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iamtheblondestblonde · 4 years

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Slides and Serendipity

Part 5 (3.6k)

Masterlist

AN: So this one is a little shorter but that’s only because I would’ve had an awkward break otherwise. The next part will be up as well though so enjoy

Warnings: Language at most

I had to know what people were saying about me, so the next morning I asked Mara to give me some pointers but ignored everyone else blowing up my phone. I’d deal with this the same way I’d dealt with the issues before that, by myself.

Yogi could tell that something was up as well, staying close by on our morning walk and then following my every step after that, even nosing at me from time to time.

The pictures of Tyler and I that were circling the blogs were actually kind of cute, even I had to admit that. There was one from the aquarium that I liked most with me leaning against his side while his hand was resting on my lower back, his big fingers easily spanning from one side to the other. I remembered the tingling feeling his touch caused and not for the first time I wished that people had just let us be in peace.

You cursed at the two girls in the front of the video that had caused this entire shitstorm, even if they seemed too oblivious to notice anything around them. They were sitting at the edge of the pool and the camera focused on them before slowly panning out towards the rest of the area. That’s when you could clearly see Tyler with me wrapped around him, his tattoos making him easy to recognize for anyone. I watched myself smile up at him giddily while reaching out to run my hand through his hair before finally joining my arms around his neck.

The video ended then, thankfully not showing our moment that we’d had by the waterfall but the damage was already done. I could see why people thought there was something going on between us, hell from looking at the ‘evidence’ I was almost convinced myself. The hike with the dogs, the clinging to each other in the pool, the constant touching in the aquarium and lastly the shopping run for furniture all pointed towards something more that was hard to dismiss.

“At least I look good in those pictures”, I muttered to myself because if there was one thing worse than having such personal moments displayed to everyone, it would be looking bad so everyone could make fun of me.

After a light breakfast I finally dared to face Instagram. After tapping on the icon the app lagged for a second under the amount of notifications pouring in at once. I hadn’t been on the site since the aquarium and couldn’t believe the amount of traffic on my profile.

My message requests were overflowing and my follower count had climbed up quite a bit in the last 24 hours. People had even started commenting under my more recent posts, asking if I was Tyler’s girlfriend or insulting me.

I couldn’t believe the amount of people interested in this supposed relationship. For a while I contemplated deleting all of those stupid comments but I was pretty sure that new ones would show up anyway so there really was no point.

Some people in my messages were actually concerned about me ‘wasting myself on a player like Tyler’ but most of the messages were just downright mean, some even implying that I was a gold digger. I was pretty confident, especially proud of my body after countless hours at the gym, but reading those messages was harder than I’d imagined. I didn’t respond to a single one but didn’t delete them either.

Thankfully I was used to taking heat and I wouldn’t exactly describe myself as sensitive when confronted with insults. People had given me shit after I took down Flappy Bird and I’d even received multiple death threats, but at least the hate had been about something that I’d done and not because of who I was associated with or the way I looked. I took great pride in my work and people mentioning my name for something else besides my accomplishments hurt my ego more than I’d like to admit.

To distract myself from all this drama I put together everything that I’d bought for the office the day before, enjoying the mindless work for the next few hours, but I knew that eventually I had to face my situation so I looked at my phone.

Tyler had texted me earlier to see how I was doing and Katie had reached out to me as well. My girls had let me know that they’d listen if needed and then proceeded to send cute animal pictures for me to look at, knowing full well by now that I usually preferred to be left alone to deal with my problems.

Before I could even think about what to respond to Tyler, my phone announced an incoming call from Mia. It was weird to hear her voice again after close to three years but we instantly fell back into our old patterns, chatting easily before deciding to grab dinner together tomorrow. I was pretty confident that I could convince her to come work with me and at this point I couldn’t wait to be productive again.

I let everyone know that I was doing alright and then decided to go on a run, something that always helped me to think.

I changed and put a leash on Yogi, my feet pounding on the pavement soon. I played some music for the rhythm but kept it low so I could clear my head.

Setting one foot in front of the other I tried my best to see the situation from an objective standpoint. It was a fact that the damage was already done and no amount of denying the rumors would stop them if I wanted to keep seeing Tyler. I didn’t want to stop seeing him either, not willing to sacrifice our connection at this point anymore.

The run had the intended purpose and I soon came to multiple realizations.

Tyler was a famous pro athlete which meant that him and media attention were kind of a package deal and maybe, just maybe I should just get over my bruised ego. As I kept thinking about the issue at hand I realized that I kind of had no other option than to put up with the shit coming at me.

I pushed myself until I felt like my lungs weren’t getting enough oxygen and then circled back to my house at a slower pace, basking in the runner’s high to plan out the rest of the day before showering and getting to work.

I’d realized that Katie was probably the most suited to give me some tips about my current struggle so I called her. She didn’t answer at first but then she called back as I was pulling out ingredients for some lemon cakes, suddenly in the mood for some baking.

“Sorry I didn’t see you calling, we just got back from this team get-together. Tyler was deep in thought all afternoon and kept checking his phone by the way”, she greeted me and I smiled at her attempt to make me feel better. I didn’t like him not being in a good mood because of me but it showed that he cared at least.

“Yeah about that, I need some advice from you…”, I started and then asked how she dealt with people thinking that they had the right to judge her based on her relationship with Jamie. I knew that she had a private Instagram profile now and while that might deter some hate, I guessed that she probably still got lots of stupid comments.

Going private was not an option for me, as I used my media presence to pull in new jobs even if most of my posts had nothing to do with my work.

“I know me saying just ignore it is stupid because it seems impossible, but trust me it isn’t. It also doesn’t help that people think you’re with a player that has one of the biggest fanbases among the league. People probably already looked at your profile as soon as he started following you, some are that obsessed”, she said and I flinched at the thought of people following Tyler’s every move to this extent.

“Do you not care at all that people basically treat you as an accessory to Jamie?”, I asked her the question that had been bugging me all day.

“I try to look at it differently. At hockey events I’m simply there to support him and I’m more than willing to take a step back in those cases. For everything else you just have to remember that while the fans may only focus on him, you’re the most important person to him so it doesn’t really matter what everyone else thinks”, she explained and I understood what she was trying to say, even if our situations were different.

She told me about how she struggled with the attention at first, something I at least had some experience with. Only now it was for a different reason but I decided to just ignore that fact, drawing from years of practice at ignoring insults.

“You’ll actually get a lot of nice messages too because hockey has really supportive fans and those are always great to read. If I were you I wouldn’t delete the stupid messages though, new ones just keep coming either way. Don’t give the haters the time of your day and just let them pile up in your requests. Sometimes I respond to the nice ones but mostly I enjoy them in silence, that’s up to you though”, she said and I decided that I’d probably handle things the same way. I had to check my requests for work opportunities but I could just skip over everything else.

“You just have to stay calm amidst all of the crazy stuff. Things will get even worse when you two officially start dating so be prepared”, she continued and I couldn’t help bun notice how she said when, not if but I didn’t correct her.

“Thanks for everything Katie. I kind of reached that way of thinking over the course of the day but it still feels good to hear it out loud”, I sighed as I finally put the cake into the oven.

“Don’t worry about it, we’ve all been there before and supported each other through the ups and downs. By the way, some other better halves and I are going out on Saturday, just the girls, and your presence has been requested as well.”

I debated her offer for a second, knowing full well that I wasn’t a ‘better half’ like the rest of them but ultimately decided that I needed to make new friends either way.

“Of course I’ll come, thanks for asking. Just text me when and where.”

We continued talking for a while but then she had to leave because Jamie wanted to start on dinner. I decided to finally talk with Tyler and texted him to see if I could come over.

Tyler: Of course, I’m in the backyard with the guys so bring Yogi too if you want

He then proceeded to text me the code to his front gate, which surprised me. It wasn’t the code to his house but a big step nevertheless. I decided to bring along some lemon cakes and then made my way over, Yogi excitedly pulling ahead.

I entered the code and made my way around the house towards his backyard. Tyler hadn’t noticed me yet and I could see him spitting something into a bush.

“Well that’s mildly disgusting”, I announced my presence flatly and he jumped a little before turning towards me. As soon as I let Yogi off his leash he ran over to Gerry, greeting his new best friend before chasing him around the yard.

“Sorry, bad habit”

“I think you just mispronounced ‘addiction’”, I commented, knowing exactly that chewing tobacco wasn’t any better than smoking it. I reached up with my free hand to hug him and reveled in the feeling of being wrapped in his arms. It had started to cool down already but he was radiating heat through his t shirt.

“I brought a piece offering and don’t worry, it’s diet-friendly”, I said, holding out the box for him to take.

“Why would you need to make a peace offering?”

He looked at me with his eyebrows crinkled in confusion, a look that made him look young and innocent.

“Because I shut you out and basically ignored you all day”

“You don’t have to apologize for that, I know it’s kind of a lot to be caught up in this shit so I don’t blame you for needing some time to sort everything out. If anyone needs to say sorry it’s me for dragging you into this.” He looked at me sheepishly, lifting his snapback to run his hand through his hair before putting it on backwards.

“It’s definitely been a crazy week since we met”, I admitted with a small laugh but I wasn’t mad anymore. It would take some getting used to but I was willing to try.

“Has it really only been a week?”, he asked and I knew exactly what he meant. So much had happened already and I was feeling closer to him that I should after just seven days but yet here we were.

“Are you hungry? I was about to make dinner.” I gave him a skeptical look that made my doubt in his cooking skills, or lack thereof clear.

“Hey I know how to feed myself. I’m not as good as you but I get by with a few easy standard meals”, he protested and I had to laugh at the cute pout he was now sporting.

“Lead the way then. I’ll watch you and we can have the cakes for dessert.” At least one part of dinner was safe that way.

I watched him prepare some pasta and was baffled when I discovered that he barely used any spices, despite having a full spice rack in his pantry. With a huff I grabbed some of them and then proceeded to explain to him when to use what, the pasta smelling more delicious by the minute.

“This tastes like an entirely different meal”, he exclaimed after I was finally satisfied with the result. He really had a lot to learn but at least he was enthusiastic about trying new things.

“I’ll make a cook out of you yet but it is a mystery how you could survive up to this point by yourself”, I teased and he laughed.

“That’s thanks to the nutritionists that supervise us, otherwise I’d eat like shit all the time.”

Tyler loved the lemon cakes, explaining that they were ‘just the right amount of sweet’, which was due to the apple sauce I’d used in place of regular sugar.

We settled on the couch with the dogs surrounding us, some sports show quietly playing in the background. He was spread out on his back and I was tucked into his side, my head resting on his shoulder. I was glad that it didn’t take a lengthy conversation for him to understand my point of view on the situation, that certainly made things easier. As if he was reading my thoughts he said:

“You know we can talk about what happened. The fans are a big part of my life and I know that they can go a little overboard sometimes but I can’t change that. I’m still sorry that people are giving you shit now though.”

