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#i had to doctor my id photo yesterday because the only photo i had of myself that was acceptable had a busy background

nataliesnews · 5 months

Text

It is a very sad day. Veronica phoned me this morning to tell me that Uta's mother had died after a long illness. I spoke to her just a few days ago and she knew she was dying and was so brave. I am glad that I had the opportunity of meeting her, even if only for a few days and since then we have been in touch all the time. I often thought of her when I was writing my letters and wondering what she thought.

Then yesterday too my friend's grandson was mortally wounded. He has particles in his brain and there does not seem to be much hope. It was only the other day that I had supper with her and Robbie and she said that she does not sleep at night. That it would break them if something happened to him .

I can think of nothing positive happening in my life. Then I read of our president whom I realise does not have a brain in his head. He signs a rocket which is going to kill people as if he were writing on someone's bandages leg or knee? And then there are people who laugh at their sufferings.

It is getting harder and harder to write. woman Orit Stroch. a settler, who wrote demanding to know whether the pilots who said they would not report for future reserve duty had refused to take part in the war? By the way she is also the one who said that no doctor should have to treat anyone from the gay community if it conflicted with their religious beliefs. And for support which Netanyahu gave the general who replied to her read the attached

Outrage as far-right minister suggests some pilots refusing air support for Gaza troops

Settlements Minister Orit Strock widely reported to ask at cabinet if some in Air Force are failing to carry out their duties for ideological reasons

Today the Jerusalem municipality came to the tent of the families and took down and tore all their signs and a bunch of hooligans came past screaming that all the families are traitors and caused the death of their children and the war and that piece of shit whose two sons cower behind them is quiet. That is Israel today of Netanyahu.

After a long interval because of the war, we had not been to the DCO and decided to go. We were surprised to find about 15 men there. They had all been summoned by the ISA, the secret service. One indignantly told us that he had to pull his trousers down to his ankles and did not know why. They also told us that the Satmar cult comes into their neighborhoods with the Palestinian flag with no problem. They were all very pleasant.

We then decided to see what is happening at the entrance to Beit Lechem from road 60. Until the war the road was completely open but this is the way it looks now. We stopped a short distance before the checkpoint.

Shlomit got out to photograph and immediately a soldier came running up demanding our IDs. We told him we only have to show IDs to a policeman and when he said he was also a policeman asked to be shown identification. Also , as we were on the main road of the town and not in the area of the checkpoint, to be shown proof that where we were standing was a closed army area. He claimed that we had photographed him and said that it was easy to identify him....I leave that to your judgement,He said he would phone the police and we said to be our guest. I said to Shlomit that it was just as well we had not driven off before we saw him approaching us as in this day and age he would probably have taken a shot at us. But all's well that ends well....He had evidently phoned the representative of the DCO. He knew us from former days at Etzion and we showed him the photo which he did not ask to have deleted and after a short and pleasant conversation continued on our way home.

Today we went to plant trees with one of the farmers from Burin. Not that I could help but I go to identify. This is how the others went up. Her ladyship went up by taxi. i don't think it is the help which is important but that we come. We left early though as the Palestinian authority phoned and said that the area was getting restless and we should go and then too soldiers and settlers started coming down the mountain. But people bought a lot of his olives and olive oil. I asked where his family was ...usually it is very joyous there and the house was so empty but he said it was too dangerous from them to be there so they had gone to live in the village.

But then we also have this......I remember how Israelis said what animals the Palestinians are that whenever there was an attack on Israelis they would go out to celebrate and give out sweets. Evidently Israelis are also keen to learn from Palestinians as this is what some soldiers did.... singing and dancing in the street and giving out sweets at the death of one of the Hamas. Not that I feel any grief for him but this is not the Jewish way. But today I no longer think that there is a Jewish way. I think we have learned only too well of how to hate and how to conduct pogroms. They should remember the Peisach seder where God rebukes his angels for singing when the Egyptians drowned.

and this caricature appeared in one of the far right newspapers. If it had been from a newspaper on the left or a journalist/ whoever published it would already be sitting in jail/ If you want to know what this is about look at the pdf below. It is too complicated for me to go into it.

Sorry I wish I could write something positive

Henrietta Szold 2

Migdal Nofim Room 708

Kiryat Hayovel

Jerusalem 9650230

Israel

Tel 0528-375593

Nofim Tel 972-(0)2-6580222

Home 972 (2)6418387 no messages

Outrage as far-right minister suggests some pilots refusing air support for Gaza troops

Settlements Minister Orit Strock widely reported to ask at cabinet if some in Air Force are failing to carry out their duties for ideological reasons

Sorry I wish I could write something positive

Henrietta Szold 2

Migdal Nofim Room 708

Kiryat Hayovel

Jerusalem 9650230

Israel

Tel 0528-375593

Nofim Tel 972-(0)2-6580222

Home 972 (2)6418387 no messages

#It is a very sad day. Veronica phoned me this morning to tell me that Uta's mother had died after a long illness. I spoke to her just a few #even if only for a few days and since then we have been in touch all the time. I often thought of her when I was writing my letters and won #Then yesterday too my friend's grandson was mortally wounded. He has particles in his brain and there does not seem to be much hope. It wa #I can think of nothing positive happening in my life. Then I read of our president whom I realise does not have a brain in his head. He si #It is getting harder and harder to write. woman Orit Stroch. a settler #who wrote demanding to know whether the pilots who said they would not report for future reserve duty had refused to take part in the war?#Outrage as far-right minister suggests some pilots refusing air support for Gaza troops #Settlements Minister Orit Strock widely reported to ask at cabinet if some in Air Force are failing to carry out their duties for ideologic #https://www.timesofisrael.com/outrage-after-far-right-minister-suggests-some-pilots-refusing-to-support-gaza-troops #Today the Jerusalem municipality came to the tent of the families and took down and tore all their signs and a bunch of hooligans came pa #https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/crime-in-israel/article-779881 #779881 #After a long interval because of the war #we had not been to the DCO and decided to go. We were surprised to find about 15 men there. They had all been summoned by the ISA #the secret service. One indignantly told us that he had to pull his trousers down to his ankles and did not know why. They also told us tha #We then decided to see what is happening at the entrance to Beit Lechem from road 60. Until the war the road was completely open but this i #Shlomit got out to photograph and immediately a soldier came running up demanding our IDs. We told him we only have to show IDs to a police #as we were on the main road of the town and not in the area of the checkpoint #to be shown proof that where we were standing was a closed army area. He claimed that we had photographed him and said that it was easy to #He said he would phone the police and we said to be our guest. I said to Shlomit that it was just as well we had not driven off before we #Today we went to plant trees with one of the farmers from Burin. Not that I could help but I go to identify. This is how the others went up #But then we also have this......I remember how Israelis said what animals the Palestinians are that whenever there was an attack on Israeli #and this caricature appeared in one of the far right newspapers. If it had been from a newspaper on the left or a journalist/ whoever publ #Sorry I wish I could write something positive #Henrietta Szold 2 #Migdal Nofim Room 708 #Kiryat Hayovel #Jerusalem 9650230 #Israel #Tel 0528-375593

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winderlylandchime · 7 months

Note

The fact that he kind of dreamt your future fic is making me laugh so hard. He really is an idiot by day and a psychic by night. This also now made me excited for your future fic, can’t wait for when that comes around. I might fuck around and actually do give him fics to read ngl.

Also yes! When we first started watching the show, he did think that Gale looked a little bit like Ashton and it was the funniest thing ever to me. He did only talk about it in the pilot though. Btw I am so tempted to later on give him Gale’s out of the box interview to watch. He was asking me yesterday about the actors and if they still act and where are they and I didn’t answer because well, one of them abandoned his podcast so i don’t know what he’s up to and the other one we dont even know if he’s still alive since theres been no new photos. I do wonder how he will react when he finds out Gale is straight though because he mentioned to my neighbor and i did get the feeling that he thinks everyone is gay. So i am tempted to ask him questions about what all he thinks of the cast since his only introduction to them is the show.

And yes! He has been going on and on about Brian’s growth and how he’s changed since he clocked it around 4th episode. He is so happy that he’s growing and allowing himself to be happy and in love even if he doesn’t want to admit it, that i just know the second 5x01 will start, he will have a mental breakdown and it will be very valid of him.

Your celebrities/therapist story actually made me curious now because how can a famous celeb that is known everywhere, even get a therapist then omg. I had no clue this was kind of a thing. And yes! My brother would absolutely launch into it, he’d have pictures and everything ready for it. I mean his confidence when it comes to talking to everyone and anyone about anything in his life (usually interests and shit he’s done thats funny to him or in this case the show) is impressive as fuck but also for an innocent bystander like me? actually a nightmare to be around that. He truly doesn’t give a single fuck! He just tells anyone who will listen (not in a trauma dumping type of way but his interests and such? No shame) When he was in high school he made an entire poster presentation for his class to talk about his love for the movie School of Rock and HE DID IT BY SINGING A FAKE ROCK N ROLL SONG (id give anything to remember the lyrics). Mind you, the presentations was supposed to be about current events in the world and School of Rock came out like a year or two prior so it had no relation to the exercise and yet that didn’t stop him. So you best believe he would do the exact same for Gale or more importantly QAF/Brian. And as someone who does shy away from talking about qaf just because it is a lot, it is insane watching him talk about the show because he truly gives zero fucks. When we started watching the show, he was fully explaining to the nurses/doctors/anyone that would listen about how the show is AND HOW BRITIN MET! He TALKED ABOUT THE RIM JOB! I NEVER EVEN FUCKING TOLD YALL THAT! IMAGINE MY SHOCK WHEN HE RANDOMLY BROUGHT UP THE SHOW FOR THE FIRST TIME TO SOMEONE RANDOM! AND HE DECIDED TO DO IT BY BRINGING UP THE SEX SCENE! HE TALKED TO OTHER HUMANS ABOUT THE RIM JOB! So if you ever feel like maybe you’ve said a bit too much about something you like? Fear no more because my brother has for sure shared even more.

Dear sweet anon. I just signed onto tumblr on desktop and it looks like I never responded to this message?!?! It says it’s from 4 days ago.

I thought I did. I’m sorry <3 <3

I am still dying over all of this. Your brother has no embarrassment. Maybe we can all take a page from him (although don’t corner people at their place of work to discussing rimming, even fictional rimming).

#ask winderlylandchime #dear sweet anon #queer as folk #a straight man watches qaf us 2000 in the year of our lord 2023

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ssa-daddyhotchner · 3 years

Text

Undercover - Chapter 4

Chapter Selection

The next day

I touched on the Reid subject yesterday but I didn't want him to worry so I decided to drop it. I brought It back up and Hotch called Reid.

"Hello."

"Can you come down the office for a few there's some paperwork I need you to lookover."

Hotch doesn't mention me but I sit in on the call. "Yeah I'll be there in 10", Reid hangs up.

"Haven't you noticed", Aaron focuses on the road. "Noticed what?", I keep my eyes on him.

"Okay so a few days ago I saw Reid in the elevator and I assume I've been at the BAU long enough so he's not awkward with me." He hummed in agreement.

"And he was avoiding eye contact, he was shuffling towards the door like he was trying to get away from me." I take a breath then continue.

"I've been noticing on cases he's not talking as much, he's avoiding just everyone in general."

We pull into the garage an make our way upstairs. I walk into the building first Aaron coming in a few minutes later.

Reid walks into Hotchs office, then he calls me in after. "Take a seat." He gestures to Reid, "We need to talk." His brows furrow and he pouts. "About?" I watch his body language and listen to his speech.

There's a single bead of sweat going down his forehead. His hands are trembling in his pockets; he's shuddering more than he usually does. Is he withdrawing?

I step in, "Hotch I think I know what's happening." He looks behind Reid and at me. I walk to the desk leaning on hit crossing my arms.

"So... how long has it been." Reid slowly turns up at me and Hotch.

He lets out a sigh, "3 days." Hotch watches him closely. "You're back on dilaudid? since when?", Reid stands up, "2 months."

A small gasp leaves Hotchs lip, and I stand in a bit of a shock. Nobody realized, 2 months he'd been high off his ass on cases and we didn't know.

"Why?", I asked; It hurt that he couldn't have told us he was hurting enough to relapse.

"My mom's been getting worse, the meds aren't helping as much as they were. I wanna visit her but there's been so much going on here that I didn't wanna leave."

Hotchs face softens, "You can take some personal time you know that right. I don't wanna see you in the office for the next 2 weeks. Go visit your mom."

I walk out of his office going to my desk. JJ walks up to me, "What are they talking about." She nods to the window. Morgan and Emily approach.

"Reid's... back on diluadid." I say in a hushed tone to not attract attention; gasps leave all of them. "I had know idea", Emily said.

"Emily none of us knew, I'm the one that told Hotch something was wrong." Morgan smirked, "you told Hotch huh."

I gave him a glare, Hotch closed the blinds and called me in; Morgan winked at me.

I shut the door and walked up to him. "What's the plan"

"He told me he was gonna go to some meetings try to stop but....I don't know if that's going to work."

"So he's gonna go to rehab?", he nodded. I let out a sigh and sat on the his desk. "I'm not the closest with Reid but I want him to be ok."

I said and Aaron came up to me. "Reid gonna be fine", he reassured.

"Hey I wanna ask you something", I hummed. "How would you feel if you met Jack." My eyes widened and I smiled, "Of course.. when."

"Maybe in a week it depends on when Hayley will let me see him."

"What if he doesn't like me." Hotch put his hands on my waist and pecked my lips, "He'll love you don't worry."

__________________________________

I was at Aarons sleeping and was woken up by the sound of his phone. I reach over without checking the ID.

"Hotchners phone," the other side of the line was quiet. "Hello?", the other person finally speaks up. "Hello is Hotch there?"

The person on the phone was JJ. My eyes went wide and I go to wake up Aaron.

He opens his eyes, "What is it baby." I muted the phone, "It's JJ she doesn't know it's me but here." Handing him he phone he unmutes the call.

"What is it." I can hear JJ say there was a case so I go into the shower. I feel hands snake around my waist and kisses being placed on my jaw. I turn around and peck his lips.

The water going in his hair and down his back. He tosses his head back and I wash his hair massaging his scalp.

He washes it out and does the same to me. He takes the body wash and runs it over my skin.

The movements are slow as he washes around my legs and back. I moan softly and he stops.

Leaning to my ear whispering, "Only if we had time."

"We can make time." I go to kiss him but he pulls back. "There's fun in waiting."

We step out the shower getting changed for work at 4am.

Finishing the shower. I try to be comfortable wearing a turtleneck and black pants. Aaron was about to put on his tie but I interrupt him, "Let me." He watches me carefully want to know what I was up too.

I just wanted to tease the hell out of him for fun. He wants to wait fine. I'll just make him wait till he's begging for it. I thought to myself.

Getting into the car and driving; his hand on my thigh the whole time tracing patterns. We go in holding hands until we get to the bullpen then we pull away.

The team looks tired, irritated and sluggish. "Let's go over the case." Hotch says walking up the ramp to the round table.

Garcia walk in, "Okay my lovely's you are going to Seattle, there has been 5 murders in the area all married mothers with a single child. Each victim was found with multiple stab wounds in the abdomen. Each in different parks"

"The mothers could represent their own, taking out there anger building confidence till he can take out the original source", Morgan States

Emily looks at the crime scene photos, "The victims were cleaned up, there hands by their side and hair combed. Maybe the unsub knows the them."

Hotch takes a looks and flips the page. "The unsub could be punishing the mothers for being terrible to their children."

I put my hand on Aarons thigh has he's talking. His breathing hitches but continues.

"So he sees himself as a protector." I say and everyone nods. "Wheels up in thirty."

________________

They team file out of the room and I stay behind holding Hotch by his thigh. He looks down and a small smile spreads on his face.

I meet his eyes as I slowly bring my hand to palm him through his pants; rubbing him till he was hard.

A small groan erupts from him when he grabs my hand pulling it away.

"Not here", he whispers into my ear then nibbling on my ear lobe.

I close my eyes when it goes cold; he'd left the room leaving me to imagine what would've happened.

I get my go bag and I go to the jet being the first one there. Aaron steps on taking my hand and dragging me to the bathroom.

He pins me against the wall and his hand makes it way to my throat. A soft moan leaves my lips.

He uses his leg to separate mine and puts his knee in between.

"Little girl, do you really wanna play that game with me?" I nod and he kisses me dragging his hand and ghosting it over my core.

I try and lean forward; grind on his palm but he pulls away shutting the door behind him.

When I gather myself and walk out the bathroom. I'm met with Rossi sitting next to Aaron with a smirk.

"How are you guys", Rossi says; me and Aaron glace at each other both saying fine in unison.

The rest of the team files on and takes there seats. I sit across from Aaron my leg running up and down his. Morgan surrounded by JJ and Emily.

Reid took the personal days to see his mom.

The majority of the team taking a nap. Rossi had gotten up to move to a single space so I took his seat, staring at Aaron.

I looked around and realized no one could see us. I leaned my head on his shoulder; he kissed the top of my head and I took a quiet nap.

Woken from Aaron shaking my shoulder to go over the case before we land. Garcia appears on screen.

"Ok let's go over the case", Hotch says in a stern tone. JJ speaks up, "Stabbing is consistent with those that are imponent. He could be using the stabbing as an outlet for sexual release."

"What if he's not though", I say in an unsure voice and they all look at me to continue.

"Now yes it is unlikely for the unsub to be a women but what if there was no sexual assault because they had no need too.

I mean yeah they could use the stabbing for release but if they were a women they just wouldn't have the need for it."

Hotch nods, "Let's not rule anything out and keep that thought in mind." I grin to myself knowing I got I wasn't completely wrong.

Morgan starts speaking, "Baby girl were the victims married?" I can hear her typing.

"Technically yes but the fathers were all absent. It was just the mothers and the kids."

"How are the kids", Emily asked Garcia, "Some of them have a pretty long hospital records, I see broken wrists, arms, and some ribs. Honestly guys I think they were getting abused."

"So lets say they were abused the unsub could've been a doctor or nurse at the hospitals.", Rossi states.

"Rossi and Morgan go to the latest crime scene. JJ and Prentiss interview the closet family. Y/n and I will set up station", Rossi gives us wink. He defiantly knows.

Hotch pulled Rossi to end of the jet.

"Do you mind if what you think you saw earlier, you keep it to yourself."

Rossi smiles to Hotch, "How long."

"2 months", He says happily and slightly embarrassed.

"I won't say a word."

________________

When the plane lands I reached for my bag when I felt something behind me. Hotch had pressed himself to my ass it made me gasp a bit. "What the fuck?"

He tried to have a serious face but I could tell that he had a grin. He knew what he was doing and he was defiantly gonna pay for it later.

When Hotch and I got to the station it was 7pm most of the Officers had gone home; leaving only the sheriff and 3 other cops. The sheriff walked up to us holding out his hand.

"Hello this is SA Y/n Y/l and I'm SSA Aaron Hotchner." We shook the mans hand as he showed up to the board room.

We pinned up pictures of the victims and the crime scene photos to try and get a feel; seeing it from a different point of view.

The room was closed off, blinds shut, and we had already set up; we were waiting for the rest of the team to come back so it was just Aaron and I.

I was looking over the photos when I wanted to tease Aaron a bit more. I bent over the table just enough so he could get a perfect view of me. I heard footsteps behind me and hands grab my hips.

"Little girl you're just begging me to fuck you right here aren't you." I suppressed my moan but he noticed. "Yeah you are aren't you." I nodded.

"Come on baby we've been over this use your words." His voice was coated in lust and it was low.

I bet if he really was able to he'd fuck me here and now. I finally spoke up.

"God... yes please." He wrapped his hand around my neck and brought my head to his mouth.

"I don't think you deserve it at this point little girl." He pressed me back onto the table.

My chest hitting the cold wood as his bulge pressed against me. Then he walked away sitting back down going back to drinking his coffee.

That was when the team walked in. They didn't see or hear anything thank god but it still worried me; what would've happened if they caught us.

They carried on with casual conversation; Aaron talking to them like he didn't just slam me on to the table a minute ago.

It was now 11:30; there was no leads on the case so far other than the possibility that the unsub could've been a women; that the mothers may have been abusing their kids.

