There are plenty of things in life that we try to make sense with, but there are things that does without even trying.
I was invited to give a lecture in Singapore and so I went. This is one of those opportunities I couldn't miss out on. Like any other talks, you'd interact with your audience - and there will always be this one person who would look at you with such meaning in their eyes.
After my lecture, he came up to me and we had a little chat about the topic. We both talked about this one quote that says "do what you love so you wouldn't spend the rest of your days working". Or somewhere near that thought - it was just funny because we couldn't remember who said that. I was honestly disappointed that he didn't even try to ask for my name nor my number, but I did get his name from the lanyard hanging around his neck.
Like any other sessions, I left and carried on with my day. However, as my stay progresses in Singapore, the more I couldn't stop thinking about him. About how tall he is, how beautifully tainted with color green and brown his eyes were, how his Turkish accent sounded so sexy while letting go of those words.
I looked him up.
The guy was a freaking scientist - an aerospace engineer with multiple publications and citations.
Now as a sucker for intellectually superior people, I had to talk to him - I couldn't let go of the spark. This part is rather embarrassing and I owe LinkedIn an apology for using it as an attempt to have a date but it was successful.
We connected thru LinkedIn and he asked me to talk in Whatsapp since it was rather difficult medium to chat. He told me that he thought I was leaving the next day after my talk but since he knew I was staying until the weekend, he subtly asked me to come trekking with him at the park near his place.
I could still remember how it felt running through the MRT because I didn't want him to be waiting on me and then there he was - waiting on the Exit 1. Back leaning against the wall and his other foot angled, leaving his other foot standing with hands crossed his chest.
Was about to tap my card on the exit but he came up to me and asked for my bag first, he weighed it because he knew it was going to be tedious to carry throughout the park. He was curious about the amount of stuff I had to carry for a walk and a city tour, but then I told him I always carry my passport, IDs, credit cards etc. around with me when I'm in a foreign country.
"You trust me already huh" he chuckled as I paused - why did I just tell a stranger I have my lifeline with me?!
We left my bag at his place and proceeded to walk to the park. I will keep the details with me but picture it like any other romcom movies you see where you both talk about life, culture, religion and probably a hint of your personal struggles and experiences as an individual.
You thought the morning walk will then end up dating in the afternoon but I just showered at his place, changed, and left to go on a city tour - ON MY OWN. Lowkey pissed, but I like exploring alone. So I continued my day anyway.
I was about to end my night at Gardens by the Bay watching the lightshow. Little did I know he was already on the way to see me there. We met at the center of the trees - after him getting locked out by the crowd. We walked more, visited the casino, played a little and lost in all of the games HAHA
We had satay for dinner at Lau Pa Sat and he was able to observe a few embarrassing things about me. Such as me disinfecting my phone after he put it down on the table since I asked him to hold it because I was going to pick up the food. In my defense, the table was greasy.
It was a good train ride back to his place, I took a few cute photos from our reflection at the window - fleeting yet memorable.
He opened the wine he brought back from his country. We ate cheese and a few nuts along with it and had really good conversations together.
You guessed it, the night ended the way it should have ended. And quite frankly? I thought it was going to end there.
But the morning came and he prepared me a little Mediterranean breakfast. I have never slept around my entire life and this is a new experience for me. We ate at his balcony and made out before I left.
He shared a part of himself to me and I shared parts of myself to him. We knew we would ruin the magic of the weekend if we kept in touch so we decided to preserve it by leaving it just there.
Now as I end this post I can't help but think what else do we have out there? There are perfect moments in life and we could actually keep them perfect by letting them just be. Although I can't deny, I still can't stop thinking about him.
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We have been to Corsica several times, and there are several ways to travel to Corsica by ferry: We went to Nice, took the afternoon ferry and were in Bastia in the evening. The next time we took the night ferry from Savona and arrived in Bastia the next morning. And we also went to Livorno once, took the early morning ferry and were in Bastia by noon.
From Bastia, we first headed north on a 110 km coastal road with small villages and breathtaking views. First we came to ERBALUNGA with its massive tower on a rock by the sea has a picturesque location. Then we passed Maccinaggio, Cap Corse, Centuri-Port - a small romantic fishing port and center of lobster fishing - and continued via Pino to Nonza.
In NONZA the houses cluster around a rock that rises 160 m from the sea. We walked up to the Tour Pouline - a fortified tower from the 16th century. From there you can see the black beach, which makes a great contrast to the turquoise sea.
After we had explored the north, we drove from Bastia down the whole east coast - we made a stop at Moriani Plage with a beautiful sandy beach - to Porto Vecchio.
PORTO VECCHIO has a fantastic location and has a lively old town: the Genoese fortress from 1539 is situated on a hill. Porto Vecchio is the third largest city of Corsica, besides the flourishing tourism there is still the traditional salt mining and other trades especially in the suburbs. The malaria mosquitoes were wiped out in the 1950s, so that even in this area could be built without further ado. The old town consists of only four longitudinal and ten transverse streets, it is closed to traffic in the summer. At the Place de la République people like to drink their Pastis or Kir in the evening. In the old town there are many restaurants in various price ranges and boutiques partly with typical products of the country.
Many people come to Porto Vecchio for its beautiful beaches. BENEDUTTU PLAGE - a long fine sandy beach with a view of Punta di Chiappa and also of Porto Vecchio. A part of PLAGE CALA ROSSA is occupied by a luxury hotel, therefore the fine beach is accessible only from the western side. PALOMBAGGIA PLAGE with white sand and turquoise calm water - one of the most beautiful beaches of Corsica - is surrounded by red rocks. At ST. GUILIA PLAGE some hotels are settled in the meantime. Thus, the once paradisiacal bay has now become more of a commercial place. But the beach is still wonderfully bright and the water crystal clear. RODINARA PLAGE - a dreamlike round bay - one of the most beautiful of Corsica. Once only a dirt road led to the lagoon. Since a real road was built, this bay is very busy in the season.
From Porto Vecchio we made a tour to COL DE BAVELLA (1218 m high) - an impressive landscape. There are good hiking trails, e.g. to the Cumpudella (Trou de la Bombe), a huge hole in the rock face, where you are rewarded with an incredible view after a scramble. In season, of course, it is very busy there, and the "real" hikers come as early as possible in the morning.
Near the small village of L'Ospedale is the drinking water reservoir BARRAGE DE L'OSPEDALE. From there you can hike up to the 70 m high waterfall Piscia di Gallo - but it is more worthwhile in spring, when there is still enough water.
From Porto Vecchio we went on to BONIVACIO, one of the great attractions in Corsica - despite the many visitors. The upper town, where we stayed, is built on a 60 m high chalk rock plateau and still has a historical structure. We could see all the way to Sardinia from our hotel - it was beautiful weather.
The harbor is at the end of the long, narrow inlet. From there it is best to make a tour on foot. From the fortress walls you have a fantastic view of the city, the coast and the sea and all the way to Sardinia. On the harbor promenade there is a sea aquarium in a natural grotto. The shore road leads to the fishing port and the ferry port,
The upper town is reached through the 16th century Porte de Gênes. From the Jardin des Vestiges one has the most beautiful view over the harbor. It is hard to walk from the lower town to the upper town, because it is quite steep and with many stairs.
The journey continued to the extreme southwest, the land of blood vengeance - still until 1840. SARTÈNE - the "most Corsican of all Corsican towns" - is an interesting old town, which is virtually stuck on a rock. Almost no ray of sunlight reaches the winding narrow streets, and the narrow multi-story houses sometimes have window holes like sinister defense towers. The center of the old town is the Place de la Libération with some restaurants where you can sit outside and enjoy your drink.
From Sartène we drove to PROPRIANO. This place was discovered late by the tourists, there is a nice promenade between the marina and the pier, where it is lively especially in the evening. Propriano is located on the Gulf of Valinco, here the rivers Taravo, Baracci and Rizzanese flow. Right next to the lighthouse is the beautiful beach Plage du Lido.
On a scenic coastal road you drive from Propriano to PUNTO DE CAMPOMARO. Here is still an unspoiled stretch of coast with calm turquoise water and bizarre granite rocks. Above the small village of Campomoro you can see a 16th century watchtower.
AJACCIO is the administrative center and capital of Corse du Sud. The city with its southern flair has a beautiful old town with the citadel and many restaurants and stores. Ajaccio is probably best known as the birthplace of Napoléon, whose statue can be seen at Place Maréchal Foch. In the evening it becomes lively in the alleys of the Genoese old town with many bars and restaurants.
Unfortunately, the citadel can only be visited as part of an organized guided tour. Worth seeing is the church "Notre-Dame-de-la-Miséricorde" with a large dome, where Napoleon I was baptized. There is of course also a Casa Bonaparte. In the new town, you can still find some magnificent houses on the Avenue de Paris or the Cours Grandval, where there are often stores and boutiques.
Northwest of Ajaccio one comes to the POINTE DE LA PATARA. You can easily walk to the Genoese tower from 1608 from the parking lot. From there you have a beautiful view of the Iles Sanguinaires with the lighthouse. From the parking lot you can also make a coastal hike to the north. There are beautiful views of the sea everywhere and you can walk down to the beach at Capo de la Fena to cool off. However, the surf is quite strong.
The view was magnificent on the CHEMIN DES CRÈTES, but it was also very difficult to even find an "entry" to this trail. And besides, the Macchi was partly so dense that you had to be careful not to hurt yourself on the thorny bushes.
Especially in the south of Ajaccio there are beautiful beaches. First of all there is PORTICCIO with its long wide beach. Porticcio is now a large seaside resort with good infrastructure.
Then comes the bay with the long PLAGE D'AGOSTA with a view of the Isolella peninsula. In the next bay there is the fine sandy Plage de Ruppione between rocks with quite high waves.
And then comes my absolute favorite beach with fine light sand and crystal clear water - SOLE E MARE, and I hope that there will not also be larger hotel and apartment buildings there.
A beautiful small lonely sandy bay with calm water can be found at PLAGE DE PORTIGLIOLO. North of Ajaccio are the beaches PlLAGE SCUDO and PLAGE MARINELLO, very popular with the locals because they are not too far from the city.
From Ajaccio you can make an excursion to PORTO POLLO. On the way we went through the mountains, where we "got lost" a few times, because there were no signs, and we could only drive by "feeling". Porto Pollo is located on the Gulf of Valinco and has a fine sandy beach with many picturesque round rocks. In summer, a lot of people come here. At the end of September however many things are already closed or will be closed.
A recommendable tour south of Ajaccio is the ROUTE DES COLS. Over various passes and through the largest eucalyptus forest on the island, you come to the small village of Coti Chiavari, 486 m high, with a pretty little church. From there you also have beautiful views of the mountains to the sea.
On a hiking tour, we headed towards Corte and then to the small village of Cuttoli-Corticchiato, continuing to the idyllically situated hamlet of San Petru at 888 m above sea level. From there we went to the MONTE ARAGNASCU, a somewhat arduous tour in the blazing sun. But we were rewarded with a beautiful view of Ajaccio, the Gulf and the Gravonatal.
In the GRAVONA VALLEY is the village of Bocognano, from where you can also hike well. We came on the poorly signposted "Chemin", whereby we were also surprised by rain.
Interesting was that we were accompanied all the way first by several dogs, then later one remained. When we eventually had enough of the rain and the bad path and walked back, we encountered some wild boars which did not look very "friendly". The dog started barking at them. And indeed, they sought the distance. It looked like the dog was trying to protect us somehow. Down in the village we met the owner of the dog - the older man invited us spontaneously for coffee - and he told us that his dog was often on the way as a "companion" for hikers.
Another hiking tour led us first to the GORGES DE PRUNELLI and to the reservoir Lac de Tolla, which supplies Ajaccio with water. From there we went to the large farming village of Bastelica, the gateway to the high mountains. From here, many hiking trails lead into the mountains and to some waterfalls.
Another excursion we made towards the north over the Col de San Bastiano to the Golf de la Liscia to CARGÈSE. This place with a small harbor is located on the southern slope of a headland. Worth seeing is the Greek church "Eglise greque" from the 19th century with old icons. North of Cargèse are of course again beautiful sandy beaches.
From Ajaccio in the direction of Corte we looked at the CASCADE DU VOILE DE LA MARIÉe, where the water normally plunges 150 m into the depth. It was quite a climb and then, unfortunately, the waterfall didn't even have too much water at the end of September.
Through beautiful pine forests we came towards Corte past the famous PONT DU VECCHIU, built in 1927 by Gustave Eiffel. Until 1999 this was the only connection across the gorge, but now there is a modern bridge.
CORTE has the only university in Corsica with about 4000 students. The old town, rich in tradition, is situated below a rock with an old fortress built in the 11th century. In 1962-83 this fortress was used by the Foreign Legion. From the Belvedère viewpoint near the citadel, there is a beautiful view of the mountains and the surroundings of Corte.
Also worth seeing is Fontaine des Quatre-Canons, a colossal fountain that served as a water supply for the upper town in times of siege. On Cours Paoli you can find restaurants, bakeries and many other stores. On the Cours Patrimonial, there are some arts and crafts stores. The 17th century church Eglise de l'Annonciation is one of the oldest buildings in Corte.
From Corte we drove along a narrow road through a beautiful mountain landscape to the RESTONICA VALLEY, a nature reserve with many Corte pine trees. By car, you can drive to the parking lot at the Bergerie de Grotelle. The ascent to Lake Melo was quite difficult, you had to climb over many large stones, sometimes you didn't know at all how to continue and had to climb back, and so on. After about 2 hours we had made it and were at the Melo mountain lake. After a 30-minute rest in the sun, we then needed for the descent again 2 hours. Because with one of my trekking shoes the sole loosened, and I had to hold them together in a makeshift way with the shoelace...
From Corte we went first through the NIOLA VALLEY with numerous hiking trails. For a long time this area was only accessible by mule trails. Here wild boars ran across our path. You can see them especially in autumn when the chestnuts fall from the trees.
The large village of EVISA is located in the middle of chestnut forests and is a popular destination. Here begins (or ends) the hiking trail through the wild gorge of Spelunca. Through a beautiful mountain landscape and a 14 km long granite gorge we came to the GORGE DE SPELUNCA, an impressive gorge where you can hike very well - either from Evisa or from Ota.
In the small very popular town of PORTO at the mouth of the Porto River, we had a beautiful view of the Genoese Tower, the Gulf and the mountains from our hotel. The angular Genoese Tower on a headland is the landmark of Porto.
From Porto we drove to the CALANCHES DE PIANA, which start 8 km behind Porto. The granite rocks here are eroded by wind and water into the most bizarre shapes. The colors vary depending on the time of day, in the evening for example bright red. From the old mule trail - Sentier Muletier - you have great views of the rock world. There are also other trails - e.g. La Corniche.
Then we drove to PIANA, perched on a 434 m cliff, which can call itself "un des plus beaux villages de France". The only sandy beach in the area is the Plage d'Arone in a beautiful crescent shaped bay with only a few people.
From Porto, the best way to get to CALVI is to take the coastal road, which is very winding but takes you through some beautiful scenery on the Gulf of Porto. From our accommodation in Calvi we had a great view of the fortress and the Gulf of Calvi.
Calvi, the pearl of the north, is a well known and popular vacation center. Very nice are the lively alleys in the lower town and the harbor quays. In the alleys of the lower town and the harbor quay you can stroll nicely and also find restaurants and stores. The church "Sainte Marie Majeure" with a polygonal ground plan is striking. The first Christian chapel on this place was built already in the 4th century, subsequent churches were destroyed several times. The present church was built in 1774. Outside the town on the Gulf of Calvi there is a long narrow sandy beach, the water here gets deeper only slowly - ideal for small children.
The citadel "Bastion Spinchone" is the landmark of the city, you can walk around it on a ring of walls and have beautiful views of the city and the sea. The citadel was built on Roman foundations and is the oldest fortified building in Calvi.
Worth seeing is the church of Saint-Jean-Baptiste in the center of the citadel. Originally built in the 13th century, the church was largely destroyed by the explosion of a powder tower in 1567 and subsequently rebuilt in the Baroque style.
A beautiful beach near Calvi is the Plage d'Argentella, about 1 km long, in the bay of Crovani. You can get to the peninsula on a dirt road. You can make a nice but strenuous hike there. From a parking bay you have a beautiful view of the peninsula.
A nicely situated and rather quiet place is l'ILE-ROUSSEL with a small harbor and the Genoese tower and lighthouse on the peninsula "La Pietra". The village owes its name to this offshore island, which has now been turned into a peninsula by a dam and turns red at sunset.
L'Ile Rousse was laid out in 1765 in a rectangular street pattern around the harbor and is said to have the mildest winter climate in Corsica. In the alleys of the old town of L'Ile-Rousse there are several small shops selling souvenirs, jewelry, clothing, wine, etc. In the Marché Couvert there is a market in the morning. In the surroundings of Ile-Rousse there are many light sandy beaches.
Between Calvi and L'Ile-Rousse in the small village of Algajola there is a very beautiful wide and 1.5 km long beach - PLAGE D'AREGNO. In high summer, the beach is apparently very crowded. When we were there in mid-September, we had the beach to ourselves.
SAINT FLORENT is located in the north of Corsica on the wide bay of the same name - in winter an idyllic fishing village. Since the place is very popular, the population increases tenfold in the summer. A point of attraction for tourists is the large marina. In the center you can find bars, restaurants and many souvenir stores. St. Florent is also called "St. Tropez of the island" because of its special flair. On a panoramic road above Saint Florent one has again and again beautiful views of mountains and sea.
On the way to Bastia you can make a detour to the local mountain of Bastia - the 960 m high SERRA DI PIGNO. On a clear day you have a good panoramic view over both sides of Cap Corse .
BASTIA is the most important port for ferries from the French and Italian mainland and also for freight traffic. Bastia is the biggest commercial and economic center of Corsica with an industrial zone. But Bastia is also a busy center of Corsican everyday life. The Place Saint Nicolas with plane trees and palm trees is 300 meters long and 90 meters wide, making it one of the largest squares in France. The beach Plage Arinella, located south of the city, is very wide and long, but unfortunately not very attractive.
The heart of Bastia's Terra Vecchia district is the horseshoe-shaped Vieux Port with the church of Saint-Jean-Baptiste in the background. Walking north through the narrow streets, you come to the Place de l'Hôtel de Ville, where a market is held on weekends.
Around the dock there are many restaurants in all price ranges. When we are in Bastia, we always have our aperitif at a bistro where we have a nice view of the small harbor and the church.
The citadel was built by Genoese in 1380. There are the magnificently renovated Governor's Palace, the Cathedral of Sainte-Marie-de l'Assomption - a Genoese Baroque building erected in 1604-1619 - and the small chapel Oratoire de la ConfrIère de la Sainte-Croix, where you can see a cross made of black ebony in a side chapel.
The palace was the seat of the Genoese governors between the 15th and 18th centuries, today it houses the Ethnographic Museum.