“Really it’s okay. I think I just needed to wrap my head around things. I get that the attention and you are a package deal and if having haters is what it takes to keep you around, I’ll gladly do it.”

He smiled softly and opened his arms for me to fully snuggle up against his side, his arm now wrapped around my back.

“I’m glad that you’re willing to put up with it”, he murmured against my head and I smiled. We’d only just met and yet here we were. I’d never felt anything like this before, although to be fair I hadn’t really tried either. Besides the obvious attraction that was between us, there was also something deeper. He didn’t just make me happy, he understood me without needing long conversations or years of friendship beforehand.

Every moment I spent with him I could feel my resolve against not sleeping with him weaken. He’d been nothing but sweet to me but while I deemed myself a good judge of character I knew that one week wasn’t enough time. We needed to be stable enough for a friends with benefits situation to not get awkward or we both had to want something more. Until I wasn’t sure where we stood there simply couldn’t be any sex, as hard as it may be sometimes.

The show was showing some football highlights and I soon grew tired of watching. Despite having lived in the States for quite a while now I still couldn’t understand the obsession with it. The games were slow and too long and there were too many commercial breaks in my opinion. I didn’t follow any teams and the only reason I regularly watched the Super Bowl was because of the parties and the food.

“This shouldn’t be allowed to call itself football, their feet rarely touch the ball. It should be throwball or something like that”, I huffed and I could feel Tyler’s chest rumble with laughter beneath my cheek. As a German there was only one football in my life and it was the one that was actually played with feet.

“Throwball sounds ridiculous.”

“Well football is a little ridiculous in itself so it would be fitting.”

“You should be glad that I’m Canadian or otherwise I would have to kick you out for insulting America’s favorite sport.” I knew that he wouldn’t do it either way, his arms wrapped so tightly around me that I wouldn’t be able to leave even if I wanted to.

“I’d like to see you try”, I teased and lifted my head to stick out my tongue at him.

“Are you sure you’re 25? I’m thinking more like five.”

“Five and a half actually if you have to ask.”

“Very funny.”

“I’m hilarious and you know it.”

Now he was actually trying to push me off the couch but I just wrapped my leg around his thighs and held on tightly so he had to try a different approach. I didn’t expect him to pick me up before throwing me back town and moving to hover over me however. I didn’t even get the chance to resist before he grabbed both of my hands in one of his. His other arm was boxing me in and he had now effectively rendered me defenseless below him. At this point our giggles had turned into pants, his probably from the effort of throwing me around and mine because I loved the way he was manhandling me.

I looked up to him through my lashes, my thoughts going to places I’d sworn I wouldn’t let them wander to anymore just minutes earlier. He looked down at me with an unreadable expression and I would’ve given anything to know what he was thinking in that moment.

For a few seconds neither of us moved but then the moment was ruined by Gerry, who probably wanted to be a part of the action, licking Tyler’s face.

“Ew dude what the fuck?”, he exclaimed, sitting up to push the dog away before wiping the slobber off his face. Now I had to giggle at his exasperated expression and moved to sit up as well.

“I should probably go either way, I know you have an early practice and it’s gotten kind of late.” I was actually just trying to prevent myself from jumping him but he didn’t need to know that.

“Here put my sweater on, it’s gotten pretty late and I don’t want you to get cold on the way home.”

He pulled off his sweater and I really tried not look at the skin that was exposed as his t shirt rid up with it but my horny brain caused me to fail. I didn’t even try to reason with him that a five-minute walk in the cold wouldn’t kill me because I knew that there was no point, once he set his mind on something there was no stopping him. I also really wanted to wear his sweater but I would never admit that.

I put the sweater on and reveled in his scent for a moment before getting up to grab Yogi’s things.

“Look at what you did buddy, you scared her off”, I could hear Tyler say quietly to Gerry and I was pretty sure that that wasn’t meant to reach my ears. A small smile crept on my face but I tried to not let anything on as I reached town to get Yogi ready to go.

“Thanks for dinner Tyler, your attempt wasn’t completely terrible”, I joked as we finally both stood in his front door.

“Thanks for the lemon cakes and the spice tutoring, I definitely still have a lot to learn though. And again I’m really sorry for what people are saying about you, they just don’t know you well enough to know that you’re actually amazing.” I could tell that he didn’t plan on letting that last part slip because his cheeks immediately turned pink which in turn made me blush as well.

I reached up to hug him before wishing him a good night and then making my way home, thoughts running wild until I finally managed to fall asleep.

Part 6 here

#Slides and Serendipity #Tyler Seguin #Tyler Seguin imagine #NHL #nhl hockey #nhl imagine #fanfiction #Dallas #Dallas Stars #hockey writing #hot hockey players #nhl writing #imagine

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thetravelerwrites · 5 years

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Ironblood Interspecies Daycare

Rating: Teen Relationship: Male Orc x Female Human Additional Tags: Exophilia, Orc boyfriend, Daycare, POV First Person, First Person Perspective, Male Reader Content Warnings: Kids, Children, Self-Esteem Issues, Self-Worth Issues, Disowned Words: 5035

An orc running a daycare takes on a new employee and feels an immediate attraction to her, having to struggle with his own feelings of inadequacy to get close to her. Commission for @ban23.

The Traveler's Masterlist

You might think that running a daycare would be a weird job for an orc, but orcs are a clan-oriented people. Caring for and watching over the young is sort of ingrained in our nature. I couldn’t imagine doing anything else.

Of course, since my daycare is open to all species, we have quite a few kids. There are a lot of human-only care centers, orc-only, fae-only, and so on. They’re usually pricey and exclusive, so an interspecies daycare that takes lower income families was a boon to the community.

Unfortunately, we couldn’t take all the kids whose parents applied, which made me feel terrible. According to the law, there had to be one care worker per five children, and I only had four employees plus myself. I was hoping to expand, but I was having trouble finding more caregivers.

It wasn’t for a lack of wanting to pay more people, it was more a lack of experience. I didn’t hire weekend babysitters; I only hired people with professional experience in child care, whether it’s a degree or a teaching position or several years of homecare, like a nanny or au pair, accompanied with references that were nothing short of glowing. Just because these children came from poor families was no reason to think they deserved anything less than the best.

Thankfully, there was a new applicant with a degree in child psychology with a special focus on interspecies relations, and spent four years as a school counselor. She was also a registered nurse. She sounded perfect, and if hiring her meant we could take more kids, then that was all the better.

I had scheduled her interview after close of the business day, when all the kids had gone home. I always tried to be in the back when the parents arrived; some of the moms were�� handsy.

After closing, the five of us gathered in the back area for coffee and so the others could grab their personal belongings to go home.

“Ms. Jones keeps asking if you’re single,” Jacob said as he grabbed his things from his personal cubby.

“Mrs. Peterson, too,” Said Emily, wrapping a scarf around her neck. “I swear she’s gonna start camping out near the front door to ambush you when you leave.”

“Please, Karen from the grocery store has been leaving notes with her weekly fees. I keep giving them to Jukah and he keeps throwing them away.”

“They’re wildly inappropriate and very graphic,” I said, sipping coffee and looking over invoices.

“Really? Oh, damn,” Jacob said. “If that’s the case, I’m going to keep them from now on, then. I’m not above living vicariously.”

“Why don’t you ask one of them out, Jukah? They’re clearly into you, and there’s no shortage of options,” Emily asked, putting on her coat. She was the only other person besides me who worked here that wasn’t human. She was a bright blue kobold with dark spikes along her jaw and two sets of horns. Her tail was smooth, however, and dragged the ground when she walked. She often let the smaller children ride on it to make them laugh.

“They’re too pushy,” I replied dismissively.

“I thought orcs liked pushy women,” She said.

“That’s a gross stereotype and you’re wrong for saying it,” You said playfully. “Different orcs have different tastes, just like everyone. I don’t push you toward every buff bodybuilder I see, do I?”

“Gross,” Emily said, her face scrunched up.

“See? Because I know you like skinny weirdos,” I told her, laughing.

She laughed too. “You’re right. I can’t even lie about it.”

“So what kind of woman do you like?” Esther asked me. She was the grandma of my employees, having been a pediatric nurse for decades and started working at the daycare because she refused to retire.

“Why are you people so interested in my love life all of a sudden?” I protested.

“Because it’s weird that all these women are literally throwing themselves at you and you’re not interested in even trying with one of them,” Kody said. Kody was non-binary and was a big help in teaching the kids to be respectful to each other.

“I keep my work life and my personal life separate,” I said simply. “End of story.”

To be honest, I really didn’t know why these women found me so appealing. By orc standards, I was considered extremely ugly. I’m about a foot and a half too short for an orc, and even though all orcs are born with a natural muscle tone, I was way too skinny. My tusks are too small, though that’s actually fine for my line of work. I even file down and cap them, just to be sure I don’t accidentally gore a kid when I pick them up. I don’t wear my hair long the way other orcs do, in braids or plaits; I keep it short so the kids can’t pull on it. I even catch flack because of my eye color, a flat turquoise, which is exceedingly rare among orcs.

It wasn’t just my looks that made me unusual among my people. I’d grown up in a typical stronghold, but I’m quiet, introverted, and self-conscious. I’ve never felt the same sort of personal pride that other orcs feel in being an orc. I don’t hunt or fight or spend my time in other typical orcish pursuits. Timidness and a lack hubris are seen as personality defects for my people. In the eyes of other orcs, I might as well be human, and that’s in no way a compliment.

My only redeeming features were my skin, which was the deep, dark forest green found most attractive among my kind, and my natural ability and instinct to care for and teach the young, which is a high priority in orcish culture. That’s probably the only reason I wasn’t thrown out before I came of age. When I was old enough, however, I left the stronghold with no intent to return, and I’ve never regretted that decision.

So, these womens’ attention, especially the more aggressive ones, is baffling to me. I’m nothing special, in fact, I’m downright substandard, so this new-found attention was jarring.

“Just think about it, man,” Emily said. “You’re a nice guy. It’s a shame for you to be alone.”

“Guys, seriously, stop worrying about me. I don’t need to have a girlfriend to be happy. Now git,” I said, waving my hands. “I have an interview to conduct in thirty minutes.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Kody said. “Whatever you say, Boss.”

I shooed them out and started cleaning up the play area. I enjoyed the time alone in the daycare after work. It gave me time to think about ways of improving the atmosphere for the kids. It was always good to have new things for them to do or they’d get bored and tear the place apart.

I heard the front door open as I was stacking tiny chairs and a voice say, “Hi. Are you Jukah Ironblood?”

“Yes, I am. Can I help you?” I called over my shoulder without turning.

“I’m Briauna Ramos, I’m here for the interview.”

“Oh!” I said more animatedly. “Of course, come in, I’ll be right with you, let me just finish up here.”

“No hurry,” She said pleasantly, closing the door.

I picked up the last of the chairs, stacked them, and turned. And stopped in my tracks.

