make $1,000, and that’s before taxes. Still, it’s an easy job to find.DoorDash is the Uber of food. You sign up to become a Dasher, and instead of driving people around you pick up to-go orders at restaurants and deliver food.DoorDash is currently in big cities only but if you need a flexible schedule and quick cash this week, delivering food is pretty easy.83. Help out at dinner partiesI love to host dinner parties and have friends over! The more people we have, the more there is to clean up after everyone has gone home. And there is nothing I like better than spending two hours cleaning up after a party (not really).Recently I found I can hire a couple lady’s at $20 each per hour to help out at the party and clean up afterward. I love it! Now I’m free to spend more time with my guests instead of refilling glasses and taking out the trash every 30 minutes.I value the time with my friends more than the cost of the help on a Saturday night.Most people that host parties have never even heard or considered hiring a little help (ok, maybe the swank socialites in Manhatten or Beverly Hills, but that’s not me).How to do itCreate an ad on Craigslist or a local Facebook groupDress comfortably and professionally for the party (khaki’s and a polo shirt should do)Set the expectations with your host of what you will do – show up early to help set up, refill drinks, clean up dishes, take out the trash, pass out food, take coats, keep the soap dispenser full in the bathroom, clean up afterward.84. BartendingScott’s take:Yes, I went to bartending school after I graduated from college. When I didn’t get any job interviews, and my meager savings were drying up I needed a quick solution to make money for the rent. Five days later and $495 lighter, I graduated bartending school. I never poured a drink – I found a programming job the same week I was supposed to start bartending at a golf club.I would have made more money bartending than my first year’s salary in the corporate world.You may or may not need a Ph.D. in Mixology to pour a beer depending on your location. But if you’re looking for an evening job during the week and can pour a beer, bartending may be an option. The weekend hours are generally reserved for the pros.85. LifeguardLifeguarding at a pool is the perfect summer job for teachers. Sit in the sun, yell at children (just like during the school year!) and get paid for it.Consider working at:Community poolsClubsWater parks86. Substitute teachSubstitute teaching is a bit like being a stand-up comic with a new audience every day.Depending on the location substitute teaching can earn you $100 a day depending on the position, and if you’re a professional teacher or a classroom assistant.Substituting requires great flexibility because you’ll often be called the morning of the day your services will be required.Search your local school district’s website for information on becoming a substitute teacher.87. Be a boot camp instructorWould you like to yell at people to drop and give you twenty (pushups)?If you’re into fitness and have attended fitness boot camps, you can probably put together your own and earn $100 in an hour or two on weekend or weekday mornings.How much can you make?It’s reasonable to make $10 per person for a 60-minute session. If you can get ten people to sign up – you’ve just made $100 an hour!How to get startedDesign a simple program. You don’t need fancy equipment, just a kick-butt program. Watch videos like Insanity or P90X for ideas.Pick your location (such as a community park)Advertise to your friends/family/co-workers on social media. You could fill your class without spending any moneyHold your class and have fun.88. Run errands for other peopleYou can help people with their chores and small projects by becoming a Tasker on TaskRabbitIn fact, some people make up to $2,000 a week on TaskRabbit according to Time. And some TaskRabbit handymen can make $78,000 a yearI got paid $70 an hour to fold t-shirts for a start-up company. They were supposed to come folded, and the company was desperate to get them folded before an event. It taught me that if someone is desperate enough, they’ll pay what they need to pay to get people to help. – Brian, age 45, San FranciscoAre you good at assembling furniture?Do you have a van or truck for moving stuff?Can you install a ceiling fan and do handyman stuff?Can you shop?Make a delivery?There are all kinds of tasks you can make money at with TaskRabbit. Check out the website and see if you can find something that fits your skills.Rent your stuff89. Rent your clothingI’ve used Rent the Runway several times to rent very expensive dresses for not much. It’s such a great service to save money (consider it for prom!)You probably don’t have $1,000 Vera Wang dresses lying around to rent and make money.StyleLend lets you earn extra cash without having to sell your clothes. If you have designer clothes ($200+ retail) in great condition, you can rent them out.How it worksFill out your item detailsWait for approvalShip your items to StyleLendPeople shop your digital closet and rent your items.After your item is rented, it’s dry cleaned.You get back your items at your requestDon’t want to pay $4,126 for an Oscar De La Renta dress? No problem. You can rent it for $125 at StyleLend.90. Rent your spare rooms (or your couch)Maybe you’ve heard of Airbnb. I’ve booked rooms when I traveled to Tokyo, Japan and Scott’s used it to book a mountain chalet in the Swiss Alps.We made over $5,000 in the fall/winter renting our ‘lakeside villa retreat‘ for $250/night.So yes, you can make money renting out your place. Sometimes you might get $30/night