OCOC

Back again dear reader?
How lovely!
As I sit here in the well illuminated Magus’ office, I can hear the soft pattering sound of falling raindrops outside plus there is the scent of Petrichor in the air, gently drifting in through the open windows.
It is…gorgeous.
Such simple things that are part of the miracle of life on this planet that drifts along, circling a massive ball of nuclear fire through the inky black void of space.
Being with my Magus has made me ever so philosophical these days but I do still so much enjoy butchering people like bleating, terrified sheep. That can be so entertaining! The blood, the screams, the pleading and crying… all as wonderful as the sound of raindrops descending from the sky, landing on the roof with a pleasing resonance.
Oh I do wax lyrical at times… teeheehee…
Now then, back to my amazing story:
I had just sampled my Rum & Raisin Gelato for the first time, taking in the icy, milky sweetness and pungent flavour of the rum blended into the creamy concoction when… WHACK!
A ball flew out of nowhere, smacking me rudely in the side of my head, knocking my Gelato out of my heads, causing me a moment of stunned incredulity.
I felt no pain if that was your concern dear reader.
As my Magus said, it takes more than a surprise sneak attack with a leather clad football to harm me. Normally I would have plucked the offensive object out of the air yet I was so intent upon savouring my Gelato that my guard was down for an instant.
I spun around to see a group of six buff, fit, muscular looking young men, probably in their early twenties in age, all considering me and my Magus with derisive smirks.
One in particular, the one who had hit me with his ball, a tall, well-muscled, shirtless young man called out to us, with an arrogant snide tone in his voice,
“Hey, give us our ball back!” he demanded as I now had the offending item in my hands.
“Apologise to the lady and buy her a new Gelato,” said the Magus in a cold flat tone as he stood up, glaring daggers at the overly muscled moron.
“What? It was an accident man, don’t get upset, ok boomer?” the young offender laughed out aloud mockingly at us.
I was burning with fury at this point as was my Magus. I could feel his power itching to smite this fool.
The strutting, ignorant, puffed up idiot pushed out his muscular chest and strode the twenty or so feet towards us, trying to look threatening, thinking he could intimidate us and make us cower before him.
“What you going to do about it you, eh? Come on you fat fuck, you wanna have a go, do ya?” he called out as he stopped right in front of the Magus, daring him to act.
My Magus didn’t flinch an inch as the cretin had no idea he was seconds away from something extremely unpleasant. My Magus never took his eyes of the cretin but spoke to me,
“No but she will. Meridiana, remember what I said, no killing but everything else is fine. Teach this muscle brained mouth breathing imbecile a lesson he will never forget lest I butcher him...”
The arrogant young fool suddenly appeared apprehensive as I stood up, his ball now in my left hand. I extended my talons from the fingers in my hands, just enough to puncture and rip the ball apart into pathetic shreds which I tossed aside once done.
His eyes widened in total shock as he stumbled a step backwards.
“Tremens!”
I unleashed my power of Id Insinuation, a Psionic discipline of the mind which we Succubi possess that reduces our victims to apoplectic quivering wrecks, losing all control of their bodily functions from experiencing all-consuming pain, psychic misery and abject terror. I am a master at this Psionic Discipline if you are curious.
The arrogant, blustering fool had no mental discipline or defence against such an assault, collapsing down upon the ground with a low groan of wretched pain, his bowels and bladder immediately releasing as he began fitting uncontrollably, foam appearing from his mouth.
My Magus, went over to the now prone young man, rolled him onto his left side, removing a small leather-bound wallet (I learned the name later) from the back of his flimsy short pants and took out a colourful, small rectangle from it. Then he dropped the wallet back onto the spasming idiot on the ground.
“HEY! YOU”RE STEALING FROM WAYNO!”
“No. I am taking compensation from your inconsiderate dickhead who shall now be called Wanko as he owes the lady a Gelato. Pray that is all we take from your idiot friend,” my Magus said in a harsh growl.
‘Wayno’s compatriots were taken aback by the harshness of the glare from my Magus, not knowing what to do.
They had seen their leader felled with nothing but a word from me. I gave them a very wide, open smile, briefly showing them a glimpse of my fangs for just a second then made them normal human teeth once more.
Their eyes widened hugely in astonished fear.
I looked at my Magus with a beaming smile. This was how to use Power.
Reduce your enemies into snivelling, gibbering terrorised wrecks.
People started stopping and began staring at the scene that was unfolding around us. In a way I was a little sad as my perfect experience was ruined by an utterly inconsiderate, thoughtlessness of a bunch of overly charged testosterone filled idiots playing a stupid game with a ball when it was clearly obvious that there were many people about and one missed catch would result in… well a lost Gelato for a start!
The Magus focused his will, them waved his right hand with a small gesture saying,
“Sapiens Obscura!”
Everyone in the nearby vicinity all immediately stopped with a blank look on their faces, staring hollow eyed at the Magus.
“There is nothing to see here, you will remember nothing of this. Walk on, go about your business and have a lovely day.”
The crowd who had stopped to watch, were starting to get out their phones to film the incident, all suddenly did as the Magus commanded, just walking away with a faint puzzled smile on their faces as though nothing had happened.
Even the idiots’ friends walked off in a daze, leaving him still trembling and fitting in his own filth upon the ground.
I glanced back in almost adulation at my Maus.
What Power!
He saw me looking at him, shrugged and sighed.
“Here, you can have my Gelato, Meridiana. I shouldn’t eat it anyway, bad for my blood sugars. We should go as the glamour will not last and we do not want to attract more attention to ourselves.”
“That was wonderous Magus, to be able to influence so many minds like that…” I almost gushed at him.
He stared balefully at the still writhing, convulsing moron who had thoroughly soiled himself at this point, then shrugged.
“A simple use of The Will and The Way, combined with a hypnotical charm, makes it easy to do however I only had one prepared so we should not linger here. Let’s just walk away further down the path to a less crowded area and appreciate the sunset.”
I nodded in agreement, taking a small, tentative taste of the Magus’s Vanilla Gelato. Delightful!
Vanilla was far a more subtle flavour, not as bold as my now destroyed Rum & Raisin waffle cone. Perhaps a better flavour in the end as subtlety is a hallmark of refined taste. I enjoyed it immensely.
With my Gelato in my left hand, I took the Magus’ arm in my right, we gently strolled away from the scene of the destruction of my Gelato and the mind of a callous, bullying, cretinous idiot. He might recover… I hoped not. One less muscle bound thuggish oaf was what the world could do with right now. He would have made for a tasty snack though…
“I thought you said we should be careful, not use our power like that?” I asked after a couple of minutes of sedate walking.
I noted, glancing briefly to our rear, that there was no commotion behind us although after a few minutes some new passers-by had stopped to try to help the fallen fool.
“If he genuinely apologised to you for his oafish stupidity rather than try to bully us, I would not have done anything. Oxygen Thieves like that deserve a short, sharp shock. It is better than Percussive Cranial Adjustments.”
“What?”
“Punches to the head. If your hands are not conditioned and strengthened, you risk breaking bones within them by punching people in the head. There is a strong risk that you may render your foe unconscious, causing them to collapse, smacking their head on the floor resulting in them getting more damage to their already asinine cerebellums. Then the screaming and wailing starts, police are called, arrests are made, lives are ruined blah blah blah.. not worth the trouble no matter how tempting it is. However, in certain cases, a swift kick, punch or hard knee to the balls of the miscreant can solve a lot of problems extremely quickly and not result in a brain injury,” he added with a dark smile.
I erupted in evil laughter!
My demonic cackling drew some apprehensive eyes from passers-by but at this point I didn’t care. Even my Magus winked at me with a dry, faintly amused smirk.
“Oh Magus! That is most amusing. I shall use that tactic from now on as you are correct but you missed one minor detail,” I said with an infernal glint in my eyes.
“I did? Do tell,” he replied with a glimmer of mild curiosity.
“By ‘kneeing them in the balls’ as you so delightfully put it, you do damage to their second brain as almost all men think with their balls!”
The Magus stopped, then briefly chuckled at my cutting wit, shaking his head lightly.
“Very true Meridiana, very true. Come, here’s a free and clean enough bench for us to sit and watch the ocean and sunset,” he said as we came upon another empty park bench that looked out over the beach and sea.
I nodded and took my seat, focusing again upon my delightful, sweet snack while enjoying the ambiance of just being at the beach, watching humanity blithefully and ignorantly walking by, their minds closed to almost everything around them. Many had their faces glued to their phones, or had devices covering their ears, walking along at a brisk pace, ignoring the beauty that surrounded them. If I wasn’t a demon, I would had felt sorry for these people… but I didn’t. It made me despise them all for being such thoughtless idiots, so completely self-absorbed, locked inside in their pathetic little heads.
My Magus interrupted my musings,
“So what was that you did to that reprobate then Meridiana? I need to fully understand what powers and abilities you possess so we can properly plan for the missions ahead.”
“I see,” I replied primly as I crossed my legs, with them facing towards my Magus. I took another small bite from my Gelato then said, “How about you tell me what you think you know then I will… be honest with you Magus. Hmm… my that was difficult to say… no matter, I will fill in the gaps of your knowledge after you speak. I am so extremely curious as to what you think you know.” I sat back and observed him intently.
He shifted in his seat, turning more towards me, pausing in thought before speaking once more,
“Well… I know you can do the following: you can Shape Shift, altering your appearance to appear like different being, but does extend to animal forms?”
“No Magus but that is a good question! I can appear as other humans but there is a limit as I can only do so within a certain size range limit to the power. I cannot appear as a small child nor a giant man. I can appear as another type of demon, just not the massive ones like say a Pit Fiend or other large demons and I dare not appear as a Demon Lord or Prince as if they ever found out that a demon or someone was impersonating them… the torment they would inflict would be… beyond extreme for such an affront. Go on.” I took another little bite of my Gelato. So Good!
“Interesting… ok…your kiss will drain the life energy from your victim, reducing them to a crumbling lifeless husk?"
I nodded with a wide smile as I extended my long, deep red tongue, lapping and twirling around my Gelato seductively. He ignored it. Sigh.
“How long does it take for you to fully drain your victim?”
My eyebrows were raised at that question. My Magus was wise to ask this and it made me consider it too.
“I am impressed Magus, no one has ever bothered to ask that. I estimate maybe twenty to thirty or so resting heartbeats, perhaps a little longer? To be honest I never really paid attention as to how long the kiss took to drain my victim as I am normally in the moment, relishing the sensation of drinking a human’s lifeforce and energy but now I will. Thank you Magus. This makes me more aware of my abilities for my own purposes.”
“Hmm… I suppose we can time it in the future, but not here in this city. A withered husk appearing will attract too many questions for now. Next then, I understand that you can become Ethereal? Stepping into the that plane of existence briefly and becoming untouchable here.”
I nodded.
“How long can you maintain that ability, and how often can you use it?”