The woman standing patiently at the door with a expectant smile on her face was petite with thick thighs and a cute little belly, wearing a flowing yellow top with black jean leggings that did nothing to hide these features. Her skin was a deep brown and her amber-colored eyes were wide, framed in long, black lashes. Her hair was silky, wavy, a little fluffy, and fell to her shoulders. She wore a small barrette in the shape of a bee to keep it out of her eyes.

She was the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen in my entire goddamn life.

“Something wrong?” She asked, her eyebrows drawing together in concern.

I realized I’d been standing with my mouth open for about a solid minute and shut it so quickly that my teeth clicked.

“No, sorry, um… please,” I said, gesturing at the door to my office. Once there, I sat at my desk and motioned for her to take the chair on the opposite side. She lay her coat over the back and sat down, pressing her her cold fingers together and putting them between her thighs to warm them. I tried my best not to stare at her thighs. I wanted to put my own hands between them and feel how warm…

I mentally slapped myself back into reality. Stop it.

Her application was on the desk in front of me, and I riffled through the papers for a moment to collect my thoughts.

“You come highly recommended,” I said, attempting to keep my voice even. “Your references and credentials are incredible.”

“Thanks,” She said. “I’ve wanted to work in childcare my whole life. Working at the school was okay, but I actually didn’t have all that much to do. Most kids who need a counseling are already in therapy, and there wasn’t much need for a nurse most of the time, so I spent hours in my office with nothing to do. I want to work more directly with children. This daycare seems like a perfect place, especially since it caters to lower income families. They deserve the same degree of care as private facilities.”

I felt myself smile. “I completely agree. That’s why I only hire the best. And you’re pretty close to perfect for this job.”

She smiled with her whole face, and I found it hard to breathe. “Thanks. I’ve applied at a few places, but I like this place the most. The facility is large and clean, and the list of activities for the kids is diverse and stimulating. You seem like you really care about kids.”

“I do,” I said. “Providing a safe environment for them is my first priority.” I looked through her papers again. “We have a former nurse on our staff, but she’s no longer practicing, so your nursing status is great. We get all kinds of bumps and scrapes here.”

“I can imagine,” She laughed.

“Well,” I said with a tired sigh. “I’m satisfied with your experience and I think you’d be a good fit here. When would you like to start?”

“Well, I just moved to the area, and I’m getting my apartment unpacked. How about Monday?”

I nodded. “Sounds good to me.” I stood and held out my hand for a handshake. “Welcome to the team.”

She took my hand, shaking firmly, and it was like an electric shock passed from her into me, making my whole body tingle. I gulped and tried to keep my professional demeanor in place.

“Great, I can’t wait to start,” She said enthusiastically as she pulled her hand away and threw her purse over her shoulder. “I’ll see you Monday, Mr. Ironblood.”

“Oh, just Jukah, please. Formality goes out the window pretty quick in this place,” I said, laughing.

She laughed with me. I could listen to that laugh all day.

“Thanks again,” She said, and left. Despite my best efforts, I couldn’t help sneaking a peek at her ample rear as she walked away. I said down heavily at my desk and tried to calm myself.

Well, shit. So much for keeping my personal and professional lives separate.

She arrived early on Monday morning, before the others got in, and you had a few minutes to show her around.

“This is your personal cubby,” I told her, showing her a cubby on the lower shelf. “You can keep your phone with you in the common area, but try to use it as little as possible. If you have to take a phone call, either come back here or go outside.”

“Gotcha,” She said. She was wearing a powder blue sundress and darker blue leggings with her hair in a tight, fluffy ponytail two tendrils of hair hanging on either side of her face. She looked adorable.

The others wandered in shortly after the two of us put our things away and I introduced all of them. They greeted her politely and engaged her in light conversation, asking where she was from and how she was liking town so far, as they started on the coffee and pastries I brought in for them every day.

I had about fifteen minutes before the daycare opened, so I went to the waitlist to notify the families at the top that I could take them. A couple of people had already found accommodations, but the ones who hadn’t were overjoyed, two of them even asking if they could fill out the intake paperwork that day.

A paper plate with a pastry and a cup of coffee was placed in front of me. I looked up, and Briauna winked and smiled at me before returning to the back room.

Oh, god. This was bad. Love at first sight doesn’t exist, I told myself. She’s pretty and sweet, sure, but this is just an infatuation. Don’t even think about it. Didn’t you just tell your team that you didn’t need a girlfriend to be happy? Besides, dating a co-worker is always a bad idea. She probably wouldn’t be into you, anyway. Just get a grip and let it go.

The children began arriving, and I was out front to greet them, dodging the over-eager mothers as best I could. Kody, Emily, Jacob, Esther, and Briauna came out of the back when they heard the children’s voices. They quickly fell into their roles, including Briauna, helping the kids take off their jackets and instructing them to put their shoes and lunches in their cubbies.

I’d say only a third of the kids were human. The rest were a mix of orcs, fae, beast creatures, and even a little half-demon girl. Most of the children were between the ages of two and five, though we did have a couple that were under two years old, and they were mostly Esther’s responsibility. She was the best at handling the babies.

“Okay, little ones, sit in the circle and play the quiet game for a minute,” I said to the group, and they scrambled to find a spot in the big, red sitting circle in the middle of the room. “We’ve got a brand new friend who’s going to be helping us out from now on. Her name is Briauna.”

Briauna waved at them and said, “Nice to meet you!”

“I want you guys to be nice to her,” I continued, “And stay on your very best behavior, okay?”

“Yes, Kah-Kah,” said the chorus of little voices.

“Kah-Kah?” Briauna asked in an undertone. “That must go over well with the Spanish-speaking parents.”

I grinned. “We’ve all got nicknames. Emily is Emmy, Jacob is Jay-Jay, Esther is Essa, and Kody… well, Kody doesn’t have a nickname, but theirs is easy to pronounce, even for the littler ones. Just wait, I’m sure you’ll have your own by the end of the day.”

Sure enough, the children had started calling Briauna Na-Na by lunchtime.

“Told you,” I said as we began laying them down for their afternoon naps. She grinned at me with the tip of her tongue between her teeth. I felt like slapping myself after wondering what that tongue might feel like on mine.

Naptime was when we took lunch. One of us was assigned to sit with the kids as they slept so that the others could eat, and there was a rotating schedule. Today was Kody’s day. I made a note to add Briauna to the schedule later.

“So, how was your first day?” I asked her over my club sandwich.

“Amazing,” She said. “It’s exactly what I was hoping for.”

“Yeah, the kids are great,” Emily said. “They almost make the pay worth it.” She grinned and stuck her forked tongue out of me. I reached out and whacked her spiny shoulder lightly.

“I wish I could pay all of you more,” I said a little regretfully. “We’re applying for low income care grant for businesses that involve children, and when the grant comes through, I’m hoping I can give you all bonuses.”

“Bonuses,” Jacob, Emily, and Esther all said in unison, like zombies.

Briauna shook her head and laughed softly. “Honestly, I don’t care about the money. Today was probably the best day of my professional career. If I didn’t need to eat, I’d do it for free. It’s exactly what I’ve always wanted. Kids deserve a good start, no matter who or what they are, or where they come from. I’m so happy to help do that for them.”

I stared at her in an awed silence, feeling as if my heart had taken up all the space in my chest, leaving no room for my lungs. There was no point in lying to myself anymore: I was head over heels in love with this woman.

I forced myself to look away from her, and ended up glancing at my other three co-workers, who had sudden knowing smirks on their faces. I scowled at them and lowered my eyes, eating to occupy my mouth so I wouldn’t have to answer questions.

Walking home that evening, I couldn’t stop thinking about her. I knew myself well enough to know I’d never have the courage to just ask her out. I’ve never been that confident. All of my exes had asked me out, not the other way around. I thought about having someone ask her out for me, but I shook the thought out of my head with a grimace. This wasn’t high school. I was a goddamn adult and running my own business. I should be able to ask her out without a buffer.

Thinking that was easy, doing it was another thing entirely.

As I passed a novelty store, I stopped and looked in the window. There was a very tiny stuffed deer sitting in a little gift bag with chocolates cookies.

I stood there, staring at the stuffed deer. In the old days, orcs wanting to charm a mate would go through a courting ritual which usually involved hunting large game, like bears and deer and the like. I definitely wasn’t the hunting type, but… the point was to show your adoration through gifts, to show what you can provide for your mate. I certainly didn’t intend to leave dead animal on her doorstep, but I did want to offer her affection and companionship.

I ducked into the novelty store and bought the gift bag without really thinking about it. And now that I had it, I had no idea how to present it to her. I couldn’t just give it to her during work in front of the others; I was too self-conscious. I hadn’t seen her anywhere outside of work, so I couldn’t “accidentally” bump into her someplace else. I wasn’t going to show up at her house unannounced like a goddamn creep. I sighed, hoping I’d figure it out.

The next day, I was sure to get in before everyone else and hide the gift in my desk. As it happened, that day was my day to sit with the children during naptime. After the kids were sleeping and everyone went into the back room for lunch, I snuck quietly into my office, retrieved the gift, and slipped it into one of Briauna’s coat pockets.

After naptime, Briauna took out a book she’d brought from her own home and had all the little ones sitting in a semi-circle around her. She was naturally gifted at holding their attention. Well, not just theirs. I couldn’t stop staring at her.

I had put a high precedent on early education, so lessons on shapes, colors, numbers, and letters were a weekly thing. Not enough that it overloaded their still developing brains, but just enough to keep them engaged and help them retain the knowledge. We often did a flash card game with a points system, and the winner got a reward from the toy chest.

“You’re going to scare the kids if you keep making faces at Briauna like that,” Kody told me as they looked over the children’s worksheets.

I scoffed. “What are you talking about?”

Kody gave me a deadpan look. “Come on, man. I’m not blind. You’ve been staring at her all day. Hell, you practically drool. You’re really going to act like you’re not attracted to her?”

“Just drop it.”

Kody raised their hands in surrender, their eyebrows shooting up to their hairline. “Fine, fine.” They shook their head at you. “You’re a hot mess, you know that?”

“I’m more than aware, thank you,” I told them. Again, they shook their head and wandered off to set out the art supplies for creative time.

They rest of the day passed without incident. Briauna pulled on her coat without checking her pockets. I watched her with my heart in my throat as she left with the others. Kody shot me a meaningful look before following her out of the door.

The next morning, she came in with the giftbag in her hand.

“Who left this in my coat?” She asked.

“That was in your coat?” Emily said. “There’s no note or anything?”

“No, I found it in my pocket when I got home,” She said. “I thought maybe one of the kids put it in there, but the price tag on the bottom said it was, like, twenty bucks, and I don’t think toddlers keep that kind of cash on them.”

I winced internally. I’ll have to remember to take the tag off next time. I’d never done this before, so some mistakes were bound to happen. I’d have to be more careful in the future.

“So, which one of you gave me this? Jacob?”