So the unsub see themselves as a protector/ savior to the children. We were currently trying to put together other theories but half of us were asleep. Morgan was knocked out in the chair.

JJ and Emily were laying down together on the couch. Hotch was drinking his coffee with me next to him. Rossi had left for the hotel an hour ago.

Hotch took the last sip and woke everyone up, "Okay we've done all we can let's go; we can continue in the morning." The team had left before us and they were so sleepy; not paying attention.

My finger intertwined with Aarons as we walked out not wanting to attract too much attention.

Once we got to the hotel everyone got a separate rooms. Me and Aaron got conjoined rooms but I was sleeping in his.

I was wearing a white crop top and a pair of Aarons grey sweat pants; Aaron was wearing a white t-shirt and black pajama pants.

I got situated and threw my stuff on the chair before heading to bed.

I was swept up from behind and was thrown over Aarons shoulder when he slapped my ass hard and tossed me on the bed.

His voice was dark and dominant, "I think we've played enough for today."

He leaned in closer my lips grazing his; he whispered, "I'm going to fuck you so hard you won't be able to stand."

Wetness grew between my legs and from that moment on I knew.

It was gonna be a long night.

_____________________

@mac99martin @donttellanyoneireadfanfiction @appleblossoms-posts @marie1115

#aaron hotch hotchner #aaron hotchner #reader x aaron+hotchner #aaron hotchner x reader #aaron #hotch x y/n #hotchner x reader #hotch smut #smut #fanfic #writing #story #criminal minds #bau #ssa hotchner #hotchner

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crystalwillow · 4 years

Text

When You’re Ready - Part Two

Pairing: Rafael Aveiro x Casey Valentine (F!MC)

Tagging: @lunayxcnco @kiteplayschoices @brycelahelalover @eleanorbloom @lucas-koh @obsessedheehee @fuseboxmusebox @rookie-ramsey

You can read Part One, here

========================

It had been 2 week since that night Raf and Casey fell asleep in his bed whilst looking at his old school books, and Casey was round again visiting. She was currently talking with Juliana about Rafael as they cooed over his baby photo’s together.

“You never told me you were always so cute.” Casey smiled at Raf as she glanced over at him, He blushed back with a small smile on his face. Unable to find words.

“He was always caring too. Our dog got sick once. He never left his side until he was better.”

“That sounds exactly like Rafael.”

They laughed as they turned back to the photo album, cooing at some more photos whilst Raf just sat and blushed. The day ran away with the three of the and soon Rafael was waving goodbye to Casey as her taxi pulled away from the curb outside the house. When she got home, The apartment was oddly quiet, as she turned the light to the kitchen on, she found a note on the side.

“Hey! We’ve all got extra-long shifts, so you’ll be alone until about 2am when we’re all finally home. We made sure to leave leftovers of yesterday’s dinner for you incase you get hungry. See you soon! Sienna, Elijah, Jackie and Aurora!”

Casey sighed as she placed the note back on the side and opened the fridge to find the leftovers there, waiting for her. She took them out and put them in the microwave to heat up, taking out her phone and sitting on the side as she waited. When she unlocked her phone she found unread messages from Baz, Ethan & Rafael. She worked through them in that order.

--- 8:56pm ---

Baz: Hey! Just wanted to check in and see if you need anything? It’s been a while!

--- 9:18pm ---

Casey: Hey Baz! It’s good to hear from you. The only thing I could do with is some company but, you’re probably still working so...

Baz: Actually. Ethan and I are just packing up and shutting everything down in the office right now.

Casey: What about June?

Baz: She stormed off after an argument with Ethan.

Casey: Oh...

Baz: Yeah... It was kinda over you..

Casey: What?!

=========================================

She switched chats into her messages with Ethan and her eyes widened as she read the message.

--- 7:23pm ---

Ethan: Whatever June tells you. I didn’t mean it like that. I value you as a friend and fellow doctor. Nothing more.

--- 9:26pm ---

Casey: Ethan? What on earth are you on about?

Casey: I know you aren’t still working Ethan Ramsey. Baz literally just told me you’re packing up and shutting down.

Casey: Dr. Ramsey. Answer me, please.

Ethan: I hate texting.

=========================================

Casey giggled as she switched over to The conversation with Rafael.

--- 9:01pm ---

Rafael: Message me when you get this. I’d like to know you get home safe!

--- 9:33pm ---

Casey: Hey handsome! I’m home, safe and sound. Still in one piece <3

Rafael: Thank God. I was starting to get worried.

Casey: You worry too much sometimes. You’d be the first person I tell if something was wrong.

Rafael: But what if it was something where you couldn’t tell me?

Casey: I’d find a way. You know that. I-

Rafael: You... ?

Rafael: Casey?

Rafael: Oh no... Somethings happening. See I told you!

Casey: Raf, calm down! I was just taking my dinner out of the microwave.

Rafael: Um... I knew that. Of course I knew that. You’re Casey Valentine. Food vacuum.

Casey: 😂. You’re funny Mr. Aveiro. Very funny, and cute.

Rafael: Damn right I’m cute! 😝😘

Casey: Swoon!

Rafael: Yes swoon over me!

Casey: I think the word used these days is simp.

Rafael: Simp? ... That sounds ridiculous. I like swoon way better.

Casey: Me too

Rafael: I forgot to ask you something earlier.

Casey: You can ask me now.

Rafael: Would you maybe... like to go on a date?

Casey: Raf? Are you kidding?! I’d love to go on a date!

Rafael: Really?! I’m not too... nerdy for you? I mean, you’re a certified badass at this point and I’m just well..

Casey: The guy I’ve very much in love with? They guy I think is so gorgeous and sexy and amazing it should be a crime. The guy who I call ‘My Superman’ ???

Rafael: You make me soft for you, Casey Valentine.

Casey: You sure about that? Rafael Aveiro.

Rafael: .... Get your mind out of the gutter.

Casey: 😂, You love me though!

Rafael: Yeah... I do 🙂 Very much so.

Casey: So... see you on this date?

Rafael: Yeah. I’ll call you tomorrow with instructions on where to meet me. Wear something casual but with a professional edge?

Casey: Okay! Goodnight Raf! 💕

Casey smiled at the message she got back. A picture of Raf snuggled in bed, pouting, followed by a message that read ‘wish you were here too.’

She placed her phone on the table just as there was a knock on the door. As she approached it she head two distinct voices on the other side.

“Come on Ethan! She sounded like she needed friends!”

“Dr. Mirani, this is stupid! She’s probably gone to bed by now. It’s late and she’s still recovering from a very traumatic experience.”

“I beg to differ, Ethan. If she was going to bed she would have said ‘goodnight’ because she isn’t as grumpy and rude as you.”

“Excuse me!”

Casey opened the door and smiled at them as they looked at each other.

“Well if it isn’t Dr. Sunshine and Dr. Rain Storm.”

“Hi Casey! We-”

“Ahem.”

“I thought you could use some company before bed.”

“What kind of friend would I bed if I didn’t invite you in for at least one night cap.”

“See Ethan! I told you she’d want to see us!”

Ethan reluctantly followed Baz inside as Casey moved aside for them.

“What can I get you Baz?”

“I’d kill for a beer if you have one please.”

“Ethan? Usual or is tonight the night where you’re changing things up and taking an adventure?”

“The usual, please.” He said and Casey disappeared into the kitchen. The three talked well into the night, they stayed so late that Casey insisted on them staying for the night as it would be too dangerous for them to drive.

--- 3 Days Later ---

Casey was on her way to the grocery store when her phone started buzzing in her pocket, she stopped off to the side and answered it without even looking at the caller ID.

“Hello?”

“Casey!”

“Raf!”

“Hey!”

“Hi! You sound beautiful today.”

“Are you saying I don’t always sound beautiful, doctor?”

Casey giggled in response and Rafael joined in.

“You’re too cute Casey.”

“Why thank you, oh handsome knight.”

“I could stay on the line and shamelessly flirt all day. But I’d much rather do it in person. This afternoon. Meet me at my place, 3:45pm. It’s time for our date!”

“Really?”

“Really. You’re still okay with it right?”

“Yeah. I just....”

Rafael listened as Casey screamed and ran around on the other end of the line.

“SOMEBODY HELP ME! IT’S A BUMBLE BEE!!!!!”

He tried to stifle his laughter, but it was too hard to accomplish with the image he had in his head.

“Stop laughing at me Aveiro!” Casey shouted down the phone as her quickened pace came to a halt, followed by heavy breathing.

“I-I’m sorry Case. It’s just.... Oh man!” he said as his laughter calmed down. “Look. I’ll let you recover, and I’ll see you later?”

“Yeah. It’s a date!”

“Well of course it is, silly!”

They said goodbye and hung up, Casey getting her groceries and Rafael preparing for the date.

--- 3:39pm that day ---

Casey walked through Rafael’s neighborhood with a smile on her face as she approached his house. She had that giddy feeling which made her stop at the front door with her hand raised at the doorbell. After taking a deep breath to steady her nerves, she closed her eyes and pressed the bell, waiting for an answer. She pulled and twisted a lock of her hair as she waited, jumping as the door opened to reveal a half dressed Rafael. She bit her lip as her eyes bulged a little before she started drinking in the sight in front of her.

“Like what you see?” he chuckled

“Very much.” she responded with a sultry smirk.

Grinning, Rafael opened the door wider inviting her inside. She followed him staring at his back as he retreated down the hallway, the only thing on her mind was what she wanted to do to him. And his back.

“Just make yourself comfortable on the couch, I’ll be ready in a moment. Sorry I’m running late.”

“It’s alright. It gives me a chance to be alone with my daydreams.”

“And what pray tell, are those daydreams?”

He grinned as Casey smirked at him, subtly licking her lips, eyeing his body one last time before he disappeared into his room. Casey was on the couch thinking about things she wanted to try with Raf when it came to the more intimate bedroom moments. She was so deep in her daydreams that she hadn’t noticed Rafael return from getting ready.

“Ahem..”

“Ah!” she screamed with a little jump as Raf cleared his throat, smiling at her. “How long have you been there?”

“Long enough to watch you bite your lip around 6 times and quietly moan about 4.”

“I what?!”

Rafael let out a hearty laugh as he looked at Casey’s horrified expression. “I’m just playing with you. You only bit your lip.” Casey scrunched up her nose and playfully whacked his chest as he continued to laugh. She watched him, taking in his outfit as he stood to his full height, stretching out. He was wearing a burgundy t-shirt, navy blue leather jacket, black distressed skinny jeans and crisp white sneakers. He’d accessorized with a gold watch and necklace with an airplane charm dangling from the chain. She preferred him in just his underwear or no clothes at all, but he was looking pretty damn fresh in this outfit and it was giving her butterflies all over again, just like that first day they met, and her eyes met his gorgeous chocolate brown ones. So warm and inviting they lit fireworks inside her as she smiled at him.

“Um... Earth to Casey? Hello...”

“Hm?” Casey hummed with slightly widened eyes as she snapped her attention to Raf

“Man, you’re really liking these daydreams huh?”

“Sorry. Just x-ray visioning your torso and seeing those chiseled abs through that t-shirt.”

Rafael blushed bashfully as Casey grinned at him, moving from her own position on the couch and stretching out too. Raf watched her the way she had just watched him, he also took in every part of her outfit. From her blue denim jeans to the powder blue jacket over the white blouse she had chosen to wear, all the way down to the accessories and crisp white sneakers which ironically matched his own.

“Hey. I guess we’re meant to be huh?” He smiled as he tapped their feet together. Casey looked down and felt a warmth spread through her chest at the small detail. It wasn’t intentional and that’s what made it feel all the more special to them both. Although neither would voice that out loud just yet.

“Could I use your bathroom before we go?” Casey asked

“Yeah, sure! Go right ahead. I’ll double check I’ve packed everything then meet you by the door.”

Casey smiled getting up on tip-toe and pecking his cheek before going to the bathroom. A short while later, Casey stood by a tree as Rafael laid a blanket over a patch of grass nearby. She had offered to help, but being the gentleman he is, Rafael insisted Casey let him do this alone. It was his date idea after all, he was supposed to be making her feel loved not like she was working. After he had anchored a corner down with the basket, he stood on another as he looked at Casey with a sugar sweet smile, sweeping his arm over their spot.

“Lunch madam?” he asked, making Casey giggle and blush a little. It had been a while since she had dated anyone after her awful breakup 5 years prior to this moment. Which is when she vowed to herself never to fall for anyone again. But yet here she was, on a date with a guy so sweet, who made her feel so happy, that she threw all caution to the wind because he was worth it. She smiled at Rafael as she took a seat on the blanket and he followed her swiftly. She smiled as he pulled a carton of orange juice and 2 plastic tumblers from the basket, pouring them both a glass. He closed the carton, standing it back in the basket before passing Casey a tumbler and giving her a peck on the cheek. She blushed and returned the gesture before hiding her blush behind the plastic cup in her hand.

“So.... What did you bring?”

“Well...” He chuckled. “Vovo baked quite a few things for us. I was planning on going to the store and buying our favourites but, you know vovo when it comes to food.” Casey nodded and giggled as she watched Raf dive into the basket, pulling out plates and containers of food. Her eyes bulged at the amount there was. “Raf! We aren’t going to eat all of that. Are we?” she questioned, slight terror on her face. He chuckled at her and shook his head.

“No of course not my sweet peach. But like I said, you know vovo.”

“I guess I do, yeah.” She smiled. “What are we starting with then?”

“Well, you pick. We have Pão de queijo, Kibe, Picanha-”

Casey looked at him through a narrowed eye as if it was crazy to bring that along. “I did suggest maybe we should have it at home, but she scolded me for that. Pretty much told me to stop being an idiot and to let you eat good. She basically all but called you a goddess.” He explained, Casey looked at him with her mouth open a little. He reached up and closed it with a sugary smile. “Close that beautiful. I don’t want to be tasting flies when I kiss you. Besides, you are a goddess.” Casey blinked rapidly as she took in his words. The butterflies in her stomach were going crazy. Why was he being so nice? Why was he treating her with so much respect? Giving her so much attention and not pulling his phone out every time it buzzed? Was this normal? She had spent so many date nights in her last relationship doing the majority of the grunt work whilst her boyfriend sat on his phone or games console, she just thought it was normal to wait on the man hand and foot. Give him everything he needs, wants and desires.

She sat there, staring at Rafael as he smiled at her, holding her jaw closed with such a feather light touch. She had thought of it before, but now she felt it. She loves this man. He’s everything. Sweet, charming, chivalrous.... she could let her mind wonder to how amazing he was that time they slept together one night during her first year at the hospital. But this wasn’t the moment for that, she teared up with a smile as her bottom lip quivered. His gaze turned from happiness to one of concern as a tear slipped down her cheek.

“Casey? Are you okay? D-did I do something wrong?”

She shook her head, grabbing a napkin, dabbing her tears away. She took a moment to calm herself before stepping over the spread of food and sitting in Raf’s lap giving him a hug.

“I only brought food.” He chuckled. “What’s brought this on?”

“I um. I know we’ve said it before, and you might hate me for telling you that I wasn’t entirely sure when I said it. But I’m sure now. I... I love you Rafael Aveiro.” She said, brushing his hair out of his face so she could look into his eyes better. A soft smile spread onto the mans features as he looked up at the woman in his lap, and just like magnets, their lips connected in a sweet, love filled kiss. When they pulled away, they looked into each other’s eyes. The moment pure and delicate as they rested their foreheads together.

“I love you too, Casey Valentine.” Rafael whispered, stealing another quick peck before Casey adjusted herself, resting her head on his shoulder.

“Could you feed me something?”

“Sure.”

“I’d like some cheese bread please. Oh and follow that with a chocolate strawberry.”

“As the lady wishes.” he smiled, feeding her some bread and then the strawberry.

She giggled as the chocolate crumbled and fell into her lap, she picked it up and popped it into her mouth and Raf chuckled at her cuteness. She smiled at him as she swallowed the strawberry and he raised an eyebrow.

“What?” Casey asked, quizzical look upon her face.

“Are you not going to share?” Rafael retorted, mocking offense.

“Oh. I’m sorry. Did you ask? Because I didn’t hear you.” She grinned and he shook his head with a smile. The rest of the date went really well. They traded childhood stories and even some secrets they vowed to never tell anyone because they would carry them to their graves as the only people who ever knew. But somehow, they felt comfortable telling each other.

As the sun set over the horizon, Casey and Rafael laid on the blanket huddled under their jackets as they watched the stars appear in the night sky. Rafael had answered a call from his grandma to help ease her worry, about both himself and Casey. He secretly liked, no loved, that Juliana saw Casey as part of the family already, and was even more taken aback by the fact she already had a ring ready for him to propose with when he felt the time was right. Of course that wasn’t going to be any time soon but, he knew in his soul as well as felt it in his stomach that Casey and himself were going to be together for life. So there was no rush. Beside he’d planned to date her for a while first from the moment he saw her in the ER that first day of her job. One day when he was sure they would both be ready, he would get down on bended knee and ask her to be Mrs. Aveiro, but until then, he was happy with dating the most beautiful girl he had ever seen.

#choices stories you play #playchoices #pixelberry studios #open heart #open heart: second year #open heart fanfiction #rafael aveiro fanfiction #choices fanfiction #open heart rafael #rafael aveiro #casey valentine #rafael x casey #rafael x f!mc #dr casey valentine

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sharinluna · 5 years

Text

MLQC Chapter 17 Translation Part 1(Do not reblog)

DO NOT COPY, QUOTE, REPOST OR REBLOG THIS ANYWHERE. Links are okay but I don’t want this post to spread too much in other communities or websites.

Translation of excerpts from chapter 17.

This is not a full translation, only some parts. It’s more like a abbreviation/summary/paraphrasing of some parts of the story. Do not ask me to translate more or reveal more plots in the story.

The translation is based on KR version text. I’m not a professional translator and get things wrong. So do not regard this as the actual canon story.

I used Yōurán as the name of MC because that is the unofficial default MC’s name in CN version.

If you want to read chapter 15 & 16 translations, I tagged them under #mlqc translation

HEAVY SPOILERS AHEAD

******************

Yesterday’s abrupt call from Dr. Song made me nervous. I called her back several times but no one answered.

As soon as I woke up next morning, I took the bus 330 to the hospital. Due to the early hours the bus was empty. With the influenza there were few people seen outdoors.

A tall young man carrying a skateboard and with earphones on his ears got on the bus. His lazy eyes met mine for a second. He sat next to me even though there were enough empty seats. I discreetly moved further away from him.

He sat cross-legged as if he didn’t have a care in the world and took out what looked like an MP3 player. A glance at the screen told me he was listening to Holiday by Green Day. Although he was listening with his earphones, the bus was so quiet that I could hear the blaring music too.

I must have stared at him too long, because he looked at me and raised his eyebrows. His lips were twitching as if to smile.

??: You want to listen in?

Yōurán: N, No thanks.

A little bit embarrassed, I waved my hand at him and turned in the other direction.

As I was looking out the window, the familiar pain assaulted my head again. A beam of white light came and went. In a familiar crossroads the bus 330 suddenly lost control and hit a woman crossing the streets.

As soon as the vision cleared I raised my head up. The accident was going to happen just a curve away! My vision was predicting the future again!

Yōurán: Stop the bus, please!

Without losing a second I stood up and yelled at the driver.

Driver: Miss, we didn’t arrive at the stop yet.

The driver looked at me as if I was crazy and went on driving.

Yōurán: I’m really sorry, but I have to get off right now! It’s an emergency! Please park the bus on the wayside!

Driver: No way! It’s not far till the bus stop, so just quit it and stop bothering me!

Yōurán: But…!

The bus was turning the curve now, and I hadn’t yet thought of a way to get him to stop.

The sky outside suddenly turned dreary. Then a gleaming flash of lightening landed on the ground near us with thunderous noise. It was a terrifying sight. Then it started to rain like it was flooding.

Driver: What’s with this sudden downpour? The weather forecast said there would be no rains today…

The driver, muttering, stopped the bus on the street.

Driver: It’s raining too much. Everyone, get out!

With soaring spirits I sprinted outside into the rain. The drenching downpour couldn’t hinder my hurrying footsteps. Please, please don’t let my vision come true!