“Another excellent question Magus. I can use it at will as often as I like. As to maintaining it… you know I have never truly thought about that as I only use it to step away from threats that might actually harm me. Perhaps this is something else we can experiment on together Magus?” I said with a hopeful, demure smile.
This time I received the glimmer of approval from him which made me grin inwardly. His desire for knowledge! That’s his weakness! Oh happy day. And it included Gelato as well!
“That we must do as it may be vital for your own safety and survival. Knowing how long you can safely stay in the Ethereal Plane will be paramount. Next… I know you can Charm, use the power of Suggestion and Domination, that you have the power of Extrasensory Perception, which you used on me earlier on and you have the power of Clairaudience which allows you to listen in on your targets from a distance. Quite useful in combat and stealth situations I would say?”
“Yes it is Magus. I have used that many times to spy upon my victims and enemies, gaining much useful information without them ever being aware.”
I smirked once more as that power enabled me to ferret out so many secrets that were thought to have been spoken without anyone else listening. I now nibbled on the sweet wafer biscuit cone of my Gelato, oh how glorious that was.
“I know that you have Psionic Abilities, powers of the mind, but this is now where my knowledge falls short. I also believe that you are an adept in The Arts, capable of wielding magic and spells.”
I smiled broadly back at my Magus. He was indeed well informed.
“Yes, that is all true. Now I will tell you what I am fully capable of. Firstly I can walk… travel between the dimensions if I so choose. I do not need to create a Gate to travel between realms, I simply picture where I wish to go and I appear there. I can only do this for myself though. In addition, I must take care in not pushing to go beyond my limits, try to cross too many dimensions in one trip, as I could strain my mind and lose myself between dimensions. Next, I can go Invisible at will,” and did just that right in front of him, for a couple of seconds before reappearing once more. He nodded briefly and I was somewhat disappointed that I did not receive a bigger reaction. Oh well. There was still some waffle cone left.
With another little sigh I carried on,
“I can also detect the presence of magic within a thirty foot radius for over an hour or so but I have to maintain my concentration for this to continue otherwise the detection ceases after a minute. I have the power of Telekinesis…”
Now my Magus’s eye lit up with real interest. I stopped speaking as I knew he wanted to ask questions.
“Now that is an impressive ability. How much weight can you lift at your maximum exertion? What is your range? Are you able to use the power in a delicate, fine tuned way for minor manipulation?”
His enthusiasm was immensely gratifying. It was the most animated that I had seen him be thus far.
“Oh my Magus… so many questions! I had no idea that such an ability would intrigue you so much… perhaps I should have demonstrated that power when we first met?” I said with a teasing smirk.
He harrumphed but waited for me to continue.
“I know I am able to lift a war horse in full cataphract armour as I did so a few times during the campaign of General Flavius Belisarius against the Persians at the Battle of Dara, much to their shock and horror. It turned the tide of the battle I have to say with a little modesty. Empress Theodora was the one who summoned me and used me for a decade to help her favoured General. I liked her. She was utterly ruthless and exceptionally intelligent." I took a moment to have another bite of my Gelato before continuing,
"At the end of my service to her, I gifted her with Cancer which took her life painfully. And that leads us to another of my abilities, Cell Adjustment. I can, if I so choose, alter the very cells within mine or your body Magus, healing you and reshaping your metabolism. I also can do harm with it too, although that takes a lot more power and isn’t an instant way to kill people but it still can be fairly quick way to murder someone, often painfully so. I may cause a blood clot to form which travels to the brain or thicken the arteries of a victims heart making it have a seizure or perhaps flooding their body with so much adrenaline that they fit uncontrollably… so many options….” I mused openly as I tried to remember the ways I had killed with this power before.
I am a Master of Human anatomy by the way, having spent tens of thousands of years eviscerating my victims, inspecting their corpses afterwards as well as later studying under learned Greek physicians back in the early days of the Roman Empire.
My Magus gave me a cool assessing, calculating stare. I could see he had taken the hint, that I could completely alter his physiology, potentially removing the excess weight from his body, repairing the damage that such a condition had done to him. My hook was baited.
“I… see… go on Meridiana.”
There was a very cautious tone in his voice now. My inner smile only grew.
“Moving on, I can shield my mind exactly like you did with an Intellect Fortress and Thought Shield. The power I used upon the thoughtless buffoon, the Id Insinuation, I can also employ over a twenty by twenty foot area. All within will feel my wrath and despair as he did. Unless they are incredibly strong willed or have mental defences like we do. I can also let loose a Psionic Blast if I so choose but that is a wasteful use of the power in my humble opinion. And of course I have my spells,” I said as I used my power to open the tiny pocket dimension to where I had hidden my tome of magic and other priceless treasures.
A small tear in the fabric of reality briefly appeared in front of us and the Magus looked in, seeing my not insignificant horde of treasures, which included my priceless tome of spells.
“This is another of my abilities, Pocket Plane. It can access a tiny alternate reality, where I keep all my precious things. Only I can access it, no one else can,” I said with a pointed glance at the Magus. He understood instantly and was deeply fascinated by the pocket plane.
Everything was stashed carefully away from all who would covert its contents, including my Demon Lord who despite all the torture he and his minions inflicted upon me for nigh on a thousand years, was never able to break me, denying him from stealing my treasures from me!
I would rather cease existing than let that happen which he eventually learned thus giving up on the attempt as he preferred to keep tormenting me for eternity anyway, rather than end my existence. I quickly closed the portal lest it attract unwanted attention.
"Now as you mentioned earlier, I am an Adept in The Art, ranked at a power-level of fifteen I am proud to say. I suspect that you are a few levels higher than myself but do not have as many spells as I have, do you?”
I took one last bite of my waffle cone, casually dangling the prospect of more power to the Magus. Such a wonderful combination, frozen sweet cream and sugary crunchy biscuit. The Roman Byzantines would have gone mad for it. Ahh well.
“You are correct Meridiana. Spells and magic are extremely rare these days. I have some theories as to why that is however we can discuss them later. Sufficed to say, I will need more spells and that is also why I summoned you, to teach me as much as I am teaching you and I know full well you are going to try and ensnare me with that,” he said with another dry, cold laugh. “Instead of you trying to enslave me, how about we do deals instead?”
Now that was a language I could speak and my smile grew ever so wide.
“But of course my dear Magus, just give me control of what is left of your soul…” I laughed.
He had the temerity to laugh at me.
“Oh no Meridiana… you fail to grasp your situation. This is not you holding power over me, it is me holding power over you… oh you see it now don’t you? I have turned your face to alabaster, because you discovered that what you thought was your servant was all along, is your master. You are wrapped around my finger,” he said pointed to a shining band of gold around the third finger on his left hand. I stared in horror at it.
“Yes, not only are you bound to me body and soul, but your essence is bound within my wedding ring. My wife bought that for me with pure love in her heart. You know certain objects have power. This is one of them… one ring to rule you… “ he laughed chillingly again at my dismay. Oh how deliciously evil he can be.
I was stunned.
He had trapped my essence in a Phylactery. How, I did not know?
The wedding ring, an object that bound two hearts together, the circle a symbol for eternity, now held my essence within its golden circle of eternal love.
“Oh don’t look so pissed. You’d have done it to me, well not via a wedding ring that's for sure but still, you would have enslaved me. Again, I do not seek to control you but I am not stupid, I know the parable of the Frog and the Scorpion. You will always try to enslave and dominate me, it's who you are, it's your nature. Look, Meridiana and think before you lose control again. I am not your usual chump of a wanna-be Magus. Times have changed. I am prepared to unleash you upon the world to spread chaos and mayhem. If anything, you OWE me from getting you out of hell. And I am housing you, feeding you, clothing you, giving you knowledge and will protect you from other demons that WILL come looking for you. Oh yes, don’t think that your former lord hasn’t noticed by now that you’ve flown the coup! He will be furious. And that binds us together even more so because part of my plan is that we kill him and seize his throne for ourselves," said the Magus casually.
Dear reader… in all my existence, nothing has ever floored me with it’s sheer breathtaking audacity. My face was already drained of colour when he revealed his total control over me but more so, the scope of his plan… beyond incredible.
I bowed my head to him in total subjugation…for now.
“I am yours Magus. I will do as you say. Your plan to gain our…freedom… is audacious in the extreme. If we can achieve this…” I said breathlessly, my eyes alight with burning lust for him now. Again, to my immense disappointment, he ignored my sultry steamy gaze.
“Always aim as high as you can Meridiana. The Will and The Way will get us far, further than you can imagine but I need more knowledge and power as do you. Now do you see why I want you as a partner? We have a target painted on us and the clock is already ticking. Soon your former lord will start to try to send his minions through the void to retrieve you and drag me there as well. We don’t have time for games Meridiana, that is if you wish to stay here?”
“I do want to stay… I will do as you ask Magus but I must ask…why? Why take such a risk?”
“It’s better to rule in hell then serve in heaven don’t you think?” he said with a evil grin as he stood and offered his hand to me. “And your old boss needs his head blown off with a sawn-off double barrelled enchanted shotgun, filled with 12 gauge 000 buckshot made from the metal from the nails of The True Cross… right to his fucking face!” my Magus snarled savagely.
Oh how beautiful that sounded.
“Absolutely! I am all in. I have no real choice anyway do I?”
I took his hand in mine and ever so gently squeezed it.
“You do. I admit that I have forced this upon you but look at the alternative, spending eternity, eventually going insane from boredom, within your cell because Pope Sylvester II confessed on his death-bed. That wasn’t your fault. Mind you, you did underestimate the willy priest now eh?”
I nodded with a sigh and chagrin upon my face.
“Yes, that is true.”
“Your lord throws an epic tantrum, what I’d call “chucking a wobbly”, even though you were one of the top demons in soul possession and ruination. What a stupid cunt. Only a complete fuckwit throws away his best employee in a fit of pique like that.”
I burst out laughing at that dear reader. No one would EVER dare to call my former lord those things but my Magus did. I felt the ebullient elation once more. This man had an epic vision.
“Now then, I assume you are still hungry? And for food for now Meridiana.”
“Yes Magus,” I said with a small smile.
“Good. We’ll go grab dinner at the best buffet in town as that will be the the most effective way you can satisfy your appetite. It’s only Tuesday so it won’t be overcrowded. Then we can go to the casino next door where you can use your skills to steal a fortune from those rapacious bastards!”
My smile could not be wider dear reader. The promise of all I can eat (sadly not human souls or hearts) and the chance to steal from those who steal with their rigged games!
This was turning out to be the most amazing day in all my life.
We made our way back to the car when I noticed that all the cars had little metal plates on both the front and the back, inscribed with Arabic numerals and roman letters.
As we got to the car, I noticed what the Magus had on his metal plates:
HWY2H3LL
Oh rapture!
Part 6

