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🍋 FOR LEM 🍋 | Saya x Kakashi | A third person pointing out how beautiful they're and suddenly you're seeing them in a different light

happy birthday @lemony-snickers, I'm sorry this is such a lame story, I had SO MANY different ideas and couldnt pick one, please contact me on discord to hear about all of em.

Exhausted, Saya leaned her back against a big oak tree and already eyed the rations that had been provided for her hungrily. It was not like she wasn’t used to long stretches of time running and no or very little food, but that didn’t mean her body couldn’t feel exhausted. Especially when the long stretch of no food had been 8 hours, the running had been without pause and there was fried chicken in the rations.

Tenzo handed it to her as he took out her ration first and then his own, throwing a very sceptical look into the bag. They weren’t even away from Konoha for one day and he already seemed worried about food. That was oddly sweet and a little over nervous of him. Sure, he hadn’t really led missions before and Saya was technically a kouhai to him, but he knew very well they’d get through this. It was a very standart mission anyway.

“It might only last for about 4 days,” he said in a tone as if he was just declaring that the rations were almost out. “We have to be careful.”

Saya basically ripped the cover off her box. She felt like she hadn’t eaten it for at least 20 days, when it was more like 10 hours. “The mission is only supposed to take a day or two, Captain”, she said, winking a little to show Tenzo that she was teasing him.

He had that need for overplanning from Kakashi, Saya was sure of it. From how she had gotten to know Kakashi during the last few months he seemed like the kind of guy who would overestimate to make sure all his teammates made it back safely. Though, Saya noted with an internal eye roll, he also seemed like the sort of guy who would pack less for himself, seeing himself as the least important person in the operation.

Saya of course hadn’t run missions with Kakashi a lot, especially not now that he was poised to make the switch to jounin sensei. But she was somehow paired up with Tenzo from time to time, who was obviously missing his senpai judging from the way he was organising himself. Tenzo was different, he was a little more worried and unsure of himself and yet his actions as a team leader had Kakashi written all over it.

“Have a nice meal,” Saya just about said before she was already digging into the mix of rice and fried chicken. They had packed an extra big portion of rice, probably to make sure they were stuffed enough to make it all the way through the desert at night. It was a hassle staying up all night, but it seemed even worse to get to Sunagakure during the daytime. BEsides, they were ANBU: They were expected to be able to run great distances without sleep.

This mission was a very easy one. They were supposed to get to Sunagakure, hand over a missive regarding the chuunin exam and head back. Generally, with peace reigning for many years, this was not a big deal, something that, in Saya’s mind, could have probably done via falcon, but the peace seemed frickle, especially lately, so they were sent instead. “My best ANBU”, the hokage had said with not so well hidden pride of who Tenzo had become. “HE can pick his own team.” Saya, to her own surprise, had been chosen as said team.

Stuffing her mouth with rice she thought of the way Tenzo had walked up to her. “I would like Fox to accompany me,” he had said and when her eyes had gone wide behind her mask he’d replied. “I think our fighting styles are compatible.” But that just seemed like an excuse. Back then she’d told herself she would ask him later what really had been his reasoning, but the tempo to get to the border had been high, so she had felt entirely unable to.

Now, though, with food right in front of her and her muscles relaxing against a tree, she thought maybe it would be the right time to ask – after she had swallowed down most of the chicken and rice of course.

“Cat,” she said, holding the protocol of addressing other ANBU by their codename while on duty, “Why did you choose me for this mission? Aren’t there better options? Dragon or Mouse?”

Tenzo ate much slower than she did and she admired him for that. He must be just as hungry as he was and yet he ate slowly to make sure not to overfill himself. That was the ANBU handbook after all. “If you eat too fast you will feel sick later!”, but Saya was hungry so nothing could stop her.

He hummed as he thought about his answer, as if he didn’t really know why he had chosen her himself. “I guess it is because I think senpai trusts you. And if senpai trusts you, so can I.”

Saya blinked. She hadn’t really expected that answer. Sure Kakashi and her had grown good friends and that surprised her just as much as it probably surprised him, but that Tenzo took his judgement basically as a word of god… 

“Does Kakashi-san have such a good intuition?” Saya asked with a laugh. “Or do you just generally believe everything he says?”

Tenzo blushed. Saya hadn’t seen that coming either. “Usually the people that gravitate around senpai are good people. I think there is something about him that makes good people choose him.” Tenzo chewed and swallowed a chicken. “He picks people to trust that he thinks are good people and usually he is correct. At least I’m pretty sure he was correct about you, Fox.”

And about you, Saya wanted to say. After all, Kakashi had also rescued Tenzo from Root when he was very little. “If you argue like that,” Saya replied, “Then you mean to say that every person that is seen as important by Kakashi is a person that should also be important to you.” She cringed a little at the fact that she had just included herself into “Person important to Kakashi.”

“I think it is a gift,” Tenzo smiled to himself. “Being chosen by senpai is something that I am very grateful for. He saved me and I’m sure one day he will save you too.”

Saya sighed. “Someday,” she said, trying to hide the fact that there had already been countless times he’d made sure she was safe. “I mean I think he is a valuable friend, of course, I would just never tell him that to his face.” Saya frowned thinking of the raised eyebrow and the “Is that so?” that he’d give her if she ever told him.

“Why?” Tenzo seemed genuinely confused.

She put the lid back on the box and then covered one eye with her hand and grinned as wide as she could. “Because of this face!” she explained.

Tenzo laughed, which was a rarity since Kakashi had quit ANBU. Then he put his head to the side: “You are right he can be a little mean about certain things. But I think, all in all, that is still one of his cuter faces.”

“One of?” Saya said a little louder than necessary, immediately startling the man in front of her. “I mean, you know? He is a handsome guy! Most of his face is covered and yet he looks so good, especially when he smiled. There is this twinkl ein the eye, also when he looks at you and likes you. It’s a gift… you know..?” He got faster and faster towards the end, then abruptly gave up.

Oh! Saya thought and looked back to her hands. Certainly, Kakashi could have his pretty sides. She had never really thought about it, not until this moment, but he did possess a sharp face and very sparkling eyes. And what Tenzo had said was true, despite being almost completely covered, he was able to convey so much trust and admiration just through one eye alone. It was a gift.

She also now understood why Tenzo had been so down since Kakashi had left ANBU, but she wasn’t sure he understood. Because she liked Tenzo and liked that he trusted her enough to pick her for such an important mission she didn’t point it out to him. That was something he’d need to figure out himself. The only thing she could do is silently wish him good luck. Kakashi didn’t seem to care about this stuff.

INstead she turned to Tenzo and nodded: “I guess you are right. He does look like that. I have never really thought about it.” It was the truth. 

“From now on you will notice it, I bet,” Tenzo laughed and put the lid on his own empty foodbox. 

“I bet with you on that one!” Saya got up and stretched a little, readying herself for the long run ahead. She thought of Kakashi's grey eyes and how, really, they could be softer than anyone else's. That man was truly gifted with endless kindness and that was something Saya would have never assumed she might be thinking one day.

Escape (Part 1)

We'd been talking about running away for a while. But it was always too big, too scary. We were always just a little too comfortable. And then one day, you had just had enough. I don't know if it was that one coworker whose white cis/het male privilege made it impossible for him to see you as his better, or the car breaking down again, or that the anti-trans laws had finally come to our state, probably all of it and more. To be honest, I'd been ready for this day for a long while. It always took you a little longer to reach your limit. You were so good at giving everyone but yourself the benefit of the doubt.

When you walked out the door that morning, heading to what would ultimately be your last moments with any other person besides me, I knew it was the end. I'd had the most incredible dream that night. We were wild cats, living the best lives I could have imagined, not easy, but so much less stressful than the realities of our last 20 years together. So when you came through the door early, throwing your keys across the room, uncharacteristically violent for you, and said flatly "It's time", I was not even a little surprised. I had already made my peace and started preparations.