The woman from my vision was crossing the street with an umbrella. Her steps were sure and stable. When she reached the other end of the street she kept on walking and turned the corner and went away safely.

I changed the future! Pure joy filled my heart. I was soaked but I was thankful for the rain. Then the raindrops that were pouring down on my head vanished. I looked up and saw an umbrella.

The young man from the bus shoved the umbrella to me. He averted his eyes when I looked at him, I could smell faint tobacco. I opened my mouth to say something but he was already walking away.

??: There’s no need to thank me.

His voice called out to me among the rain.

Yōurán: I wasn’t…

The rain gradually stopped. I could see a rainbow above the sky. It seemed like was a symbol of the miracle that I just experienced.

**********************

Yōurán: Excuse me, did Dr. Song come to the hospital today?

Doctor: No, she hasn’t been here for a few days.

Yōurán: But I got a call from her yesterday telling me to meet her here.

Doctor: She was transferred to a different hospital yesterday.

Yōurán: Do you know which hospital?

Doctor: It’s The 5th Hospital in the East District. It only hospitalizes critical flu patients.

I continued my search and noticed that all of Dr. Song’s records seemed to be disposed. Why was she transferred so suddenly? Right after she called me last night and abruptly ended the call?

**********************

The 5th Hospital in the East District was in a secluded area of the city. I researched and found out that the hospital was not well known by people.

I hid behind a tree as I spied the hospital building. Except looking quite old, the building looked ordinary. I have already memorized the floor plans of the hospital, and on a hunch, the records room on the fifth floor was the most suspicious, since it was bigger than necessary.

I used my reporter license to get into the quarantine zone and brought along a doctor’s gown and mask, along with a forged identification. The security guard only glanced at my ID and let me inside the hospital.

**********************

??: Hey

I startled and looked up from my investigation. In the upstairs lobby, a man was looking down at me. I couldn’t see his face in the dark, but his silver hair gleamed in the moonlight.

??: Give me that notebook you’re holding.

He didn’t raise his voice, but it was clearly a command.

Yōurán: Who are you? Why should I give this to you?

Deciding that I should leave immediately, I sneakily snapped a photo of the page I was reading.

Suddenly the lights went on and footsteps could be heard.

??: Back off.

He went over the rail and landed on the ground.

Yōurán: You…

He was standing in front of me. Half of his face was hidden in shadows, but I could see the sharpness of his eyes and eyebrows. He took the notebook away from my hands before I finished my sentence.

??: Let’s go.

Yōurán: Wait, where?

I looked at him warily. His demeanor aside, it didn’t seem like he would harm me.

??: Let’s trade this notebook for your way out.

He dragged me to the corner of the room, where there was a small door.

??: Go out this way. It’s safe.

With those brusque words he made to leave. I don’t know where the courage came from, but I reached my hand out to grab him. But he went out of my grasp.

Yōurán: What about you then?

??: Do not get in my way.

He disappeared among the shelves.

Yōurán: Thank you…

I whispered and went out the way he told me.

**********************

At last I could see the exit outside! But then I saw someone lurking in the doorway. I tried to turn around and run but a cold metal object touched the back of my head.

Man in black: Don’t move.

It was a gun.

Man in black: You’d better come with us.

Yōurán: I have a friend who’s going to come for me. Let me go now.

Man in black: Shut up!

He sealed my mouth with duck tape and covered my eyes with black cloth. He pointed his gun at my head again and I had no choice but to follow.

After walking along a long corridor, he pushed me roughly, causing me to almost fall down.

The smell of disinfectants and blood pierced through my nose. I could also smell something rotting. A hand ripped away the tape from my mouth and grabbed my jaw.

Man wearing black: Where is the notebook?

Yōurán: I have no idea what you are talking about.

With a cruel sneer he lifted me up and landed me on a metal table. With clicking sounds, my body was strapped to the table. Uncontrollable fear shot through me and I thrashed around, forgetting the existence of the gun pointing at my head. But it was no use, more shackles chained my body until I couldn’t move a muscle.

Extreme panic took over me. I could hear the bells of doom ringing in my ears counting down the moments that I dreaded more than anything.

A sharp needle pierced my hand. Icy fluid flowed in my veins. My resistance was feeble and my consciousness was starting to let go.

It seemed like they ripped a hole in my heart. Something inside flowed out and revealed the truth. A scene that looked like it came from my past played in my mind.

White walls. A deserted lab. A cold med table.

And a blond boy with agony in his face. Next to him lay a brown-haired girl who was unconscious.

…Was that me? I looked at the blood pouring out from the IV. Tears came from my eyes.

Kiro… Our lives were connected long before. But where are you now?

My body was growing colder and colder.

I heard someone saying: The surgery is a success.

The little girl’s face was unbelievably pale, but the blond boy slowly opened his blue eyes. He reached out and grabbed the girl’s hand but she didn’t wake up from her comatose state.

I thought back to the day when we said goodbye on the TV tower. When his golden eyes looked at me and smiled.

Kiro: Wait for me, Miss Chips.

I’m sorry. I don’t think I can go on waiting…

Like a fish losing water, I breathed my final breath.

**********************

I’m dreading how this will turn out to be because chapter 17 is the toughest for me to translate because I understood the least about this chapter.

Anyway, Kiro and MC’s shared past of being test subjects is revealed again. It seems like Kiro was transfused with MC’s blood to empower his evols or something. (And since Kiro’s blood type is O, we can imply that MC’s blood type is O as well.)

I don’t think Black Swan just ended with blood transfusion. MC fainted in chapter 8 when faced with her painful memories and in chapter 9 she was unconsciously denying her traumatic past. Her fear of needles is derived from her PTSD. I don’t know the full extent, but BS did a lot of horrible things to child MC and Kiro.

Also, MC and Kiro have a lot of twin/soulmate motives. They have same blood types, in one of the dates Kiro said he wanted to change his birthday to be the same as MC’s. CN players say that Yōurán’s symbol is the moon, and Kiro is the sun.

#mlqc #mlqc spoiler #mlqc translation #mlqc chapter 17

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doctorspencereid · 5 years

Text

Because of Me Pt. 2 ( Spencer Reid x Reader )

Pairing: Spencer Reid x reader

Summary: The team races off to find you, hoping they’re not too late. PART 1

Word Count: 2.4k

Tags: @ultrarebelheart

Warnings: abduction, abuse, some slight murder

The agents sped down the streets of Virginia in hopes of beating the clock, if luck was at all on their side then they’d find Douglass with no issue. Though it was never that simple. Like a worm, a sense of dread nagged in Spencer’s thoughts, warning him to prepare for the worst. They were driving down normal streets, residential areas that should have been ideal places to raise a family. It always startled him just how easily the monsters lurked among men, and how horrifically capable people could be.

The cars pulled to a stop outside the small home, and the BAU emerged, vested up and ready to move in. Spencer sucked in a ragged breath, his gun drawn from his side holster. He took cautious strides towards the door, Morgan moving ahead of him with Rossi bringing up the rear. Around back, Hotch and Emily were ready to stop Douglass should he run. Morgan rapped his fist harshly against the door, “ Open up! FBI!”

It echoed against the wood, and there was no answer. That was to be expected, people weren’t usually jumping up and down to answer an aggressive knock from the Federal Government. Without another word, Morgan kicked the door from its hinges unveiling an empty living room. The furniture was clean, arranged neatly without scuffs along the floor. Book shelves lined the walls, each book arranged in a perfect system of alphabetical order. Everything was intentionally placed, everything except the pictures. Or lack thereof. There had clearly once been photos hanging on the walls, though no there were only hooks and nails to indicate that a family had once taken space up on the plain wall. They moved through the house quickly, searching for hidden rooms or doors where Douglass might’ve been keeping Y/N, but there was nothing. The house was ordinary.

Hotch came into the living room, his gun resting in it’s holster again. He shook his head, looking between the rest of the team. “ There’s nothing, they’re not here.”

Rossi scoffed from the door frame, stepping into the living room “ So then he has another place where he’s keeping her. If this guy’s an engineer or a doctor, then maybe a lab or warehouse?”

Morgan seemed to think it over before whipping his phone out and dialing their resident Tech guru. “ Princess, do you know if James Douglass had any other listings or properties under his name?”

A beat of silence, then a huff of resolution sounded from the speaker, “ Not a thing, Dr. Douglass raised his daughter in that home for years, he doesn’t have anything else.” Derek thanked her regardless, tucking the phone away. He peered around the room with narrowed eyes, there had to be something. An unsub so dedicate to leaving clues wouldn’t stop now, he hd to have known they would be coming. He zeroed in on a piece of paper in the corner of the room, the agent moved to grab it, examining it swiftly. “ Hey Reid,” Derek called back over his shoulder, catching the attention of the team, “You might want to come see this. He left another note.”

Spencer’s head snapped up suddenly, striding over to Morgan and examining the note with a scrutinizing gaze.

You’re getting warmer.

This was more sloppy, there was a right handed tilt to the writing. They were closing in on him and he knew it. On the bottom of the page, the number 136 was written quickly. This unsub wanted to taunt Spencer, he wanted to have Spencer come close - then rip everything away. It was likely there were clues lying around the house itself, ready for Spencer to uncover them. His eyes scanned over everything rapidly, working quickly to decide what aligned with the unsub’s M.O. What made sense for him to leave as a clue? He stepped over to the bookshelf, running his fingers over the spines of the different books. Then, pulled out just slightly was Rossi’s book.

The memory of that man, Dr. Douglass hanging outside of the book signing flashed through his mind once more. That was the first time he’d seen him, and it might have even been when he became a target for the unsub. It was significant to him. Spencer drew the book out, thinking quickly through the notes. “ These . . These details, they’re not even small - they’re microscopic. This unsub is weird, he wants to outsmart me, but he wants to be caught at the same time. He wants the infamy.”

Six. Two. Nine. One Thirty-Two.

The book had been the sixth one on the second shelf. He flipped the pages until he stopped at chapter nine, turning through the chapter until he hit page one thirty-two. In the same precise handwriting at the bottom of the page was a location.

The blue building off Mulberry Drive. Tick Tock, Doctor Reid.

A scream ripped from Y/N’s throat, her eyes welling with fresh tears. The room was so bright, so cold. The harshness of both extremes were setting the nerves in her body off like haywire, she was panicked. Frenzied and afraid. “ Please, let me go! I haven’t done anything -”

“ Oh, but you did April.” The cool voice countered, where it not the voice of her captor it might’ve been soothing. But the calmness about him only unsettled her further, “You and your mother, you both did. Left me. Was it because he was younger? Smarter? I gave you everything, raised you with everything - ”

“ I am not April!” Y/N cried, her voice breaking, “Sir, I’m sorry about whoever she is, but I am Y/N. Y/N Y/L/N. I’m a student and I study people . . people like you .” The words had fled past her lips just before a sharp slap collided with her cheek. The coppery taste of blood was suddenly sharp in her mouth.

When she lifted her eyes, Y/N almost shrank back. The doctor was staring back at her with no emotion, as though he couldn’t feel a thing. His eyes were empty, dark, flat. The hand that had struck her was closed into a fist now, and other clasped a gun firmly. She noticed how foreign it looked in his hands, and it was clear he wasn’t familiar with the firearm. “ You’ll be quiet if you know what’s good for you, April.. I don’t like to lose my temper with you. Don’t make do that again. It hurts me more than it hurts you, dear. ”

Y/N said nothing, shaking with both fear and the frigid cold of the room. If her hands were free, she might rub her jaw or run her hands together to create some heat. The doctor kneeled down close to her, and she could smell the sharp bite of mint that hung off him. He grabbed her chin roughly, without any of the gentle touch you might afford someone when you feel even a drop of sympathy. “ If you’re lucky, he may just find you in time.”

He. Doctor Reid. He would find her, she knew he would. Just like her, he noticed the details even when no one else did. She only hoped he could do so in time. But until then, she had to hold on. Y/N leveled her cold gaze at the doctor, hatred burning in her soul. She collected all the blood she could taste, sneering at her abductor and spat her blood at the doctor, glaring with hellfire. The doctor stood sharply, wiping at his face with disgust. “ He’ll find me, he’ll piece your shit show mystery game together.”

“ That’s a sweet sentiment, April. For your sake, I hope you’re right.” He neared her, the gun gone now. Her own phone was gripped in his hand, and a sick smile on his face.

Derek Morgan drove beside Spencer Reid in almost total silence, that was until the lankier of the two agents spoke up softly.

“ Morgan - I’m sorry about yesterday. I just, I thought I could handle this on my own.” Spencer started, looking around the streets in hopes they were close. “ I just didn’t want to slow down, I can’t afford to be slow right now. Her life relies on me being fast enough to figure out this game.” Morgan didn’t have time to so much as open his mouth, a shrill ring emanated from Spencer’s phone, he picked at it awkwardly, recognizing the name on the Caller ID almost immediately.

“ Y/N?” Spencer asked, his more quiet than he’d expected it to sound. Morgan turned to look with a jolt of surprise, but Spencer didn’t look at him, instead he stammered to get words out, “Hey, we’re on the case, are you- um, where are you right now? Can you tell me where you are?”

The voice that greeted him turned his blood to ice. “ Doctor - please, please. Help me, I - I’m in a really bright room, and he’s here. He’s calling me April. Please, if anyone can find me . . you can.” She clicked off before he could manage another question. Her voice was ragged and riddled with exhaustion, worn and raspy from screaming. Reid turned to Morgan, clearing his throat, not meeting the other agent’s gaze.

“ He’s calling her April.”

“ That’s the name of Douglass’ daughter. He’s going to take out all of his frustration for his daughter on her.” Derek informed him, his face settling darkly. The prospect of that kind of pain and anger being unleashed on the innocent person he’d met stirred worry in his blood. Silence hung in the air between them as they drove, the only sound was the bumpy pavement beneath the tires.

Morgan looked over at Reid from the corner of his vision, then back towards the road. “ You know, Reid, coming to us doesn’t slow you down. You should know by now we work more efficiently as a team.”

He pulled into a large blue warehouse, it was grimy and the area around them was dim. Spencer looked at him and stepped out from the car, drawing his weapon. “ I know.”

The team moved quickly, deploying SWAT units to cover the areas surrounding the building. Morgan led the charge again, with Spencer following his lead. Raid units were working on busting down the door, and the moment they did the team swarmed in. The lower floor was dark, and metal staircases along the walls led up a second floor where different rooms could be seen. Reid motioned his direction, hurrying over to the stairs and keeping his weapon poised as he started up. He kept his back to the wall and his senses alert. Light leaked from beneath the doors of the different rooms. Rossi came up behind Spencer, and Emily was catching up. They moved to cover different rooms, going through three with no avail. Worry started to pierce his thoughts. If Douglass was lying to them then they had nothing. He had to be here, if their notions about him were accurate, then he would be here.

The three of them came up near a back room, Emily caught Spencer’s attention and leaned back against the door frame, nodding at him.Spencer nudged the door open, peering in. It was almost entirely dark, a contrast from the rest of the rooms. Douglass had done something. In the center, there was Y/N, bound to a chair and gagged. Above her head, a single light hung from the ceiling.

“ Douglass - we know you’re here. Come out and no one has to get hurt.” Emily called out, her gun raised and ready to fire should the doctor present himself as a threat. Spencer stepped closer towards Y/N, but with each step he took, the more vehemently she shook her head.

Spencer didn’t think much of it, simply eager to get her out of the situation as fast as he could. His long fingers worked to unbind her from the chair, helping her out of it. Emily’s voice cut out from across the room, snapping him back to reality. Something was wrong. “ Spencer, get back!”

A gunshot rang out, then another. But Spencer didn’t feel a thing, he looked down at his chest, there wasn’t a dent. Beside him, a thud hit the ground and he looked to see Y/N had fallen to the floor. Red blossomed across her stomach. Douglass moved in closer, aiming for Spencer, but Emily was quick to fire back. He knew Douglass had fallen, but he wasn’t entirely aware of anything at all. Spencer removed the gag, pressing the cloth to the wounds, applying pressure in a desperate attempt to stem the flow. “ I’m sorry, Y/N. I’m so sorry -” He tried, shaking his head and looking back frantically, “ Get the medics! We need the medics!” His shaky brown eyes turned back to her, wide and unsteady. “ Keep looking at me, Y/N, come on.”

She was responsive, though it was delayed. Y/n did look at him, and for a moment Spencer saw that spark of wonder in her eyes. When she looked at him it burned so brightly, it only pained him further. Y/N opened her mouth to speak, and he saw the stain of scarlet against her teeth. “ I knew you would find me, I told him you would.” She said to him, her voice soft and breathy. Spencer shook his head, trying to apply more pressure, he needed to fix this.

“ I wasn’t fast enough, I’m sorry I wasn’t fast enough.” he apologized, not noticing the breaks in his voice. Y/N shook her head, resting her hand on his wrist. Tears fell down her cheeks, she shut her eyes quickly. Terror ran in his heart for a moment, then she looked at him again.

“ You found me, Spencer. You found me.” Her last word caught in her throat, and she fell limp in his grasp. Spencer knew without checking that she was gone now. The noise that left him sounded almost inhuman, it was soft, a low whimper almost. He sat there for a long while, feeling empty. It hadn’t been enough. Douglass had been right. Spencer had lost. Morgan came around and forced Spencer to let go, watching as the ambulance carried her away with a sheet over her body, and he couldn’t help the pinpricks stinging the corners of his eyes. Though no tears fell, they settled there, threatening to.

He wasn’t sure how long he was sat there, his shirt stained with blood, his skin frigid. He heard footsteps dully approaching him, then Morgan’s hand settled familiarly over his shoulder, “ Reid, I’m sorry.”

Spencer looked down, clearing his throat and pinching the bridge of his nose to try and stem any flow of tears before they could start. “ I wasn’t fast enough, this . . this was because of me.”

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raspbaerriees · 5 years

Text

Don’t Forget

youtube

[DON'T FORGET - iKON] Don't forget me, Don't forget me, Please don't forget me,

Don't forget us, Don't forget me, Everything about me.

Genre: Angst Warnings: death of a character

Pairings: no specific character x reader

Word count: 2, 204 words

I woke up only to see a white ceiling in front of me. Memories came in rushing; I clearly remember how I ended up here. How weak I became, yet I managed to stay alive. A tear escaped my eyes as I recall all the happy memories I shared with the ones I loved. The quietness of the place made me feel lonelier. How I missed waking up to the smell of my mom's cooking, how my brother enters my room only to wake me up. How my dad used to drive me to work and how he picked me up after. How we used to eat at our family's favorite restaurant. How happy we were.

And then it hit me, it was all my fault. If I did not become so selfish, if I did not take myself for granted. If I really cared for them, they shouldn't be so worried for me right now. They shouldn't be burdened by me; our life was normal before. More tears came flowing to the point that I am not able to stop it anymore. I sat up and hugged my knees as I am crying hardly. I stayed in that position until I heard a soft knock on the door.

The door opened and revealed the sweetest person i'd ever met in my life.

"Good morning, honey. Oh, you're already awake." The moment I heard her soft voice, it made me cry even more.

"Why are you crying? Was something wrong? What happened?" She asked with the most caring tone and it broke my heart. She put the food on the table. I hate making them worried. I looked up to her and she went over to me.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry." I hugged and broke down into her. As much as I wished for these tears to stop, the harder I sobbed.

"Sweetie, no. It's not your fault. It's our fault. If we only payed more attention to you, this shouldn't have happened."

"We're sorry." She tightened her embrace and I definitely am going to miss her hug.

"Come on, that's enough of crying." She wiped the tears that stained my cheek and smiled to me.

"Your dad got the promotion you and him had been waiting for." She ran her fingers through my hair.

"Really? That's good, when are we going to celebrate it?" I asked and smiled at my mom.

"Whenever you want, do you want to celebrate today?" My mom let go of me and sat on the bed.

"Sure, if dad's okay about it. I'll be good."

"I'll just call him, wait here. Is that alright?"

"Yup." And with that, she left the room trying to hide her sadness.

I got lost in my thoughts for several minutes until I heard my phone ring. I looked up to see the caller id and flashed a sad smile. I quickly picked it up, not wanting the caller to wait longer.

"Hi!" I forced my voice to greet the caller.