1. Can some knowledgeable person (I won't use enlightened here for obvious reasons...) tell me how it is the first chapter of the Diamond sutra is so different in the two translations below:
"Thus I have heard. Once, the Buddha was staying in the Anathapindada’s Park at Jeta Grove in Shravasti, with a community of 1,250 bhiksus. When it was mealtime, the World Honored One put on his robe, took his alms-bowl, and went into the great city of Shravasti, going from house to house to beg for food. This done, he returned to his abiding place, finished the meal, put away his robe and bowl, washed his feet, arranged his seat, and sat down."
Chinese translation by Tripitaka Master Kumarajiva Source: http://sunnyvale.ctzen.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/diamond-sutra-v1.9.17-201312011.pdf
​
and
​
"Thus have I heard: Once the Bhagavan was dwelling near Shravasti at Anathapindada Garden in Jeta Forest together with the full assembly of 1250 bhikshus and a great many fearless bodhisattvas. One day before noon, the Bhagavan put on his patched robe and picked up his bowl and entered the capital of Shravasti for offerings. After begging for food in the city and eating his meal of rice, he returned from his daily round in the afternoon, put his robe and bowl away, washed his feet, and sat down on the appointed seat. After crossing his legs and adjusting his body, he turned his awareness to what was before him. A number of bhikshus then came up to where the Bhagavan was sitting. After touching their heads to his feet, they walked around him to the right three times and sat down to one side"
Translation by Red pine Source: https://terebess.hu/zen/mesterek/Diamond-Sutra.pdf
​
2. What translation is the most accurate (of everyone you have come across, not only the two above)? I want to read the Diamond sutra as close to the original as possible, but in English.