The last couple of years had been so hard. Too much loss, far more than anyone should ever have to suffer. The way both of our families rallied around us after we lost the twins, we thought we’d always have their support. But time revealed the truth, that like so many of that generation, they loved money more than even their own children. Slowly but surely, then kind of all at once, we lost touch with all of them, and honestly considered it for the best. But fucking hell did it hurt. There may be no pain worse than isolation.

Running away from it all had never occurred to us until our friends Sam and Vanessa (the only friends we’d managed to make and hold on to) told us they had a plan. They'd worked out all the details. As a lesbian couple, they couldn't bare the thought of their marriage becoming illegal again, they wanted to be together more than they wanted anything society could offer them. One night, one of our board game hangs, they laid it all out for us. Vanessa had been learning how to improvise shelters and make a fire with whatever could be scrounged from different terrains, and Sam had been meeting up with a local foraging group for months. Together, they'd been pouring over maps of the region, creating and memorizing routes that would keep them the safest.

It had all started with a story Sam had heard on This American Life or something. A man had evaded arrest for 20 plus years by living in the woods and never staying in one place for more than a couple of nights in a row. And they thought they could do it too. So they had started saving up money so they could quite their jobs and maybe not raise too much suspicion. Slowly but surely, they cut contact with almost all of their friends and family. When they revealed their plan to us, Sam had just left her job "to focus on starting a family", and Vanessa told us she would be quitting hers in a couple of months. Then they would wait just long enough that people stopped checking in, and they were gone.

Sam and Vanessa had left almost two years ago to the day. Of course at first we had thought they were insane. We gave them a month at most before they were back, telling us how much harder it was out in the wild than they thought. But as life dragged on, now minus our only real friends, we wanted to go, we needed to go too. And now we were.

to be continued...

2023 / 44

Aperçu of the Week:

"The USA is the main perpetrator of all massacres, from Hiroshima to Vietnam to Afghanistan. They must pay the price for their aggression."

(Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah, Lebanon, in a commentary on the Gaza war)

Bad News of the Week:

The Slovak Republic has a new old prime minister. New, because Robert Fico succeeds a center-right government led by the conservative OL'aNO (yes, that's how you spell it) that imploded after early elections. Old, because Fico, as leader of the left-wing nationalist party Smer ("Direction / Slovak Social Democracy"), which he founded, already held the office of Slovakian Prime Minister from 2006 to 2010 and again from 2012 to 2018.

During his first term in office, Slovakia joined the Schengen area and the Eurozone. So surely Fico is a convinced European? Unfortunately, he is not. Even worse for the head of state of a former Soviet satellite state: he is a staunch Russia fan from A to Z. Not to say a Putin groupie. And always has been. During the Caucasus War in 2008 (his first term in office), Fico condemned the "Georgian aggression" and took sides with Russia. During the annexation of Crimea in 2014 (his second term in office), he repeatedly criticized the EU sanctions imposed on Russia and even threatened to veto them.

And now? Even during the Ukraine war (his third term in office), his partisanship is absolutely clear. Even clearer than ever before. Samples from announcements made in recent days: Bratislava will not supply "one more shot of ammunition" to neighboring Ukraine. Ukraine is "one of the most corrupt countries in the world". The planned new EU aid package of no less than 50 billion euros is to be prevented. The money would fall into exactly the wrong hands. After all, the war had already begun in 2014 when "Ukrainian Nazis and fascists began murdering the Russian population in the Donbass". Ouch.

Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban can be pleased to have found a spiritual twin in Fico. And the much-vaunted EU unity on foreign policy issues is no longer just crumbling, it is slowly collapsing. The planned twelfth round of Russia sanctions is under long-term threat. And not just by Fico's own left-wing populist Smer party. Because its ultra-nationalist coalition partner SNS is linked to the Kremlin party "United Russia" by a friendship treaty. Incidentally, it has this in common with the Austrian FPÖ (Freiheitliche Partei Österreichs / Freedom Party of Austria). Elections will be held next year in the country neighboring Hungary and Slovakia. And it looks as if the Freedom Party's Herbert Kickl could win. Well then, good night Europe.

Good News of the Week:

"Poison for Eternity" is the title of a current TV documentary by ARD, the first public broadcaster in Germany. Which is known for its seriousness. So I was surprised by this extreme statement. Poison for eternity. But unfortunately that really seems to be the case. It's about PFAS. That stands for "per- and poly-fluorinated alkyl substances". And I had never heard of it before. And I would almost have preferred it to stay that way.

There are more than 10,000 different chemicals that are PFAS. They come in solid, liquid and gaseous form. And we all come into contact with them every day: they are found in food packaging and dental floss, for example. In outdoor clothing and car tires. In semiconductor technology and battery production. In other words: everywhere. And the stuff is practically non-degradable by natural means, hence "eternity".

Unfortunately, various health risks that PFAS can cause if it enters the human organism have been known since the 1960s. For example, the reduction of the vaccination response. Or the development of a fetus during pregnancy. Or simply cancer. Extensive research over the last 20 years has shown that PFAS can be detected in the blood of practically every human being on this planet. And so far nothing has happened. Excuse me?

But now - better late than never - Germany and four other EU countries have submitted an application to the responsible chemicals authority to restrict the manufacture, use and marketing of this devilish stuff. The development of alternatives will still take years. And the PFAS already in circulation will remain. But at least no new ones will (hopefully) be added in the near future. Where can I sign?

Personal happy moment of the week:

We met up with a friend for breakfast at the weekend. In a really nice café that we hadn't been to before. My vital breakfast included homemade raspberry jam. On a stroke of genius, I didn't spread it on a wholemeal roll, but ordered a croissant instead. The combination was a dream. Fortunately, the jam was also sold to take away. And I can now enjoy this culinary discovery at home too. Simple pleasures are sometimes the best.

I couldn't care less...

...about the so-called "parliamentary immunity". This is the term used to describe the protection of a political mandate or office holder from prosecution on the basis of their mandate or office. This legal right, which was created in Germany in the middle of the 19th century, was originally intended to protect the legislature from attacks by the then still monarchical executive. That is long gone. However, a certain degree of protection against prosecution still exists.

This is probably what the elected Bavarian AfD politician Daniel Halemba, who was arrested on Monday just hours before the constituent session of the Bavarian state parliament - i.e. shortly before his immunity was due to begin - had hoped. The charge fits perfectly with the far-right tendencies of the AfD (Alternative für Deutschland / Alternative for Germany): "incitement of the people and use of symbols of anti-constitutional organizations". The young man is just 22 years old.

But in other countries, too, the immunity of public officials plays a role in many applying for political office. It is an open secret that Donald Jessica Trump hopes to be re-elected to be protected from the many criminal prosecutions against him. Just like Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Bibi Netanyahu. Both are therefore also - and this is even worse - trying to discredit the neutrality of the judiciary by accusing it of having a partisan political agenda. Because of course you are innocent and merely the victim of a witch hunt.

As I write this...

...I feel very trendy. Because "Goofy" has been voted the German (!) youth word of the year. And - what a surprise - it stands for "in reference to the Walt Disney comic character (for) a clumsy, silly person or behavior". I knew that before today's teenagers were even born. I must be ahead of my time.

Post Scriptum

There are rising attacks on Jews - all over the world. In the Russian autonomous region of Dagestan, for example, a mob stormed the airport earlier this week when a plane from Tel Aviv landed there. In Dagestan, as in most of the North Caucasus regions, almost only ethnic Muslims live. It can therefore be assumed that the attack was based on a misinterpretation of the widespread nonsense "All Jews are against all Muslims". We could, we should know better.

Unfortunately, people in Germany don't know any better. Since the beginning of the Gaza war, anti-Semitic crimes have more than doubled. The classic: Star of David graffiti on supposedly Jewish doors. Under National Socialism, Jewish families' homes and businesses were marked in this way, making them the target of unpunished attacks by whoever. This is reprehensible, oblivious to history, questionable, disgusting. And dangerous. Because it can fuel latent anti-Semitism, which unfortunately exists in this country just as much as latent racism. This is how a silent prejudice can turn into open violence. The majority that likes to remain silent must clearly oppose this. There is no line to cross in Germany that could be redder.