"Good morning, I'll drop by to you today. Wait for me, okay?"

"Sure. I'll be waiting, maybe we can talk later? You seem busy today."

"Alright, have some rest. I'll talk to you later." I can feel the smile through the phone.

"Sure. Bye bye!"

"Laters." and after that I heard the phone beep meaning that the call ended. I heard three soft knocks on the door and it swung open.

"Dear, how are you? Are you sure you want to celebrate today?" My dad asked me.

"I'm fine. Yup. I'll be okay. Don't worry." I flashed a smile at my dad.

"Well then, it's settled. Do you want your mom to cook?"

"Of course, who wouldn't like mom's dishes?"

"Wait for some moment, we'll prepare and bring the food here. Have some rest."

"Okay." I smiled to my dad and he returned the smile before leaving the room.

Once the door closed, I felt the emptiness that is surrounding me. I wonder if everything will ever be back to normal again. I wonder if I will ever see their happy smiles. Maybe it's bound to happen in some time or place. I took my phone from the table and scanned in my gallery. The last picture I took with my family was months ago, maybe today it's time to create another happy memory. I smiled as a went to the deeper side of my gallery. My gallery's filled with my loved ones. Their smiles, crying because of happiness, celebrating, vacation and all the good memories. I smiled as I took a photo of myself today.

It's about lunch and I decided to text my brother.

: "Hey, it's your break right? Don't forget to eat."

J : "Yo sis! Yes, I'm on the cafeteria right now. Same goes to you."

: "Yup, Mom left food for me. Make sure to come home early, we have a celebration."

J : "I will, I heard from mom-- by the way, how are you today? feeling sick?"

: "No, I’m all good."

J : "That's good to hear."

: "Alright, don't get stressed by school! Take care!"

J : "Take care."

I fell asleep while waiting for everyone to come. And as I woke up, my family is already gathered in my room and smiles are plastered in their faces.

"You're awake, are you hungry? do you wanna eat something?" My brother got up from the sofa and sat down beside me.

"Maybe? How about you? Do you wanna eat?" I asked.

"I'm hungry, let's eat." And with that he helped me sat up and he got up from my bed.

"Mom, dad, come on let's eat. I'm hungryyyy!" My brother blurted out and we laughed at him.

"Alright, alright."

We ate and talked about how did today went, however I did not eat that much. The happenings on my brother's school and such things. And mostly, we took some photos replacing the old ones in our phones. We laughed on how my dad got his promotion. It came in an unusual way. We continued to talk until we heard a knock on the door. It was my best friend.

"Good evening auntie, uncle and little bro."

"And good evening to you too." He looked at me and smiled. We all returned the smile he gave us.

"Good evening to you, sweetie. We already told you right? You don't need to address us as auntie and uncle. You're like our son, you should have called us mom and dad." My mom hugged him.

"That's right, you should really call us mom and dad." My dad agreed.

"Alright, MOM and DAD." He did put emphasize on mom and dad which made everyone laugh including himself.

"Hello, it's been a while." I greeted him as he put the flowers on the table beside my bed before coming over to me. He gave me a hug and I kindly returned the same thing.

"It's been a while? Hello? I came here yesterday." My mom and dad laughed at his remarks while my brother, Jonathan scoffed. He knows I liked my best friend since we we're in senior.

"He's right, it hasn't been 24 hours you know?" Jonathan commented.

"Oh! Mom, dad, sorry I forgot to tell you that he'll drop by today. My bad."

"No, it's okay, we already knew it. Have you forgotten? He always drops by." My dad shook his head in disappointment then laughed.

"Oh sorry, really? my bad. Hehe."

"Do you wanna eat something?" I turned to him.

"No, I'm all good, I ate already."

"If you say so."

"Then we'll clean these, we'll be back." My mom said and started packing up.

"Sure. Thank you, Mom," i smiled to her.

"Sooo, how was work? Any good news?" I asked my best friend.

"Well, nothing nerve-wracking happened today so it's good." We laughed at his statement.

"That's great then! You've been stressed and your sched's been hectic last week."

"I know right. Thankfully, this week so far has been stress-free."

"We'll leave you for a while, alright? Can you please not leave her while we're away?" Dad went over to us and asked my bestest friend.

"Yes, Dad. I'll stay while you're gone."

"Thank you, you really are much of a help." My dad patted his back before leaving the room with my mom and brother.

"It's my turn now, so, how have you been?" He asked as he sat on my bed.

"A good question. You know how weak I have gotten, right? I feel really empty inside even if everyone's by my side. I'm sorry so say that." I burst into tears by his question. I can't tell my parents how weak and empty I'm feeling; I don't want them to worry more.

"Hey, come on. Don't cry, you're like, crying every day." I hugged my knees and felt a warm embrace and a pat on my back.

"I feel really weak right now. I'm afraid I can no longer stay. What do I do?"

"Don't say that. You'll be fine soon or sooner." His voice is shaking and I can tell that he too, is crying. I released my knees and hugged him back.

"I'm sorry, I really can't but please tell my family that I love them with all my heart. I'm thankful for them and will always be."

"No, don't say things like that, come on. I thought we've been over in this stage." He cried.

"And for you, thank you for sticking by my side even if I'm sometimes petty and stubborn. I know I my lacking in our friendship yet you stayed. You always cheer me up, you know you do. You're an amazing person, you never give up and kept on pursuing you dreams, I believe you have a great future lying ahead. Though, you have been single all this time, I wish I could attend your wedding soon but I think I can't. I, no, we— my family and me are so lucky to have you. We're really grateful for you and will forever be. Thank you for being my best friend." I continued my speech.

"Please n-no." I heard his loud sobs and felt his body shaking from crying.

"I-I'm sorry. Please remember me. I l-love you. You're my only best friend. Please, d-don't forget." I said weakly as I laid in my bed. My breathing becomes heavy and I gasp for air.

"No, please don't, I will remember, I won't forget you— every memories, every moments we shared." He is stuttering but managed to form and finish the sentence."

"I really can't do it anymore. Tell everyone I will always remember them and I love them."

"Don't forget me, please?" Little did I know that was my last words before falling into the depth of darkness.

"Don't forget me, please?"

"Can't you stay a little longer?" That was all he managed to say but sadly the young lady wasn't able to hear it. The door suddenly burst open.

"What happened?!" Her brother asked panicking.

"S-she breathed her last." The young man sitting beside the lifeless body replied with weak voice.

"Call the doctor!! Hurry!" The mother frantically said as she rushed to her daughter's side.

"Honey, wake up! Don't give up just yet!" The mother cried and fell into her knees as she clutched the bed sheets. They both cried until they heard the doctor and nurses rushing into the room, "Please give way! Kindly wait outside the room." the doctor said.

The doctor performed the ventricular fibrillation in hopes of reviving the young lady while the family prayed for her life. After performing few shocks, the doctor stopped before announcing, "Time of death: 7:34 PM, February 19, 20XX. Cause of death: Systematic Lupus Erythematosus."

The doctor stepped out of the room and carefully shut the door with his head down. The family went over to him and begged, "Sir, please tell us, she made it, right? That she's still alive?"

"We're very sorry to say this, we did everything we can, but unfortunately she did not make it. I'm sorry but I have to go; you can take a look of your daughter inside." The doctor patted the back of the old lady before leaving. Everyone was silent and all they can hear are their quiet sobs.

"I'm sorry, mom, dad, if I had taken good care of my sister this shouldn't have happened. She only wanted what's best for us but I can't even give something in return." Jonathan spoke.

"This is not the time to blame ourselves, not your fault, not even your fault— auntie, uncle, not everyone's fault. I know inside you're blaming yourselves too. Please don't blame yourselves, she wouldn't like it, right?" Everyone nodded at the young man's statement.

"I wasn't even able to tell your daughter that I love her. How am I supposed to ask her to grow old with me? What a shame, I was too slow." The young man shook his head and made everyone cry harder.

"You don't know how much my daughter liked you." The old man sadly replied.

"How I wish I have told her about my feelings sooner."

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keywestlou · 3 years

Text

NOT SURPRISED.....BABIES BORN ON KITCHEN TABLES 80 YEARS AGO

A Citizens’ Voice comment this morning took me back to my early youth. Very young. Like 3-4 years old.

First the comment: “Someone who was born 80 years ago on their grandmother’s kitchen table may not have gotten a birth certificate. Now they won’t give them a government ID because they don’t have that document.”

The kitchen table for birthing understandable. Many medical activities were performed on kitchen tables back then. I am an example.

The tables were not as today. Back then, metal tops.

It was 1938 or 1939. We were still living third floor front in the Italian neighborhood. My parents had been out of work a couple of years. The Depression still ongoing. It took World War II to get the nation out of the Depression.

I got sick. I do not remember getting sick. My recollection today of what happened begins immediately before the operation.

I had some sort of an ear infection. The doctor had to go in and do whatever he had to do.

My recollection is my father laying me on top of the kitchen table. My grandfather and uncles hholding my arms and legs. My father held my chest down.

A cloth was placed over my nose and mouth. I assume it was chloroform.

My grandmother, aunts and my mother in the living room. I could hear them crying as I was put under.

I recall it was dark outside when I first was placed on the table.

Why the table and not a hospital? Had to be one of two reasons. No time to get me to a hospital. Or, my parents did not have the money for a hospital.

I recall nothing following the surgery.

Oh, my God! Holly died!

My first reaction seeing her obituary in this morning’s newspaper.

Her full name Holly Cmiel.

First met Holly and her partner Peter Diamond Illacqua some 25 years ago when we bought our Key West Home.

Peter was an entertainer. A vocalist. He worked most evenings. Holly was always with him. A warm person, I could always depend on Holly hurrying over and giving me a hug and kiss. Not just me. Everyone. That was Holly.

She and Peter were together 31 years. Hang in there, Peter.

Holly, I send you a hug and kiss. You will always be remembered by everyone.

Another shooting. Do we ever go a day without one?

The most recent a shooting at the FedEx facility in Indianapolis.

One thing certain, mass shootings have definitely become an American story.

Roger Stone was and I assume still is one of Donald Trump’s closet friends. Recall Trump gave him a pardon.

Now it comes out Stone owes nearly $2 million in unpaid taxes and fees.

The IRS has sued him.

Guns have become an epidemic. The numbers support the statement. Daily in the U.S. an average of 316 are shot and 106 of that number die.

Every day!!!!!

Ghislaine Maxwell is in jail awaiting trial. She was Jeffrey Epstein’s lady friend who assisted Epstein in acquiring young girls to have sex with older men. A pedophilia ring of sorts.

It was revealed this week by her attorneys that they need more time to prepare for her trial scheduled to begin July 12. Discovery was assumed to have been completed. The prosecution must have discovered some new evidence. Two thousand one hundred “highly confidential” photos were forwarded by the prosecution to defense counsel.

Maxwell’s attorneys have asked the Judge to reschedule the trail date as they will need more time to prepare in view of the 2,100 photos received.

If Maxwell is in any compromising photos, she is is deep turd trouble.

Moderna and Pfizer both came out with similar announcements yesterday.

Moderna plans to have a third booster shot available to Americans in the fall.

Moderna is supposedly 90 percent effective. A good number. However, it has been determined the first two shots may only be good for six months. Moderna is not certain how long immunity from the virus persists.

Pfizer basically came out with the same statement. They will be recommending a third shot for the same reasons given by Moderna. One difference however. Pfizer claims the third shot will be required within 6-12 months after the second shot.

I close with Syracuse basketball. Two new pieces of information.

Coach Boehiem’s oldest son Jimmy is finishing his senior year at Cornell. As a junior, he was a star on the team. Averaged 16.7 points and 5.6 rebounds per game, plus making 31 three point shots.

Jimmy sat out his entire senior year because Cornell cancelled all its games due to the pandemic. He still has a year of eligibility, however. He will do that year of graduate work at Syracuse rather than Cornell.

The Boeheim family is ecstatic. Jimmy and Buddy are excited they will be playing together.

ESPN announced its Way-Too-Early-Top 25. Syracuse is ranked #14.

Enjoy your day!

NOT SURPRISED…..BABIES BORN ON KITCHEN TABLES 80 YEARS AGO was originally published on Key West Lou

0 notes

nataliesnews · 3 years

Text

Subject: Sorry but this is Israel as it is...practically all political 15.1.2020

From: Natanya Sent: Friday, January 15, 2021 7:50 AM Subject: Sorry but this is Israel as it is...practically all political

I don’t know if it was the conversation that I had with Noa but Sunday I woke up to find that we were free to go out. Of course Pollak tried to coach it in terms as if we were still house bound but it was so obvious a cover up. Anyhow Noa said that if anything like that happens again OI should phone her immediately. I also had sent a question to the whatsapp asking on what grounds he had made his decision and he wrote back that he had consulted with the various committees and that the final decision had been left in his hands. In other words he did not even consult the house committee. But then he made the mistake of sending the rules laid down for geriatric institutions and immediately people took him up on this. Anyhow if ever again he tries this then I am simply going to ignore him.

The dizziness is much better as I had very good physiotherapy at the clinic and it is nearly over. Where my leg is concerned I saw the neurologist today and she poked and banged me and was pretty satisfied with the result but she suggested I do an MRI on the brain so I will make an appointment and hope that they can at least find the brain. The problem is my leg sometimes loses all feeling at night and if I get up, as one author once phrased it, for a certain moment I have to be very careful that I do not slide across the floor. I am scared of the MRI as I am rather claustrophobic.

One can only admire Netanyahu for the way in which he manages his publicity. Much has been written about the so-called attack on Balfour by the demonstrators. One only has to go the three entrances...one of which by the way is 100s of metres away from the house to know that it would be very difficult if not impossible to break through. But what is so strange is that this was not reported at the time of it happening but only after the very real attack on the Capitol. The police have also denied that there was any real danger. The way it was written up in the papers you would have thought we were going in with tanks

Whatever you think about the demonstrations in Balfour I think you will also agree that there are some things that really make you wonder about the intelligence of the police. My friend Dalia had a hard time getting there because all entrances had been blocked off. But she managed. But then on her way home she found that the entrance to her street was blocked and the police would not let her through. It was dark and she had difficulty finding her ID so, believe it or not, the one policeman actually accompanied her to the house to make sure she actually lived there.

I often write about the next political murder and it nearly took place. Arik Aschermann who had already nearly been knifed by a settler…he is out many days with the shepherds with their sheep who are attacked time and again very violently with the soldiers and police looking happily on. I myself have been attacked with soldiers and police looking on.

In a reformed state it would have been investigated as an attempted murder, it would be difficult to describe it otherwise.

The 2-wheel bolts in Arik Ascherman vehicle were released, fortunately the brackets were broken immediately and thus it only ended in financial damage.

It all happened when Eric and another activist were busy trying to expel a herd of cows from settlers grazing on Palestinian land in the

A photo sent yesterday by a Palestinian friend from the Rachelim area - Tapuach Junction. Hundreds of Palestinian cars have been hit by Jewish terrorist cells in recent weeks. The Israeli government turns a blind eye to stone-throwing and human hunting on the roads of Judea and Samaria by innocent Palestinians. But any such incident with a settler being hit appears on the news for nights and nights

None of this gets reported on the media which is mainly occupied with speeches by Netanyahu and photos of him as people are vaccinated.

Only 100 vaccinations have been sent to the occupied areas and this only to doctors who also work in Israeli hospitals. The Minister of Justice has refused to vaccinate those in prison….I am reminded of another doctor in other times. There have already been cases of Corona in the prisons. One asks how it got there as they do not have contact with the outside world. On Thursday, President Reuven Rivlin urged the Health Ministry to vaccinate the prisoners as soon as possible. “Denying lifesaving medical treatment to people in prison – whether because of a sentence imposed by a court or because they are being held prior to a verdict – doesn’t accord with our values, the values of the Jewish and democratic state,” he said. There have been 150 cases of Corona in the prisons and the warders walk around them with no masks on. He is the only decent person left I sometimes think

As for that idiot of the joint list who is making nice nice with him well this if what was written. He should ask Gantz about what worth there is to any promise Netanyahu makes. The following is from a report

His (Netanyahu’s) courtship of the Arab Israeli public is a masterpiece of naked cynicism, even for him, which leads to the hackneyed expression “committing hara-kiri.” Were it not for the Knesset seats he lacks for parliamentary immunity or the French law that would prevent a sitting prime minister from being prosecuted, Netanyahu would never have discovered that in Israel there are also Arab towns

For lack of space, it is impossible to enumerate all the deeds and utterances of this man, the most racist Israeli prime minister ever. Incidentally, even when he wasn’t prime minister or campaigning, he made statements which he now pretends were never said. Thus, in 2003 he said at the Herzliya Conference that the Palestinians are not a threat in his view but “the Arabs of Israel are the real demographic threat to the state.” In the previous election he also harried his supporters to come to vote because the Arabs were coming in by the busloads.

In the recent election campaigns, when he suspected that Kahol Lavan would be helped by votes from Arab Knesset members, he lost all restraint. Racism and hatred of Arabs dominated both the official and the underground Likud campaigns. Everything was dictated by the inhabitants of the official residence on Balfour Street in Jerusalem – the major source of inspiration. His speeches were excoriating, his texts terrifying”.

Shabbat shalom.

#Subject: Sorry but this is Israel as it is...practically all political 15.1.2020

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woah-homo · 6 years

Note

1-99? 🤔

1: 6 of the songs you listen to most?

too high by moon taxi, sleepyhead by passion pit, girls like girls by hayley kiyoko, stay a while by cemetery sun,i feel like im drowning by two feet, three-thirty by AJR

2: If you could meet anyone on this earth, who would it be?

Jennifer lawrence

3: Grab the book nearest to you, turn to page 23, give me line 17.

I don’t have a book near me

4: What do you think about most?

Dogs probably

5: What does your latest text message from someone else say?

I am at the patio furniture

6: Do you sleep with or without clothes on?

with

7: What’s your strangest talent?

I can put all my fingers on top of each other

8: Girls… (finish the sentence); Boys… (finish the sentence)

Girls are hot as shit and boys suck

9: Ever had a poem or song written about you?

10: When is the last time you played the air guitar?

Oh jeez idk a long time ago

11: Do you have any strange phobias?

elevators

12: Ever stuck a foreign object up your nose?

13: What’s your religion?

Im not religious

14: If you are outside, what are you most likely doing?

Playing with my dog

15: Do you prefer to be behind the camera or in front of it?

behind

16: Simple but extremely complex. Favorite band?

coldplay

17: What was the last lie you told?

Im not leaving the house tonight (I got chipotle oops)

18: Do you believe in karma?

yes

19: What does your URL mean?

Uhhh idk im gay as shit

20: What is your greatest weakness; your greatest strength?

Greatest weakness is my anxiety and strength is ability to listen to others

21: Who is your celebrity crush?

Jennifer Lawrence or ruby rose

22: Have you ever gone skinny dipping?

23: How do you vent your anger?

Over text or call to my girlfriend or best friend

24: Do you have a collection of anything?

25: Do you prefer talking on the phone or video chatting online?

Depends. Most of the time video

26: Are you happy with the person you’ve become?

Im starting to be more happy

27: What’s a sound you hate; sound you love?

I hate teeth scraping on silverware and I love my girlfriends voice

28: What’s your biggest “what if”?

What if I don’t succeed in school

29: Do you believe in ghosts? How about aliens?

Yes and no

30: Stick your right arm out; what do you touch first? Do the same with your left arm.

Right arm is my dog left arm Is my couch cushion

31: Smell the air. What do you smell?

Uh idk my house smell

32: What’s the worst place you have ever been to?

My high school lmao

33: Choose: East Coast or West Coast?

west

34: Most attractive singer of your opposite gender?

Justin timberlake

35: To you, what is the meaning of life?

To be happy

36: Define Art.

Whatever can make you smile on a bad day. People, paintings, photos. anything

37: Do you believe in luck?

yes

38: What’s the weather like right now?

sleeting

39: What time is it?

8:36pm

40: Do you drive? If so, have you ever crashed?

Yes and last Sunday I hit a deer

41: What was the last book you read?

Theres something I want you to do by Charles baxter

42: Do you like the smell of gasoline?

yes

43: Do you have any nicknames?

mack

44: What was the last film you saw?