Fast forward to the present March 30th. We drive up to the mountain again to meet some friends and as soon as we arrive I hear this clunking sound from underneath the car and rendered the car undrivable due to the drive and reverse no longer working and a grinding sound when shifted to park. We got out of the car to look and see if I could see anything under the hood. That’s when my girlfriend froze and said “shhh do you hear that?” I stopped and heard what sounded like an owl but with a humans voice. It sounded like someone chanting, going “Ooooh Oooh”. That’s when we both said nope, got in our friends car and took off. And recently I’ve been getting this feeling that I can’t describe but it feels evil. It’s almost like the feeling of being very awake and feeling fear for what seems like no reason. And then lastnight I fell asleep and had this weird dream about a witch that came to me and someone else I didn’t recognize. The witch, demon or whatever it was then preformed these series of specific hand movements in order to perform some sort of curse. And the other person grabbed a stand up mirror and put it in front of her and we would wind up fighting it and I woke up. And now I’m suddenly sick throwing up immediately after I woke up from the dream. I don’t know if I’m crazy or saw too many movies or what. And on top of this we just found out that the apartment that we lived in at Little Rock Arkansas was completely destroyed by a tornado days prior from our move. Everything just seems suspicious and I typically don’t believe in witchcraft or magic but this is starting to change my mind. 

I've been away from home for a while due to studying full-time far from my parents home. I was able to come home for a few days, which I was really looking forward to since I hadn't seen the family and dogs in a while.
I found out while I was gone that no one had been walking the dogs since I left. I used to walk them daily. We have a ridgeback, coco, and a bordercollie-cross, mindy. Mindy has always been a hyper dog, she jumps up a lot, is rather naughty and doesn't always listen. I've been able to control her on walks before, but she does pull the lead a lot, and will bark at other dogs.
Coco is very well behaved though, and will listen when called, and doesn't pull the lead as much as mindy. I struggle to walk them both, since I'm a small woman, if they pull too much, I can get pulled over by both of them.
The problem happened when I tried to walk them today. I felt really bad that they hadn't been on a walk in ages, and thought I'd take them to the local fenced-off field off lead. It's fine to walk your dogs off-lead here, as long as they're no other dogs. I made sure, and took them out. From the get-go, I was struggling with them both on the leads, but thought it'd be fine as I'd walked them before okay.
I made sure to shut the gate behind me and looked out for other dogs before letting them out to run around the field with a ball. It was going great and the dogs loved it, we had been out a while so I decided to head back.
I started walking towards the gate, and was about to put the leads on them. When mindy saw a dog outside the gate, she ran ahead of me and pushed the gate open, running towards the dog. I instantly called for her and chased after her, she wouldn't listen. Coco started following too, she then ran ahead of me, I couldn't catch either of them.
Mindy ran over to this guys dog, it looked to be a beagle I think. It happened so quick and I hardly saw, but she chased it, I heard a yelp, it ran, and the owner started kicking mindy, yelling at me to control my fucking dog, I kept yelling I'm so sorry and trying desperately to catch her. The man was so much bigger than me, and he just kept yelling. I felt awful and useless, I couldn't control my dog.
Mindy ran away from him after he kicked and yelled at her. She ran past this couple with a baby that only just arrived at the park and saw the whole thing, the dad kicked mindy aside as she ran past, he yelled fuck off as he did.
I apologised so much to them as I grabbed her, they just glared at me and walked away. The other man and his dog kept yelling at me. I think his house was right there and his dog went inside. I said I'm so sorry they were off lead at the field and ran out and he called me a liar and yelled something else, I was struggling to listen while trying to buckle the leads on both the dogs while they kept pulling, mindy kept turning her head and slipping out of her collar.
I was so angry with myself, I managed to get the dogs home. Mindy seems to be okay. So does Coco. God I hope that guys dog is okay. I feel fucking awful, I take full accountability for my dogs and my lack of ability to control them.
This has never happened before, I never thought mindy would attack another dog. I was so useless. I don't think I can bring myself to ever walk them both again. Seeing as I don't have the physical strength to control them.
I should never have let them off lead. I was so sure it was safe, as it had been before at the same place. I know the guy was only trying to defend his dog, I feel awful, I feel so fucking useless.
It's all my fault. I've been crying for hours since, I can't bring myself to look at mindy. my anxiety is spiralling, what if he sues, I can't afford a court case, I'm already struggling to make living expenses as a part time student and working part time, I'm so overwhelmed. What if he calls the council to get mindy put down because she's a dangerous dog.
I'm such a useless owner, I never thought mindy would go this far, I should have known better and never let them off lead. I'm so sorry.

I need some guidance. I have a 94 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4.0 6Cyl 4x4 Limited. I lost my job just before the holidays and had to park it. I have a better job and need to get it running (it was my daily and ran just fine when I parked it. Here's what I've done (or had done) when it didn't start.

1. Replace battery. It was only 1.5 years old but when tested it had a dead cell.
   
2. Replace alternator. I could jump start the engine with another car but as soon as the cables were disconnected it would die immediately (this is with the old battery).
   
3. (New battery and alternator installed). Immediately upon start up it blew 2 maxi fuses in the PDC, both were 60 amp fuses. Tried new pair of fuses, same result.
   
4. Called mobile mechanic because now I'm getting to the limit of my knowledge and skills. He probes the PDC and says the fuses blew because one side was being fed 32 volts instead of 12.
   
5. He ran some tests and said the problem is most likely the voltage regulator. Now I already knew that the voltage regulator is commanded by the PCM (ECM, BDSM). I paid the guy what he quoted for the diagnosis and alternator replacement (which he did). I actually felt bad for the guy since he was here for at least 2.5 or 3 hours.
   

Now I have two questions to figure out.

1. I can get a used computer from eBay for about $75. I can get a refurbished one for $300+. The problem is that it appears those computers come in 7 flavors and nobody knows which is which. I'm currently waiting on an 8mm swivel socket to remove the last bolt holding the unit in. I am HOPING there will be a part number on the module I can cross reference. I even called 2 or 3 dealerships and gave them the complete VIN. They said they didn't know, that their system doesn't go back to 1994. If I can't find the part number I've seen a service that will refurbish your own computer. I don't know how expensive it is or how long it takes.
   
2. Am I missing something? New battery, New alternator, is there any part of the charging system I could have overlooked? New battery, new alternator, and the ECM to command the voltage regulator. What else is there?
   

Right now all the parts that were replaced tested bad. I don't want to get into a parts cannon situation.
Thanks for taking the time to read this. Any advice is much appreciated.

Happy Saturday! Like my title says I’m a 37F residing in the CST of the US. I enjoy reading, watching stuff that makes me laugh, crochet and cross stitch, casual gaming, trying new restaurants, naps, visiting the state parks where I live, and more. (If I tell you everything about myself here, what else is there to talk about? :D)
I’m married and finding that it’s much harder to make friends as an adult than it should be, so hopefully there’s someone one out there that’s looking for conversation and the possibility of a long term friendship!
I do prefer that you be 30+, just because I’m old and you won’t get my references if you’re younger than that! :)
If this sounds like your cup of tea, send me a message or a chat request. (Don’t be a creep - that won’t get you a response!)

-127 lbs. left pic skirt size is a 26, pants on the right are a size 16. Best investment I have ever made. Some nsv: being able to fit onto theme park rides, crossing my legs, fitting in all chairs comfortably.

I originally visited Japan in May 2017. It was absolutely incredible, and I’ve thought about it ever since. After nearly six years, I’ve decided that I finally want to go back this fall but need help finalizing my itinerary before booking my flights.
The first time I visited Japan I was in Tokyo, Kamakura, Hakone, Kyoto, Arashiyama, Osaka, and Hiroshima. This time I plan to see Tokyo, Kamakura, Mt. Fuji, Hakone, Kyoto, Arashiyama, Nara, and Osaka. I realize that's really similar to my first trip and while there's certainly things I want to see again there's a lot of new things in the same cities that I'd like to see as well. I'm still open to adding maybe one more place near Osaka or Tokyo before finally flying back home.
Any and all feedback is welcome! I would love to hear your thoughts.