Jacob snorted. “Girl, you cute and all, but I’m gay as the day is long. It was one of them,” He said, gesturing at the rest of us.

“Not me,” Kody, Esther, and Emily said in unison.

“What about you, Boss?” Emily asked.

I tried my best to look affronted. “Please, I spend enough money on coffee and donuts for you losers every day.”

“So, none of you are going to own up to this?” Briauna said. “Really?”

“Hell, maybe it was one of the kids, you don’t know,” Emily said.

Briauna rolled her eyes. “You guys are impossible.”

“You like it,” Kody said, grinning.

Two days later, a teddy bear and some caramels found their way into her pockets. A week after that, there was a stuffed tiger and gourmet hard candies.

On her day to sit with the kids at naptime, I brought her a coffee, and she whispered, “Who do you think is leaving me the presents?”

“Dunno,” I said. “Could be any of them, really. Well, except Jacob.”

“Not you, though,” She asked shrewdly.

“I’m your boss,” I said. “Wouldn’t that be inappropriate?”

“I guess,” She said, shrugging. “But I thought you said formalities went out the window here.”

I gulped my heart down. Thankfully for my slowly crumbling facade of professionalism, the soft bell that alerted the end of naptime went off, and it was time to get the kids up for afternoon playtime outside.

That evening, while I was alone in my office, I was going through this months invoices while also looking at edible fruit and chocolate arrangements on my phone, when I saw my office door open. Kody stood there, leaning on the doorframe with their arms crossed.

Putting my phone face down and fixing a neutral expression on my face, I said, “What’s up?”

“Dude, do you really think I don’t know what you’re doing?” They said.

“I’m filing invoices,” I said.

“Come on, man, you know what I’m talking about. I know you’re the one leaving Briauna the gifts. Esther’s married, I’m asexual, and Briauna’s not Emily’s type. It has to be you. You’re not that slick.”

I sighed. I knew they’d caught me. “Are you going to tell Briauna?”

“No,” They said. “You are.”

“I can’t,” I said, scrubbing my face with my hands.

“And why not?”

“A lot of reasons,” I replied, reclining in my chair.

“Name one,” They said.

“I’m… weird.”

Kody laughed. “We’re all weird, Jukah.”

“It’s...” You sighed. “I doubt she’d even be into me. I’ve got… a lot of baggage, and not everyone is strong enough or willing to carry it with me. Trust me, I know. Every girlfriend I’ve had has seemed to buckle under the weight.”

“So you’re saying she’s not enough for you?”

“No!” I retorted, sitting up. “I’m saying I’m not enough for her. This place,” I gestured at the walls. “It’s all I’ve got. I’ve got no family, no friends besides my co-workers, no life outside of my work. Hell, I don’t even have my health. I’m a shit excuse for an orc. I mean, I’m too damn shy to ask a girl out. What does that tell you?”

“Maybe she likes shy guys,” Kody argued.

“Orcs aren’t supposed to be shy,” I said with a scowl.

Kody sighed in frustration. “Why are you so obsessed with what orcs are ‘supposed’ to be like?”

“You don’t understand, Kody,” I said with a return sigh. “I grew up in a stronghold, a traditional one. The pressure they put upon us to be the best orc possible was suffocating. I wasn’t the only one who who had to deal with it, but I was the only one who couldn’t live up to the expectation, the only one who didn’t grow up into the orc I should have been, and that has severe repercussions in orc communities. I was my stronghold’s biggest shame. None of my family speaks to me. My clan won’t even acknowledge my existence anymore; I’ve literally been erased from the book of clan lineages.”

“Dude… I do get it,” Kody said. “When I told my family that I was non-binary, asexual, wasn’t planning on having kids, wasn’t a Christian, and had no intention of taking over their business, they fucking lost it. I was their only kid and they had placed all their expectations for the future on me without asking me how I felt about it. They kicked me out, cut off my tuition, wrote me out of their will, refused to see me or take my calls. I went from working on a degree in medicine to living on a park bench. You were the one who gave me a chance. You gave all of us a chance.” They came in and laid a hand on my shoulder. “I don’t really give a shit what other orcs think of you, and you shouldn’t either. You’re worth so much more than they’d want you to believe.”

“Thanks, Kody,” I said. “It’s hard to undo an entire lifetime of being told you’re not enough.”

“I know,” They replied. “But do you really think Briauna is the kind of person who would think that? And if you do, why would you want to be with someone who does?”

“I don’t think she’s like that,” I said. “That’s one of the reasons I like her.”

“Then ask her out.”

I sighed sharply and ducked my head. “What if she says no and things are awkward, and she decides it’s too weird to work here? I’d have to kick out all the new kids we just took in,” I shook my head, resolved “I can’t do that. The kids come first.”

Kody groaned and rolled their eyes. “God, you are insufferable!” They walked to the door and leaned out. “Would you please come in here and put him out of my misery?”

To my complete shock and horror, Briauna walked in with a sheepish smile on her face.

I stared at Kody in disbelief. “Wow… you are… just… so fired.”

“Please, you need me,” They said, backing out of the room. “I’m basically your conscience.”

“You are the exact opposite of that thing.”

They laughed as they made to exit the building. “You kids have fun.”

Briauna stood there with one of the stuffed animals in her hands. “So it was you, then?”

I stood up and raked my hands through my hair. “Yeah. Sorry.”

“Why are you sorry? It was sweet. A little creepy, but mostly sweet.”

I snorted. “I wasn’t trying to be creepy. I just wanted to get your attention.”

“Well, it worked.” She reached into her pocket and pulled out a little stuffed bunny, something I hadn’t given her, and held it out to me. “Would this be enough to get your attention?”

I laughed and took it. “Yeah. And… maybe… dinner when you’re free?”

“I’m free now,” She said. “And there’s a curry place I’ve been dying to try since I moved here, but I’ve never had the chance to go.”

“That sounds perfect,” I said, grabbing my coat.

“Kody’s right, you know,” She said as I opened the door for her, stepping out into the chilly winter evening. “You shouldn’t care what people think about you. Well, except for me.”

“And what do you think about me?” I asked her.

She put her arm around my waist. “I think you’re really cute. I did the day we met. I was hoping the gift giver was you. And I think shy guys are adorable.” She lay her head on my chest. She was a short little thing. “I’m also hoping you won’t be too shy to kiss me goodnight.

I put my arm around her shoulder in return and lifted her face with my other hand. I kissed her softly and she pressed into it, parting her lips as if asking for more. My tongue reach out to toy with hers, and she moaned into my mouth. I pulled away, licking my lips.

“Dinner first,” I said, smiling.

She snorted. “You might regret that. It is curry.”

“I’ll take my chances,” I said, leading her down the street.

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newstfionline · 3 years

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Wednesday, March 17, 2021

Children Are Sleeping on Mats in Overcrowded Border Facilities (NYT) Migrant children are being forced to sleep on gym mats with foil sheets and go for days without showering as the Border Patrol struggles to handle thousands of young Central Americans who are surging across the southwestern border, some of them as young as a year old. Children are arriving in groups and alone, some of them clutching phone numbers of relatives scrawled on little pieces of paper, according to two court-appointed lawyers who are monitoring conditions at facilities along the border. Many of the children interviewed by the lawyers in recent days said they had not been allowed outdoors for days on end, confined to an overcrowded tent. “It’s an urgent situation. These children are caught up in a crisis,” said Leecia Welch, a lawyer who visited a holding facility for migrant children in Donna, Texas, that was built to house 250 people but which last week was holding about 1,000. More than 9,400 minors—ranging from young children to teenagers—arrived along the border without parents in February, a nearly threefold increase over last year at the same time, presenting the Biden administration with an urgent humanitarian challenge as it opens the door to children and gradually welcomes in families fleeing violence and poverty in Central America.

Automakers embrace electric vehicles. But what about buyers? (AP) The world’s major automakers have made something abundantly clear: They believe electric vehicles will dominate their industry in the years ahead. Yet for that to happen, they’ll need to sell the idea to people like Steve Bock. When Bock recently replaced his family’s 2013 Honda Pilot SUV, he considered—and then dismissed—the idea of buying an electric vehicle. An EV with enough room to carry his two dogs would cost too much, he decided. And he’d worry about driving long distances with too few charging stations. “I would consider it if the prices would come down,” Bock said, though leaving open the possibility of buying an electric vehicle next time. Opinion polls show that a substantial majority of Americans are aligned with Bock. An EV might be on their shopping list if it cost less, if more charging stations existed and if a wider variety of models were available. In other words, the time isn’t right. For now, EVs make up less than 2% of U.S. new-vehicle sales and about 3% worldwide.

A global minimum tax on multinationals? (Washington Post) Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen is working with her counterparts worldwide to forge an agreement on a global minimum tax on multinational corporations, as the White House looks for revenue to help pay for President Biden’s domestic agenda. The effort, which would involve a fraught and challenging global negotiation of tax laws, could prove one of Yellen’s biggest policy legacies if it succeeds. It also could prove central to Biden’s presidency. The $1.9 trillion stimulus legislation signed into law last week was financed completely by additional federal borrowing. But the administration is expected to raise taxes at least partly to pay for its other big-ticket spending priorities, such as the massive infrastructure and jobs package being discussed by White House officials and congressional Democrats.

Stimulus payments are already arriving (Vox) Stimulus checks have begun to arrive in Americans’ bank accounts—just days after President Joe Biden authorized them by signing the American Rescue Plan into law. The speed with which eligible Americans are receiving their third and largest stimulus checks to date during the coronavirus pandemic—less than two months into Biden’s presidency—is a political victory for a president who was unable to garner bipartisan support for his bill, but was still able to swiftly pass a sweeping relief package along party lines. As Vox’s Emily Stewart explains, most Americans will be eligible for $1,400 stimulus checks: The full checks will go out to single people making up to $75,000 and couples making up to $150,000, and phase out at $80,000 and $160,000, based on 2019 or 2020 tax returns, depending on when people last filed their taxes. Previous checks phased out at higher income levels, meaning some people who got checks in previous rounds won’t get them this time. However, the legislation includes checks for adult dependents, such as college students and people with disabilities, for the first time.

Roughly 4 in 5 Manhattan Office Workers Will Not Return Full-Time, Survey Says (NBC New York) Manhattan’s largest employers are starting to plan for the post-COVID future of work, and it seems most of them are giving up on the traditional way of doing things. Just 22 percent of the island’s large employers will require all workers to return to the office full-time when they do eventually go back, according to a Partnership for New York City survey. Some 66 percent said they would adopt a hybrid model of days in the office and days at home, another 9 percent said they would not require workers to return to the office at all, and 4 percent said it would ultimately be role-dependent. Whatever model they choose, employers don’t seem to be in much of a rush either. Survey respondents said they expect just 45 percent of Manhattan’s roughly 1 million office workers to be back to the office by this September.