for your couch, or $300/night and up if you own a condo downtown in a big city.If you’re looking for a roommate that’s another great way to save money on rent or a mortgage.Even if you don’t plan on renting your space, consider Airbnb the next time you travel because it’s much, much cheaper than the dry, old, name-brand hotels. There’s no Hilton or Marriot in the Swiss Alps anyway.91. Rent your extra garage or shed for cashStow is a peer-to-peer storage app connecting renters and people with extra space.Available currently in Colorado only.92. Rent your sports equipmentWith Spinlister you make money by renting out your bike, surfboard, or snowboard. I was quite surprised when I pulled up Spinlister to see dozens of bikes for rent in our area.If you’re visiting a city and want to rent a bike or snow gear for the day, it’s the perfect option.How it works:List your gear for – it’s free!Spinlister takes a cut of any rental fees (17.5%)You can request to have the equipment picked up, or you can deliver it.Get paid when the item is returned.The service provides damage and theft protection as well.93. Baby gearIf you’ve ever traveled with kids, you know packing takes an extra 1/2 day. And the amount of baby gear you have to haul to the airport can make it seem like you need a second vehicle just for luggage.And I have to do that with twins.Now you can use the goBaby app to hook you up with parents at your destination who will be glad to rent you just what you need.Advertised as the Airbnb for Baby Gear on the Go, you can search for and rent strollers, car seats, pack-n-plays and all that heavy equipment. No more dragging it through the airport and paying $25 for every piece of luggage!How it works:Download the goBaby app for freeTake a photo of the item you want to rent.Add a description, and set your price.Select if you’ll deliver the item or have it picked up.Schedule the transaction and rental datesYou get paid when the item is returned.Where was this app when I was traveling with my newborn twins?94. Rent everything elseWhat’s the biggest advertising space on the web with over 30 million visitors a month?It’s Craigslist.If you have anything to rent post a free ad. A quick search of ‘for rent’ in my area pulled up:Tent, tables, and chairsTrailerPA systemPhoto studioMotorhomeDr. Who Tardis – Scott would like this.Ok if someone can rent a Tardis, you can find something to rent and make money too.Sell your soulOk, there is no devil in a storefront that will write you a check for your soul. But medical facilities provide opportunities to buy non-critical stuff your body creates naturally.95. Sell plasmaIn our area, you can get paid up to $400 each month by donating life-saving plasma. The compensation is applicable for eligible, qualified new donors.If you have a flexible schedule where you can go into a plasma donation center, you can make money fast by visiting 2-3 times a week.Google your city and ‘sell plasma’ to find the centers near you. Call around because fees vary by location.96. Sell breast milkSome new moms can’t produce enough (or any) breast milk for their newborns. Instead of buying formula they prefer to purchase breast milk from other new mom’s. Many doctors recommend breastfeeding as the preferred way to give nutrients to a baby over formula. It’s natural, easier to digest, and unprocessed.Breastmilk can be bought and sold online through Only The Breast. It’s referred to as liquid gold and can fetch anywhere from $1.00 to $2.50 an ounce.If a baby consumes 20 ounces of breast milk a day for six months, you can make a lot of money.20 ounces X $2.00/ounce X 180 days = $7,200.There is also the Mothers Milk Coop that pays you $1 / ounce to be a milk donor.97. Egg donationEgg donation can pay big bucks, but the time and mental cost can be quite high. Donors can earn between $3,000 and $5,000.Check out We Are Egg Donors for more information.Do you know someone that went through IVF? The National Registry for Adoption (NRFA) is a service for embryo donation and adoption. NRFA lets people donate extra frozen embryos to families that want to give birth but are medically unable to create an embryo.98. Participate in medical studiesIf you have a condition, would making money to help find a cure or feel better be worth it?If you have a college or university close by, give the medical department a call to see if they are looking for participants in medical studies. You might also contact local research centers if your hospital has them to look for opportunities.Pain sucks, and you might just get better while getting paid. Check out these sites that maintain lists of where you can find clinical trial opportunities:Optimize your spending habitsWhile lifestyle changes don’t exactly make money fast, they can save you a lot of money fast.Read how this couple saved $1,200 a month by changing six small habitsHave you signed up for Save $,1000 In One Week?99. Save money on eating this weekFood is one of the big four in everyone’s budget (the others are housing, transportation, and healthcare). The cost of eating is one area in your finances where you can cut back a little (if you haven’t already).If you spend $200 a week on groceries, try eating some cheap meals and cut your grocery budget in half for the week. You’ll save $100 in as little as seven days.Related: 12 ways to save money on groceries100. Cut the cableThe average cable bill is $100/month, or $1,200/year. Keep multiplying – that’s $12,000 over ten years. Is watching T.V. worth that much?Ditch cable and you’ll not only have an extra $100 this month, but every month.Related: 10 best ways to save money on your cable