Man, Jerry Lewis sucks. He was not funny. Dean’s reaction shots were funnier than anything Jerry ever did.

And Frank and Dean were blood brothers and life partners. Their relationship is 100x better than any Jerry Lewis nonsense.

Humor is often subjective and I wouldn't criticize a person (or France) for finding Jerry Lewis funny, but I will say that I'm in pretty much the same boat as you. I don't find him funny and he/whatever character(s) he played make me so uncomfortable that I just cannot watch him. The voice alone makes me squirm.

On the relationship question, I feel much more confident making strong assertions. (RIP my inbox for that choice).

Just from a cursory view, Jerry and Dean were together for ten years, during a significant portion of which their relationship was more or less dysfunctional. We also don't have a great sense of their personal closeness, because most of our information about their relationship comes only from one side (ie Jerry) with an agenda of its own to push. Meanwhile, Frank and Dean met the same year Dean met Jerry, and were in some sort of professional partnership/contact for about 35 years, friends for 45. Literally Dean's last public appearance was to wish Frank a happy 75th birthday.

Jerry was always very invested in downplaying the importance and depth of Dean's relationship with Frank. I mean, it's not unexpected when you see that he titled his book about Dean, published in 2005, Dean & Me: A Love Story. The book is hilariously un-self aware but that could be its own 10k word analysis. Suffice to say that he describes himself, post-break up, as the person that was "closer to Dean Martin than anyone else" and Dean as “my partner and best friend", asserting a claim on him long after 20 years of radio silence and another 20 of occasional awkward interactions.

Whereas he argued that "where Frank was concerned, Dean could never totally let down his guard. And — in a not totally healthy way — Frank was drawn to that reserve." Never mind that he wasn't anywhere near close enough to Dean post-1956 to know jack about the workings of his personal relationship with Frank, the idea of Jerry Fucking Lewis criticizing anyone for having unhealthy interpersonal relationships is so deranged it's laughable. (Oh yeah, and Frank was the one who engineered Dean and Jerry's 'reunion' in 1976 and convinced Dean to do it/stayed with him through the whole appearance).

Professionally, jettisoning Jerry was one of the best things that ever happened to Dean. He went from second fiddle straightman in a popular duo to a genuine solo star, with hit records, popular TV shows, blockbuster movies, and in person residencies (with the Rat Pack and alone) that regularly sold out. Frank was hugely supportive of this and did everything he could to personally show it for Dean, including making an appearance on his first television show. In contrast to many of the later Martin-Lewis sets, Dean and Frank were known for working well as a team, and the Rat Pack movie sets, like Oceans Eleven, were notorious mostly for being good fun. Frank conducted the orchestra and picked the musicians for Dean's most critically acclaimed albums.

On a personal level they were likely each other's most important relationships. Frank had mental health issues. He was open about it: "Being an 18-karat manic-depressive and having lived a life of violent emotional contradictions, I have an over-acute capacity for sadness as well as elation." Dean supported him through those and his sense of humor/natural placidity were a huge boon to Frank in bad times. When Frank's mother, whom he was very close to, died in a plane crash, Dean stayed with him through the search for the wreckage, helped him through the funeral, etc. And when Dean's son, Dean Paul, died in a flight training accident years later, Frank did the same. He tried his best to pull him out of his depressive spiral.

It's evident in the everyday, too. They had neighboring houses in Pam Springs and raised their kids together. Frank had matching pinkie rings made for them and Dean never took his off. Jeanne, Dean's wife, said that "Frank adored Dean, Frank wanted to be with Dean all the time" and Deana, his daughter, called Frank his "closest friend." Frank was the last person Dean ever spoke to before he died, and Frank told his bodyguard, who asked why he was laughing so much after the end of their conversation, that even though Dean was the ill one he had managed to make Frank feel better: "That cuckoo bastard is still telling jokes…He’s sick and he’s still making wisecracks. I love him."

"We’re practically like brothers. Everything we do, we do together. We always keep in touch with each other and our families are always together. Well, we’re brothers. Everything is Frank and Dean."-Dean Martin

“Dean has been like the air I breathe, always there, always close by. He was my brother not by blood, but by choice.”-Frank Sinatra

Three people have been shot dead in six days in separate killings in London.

The most recent was a 22-year-old man who was gunned down at around 9.30pm on Sunday in Wood Green, north London.

Police including armed officers were called to High Road near Wood Green Tube station where they gave the victim first aid.

Despite treatment by medics from the land and air ambulance, he was pronounced dead at the scene at 10pm. His family have been told.

Gulcan Ilhan, 36, who regularly visits Wood Green to help her brother run his shop said: “It’s not safe. I could be walking to a shop and god forbid there’s a shooting.

“No one feels safe to walk down the road”.

Less than 24 hours earlier, another man, 28-year-old Sam Brown, was fatally shot in Cheney Row Park, Waltham Forest, east London at about 12.30am on Sunday.

He was taken to hospital but later died.

Locals said they had been expecting trouble when a group of up to 100 people gathered in Cheney Row Park.

One man, who did not want to be named, said: “I did see earlier more and more kids showing up so we thought… there would be a fight.”

A second man was taken to hospital at the same time as Mr Brown with stab injuries. He was later discharged and arrested “in connection with the incident”, the Metropolitan Police said.

The two fatal shootings follow another killing in the early hours of Tuesday July 19, when a 26-year-old man was shot in Bruckner Street, Queen’s Park, west London.

Seven people were arrested over the death and later released under investigation.

This number of fatal gun deaths in less than a week is unusual in London.

Up until July 19, there had been no firearms killings in the English capital since October 31 last year.

In 2021, there were 12 fatal shootings among a total of 134 homicides recorded by the Metropolitan Police.

Earlier this year, in April, the force said it had seen a reduction in gun crime, with the number of all shootings, including fatal and non-fatal, down from from 283 in 2019/20 to 196 in 2021/22.

A spokesperson for mayor of London Sadiq Khan said: “The mayor’s thoughts are with the families and communities who have been affected by violence in the last few days. He is clear that one death is one too many, with every death leaving lives destroyed, families heartbroken and communities hurting.

“Sadiq is in regular contact with the police who are working on relevant tactics and operations to arrest and suppress further escalations. If anyone has any information about any of these or any other violent crime, they can ring Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111. There is no honour in staying silent.

“Tackling violence and making our city safer is Sadiq’s top priority and he is committed to being both tough on crime and tough on the complex causes of crime. Thanks to the hard work of the police and prevention and early intervention work led by London’s Violence Reduction Unit, supported by record investment from City Hall, violent crime has been falling since before the pandemic, with gun crime, knife crime and teenage murders significantly down.

“Despite progress, the level of violence remains too high and the mayor will continue to work closely with the police and community groups across London to provide them with the resources they need to help protect Londoners and make our communities safer.”