Red sparrow

45: What’s the worst injury you’ve ever had?

Fractured growth plate in my left wrist

46: Have you ever caught a butterfly?

yes

47: Do you have any obsessions right now?

My girlfriend

48: What’s your sexual orientation?

gayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy

49: Ever had a rumour spread about you?

Not that I know of

50: Do you believe in magic?

Yes I do

51: Do you tend to hold grudges against people who have done you wrong?

yep

52: What is your astrological sign?

Pisces

53: Do you save money or spend it?

Mostly save, but spend on my girlfriend and food

54: What’s the last thing you purchased?

chipotle

55: Love or lust?

love

56: In a relationship?

yes

57: How many relationships have you had?

58: Can you touch your nose with your tongue?

nope

59: Where were you yesterday?

Work and school

60: Is there anything pink within 10 feet of you?

Yes my blanket

61: Are you wearing socks right now?

Yes, theyre dog socks

62: What’s your favourite animal?

dogs

63: What is your secret weapon to get someone to like you?

Idk I don’t have one

64: Where is your best friend?

At softball

65: Give me your top 5 favourite blogs on Tumblr.

@svpremely-gay

@lesbicasentimental

Idk I don’t really pay as close attention to other blogs

66: What is your heritage?

german

67: What were you doing last night at 12AM?

sleeping

68: What do you think is Satan’s last name?

Uh idk

69: Be honest. Ever gotten yourself off?

yep

70: Are you the kind of friend you would want to have as a friend?

yes

71: You are walking down the street on your way to work. There is a dog drowning in the canal on the side of the street. Your boss has told you if you are late one more time you get fired. What do you do?

Save the dog

72: You are at the doctor’s office and she has just informed you that you have approximately one month to live. a) Do you tell anyone/everyone you are going to die? b) What do you do with your remaining days? c) Would you be afraid?

I would tell my close family, my best friends and my girlfriend. I would spend them with my dog, family, friends and girlfriend

73: You can only have one of these things; trust or love.

Love. You would gain trust through love

74: What’s a song that always makes you happy when you hear it?

Oceans by coldplay

75: What are the last four digits in your cell phone number?

Uh no thanks

76: In your opinion, what makes a great relationship?

Trust and open mindedness. Humor. Reliability.

77: How can I win your heart?

You cant my girlfriend already has it

78: Can insanity bring on more creativity?

Yes

79: What is the single best decision you have made in your life so far?

To care about school

80: What size shoes do you wear?

81: What would you want to be written on your tombstone?

Idk I don’t like to think about it

82: What is your favourite word?

dog

83: Give me the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the word; heart.

april

84: What is a saying you say a lot?

What the fuck

85: What’s the last song you listened to?

Human by the killers

86: Basic question; what’s your favourite colour/colours?

Idk changes a lot tbh

87: What is your current desktop picture?

Chris martin from the coldplay concert in minneapolis

88: If you could press a button and make anyone in the world instantaneously explode, who would it be?

My dad lmao

89: What would be a question you’d be afraid to tell the truth on?

My sexuality (to my family)

90: One night you wake up because you heard a noise. You turn on the light to find that you are surrounded by MUMMIES. The mummies aren’t really doing anything, they’re just standing around your bed. What do you do?

Probably cry

91: You accidentally eat some radioactive vegetables. They were good, and what’s even cooler is that they endow you with the super-power of your choice! What is that power?

invisibility

92: You can re-live any point of time in your life. The time-span can only be a half-hour, though. What half-hour of your past would you like to experience again?

A half hour at the coldplay concert in Minneapolis

93: You can erase any horrible experience from your past. What will it be?

Id prefer not to post it on here

94: You have the opportunity to sleep with the music-celebrity of your choice. Who would it be?

Uhhh idk im good with my girlfriend

95: You just got a free plane ticket to anywhere. You have to depart right now. Where are you gonna go?

Berlin

96: Do you have any relatives in jail?

Yeah lmao

97: Have you ever thrown up in the car?

yes

98: Ever been on a plane?

yes

99: If the whole world were listening to you right now, what would you say?

Please, please. Stop fighting. Work together. Love one another.

1 note · View note

travelingtheusa · 4 years

Text

NEW YORK

8 Sep 2020 (Tue) – We spent yesterday getting ready to move. We drove to the lawyer’s office in Port Jefferson to sign a temporary Power of Attorney for Travis. Since we won’t be here for the closing on his house, we are giving him authority to sign for us. That was debacle! First, the secretary asked for ID with a picture and our address on it. We gave her our New York driver licenses. They have our Texas mailing address on them. She said that was no good. She then instructed us to send her copies of our passports. When we got back home, I did that. She said Paul’s passport said New York but mine said New Jersey. I had to explain that there is no residential address on a passport; that the states are where we were born. She then asked for a Costco card or some other ID that had a picture and New York address on it. When we couldn’t provide any, she mumbled something about having to do a tax form for Texas. We are certainly hopeful that Travis & Sam don’t have to pay taxes to Texas!

After the lawyer’s office, we drove into Port Jefferson and had lunch at one of the many restaurants in this charming port town. The waiter gave us the menus, stated that he was the only one working today, and he would come when called. The tables were set up outside on the parking lot. There were about 6 tables he had to serve. The service was very slow but the meal was good.

We invited Caiden to come over for dinner. He enjoyed it. Unfortunately, we got a message saying my nephew’s funeral will be on Saturday. We were expecting it to take place next Saturday. We were going to camp in PA for a week, then drive to Rhode Island/Massachusetts. Now, we had to call campgrounds and move things around. Fortunately, we were able to get 5 days at a Navy campground in Newport, RI, as well as move the days we were going to PA. Whew. Otherwise, we would have lost our deposit at the PA campground.

6 Sep 2020 (Sun) – It’s been a busy week. Kenny went to the clinic and had his arm looked at. The doctor said he has a second degree burn but didn’t do anything with the injury. Just told him to keep it clean and dry.

I started physical therapy on my Achilles tendon. I went for therapy on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday. They start with heat and stimulation, then I do some exercises, and it ends with ice and stimulation. They also do some ultrasound. The place is big and it kind of feels like an assembly line operation. Oh, well. I won’t be there for long.

Miranda’s car had the thermostat and rheostat replaced as well as three coils in the engine. It cost $900. Our next door neighbor, Dave, owns an auto body shop and did the work for us. We brought the car back to Miranda and Kenny and told them that’s it. No more money will be spent on that car. Dave suggested we put it in a lot, douse it in gasoline, and set it on fire. It’s basically shot.

We took Caiden and went over Susan & Bill’s house on Saturday. It was our last swim for the summer. He had a great time. We are all a little sad to see the season end. Earlier in the week, Susan and I went to West Hampton for lunch. They recently renovated the town and she wanted to look it over. It was very new looking.

After church today, we went over Travis & Sam’s. Today is Travis’ 39th birthday. We enjoyed a barbecue and ice cream cake. We gave him a storage device with all our photo albums scanned on it. Hope he likes it.

30 Aug 2020 (Sun) – We went to church this morning. Attendance is still sparse but the way the pews are chained off, it’s probably for the best. After church, we stopped at Bagel Boss for bagels. The deli counter had 6 people on line and the bagel line only had 1 person so I opted for the bagel line. What. A. Mistake. The girl who waited on me was so new that she had to ask another worker what a rye and garlic bagel looked like. She was sooooooo slow that everyone in the deli line not only went through but several people after where I would have been had I gotten on that line. Serves me right for being in a hurry.

After church, we drove to Travis & Sam’s, stopping at a couple of furniture stores on the way to look for new recliners. We are limited by the size of the space that the recliners would fit into. The kids are growing fast. The baby is such a happy little guy. Big smiles and laughs all the time. Paul and I picked up KFC chicken for dinner. It was a nice visit.

Miranda borrowed the truck at 7:30 to go pick Kenny up at work. Their car is not working right now. There is some kind of blockage in the cooling system. Caiden and I played a few games. When Kenny got home, Miranda changed the dressing on his arm from the scalding he took yesterday. He has a very large blister and a lot of redness on his arm. Miranda and I convinced him to go to the clinic tomorrow. He probably should have the blister drained and get put on an antibiotic.

29 Aug 2020 (Sat) – We went to church today to attend a memorial service for June Wertz, a friend of ours. Her husband, Bob, invited us to join their travel club some years ago. One of the members of their club had passed away just before the small group was going to camp out at Wildwood State Park. They invited us to take his camping spot. During the 8-10 years we camped with them, it was always on Long Island. The members were all up in years and didn’t go off-Island to camp. It was a fun group and I wish we could have known them in their younger, traveling days. At any rate, we certainly enjoyed the time we spent with Bob & June and the rest of them.

Miranda and Kenny had a serious incident yesterday. They were at KFC when they noticed smoke coming from the engine. They popped the hood, looked around, and opened the radiator cap. Both of them were scalded, Kenny pretty badly. They are monitoring his condition to determine whether his burns are bad enough to seek medical help.

28 Aug 2020 (Fri) – I drove to Ronkonkoma to visit with my cousin, Claude, today. He has been experiencing medical issues for a while now. He has gone from 220 lbs. to 175 lbs. He is looking old and sick. I fear for his well-being. I visited for about an hour then the nurse came in to see him so I left.

Paul spent the day repairing the steps to the back deck. He poured some concrete at the base a few days ago and had Caiden put his name, date, and footprint in it.

27 Aug 2020 (Thu) – I drove out to Southampton today. It was almost an hour and a half drive. When I arrived for my 10:30 a.m. appointment, the receptionist told me I was scheduled for 11:30 a.m. The dentist didn’t get me in until almost 12 noon. I was seeing him for a consultation. He is an endodontist who specializes in root canals and oral surgery. He didn’t see anything that needs immediate attention. Furthermore, he said that he conforms to the recommendations of the American Dental Association and doesn’t believe that metal in the mouth or root canals are inherently bad. He suggested that I leave everything as it is unless I am in pain. It was a disappointing consult.

I stopped at CVS to pick up my prescriptions from the dermatologist, the neurologist to get copies of the test results for my records, and at Shop Rite for some groceries. I got home in time to put everything away and turn around to make my 4:00 p.m. appointment for physical therapy. That was also a somewhat disappointing experience. I was brought in, asked a bunch of questions by someone who said she was a physical therapist, and advised that I would get some exercises to do. Today’s appointment was just heat and stimulation. An aide put the electrodes on my foot and wrapped it in a hot towel. She said the therapist would be in to turn on the stim. After 15 minutes, I flagged down a passing therapist to see if she could find the gal that was supposed to turn my stim on. After 5 minutes, she came in and said she thought the aide would turn it on. They seemed very disorganized and uncommunicative. I am scheduled for physical therapy 3 days next week. We’ll see how that goes.

When I came out of the office, I crossed the street to pick up a few things at Best Market that I didn’t get at ShopRite. It was a full day of running around. Whew!

26 Aug 2020 (Wed) – I went to the dermatologist this morning. The oncologist told me that the chemo can cause skin cancer and to get a skin exam once a year. So, here I am at my one-year check. The exam went well and I was given a clean bill of health.

At 1:50 p.m. I went to see the orthopedist that I was referred to by the podiatrist. I have an interstitial tear in the Achilles heel fiber, not the tendon. There are three ways to handle it – by physical therapy, by surgery, or by an experimental program that takes your blood, mixes platelets with it then injects it in the injury site. Insurance will not cover the cost. I opted for physical therapy. He gave me a script and I made an appointment with a nearby therapist.

We went out for dinner to Texas Roadhouse. The food was good. We forgot our leftovers. That must happen at least half the time we plan to take leftovers home. Aaaarrgh!

25 Aug 2020 (Tue) – No doctors today! I ordered dulse flakes from Amazon. Travis called to ask for help. He was turned down for a rental because a credit report stated they had been late on their last 8 mortgage payments. This is incorrect. I went on the webpage and saw that their payments were on time. Samantha called Equifax to correct the report but was told they only reported what the mortgage company gave them. She called the mortgage company and was told Equifax had to correct the record. A big, fat bureaucratic run around!

I spent a good part of the day on the phone with the mortgage company trying to get a letter that simply stated that their payments have been on time all year. The last agent I spoke with told me they are restricted in free-form correspondence because of a contract they have with USAA. They can only send certain forms. He did offer to send a transaction record that showed all payments were made. Unfortunately, it does not say the payments were on time.

In the meantime, I was trying to get an appointment with the dentist and getting a refill for Paul for a medication. I finally landed an appointment with the dentist for Monday and the doctor’s office placed the refill order directly with CVS. I did get to finish burning one box of records. Only 5 more to go!

Travis called later and told me he offered to pay one year’s rent up front and was waiting for the rental agent’s reply. He’s got a job offer and the new boss said he would look into putting the money up until Travis sold the house. If he does that, Travis better give this guy 110%. He doesn’t know Travis from a stranger on the street and is willing to put up $23,000? We will see.

Miranda and Kenny went out tonight. I offered to watch Caiden so they could have a date night out somewhere. It isn't much but I’m sure they haven’t had a chance for private time since this whole COVID-thing started. Kenny’s mother and grandmother are keeping their distance and they have no other childcare set up.

24 Aug 2020 (Mon) – We went food shopping this morning. I did laundry in the house. At 1:45 p.m., I left for an appointment with the biological dentist in Manhasset. On the way there, the office called to say the dentist was running late and to come in at 4 p.m. So I detoured and stopped at Sherry’s Market in Babylon. I wanted to pick up some barley grass juice powder and dulse flakes. They did not have the dulse. The clerk said I might find it in Wild by Nature down the road in West Islip. So I drove down John Street and into the strip mall. They had dulse granules but no flakes. Not sure if that was OK, I didn’t buy it.

Finally, it was time to stop dawdling and drive to the dentist. I got there at 3:50 p.m. and called the office to let them know I was there. They told me to come right up. I didn’t wait 10 minutes (BIG difference from last visit) and was shown into the exam room. The first dentist, Dr. Golden, popped in while Dr. Blum was reviewing my 3D scan. They discussed my case and what they recommended I do. Then they sent the money gal in. She described the procedure they would use – do a root canal on two teeth and put in ceramic posts with a bridge. Giving me a discount on the bridge, it would only cost $12,000. I could buy a frickin’ car for that much money!!! I told her I would think about it and left.

I called my sister to see if I could get in to see her biological dentist. She gave me his number but the office was closed. I’ll have to call them tomorrow.

23 Aug 2020 (Sun) – We went to church this morning. Everyone is still wearing masks and the pews are roped off to keep people distanced from one another. After church, we gathered up most of the stuff we have been collecting for the yard sale and brought it back to the church. They are trying to have an outdoor thrift shop sale on the front lawn. We don’t know how that’s going to work. It was all clothes they had outside and anyone shopping would lift the clothes to look at them. Now they’ve been touched. What next?

At 3 p.m. we drove to our friend’s house, Bob. He used to be my brother’s father-in-law (before they got divorced). Bob managed an A&P store in the day and he catered many parties. Any time he’s making a meal, it’s worth going. He’s a great cook. He made ribs, roast potatoes, and corn on the cob. We had a very nice visit.

22 Aug 2020 (Sat) – We gathered up Caiden and drove to my sister’s house. Susan is celebrating her 65th birthday today. As expected, Caiden never wanted to get out of the pool. Our brothers, Dennis and Chris, also came to the party. We gave Denis some old baseball cards we found in the back room during our clearing out maneuvers. He seemed to be pleased with the gift (his birthday is next week). It was a fun day.

21 Aug 2020 (Fri) – We went to the Oconee Diner for lunch then took a ride to Target to get a few things. We picked up some clothes for Caiden and ourselves. After we returned home, we spent the rest of the day cleaning out the back room. I burned more military records. Thirty-one years of military history – GONE! Up in smoke! I was surprised to see that I had every pay record I ever got during my service.

20 Aug 2020 (Thu) – It was a confusing day at the cardiologist. First, Paul went to the office for a 9 a.m. appointment only to be turned away. They said he had an appointment at 3:45 and I had one at 2:30 p.m. When he got home and told me, I stated that the office had called yesterday and confirmed the 9 a.m. time. I also had my appointment time entered in my calendar as 2:15 p.m. Just as we were perplexing over these times, the doctor’s office called to say he was called to the hospital and they had to reschedule our appointments. We managed to get us in at 11:30 and 11:45 respectively. That ensured we got in together.

The doctor was prompt and entertaining. He checked us both over. Reviewed our bloodwork and tests and declared us in good health. My cholesterol is a little elevated so he wants to see me back in 3 months. If the numbers are still up, he will put me on a drug (he thinks).

We drove over to Travis & Sam’s tonight for dinner. Turned out we had to buy the dinner (surprise!). We stopped at Chili’s and picked up 6 meals then drove to Trap’s where we enjoyed our dinner together. Travis got a job offer at a construction company in North Carolina. They will also help them to get into a rental home. It sounds very good.

19 Aug 2020 (Wed) – I went to a biological dentist today to get an assessment of all the dental work in my mouth. I have been reading several books about alternative medicine. One book by Dr. Simon Yu states that disease is the result of 4 causes. The three top causes are dental problems, heavy metals, and parasites. It was 2 hours before the dentist came in to see me and we spent an hour talking about the research and alternatives. She sent me to get a 3D x-ray to see if there are any infections in my mouth. Although there was no “pathology,” she did identify 4 incomplete root canals. She recommended I see the surgeon in the office. I made an appointment for Monday.

On the way home, I stopped by Sherry’s Market, a health food store in Babylon. It was expensive!

18 Aug 2020 (Tue) – I went to the neurologist this morning to get all the electrodes disconnected. I tried to schedule a follow up visit with the doctor but his earliest appointment is October. How do you discuss what they found with all these tests?

I drove to East Islip to the podiatrist’s office to pick up a copy of the MRI report stating I have an interstitial tear in my right foot. The receptionist offered to call the radiology office to see if I could get a copy of the MRI pictures. Then I walked over to their office and got the disk.

Paul spent the day working around the yard. I spent the day burning files. I have so many military files to burn. How in the world did I get so many in my possession???

17 Aug 2020 (Mon) – I went to the neurologist this morning and was wired up for a 24-hour EEG. They attached 23 electrodes to my head and 3 to my chest. I have to wear a machine to register brain activity for 24 hours. All this just to reassure Paul that I am OK and can go hiking in the woods again.

When I got home, Paul went food shopping. I was NOT going out with all the wires hanging off my head. When he got back, we had lunch, then went to work on getting rid of old files and boxes. I have tons of old military books and material that has to be burned. It can’t just be thrown in the garbage. I sat in front of the fire pit for 2 hours and only got through 1 box. I have 5 more to go.

Ford called to say they replaced the fuel pump on the truck and everything seems to be alright. I took the rental car, drove Paul to Sayville Ford to drop him off, drove to Islip Airport to drop off the rental car where Paul picked me up and we drove back home.

16 Aug 2020 (Sun) – We borrowed Kenny’s truck and drove to church this morning. It rained all day. We spent most of the day inside watching TV or working on the computer.

15 Aug 2020 (Sat) – Spent the day working around the property. Kenny went to work at 4 and I went into the house to watch Caiden. He came out to the camper and had dinner with us, then we went back inside and I gave him a bath. We had a pillow fight and played with his transformers. He finally went to bed at 9 p.m. I think that is too late for a 6 year old but his parents are night owls and I guess he’s becoming one also.

14 Aug 2020 (Fri) – The tech from Sayville Ford called and said the diagnostics was telling him the truck needs a fuel pump. No amount of arguing that the last service station messed something up. We finally authorized the part. Maybe they can get to it on Monday. Ugh.

Miranda’s truck was finished at 4 p.m. Turned out to be the alternator. I was going to take the rental car since we have no vehicle but I let her take the truck to Philly given the cruddy condition of her truck. We weren’t sure it would make it there and back. It really is on its last legs.

We were supposed to ride out to Indian Island to join the Long Islanders for camping this weekend. Since we don’t have the truck to pull the camper, we will miss the campout. This was very disappointing.

13 Aug 2020 (Thu) – Miranda’s car suddenly gave up the ghost today. It was clicking, wouldn’t start, and all kind of diagnostic warnings were flashing on her dashboard. She was able to drop it off at the service station. This is really bad timing because she is preparing to go to Philly this weekend to coordinate a concert for her camp. We looked around and was able to reserve a rental car just in case the car isn’t back tomorrow.