bill101. Figure out your latte factorYes, the $5 daily latte’s can add up quick. For many people, it’s the $5 coffee, the $12 lunch, the $2 afternoon snack, the $1 soda. Add up everything, and you’re talking $20 a day.Hey, I’m all for life’s little pleasures, but taken in moderation, you can save a lot of money and still occasionally enjoy the things you love.Related: Use the Latte Factor Calculator to see if you’ve had a $20,000 cup of coffee.102. Give up your ‘sins’ for a monthEnergy drinks? Cigarettes? Beer? Wine? Yes, habits are hard to break. But if you don’t have to pay the sin tax to the government for your vices, you’ll not only end up healthier you can save $100 or more each month.Related: Use the Latte Factor Calculator to see what a weekly bottle of wine is worth.103. Get paid to have your energy use tweakedWhen temperatures get hot air conditioners create huge peak demands for power. If you have a smart thermostat (like the Nest) check with your utility provider to see if they have a demand response program.In our area, our utility company gave us a $200 account credit for signing up and participating in the program. During the summer our thermostat temperature will be adjusted up a couple of degrees during the evening for a maximum of two hours if the power company is trying to reduce demand.If we’re home and it becomes uncomfortable, we can override the thermostat settings.Check with your utility provider if you there is an energy saving program you can participate.104. Get $75 (California residents) to curb your energy useDepending on your total energy use, you could earn up to $300 per year by signing up for OhmConnect and reduce your energy use.How it worksOhmConnect is completely free to use.Your utility service remains the same.If you have a smart thermostat adjustments are made automatically when the power company needs to reduce demand.You can also manually adjust your energy use for about 30 minutes to participate.OhmConnect also has a referral program where you can get paid up to $75 to help your friends save money and energy.105. Save money on alcoholOk, we did just say give up the ‘sins’ for a month. But I’m pretty excited Costco is opening up a liquor store soon.Here are some ways to save money on alcoholInteresting ways to make money fast in 2017106. Sell your unused airline milesDo you travel occasionally but never earn enough points to do anything?Points lets you transfer miles between frequent flyer programs. You can also redeem miles for shopping, dining, or gift cards.If you want cash instead of gift cards, get the gift cards first and then sell them.107. CuddleYes, you can cozy up to a stranger and get paid for it. Cuddling – defined as nonsexual touching – is big business. Brianna Quijada – a 30-year old in Queens, NY – charges $80/hour for her cuddling services.Sites like Snuggle Buddies and Cuddlist list cuddle services with certified professional cuddlers.108. Human walkersYou probably know about people who are professional dog walkers. But now there is a new twist – people walkers. Chuck McCarthy created a service to stroll with strangers.For $7 per mile, he walks with people around his neighborhood. As a side benefit, he’s lost a lot of weight!109. Movie extrasYou never know where Hollywood might set up shop to do some shooting. Movie extras can earn $50 a day. You’ll be standing around a lot waiting for the shoot, but who doesn’t want to meet a star?Websites like Central Casting or Googling ‘movie extras’ in your city can bring up info on how to find opportunities.In my tiny hometown of 2,000 people, Robert Duvall and Robert Downey Jr. (Iron Man) spent several weeks filming The Judge in 2014. – Scott110. Invent a productScott’s take:My robot lawnmower will never become a reality for me because I’ve got other priorities. I still keep a little notebook to jot down all my million dollar ideas. Katie has been waiting nine months for this collapsible cup to show up. Do you have a brilliant idea but not the time or money to get it off the ground?If you have a great idea start by creating a low-cost prototype. You can raise funds on your own, or turn to Kickstarter or Indiegogo for crowdfunding.If I ever decide to pursue one of my amazing inventions, I’d give some serious thought to Quirky.Quirky is an invention platform where you can crowdfund your ideas. Quirky has paid out over $10M to i’s members.Talented renderers, sketch artists, and toy enthusiasts in the community help strengthen idea submissions. In turn, inventors share a cut of the product revenue with members who assist in turning ideas into reality.111. Cash in on your credit card rewardsHave you redeemed any of those rewards on the credit cards you own? Even if you’re trying to get out of debt, you may still have unredeemed cash back rewards on your credit cards.Log in to each credit card you ownCheck for any cash back rewards you might haveRedeem any outstanding rewards112. Get paid to get fitIf you need some extra motivation to get in shape, now you can earn money from your daily workouts.If you’ve got a Fitbit, MyFitnessPall, RunKeeper, or use one of the dozens of other workout apps, check out how you can get paid to get fit.There you go! So many ways to make money fast. If you’re looking to pay off your debt faster or save more money, making extra money can help.Your Turn: Which of these things do you think you’ll try to make money fast? How I Saved Over $1,000 On Everyday ExpensesTake this FREE 7-day challenge to learn how you can do the same Related Articles 120profit.com - https://120profit.com/?p=2286&utm_source=SocialAutoPoster&utm_medium=Social&utm_campaign=Tumblr