The Secret to Virtual Assistant Success is in the Numbers

So here we are, fast approaching another financial year end. It's around now that I run a bit of a review of how we've done over the past year. What has worked and what hasn't, what's up and what's down. So if you haven't done it yet, why not spend a couple of hours reviewing how you have done, and decide what changes you want to make in the coming 12 months? Being a Virtual Assistant, just like any other business, is a numbers game. How many contacts you have made over the last year? Of these, how many have you turned in to prospects? And, how many clients you have secured as a result? You should also know the average value of your clients and their average lifetime value. These figures can tell you some really interesting things. For example, if you know that over the previous 12 months you made: - 300 contacts, of whom - 100 became prospects (by showing a real interest in what you offer), which resulted in - 15 new clients, each of whom spent an average - £15,000 per year, and stayed with you for an average duration of - two years You will know that your clients have an average lifetime value of  £30,000. And, to generate each client, you need to make 20 new contacts (15 clients from an original 300 contacts: 300/15). Suddenly, the prospect of attending a few networking events over the next couple of months to find 20 new contacts does not seem such a drag, as you know that, on average, you will make  £30,000 for your efforts. What you can also do is add up what you have spent on marketing, networking and other business-generating tools during the year. This will show the return on investment these have made. If you spent  £2,000 on marketing your business and generated 15 new clients (with an average lifetime spend of  £30,000), you know that that  £2,000 has resulted in £450,000 worth of sales. That's a return of £225 for every pound spent. Excellent! You can break that down further if you have monitored where these contacts learned of you. You can then identify exactly which marketing, networking and advertising methods have given the greatest returns. When it comes to planning for the next year, armed with this information, you can invest more in your most effective marketing methods, and less on the less effective. So, if you spent  £1,000 on a networking group, which achieved one client, but only  £50 advertising in an online Virtual Assistant directory, which resulted in three new clients, it does not take a genius to work out that spending more on advertising in the directory might be a better idea than renewing the membership of the networking group. Also, take a long hard look at your 'sales funnel' - the process that people go through from being contacts to becoming clients. What are your conversion rates from contact to prospect and from prospect to client? Where are you losing people? If you find that you have lots of contacts but few prospects, are your contacts fully aware of what you do? Are you tailoring your offering to appeal directly to these people? If you have lots of prospects, but they are not turning into clients, are you following up properly? Do you need to set up a better relationship-building system to develop their confidence in you? As you identify these gaps and plug them, you will need to spend less on generating contacts, as more of your existing ones will become clients? Happy days! Read the full article

D&AD: Pre-Existing Initiatives to Connect Young People with Elders

Co Generate:

Co Generate describes itself as an organisation that brings older and younger people together to solve problems, bridge divides and co-create the future. The organisation takes on a variety of projects, including the creation of AARP Experience Corps, a 20-city tutoring program engaging older volunteers to help 30,000 K-3 students learn to read every year. They also recruited retired medical professionals and volunteers of all ages to vaccinate 47,000 people during covid.

Dorot (US-based):

Dorot makes intergenerational connections by providing programs and services for both young and old. This includes services where young and old members connect through visiting and group activities. This organisation embodies everything we wanted to include in our concept and would serve as a better alternative to the initially selected Reengage charity.

The Together Project (UK-based):

This is also present in The Together Project, a national UK charity that reduces loneliness through intergenerational connections. The charity is more-so focused on connections with young children, however.

The Linking Network (UK-based):

"Our Intergenerational Linking programme brings together young people in schools with older people living in care homes, independent living or from community groups. Through Intergenerational Linking, young and older people share time and stories which creates meaningful and lasting relationships between generations".

The Linking Network has many varieties of making links and is only contained to certain locations in the UK.

 City of Pointe-Claire- Aid for Seniors (Canada-based):

House work and yard maintenance services are provided by young students. 

Other:

Source 1: Freedman, M. Nichols, E. (2019). Instead of Generational Conflict, Let's Have Intergenerational Partnership. [online]. Available from: https://psmag.com/ideas/instead-of-generational-conflict-lets-have-intergenerational-partnership [Accessed 15/01/2024]

The Wisdom Exchange (US-based):

The project unites older and younger African Americans for storytelling focused on culture, race, and history. Its aim is to build relationships, pride, and identity, while inspiring action.

Read to Me (Hawaii):

The power of storytelling across the generations is equally evident in Read to Me International, a literacy non-profit in Hawaii that runs Haku Mo'olelo, which means "to compose stories." The program engages older volunteers—mainly retired teachers, artists and authors—to coach women in prison in the art of writing and illustrating children's books, a process that can offer purpose, connection, and healing. 

Nuns and Nones (US-based):

A group that brings together nuns (average age: 78), and Millennials who describe themselves as "spiritual" but who check "none" when asked to identify their religion. These two groups want to learn from one another and serve others together.

The Impact:

Source 2: Bocioaga, A. (2020). Impact of intergenerational activities on older people. [online] Available from: https://www.iriss.org.uk/resources/esss-outlines/impact-intergenerational-activities-older-people [Accessed 15/01/2024]

Research indicates that older adults living in adult care facilities often experience social isolation and have fewer opportunities to use their skills and energy, which in turn, can lead to disenchantment, frustration, and depression (Murayama, et al 2015).

On the other hand, due to increasing urban living, there are increasingly less opportunities for ongoing contact between different generations, especially between younger and older generations. This can lead to stereotyping and ageist attitudes where older generations are poorly valued (McAlister et al 2019). 

Intergenerational programmes are “social vehicles that create purposeful and ongoing exchange of resources and learning among older and younger generations” (Kaplan 2001 p. 4).

Brighter Bervie (UK):

Brighter Bervie is a voluntary gardening group which hosts intergenerational activities in Inverbervie, Aberdeenshire. The organisers observed that both younger and older people undertook more physical activity by being part of the project. 

Anam Cara (UK):

Anam Cara is an intergenerational project in Kilbirnie which aims to tackle stereotypes around dementia by connecting older people and young children for the benefit of both age groups. Impact included increased mobility, increased incidences of laughter and remembering old skills and learning new ones.

Sandfield Close Primary School (UK):

The older volunteers helped demonstrate and encourage children to use knives and forks correctly. They also assisted in producing a food growing and cooking plan for the school. One of the impacts were a sense of social inclusion.

Ageing Well Torbay (UK):

One project created a space in Warberries Nursing Home where two Childminders a day and their minded children (0-4yrs) participate in shared activities with the residents ( 65+), eat lunch together, walk & play in the garden and learn together.

Apples and Honey Nightingale (UK):

Connects two local organisations in London: Apples and Honey Wimbledon Nursery and Nightingale Hammerson residential care. The activities involve an intergenerational baby and toddler group. Parents and carers can bring children who are newborn upwards. Reported benefits for the older group involve a general sense of wellbeing for participants with dementia.

Things to consider: 

Previously, Dellman-Jenkins (1998) had highlighted that many intergenerational activities were designed only with the young people in mind. They also stress that older adults are not homogenous, they have different interests and levels of functioning that need to be considered. They argue that contact with members of the young generation is most likely to be positive for older people when they perceive themselves to be in meaningful and valued roles. Interactions should also be perceived by older adults to be centred around meaningful and worthwhile activities. Older adults should be involved in the planning and content of the activities. 

Summary of findings:

These pre-existing initiatives provide valuable insights for the Airbnb brief, emphasizing the importance of diverse intergenerational activities and meaningful connections to combat loneliness within Generation Z.

Covid Keeps Quarantines Coming

  I'm not even sure how to start when it comes to Covid. As a writer I'm a professional smart-ass, but with this I got my ass kicked, and didn't feel too smart about it.

Illness or injury traditionally accompany our vacations: Last December Emily and I came down with the flu when we were supposed to visit her family and friends in Missouri. This year we decided to head down on a Thursday.

On Wednesday we started to feel a little ... off. By Thursday morning we had to call it--we couldn't risk giving her father whatever bug was now traveling with us. It wasn't until Friday night that we began to suspect the modern medical boogieman, Covid. We missed the trip, we missed Saturday's Holiday Pops concert, and I felt so bad I couldn't even write. By the time it was done I had to contact my editor at History Press to push back our deadline for the Haunted Noble County book, because I'd planned to use half of my vacation to work on it.

The only question left: Could I turn it into a funny blog?

It doesn't LOOK like 102 degrees.  No. No, I could not.

The only thing we did was marathon the TV show The Expanse, and unsuccessfully try to listen to Good Omens on audiobook. (We kept having to go back when one or another of us fell asleep.)

You know, watching TV and reading books wouldn't be such a bad vacation. The problem is that for the first couple of days we were unable to enjoy anything, and in fact we were too sick to sleep. You heard that right. Over that first weekend I, who can't function on less than eight hours of sleep, stayed awake for twenty-fours straight. Even Nyquil wouldn't put me out.