Summary:

​

Day	Date	From	To
1	11/16	DC
2	11/17		Tokyo
3	11/18	Tokyo
4	11/19	Tokyo
5	11/20	Tokyo	Kamakura
6	11/21	Tokyo
7	11/22	Tokyo	Mt. Fuji
8	11/23	Mt. Fuji	Hakone
9	11/24	Hakone	Kyoto
10	11/25	Kyoto
11	11/26	Kyoto
12	11/27	Kyoto	Arashiyama
13	11/28	Kyoto	Nara
14	11/29	Kyoto
15	11/30	Kyoto	Osaka
16	12/1	Osaka
17	12/2	Osaka	Tokyo
18	12/3	Tokyo	DC

​

Detailed day-by-day itinerary (supplemented with Google Sheets version here):

Legend:
🍁 denotes key point of interest and likely spot for seeing fall foliage.
🍵 denotes possible food/drink options (but mostly cool cafes I'd like to visit).
Other emojis are used to highlight other points of interest or activities.
Day 1 (11/16) - DC > Tokyo
Leave for Japan.
Day 2 (11/17) - Tokyo
Arrive at Haneda Airport. Take limousine bus to hotel in Shibuya. Rest.
Day 3 (11/18) - Tokyo
🍁 Gotokuji Temple, 🍁 Otaguro Park; Shinjuku: Cross Shinjuku Vision (3D Yayoi Kusama billboard), Yodobashi Camera, Suga Jinja (Kimi No Na Wa location); Shibuya: Shibuya Crossing (Panda 3D billboard), Shibuya Sky (¥1,800)
🍵 Food/Drink Options: Shiro-Hige’s Cream Puff Factory, Café Kitsuné Shibuya
Day 4 (11/19) - Tokyo
Aoyama: Nezu Museum (¥1,500), Spiral; Roppongi: The National Art Center; Omotesando: Louis Vuitton Omotesando Store (Yayoi Kusama Robot)); Daikanyama: 🍁Kyu Asakura House, T-Site Daikanyama
🍵 Food/Drink Options: Café Kitsuné Aoyama
Day 5 (11/20) - Tokyo > Kamakura
Kamakurakōkōmae Station, Hokokuji Temple (¥300), Meigetsu-in Temple (¥500), Komachi-dori Street
🍵 Food/Drink Options: Cafe Yoridokoro, Tomoya Kamakurakomachi
Day 6 (11/21) - Tokyo
Ryogoku: Sumida Hokusai Museum (¥400); Asakusa: Sensō-ji; Ginza: Maison Hermès (Renzo Piano Building), Tokyo International Forum; Harajuku: Takeshita Street, Tokyu Plaza; Yoyogi: Yoyogi Park
🍵 Food/Drink Options: Asakusa Unana, Chacha Futatsume, Naruto Taiyaki, noncaron TOKYO GINZA
Day 7 (11/22) - Tokyo > Mt. Fuji
Fujikawaguchiko: Oishi Park, 🍁 Momiji Tunnel, 🍁 Maple Corridor, Kawaguchiko Tenjozan Park via Mt. Fuji Panoramic Ropeway (¥900 roundtrip), LAWSON Kawaguchikoeki-mae; Fujiyoshida: Chureito Pagoda, Kawaguchi Asama Shrine, Honcho Street
🍵 Food/Drink Options: TBD
Day 8 (11/23) - Mt. Fuji > Hakone
Heiwa no Torii; and then possible shiatsu (massage) at onsen (¥9,350)
🍵 Food/Drink Options: Bakery & Table Hakone
Day 9 (11/24) - Hakone > Kyoto
Sannen-Zaka Path (Yasaka Pagoda/Hōkan-ji Temple iconic view) and Kiyomizu‑dera Temple at sunset
🍵 Food/Drink Options: % ARABICA Kyoto Higashiyama
Day 10 (11/25) - Kyoto
🍁 Rurikō-in Temple (¥2,000, 2 hour wait), 🍁 Enkō-ji Temple (¥500), Shisen-dō (¥500), Kennin-ji (¥600)
🍵 Food/Drink Options: TBD
Day 11 (11/26) - Kyoto
Okazaki-jinja Shrine, Tairyu Sanso, Eikan-dō (Zenrin-ji) Temple (¥1,000), 🥷Kyoto Samurai Experience (¥15,000)
🍵 Food/Drink Options: Kumonocha, Café Kitsuné Kyoto ShinPuhKan
Day 12 (11/27) - Kyoto > Arashiyama
Sagano Bamboo Grove, 🍁Somekobo Yumeyusai, 🍁Jojakko-ji Temple, Hozugawa River
🍵 Food/Drink Options: % ARABICA Kyoto Arashiyama
Day 13 (11/28) - Kyoto > Nara
Todai-ji Temple (¥600), Nara Park, Yoshikien Garden
🍵 Food/Drink Options: Archaique (pastry shop), Mizuya Chaya (teahouse), Nakatanidou (mochi shop)
Day 14 (11/29) - Kyoto
Sannen-Zaka Path (Yasaka Pagoda/Hōkan-ji Temple iconic view) at sunrise, Fushimi Inari Taisha, Kano River
🍵 Food/Drink Options: Inari Saryo
Day 15 (11/30) - Kyoto > Osaka
Osaka Station, Amerikamura, Shinsekai, Dotonbori, Umeda Sky Building (¥1,500)
Day 16 (12/1) - Osaka
Nintendo World
🍵 Food/Drink Options: TBD
Day 17 (12/2) - Osaka > Tokyo
Osaka: Namba Yasaka Jinja; Tokyo: 🗼Tokyo Tower
🍵 Food/Drink Options: TBD
Day 18 (12/3) - Tokyo > DC
Leave Japan 😭
Questions:

1. Is there anything you would change?
2. Is there anything I'm missing that you would consider adding?
3. Should I try to visit another city before returning to Tokyo? The fact that places like Kobe, Okayama, and even Hiroshima are so close to Osaka makes it tempting to extend the trip just a bit longer before returning to Tokyo.
4. Alternatively, should I try to add another day or two to Tokyo? Spending more time in Tokyo or even taking a day trip to Nikko would be cool before finally flying back home.

If you made it all the way to the end, thank you! I would love to hear your thoughts. This trip has been a long time in the works so I really want to do it right and plan and prepare as best I can.

Long time looker and first time posting.
I’ve been following this sub and Rivian R1T for a while, had my deposit in Nov 2021 and received the truck in Dec 2022. Since then, it’s mainly been my daily drive, replaced 2010 Odyssey. It drives night and day compared to the minivan. In meanwhile, made one trip from Westchester, NY to South Jersey, had to make one stop at an EVgo on the way back and it worked fine.
Fast forward to this week, kids are off from school next week and decided to go to Orlando and would be fun roadtrip. Since new to EV, decided to test out few more different DC Fast charging, both EA, EVgo and ChargePoint. EA and ChargePoint worked fine but EVgo was hit or missed. With some confidence, left the house on early Thursday and was planning to spend the night in NC, with little kids, it’s almost impossible to made it down in a day. Plus our check in to the resort was Friday.
The first day, things went great. We stopped at 2 EA stations, both at Walmart and it started to charge right away. Pull in to a station, open the charge port, plug-in and follow the instructions on the screen or start from the app then plug in. Also, driving was with Driver+, felt more relax and less tired. We arrived at the overnight hotel on time, the hotel had slow L2 charger - 6kw but it was going to be 100% by the the time we are leaving the next day.
On Second day, even with the slower charger, the truck was 100% ready to go. We grabbed some breakfast and hit the road. We made our way to our first stop at another EV station and things went smoothly, like the day before and hit the road again. Now it was around lunch time and time for another charge. I dropped off the wife and kids at the mall and headed crossed the street to another EV station at Walmart. Pull in and plug in, used the RFID reader to get it going and nothing. The station is stuck on initialing charging and the truck is saying starting charging but nothing happened. So I moved to another station and same. I called the EA service center and was on the phone with them for 30 mins, in meanwhile, wife is keep calling to see when I’m coming over. Even after the reset of the station, nothing worked. Other EVs comes and goes and no problem, even at the station that I was not able to charge. I began to google anything I can find on this issue and hard reset or letting the truck go to sleep for 30 mins may fix the issue. And tried both, nothing. This is definitely the issue with the truck, not the charging station. Now, I’m going crazy, worries started to set in. We are no where close to Orlando, probably another 4.5hrs driving to go and the truck is down to 20% or so. I now go back to pick up the family at mall and saw a L2 charger and plugged it in and it began to charge but at 9kw/hr. We decided to hang around a little longer here add while we look for options. We searched PlugShares and found another DC Fast Charge, about 30 miles away, ChargePoint 125kw stations. We made our way there and nothing, same as EA. Now, we are calling the Rivian Service for an assistance. The service rep I spoke with was very nice and suggested we find a hotel nearby with EV to stay overnight. He was going to set up an appointment with the Orlando Service Center and arrange a rental for us while we stayed there. We didn’t know how these 2 star hotels are so much more expensive when booking on the day of you are staying. Now, we are losing a day at the resort we were planning to stay at and needed to stay in GA. We were all so stressed and exhausted by now and accepted the fact that we have another tough day ahead of us. Luckily was able to find a hotel with L2 charger and book a room. Checked in for the night and plugged in the truck for the night. I don’t even know if Rivian will pick up the tab on this.
Day 3, 3am, I can’t even sleep and now thinking how I’m going to even go back home even if it’s fixed. By 9am, the truck is 97% and hit the road to Jacksonville FL. Overnight, Rivian sent location of L2 charging locations and a rental reservation information. We make our way to Jacksonville and stopped to have lunch, add a little so that we can made it over to Orlando. But now we can’t make it on time to pickup the rental, all Enterprise closes at 2pm on Saturday, except the airport. In meantime, we spoke with few different Rivian Service reps and they were all nice but no one is telling me definite details or going out of the way to help. Now, we are all so tired and stressed, this is not something we wanted to go through during our vacation. We talked to Rivian again, changed the rental car reservation to airport pick up, pick up rental and finally able to dropped off the truck at the service center with 8% to go. Of course the service center is closed and all of their L2 charger are being used so I just parked the truck, leave the key in the drop box and finally checked into the resort.
Now what? The truck will probably die, I would be very surprise if it still has some power left on Monday morning when the service center opens. And will it be fix on time for us to drive it back? It’s an understatement to just say my wife is mad. My wife is insisting that we don’t drive the truck back and I don’t blame her, I feel the same way. We are leaving early Friday to go back to and we all need to be back at work, school next week. All the service reps that we spoke with are nice and like I said no one is going out of the way to take care of the issue. Having a loner at the service center would have been definitely nice, instead of making another stop at the airport. This is the last thing I want to deal with during the vacation. It will be definitely a vacation to remember years from now and laugh about it but for now I’m extremely disappointed and upset. I still have another reservation on R1S for wife but will probably cancel it when it’s called up. I realize now have $85k vehicle that is “home range” only, reliable on home charge but cannot rely on DC Fast charge because it will either be the truck or the charging station with issues. Seriously doubting about keeping the truck.