Here’s looking at you, England (Wired) The future coming at you: For the last two years police and internet companies across the UK have been quietly building and testing surveillance technology that could log and store the web browsing of every single person in the country. The tests, which are being run by two unnamed internet service providers, the Home Office, and the National Crime Agency, are being conducted under controversial surveillance laws introduced at the end of 2016. If successful, data collection systems could be rolled out nationally, creating one of the most powerful and controversial surveillance tools used by any democratic nation.

Europe’s vaccine mess (NYT) The number of new Covid-19 cases is declining, often sharply, in countries that have vaccinated a large share of residents. That’s the situation in Israel, the United Arab Emirates and Britain. Cases are also declining in the U.S. And on the other end of the spectrum is the European continent, where vaccine rollout has been slow, and new cases are surging. Europe—the first place where the coronavirus caused widespread death—is facing the prospect of being one of the last places to emerge from its grip. My colleague Jason Horowitz writes from Rome: “Governments are putting exhausted populations under lockdown. Street protests are turning violent. A year after the virus began spreading in Europe, things feel unnervingly the same.” As Eyck Freymann and Elettra Ardissino write in Foreign Policy: “Spring in the European Union is going to be dismal.” Bild, a German newspaper, recently ran the headline “Liebe Briten, We Beneiden You!”—a mixture of German and English that means “Dear Brits, We Envy You!” Wolfgang Münchau of Eurointelligence has said that Europe’s vaccination program rivals the continent’s budget austerity of recent years as “the E.U.’s worst policy error during my lifetime.” Over the summer, the U.S. was struggling more than any other country to contain Covid. Today, Europe appears to be in much worse shape.

Beijing haze (Reuters) China’s worst sandstorm in a decade caused mass disruptions on Monday as swaths of the country were engulfed in a thick, orange haze of dust and sand, forcing authorities to cancel hundreds of flights, shutter roads and schools, and suspend outdoor activities. In Beijing, poor visibility paralyzed traffic as residents posted photos of skyscrapers seemingly disappearing into the fog and compared images of the eerie haze to scenes in the dystopian 1982 film “Blade Runner.”

North Korea warns US not to ‘cause a stink’ before Seoul meeting (AP) In North Korea’s first comments directed at the Biden administration, Kim Jong Un’s powerful sister on Tuesday warned the United States to “refrain from causing a stink” if it wants to “sleep in peace” for the next four years. Kim Yo Jong’s statement was issued as U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin arrived in Asia to talk with U.S. allies Japan and South Korea about North Korea and other regional issues. They have meetings in Tokyo on Tuesday before speaking to officials in Seoul on Wednesday. “We take this opportunity to warn the new U.S. administration trying hard to give off (gun) powder smell in our land,” she said. “If it wants to sleep in peace for coming four years, it had better refrain from causing a stink at its first step.”

As Israelis head back to elections, there’s a new twist: Democrats in Washington (Washington Post) Israeli voters, trapped for two years in a vote-rinse-repeat cycle of toss-up elections, are about to go to the polls for a fourth time with at least one new factor to consider: Their next prime minister—even if it is their old prime minister—will have to deal with Democrats. Since the last campaign, the Republicans in Washington that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has held in a bear hug for more than a decade are out. The Democrats he largely alienated are ascendant. In Israel, however, the Netanyahu era has shifted the center of Israeli politics sharply to right not just in tone but on substance, bringing once-fringe positions into the mainstream and posing a challenge for any reset in relations with the Democrats. Even centrist parties have supported recent calls for Israel to annex Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank, and all but one of Netanyahu’s main election challengers have renounced the idea of a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Like him, they are deeply skeptical of President Biden’s diplomatic outreach to Iran. Netanyahu, who is battling corruption charges in an ongoing criminal trial, is scrambling to extend his record 14 years in office by reaching even further to the right for new partners. He recently embraced the remnants of the banned Kahanist party, a Jewish extremist group that called for stripping Israel’s Arab citizens of their voting rights. His next coalition, should he prevail, would probably be the most conservative of any of the candidates’.

After a decade of war, the plight of Syrian refugees is only getting worse (Washington Post) Ten years ago, protesters clamoring for political reform in Syria took to the streets, hoping for change. Instead, there has only been ruin and chaos. The past decade has shattered the nation and scattered its people. More than half of the population was forced to flee. “The United Nations stopped counting the dead in 2016 at 400,000. Six million Syrians fled their homeland, escaping across its borders into neighboring countries,” wrote my colleague Liz Sly. “Five million are still stranded, barely surviving in substandard conditions. A million climbed into flimsy boats to cross the Mediterranean to Europe.” Even as foreign humanitarian aid dwindles, millions still languish in limbo in countries bordering Syria, living on the margins of the societies hosting them but too afraid of the grim fate that may await should they try to return. Conditions are only getting worse. “Poverty and food insecurity are on the rise, school enrollment and access to health care are shrinking, and the COVID-19 pandemic has wiped out much of the informal work that refugees rely on,” noted a recent report from the U.N.’s refugee agency. “People are at a breaking point,” UNHCR senior communications adviser Rula Amin told CBS News. While “the attention of the world has shifted from the Syria crisis and people tend to think that maybe it has become easier, with every passing year, it becomes more difficult, not easier for Syrian refugees.”

#headlines #news

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weekendwarriorblog · 4 years

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Why I’m Going to see Tenet in Connecticut

Hi there! I think the title of this blog post is pretty self-explanatory, but I want to make sure that this doesn’t mean that I’m explaining my decision to justify it to anyone who happens to be reading this or to try to convince you to do something as potentially irresponsible, crazy or unsafe. Far from it. I just know that there’s gonna be someone out there who starts attacking me or ridiculing me or otherwise just because I made this decision... or more likely, everyone on #FilmTwitter will just ignore me like they always do.

Warning: Part of this post goes into RANT LEVEL ORANGE. It was written free-form with no editing as with some of my 30 Minute Experiments. I won’t be taking questions.

If you have been reading what I’ve been writing on this blog over the past five months then you already know how I feel about New York Governor Cuomo and his dismissive nature about reopening movie theaters despite feeling it’s safe enough to open schools, gyms, museums, resume high contact sports and all sorts of other things that people enjoy. But movies? It’s not even that he’s gone on a rant about high risk it is like some of my colleagues (who obviously know so much better than scientists, experts, and I dunno... people who studied contact tracing and the spread of COVID to be more informed about these things). No, he just didn’t mention movie theaters at all... well, actually, twice. Once was when he was announcing counties of New York opening in Phase 4, supposedly the final phase of the phased reopening, when he mentioned that movie theaters wouldn’t reopen but again a few weeks ago when directly asked about the press.

No, movie theaters aren’t open in New York City or New York State despite having the lowest infection rate in the country. I mean, even California has started to figure things out and the majority of that state still has 6 - 8% infection rate. It’s in the midst of the pandemic and doesn’t have it in its rear view mirror.

So yes, one of the reasons I’m going to CT to see Tenet is as a big middle finger to Governor Cuomo and also in some ways to Mayor DiBlasio for not standing up to him. Every other decision Cuomo has made -- schools, gyms, etc -- he’s allowed it to be at the discretion of the counties or in the case of NYC, it should be the mayor, but he continually feels like he needs to punish ALL of New York City residents cause of a “few bad eggs.” (Wait, wasn’t that Chainsmokers concert on Long Island where all your rich friends hang out, Gov?)

But enough about Cuomo. Yes, part of my decision to see Tenet in a movie theater as soon as possible is selfish, because I have been waiting for it for a long time, and so I’ve been anxious to see it. And I know that if I try to wait until Cuomo gets his stick out of his butt, one of these sites is gonna spoil something in a headline or someone is gonna make a casual tweet spoiling something, and yes, that would ruin my enjoyment of the whole mystery behind the movie. I was able to get through opening weekend of Avengers: Endgame without spoiling stuff, but I won’t be so lucky twice.

And yes, my selfishness is probably as much about having to sit at my computer watching movies for the last five months. I mean, I’m sitting at my computer so much during the course of the day, that I’ve had to shut it down and turn on the TV and watch whatever’s on. I’ve really gotten into the ABC summer game shows. Every once in a while, I’ll get a Vimeo screener that I can watch on my TV and I can maybe try to focus in a way I can’t when my laptop is open and there’s so many distractions. But I miss distraction-free movie watching.

Even one of my most-anticipated movies of the year -- not Tenet, but Disney’s Mulan -- I’ve had to watch on my computer screen just last night and about halfway through, I just couldn’t do it anymore. I was enjoying the movie and you’ll see from my review(s) that I kind of love it, but it’s just not the same experience of shutting off the rest of the world and just sitting in a theater enjoying a movie. The funny thing is that in the ‘90s (and even now) I’m way more into music and I’m not even THINKING about when I might be able to see a concert again. I have a lot of tickets for 2021 shows that were once 2020 shows.

So yeah, getting out of my apartment, going to a theater, and just sitting in there for 2 to 3 hours to get away from the world? I’ll take my risks that with a 1 in 100 chance of encountering anyone in a state with a sub-1% infection rate, the 30 people in my theater aren’t all hacking up COVID into the air via “aerosoles.” (I’m seriously ready to spit in the face of the next person who cites aerosoles, and fortunately, it will just mean a gob of spit on my laptop screen that I’ll have to clean off.I won’t have to spend the 30 minutes sanitizing it like they’re doing at most movie theaters since I’m the only person who touches the thing... there’s an obvious joke to make here. I’ll resist because I’m already deemed “toxic” by someone whose name won’t be mentioned.)

But there’s a lot more to me watching Tenet than me revisiting my punk roots or being selfish. I mean, if i had to watch it on a screener, I probably would but I know that I just won’t enjoy it as much.

Last week, I spoke out about the public shaming and attacks being made against anyone who felt that they want to return to movie theaters, and especially against Warner Bros. and Christopher Nolan for not offering the movie in drive-ins or sending screeners to critics in movie theaters-less areas. I won’t get into that again, except to say that Nolan did not shoot anyone 7 times in the back. He made a movie and he gave people a choice: “You either decide that it’s safe enough to go to a movie theater to watch it or you don’t see it, and you wait until you’re comfortable or it’s on HBO Max or whatever.”

You were given a choice. In fact, you’re ALWAYS given a choice... except when a governor decides that he’s going to make the decisions for you by keeping movie theaters closed even after all his speeches about “reopening the valve,” “phased reopenings,” etc. He did an amazing job getting New York out of the things but now he’s being just as political and egoistic as Trump. When you can just write executive orders to get your way, why bother with everyone else that we’ve elected for the State Senate and Assembly? Are they just sitting at home twiddling their thumbs? Have they been secretly furloughed? No, a few of them have spoken up including a few in Albany itself... but I ... won’t steal Peter David’s schtick by digressing...

I’ve already had people yelling at me about my stance on this with everything from “You might kill others” (sure, if I actually have COVID and don’t wear a mask or social distance) to “think of the poor movie theater employees”... oh, you mean the ones who have been out of work and have no income and even less with the pandemic unemployment being cut off? Okay, let’s get to them because more of my decision is about them than myself.