Then, for a week after that, we were too sick to stay awake. That was the period during which we kept having to go back and decide what we remembered last from the audiobook.

"It was Agnes Nutter and the book, wasn't it?"

"No, it was Adam and the Them meeting the dog."

(We were both wrong: It was Crowley terrifying his house plants.)

I took this photo of Emily at the same time the one above of me was taken. She's in there, I swear.

 

Part of it--let's face it--is that I'm no spring chicken pox. When I was in my early 20's I once rode the back step of a fire engine to a mobile home fire on the edge of town--while running a fever.

This truck, specifically. What an awesome truck.

 A couple of years later I rode a different engine to Kendallville, to a tire fire so big it could have been seen from the International Space Station, if there'd been one at the time. I was coughing up junk that looked like it belonged in an alien invasion horror movie, despite never getting into the smoke. Yet there I went, for twelve hours. Our Chief later ordered me to go home and go the hell to bed.

 No more.

 It's not just that Covid is bad. My normal temperature runs around 97.6, and by the time it hit 100 not only could I not go to a fire, I couldn't pick up the TV remote. (Thus the marathon of one show.) It reached 102 at one point. My skin kept trying to crawl away to somewhere cooler, or so it felt.

Emily was running about a day behind me, so I had the pain of knowing what she was about to go through. She's still got a terrible cough weeks later, while mine is just awful. We were like the grandparents in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, just laying there in a lump. Christmas preparations? Hah! We'd bought a new, pre-lit tree, but we never even got a chance to fluff out the branches, let alone decorate it.

I kinda like it like this, though. Yes, it's black.

I was so sick--brace yourself for this--I lost my appetite.

I can count on one hand the number of times I've completely lost my appetite, and I was in the hospital for most of those. I dropped six pounds. This is not a recommended diet.

The moral of this story is, of course, don't get Covid. We didn't mind at all being quarantined, at least not until the chocolate ran out. (Everything tasted salty or metallic, except chocolate.) Other people in this area passed away from it, so we count ourselves lucky now that we're feeling 50% better.

Yeah, I'm exhausted all the time, but I work nights--I was already halfway there, anyway.

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Remember, books aren't effective as masks, but they're great for quarantine.

ode to a feline friend

My kitty is in his Golden Years. I got him as a kitten and have had him for 10 years.

While the average housecat can live closer to 20 than 10, my boy's breed, Aegean, is on the lowest end of life expectancy.

I don't often remember my dreams, but in the last year or so, since realizing the average Aegan only lives to 12, I've been having nightmares of him dying.

However, unlike many nightmares, one day, mine will come true.

But I actually didn't open this Notepad doc with the intention of lamenting the inevitable death of my cat. In a wild departure from my depressing/serious/analtical posts, I just want to list a bunch of things I love about my cat. In no particular order:

Banksy is a needy little bitch. If a door isn't open enough to his liking, he'll howl like he's being shot until I open it less than an inch and suddenly he's able to easily enter the room. Sure, he could've gone through before but his precious fragile whiskers may have made contact with the door, unacceptable, jail for father for 1000 years. Love him.

He will headbutt me and lead me to his food bowl that's only 2/3 full. I will then take my food scoop and add 5 more pebbles to his dish and he acts like I just served him a sirloin. Love him.

He's a dumb baby. He thinks me rolling over in bed is an invitation for Snuggles. He thinks me kicking off my pants when I get home from work is Snuggles. Me pspspsing and patting the bed next to me? He will legit sit there staring at me in confusion for 5 solid minutesas to what this absurd behaviour from human could possibly mean. Love him.

He's a big pussy. He is indeed a chonky boy, but I'm referring to him nearly having a seizure from a spider making a sudden movement, and his fear of my pet snake that is approximately 1% his size. He doesn't scatter hearing the door open or hide from strangers, no, he's just afraid of anything smaller than him for no reason. Love him.

My kitty thinks he's a Big Cat. Not how you might think - he doesn't have a mighty roar. No, his breed comes from the Meddiiterranean, where his ancestors would push up their sleeves and scoop their lil paws into the sea to scoop up fishies. Because his crackers do not move through water, he corrects that by scooping them up, one at a time (teeny paws), and placing them into his water bowl to then fish them out again. Kinda how we dunk our chicken fingers in plum sauce. So dumb. Love him so much.

He has weird interests. Won't even register a laser pointer, won't chase a feather on a string. No, I have to accept that if I leave Scotch tape out in the open before going to work it will be unwound around the room like a crime scene. Love him.

I don't expect anyone to get this far. I just wanted to write down all the things I'm going to miss when he ineviably passes. The cat I had before him, I remember him broadly but not specifically. I have a disease that degenerates my memory over time. I don't want to forget all the silly cat things Banksy does.

My last cat was on borrowed time for most of my life but beat the odds and lived to 21, dying at home while I was away at college. This time, I'll be the one to find him. I've never found a pet dead. And I've never been more attached to a pet than Banksy. But I know it can't be prevented, so I want to make it easier when it does happen. Hopefully having this list to reflect on will make that possible.

Stay Greater.

Dear Z

Our whole relationship has been a study in imperfection.

I wanted you. With every fiber of my being, I wanted you; I knew you were there; I had to get to you. The determination with which I pursued your conception was surely inherited by you; you show us daily.

Yours was a quiet pregnancy, very little morning sickness. I dealt with acute anxiety. I thought everyday I would lose you. I was grieving the child I had lost. I was afraid to celebrate, to share your existence. In the car, my tongue felt stoppered. I didn’t talk to you, I sometimes forgot you were there while I cared for your brothers. You were stoic, quiet. I thought often, this child is strong.

No one took pictures of me. I took a few of myself.

When you were born, I promised to show you all the beautiful things, that the dark part was over now and the joy would begin. You came forward in a rush of fluid and tears and time racing up to the present moment. 

While I was a recovering mess, you slept. You ate like a fierce champion. Nursing never lasted longer than 20 minutes. You grew. I cried and wore you close to my heart, kissed your face and tried to learn your face. You liked for me to palm your face but hated to hold hands (that remains true).

When it was us together, it was lovely. Quiet and nice. We learned to sign together, our own little language, our own world. I took you to Pilates. We had long chats at lunchtime. Our communication was constant. I was lonely and bored sometimes. It was hard juggling three kids in the evenings and mornings, when I couldn’t quite get the two rhythms to match up together. I was content and joyful and in awe of you most times. We took a dance class together. At 19 months, you were the most advanced child, even among older kids. You started gymnastics and didn’t want to go upside down, but you followed directions and did the skills better than all the other kids, again even the ones older than you.

You asked me things like “Let's play a kitty cat game.”

There was this time at the bank. We had to wait a long time. You had leaked through your diaper and I had no spare clothes, so we stopped at Ross and picked up a new outfit. So we had this long wait, but we had just gone shopping and were both happy to be out of the car and together and we just cuddled and played in the waiting area. This woman sat near us. I was grateful for adult company; I was so friendly then, Z. Anyone who made eye contact could be a pleasant person to pass a little time with. She herself was a mother of seven, all grown now. We chatted and she watched us and she said, “That is a very loved little baby.” Oh yes. Very loved.

I tried to start a play group for you many times. It never worked. We were in the car for 2 hours or more everyday, driving your brothers to school. We loved going to the zoo in the mornings, each pushing our strollers, but to get there took more time than we spent there. You went to all your brothers’ baseball practices, eating dinner on the bleachers, wearing your cap and learning to bat. You were very happy; I felt like it wasn’t enough. I wanted less car time and more friend time for us both.

I loved your voice. Your hands, telling me things. Your smile. The clothes you picked out. Your independence and your strength. I was so proud of you, my daughter.