Cross-posting from bupropion
I've been lifting weights regularly for months now, tracking my numbers very closely.
I started 150mg on Wednesday morning this week, and that afternoon, I could barely make 6 reps of my usual 8-9. Had to decrease my weight by 5-10lbs after one set, which I don't usually have to do until set 4.
Four days later (today) I'm down a solid 15lbs across the board on all lifts.
And yesterday playing baseball at the park my legs just felt so weak... A few minutes of running and I was toast.
This is not usual at all for me. Just the other week I was playing an intense game of dodgeball for a solid 90 minutes and felt great.
Is it even possible for the Wellbutrin to have such quick affects on my physical abilities? I don't feel anything mentally yet, but I absolutely cannot keep taking it if it's going to wreck my ability to be active.

FT: Sacramento Republic FC 5-0 Louisville City FC

Sacramento Republic FC scorers: Luis Filipe Fernandes (5'), Jack Gurr (24'), Russell Cicerone (28', 71'), Keko (90'+1' PEN)
Venue: Heart Health Park
Auto-refreshing reddit comments link
LINE-UPS
Sacramento Republic FC
Daniel Vitiello, Conor Donovan, Shane Wiedt, Jared Timmer, Luis Filipe Fernandes (Matt LaGrassa), Arnold López, Rodrigo Lopez (Zeiko Lewis), Damià Viader (Aldair Sanchez), Jack Gurr, Juan Sebastian Herrera (Keko), Russell Cicerone (Luther Archimede).
Subs: Johnny Fenwick, Carlos Saldaña.
^{____________________________}
Louisville City FC
Kyle Morton, Joshua Wynder (Amadou Dia), Osacar Jimenez, Sean Totsch, Carlos Moguel (Paolo DelPiccolo), Brian Ownby, Tyler Gibson, Enoch Mushagalusa (Ray Serrano Lopez), Manny Perez, Jorge Gonzalez Asensi (Rasmus Thellufsen), Cameron Lancaster (Wilson Harris).
Subs: Ramzi Qawasmy, Oliver Semmle.
MATCH EVENTS via ESPN
5' Goal! Sacramento Republic 1, Louisville City 0. Luis Rodrigues (Sacramento Republic) left footed shot from the centre of the box to the top left corner.
12' Substitution, Sacramento Republic. Keko Gontán replaces Juan Herrera because of an injury.
24' Goal! Sacramento Republic 2, Louisville City 0. Jack Gurr (Sacramento Republic) right footed shot from very close range to the centre of the goal.
28' Goal! Sacramento Republic 3, Louisville City 0. Russell Cicerone (Sacramento Republic) left footed shot from the right side of the six yard box to the bottom right corner. Assisted by Keko Gontán with a cross.
38' Substitution, Louisville City. Amadou Dia replaces Joshua Wynder because of an injury.
40' Damià Viader (Sacramento Republic) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
45' Substitution, Sacramento Republic. Aldair Sanchez replaces Damià Viader.
45' Substitution, Louisville City. Wilson Harris replaces Cameron Lancaster.
45' Substitution, Louisville City. Ray Serrano replaces Enoch Mushagalusa.
57' Daniel Vitiello (Sacramento Republic) is shown the yellow card.
71' Goal! Sacramento Republic 4, Louisville City 0. Russell Cicerone (Sacramento Republic) right footed shot from the centre of the box to the centre of the goal. Assisted by Rodrigo López.
72' Substitution, Louisville City. Rasmus Thellufsen replaces Jorge González.
77' Substitution, Sacramento Republic. Luther Archimède replaces Russell Cicerone.
77' Substitution, Sacramento Republic. Zeiko Lewis replaces Rodrigo López.
77' Substitution, Sacramento Republic. Matthew LaGrassa replaces Luis Rodrigues.
85' Substitution, Louisville City. Paolo DelPiccolo replaces Carlos Moguel.
90'+1' Goal! Sacramento Republic 5, Louisville City 0. Keko Gontán (Sacramento Republic) converts the penalty with a right footed shot to the bottom right corner.
^{Don't see a thread for a match you're watching? Click here to learn how to request a match thread from this bot.}

This is the ninth track from the band's second studio album Meteora (2003).
Studio Version - Official Music Video
From the Meteora album liner notes:

Mike had been trying to write a song around this lyrical idea for over five years. He tried this theme a number of times, but nothing seemed to do the song justice. Meanwhile, during the process of putting together this album, Mike began working on an interlude, crossing a digitally manipulated beat with strings and piano. Unexpectedly, Brad and Joe suggested that Mike turn the two-minute interlude into a full song. Tentatively titled “Drawing,” the piece was extended to three minutes and 16 minutes when Mike took it home to write lyrics. In less than two hours, the lyrics that he had been trying to put together for years fell into place. With some finishing touches, live piano and live strings, the song was finally complete — six years in the making.

In addition the band has released the following demos for "Breaking the Habit":

1. Drawing (Demo 2002) - LPU Rarities 2.0 - 3:32
2. Original Mike 2002 Demo (LPU Rarities 2.0) - 3:18

Rate this song out of 10! Feel free to discuss what you like (or don't like) about the song, as well as any favorite lyrics, studio anecdote or live performance.
Rating Results:
Meteora (2003)

1. Foreword - 7/10
2. Don't Stay - 8.66/10
3. Somewhere I Belong - 9.54/10
4. Lying From You - 9.41/10
5. Hit the Floor - 8.62/10
6. Easier to Run - 9.07/10
7. Faint - 9.35/10
8. Figure.09 - 9.45/10
9. Breaking the Habit - ?

I’m really angry. At myself. At you. I’m angry that the truth is that… I’m really just heart broken and sad again.
I left two weeks ago with no intention of coming back. In the span of 24 hours I found a new place to live (and got it locked down), an attorney, and made steps to break the existing lease.
Because you crossed boundaries. (Divorce level boundaries) You hurt me. And you have no concept of how deeply.
“I’m sorry. I only did __ because…”
Because why? People don’t do that to the people they love.
If you care about the relationship, then you don’t dare play stupid games. You don’t phrase things as threats or throw little verbal spades at me.
I left you. And you were shocked.
And you were remorseful. You cried. You apologized. Sincerely this time, you seemed to empathize with me completely. See my perspective completely.
You gave it equal dignity as to your own.
You quit drinking. You signed up to get evaluated for ADHD (and are now open to medication). You agreed to individual therapy. You agreed to couples therapy.
I came back.
And now you’re arguing with me over billing expenses to the credit card we share. I bought lawn supplies on it because the lawn is a common responsibility between us. You jumped down my throat over it. Instead of fighting with you, I just gave you your half and went on with my day. You decided to spend all of our one hour walk together trying to get me to see your perspective of it. You drove me up the wall with your perspective, until we were once again crazy screaming people in our association.
Yes. You bought lawn supplies earlier on your personal card (accidentally — you meant to bill the shared card). Yes. The expense I paid is roughly the same as yours. So now we should be even right? Me paying you back without an argument about it? Wasn’t that good enough?
Was it worth ruining our sparse bonding time to rehatch a pointless argument? The problem was fixed.
And now today. I told you a week ago I wanted to go to the dog park together at the lake. I told you about all their amenities and stuff we could do. This past Tuesday I looked up the site and showed you pictures of it. I told I wanted to go this weekend.
And now you say that you didn’t know. That it wasn’t planned. Yeah, ok, fair. You agreed to go anyway.
If you couldn’t emotionally deal with going to the dog park “spontaneously” then why did you waste my time?
You blew up at me. You asked me to go for a walk out of the park, my hands were full, and I told you that I wanted to drop the extras at the car. That I needed to use the bathroom.
And you flipped out at me. You told me that I should’ve gone out the other gate then (if I needed to go to the car), and that it was stupid of me to follow you through this one. And that “I’m the bag guy” and I can’t complain about being uncomfortable.
The car was nearby. I had both my hands full and a bag. You didn’t offer to hold anything for me, to wait for me, or anything… and after yelling at me you just turned around and fucked off over the bridge.
You sent me a text “apology” an hour later with all these excuses and justifications for why you blew up.
But I don’t need those excuses.
I took care of my own needs. I went to the car like I needed. I went to the bathroom like I needed. And then I took the walk myself.
Because I know I didn’t deserve that. I didn’t do anything wrong. I saw couples and families at the park that treated eachother right. They had kids complaining. They were out on the same hot day. Some of them had dogs.
Out of the 50 people I saw, you were the only one treating your partner like trash.