Paul and I rode our bicycles to Best Buy this afternoon. It’s been giving me trouble and there’s some kind of program on there that we didn’t load in but keeps trying to update drivers. I had them take it off. They were very understaffed and the tech wasn’t really interested in working with me on anything else. I had wanted help in getting videos off the computer. I’ll have to wait until things get back to normal.

Paul took an Uber to the cardiologist this afternoon for a stress test. They injected him with something and then put him in an MRI machine. He said it was quick and easy.

12 Aug 2020 (Wed) – It was a quiet day all around. Paul picked up the truck. Not only was it making the humming noise, but the dashboard was lighting up like a Christmas tree! Low fuel pressure! Low engine pressure! The service station told us they couldn’t find anything wrong and the noise was gone. Boy, were they wrong. Paul called Sayville Ford and we were able to get it into the service bay today. Hope they didn’t break the engine. L

11 Aug 2020 (Tue) – I went to the radiologist today for an MRI of my right foot. We worked around the property, cleaning out old files and boxes. Sent out for pizza for dinner.

10 Aug 2020 (Mon) – Paul brought the truck back to the service station this morning. They kept the truck and dropped him off back at home. At 1 p.m. I went to the doctor for an echo cardiogram. I had to borrow Miranda’s car to get there and back.

We called the service station at 3:30 p.m. The tech told us that they had to call a friend at Ford to ask about the fuel pump. The guy told them they had to replace the entire assembly, not just the fuel pump. Paul was annoyed! I think we will have to make sure in the future that (1) only Ford does the work and, (2) that the mechanic is a certified diesel mechanic. Hopefully, we will get the truck back tomorrow. They were going to send out for the item, which will cost us over $400. This is after already being charged $170 to put the fuel pump on before they broke it.

9 Aug 2020 (Sun) – We went to church this morning. I think it was the most people we’ve seen there since we came back. Everyone is still wearing masks and there are seats roped off. Hand sanitizer stations have been set up around the building. They announce that the thrift shop will open for 2 hours on Sunday afternoon in an outdoor setting. That means folks attending the service will be asked to help bring things outside and set up, then take it back downstairs when done. I hope it works. The thrift shop is a major revenue source for the church and it has really been hurt with the closure.

After church, we went to the Clamside Bar & Grill at the East Islip Marina. The waitress was soooooo slow. Paul ordered Belgian waffles and they came out cold. My food was lukewarm. He sent his waffles back. The next service was also cool. Paul wound up not eating his meal. It was a disappointing experience and we probably won’t go back there for a while.

8 Aug 2020 (Sat) – We gathered up Caiden and drove to Sue & Bill’s for the day. The day started out overcast but the clouds soon cleared away and we had a delightful day in the pool.

7 Aug 2020 (Fri) – I went to the neurologist this morning. The first test was a Neurotrax. It was a cognitive test to see if I’ve had any brain damage from the TGA back in March. Following that, I had an EEG. A technician glues 23 nodes to your head and then has you sit in a chair with your eyes closed most of the time. He flashes a light on your closed eyes, then says “Open Your Eyes” for like 30 seconds then close them again. Weird.

Paul has been working hard in the yard, cleaning up after the storm. The oblivious neighbor did a stupid thing. A tree in his yard came down into our yard. It was straddling the fence with the root ball in the neighbor’s yard and the tree branches supporting the tree in our yard. The neighbor brought his chain saw out and cut the tree. No longer balanced between the tree branches and the root ball, the tree crushed our fence.

I went to the podiatrist today to check out the painful lump on my Achilles tendon. The doctor took an x-ray and said I have a bone spur that could be causing the problem. She also criticized my flip flops, saying I needed more support for my feet. She gave me some heel inserts to wear in a closed shoe. She also sent me to the radiologist to get an MRI. I made an appointment for Tuesday.

6 Aug 2020 (Thu) – Paul brought the truck to the service station to get it inspected. When he got back, he complained that he could hear a humming from the fuel pump. That happened to us once before. A non-qualified mechanic had tried to mount the fuel pump on the rail and broke it. Apparently, a certified diesel mechanic needs to do the job. Paul called and was told to bring the truck back in on Monday.

We brought Bonnie to the vet at 2 p.m. The ultrasound shows she has some abnormal liver issues. The vet wants to do a biopsy but Bonnie has to get a blood test first to see if she has a clotting factor. If so, then she can have the biopsy. If not, then we can’t do it.

5 Aug 2020 (Wed) – I had a check with the nurse at the cardiologist’s office today. They wanted to check and make sure there were no problems with the loop recorder. She said I had a bit of a reaction to the medical tape but everything looked OK. I should just let the tape fall off when it wants.

After the doctor, I brought some containers to Travis. He is now in contract on his house and beginning to pack things up. I brought him 9 containers. Then I drove to Sayville and met my sister, Susan, and her daughter, Shay, for lunch at Cornucopia. It is a kind of health food supermarket with a great deli counter where we all ordered lunch. We then sat outside to enjoy our meal. Following that, we took a walk along Main Street, looking in the shop windows. When we came upon an India shop, we went in. Susan & Bill follow the religion of Ashananda and the shop owner had been to one of their meetings out in the Hamptons. She spoke for a while with the clerks (the shop owner wasn’t there).

We went over Trap’s tonight to sign the contract for the sale of their house. Since we are listed as co-owners on the house, we have to sign the contract as well. While there, Trap dug out the chain saw for Paul.

4 August 2020 (Tue) – Things have been so busy and technology has been so challenging that I have not been able to keep up with the blog. I have an appointment with Best Buy on the 13th. Hopefully, that will get things back on the road.

Let’s see. I have been to the cardiologist and had an internal cardiac monitor (ICM) installed in my chest. It is a device that tracks heart activity and at night, when I am sleeping, it uploads the day’s activities to the doctor’s office. It’s been 5 days and the site still itches like crazy. Ugh.

I had to go to the lab and get a COVID test before getting the ICM installed. The nurse stuck a Cutip so far up my nose that my eyes teared. And I had an earache for the rest of the day. That dam thing was painful! I will not do that again.

We took Caiden to Sue & Bill’s last Wednesday. Their daughter, Shay, and her boyfriend, Pat, are up from South Carolina. We all swam and munched on delicious vegan foods. It was fun.

I went to the doctor’s office to see what is wrong with my heel. The PA saw me (the doctor was busy). He thinks I have a cyst on my Achilles tendon and referred me to a podiatrist.

Miranda was back in Pennsylvania this weekend so we watched Caiden a good part of the time when Kenny wasn’t working.

We got to visit with Travis & Sam yesterday. The baby is walking pretty good now. He’s always so happy. He immediately lights up when he sees you and waves his little hand hello. Trap got an offer on the house and we signed the contract with the realtor. He’s a little freaked out. They have now signed a contract to sell their house. They have to be out in a month. They want to move to South Carolina but neither of them has a job or a place to stay. In addition, they’re not going to be able to keep as much of the money from the sale of the house that they had counted on. The realtor gets $16,400 alone! Wow!

Today, Paul had an appointment with the dentist. This was a follow up to checkups we had two weeks ago where the dentist found a cavity. He went in to day to get it filled. Afterward, we went to WalMart to pick up a few items. Later in the day, Tropical Storm Isaias blew through. Another tree from the neighbor’s yard came down across our fence. Also, one of our trees came down and landed on the deck. It just missed the roof and back doors. This was dejavu! Same thing happened last year when we were here. Paul will have to dig out the chain saw. The entire neighborhood is digging out. Two trees went down on Saxon Avenue, the next block over, and the road was closed. Thousands of people were without power. We lost power on and off all day long but not for very long. Our neighbor a few doors down had a tree go down and take all his electrical lines with it. The fire department came and cut up the tree and pulled it out into the road.

25 July 2020 (Sat) – We went to Nicky’s on the Bay for lunch. The tables were spaced apart. Lots of them were out on the deck. All the wait staff was wearing face masks. Our waitress was very slow and unsure about herself. She might have been new. While we were eating, a waitress came running through the restaurant asking if there was a doctor, an EMT, or a nurse in the place. Apparently, something happened at the marine fuel site out on the deck. We couldn’t see what happened but an ambulance did roll up.

The cost of the meal was very high. It don’t know if it is because Nicky’s is a seasonal place and is trying to make its money during the summer or if they jacked the prices up because they can’t have as many people in the place. Either way, it was over $60 for a wrap and a sandwich. Ouch!

24 July 2020 (Fri) – Finally! A day with no doctors. Whew! Paul got up early and took the truck to WalMart to get an oil change. He said it looks like WalMart is going out of business. The shelves are all half stocked. If you stop to think about it, they get most of their products from China. The pandemic has affected shipments worldwide. In addition, the U.S. is angry with China for keeping the Coronavirus a secret and has instituted sanctions against them. WalMart must really be hurting.

After Paul got home, we went to Home Depot to get a container. One of our two batteries went bad and Paul bought two new ones. Now he wants a container to put them in to keep the area more organized. Home Depot didn’t have much of a selection at all. On the way out, we stopped by the tile area and picked out a tile to do a backsplash in the bathroom. We couldn’t decide, so we picked up three samples to see which we would like best.

When I was entering the costs into the budget, Paul discovered that WalMart charged him for the oil that he actually provided. So he got in the truck and drove back to WalMart to get his $12.47 refunded.

Miranda is teaching in Pennsylvania again this weekend. They took Caiden into Queens to stay with his grandmother. Kenny borrows his mother’s car so Miranda can take their car. I will miss Caiden.

23 July 2020 (Thu) – Today was my visit with the oncologist. It was so disheartening! My appointment was at 4:15 p.m. I checked in then after a brief wait, a tech brought me into an exam room and took my vitals. Thank goodness; no blood draw. Then I went upstairs and checked in with the receptionist. I waited about a half hour before the doctor’s admin assistant came and led me to the exam room. I sat there for another half hour before the nurse came in and went over my case. He spent a lot of time complaining about patients calling and asking for visits or pain medication when they should be going to their primary care physicians. Then he asked me who my PCP was. I felt like it was some kind of criticism. Was I supposed to be going to a different doctor?

The nurse left and it was another 20 minutes before the doctor came in wearing a face mask and a full face shield. He seemed detached and didn’t really hear my complaints. He said the medication sometimes causes blisters on the palms of the hands and the soles of the feet. Was I having any of those? He also said the medication can cause AFIB and that the cardiologist should check me for that. It seems like every visit to the oncologist results in him telling me something else that can happen with this chemo therapy. He seemed preoccupied and in a hurry to get out. I felt like I got the bum’s rush. I came home and started crying. Which is kind of stupid because the CT scan shows that I am responding to the medication very well. All the lymph nodes are continuing to shrink. So what’s my problem?

22 July 2020 (Wed) – I went to the Good Sam Sleep Center this morning. I had to sit in the parking lot and call the office to tell them I was waiting. They called me when the previous patient was done. When I walked into the doctor’s office after checking in, he excused himself and began to dictate the results of his visit with the previous patient. He stated the patient’s name, the issue, and his diagnosis, all in front of me. Hasn’t he been briefed on this whole patient privacy thing? I thought that I should probably step out of the room but with the whole COVID thing, they don’t want people wandering around unsupervised. When he was done, I told him that I haven’t had a good night’s sleep in 15 years. The cardiologist recommended I do a sleep study because poor sleep can affect heart function and weight. The doctor said we probably wouldn’t find anything but said he would do the study anyway. How encouraging is that???

21 July 2020 (Tue) – I went to the eye doctor today. I arrived at 9:30 a.m. When I checked in, I found my appointment was for 10:45 a.m. It looks like I made the appointment while we were in Alabama and my calendar recorded the appointment as central time, not eastern time. So the clerk sent me to sit out in my car till it was my turn or the doctor became available sooner. They called me at 9:50 to come in and brought me right to a test station where they blew air into my eye. Then she took me to an exam room where I sat for over a half hour. The doctor came in, put drops in my eyes, and said I am developing glaucoma. Come back in six months. Then he was gone. No discussion, no explanation, no anything. I complained about some eye discharge and irritation so he prescribed an ointment to put in my eye at bedtime but, again, no explanation or discussion of what the problem is. It was a very annoying visit. The doctor was very dismissive.

Paul put together a 3-minute video of upstate New York. I posted it on You Tube then contacted SMART with the link. They posted it on the website next to the description of our New York caravan.

I went in at 4 p.m. to keep an eye on Caiden while Miranda went to the store. Paul is still grousing about yesterday’s argument. I have to find a way to get him to lighten up. Ugh.

20 July 2020 (Mon) – I had a CT Scan with contrast today. I dropped off a urine sample for Sheba at the vet, then drove to Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. I checked in at the front desk and asked if my doctor or his nurse was available to see me. The receptionist said she would contact Dr. Rodriguez and see what he said. I then went into the imaging area and had the CT scan. That’s such a weird test. They inject an iodine based solution and it gives a flushed, very warm feeling in the back of the throat and in the crotch. It feels like I wet myself. The test isn’t very long and I was out of the machine within 10 minutes.

I returned to the front desk to see about the doctor. The receptionist said Dr. Rodriguez would change my telehealth appointment for Thursday to an in-person appointment or I could see someone in triage today. I said I would meet with the doctor on Thursday.

I got home to find Paul working around the RV. He was installing a switch for the water pump in the bathroom. The switch on the main panel stopped working some time ago and Paul installed a switch down in the basement. That has turned out to be somewhat inconvenient so he moved the switch up into the bathroom. That should work better for when we have to use the onboard tank for fresh water.

While we were outside, Paul and Miranda got into a nasty fight. That was very upsetting for me. Then we left and went over Travis’ house to help him with some projects. He has finally gotten an offer for his house and the inspector will be over on Thursday. He wants to clear up a few little things before the inspector arrives. Paul and Travis worked on repairing a leak in the kitchen sink and on the thermostat for his burner. I played with the boys then we all enjoyed a meal that Sam prepared. It was a pleasant evening.

19 July 2020 (Sun) – We didn’t think Caiden would be able to sit for an hour in church with a mask on so we didn’t go. At 11:30 a.m. we drove to the Bayside Clam Bar for brunch. Afterward, we walked along the boardwalk and looked at all the boats in the marina. There was a dog at one end that the owner let go down on a little spit of sand. Caiden climbed down and followed the dog around. We took his shoes off so he could step in the water. The dog was an older black lab and very friendly. Her name was Sandy.

After our meal and walk, we returned to the house and I watched Caiden while Paul worked around the house and yard. Kenny got home at 7:30 p.m.

18 July 2020 (Sat) – We got Caiden at 10:30 a.m. and then drove to Sue & Bill’s house in the Hamptons for a day of swimming in the pool and barbecuing. Despite the fact that I put sunscreen on Caiden twice, he still burned. So did I. His mother will never let me take him to the beach again. Aaarrgghh!

After we got back, I stayed with Caiden until his father came home at 10:30 p.m.

17 July 2020 (Fri) – We both went to the dentist today. The chairs in the office were taped off to ensure adequate spacing between patients. It only left 4 chairs to use. The secretary took our temperature and went through a checklist (like the tech did yesterday). Then we had our teeth cleaned and xrays taken. I got an excellent rating; Paul has a cavity and has to come back to get it filled.

We went over Trap’s to visit. We picked up dinner at Chili’s and brought it to the house. Travis was working on painting the counter top in the upstairs bathroom. They are trying everything they can think of to sell their house. They’ve had lots of lookers but no buyers. The real estate market is so hot today, I can’t figure out why the house hasn’t gone. His in-laws put their house on the market and the first visitor bought the house for $5,000 more than they were asking. The only stipulation was that they had to be out in 30 days.

Miranda’s cat was showing some kind of neurological issue today. It was walking against the side of cabinets like its left side was weak and it couldn’t stand by itself. Miranda contacted us while at Trap’s and asked about bringing her cat, Liath, to the vet. We hurried home to help but the vet said it was not life threatening and to wait until Monday to bring her in. Miranda was concerned because she is leaving tonight for Pennsylvania and will not be back until late Sunday. I promised to keep an eye on the cat.

16 July 2020 (Thu) – We both went to the cardiologist today. I was doing a follow-up to my “incident” in March. Paul went because he has hypertension and should be seen by a cardiologist.

When we arrived, we were met at the door by a tech who asked us a bunch of questions about where we’ve been and who we’ve been near. He took our temperature and then let us pass. We walked in and was processed by a clerk. Then we were brought back to the exam room. The PA came in, went over our medical histories, took our blood pressure, and did EKGs on both of us.

Then the doctor came in. I liked him instantly. He is young – in his late 20s/early 30s. He was upbeat and very friendly, touching elbows as a form of hello. He thinks I had a TIA and felt the neurologist was wrong to think I had a TGA. He recommended I get an EEG, an ambulatory EEG, and have a loop recorder inserted in my chest. He feels it is possible that I have atrial fibrillation (AFib) and the recorder will measure my heartbeat and send messages to the office. I would wear it for 3 or 4 years! I said I had to check that one with my oncologist.

Then it was Paul’s turn. The doctor referred him for a nuclear stress test. He also recommended that Paul resume taking the baby aspirin every day (he stopped a year ago because of a medical report that said baby aspirin didn’t help to prevent strokes.

15 July 2020 (Wed) – We worked around the RV until 11:30 a.m. then we took Sheba to the vet. It was over an hour in which the vet’s office displayed confusion and chaos. First, I called to say we were outside for our appointment. About 20 minutes later, one of the vets came out to gather information then went inside. Ten minutes later he came out to get Sheba. Again, the office was not able to get through to my phone and the vet came out to tell me to call them. I called and spoke with Dr. Thode. She took blood and gave Sheba shots. Dr. Thode also said the blood results were back for Bonnie. She has round worm and a low liver value. She prescribed medicine for the worms and recommended an ultrasound for the liver. After waiting 10 minutes, I called the office to see what was happening. They were just finishing up and would send Sheba out. The vet brought Sheba out, went over the highlights of her exam, and said the office would call to get payment. After another 15 or 20 minutes, I called to make the payment. The clerk took my card number three times because the machine wasn’t working properly. Then the vet tech came out with the paperwork. Paul asked about the medicine for Bonnie. They forgot it so she went back in to get it. She brought it out but stated they had forgotten to charge us for the medicine so I had to call again to give the credit card number. They brought the receipt out along with the stuff to get a urine sample from Sheba. We left but I got a phone call about 10 minutes later saying they forgot to charge us for the bloodwork they did on Sheba so I had to call back again and give the card number again. What a debacle!

Late this afternoon, Caiden came knocking on the door. He came in and played for a while then I made dinner for the three of us. He ate a small part of his meal but seemed to enjoy it. I brought the left overs into the house for Miranda and Kenny, or to keep and reheat for Caiden tomorrow.

14 July 2020 (Tue) – I had an appointment with the neurologist this morning. This was the same doctor that found the tumor in my mother’s brain 36 years ago. He has gotten very personable over the years. I liked him very much. He said the incident I experienced in March was most likely Transient Global Amnesia (TGA). Just to be careful, he recommended three different tests but stated that he doesn’t expect to find anything. Apparently, a TGA can happen at any time and never happen again. Or, it can happen again once or multiple times. If it happens many times then you would have to get checked for seizure activity in the brain. Luckily, I have not had any problems since that one time.

I played with Caiden a little tonight. We didn’t get much time together but it was still fun. He loves battle sequences.

13 July 2020 (Mon) – We took Bonnie to the vet this morning. She needed a refill on her flea and tick medicine. She got a checkup and a couple of shots. It was so weird. When we arrived, we called the office and were instructed to stay in the truck. After about 20 minutes, a vet tech came out. He took down Bonnie’s information and reason for her visit then went back inside. He came back about 10 minutes later and took her inside. We sat in the car until the doctor called. We discussed our concerns and what the doctor found and recommended. Five minutes later, the clerk called to get our credit card number for the bill. A whopping $950!!! After about another 15 minutes, Bonnie was brought back out to us. Then we waited ANOTHER 15 minutes for the clerk to bring out medicine and the bill. What a pain in the butt. And we will have to do it again with Sheba.