When the pandemic hit, I was already low. I didn’t have a social support network, I didn’t have a handle on this parent-of-three thing, and I didn’t have my body in the way that I needed it - I was not yet two years postpartum and had not been able to dance or go back to Pilates consistently or even leave the house for more than a few minutes by myself.

We thought it would be for two weeks. I stayed up late into the night, making Montessori 3-part cards by hand. We had no computer, no printer. I was suddenly responsible for X and Y’s education, we were cut off from everyone, and dad was in full panic.

I set you to the side.

It was impossible to balance everything I wanted to balance. I could not parent or teach or move or breathe the way I wanted to. I was surviving, Z. I didn’t know how to do any of it. I was trying to hold up all these things, and gain the knowledge and skills I needed to move forward, while I was in such pain.

Every time I sat down, you sat in my lap. Your place. When I think of the number of times I gently removed you (to cook, clean, help Daddy, escape my own panic, focus on X and Y), it breaks my heart. 

It will always break my heart.

You started hitting. And crying. You were confused. I couldn’t help you regulate the way you needed. (I couldn’t help myself.) I am a task-oriented griever; I had to keep moving; stillness was intolerable; you wanted me to be your furniture. I had to feed people and clean everything and assimilate into a new life. 

I’m sorry, Z. I’m so sorry. I’m sorry you were kicked out of my lap by a pandemic. I’m sorry I didn’t handle it better. If I knew then what I know now, I would make different choices.

But I did the best I could at the time. Please believe me that I did my best.

You were up at 6am sometimes and we went for a bike ride as the sun came up, when everyone else was sleeping. You learned to read. You got interested in things and we explored them. We read books and progressed in ASL and did math. Your relationships with your brothers and dad changed and grew. You celebrated birthdays and went to stuffed animal parties and did online music classes.

We started going to parks and the beach. You loved it. We tried Tinkergarten and I was nervous about covid the whole time but you made your first friend. After years of chasing after your brothers, someone chased after you and said, “Want to play?” I will never forget that moment, Z.

You told me (at all of 4 years and 1 month old) that you were ready for kindergarten. We played kindergarten all summer. I was Mrs Bear and you were a bear and we brought teddy bears to school and learned about bears and did the calendar and circle time and all the kindergarten things. After 3 months, you were done with that. You tagged along to playgroup and hated it; you hadn’t clicked with anyone and being around so many new people was exhausting.

Tinkergarten had gotten boring; you started a new sports class and loved it. Sports are your thing. In the summer, you made your second and third friends in our playgroup. You are still friends a year later; they are your best friends.

You are a really good friend.

You are five now. You play with lots of friends in playgroup and sports class, all different ages. I see you working out the rules of the older kids’ games and struggling to fit in at times. It’s not always easy being the little sister. I see you nurturing younger ones and guiding anyone who needs help. You are fierce and tough and strong, and I wonder if you are because you have to be or if nothing could have kept you from becoming this person that you are. You love sports and animals, detective mysteries and problem-solving, reading and bike riding, pretend play and anything that Daddy is up to. You love being in charge and helping others. You hate to be controlled or left out. You talk a lot. 

You’re not easy. I don’t want you to be. I love you exactly as you are.

I’m still healing, Z. I’m still finding my balance. I’m trying to tell myself that I don’t need to be perfect to be there for you, but it is hard to believe that. I want to do my best for you. 

Here are some ways I can do my best:

1. Go to bed at 10, 10:30 so I can wake up before you. I can have my time and then be ready to play when you get up.

2. Hold boundaries with you. My inconsistency leads to a lot of unnecessary struggles between us.

3. Be ready to play with you at the end of Quiet Rest Time. Like #1, this is about me resting when I am supposed to so I can be present for you.

4. Rest, dance, write, think, etc when I am supposed to so that I can be present for you.

5. Throw out the “shoulds” and “supposed tos” - you never fit them anyway. If I’m present with you, I will know the next right thing.

6. Prioritize you. Let our conflicts improve me - what do I need? How and when do I get it?

7. Let go of the idea that you are or ever were perfect. You’re just you, and circumstances will not change that. You can’t be ruined because you were never perfect.

8. Let go of past mistakes. I did do my best, and I could have done a lot worse. If I’m present, I can heal past mistakes. 

9. Release a perfection requirement for myself. My behavior and choices will not eliminate all suffering. Not possible. I am a real person with real needs that are unique and undeniable. The better I see those needs, the better I enjoy my life and relationships. 

10. Start again each day. Each hour. It is a privilege to have this time. Do not squander it with regrets or expectations. Be here now for the unfolding of this mystery. Follow the tao instead of attempting to control and judge everything.

It’s not too late.

I’m not perfect, Z. But I love you. And I love myself. I’m seeing that those two things are inextricably linked. When I do the work for myself, I do it for both of us. I want to know you and love you for our whole lives. The struggle and the softness.

Inground Vinyl Pools: The Pros and Cons

Looking to install an in-ground vinyl pool in Palm Beach? There are a few things you should know before making your decision. In this blog post, we will discuss the pros and cons of in-ground vinyl pools so that you can make the best decision for your home.

The in-ground vinyl pools in palm beach provide a unique experience for homeowners. They're easy to maintain and they don't require much space, making them popular with people who are tight on land or have limited outdoor living room options like condos - which is why so many come installed already!

Vinyl Pool Pros and Cons

Vinyl Liner Construction

Vinyl liner swimming pools have been constructed in America for well over 60 years and just like any other industry the technology and materials used to construct the pool are always advancing. 

In the early days of vinyl construction, the swimming pools looked very basic with simple shapes, white plastic coping edges, standard gray concrete decks, and white plastic entry steps.

Advantages Vinyl:

Vinyl liner swimming pool structures are assembled in modular panels and can be purchased in various radius and straight segments, the structure has unlimited shape and size potential. This is an advantage for the customer who has specific size requirements or wants a free-form design shape. You dream it; we can build it out of vinyl construction.

Because of technological advancements like Structural Armor, the vinyl liner pool structure will last a lifetime, most vinyl liner pools of the past were constructed with galvanized steel panels, wood panels, or plastic panels. These structures have a shorter expected life span.

The vinyl liner is vacuumed into the pool structure for the best fit and finish, today’s vinyl liners look “painted on” much like a coating.

Today’s vinyl liners are available in much thicker vinyl and UV protection is better than ever. We find the vinyl liner to be very durable. Should the liner become damaged it can be easily patched with original material for an invisible repair without draining the pool water.

Because vinyl liner pools are assembled in panels, we can build the pool with very tight access into the yard. In some cases we can’t get a fiberglass pool over a home or between houses, vinyl has an advantage in difficult access installations.

Vinyl pool structures are readily available from distributors and manufacturers, shipping is on demand and easy with pool kits delivered on pallets. The shipping advantage of a vinyl swimming pool is substantial and will contribute to a lower initial cost.

Because the bottom of the vinyl swimming pool is constructed on-site, the builder can customize the depth and configuration of the bottom of the pool to meet the customer’s needs.

Vinyl liner construction offers larger swimming pools over fiberglass designs; it is common for a vinyl liner pool to be 16’- 18’- 20’ or 22’ wide while most fiberglass pools have a maximum width of 16’ for effective shipping with wide load permits.

Vinyl liner construction is less expensive; the fiberglass pool will require less labor to build, however, the structure and shipping are much more costly.

Disadvantages Vinyl:

Liner replacements will be required several times over the life of the swimming pool. Homeowners that maintain good chemistry and consistently clean the water line of the pool will enjoy longer periods between liner changes.

The vinyl liner can stain if debris is left in the swimming pool over time. Metal items that stay in contact with the liner will leave rust stains in as little as 24 hours. Leaves and organic debris can also stain the liner if they are not removed in a timely fashion.

The vinyl liner in the swimming pool can become very slippery if the chemistry is not kept correct. We find vinyl liners on the entry steps of the pool to be one of the most common complaints with liner wrinkling and/or slippery surfaces.