I was mostly unemployed when COVID hit and I would be struggling if I didn’t get UI (unemployment insurance) but I can only imagine what some of the people who work at theaters are going through. I mean, my local theater the Metrograph, I absolutely love the staff there. They are fucking top-notch and the way that theater is run should be a blueprint for EVERY SINGLE ARTHOUSE THEATER IN THE COUNTRY. Sure, they’re all insanely young and good looking but they’re also truly nice and good people, still eager and excited about the world and not quite as cynical as we get once we turn 30.

But this isn’t just about the youngsters, no. I want to talk about another regular theater I go to called the Village 7 in the East Village. This used to be the WORST THEATER IN THE CITY (and that’s saying something). I mean, every time I went there in the early ‘00s as a film critic was a horrible experience. The place was dirty, poorly maintained and it was a disaster. They’ve since renovated and remodeled and it’s actually a really nice and comfortable place to see a movie to the point where I’ve started going there more than the Kips Bay theater which is about 20 minutes further North by bus. But the important thing about mentioning Village 7 is that if you go there during the week, there are two elderly ladies, one at concessions and one taking tickets. I have to say that both are probably in their 60s... and (I’m not making this up) THEY’VE BOTH BEEN THERE FOR 3 DECADES!! They are lifers who stuck through the theater’s worst and came out the other side with jobs and now 5 1/2 months after COVID hit, I have no idea how they’re doing either physically, health-wise or financially without having jobs. Who knows if they’re being taken care of and whether they’ll be back if/when the movie theater reopens.

So my decision is just as much about the theater workers, many who actually like their job and try to do a good job, because there are a lot of them despite all the disparaging comments about theater workers by many of my friends and colleagues.

To me, it really hurts seeing some people I genuinely and truly like, and even some of my closest and dearest friends, taking this opportunity to stand on a soapbox and rail against movie theaters reopening and movies like Tenet in particularly just because... let’s face it.... THEY’RE SCARED.

I said from the very beginning of this pandemic that the worst thing that one can fear is fear itself. I didn’t make up those words. They were uttered by possibly one of the country’s greatest Presidents who had to come into office in the middle of one of the country’s worst financial crises with a second and more blood world war about a decade on the horizon still. But he was right, and i know this from experience. The worst thing you can do for anyone at this point in the pandemic (especially if you live in New York) is to still be cowering at home and boosting the media’s fear-mongering and pushing an anti-movie-theater narrative, as if you think that will save lives. (The funniest moment in the last couple weeks is when one critic claimed that they were railing against my pro-movie-theater-reopening stance because they cared and were worried about ME. Yeah, right, dude. We have never had a conversation outside of a junket and not even in the past few years. What a laugh.)

I don’t want to be cold or callous about this but my central TENET (har har) has always been that everyone should be allowed to do what they want and believe what they want AS LONG AS THEY DON’T HURT OTHERS. And that means everything from physical harm to emotional and mental distress by the type of piling on we’ve seen now that we’re well into the Cancel Culture Generation. I already have good friends giving me virtual side-eye for my stance and my decision, completely disregarding all the things I know about the spread of COVID that comes straight from Johns Hopkins. I watch a lot of news and a lot of political press conferences and few of them ever mention some of these things, downplaying them in favor of the constant “Wear a Mask! Wear a Mask! Wear a Mask!” that most of us already are doing.

We follow Cuomo’s orders and do what he tells us to do, and then he reneges and doesn’t do what he said he would do... reopen safely. This doesn’t mean keeping movie theaters, often a haven for New Yorkers in summer not just to escape the oppression of everything that’s going on in our city but also the oppressive heat.

You see, #FilmTwitterElite, some of us don’t have cars, because we don’t need them or we can’t afford them. Some of us don’t have AC for the same reason. Heck, some of us (like myself) don’t even have a partner or significant other or children to keep us company. Some of us aren’t invited by their so-called friends to do Zoom watch parties every weekend. Some of us haven’t seen a single friend, acquaintance or colleague in person for 5 1/2 months, and have started having meaningful conversations with the guy at the bodega. (His name is Salach, and he’s awesome. Whenever I didn’t feel like going out or get out of bed, I can call them up, and he knows my number, my name and even my order. I try to stop by once a week to check in on him because they stayed opened EVERY SINGLE DAY during the pandemic. I worry that it’s wearing down on him.)

So don’t fucking tell me that I don’t care about the theatre employees, you fucking #FilmTwitterElite hypocrites. I bet you don’t know the name of a single employee at your local movie theater. I made an effort to learn every name of anyone who worked at the Metrograph, and I call them by their name, and even talk to them about movies when they’re not busy working. (Granted, some of the names have escaped me after not seeing them for six months but I do hope they’re being taken care of.) That’s all I have to say. On Monday afternoon, I’m getting on a subway for the first time in almost six months, and then I’m getting on an MTA train (first time in a couple years I think) and going to Bridgeport. I’m being met by one of my long-time movie colleagues, one who I actually like and respect as a person immensely, which let me tell you, is a VERY small group, so that will be another first in nearly six months.

I have a ticket to an IMAX theater in Milford, CT with four empty seats next to me, and I’ll be wearing my mask during the entire experience although yes, I probably will get popcorn if it’s available because while I’m not a big popcorn eater, I want the full experience, since God knows how long I’ll have to wait for New York movie theaters to get the okay. (I’ll wash my hands between the train ride and digging into the popcorn.)

I’ve gotten a lot better at watching screeners than I was in March, but that doesn’t mean the experience of watching screeners has gotten better. No, far from it. And boy, it will be an absolute JOY to watch a movie that doesn’t have my name and/or Email address emblazoned in the middle of it. I know who I am. I’m the guy who is trying to get the movie business and especially the theatrical aspect of it back in whatever way I possibly can.

If I end up getting sick from the experience than fuck me. You all were right. But I will be getting tested on Tuesday and I’ll go back to my near-quarantine from the last 5 months to make sure I’m not spreading anything to anyone who might get someone else sick. No one wants that. I don’t want that. Christopher Nolan doesn’t want that, and I’m guessing no one at Warner Bros, AMC and all the other theater chains want that. They all just want the world to make an effort to get back to some semblance of normalcy in a safe way, and you can’t do that by cowering at home or flaunting your ability to go to drive-ins.

If I sound angry, it’s because I am, but more I’m just disappointed... in my friends, in my colleagues and even in movie writers who I don’t even know but I know for a fact that they’ve made a nice living thanks to the movies, the people who make them but more importantly, the people who plunk down their money every week to WATCH them in theaters. The people who don’t have screener links handed to them on a silver platter whenever they want them. The people who don’t have cars or AC or even a lot of money but still feel the need to use the little money they have to go to the movies every once in a while to escape this absolutely horrible world we’re living in right now. Why would you make the situation worse for them by shaming them and soapboxing? Seriously...

#Tenet

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realtalk-princeton · 4 years

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princeton honestly hurts so much. i’m frosh. i feel like my entire life is just confined to textbooks now, and not even in an intellectually stimulating way - you have to do math *this* way, you need to think *this* way for your historical analysis, etc. this is an ivy league but there’s so little room for actual thought. i’m low income and i’m behind on everything, i’m struggling p hard in 103 because i’ve never taken calc before, i wanted to go to grad school but ig my gpa isn’t going to...

[cont.] be sufficient, i never got training for anything and feel so terrible next to people who can sing, dance, whatever, all things i always wanted to do but never had the time or resources to do, i tried anyway but i don’t have the framework for anything - it takes a few tries to guess that chord, alright?? it’s not like i have the training, i can give you the notes but not the name, i can’t read the notes, i’m sorry - i spend a lot of time working, like jobs, too...

[cont.] i wouldn’t mind so much if i had anything to balance it out, but i don’t. nothing works. goals are unattainable. i constantly settle. sometime since i started school here i’ve lost the ability to self validate. everything is disappointing.

Response from Clipper:

Okay. Take a breath, and chill with me for a second. I’m going to go through this and break down where I think you’re going wrong with your thinking, while acknowledging the parts that I agree with because honestly, fuck this school. (This is going to be a novella because I should be starting my thesis work or finishing my grad school applications, but hey. You asked.) Here goes:

Not to sound dismissive right off the bat, but you’re a frosh. Take my fifth-year, finally-a-senior perspective to heart for a second. You literally just came from a low income background to the best university in the country, where two fifths of families do not receive any financial aid. If you thought you were going to do just as well as (and fit in seamlessly with) kids here who have grown up with tutors for each subject, advanced college credit, music tutors, dance lessons with professionals, etc. then you were always setting yourself up to fail. We don’t all start at the same spot here, and many of us are underprivileged compared to the typical Princetonian. Trying to catch up 18+ years of privilege in 4 years, let alone 3/4 of one semester, is not possible.

I’m with you here, though. I’m full financial aid and my high school back home almost closed last year from being so shit. I simply don’t have the background others have that set them up to do well here. If you’re anything like me, you actually never had the ability to self-validate. It was always based on comparing yourself to those around you. It worked in high school, where everyone was from a similar background, and what I saw around me definitely validated me. I was the at around the top of my class of ~1000, and it was easy to me to attain that for a number of reasons. I got into Princeton, and was touted the first from my school to get into the Ivy League, and everybody sucked my dick for it. My face is still on the wall in the lobby, even though I got in in March 2014. Yay external validation. I’ve written on here about comparing yourself to others a bunch in terms of disabilities, but this also applies to socioeconomic background so give that link a read if you want.

Coming to Princeton and getting mass-hosed from stuff I thought I was great at for the first time was a shock. I realised I wasn’t the top here, not because I was any less bright, but because I didn’t have the opportunities that the majority of my classmates had growing up and I have disabilities. I saw the inequality and the disparity between my background and theirs, and it sucked hard. I think this is what you’re feeling now. Live in this pain for a little bit [don’t ever gaslight yourself or deny yourself the chance to mourn your losses], but buckle up kiddo because life doesn’t end here. You have to come at Princeton from a perspective of: I’m going to make the most of all the opportunities I missed out on growing up that I can, so that I can bring myself (and my family) stability. In my opinion, hat is a far nobler mindset than: I’m going to be the best at Princeton in X, Y & Z—I leave that one to the rich kids who have the background to back that up.

You’ve got to develop your own ways of fulfilling yourself by your own standards, which isn’t something I can do for you. All I can tell you to help is that I had to learn that from scratch at Princeton; self-validation is not something I lost somehow and am trying to regain. I think that may be the case for you, too, so don’t beat yourself up about it. When you say your goals are all unattainable, what exactly are your goals? Are they SMART goals? Are they dependent on other people’s opinions (getting into specific exclusive groups/clubs for example) or are they all things you can control? Are they actually achievable? When you say you’re settling/failing, all the time- that shows me that you’re ambitious (which is great!) but also a little unrealistic.