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funnythingshere0-blog · 6 years

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20 Facts People Don't Know About Tow Truck Drivers

New Post has been published on http://funnythingshere.xyz/20-facts-people-dont-know-about-tow-truck-drivers/

20 Facts People Don't Know About Tow Truck Drivers

by Alex Keobke

– on Aug 23, 2018

in Car Culture

When you were growing up there may have been several different careers that you had aspirations of one day getting to do. But I don’t know if I’m speaking falsely when I say that I don’t think many people grow up hoping to have a career as a tow truck driver. Though if I’m being fair, you may be about to read several things that make it a very intriguing career option. Such as the fact that they make more on average in Canada than a significant portion of the population.

That being said, you would also have to deal with several awful ramifications of the job. Such as the fact that one of the tow truck drivers on our list once got whacked in the face with a baseball bat. But his co-worker was shot at, so I suppose perhaps this person was just counting themselves lucky. But if “lucky” means you only get beat up with a bat, then a new career may very well be something you consider.

There are also many little tricks and tips that tow truck drivers have been known to implement. Some of which that may explain why they have given you some headaches in the past if you have had to encounter them. Though this list is also going to be well worth your time because I also mention ways for you to save some money if you do ever find yourself having to interact with a tow truck company.

These are the 20 things people don’t know about tow truck drivers.

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20 They Can Lie To Get An Address

Via yrcat.com

When it comes time for a tow truck driver to come and take your car, one of the most important things for them to know is your address so they can come and find it.

But how they go about finding an address is not always the most honest way, at least according to a former tow truck driver.

“They might have someone call the guy and tell him something stupid like he’s won tickets to something and they want to know where to send them – anything sneaky so they get the guy’s address,” Sounds similar to a situation where someone may disguise their appearance in order to deliver court ordered papers!

19 They Can Get In Serious Altercations

via vanmag.com

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There are some negative ramifications that are sure to come with any job that you choose to do. But the life of a tow truck driver can include some serious altercations when you get on the bad side of someone, “We kind of walked into a group of people who saw that we had our company tow truck shirts on and a friend got into a little bit of an altercation with them. I was trying to tell everyone to not worry about it and go home, but when I wasn’t looking I got a baseball bat to my face,” said a former tow truck driver, as well as saying a former co-worker had been shot at while on the job. (Source: CNN).

18 It Can Get Competitive Over Who Tows The Cars

via dfwtowingservices.com

You can understand that there are some jobs out there where you are facing some serious competition. And for tow truck drivers, they definitely may have to deal with someone else trying to come and collect on illegally parked cars.

A former tow truck driver mentioned how he would swoop in when the time was right.

In the process they ended up making their competition pretty upset, “It’s not my fault they haven’t been going and checking for cars. They thought no one else would be at that property and little did they know I just rolled up and took all their cars”.

17 They’ll Sometimes Leave Illegal Cars As A Trap

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One of the biggest reasons as to why you may choose to park where you do is because you’ve noticed there are other cars in the area. But that doesn’t always mean those cars are there legally. In fact, they may be purposely left there by tow truck companies in order to catch more people, “Normally, these drivers won’t grab all the cars from a lot because they don’t want people to think there’s a strict policy. It’s kind of like fishing, you want to keep some bait out there. But when the money’s tight, people take every car they can,” said a former driver when talking about their methods. (Source: Neatorama).

16 They Need To Make Sure The Car Is Empty

via superstreetonline.com

This might sound like a ridiculous story, but you can only imagine the dread that this tow truck driver felt.

After towing a car in Illinois, the owner of the tow truck realized that there was still a child inside the car!

Making the situation perhaps even more problematic was the fact that the child suffers from Down syndrome. You can make the argument that the father should have never left his son in the car, the whole situation is a nightmare for everyone involved. The driver was later wanted for charges of child endangerment after he let the child out after a few blocks. (Source: ABC).

15 They Have To Give An Estimate For The Costs

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It can be a nightmare to see your car getting towed as you start to calculate the potential costs that are going to be associated with it. But in Canada, there are rules implemented to help make the process a little bit less frustrating for the driver, “The rules changed that motorists are required to sign authorization before towing commences, and also receive an estimate for the costs that are going to be incurred, and the costs cannot be more than 10 percent at the end of the day beyond what was initially quoted.” Which means that at least you aren’t going to be quoted at a certain cost and then get the actual cost later that is significantly higher. (Source: CBC).

14 Customers Can Pay A Drop Charge

via blogspot.com

If you looked out your window and saw your car getting towed, you may start to panic. But if you want to help solve some of the problems associated with it, make sure you go out and talk to the driver about a “Drop charge”. When discussing how the “Drop Charge” and the different rules around it can work (as things like the cost paid may vary), the Globe and Mail stated “Once the car is hooked, the tow-truck driver can proceed with taking that vehicle to the impound yard.

If the driver gets there before the tow truck operator has started hooking up their car, they can pay him a fee – 50 percent of the $70 towing fee – to let you go.

If the driver moves the car before the tow truck arrives, he avoids the impound fee completely,” (Source: TheGlobeAndMail).

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13 They Really Help Keep Traffic Moving

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You may have a very good reason to have some scorn for a tow truck company that has inconvenienced you in the past. But tow truck companies are also hugely important for helping make sure you are able to get to work on time, “Certain streets through the city are designated as rush routes. Between 7 and 9:30 a.m. we tow all the illegally parked cars to keep the traffic moving – otherwise you’d have gridlock. It’s bad enough as it is, because they’ve changed a lot of the streets to accommodate bike routes; it’s really starting to slow down the movement of traffic,” said one tow truck driver when talking about the impact he has on traffic.