Despite the durable nature of today’s vinyl liners, homeowners still need to be conscious of sharp objects in or around the pool. High water table installations need special planning for all construction methods. The vinyl liner in your swimming pool can be lifted or moved if the water table in the ground is not managed. causing the pool liner to float and wrinkle.

The vinyl liner is more porous and harbors algae easier than fiberglass; it is a proven fact that the fiberglass design will use fewer chemicals over time.

Though the vinyl liner is tight and wrinkled free the fiberglass design has a smooth feel while in the pool, customers commented that the fiberglass design feels more solid and the fit and finish of the fiberglass shell is very pleasing.

There are many things to consider before you decide on an inground vinyl pool. But ultimately, it is a personal decision that only you can make. We hope this Pros and Cons list has helped you in making your decision. If you have any questions, please feel free to give us a call or send us an email and we will be happy to help however we can.

A small parental (and personal breakthrough)

September 17, 2022

It's been about nine months since I let my parents in, about my sexuality, and yesterday over our semi-weekly phone call it was the first time we were able to talk about it face-to-face (and not over text). I want to preserve in this journal as much as I remember, because it felt like an important breakthrough or development for the both of us.

For the first 20 or so minutes the call was pretty bland, and as usual we talked about life in general. We did, in the beginning, allude to the fact that Martin would be joining me in Singapore for the December visit, and we had come to the arrangement, however uneasy, that they would like for me to stay home for about 1-2 week(s) before spending the rest of the time with him. It was roughly the same conclusion over text, after I had told mom about my plan, and not much was added to that.

All of a sudden, I felt an urge to move the conversation ahead. Not in search of something spectacular, but I knew I had not been looking forward to the call + making arrangements for this trip back to Singapore has felt strangely stressful, and I didn't like that feeling of uncertainty. And so when they asked if I had anything else I wanted to share, I asked point blank if it was the case that they did not want to hear anything about my personal or private life at all (i.e., about Martin).

To say that I was surprised by the next 40 or so minutes would be an understatement, but I wanted to summarise the gist of that portion:

1. They were very upset last December when they got the text from me. My mom in particular had a huge cry about it, trying to make sense of why and how, but she also said last night that she's done crying that one time, that she's drawn a line in the sand.

2. They say they still find it difficult to share this development with those around them. From what I infer I don't think they've fully "accepted" my sexuality, though at the same time what they really want for me is to be happy and to still have them be a part of my life. What she shared, and what I found too to be reasonable (especially given the nine-month time-frame), is that they haven't figured a way to communicate the news with their friends, relatives, neighbours, and everyone else, and that that would take time.

3. Another thing with which I agreed and found to be reasonable was that, in the past 4-5 years since I've moved to the US, even though I have these regular calls with my parents, every week, they don't always go into great detail. Sure, part of it related to my sexuality and uncertainty over how they may react, but my mom said that if I do not share about my own life, the things and work I've been doing, different vicissitudes, how can they grow to learn and maybe even accept over time? I was always prickly when mom asked about my finances and salary and savings, but she shared that she never cared for the specifics or for me to provide for them, and was just a way to get more details about what I was doing.

4. And so, in addition to un-archiving them from my WhatsApp chats, I feel like one thing I could do is to share more about my personal life (in fact, she made the point that because we have a private family chat, anything that is shared there would be for their personal consumption and knowledge). Little things like the dishes I cook, the goods I bake, the things I do in school and at the office. These are little, little things about my day-to-day life that I have no problem sharing, and over time as I gain a little more confidence and comfort vis-à-vis them I would love to share about Martin too.

5. On Martin too, she said explicitly that she would like an emergency contact just in case something happens to me or if she can't reach me. So I've shared Martin's WhatsApp number with her. Funnily enough when I was going through my dental shenanigans Martin was then my emergency health contact, so baby steps, but important nonetheless.

6. With all of that, I have a lot less apprehension about going back to Singapore in December. Of course, there will be a lot of discussions/conversations between Martin and me and between me and my parents, but if my parents are willing to make that small step forward, reciprocating feels reasonable and straightforward too.

hermes pochette kelly 17

Hermès Kelly Pochette 2015 Cb142 The Hermes Kelly Bag is a recognizable elegant bag that is iconic to the Hermes business. Although created in 1936, the bag didn’t actually turn into well-liked till 1956 when Grace Kelly showcased her alluring bag. It was at that moment the Hermes Kelly Bag would rise to its recognition and become the style must-have it's today. hermes kelly pochette There is extra demand for Hermes Birkin bag than supply, that’s why they are so-hard to search out. Each Birkin is hand-made with impeccable craftsmanship and precision. Love ostrich and Hermes blues a fabulous combo. I do have a Kelly Danse that will get out a lot and I’m going to try your tip of leaving the straps open. Thanks this will make it so much extra accessible. Eye on a Kelly Pouchette for over 10 years after I passed on a lizard w/ special embossed HW as i simply couldn’t justify the worth and am nonetheless kicking myself. This allows competing bidders a chance to stay in the race. 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Part of the allure of this bag is how many variations there could be, which opens the creativeness and possibilities for the lengthy run. If you would have your perfect Kelly bag, what would you make it? A step above it’s Birkin counterpart when it comes to rarity, the Himalayan Kelly is really special. The time period “Himalayan” refers back to the unique coloration of the bag. Created as a limited edition in 2012 and thru 2013, the Arlequin Kelly has a surprising array of colours in two distinct colorways. Some of those are completely beautiful, however the Pliplat just isn't aesthetically appealing. Also, the Verrou Chaine Mini hardware reminds me of one of the ten locks on my Aunts’ apartment in New York. And now that I really have all four clutch types I ever wished from Hermes, you might be probably questioning if I even have a private favorite… and sure, nicely sure I do…. For me, it must be the Kelly Cut, for all the explanations I actually have talked about above. Neither bag is definitely available, though we've seen extra Mini Kelly 20s than Pochettes in current times. Mini Kellys also seem more in style on social media or at least extra hyped up than the Pochette. 3) The real brand of the mud bag has a double circle on the outside and if you take a extra in-depth look you will discover the distinction in the font for the H, also the circle surrounding the H is different. The line beneath the horse and the carriage, there are two traces under the real one, but within the fake, there is just one single line. There are finer particulars within the horse as well so you must take notice of the logo of the true one and you'll find the differences by yourself. 1) There ought to at all times be a Hermes mud bag with a brand new Birkin or Kelly bag. The mud bag is of a excessive quality, as the bag itself is, and will function a excessive neat stitch count. 2）The tab shall be a folded piece of leather-based, reduce right into a diamond shape in the identical material and shade because the bag. Just bought from Hermes retailer; bag bears... Hermes Kelly 25cm Gold Camel Tan Shoulder Bag Togo Retourne Z Stamp, 2021Brand New in Box. Pristine Condition Just purchased from Hermes store; bag bears... Hermes Mini Etoupe Kelly 20cm Epsom Bag Brand New in Box. Comes full set with shoulder strap, sleepers, and orange... Being out there in several material and a hues of colours, it is a uncommon species in handbags, you just don’t find it in tons. For Hermès, what began as a maker of leather equestrian items for European noblemen would ultimately grow into one of the most storied trend labels on the earth. In 1837, German-born French entrepreneur Thierry Hermès opened a saddle and harness purveyor in Paris. Hermes Birkins purses are usually highly priced, thus they may go far past most middle class individuals's attain. For these folks with limited budget a reproduction one could be the best substitute. There are many distributors and sellers offering replica ones online. The bestsellers part reveals the objects that most purchased by people. The Kelly Pochette is lovable and looks more like a small pouch with a flat broad base that enables it to face on its own. The Kelly Pochette is more spacious than the Kelly Cut which makes it more practical and it’s one of the desired clutches within the Hermès bag collection. Guaranteed authentic shiny Niloticus Crocodile Hermes Kelly Pochette clutch bag features coveted Bordeaux. One of the best online retailers with whom I even have dealt. When I positioned my order, I made an error about delivery.