As for your life being confined to textbooks in an un-stimulating way: I think this is a case of mismanaged expectations. If you’re taking an introductory calculus course, you’re not going to be reinventing the wheel and thinking about math in an exciting, new way. It’s teaching you the basic building blocks of math so that you can later use them in a creative way. And of course it’s tough if you haven’t taken calculus before! Don’t beat yourself up. To boot, Princeton’s intro math classes are notorious for being terribly taught and uninspiring. (You’d know this if you were not a first-semester frosh. We all learn tough truths too late here.)

As for historical analysis: I’ll disclaim that I am allergic to history (most classes have you read like a million pages a day), but I know that your professor is going to teach you how they [or the department] want you to do analysis. It’s not going to blow your mind in terms of excitingness. But you’ll be able to use these techniques later if you want, to study some fucking dope ass shit that interests you. And when you do it will be academically robust from your training, as well as fulfilling.

A lot of frosh and soph years are to do with building these boring but invaluable foundations that will actually help you [most of the time] later on in your academic career. Writing sem, distribution requirements, BSE prereqs, pre-med classes, pre-law classes (I think that’s a thing too)— all of that falls into this category. Next time you get an assignment, you’ll know what the expectations are, so you can put some “actual thought” into your work. These classes, as someone from a low income background, are going to do the bulk of the “catching up” work for you so that you have similar experience as your peers by the time you graduate. It’s a grind, but you’ll get through it.

I hate to say it, but Princeton just doesn’t make mistakes in this area. They admit students who can handle Princeton. That isn’t to say that they only admit those special chosen few, but rather that most people who apply here can handle Princeton, and admissions weeds out the few that can’t before hading out spots.

I’ve written before extensively about grades before on here, and I suppose I’m the most “fuck grades” contributor on RTP. But you are, once again, a frosh; you haven’t even received your first grades yet! The key to getting a job or into grad school is an upward trend and a good story to contextualise your record, whatever it is. I actually have a miserable downward trend but am still applying to grad school- because fuck it, I wanna go study this niche thing and I’m not going to let my grades stop me from applying! You will be able to get over humps in grades. And, you’ll be better at choosing classes that you’ll do well in as you learn your strengths and weaknesses. For example, I have done so much better just knowing that 10AM classes do not work for me, and that I won’t manage over 150 pages of reading weekly for a single class. So I screen them out and don’t even shop them. That took time and tweaking but you’ll be able to find balance in that regard too.As for working jobs alongside school: I get it, and I can’t change that for you. That sucks your time away big time. But it’s a reality for many people here, so know that you’re not alone in that.

Anyway, I hope this word vomit helped you in some way.

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newstfionline · 3 years

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Monday, February 8, 2021

America’s Mothers Are in Crisis (NYT) By now, you have read the headlines, repeating like a depressing drum beat: “Working moms are not OK.” “Pandemic Triples Anxiety And Depression Symptoms In New Mothers.” “Working Moms Are Reaching The Breaking Point.” You can also see the problem in numbers: Almost 1 million mothers have left the workforce—with Black mothers, Hispanic mothers and single mothers among the hardest hit. Almost 1 in 4 children experienced food insecurity in 2020, which is intimately related to the loss of maternal income. And more than three-quarters of parents with children ages 8 to 12 say the uncertainty around the current school year is causing them stress. The pandemic has touched every group of Americans, and millions are suffering, hungry and grieving. But many mothers in particular get no space or time to recover. Philip Fisher, a professor of psychology at the University of Oregon who runs an ongoing nationally representative survey on the effect of the pandemic on families with young children, says, “People are having a hard time making ends meet, that’s making parents stressed out, and that’s causing kids to be stressed out.” This buildup can lead to toxic stress, “And we know from all the science, that level of stress has a lasting impact on brain development, learning and physical health.” Almost 70% of mothers say that worry and stress from the pandemic have damaged their health.

Pandemic’s Toll on Housing (NYT) As the pandemic enters its second year, millions of renters are struggling with a loss of income and with the insecurity of not knowing how long they will have a home. Their savings depleted, they are running up credit card debt to make the rent, or accruing months of overdue payments. Families are moving in together, offsetting the cost of housing by finding others to share it. Even before last year, about 11 million households—one in four U.S. renters—were spending more than half their pretax income on housing, and overcrowding was on the rise. By one estimate, for every 100 very low-income households, only 36 affordable rentals are available. Now the pandemic is adding to the pressure. A study by the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia showed that tenants who lost jobs in the pandemic had amassed $11 billion in rental arrears, while a broader measure by Moody’s Analytics, which includes all delinquent renters, estimated that as of January they owed $53 billion in back rent, utilities and late fees. Other surveys show that families are increasingly pessimistic about making their next month’s rent, and are cutting back on food and other essentials to pay bills.

In pandemic, more people choose to die at home (AP) Mortuary owner Brian Simmons has been making more trips to homes to pick up bodies to be cremated and embalmed since the pandemic hit. With COVID-19 devastating communities in Missouri, his two-person crews regularly arrive at homes in the Springfield area and remove bodies of people who decided to die at home rather than spend their final days in a nursing home or hospital where family visitations were prohibited during the pandemic. He understands all too well why people are choosing to die at home: His own 49-year-old daughter succumbed to the coronavirus just before Christmas at a Springfield hospital, where the family only got phone updates as her condition deteriorated. “My daughter went to the hospital and we saw her once through the glass when they put her on the ventilator, and then we never saw her again until after she died.” Across the country, terminally ill patients—both with COVID-19 and other diseases—are making similar decisions and dying at home rather than face the terrifying scenario of saying farewell to loved ones behind glass or during video calls.

Trump’s Senate impeachment trial (AP) Arguments begin Tuesday in the impeachment trial of Donald Trump on allegations that he incited the violent mob that stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. Will he be convicted? It’s unlikely. While many Republicans were harshly critical of Trump for telling supporters to “fight like hell” and go to the Capitol, their criticism has since softened. The shift was evident during a Jan. 26 test vote. Only five Republican senators voted against a motion that was aimed at dismissing the trial. It will take a two-thirds vote of the 100-member Senate to convict Trump of the impeachment charge, which is “incitement of insurrection.” If all 50 Democrats voted to convict him, 17 Republicans would have to join them to reach that threshold. Most Republicans have avoided defending Trump’s actions the day of the riot. Instead, lawmakers have argued that the trial is unconstitutional because Trump is no longer in office.

Ecuadoreans vote for president (Reuters) Ecuadoreans choose a new president on Sunday, with many voters weary of painful economic austerity measures and eager for a return to socialism, encouraging left-wing candidate Andres Arauz who hopes to win without needing a runoff vote. The 36-year-old economist, a protege of former president Rafael Correa, leads in polls on promises to make $1 billion in direct cash payments to families and to disavow the conditions of a $6.5 billion IMF financing package. His main rival, Guillermo Lasso, has been hurt by his image as a conservative banker, and pollsters say the possibility of low voter turnout due to the pandemic could dent his support. Lawyer and indigenous activist Yaku Perez is third in the polls. An Arauz victory would extend Latin America’s return to leftist policies, already evident in Argentina and Bolivia, a challenge for Washington as it duels with China for influence in the hemisphere.

With Carnival scrapped, Rio’s Sambadrome hosts vaccinations (AP) In a normal year, Rio de Janeiro’s Sambadrome would be preparing for its great moment of the year: the world’s most famous Carnival parade. But a week before what should be the start of Carnival, the pandemic has replaced pageantry, with the great celebration put on hold until next year as Rio struggles to quash a rise in COVID-19 cases. The Rio mayor’s office opened a drive-thru immunization station Saturday at the Sambadrome, where a line of cars queued up on a broad avenue built for floats. Rio’s city government officially suspended Carnival and warns it will have no tolerance for those who try to celebrate with open street parades or clandestine parties, saying it is monitoring social media to detect any.

Public Buildings Set Ablaze in Chile After Police Shoot Street Juggler (NYT) Demonstrators angered by the fatal police shooting of a popular street juggler set several public buildings ablaze in southern Chile Friday night, leaving a city of almost 34,000 people practically without public services. The shooting took place after the juggler, identified as Francisco Martínez, did not comply with a police officer’s request to provide identification as he performed at a busy intersection in the center of Panguipulli, a popular lakeside community, witnesses said. An argument followed, during which the officer pulled out his gun and fired at least two shots at Mr. Martínez’s feet, witnesses told reporters. Videos taken by witnesses, which spread widely on social media, show the juggler jumping to avoid the shots then running toward the officer with his props in the air. The officer then shot him in the chest, witnesses said, and he died at the scene. Police then barricaded themselves in their station. Since protesters were unable to attack the police station, they turned to other government symbols. Ten public offices in the city of Panguipulli burned to the ground, including the municipal government building, the post office, the civil registry, a local court and a water management company, the authorities said.

Himalayan glacier breaks in India, up to 150 feared dead in floods (Reuters) As many as 150 people were feared dead in northern India after a Himalayan glacier broke and swept away a hydroelectric dam on Sunday, with floods forcing the evacuation of villages downstream. “The actual number has not been confirmed yet,” but 100 to 150 people were feared dead, Om Prakash, chief secretary of Uttarakhand state where the incident occurred, told Reuters. A witness reported a wall of dust, rock and water as an avalanche roared down the Dhauli Ganga river valley located more than 500 km (310 miles) north of New Delhi.

Protests sweep Myanmar to oppose coup, support Suu Kyi (Reuters) Tens of thousands of people rallied across Myanmar on Sunday to denounce last week’s coup and demand the release of elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi, in the biggest protests since the 2007 Saffron Revolution that helped lead to democratic reforms. In a second day of widespread protests, crowds in the biggest city, Yangon, sported red shirts, red flags and red balloons, the colour of Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy Party (NLD). “We don’t want military dictatorship! We want democracy!” they chanted. On Sunday afternoon, the junta ended a day-long blockade of the internet that had further inflamed anger since the coup last Monday that has halted the Southeast Asian nation’s troubled transition to democracy and drawn international outrage. Massive crowds from all corners of Yangon gathered in townships and headed toward the Sule Pagoda at the heart of the city, also a rallying point during the Buddhist monk-led 2007 protests and others in 1988.

Palestinian leader’s path to elections is fraught with peril (AP) Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ call for elections has thrown his political future into peril, forcing him to negotiate competing demands to engage with a friendlier U.S. administration, mend the rift with his militant Hamas rivals and keep his unruly Fatah movement from breaking apart. It’s far from clear the elections will actually be held. Doing so will require an agreement between Abbas’s secular Fatah movement and Hamas, which have been bitterly divided for more than a decade despite multiple attempts at reconciliation. The two sides plan to meet in Cairo this week. The outcome of the talks will largely depend on the 85-year-old Abbas. He has spent decades nonviolently seeking a Palestinian state in the West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem, territories seized by Israel in the 1967 war. Instead, he has come to rule an increasingly autocratic and unpopular Palestinian Authority confined to parts of the occupied West Bank. Reconciling with Hamas and holding elections could shore up his legitimacy and meet longstanding Western demands for accountability. But even a limited victory by Hamas, which is considered a terrorist group by Israel and Western countries, could result in international isolation and the loss of vital aid—as it did after Hamas won the last parliamentary elections in 2006.