12 The Quality Of The Cars They Typically Tow

via clovertowing.com

It might be nice to imagine that the tow truck driver is towing away expensive supercars that are hopefully owned by people who are more than comfortable paying the fees it costs to get their car back. But in some cases, it’s the nicest cars that can get left behind “Sometimes you’d have a fairly new car and under weird circumstances the people didn’t come to claim the actual nice cars,” said a former tow truck driver. But perhaps the owner just goes out and buys themselves a new car? Though he did go on to admit, “But it’s pretty rare that the cars were nice”.

11 They Can Make Serious Commission On The Job

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One of the best ways for a tow truck driver to take home a bigger cheque isn’t necessarily to make sure they are working longer hours, but that they are being effective with their time, as commission plays a big role in how much they ultimately are able to earn.

It was reported that the main tow truck company in Vancouver, Busters, pays tow truck drivers 67% of whatever it is the tow fee is.

Another tow truck driver who worked in the industry for over 35 years also stated that most of his income also came from commissions. (Source: TruckDriversSalary, VanMag).

10 They Need To Be Careful Not To Ruin The Car

via junkcarbuyersdirect.com

If you are getting ready to tow a car, you need to make sure you are doing everything you can to do the process safely. When one woman’s Pontiac Vibe AWD was improperly towed, it ended up causing some serious damage to the vehicle as the transmission was ruined when the car was towed while in park. “I didn’t want to be a b*tch, but I was very assertive and called Busters every day until they paid the bill for $3,650. The tow truck driver had to pay for everything.” Yikes! You can imagine that was probably a pretty awful day of work when the tow truck driver realized what they had done. (Source: VanMag).

9 There Is A Great Deal Of Paperwork That Can Be Involved

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If you had to guess as to what a typical day would look like for a tow truck driver, you’d probably assume it involved a day that was almost entirely spent on the road. But that may not always be the case.

When describing what a typical day looks like, an online website made sure to warn people about the significant amount of paperwork that the driver may have to deal with.

Which means that you want to spend a solid amount of time working on your penmanship as it may end up being just as important as your driving skills! (Source: SuperiorTowingGreeley).

8 They May Have To Work On Call

via edpeer.org

One of the most frustrating things about your job could be if you are required to be “on call”. Which means that even if you are sitting at home and getting ready to enjoy a nice home cooked meal, there is a solid chance that your phone is going to go off and you are going to have to go into work. Something that may be even more annoying for tow truck drivers who – unlike other professions like firefighters – won’t often be given the luxury of having several days off in a row where they are considered “off call”. (Source: Deadron).

7 There Is A Code Of Ethics

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No matter how nice you are as a tow truck driver, you are probably still going to find yourself making people pretty upset when they have to see you. But perhaps that’s just the nature of the job. But at least with Busters Towing, located in Vancouver, the company promises to abide by the code of ethics that was officially published by the Automotive Retailers Association. Which means that part of working for them must be understanding what that code entails in order to be able to make sure you are following it! (Source: BustersTowing).

6 There Is A School For Towing

via savetow.com

It is perhaps common sense that you need to be a fantastic driver if you are going to be able to have a career as a tow truck driver. At least unless you want to get into accidents on a very regular basis.

They also need to make sure they have good eyesight, or at the very least, be willing to go out and buy some glasses!

But if you are from the states did you know there is a program you can go to get officially certified by the Towing and Recovery Association of America? You can imagine that would probably look pretty good on the resume! (Source: TraaOnline).

5 Don’t Try And Drive Away Once Hooked

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It is possible that once you see your car start to get towed that the driver may agree to let your car go. But if you have your car fully up on the tow truck, the last thing you want to do is to still try and make a break for it. An incident in Colorado Springs occurred in 2011 when a woman tried to drive away after seeing her car was being towed which led to the cable become accidentally wrapped around the tow truck driver who was then dragged to his death after the woman drove for 1.4 miles before seeing what she had done. (Source: Quora).

4 Cops Will Give Them The Order To Tow Cars

via wikiwand.com

There is another entry on our list that talks about how if you find yourself getting towed, that you have the option to potentially pay a small fee and have the car not get towed. But if your car is ordered to be seized by a police officer – which is definitely something that a tow truck driver may have to experience – you are going to have no luck trying to convince them to let you go with just a small slap on the wrist! But I suppose that’s what you get for breaking the law in a significant enough way that law enforcement had to be called.

3 They Need A Contract To Tow From Private Property In Australia

Via philztowing.com

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If you are living in Australia and have aspirations to become a tow truck driver, you need to make sure you are organized. When discussing the job on the government website, the responsibilities of the tow truck driver is outlined “Tow truck drivers must carry a copy of the Towing Consent (evidencing the written contract between the tow truck license holder and private property owner/occupier) when towing a vehicle from private property and produce the Towing Consent to a vehicle owner or authorized officer on request.” I’m sure having the towing consent has helped solve many arguments in the past. (Source: TMR.Gov).

2 There Are Different Ways To Tow Cars

via wheninmanila.com

You might not know this when you start looking into the career of a tow truck driver, but there are several different ways that you can help get your desired vehicle moved. Depending on what it is, some tow truck companies – such as Bill’s Towing & Recovery – has access to things like a flatbed. They may also do what is more “typical” in your eyes by moving the vehicle by lifting it by the wheels or frame. But that may also mean that if you think your car is unable to be towed, you can probably think again. (Source: BillsTowing).