Kenny was off of work today, so Caiden stayed in the house nursing his sunburn and playing with his parents. Paul worked around the yard and I did paperwork.

12 July 2020 (Sun) – We went to church this morning. They just reopened after holding services digitally on You Tube and FaceBook for months. There were about 30 people in church. We had to wear our masks the entire time and still try to maintain 6’ distance from each other. They didn’t pass the collection plate. Instead, it sat in the back of the church and the minister asked everyone to drop their donation in the plate when they left.

After church, Paul and I drove to the Clamside Bar & Grill at the East Islip Marina. We both enjoyed a salad. The day was lovely – sunny, but not too hot, with a soft, balmy breeze blowing in off the water. The sun glittering on the bay was beautiful.

When we came home, I gathered up Caiden and he and I went to Heckscher State Park. I figured the beach would be closed but we could walk along the shore, throw stones in the water, build sand castles, and wiggle our toes in the water. Boy, was I surprised to find the beach open, complete with lifeguards. There were many people on the beach and in the water but they still were all keeping a decent distance between each other. The water was so warm; like a bathtub. There was lots of wave action and a delightful breeze kept the heat away. I did not have a bathing suit so I stood on the shore with my feet in the water, getting splashed well up the legs. Caiden went in and had a great time. Unfortunately, I forgot to put sunscreen on him and he got burned. His mother yelled at me.

When we left the beach, I stopped at Carvel and got Caiden some ice cream. The perfect end to a perfect day.

11 July 2020 (Sat) – Paul worked in the yard most of the day. I entertained Caiden a good part of the day. At 4:30 pm, we went over Travis’ house. We shared a salad and pizza then spent two hours playing with Noah and Hudson. The baby is on the verge of walking. He has very good balance.

10 July 2020 (Fri) – It was an overcast day with rain on and off. Tropical Storm Fay was pummeling the Jersey coast today but we didn’t get it too badly. Paul and I went shopping at PetCo for pet food and ShopRite for some groceries. Boy. Was the grocery store crowded! And we forgot to bring our own bags so the cashier charged us for 3 bags. Glad we didn’t buy a lot.

Caiden wanted to come into the trailer so badly today but the weather was lousy and I wasn’t going to put Bonnie out. Caiden came out and we stood outside in the drizzle talking for about an hour. Later, I went into the house and we played for about 2 hours.

9 July 2020 (Thu) – We packed up and left Newburgh at 10:45 am. It took almost 4 hours to drive down to Long Island. We were surprised with all the traffic on the road. We came through the boroughs and had traffic and construction that caused us to creep along through congested spots.

Caiden was so happy to see us! He ran out and gave me a hug, then ran back to the porch to watch us park the rig in the driveway. When Paul had the RV positioned well, I had Caiden help finish the set up by pushing buttons to open the slides. After we were set up, we visited for a bit and watched him swimming in his little pool. After dinner, I took Caiden to Carvel and picked up ice cream for him and Miranda (Kenny was working and Paul and I are on a diet). We brought it back home and they enjoyed the treat out on the back deck.

8 July 2020 (Wed) – Just hung around the campground most of the day. We did run out to fuel the truck and get ready for tomorrow’s move.

7 July 2020 (Tue) – We visited with the sales manager here at the campground. We had interviewed him last year and reconfirmed the amenities and costs. The nightly fee actually went down. He also promised to coordinate a bus tour into New York City for us. He offered to pick up our order for bagels and juice and even stated he could arrange a catered meal right here in the campground.

We came back and did laundry then just hung out for the day.

6 July 2020 (Mon) – We started out for West Point but would up sidetracked to the Historic Huguenot District. It was two blocks of old stone houses built in the late 1600s/early 1700s by early French settlers. The visitor’s center was closed and none of the buildings were open. We walked up and down the street, admiring the architecture from the street.

We then continued on to the West Point Military Academy. The visitor’s center was closed, as well as the tour operations office. There was no one to ask anything of. The day was a loss in that regard.

5 July 2020 (Sun) – We drove over to the Mohonk Mountain House today. Thought we’d check them out for the farewell dinner and then take a hike around the area. Unfortunately, they now have a gatehouse to control access to the place. They have us a brochure to look at and a telephone number to call but wouldn’t let us go in.

Then we drove by another restaurant but they were closed. No signs on the door. We couldn’t tell if they were just closed or if they had gone out of business. Cross them off the list.

We made a quick stop at the grocery store so Paul could pick up milk for his coffee then returned to the campground. We got to enjoy another campfire tonight. Two in a row. Wow.!

We drove into Newburgh and took a stroll on the Walkway Over the Hudson. It was an old railroad trestle over the Hudson River built back in the late 1800s. It was repurposed into a level concrete walkway that stretched for more than a mile and a third. We walked out to the middle, took a selfie, and walked back. The day was lovely. There were lots of people on the bridge – strolling, biking, walking the dog. Almost everyone obeyed the signs and wore a mask. Some people didn’t. It was very warm and my mask was wet from sweat by the time we finished our walk. It was a good time.

We drove to the FDR National Historic Site to look over the presidential library and home. The visitor’s center was closed.

4 July 2020 (Sat) – We were going to drive to the Mohonk Mountain House today but stayed in the campground instead. We had a small BBQ and sat before a delightful campfire. The campground is pretty full with lots of kids. Bonnie is barking at bicycles, skaters, and walkers. The staff came by yesterday passing out flyers about the pool. It was going to be open today from 10 to 4. They were having people sign up for a one-hour block of time. The pool is limited to 25 people but they were thinking they wouldn’t be able to do that and still have people maintain their distance. We didn’t sign up. It seemed better to leave the time slots to the kids. Normally, they would spend the whole day in the pool. This is like a tease. But I suppose it’s better than nothing.

3 July 2020 (Fri) – Things have been quiet. We have been running around trying to line up restaurants for the caravan next year. We are now at the KOA in Newburgh for a week.

30 Jun 2020 (Tue) – We pulled stakes at 9:25 am. It was a white knuckle exercise in getting out of our site. Paul had to ask the guy behind us to move then he backed up the RV to get out. Trees and other RVs and yard “stuff” in the area made it impossible to pull out from our pull-through site. Paul did it perfectly! He is so good in moving our big monster. It’s almost like it’s an extension of his physical being. Just imagine maneuvering 54’ of truck and trailer. I can’t do it!

We arrived at Shadowbrook RV Resort at a little past 11:30 am (it was a very short drive). This campground only has 18 campsites for transients. Again, we’ve been undone by the seasonal campers. After set up, we drove to four separate campgrounds and all gave the same answer – no room at the inn! The last campground we stopped at recommended the KOA up on Route 20. We’ll try them tomorrow.

We drove by the National Baseball Hall of Fame. They are on a limited opening. I left a business card and someone will call me back. I also sent emails to the tour director for the NY Capitol in Albany and the USS Slater. Communications continue with other venues as well.

29 Jun 2020 (Mon) – We drove to another campground this morning to check it out. It turned out to only have 4 available campsites for transients. The rest are filled with seasonals. Too bad. It was a really nice campground right on Saratoga Lake.

On the way back to the campground, we refueled for tomorrow’s trip and picked up chicken and water. Bonnie has diarrhea again. It just seems to be something that she’s going to go through on a regular basis no matter what we give her.

28 Jun 2020 (Sun) – We left Ticonderoga at 9:20 a.m. It rained a little in the three hours it took us to arrive at Adventure Bound RV Resorts & Campground. The campsite we got was very tight while Paul had to maneuver around a parked van, trees, and lawn decorations. This campground, although very large (over 300 campsites), would not suit our group and many campers are seasonal. The RV next to us hasn’t been moved in years.

As soon as we were set up, we headed out. First stop was at Chili’s for lunch. We both had a grilled chicken salad. Tummies full, we drove to four different campgrounds. Two wouldn’t fit the group, one had no one in the office, and the other took our phone number to give to the owner. It was not a very productive day. Hope things get better tomorrow.

On the way back to the campground, we stopped at Hannaford to pick up groceries. It was a nice supermarket. Why can’t we get any of these grocery stores on Long Island?

27 Jun 2020 (Sat) – It was a light day. We just hung out around the campground today. I made some calls and updated the files on what we’ve collected so far. The poor wifi service here is maddening! Even the cell service is poor. I’m glad we won’t be staying here as a group but I worry the other campground might be just as bad. After all, we are now in the mountains.

26 Jun 2020 (Fri) – We drove into Lake Placid today. It is a small town. The Olympics Museum was closed. We decided to have the group explore the museum then go out about the town on their own. There is a lot to see in this little tourist town.

We then drove to Whiteface Mountain. We wanted to drive up the Veterans Memorial Highway to the peak. Unfortunately, it was $25 per car to drive up. I thought that was too much money to go up there and find everything closed (not that there is that much up there to see other than the view). We turned around and left.

Right next to the entrance for Whiteface Mountain is Santa’s North Pole Workshop. We came up here twice with the kids when they were little. The workshop is still there with the post office that will send off a letter or postcard with the North Pole return address. The park was also closed.

We drove to Ausable Chasm, the Grand Canyon of the Adirondacks. It was beautiful. We spoke with the sales manager and got information on a walking tour, float trip, and lunch at the center. It will be a nice touch for the group. Up the hill right next to the chasm center is the Underground RR Museum. It is in a beautiful old stone building. It was closed but a woman stepped out of the building to speak with us. The cost to explore the museum is free and the place is very small. Guess we’ll have the group break up into smaller groups to tour the museum.

We also checked out two other campgrounds. The KOA seems like the best option at this point. It would have been nice to stay at the North Pole Hundred Acre Woods Campground but they don’t take groups of more than six rigs. Oh, pooh!

After we got back to the campground, we did the laundry.

25 Jun 2020 (Thu) – Well, we learned today why a scouting trip is so important. We left 1000 Islands CG and headed out to Ticonderoga, 170 miles away. The GPS in the truck tried to route us though Canada. It would have added 100 miles to our trip! Instead, we followed the route on my phone. The trip went through Adirondack Park. We saw mountains but the elevation never got much over 2,000’. The roads were narrow and winding and the driving was slow but we got here safe and sound. The scenery is beautiful with occasional glimpses of the lakes and rivers beside the road.

It turns out that this campground does not have enough campsites for our group – they are mostly for seasonal campers. Paul went through a list and found an alternative campground. In fact, he changed two campgrounds for one and we now have another stop on our itinerary.

After set up, we drove to Brookwood RV Resort and interviewed the owner for a possible stay there. They are a very popular campground and she suggested we get our reservations in ASAP. The only thing we don’t like is that we wouldn’t all be together. Everyone would be spread around the campground.

We drove down the road to another campground owned by the U.S. Forest Service but it was closed. We then drove into the town of Ticonderoga. The Star Trek Museum and Fort Ticonderoga were both closed due to the pandemic. We walked into a luncheonette across the street from the Star Trek Museum to see about a lunch for the group. Our group could go to the museum at 10, go to lunch at 11 (it’s a little early but that’s what they want), then take a tour of the fort. The other option is to wait on lunch until 2 pm, which is kind of late. I don’t like either option.

As we were driving around, we spotted an old stone chapel in a graveyard. We parked and went in to explore it. It reminded me of the Viking church on display in DisneyWorld.

24 Jun 2020 (Wed) – We drove over to Alexandria Bay this morning. We stopped at U.S. Boat Tours which I had emailed to ask about a tour of the Singer and Boldt Castles. We checked at the window to find out what time the shuttles and tours ran. After getting the times, we decided to have the group go to the Boldt Castle at 10 a.m., come back to town, wander the shops, and have lunch. At 2 p.m., we’ll have everyone come back and take the tour to the Singer Castle.

Afterward, we drove around the area, checking out different places. We also drove over to Wellesly Island and looked at the state parks and golf courses there. We also stopped by the ice cream shoppe in front of the campground to find out about an ice cream social. They sell 3-gallon containers of ice cream for $45. The lady suggested butter pecan as an older person’s favorite flavor.

23 Jun 2020 (Tue) – We packed up and left Stow at 9:15 a.m. The drive was easy but took almost 4 hours. When we arrived, the office was closed (we had checked in online), and a note on the door told campers to proceed to their assigned site. After set up, we left a message for the campground manager asking for a meeting.

We drove to Clayton where Main Street was under construction and closed to traffic. We had seen a delightful hotel with a restaurant years ago that boasted the original Thousand Islands dressing had been invented there. Unfortunately, the restaurant went out of business. We spoke with a manager at Bella’s. The restaurant was pleasant but she said they did not want to have a large group in to dine during their peak season. She preferred to cater a meal of assorted wraps, salads and desert and suggested we eat at the Antique Boating Museum.

We drove past both the Thousand Islands Museum and the Antique Boating Museum. They were both closed. I sent emails asking about admission and meals. This is becoming very frustrating. Many of the businesses that I have sent emails to have not answered.

When we got back to the campground, we met with the campground camp host. Whe was very chatty and gave us lots of information about the area. I have to follow up with an email so she can share it with the owner.

22 Jun 2020 (Mon) – We drove to Seneca Falls today, noting the mileage to various areas along the way. Everything we wanted to see was closed. The National Women’s Hall of Fame, although the name was displayed on the front of the building on Main Street, is no longer there. A woman in the visitor center told us it was relocated to a mill across the bridge but the coronavirus had stopped the set-up and opening of the center in its new location. We drove over and saw that it will be 3 stories high and promises to be a good stop. There is also a National Women’s Rights Museum on Main Street and a couple of houses around Seneca Falls that people could tour if they wanted.

Waterloo, birthplace of Memorial Day, is next to Seneca Falls. There is an American Civil War Museum and memorial graveyard in town. I think it would be appropriate to include it in our itinerary but Paul thinks it is too much. If so, we will certainly have to suggest it as a stop on their own.

We stopped at Ventosa Vineyards to see about a group lunch after the Seneca Falls tour. There is a lovely deck area outside overlooking the lake. The woman we spoke with suggested we send an email to the catering manager.

We then stopped at Belhurst Castle. They have a very attractive stone room with an intimate setting for lunch that also looks out at the lake. The man we spoke with gave us a menu and suggested we coordinate with the catering manager. I sent emails out to both managers.

21 Jun 2020 (Sun) – We packed up and left Bath at 9:50 a.m. It was only 95 miles to Red’s Twilight on the Erie RV Resort in Macedon, near Rochester. We arrived about noon. The office was closed. Our registration packet was sitting on a table. As we were preparing to drive to our campsite, the owner pulled up and led us to our place. She was very friendly and gladly agreed to meet with us later.

After set up, we cased the campground while walking the dog (it was too hot to let Sheba out – 90 degrees!) then went to the office and sat down with Barb. She said they would give us 10 percent off for military discount. We were all sitting around the table with our masks on and it got very hot. I was sweating like crazy. I sure was glad when the meeting was over.

We drove into Rochester to the George Eastman Museum. It was closed. We then drove to The Strong Museum of Play. That was also closed. It is a very large museum and looks like it will be fun. We then drove to a restaurant recommended by Barb. It was too far from The Strong to have people walk to it so we will have lunch in the museum then explore the museum. There is a restaurant inside.

On the way back to the campground, we stopped at Wegmans Supermarket. What a huge store! It had to be the largest supermarket we’ve ever been in. And it was neat and clean and attractive. Everyone in the store was wearing a mask and the staff was actively wiping things down and making sure everything was sanitized.

20 Jun 2020 (Sat) – We drove to the Finger Lakes Boating Museum to meet the Administration Assistant and see the wine cellar where they host catered meals. It is a lovely room and we are sure the group would like it. We would probably have the tour of the museum first (there are 3 floors in the museum) then go to the bottom floor for a lunch.

After meeting with Nancy Wightman, we drove back to the KOA to meet with the Office Manager. We sat outside at a picnic table, all in our masks, and discussed what they could offer the caravan next year. Elaine is pregnant and will be out on maternity leave for a while. This could cause a problem with coordination but we will see how it shakes out.

While driving out and about, we stopped at a nearby fish hatchery. It was closed but they had an observation pool with three kinds of trout in it – brown trout, brook trout, and rainbow trout. What is weird is that the brook trout is the only native species to the area, yet the hatchery doesn’t raise them – only the other two species.

We drove around to check out some other places. There is a VA Center and National Cemetery a couple of miles down the road. We rode around the cemetery looking at the gravestones. We also gathered information about other services in the area – RV dealers, hospital, clinic, vets, foodstore, etc.

We had a campfire tonight. There is nothing more intoxicating that the smell of a campfire.

19 Jun 2020 (Fri) – We packed up and left Chautauqua at 9:30. The weather was good and the drive was pleasant. We arrived at the Bath-Hammondsport KOA around noon. They had sent an email asking us to pre-register/check-in. I did that. When we arrived, Paul stayed in the truck while I went in. The clerk confirmed our information and gave us our map and paperwork. This is a lovely campground. We have been here before and am sure the caravan will enjoy the place.

We drove around town, trying to find a restaurant to have a welcome dinner in. The three restaurants we chose were all too small and two of them were still closed. The thirde, the Stone Timber Inn, does catering. We took the chef’s card and left. On the way back to the campground, we stopped at an American Legion post and took a look at their hall. We asked about renting the hall and the bartender gave us the rental agent’s phone number along with the commander’s number.

The campground is working hard to ensure people are having a good time, despite the spacing restriction from the coronavirus. They delivered a packet to make s’mores with. Folks were invited to make s’mores and post pictures on the facebook page. They also gave us free firewood. It made a delightful fire. They also had a cornhole contest where people who had the game in their rig wee encouraged to play and report their results.

18 Jun 2020 (Thu) – We went to the office at 9:30 a.m. to speak with the campground owner. The doors were locked. Some guy came out in to the hall, looked at us at the door then went back into his office. How rude! I then called the office and the owner answered. We sat at the table outside on the deck and interviewed the guy about the facilities and what he would do for the group. Satisfied, we told him we would send a check and wanted to leave him a book. He said he was in his office. When we told him the door was locked, he laughed and said he forgot to open it then stepped out and took the book.

We drove 20 minutes to the Grape Discovery Center to see what it looked like. It was closed. We parked and walked around, peeking in the windows. It looks like it would be a nice experience for our group next year, so we will include it in the itinerary.

We found a laundromat in a house (ah, country life). We put the clothes in the washer then drove to a Mazza’s Winery and had a flight of wines. Then we returned to the laundromat house and put the clothes in the dryer. We walked around the town of Mayville while our clothes tumbled.

After we collected the clothes, we drove to Jamestown to check out the Lucy-Desi Museum and the National Comedy Center. Unfortunately, they, too, were both closed because of the pandemic. This situation is going to make it hard to develop a budget for the caravan.

Paul located a WalMart and we did some food shopping. We are starting a diet and needed to pick up all the right kinds of foods. I just planned 4 days and the frig is chocked full. I will not be able to shop a week at a time, that’s for sure.

The check-in time for this campground is 6 p.m. (check-out is 5 p.m.). We’ve never seen such a late time for check-in. We asked if the owner would put that aside for us when our group comes next year.

17 Jun 2020 (Wed) – We left Marblehead, Ohio, at 8:20 a.m. It was a long drive today so we left early. The drive was over 4 hours and took us along the lakeshore of Lake Erie, through Pennsylvania and into New York. The campground looks like it was a KOA at one time. Our campsite is a pull through with a concrete surface. The campground is on Chautauqua Lake. The pool, the store, and all group centered places are closed due to the pandemic. You have to wear a mask in the office.

After set up, we drove into Mayville to meet with the operations manager of the Chautauqua Belle paddlewheeler. He was a young man who seemed to be coordinating a group tour for the first time. We went over is suggested schedule and agreed on an itinerary. He will draw up a contract and send it to us.

Then we drove down the road to the Chautauqua Institution. It is one of the stops on the itinerary Mike put together and we wanted to look at it. It’s not very clear why we should take a tour of the place. It seems like a private community with very lovely homes on the lake. The roads are very narrow and seem to wind aimlessly around the neighborhood. There is a beautiful old hotel where he suggested we have lunch. We wanted to get some information about the place but the visitor’s center was closed. I’ll have to send an email.

We drove to Jamestown and picked up food at Pet Smart. Then Paul drove up the other side of the lake to the center where the interstate crossed the lake. We got back to the campground at 5 p.m.