#headlines #news

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advertphoto · 4 years

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Strategic Bankruptcy In Foreclosure

When many people hear the word bankruptcy, the first thing they think of is fear and despair. While the aftermath of bankruptcy will result in a period of change, it doesn’t have to be synonymous with fear. Filing for bankruptcy in certain situations can just as easily be seen as a path to a fresh start. Whether it’s a mortgage, car payment, student loan or credit card, most of us live with some form of debt all the time. Debts can become untenable for a variety of different reasons such as a lost job, divorce or medical disability. Strategically filing bankruptcy can provide you and your family with a way to be released from these debts and have a chance to start over.

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Who Can File for Bankruptcy?

Both individuals and companies can file for bankruptcy protection, depending upon their particular circumstances. Individual’s income and asset records must be evaluated in order to determine if they are eligible to file for bankruptcy. The requirements necessary to be eligible vary according to the type of bankruptcy protection you are pursuing.

Types of Bankruptcy

The two most common types of bankruptcy for individuals are Chapter 7 and Chapter 13. Chapter 7 results in the sale of the debtor’s assets in order to pay debts that they can’t afford. In Chapter 13 bankruptcy, the debtor must have sufficient income to cover the debts, which are reorganized as part of a single payment plan.

What Happens After Filing Bankruptcy?

Unsecured debts such as credit card debt are often discharged upon filing for bankruptcy protection. Once an individual has filed for bankruptcy with the court, all collection efforts on behalf of credits must immediately cease, and all issues relating to either the sale of assets or Chapter 13 payments are handled by a bankruptcy trustee appointed by the court. Debts that are court-mandated, such as alimony and child-support payments, and debts that are owed to the federal government such as tax liabilities and student loans are not eligible for discharge in bankruptcy cases. If you are overwhelmed by debt, under constant harassment from creditors, and looking for a way out of a seemingly hopeless situation, the first thing you should do is consult with a trusted bankruptcy law office.

Bankruptcy Strategies to Prevent Foreclosure

If you have an underwater mortgage and are struggling to overcome your mountain of debt, the threat of losing your home to foreclosure is a terrifying reality. Both you and your family could have to deal with the consequences. Fortunately, meeting with a bankruptcy attorney can provide you with the expertise to delay or even avoid foreclosure altogether. A bankruptcy attorney has a plethora of tools and strategies, all designed to help you get back on track with your mortgage payments.

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How Bankruptcy Can Stall or Prevent Foreclosure

Essentially, when you’re behind on your mortgage payments and aren’t able to catch up, your lender tries to get the remaining payments through other means. Typically, your lender will start by auctioning off your home. Fortunately, the foreclosure process takes a long time, so if you’re having problems with your mortgage and foresee a foreclosure in the future, you may still have time to act. Filing for bankruptcy is one measure that you can take. Meeting with a bankruptcy attorney about your mortgage can help you understand your available options. Some options include: Chapter 13: If you work with a bankruptcy attorney, you can include your past due mortgage payments in a Chapter 13 filing. You should fully disclose your financial situation, which will allow your bankruptcy attorney to determine whether Chapter 13 is plausible for you, and whether this option will be successful. If you can still make mortgage payments, but need to have the plan restructured in order to keep making payments, this option is for you.

Chapter 7: If restructuring your debt doesn’t change your mortgage situation, Chapter 7 is the right option for you. A bankruptcy attorney will help you work to avoid foreclosure with a Chapter 7 filing, which will discharge nearly all of the debts included in your bankruptcy a Chapter 7 filing can also include your primary mortgage. It’s important to note that bankruptcy doesn’t always succeed in preventing foreclosure on your home, but working with a bankruptcy attorney can vastly improve those chances. Strategic Default and Strategic Foreclosure Strategic default commonly refers to the practice of “walking away” from a mortgage. In this sense, borrowers simply stop paying, pack up, and move out, leaving the bank to foreclose on the home.

Strategic foreclosure is the practice of getting the bank to take back your home as full satisfaction of your debt. Regardless of what you may read on the Internet, strategic default is a bad idea for 99.9% of borrowers. In addition to the damage it will do to your credit, homeowners who simply “walk away” may be liable for a deficiency judgment against them. That deficiency is the difference between the value of the loan and what the property sold for at foreclosure. Since most people engaging in strategic default are also underwater on their mortgages, this is probably a hefty sum of money. In a strategic foreclosure, an underwater homeowner attempts to return the property to the bank this is commonly done in two ways: a deed-in-lieu of foreclosure and a consent foreclosure. A deed-in-lieu of foreclosure is used before foreclosure is filed. The bank agrees to take the property and to not pursue a deficiency judgment against the borrower. Some banks will want you to list the home for ninety days before they will accept a deed-in-lieu. If you have a second mortgage, it is unlikely that you will be able to obtain a deed-in-lieu. A consent foreclosure is done after the bank has filed a foreclosure action. This is basically the same as a deed-in-lieu, except that you are consenting to a judgment of foreclosure and sale being entered against you. This can impact your credit score, but you are also protected against a deficiency judgment. Either option is best done by a qualified attorney, but can be pursued on your own.

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Can I File an Emergency Bankruptcy Petition to Stop a Foreclosure Sale?

If your mortgage lender is about to foreclose, filing an emergency bankruptcy petition (also called a bare-bones or skeleton petition) can delay or stop the foreclosure process. It could give you more time to negotiate with the bank. Keep in mind that while Chapter 7 will stop a foreclosure, it will be temporary. If you’d like to keep your home, Chapter 13 will likely be the better option.

Emergency Bankruptcy Petition

When you don’t have time to complete all required bankruptcy forms, you can take advantage of the automatic stay by filing an emergency bankruptcy petition. An emergency petition lets you file for bankruptcy by filling out a few forms and taking a credit counseling course. You then have 14 days to complete the rest of the required paperwork and file it with the court.

An Emergency Petition Can Stop a Foreclosure Sale

Many people want to stop a foreclosure on the eve of bankruptcy. An emergency petition can do just that. If you have more time, it’s a good idea to find out when you’ll need to file your bankruptcy petition. How quickly a lender can foreclose on your home depends on state law. If you received a foreclosure notice from the bank, you’d want to read it carefully to determine the date of your foreclosure (or trustee) sale. In most states, your lender must give you ample notice of your default and wait a certain statutory period before setting a foreclosure sale date. The moment you file for bankruptcy relief (including an emergency petition) an automatic stay goes into effect that prohibits your lender from going forward with the foreclosure sale. Bankruptcy can delay or stop the foreclosure process as long as the home hasn’t been sold. But once the lender sells your home, you no longer own it, and bankruptcy can’t help you.

How to File an Emergency Bankruptcy Petition

Call Ascent Law and We’ll help you file an emergency petition to stop a foreclosure so long as you qualify to file a bankruptcy case. In most cases, you can file an emergency bankruptcy petition by completing the following forms: • Form 101 – Voluntary Petition for Individuals Filing for Bankruptcy • Form 121 – Your Statement About Your Social Security Numbers • the names and addresses of all of your creditors (the creditor mailing list or mailing matrix—check with your court for formatting requirements) • a credit counseling certificate requirement or a waiver request, and • a filing fee, a request for a fee waiver, or a request to pay the fee in installments. Some courts might require additional forms. You’ll want to check with your local bankruptcy court to learn the requirements in your district. You can find it using the Federal Court Finder. The official bankruptcy forms are on the U.S. Courts bankruptcy form webpage. Again, after filing the emergency petition, you have 14 days to file the rest of the required bankruptcy forms and schedules. Failure to do so will typically result in the dismissal of your case without prejudice (you can file again right away).

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First let’s take a look at some of the problems homeowners face when they decide to go through a strategic foreclosure: • The number one problem that homeowners face when going through a strategic foreclosure is that mortgage lenders usually choose to pursue them relentlessly for payment. The fact is that mortgage lenders have the legal right to pursue the homeowner for the balance of the mortgage even after foreclosure and even if the home is valued for less than the mortgage, which is often the case. • The second problem is that homeowners going through a strategic foreclosure often still have assets that they are trying to protect. But using the legal system, mortgage lenders can get access to those assets by winning a judgment against the debtor. Filing bankruptcy will help the homeowner discharge the balance of the mortgage after foreclosure and protect their assets. Strategic foreclosure is not about getting away without paying your creditors; it is about realizing that you are up against the wall financially before you lose all of your assets; that is why they call it strategic. By getting out of the mortgage early, you are better positioned to protect critical assets and get a better financial fresh start after foreclosure and/or bankruptcy. Many people fall behind on their mortgage payments. Some lenders and mortgage companies may be willing to work out deals with the homeowners, such as a short sale or loan modification. Most lenders are not. In that case, the lender will most likely begin the foreclosure process, as set out in the mortgage contract. The foreclosure process involves the creditor repossessing and usually selling the house at a public auction. The proceeds from that auction are used to repay the mortgage and any legal costs. The foreclosure process takes time. Most creditors do not begin foreclosing until the homeowner is two to three months behind on their mortgage payments. This gives the homeowner some time to consider alternatives to foreclosure, such as a loan forbearance, short sale, or deed in lieu of foreclosure. Should all of these alternatives fail, bankruptcy may help in several different ways.

How to Delay Foreclosure with an Automatic Stay

Bankruptcy and foreclosure are both words that the average person dreads hearing. If you are facing foreclosure, however, bankruptcy can become a tool to help you keep your house. Once you file bankruptcy, either Chapter 13 or Chapter 7, the court automatically issues an Order for Relief. This order grants you an “automatic stay”, that directs your creditors to immediately cease their collection attempts, no matter what. So, if a foreclosure sale has been scheduled for your home, it will be postponed, by law, until the bankruptcy is finalized. This usually takes about three to four months. There are two exceptions to this buying time rule: • If the Lender Files a Motion to Lift the Stay: Unfortunately, the lender can file a motion to lift the stay, which asks permission from the bankruptcy court to continue with the foreclosure sale. If this is granted, you may not receive the extra three to four months of time. However, bankruptcy normally still postpones the sale by about two months or more, or even longer if the lender does not act fast in filing the motion to lift the stay. • If the Foreclosure Notice has Already Been Filed: Most states have laws that require lenders to give homeowners a certain amount of notice before selling their property. A bankruptcy’s automatic stay will NOT stop the clock on this advance notice.

Bankruptcy Lawyer

When you need bankruptcy to stop a foreclosure in Utah, please call Ascent Law LLC for your free consultation (801) 676-5506. We want to help you.

Ascent Law LLC 8833 S. Redwood Road, Suite C West Jordan, Utah 84088 United States Telephone: (801) 676-5506

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