Leggett & Platt Adjustable Bed Replacement Remotes, All Models And Styles Generic

You have choices for where you get non-emergency care. It’s best to check your health care options before using the emergency room . Plus, when you visit in-network providers, you may pay less for care. It’s even harder if your sleep schedule isn’t typical. But there are steps you can take to make getting the rest you need easier so you can stay healthy.

I am writing this review for my 96-year-old mother who bought one of these adjustable bed frames a couple of years ago and promptly had issues.

You can go online at Leggett and Platt and get all the information you need before you buy the bed.

Another symptom of a massage motor that is about to bite the dust is that it may not be as powerful as it used to be.

Leggett & Platt Adjustable Beds are recognized within the bedding industry as the highest quality available.

I was hired to replace Jon Thierfeld when he retired from L&P.

Some Blissful Nights products come with a 120-Day sleep trial.

On my team in the Northeast, it isn’t unusual to talk to employees who have been here for over 20 years — something which is very unique in this industry. It speaks well for the company and I’m glad to be a part of it. The majority of my week is spent connecting with as many of our customers as possible. I try to meet face-to-face whenever I can, so much of my time is spent in the car traveling to various parts of New England. Inc. announced March 25 it is closing its Fashion Bed Group operations. L&P said FBG would continue to service customers for several weeks until inventories were depleted. A convenient flashlight on the remote is included to help find your way in the dark. With its safety lock feature, you can rest assured knowing that children won’t accidentally operate the base. Unwind and decompress after a long day with the dual-wave full-body massage that delivers vibration massage from head to toe to soothe your entire body. For all-over relief, choose standard massage that can help improve circulation and prepare your body for rest. You can chat with their customer service representative about your concerns. However, some customers are worried about their products as it does not last long.

Leggett & Platt Custom Adjustable Bed, 50 Ii K

You can turn the lighting on or off as you please using the remote or app on your phone. Many people experience these symptoms from time to time, sometimes after a heavy meal for instance, but it can become a diagnosed disease if it occurs more often. If this is the case for you, then an adjustable bed could help with acid reflux problems on a case by case basis, particularly when the symptoms are not severe. These inclined sleep positions help take pressure off your back because they place it higher than the rest of your body. I bought the adjustable directly from Leggett and Platt, but they no longer sell directly to customers. So make sure the retailer you buy from gives you correct information. You can go online at Leggett and Platt and get all the information you need before you buy the bed. Under bed light is good for when up at night without a bright light having to be on. The massage features are good, but would be truly wonderful if you didn't use a very thick mattress. 40-70% OFF Standard Retail - Without the typical overhead of a furniture showroom, we can advertise practically unbeatable prices. We also offer 0% financing, visit furniture financing page for more information. Each of these are model specific and not interchangeable. Please ensure you are correctly matching all words and button on your old remote or contact us for help prior to ordering to avoid return shipping and handling fees. If this raisin, probably will have main things partorisca concern roughly that a date of our bed. Only the look these legs of the metal is not compatible with all the beds. These any apt ours, he so has to issue the backside. Final to take our hardware of tent of venue of big boxes to cut 4 piece of piece 4x4 and give the in rid us.

Leggett & Platt Adjustable Beds, All Models And Sizes Split King Prodigy Pt

Simple bed bases that can only adjust up and down are a thing of the past. Leggett Platt adjustable beds are true sleep systems that not only look nice in your home, but solve a variety of physical problems that pop up for many sleepers. Making your bed adjustable may bring the relief you need. I just wanted to let you know that the adjustable base was delivered and set up today and everything went very smoothly. https://bestreviews.tips/leggett-and-platt-bed-replacement-parts_338747/ They now offer mattresses that can help sleepers who snore and ache. Now, you are enlightened about where to get some help with your newly bought bed frame. Do not worry; Comfortaire also has a customer service website locatedhere. It does move back as the head rises, but not enough for easy use of bedside stand. At first I thought there might be a problem with the unit, but then I happened to see a short video showing the difference between it and a non-hugging bed. Let me add that I have this bed as a result of major injuries and should not be climbing under the bed!! Haul away is also available in most areas for an additional $100. We do not make money on freight so we find that handling each order individually offers the best overall value for the shipping service you need. The second and third years of your warranty cover the cost of parts that are found to be defective. Any costs incurred in the servicing and transportation will be your responsibility during this time. Don’t underestimate re-securing the connections from the motor to the control box!

Unwind and Enjoy a Memorable Christmas at Pinewood Hotel

Are you fond of celebrating Christmas with delectable food and dancing? If so, you’re in for a treat, as we know how to host an exceptional party with exquisite cuisine and outstanding entertainment. This Christmas, experience the joy at Pinewood Hotel. You can leave behind the hassle of dishwashing and party planning, and we assure you won’t be disappointed. Our festive programs cater to a wide range of preferences, whether you are celebrating with colleagues, friends, or family.

Party at Pinewood: Your evening begins at 7 pm with a welcoming drink, followed by a delightful three-course meal and coffee. What’s more, our Party Nights now feature a selfie mirror and props to help you capture the fun and laughter of the night.

Dancing Decades: Join us for our renowned Dancing Decade Party Nights, and prepare to have the time of your life. Our resident DJ will have you dancing to the sounds of the seventies through the noughties before 10 pm, and the party continues into the early hours.

Festive Dining: Join us in Restaurant One Eighty, nestled amidst our beautiful gardens, and relish a fantastic festive lunch with your friends, family, or business associates.

Festive Afternoon Tea: Whether it’s a delightful post-Christmas shopping treat or an opportunity to catch up with friends before the holiday rush, our afternoon tea will infuse you with festive spirit and enthusiasm.

Sunday Lunch With Santa: Come and celebrate with us as we welcome Santa himself to a party full of games, magic tricks, and music. Enjoy a two-course festive lunch while we entertain you. We anticipate Santa to bring a sack full of presents for everyone.

Christmas Day: Take a break from the holiday stress and unwind as you dine in Restaurant One Eighty, surrounded by our beautifully landscaped gardens. Upon arrival, enjoy a reception drink and soak in the relaxed Christmas atmosphere, all while being serenaded by our Resident Pianist.

New Year’s Eve Party: Join us at Restaurant 180 for a fabulous New Year’s Eve celebration! Dress up, sip a Kir Royale, enjoy canapes, and then indulge in a five-course meal. Dance the night away with a live singer and DJ until 1am. Bid farewell to 2023 and welcome the New Year in style.

For detailed information about dates, menus and pricing, please visit: www.aghotels.co.uk/pinewood-hotel/christmas-in-manchester/

STAY OVER

Why worry about hailing a taxi or finding a designated driver after a party? Make a night of it by staying over and indulging in festive celebrations and enjoying freshly cooked breakfast.

Single Occupancy in a Double/Twin Room – £85.00 per night Double Occupancy in a Double/Twin Room – £95.00 per night TWIXMAS ESCAPE

We all know the gap between Christmas and New Year when you find yourself wondering about what to do. Well, how about a head start on the sales in Manchester or the Trafford Centre? Stay for 2 nights or more between 26th December and 30th December and enjoy our unbeatable rates:

2 night stay including 3-course dinner for 1 night and breakfast: £115 per person (Double occupancy – £230)

Upgraded room types are subject to availability

Each room that stays for 3 nights or more will receive a complimentary bottle of Prosecco in the room on arrival.

Getting Together…

Situated just half a mile from Handforth train station, minutes away from Manchester Airport, and conveniently accessible via major motorways M6, M56, and M60, Pinewood Hotel ensures that festive fun is easily within everyone’s reach. And in case you have some last-minute holiday shopping to do, John Lewis Cheadle is less than 2 miles away, and you can reach the Trafford Centre in 20 minutes or hop on a train to Manchester City Centre in under 25 minutes.

Learn more: www.aghotels.co.uk/pinewood-hotel/

Contact our events team: 01625 529211 | [email protected]