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cackieo · 4 years

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I’m really not exactly sure how it has come to be the 2nd of September. Are you?

In this year, 2020, the year to end all years, we might (if we are hopeful) be thinking, one might expect that it would have dragged along interminably. And in some ways, I suppose it has. We certainly have been through an awful lot- and we are still mucking our way through as best we can. In my wildest dreams, I could not possibly have imagined a worldwide, terrifying pandemic and the emotional and economic toll that would take on all of us. Add to that the turmoil and polarized division our country is currently in due to racial injustice as well as a political climate that seems ripped out of a doomsday novel. The challenges appear to be greater every day. It’s hard at times – I’ll be honest, a lot of the time – to feel hopeful. So how I suddeny l find myself in September is a bit mysterious to me. I feel like I’m in some bizarre space/time continuum that is completely out of my control. No doubt I am not alone in that feeling. At least I hope I’m not.

I’ll try to bring you up to date with a very quick synopsis of what’s been going on. But first I’d like to move on to my exciting news.

And that is, I am thrilled to tell you, Glittermoon Vintage Christmas and I have been featured in the 2020 Flea Market Décor Magazine 2020 Holiday issue with a beautiful 4-page spread! Have a peek:

Cover of Flea Market Décor 2020 Holiday Issue

The issue went on sale yesterday. You can find it on newsstands, in grocery stores, and pharmacies everywhere. I picked up a copy in the grocery store. Or you can go here to order a copy mailed right to your home.

The issue is chock full of creative, fun holiday decorating ideas. I am over the moon to be included in the company of amazingly talented people, some of whom I follow on Instagram. Let me know what you think when you get your copy!

Speaking of Instagram, I do hope you are following me there at GlittermoonCards. It’s become my happy place. Because you can better control what’s in your feed than on Facebook, which I have found to be so toxic and negative at times, I can’t spend a great deal of time on it these days. Instead, I much prefer to follow along – and make friends (albeit virtual) with – like-minded, positive people who post lovely visuals. In all honesty, I have struggled quite a lot to keep my emotional being centered this year; IG has been like a balm. Since we cannot see our friends in person right now, it’s become a sort of surrogate friend. I tend to follow designers and gardeners. One of my favorite designers (and Richmond native), Charlotte Moss, notably, helped keep so many of us out of the “weeds” this past spring by offering up weekly creative challenges that were not only fun but they also benefitted charity. An example of this was the Collage Challenge. For every collage submitted, Charlotte , a lifelong collage aficiando, offered to contribute $100 to Feeding America. In the end, that added up to a whopping $100,000 donation!

So, for the first time in forever, I made a collage. I have to say it was an almost perfect exercise to keep the demons at bay and, oh my, did it ever feel good to have the creative juices flowing again. This is what I came up with…a sort of Italianate/Into the Woods fairy tale.

My collage for the Charlotte Moss Feeding America Challenge

This space as well as my social media pages have always tried to be positive, politically free zones and that goes for now, too. Especially now. I made the decision early on during the pandemic to try to only post things on social media that might bring people a smile or something beautiful that gives someone a lift. I have felt deeply for those who were stuck in high rises or other places where they could not even see green spaces much less get outside to one. So, I posted a lot of pictures of my garden during this past glorious spring; truly the best spring I can remember – what a gift that was and how we needed it! You’ll find lots of photos of how the garden has done this year as well as occasional peeks inside my house and whatever else might pop into my line of sight. So I do hope you will follow along and enjoy.

The other reason to follow me on Instagram is that I tend to post updates there first. I will be using both that platform as well as the Glittermoon Facebook page to keep everybody updated on what I’m making and what I’ve got that is available for purchase this fall. Because of the Coronavirus all the shows for this year have been cancelled – quite rightly. However, this makes for a challenging time for people like me to get what they make out there to the people who want to buy. I am still trying to figure out what is the best strategy for that so stay tuned on social media. I will, of course, also be posting here but not as frequently as on those pages.

Glittermoon Cards SPREAD THE LOVE PROJECT

When the Coronavirus first roared into our lives back in March, like everyone else, we were scared – not only for us but for everyone we care about. With Mr Transplant, we knew we had to be especially vigilant and heed all the warnings the scientists and doctors put out there.

As the pandemic really began to rage and tragic stories of heartbreak and death etched themselves upon our consciousness, I found myself waking up at 4 AM every night with terrible anxiety. Thinking about people trapped in nursing homes, all alone, particularly haunted me. I wanted to help – somehow – but simply could not figure out how. I made donations but it just did not seem enough. I don’t sew so I offered up fabric and some money to a vibrant local group of mask sewers. And while those were good things to do, it did not satisfy that urge to DO something more. But how? As the spouse of an immune suppressed transplant patient and a member of the “at risk” group myself (though I am in good health and refuse to think of myself as “elderly”), there is no question that I need to stay at home for the duration.

I kept thinking about my inventory of Glittermoon Cards sitting in my workshop out back. Everyone knows getting a card in the mail can cheer you up. It’s a simple gesture that makes you feel like you matter to someone. And there are so many people in need of a human connection right now. So, I came up with The Glittermoon SPREAD SOME LOVE Project. For $12, you receive: An assortment of 10 GLITTERMOON CARDS (valued at $30-40, specially chosen and packaged by me), FREE SHIPPING to you via USPS (lower 48 states only, please) and, in addition, for every order, I MAKE A $2 DONATION to FEED MORE, Central Virginia’s food bank.Mail your cards to someone who you think needs a little love, whether it’s a stranger in a nursing home, a special caregiver, an elderly neighbor down the street, or anyone who you think could use some cheer in these strange and scary times. And then tell all your friends! Let’s start an avalanche of mail to the people who need some cheer during this dark time! Hop on over to my Etsy shop to purchase. If you are local to the RVA area, they are also in stock in my space at Crossroads Art Center.

Pre-Covid seems a very long time ago indeed and so much has changed. We were supposed to have our house and garden open in May for a tour in our Ginter Park neighborhood but, of course, that had to be scratched. As of this writing, it has been rescheduled for May 1, 2021. Put it on your calendar now! Naturally, we were in the midst of several house projects trying to get ready for the tour. I was still finishing up the bathroom renovation that began 18 months ago now 😳 and I was working on refreshing some of the downstairs rooms. And then, everything ground to a halt. At this point, most of those projects have now been finished – yay – and I’ve begun working on the upstairs which has started to look tired after 25 years. If you remember way back to last year, we were doing a total gut renovation of the master bathroom. To give you an example of how looooong the bathroom took, I just got the new curtain, actually an antique pillow sham that we repurposed, up in the window last week! The master bedroom (which was the workshop during the bath reno and thus completely trashed) is all pretty and fresh now and I could not be happier with how both it and the bathroom turned out. I’ve moved on to the tiny little room I call my “perch” and things are proceeding at a sedate pace but that’s just fine with me. Here’s a peek at how the bathroom looked once I hung pictures but before the new curtain. You can refer back to this post from a year ago to see the “before.”

Typical Gabby pose

In late July, our beloved kitty, Gabby (Gabriella Glittermoon), whose face and name were on the back of every Glittermoon Card, left us for heaven. She was just a few weeks short of her 20th birthday and we are having a hard time to adjusting to the empty space that small but mighty being has left behind. As I wrote at the time, I had a pretty good feeling of who she was on the day I adopted her. As I drove us home, this little striped arm kept poking out of the cardboard carrier, feverishly trying to feel its way along the car seat. She was feisty and funny, contrary and cantankerous, precious and persnickety, and full of her own self worth. A warrior with a zest for life. She was loving. And she was deeply loved. Most of all, she was her daddy’s girl: his constant, boon companion, especially during these past challenging years. We miss her terribly.

Emma P Buttercup

At the same time, my sweet Emma developed some scary health issues, too. We are still working on trying to figure out what is going on with her but it’s been very worrisome for me. She’s my shadow and I don’t even want to contemplate what life would be like without her.

I’m all set to get cracking out there in Santa’s Workshop, Southern Branch. Everything is organized and in its place. I had a bit of a hiccup when the fluroescent fixture directly over my worktable croaked last week. Fortunately, my electrician was able to squeeze me into his busy schedule and came yesterday to replace it and another one with new, and very bright, LED fixtures so I am raring to go! When I was working on getting everything put away and ready for the 2020 season, I realized just how starved I’ve been to get my creative juices flowing and get to work making beautiful things to share with you. I looked over at all the Santas on the old workbench one afternoon and there they all were, with jolly faces alight, and my mood improved by leaps and bounds in just that moment. Here’s a look at how nice and tidy a couple of the shelves are…perhaps your mood will lift, too!

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By now, you’re probably as exhausted reading this as I am from writing it, so I’ll come to a close.

Despite everything that has happened this year, I have much to be grateful for. We have a wonderful team of doctors who are doing their best to keep Mr Transplant safe; weekly family Zoom meetings we began months ago and which provide a happy lifeline (quite honestly, we are keeping up better now than during normal times); a comfortable home that we love; and a garden that offers respite and peace. Our family and friends have so far managed to stay healthy. We are at an age where we do not need to worry about losing our jobs or the place we live. These are all big things. It breaks my heart for all out there who are suffering so terribly.

Every day, though, I am reminded that so much of our happiness and contentment is derived from the little things in life and it’s those things which keep me going on the difficult days. For me, the natural world is the gift that keeps on giving. A chipmunk racing acoss the patio, the sibilant sound of the breeze rustling in the trees, my sweet dog’s delight when I decree it’s time for walkies, or a little wren singing her heart out are what bring me joy. I hope you have something like that, too.

And let’s all be kind to one another.

Stay safe out there friends. I’ll be back soon with what’s happening in the workshop. Until then, I’ll leave you with this thought and a few random shots from the garden this past spring.

“Be soft, don’t let the world make you hard. Be gentle, don’t let the people make you difficult. Be kind, don’t let the realities of life steal your sweetness and make you heartless.”

― Nurudeen Ushawu

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Exciting News!…Then Let’s Catch up I'm really not exactly sure how it has come to be the 2nd of September. Are you?

#coronavirus #covid-19 #flea market decor magazine #garden #gardening #home renovation #kindness #pets #positivity

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purplesurveys · 4 years

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909

What was the last piece of furniture you purchased? We got a new couch sometime last year. Our old one was so small and only fit two adults comfortably – my parents have had it since my siblings and I were kids, when we all fit, and they just didn’t change it for a while. The new couch is a lot bigger and is L-shaped.

Have you ever broken up with someone for a reason other than lack of feelings (ex. moving away, etc.)? No. But with where we are in life right now it’s always a possible situation.

Has anyone ever told you that you are too picky when it comes to the people you date? What about not picky enough? No one has, even though I technically am. But if anyone said that to me I’d kinda take it as an insult because...demis are picky and there should be no problem with that...

When was the last time you went to a bar? End of February, though that was really more of a club than a bar. My last bar was probably just a few weeks before that ^ though. I know I went out to drink many times in January and February.

What three things would you change about your life? I wish I could have the right meds to help my brain stop feeling anxious; I wish I wasn’t a fresh graduate in the middle of a pandemic/unemployment crisis; I wish this pandemic didn’t have to ruin so many great things that had been going for me!!!

Was there anything unusual or unique about your birth? Other than my mom finding out she was pregnant with me on her birthday, I don’t think I have fun stories to tell about my actual birth. My mom had a relatively normal birth with me compared to my sister (mom was in labor with her for 20 hours) and my brother (dad wasn’t by her side when he was born).

What has happened in the past week that is worth remembering in five years? The way I wanted to deal with this one stupid driver and yet karma quickly let me know that wasn’t gonna happen. Which is so unfair – he had been driving at fucking 10 mph for the last ten minutes and I was stuck behind him the whole time and I just wanted to overtake, ugh. Anyway, what ended up happening was super embarrassing and I don’t feel like detailing it; suffice it to say I highly doubt I’ll forget about it. ALSO, my online graduation.

How much of your day did you spend completely alone? Yesterday I was barely alone because we had a bit of a feast at home to celebrate my graduation. I can’t speak for today just yet; it’s only 8:23 and I’m not sure how this day’s going to turn out.

What was the best conversation you’ve had recently? My kuya and I were discussing one of our ancestors who recently got exposed on social media for actually turning out to be a Marcos enabler/apologist. That relative was a historian who had written plenty of books that nearly all schools and universities in the country used, and is usually praised for his works; in my own family, obviously, we also speak highly of him and I’ve always known him to be a brilliant man. Well that post popped up and I showed it to my kuya, and he was literally like, “okay, I guess the jig is up. Robyn, he’s actually a...” and proceeded to tell me all the icky enabler stuff he did for Marcos’ administration – and our other high-profile relatives who did the same thing. I’ve felt nothing but disgust for most of my bloodline ever since lmao

What is the next book you are going to read? Idek dude. I said I was reading Little Women several surveys ago but I hadn’t touched it again since then.

Describe the hardest decision you have ever made. I don’t think I’ve made it yet.

Why did you last see the doctor? I had been sick for a week and wasn’t getting better, so we got worried and had it checked out.

Post a recent picture of yourself. Hiding my parents because duh, but here. I literally never take selfies so this is the most recent one I got. A little too formal for this website too but my family had a photo op yesterday to celebrate my grad and I look quite nice in those photos, so have one of them hahaha.

How do you spend the majority of your free time? Making myself occupied with different distractions.

What do you want to accomplish tomorrow? I’d want to be doing job preparation stuff this week and hit baby steps here and there.

List the cards in your wallet. Driver’s license, school ID, my gas station rewards card, Starbucks rewards card, Timezone credits card, a business card from a news agency who partnered with our org once, and a card enumerating the rights of media practitioners, for safety reasons.

Who was the last person to do something nice for you? Dad made us breakfast.

What was the lowest point of this year? The highest? Lowest point is...I can’t believe I’m saying it, but the present. I’m really anxious about jobs and careers and the future, and paranoid about getting left behind by my peers. It’s like I’m relapsing and I’m once again the struggling 18 year old that I used to be.

Highest is also kinda the present. I finished college and it’s something to be mighty proud of. It’s just a weird time right now.

Is there any artwork in the room you’re in? Yes.

What is your number one short-term goal? Long-term? Short-term is to get my SSS ID ironed out; long-term is to land a job that’ll make me start earning some��₱₱₱ for myself.

Are you dealing with anything difficult at the moment? Yes.

#survey #surveys

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therapardalis · 7 years

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//So, yesterday RL sucked pretty hard.

tl;dr - It worked out OK, but for a while there I thought my chances of other employment ever might be pretty much nil.

Long version -

I’ve been in my current job for five years through a temp agency (long story). Agency has since changed the kind of jobs they recruit for, so they will now not help me get something else if I lose/leave this job.

Recently my work duties have gone down because of the new computer system. My immediate supervisors are doing their best to keep me, but since the upper management give no shits about actual people (patients or employees) they’re not sure how long they can justify keeping an agency person when the job they were hired for (typist) doesn’t technically exist anymore. I’ve been applying to other departments in the hospital, and thought I had a place in the casual ward clerk bank. OK, safe!

I thought.

HR policy requires a police and working with children check - the PC is mandatory, the WCC only applies to some jobs. I told the HR people I had no photo ID for the checks. HR person forwarded me a list of allowable documents for the PC, from which, it said, I needed 100 points of ID. I got 100 points (125 actually) of secondary (non-photo) ID, had the doctor in charge certify it all, and sent it in. Also tried to send same to WCC, but the website wouldn't process without one form of ID having a photo. Call HR, who tell me they can't employ me in the offered role without the WCC, but that doesn't apply to all roles in the hospital (so the other stuff I've applied for should be OK). Relief.

THEN it comes back from HR that oh no, you don't just need the plain 100 points for the PC after all, part of that 100 points MUST be photo ID. Ta-dahhh, back to square one.

I'm freaking the fuck out by this stage, because if I can't get the police check I can't be employed at the hospital (and likely not any other hospital, probably no other temp agency, public service, etc etc), which has been my line of work for 90% of my working life so you can see the problem here - ie, I was probably fucked.

This was probably the closest to a full-blown panic attack I’ve ever been.

So finally I email the cops directly at their state website, and thankfully they got right back to me with another option of getting a photo taken and certified, and that would do the trick. Their list actually specifies ‘this is for people who have no other photo ID’, so yeah. That should do it.

So yeah. Emotional fucking roller coaster, borderline freakout, up and down like a yo-yo between ‘I’m OK’ and ‘oh fuck no’ ... I’m still not completely OK, but at least I have a way through the minefield now. I hope.

#OOC #Long post #RL

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theamberfang · 4 years

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Busy Day; Journal 455

I don’t remember if I wrote about it yesterday, but I actually passed on a link for the “notarized letter of support” (provided by that free clinic via email) to my father. As is his way with getting things done promptly, he took me along as soon as I was awake to go get it notarized. Once we got home, I used his printer/scanner to scan it and get it emailed to the clinic.

I also had my prescriptions printed out, so I tagged along with my mom, who was going grocery shopping, to drop it off. She’ll be going out again tomorrow to pick up my medications: an antibiotic to treat a potential UTI [urinary tract infection] and something that might help with my mental health stuff.

Now that the clinic has the notarized letter, I wonder if I have to wait for them to get back to me about referrals for getting lab work done? Part of the email with my prescriptions was actually a lab request form and an explanation that I didn’t need to make an appointment or anything: just needed to show up with the form and photo ID. So I’m not sure if that’s something I can just do anytime [that the given lab is open] or if I need to confirm that I can with the clinic.

I’m also not sure if I need to schedule another appointment; there wasn’t any follow-up on that sort of thing. That’s another thing to ask about. The doctor did mention stuff about following up on those lab results and the efficacy of the medications.

Finished (?)

Today I also managed to finish reading Homestuck. I actually was quite close to finishing, but I’m glad that I was rested for the final animations: “Terezi: Remember”, “Collide”, and “Act 7″. There’s something conspicuously missing from the very end of the story (that I don’t feel like randomly spoiling for anyone here, but it should be relatively obvious to anyone whose read all the way through), but I discovered that there’s an epilogue to read. It’s written in more traditional prose, though still keeping a few of Homestuck’s quirks like a few “commands” and dialogue presented similarly to the “pesterlogs.” I’ve only just started reading it, but it’s apparent that it tackles that last unresolved thread.

I ended up writing something of a review on my F*cebook. I addressed how many recommendations for Homestuck involve assertions that it “gets better later.” While indeed true, I wanted to explain that I liked the story with the first few pages and why: the adventure game framework with an ambiguous second-person perspective and the silly game abstractions. As someone who has always been intensely interested in games and game design, I took to all this stuff like a fish to water. I also went on to explain how it gets better: experimental use of a web-browser as the medium, time shenanigans, and all of the characters and accompanying character development.

Despite finishing, I’m still feeling quite hyperfixated on Homestuck. Maybe it’s because there’s more adulting I need to do in regards to my medical stuff, so I’m still in need of this anchor—instead of allowing my mind to go off the rails worrying about how I can somehow “mess up” correspondence with the clinic, I just think more about Homestuck. I’ll definitely continue reading the epilogue and I’ve already been listening through the soundtracks on Bandcamp. I’ll probably also look up more reactions to those last animations.

Further, I’ve been feeling energized by thinking about Homestuck tonight, so I’ve been thinking about starting a second blog. Though, it wouldn’t necessarily just be about Homestuck; it could be where I’d post stuff similar to my Night in the Woods stuff (I’ll probably keep that series here, though—unless it proves to be easy to transfer posts from blog to blog. I guess there are reblogs, technically.) I’m thinking I might call it “Amber in Fandom” or something.

Though, if I’m perfectly honest, I’d be surprised if I actually do it any time soon, despite feeling inspired to recently. It just sort of feels like it would make more sense to start it on another reread, and I’m bound to burn-out if I do that now.

Week’s Schedule

Tues: Take a break (past couple of days have been busy)

Wed: Message clinic with questions; editing Knight’s manuscript

Thurs: Shower

Fri: Night in the Woods (had a review of events in list form in a journal)

Sat: World anvil

Sun: Shower

Mon: Ponder a secondary blog

Whimsy List

Chill out

Take medications

Sing