1 How Much They Earn Per Year

Via auto-towing.ca

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It is very possible that now that you are at the end of the list that you have aspirations to become a tow truck driver! But if you do, you definitely want to be aware as to what they normally make on any given year. It was reported that – at least in British Columbia – that the average Median of $49,313. Which, to be fair, does mean that they are making 1.5 times more than what the average person in Canada is earning. Though considering some of the horror stories on this list, I’m sure there are many drivers who feel they are significantly underpaid for the frustrations that they have to deal with! (Source: Neuvoo).

Sources: VanMag.com, CBC.ca, TheGlobeAndMail.com

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cleopatrarps · 6 years

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‘I Couldn’t Tell Anyone’: Women Around the World Reveal Intimate Stories of Abortion

Voters in Ireland this spring struck down a 35-year-old constitutional ban on abortion, one of the strictest in Europe. In Poland, politicians are making a renewed push to restrict abortion. A bill to legalize abortion is narrowly advancing through Argentina’s Congress.

And in the United States, the departure of Justice Anthony Kennedy and President Trump’s selection to succeed him is expected to redraw the well-established legal battle lines over abortion rights.

Behind the roiling public debates are deeply personal experiences: an unintended pregnancy, rape, family influence, a medical crisis, feelings of loss.

Even in places where the practice is legal, abortion can still be hard to talk about. When we invited readers to share their own stories, more than 1,300 responded from over 30 countries, showing the vast range of reasons, means and outcomes for abortion.

We selected the 13 stories below from distant pockets of the globe. They reflect the spectrum of abortion laws and the important roles of money, technology, information and culture in dictating the safety and aftermath of the procedure. These accounts have been condensed and edited for clarity, and to protect the identities of those involved.

Money

Money can play a major role in access to a safe abortion, especially in countries where the procedure is illegal.

Tegucigalpa, Honduras

Under the Honduran penal code, abortion is illegal in all cases. The possible exception described in the country’s Medical Code of Ethics is when an abortion would save the life of a pregnant woman, but that can be hard to determine and the ethics code does not rise to the level of national law.

GG: I was just 16 years old. My partner at the time wasn’t the ideal person — he was studying, wasn’t financially stable — and I have always feared motherhood.

I found a doctor in my community. I told him about my situation and he decided to “help” me. It was a risky situation for him, and I didn’t have the large sum of money he asked for.

He said he would reduce the price if I had sex with him. Scared, I accepted.

After I “paid” him, he inserted an injection and pills into my uterus. It was painful, like cramps, but worse. I couldn’t tell anyone, and I was worried because through the course of the night I hadn’t even bled. I was afraid it wouldn’t work and that I’d wind up with a sick baby.

I went to the doctor first thing in the morning. He examined me and said that I was so early into the pregnancy that my body reabsorbed it [the embryo remnants].

My period returned some time after. It was heavy, and it smelled bad, but I haven’t experienced any irregularities since. To date, I don’t know the repercussions this may have had on my body.

Nobody aside from my partner knew. I had to go on with my life as if nothing happened.

Dublin, Ireland

Until this spring, abortion was illegal in Ireland except to save the woman’s life.

Caoimhe: Both of us knew that there was no way we could afford to bring a child into the world. We knew what we had to do, so we booked an appointment for a surgical abortion at a clinic in Manchester [England].

The surgery itself was horrible, but my nurse held my hand through it. As we were leaving, she told me to rest and take my antibiotics that evening. I should expect to bleed heavily over the next few days, but this was normal.

After arriving at the hotel, I tried to sleep, when a sign on the hotel dresser caught my eye: “Soilage Charge: £150.” I had been so brave until that moment, but I just couldn’t hold it in anymore.

The hotel, the last-minute flights, the transport to and from the airport, the actual surgery — my credit card was maxed out. I couldn’t afford another £150 ($200).

My boyfriend was already asleep in the bed, so I made my way into the bathroom, rolled my jacket into a pillow and slept in the bathtub, crying myself to sleep.

Feelings of Loss

For some women, abortion encompasses irreparable heartbreak, especially when coupled with other traumas like an abusive partner.

Kuje, Nigeria

Abortion is illegal in Nigeria except to save the woman’s life.

RL: My boyfriend wanted to have sex with me, but I was not in the mood. He tried penetrating me. I struggled to resist him.

A few weeks later, I got ill. I went to the hospital and was told I was pregnant.

I confronted my boyfriend, but he denied the pregnancy. I thought, I will break the hearts of everyone who looked after me. I was so scared and all alone.

My boyfriend then took me to an unskilled provider who carried out a surgical procedure on me at 12 weeks. It was quite painful and was done in a dirty environment. I was scared that I would lose my life.

Two months later I was ill again and went back to the hospital; a scan revealed that I was 20 weeks pregnant. I continued to carry the pregnancy but had a stillbirth at 37 weeks.

It took me a long time to recover after the death of my child. I still somehow feel responsible that the failed abortion exposed my baby to infection.

Lexington, Mass., United States

Abortion is legal in the United States. Individual states have restrictions on the procedure, including waiting periods and limits on timing, generally to before 20 to 24 weeks of gestation.

GR: We already had three children, all daughters, when we had an unexpected pregnancy. My husband repeated that he only wanted a son for a fourth. He suggested I take a gender test, at 11 weeks. When I told him I would not take such a test, he raised getting an abortion.

On a frigid morning in January of 2009, my now-ex husband drove me to a now-closed clinic, off Route 9 in Boston. I recall sitting behind him in the car ride down — rather than beside him — because this abortion was his idea.

We entered the waiting room, where my husband paid for the abortion. For over an hour I wept in a chair beside him. I could not complete the intake form. I could not check off the small box in the lower corner of the page asking about coercion.

I was shaking, weeping and frightened. At one point, a silver-haired security worker approached me and said, “You should not be here.”

With great reluctance, I signed the form and waited my turn.

For years following, I have heard the cries of newborns — at the grocery store, in the airport on my way to a business trip, in parks, on sidewalks — and it triggers that frigid day in January.

Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

Australian abortion laws vary by state. In Queensland, it is illegal except to protect a woman’s mental or physical health.

S: Following six rounds of IVF, we conceived a baby. During our first trimester testing, we discovered a chromosomal disorder. I have a sibling with the same disability, for whom I will have to care when my parents no longer can.

We decided mostly based on that factor, and out of not wanting our child to endure a lifetime of hardship and pain.

Despite it being a criminal offense in my state, my obstetrician and a colleague of his arranged the paperwork for exemption for a surgical abortion, done at 12 weeks. My care was all very streamlined, and I did not feel judged. Our total out of pocket was about $500 (300 USD).

It was a traumatic experience that’s forever changed me. I was always pro-choice, but just didn’t think it would be my choice.

Portsmouth, United Kingdom

Since 1967, abortion has been widely legal in England, Scotland and Wales for pregnancies not exceeding 24 weeks. An abortion must be provided by a doctor and also requires signoff from two other doctors.

GD: Nobody told me how bad I would feel afterward. I contemplated suicide. A Christian friend supported me through healing. It was a long process, and I still miss my baby.

The Internet

The internet has spread information about abortions as well as access to the procedure. Websites, like the Netherlands-based Women on Web, provide the pills necessary for an early medical abortion. Each woman is given an online consultation with a licensed doctor before she is mailed the medications, typically mifepristone and misoprostol pills, that induce a miscarriage.

Lusake, Zambia

Abortion is broadly legal for health and socioeconomic reasons in Zambia, but it requires the consent of three doctors and must be performed in a hospital. Violations of those rules have penalties of up to seven years in prison for the provider and 14 for the patient.

SN: I was in a committed, two-year relationship with my boyfriend and was on birth control. I accidentally missed a few days, took the pills as soon as I remembered, but found myself pregnant.

I was working full-time and studying for my master’s — I could not have a baby. In fact, I don’t like children and never wanted any.

The process of seeking an abortion through the government system was harrowing. Every step seems like a deterrent. They require several counseling sessions with providers who are very quick to make snide remarks to shame and belittle your circumstances and choice.

In the end, I decided to forgo the entire legal system in favor of purchasing misoprostol pills from a pharmacist I knew who was willing to sell them without a prescription.

I was eight weeks pregnant, and I was not sure of my eligibility, the right dosage or the proper instructions for administration. None of the pharmacists I tried consulting could help me. I finally stumbled across several websites that offered instructions.

I took the pills according to the online directions and waited. I felt severe cramping and nausea but otherwise no other symptoms.

I have encouraged all my friends to go this route should they ever find themselves with an unwanted pregnancy.

Eastern Poland

In Poland, abortion is legal when the woman’s life is at risk, or in cases of rape, incest or severe prenatal defects.

K: My contraception pills didn’t work for some reason. I’m over 40 and have two children. Our financial situation wasn’t clear. Another child wasn’t part of the plan.

I contacted Women on Web and got medicine for an abortion.

The most stressful part was waiting for delivery because Polish customs officials are checking packages like this.

During the abortion I was alone but had a lot of help from other women online. That was very important and made me feel I wasn’t alone.

Only my husband knows, I didn’t tell anyone else. Making a confession about abortion is almost a suicide here.

Feelings of Liberation

Some women remember their abortions as a defining act of self-determination.

Oklahoma City, United States

Oklahoma is one of many states that require a doctor’s physical presence for a medical abortion.

Ashley: I was in an emotionally abusive marriage, and I had two young children. I was already depressed. A third child would make me even more so, rendering me incapable of being a good mother to the two children I had.

Fortunately, I had discovered the pregnancy early enough that I was able to induce the abortion through medication from Planned Parenthood.

Then I went to my in-laws’ house, where they could help me watch my children. I spent most of the day resting in the bathtub alone and suffered heavy bleeding for some time after.

I was not sad about this abortion. On the contrary, I recognized it as a necessary process to protect my children. My now ex-husband was becoming scarier to us all.

I haven’t told many people about it because I don’t want to have to argue with family members. It’s easier to spend time around each other without their judgment.

Calgary, Alberta, Canada

There are no federal laws restricting abortion in Canada, but provincial laws vary. In Alberta, abortions are legal up to 20 weeks.

JT: I had a free, surgical abortion at a clinic in the city where I live. It was both the easiest and one of the most significant choices I’ve made.

The morning of my procedure, I wasn’t allowed food or drink. I had to bring a friend to the clinic to wait for me and take me home. Once we got through the security entrance, I was admitted and brought to the waiting room. Then, I left my friend, got into my gown and waited in a common room with other patients.

After the ultrasound, which I was not required to look at, and another waiting area, I was taken for my surgery. I gave my consent, and was put under.

When I woke up, I thought I’d slept through and missed my procedure, but it was done. At the clinic, I felt safe, and relieved. My ability to have an abortion will forever be something for which I feel gratitude.

Ripple Effects

The aftermath of an abortion can vary widely. In countries where the procedure is illegal, patients may suffer health risks and social stigma. In places with open access, women often get supplementary care such as birth control and testing for sexually transmitted diseases.

Baguio City, Philippines

Abortion is permitted to save a woman’s life, but the law does not state this explicitly. Poor women often turn to herbalists for abortion elixirs, and the Guttmacher Institute, a global authority on reproductive health research, estimates that roughly 1,000 Filipino women die each year from abortion complications.

After a woman has an abortion, even one as early as 10 weeks, she may experience leaking colostrum, an early form of lactation.

Mia: It was 1998, and I was 20 years old. I found out I was pregnant on the eve of Father’s Day. I greeted my boyfriend the next day with a happy Father’s Day card. He was happy.

The next day I went to have an ultrasound. I found out that I was two months pregnant. I was dumbstruck. I had been seeing my boyfriend since March, but we only had sex in May. The baby wasn’t his.

When he got home that evening, it was raining hard, the power was out, yet I decided to tell him. He was understandably upset. After some time, he said that the choice was mine. I decided to get an abortion.

Abortion is not legal in my country, so the abortion was in secret. The abortionist charged us 10,000 pesos (roughly $500, adjusted for inflation), a thousand for every week I was along — a steep sum for a young couple.

The night of the abortion, my boyfriend dropped me at a designated spot. A boy, about 12, met me, and we walked a few minutes until we reached a clapboard house in one of the poorer parts of the city.

The “abortionista” brought me to a dimly lit room. She had instructed me to bring a nightgown. I was told to change into it. She then brought some pills for me to take and a glass of water. This was sometime around 8 p.m. She then pointed to the bed and told me to sleep until the time came.

At about midnight I woke up to pain from contractions. I called out for the abortionist, and she immediately came. The pain escalated fast, up to the point where she instructed me to push, and so I did. It was over quickly.

She asked if I wanted to know the sex of the baby. I said, “Hindi.” (No.) She still answered that it was a boy, just in case my boyfriend would like to know.

She proceeded to clean me, then said it was time for me to go. So in the wee hours of the morning, I walked back to the roadside with the same boy. My boyfriend was waiting, and we went home.

The next day, my breasts started leaking colostrum. I didn’t know what to do. I applied warm compresses, not knowing this would enhance the milk production.

I ended up with a severe case of mastitis requiring an operation. I had to tell my surgeon what happened, but I begged him not to tell my parents. On paper, it appeared I just had an infection.

Eventually, I withdrew from law school because I had to undergo surgery for the infection. I instead took up nursing.

Until now, my loved ones do not know of the abortion. It is still taboo to talk about. Do I regret having done it? No. I wasn’t ready to be a mother, and of a child not born out of love.

Dublin, Ireland

Until this spring, abortion was illegal in Ireland except to save the woman’s life.

Amy: Our much-wanted baby was diagnosed with anencephaly, a fatal condition. We had to arrange for a surgical abortion in a different country. We paid for it ourselves: for flights, hotels, the procedure.

We brought home our baby’s remains in our hand luggage and buried them ourselves in secrecy.

Copenhagen, Denmark

Abortion is legal for any reason if the pregnancy has not exceeded 12 weeks.

Stine: I found out I was pregnant, and I did not want to have a baby, so I got an abortion.

As soon as I saw the pregnancy test was positive, I called my doctor and told her my situation. With no judgment, she gave me the number for a clinic that does abortions 14 km (9 miles) from where I live, so it was very accessible.

I called the clinic, got an appointment two days later. The gynecologist checked me for STDs, cleared me, and told me about the procedure for my medical abortion.

I had a follow-up at the clinic a few weeks later, to make sure everything was O.K.

This cost me absolutely nothing, zero. I only paid for my painkillers.

I haven’t told my parents, since I am quite young, but my friends have all been very supportive. It was never a big deal for me, though, so we don’t really talk about it anymore.

Isvett Verde and Audrey Carlsen contributed reporting from New York. Natalia Gutierrez Avila contributed reporting from Mexico City.

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