Bold New Listing
Disney/Marvel

• Beauty And The Beast (Live) - GP Split
• DR. Strange - gp split
• Finding Dory - gp split
• Frozen - gp split
• Lion King Animated -GP Split
• Maleficent - Mistress of Evil - GP Split
• Saving Mr Banks - 4K
• Star Wars: The Force Awakens gp split
• Toy Story 1 - GP Split

Non Disney Codes

• Alex Cross - AppleTv/Vudu/ - HD
• Aloha -sony HD
• Amazing Spider - Man 2 - Sony -HD
• American Reunion unrated HD
• American Girl McKenna Shoots For The Stars - UV HD
• Anchorman 2 - HD -Vudu/ AppleTv
• Assassination Nation - HD - Vudu/AppleTV/GP
• Bad Grampa - HD Vudu / Itunes
• Battleship -UV- HD
• Beirut - UV - HD
• The Big Wedding -UV- HD
• Boyhood - HD- UV/ Itunes
• The Bourne Legacy - UniversalDigitalCopy.com -HD
• The Call - UV - HD
• Case For Christ - HD UPHE.com /Redeem
• Clifford The Big Red Dog -Vudu HD - Itunes 4K
• Danny Collins - HD - Universal/itunes
• The Dark Tower - UV HD
• Despicable Me 2 - HD Vudu/4K Itunes - Ports to MA - split
• Dirty Grandpa - Apple/Vudu/ GP
• Divergent - HD Apple/Vudu// GP
• Dracula Untold - HD- universalredeem.com
• Draft Day - Apple/Vudu GP
• Dredd - HD - Vudu/AppleTV
• Dying of the Light - Vudu
• Emoji Movie - HD - Sony
• Epic -MA HD
• Expendables 2 - movieredeem.com - HD
• Expendables 3 HD Itunes
• Exposed HD lionsgate Vudu
• The Fault In Our Stars - FoxRedeem.com HD
• Fast and Furious 1 -HD - UV / Apple
• Fast and Furious 6 -UV or Itunes HD
• Furious 7 - UV or Itunes HD
• Fate of Furious - F8 - Vudu / MA - HD
• Fifty Shades Of Grey Hd Or ITunes
• Forest Gump - Vudu -Split
• Fury - Sony - HD
• Ghost Team One - HD - Vudu/ AppleTV
• Girls Trip - Hd Vudu/ Hd Itunes - Ports To MA split
• Hacksaw Ridge - HD Apple/Vudu/Gp
• Hansel & Gretel Witch Hunters- HD -Vudu/AppleTV
• Hercules (The Rock) -HD - Vudu / AppleTV
• Hillsong - Let Hope Rise - UV/ AppleTV
• How To Train Your Dragon 2 - FoxRedeem.com - HD
• The Hunger Games - Catching Fire - UV or ITunes - HD
• The Hunger Games - Mockingjay Pt 1- redeemmovie.com SD
• The Hunger Games - Mockingjay Pt 2 - redeemmovie.com SD
• Ice Age Continental Drift HD MA
• The Imitation Game - HD- Vudu
• Instant Family - paramount -HD
• The Internship - HD - UV or Itunes
• The Interview Sony - HD
• Jack Reacher Never Go Back - HD UV or ITunes
• Jack Ryan:Shadow Recruit - HD-Vudu/4K Itunes - Does Not Port to MA
• John Wick - AppleTv / Vudu / GP / - HD
• John Wick 3 - Apple Tv - HD
• Jurrassic World - HD Vudu/4K Itunes - Ports to MA
• Killer Elite - HD - ITunes
• La La Land -HD -4K AppleTv / Vudu /GP- does not port
• Last Stand - HD / ITunes-
• Les Miserables -HD Vudu/4K Itunes - Ports to MA
• The Longest Ride FoxRedeem- HD
• Lone Survivor -UV HD
• Lucy - HD Itunes or MA
• Magic Mike MA- HD
• Matrix Resurrections - HD - wb.com/redeemmovie
• Maze Runner - Scorch Trials - HD Foxredeem
• Megan Leavey - UV/ITunesMinions -Universaldigitalcopy - HD
• Minions - UV or Itunes
• MI Fallout -HD Vudu/4K Itunes - Does Not Port to MA
• MI Rogue Nation - HD Vudu / 4K Itunes - Does Not Port to MA
• Noah - HD Vudu/HD Itunes -Does Not Port to MA - split
• Now You See Me -Vudu HD
• One Direction - This Is Us -UV - Reg. and Extended -sony- HD
• Paranormal Activity 3 -HD - AppleTV / Vudu
• The Peanuts Movie - FoRedeem - HD
• Percy Jackson Sea of Monsters - HD -UV or Itunes
• Pitch Perfect - HD Vudu/4K Itunes - Ports to MA - split
• Pitch Perfect 2 - HD Vudu/4K Itunes - Ports to MA - split
• Poltergeist 2015 - HD -FoxRedeem.com
• Prometheus -UV - HD
• The Protector 2 - Vudu - HD
• Rio 2 -FoxRedeem -HD MA
• Rocketman - HD Vudu/4K Itunes - Does Not Port
• Russell Madness - HD - FoxRedeem.com
• Same Kind Different As Me - HD Itunes
• Secret Life of Pets -HD - Uv or Itunes
• The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty - FoxRedeem.com HD
• Smurfs 2 HD-Sony
• Snitch - UV/ITunes
• Snow White and the Huntsman - ITunes/HD
• Son Of God - FoxRedeem -HD
• Star Trek - Beyond HD Vudu/ 4K ITunes - Does Not Port To MA
• Star Trek - Into The Darkness - HD Vudu/4K Itunes - Does Not Port to MA
• Step Up All In - Redeemmovie.com -HD
• The Theroy Of Everything - HD - (Will Send First )
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - HD
• Transformers The Last Knight - HD Vudu/4K Itunes - Does Not Port to MA
• Trolls - MA - HD
• Tyler Perry's Temtation -redeemmovie - HD
• Twilight - Vudu
• Twilight Breaking Dawn Pt.2 - movieredeem.com -HD
• Unbroken - UniversalDigitalCopy.com - HD
• Victor Frankenstein Foxredeem - HD
• Warcraft -UPHE.com HD
• The Wolf Of Wall Street - AppleTv/Vudu/ - HD
• What To Expect When You're Expecting - HD - AppleTV -Vudu -GP
• Wonder Park -paramount - HD
• World War Z - Itunes or Vudu - Hd
• X-Men Apocalypse - HD - UV - Apple
• X-Men Days Of Future Past - FoxRedeem.com
• Your Highness -Universal HD

SD Codes

• E.T. - SD
• Goosebumps 2 -SD
• The Homesman - SD
• Maggie-SD
• Possession of Hanna Grace - MA-SD

ITune Codes ( I will send first since I have no way to check )

• Angels and Demons SD or HD
• Captain America The First Avenger Sd or HD
• City Island - SD
• Countdown Sd or HD
• Fast Five - Sd
• Fighter - SD or HD
• The Gambler - SD or HD
• The Hangover Hd
• Hercules HD
• Inception - SD or HD
• Love And Other Drugs - HD or SD
• Night At The Museum - Smithsonian- SD
• Star Trek - HD
• The Three Stooges The Movie Doesn't Port -SD
• Transformers Age Of Extinction - SD or HD
• True Grit - HD
• X-Men First Class -HD /Sd

TV Seasons

• True Blood - Season 2 HD - Itunes/GP
• True Blood -Season 4 HD- Vudu/Itunes/GP

DMR pts only

• Captain Marvel
• Avengers Endgame

Request

• Elvis
• Otto
• The Fabelmans
• Infinite
• The Kings Daughter
• Mickey & Minnie 10
• The Protege
• Open Season 2 & 3
• Puss & Boots 2022
• Gotham Season 3 & 4
• LIST

Dream from 2004 Transcribed (Inner Space Cavern?) [Written in Journal #66 entitled "Trans-Dimensional Shift" in Lubbock, TX, sometime around February of 2004.] The house looks like it’s in the wilderness. Weathered wood, outside; inside is fairly small. My wife, at the time, and I live there. There is a room in it that we rarely go in/ never go in. I go in and find a fish tank full of various frogs. I ask to show her. She seems very distracted. * I finally get her into the room. There are more fish tanks, but the room hasn’t changed. I remember something long forgotten. As a child, I had put frog eggs (jelly soft masses) from various ponds into the tanks to see if they would hatch. Lots and lots of frogs are everywhere. Some connection to a college kid I lived with who was literally trying to take over the world with Artificial Intelligence that was supposed to learn how the human brain works and then enlighten everyone in the world, physically, via hacked nanotechnology. The filters in the tanks were clogged with algae and dead frogs… I feel like I can unclog them… There are live frogs of all kinds and colors in tanks and all over the room, loose. I climb up into the rafters to turn on more lights and find more and more frogs… Tanks contain turtles and crayfish that I had collected and forgotten… They, the ones in tanks, even though the filters were clogged, have somehow formed perfect balance (like mini biospheres) and have survived untended for years (one acts like actual tide pools with active tides)... I think they need more water and tending even though they likely do not… * Next time I go into the room alone, and there are other animals there in different tanks and cages… There is more light in the room… Guinea pig-like rodents. Three bear cubs… I touch one’s nose carefully (big teeth)... Saltwater fish opposite frog tanks… All these fish have ich all over their heads, no eyes or mouths… I remember fish like these used to be in nightmares, but now I see they are just sick, quarantined fish… There is an orangutan in the room… Also, a man, can’t remember what he says, but he offers to show me some more things… There is a younger man in the room who says nothing (he is one of the “things” I am shown)... * I go to my [now ex-]wife. Still acting somewhat indifferent and bring her into the room… The room is now a corridor. No animals. [Later turns out to be underground passage that leads beneath and away from the small wooden shack]... Looks like a gift shop with a band/instrument motif… Man leads us through… Begins to look like Christmas shop… Crosses and Christian decorations, what look like Christmas ornaments… There are small people dressed like dwarves and elves… The man says something about the quiet young man… Says he made him (cloned him?) and taught him everything that he knows through genetic engineering and guided L.S.D. experimentation… We are led to a counter… There are police at the counter… [I feel like a recent marijuana possession arrest at the time of this dream was a past event at this point]... A policeman asks me questions… Says because I am 18, I got off much easier… Asks if I’m really 18, I look at the [now ex-]wife and her eyes somehow tell me to be quiet, not let on that I am much older than 18… Before I can answer, more people come in [like a rush at the gift shop I now work at], A little confusion ensues… The cop offers me a blunt… Says it’s herbal… For clearing up congestion… Implies that it is not marijuana (wink, wink)... Mentions something about three people who make higher judgments about my case (a friend of the [now ex-]wife is one of those people)... Before they let us go on I am given a set of dominoes with runes carved into one side [like a set that I had made], boxed set… All that same Christmas/Christian motif and smells in this scene… * Just before I am given the runes/dominoes, I notice everyone in the cop/counter area is very tall, over ten feet tall… When we leave, we pass people who are dressed like elves and dwarves again… I joke and say, “Finally! People who are more my size…” (I am only a few inches taller than most of these people)... * Outside of this house(?) (ours?), but it is in a public area [like a parking lot]… Bigger than the wooden shack, much nicer… Still seems like Christmas there, but summer-like outside… (Very mild winter?) Three blond girls are in the [now ex-]wife’s car… One in the driver’s seat is trying to steal the car… She can’t figure out how to start it… They don’t see me… I walk up and put my hand on the back of her neck, gently, and say, “You need to find a car with the keys in it. People forget their keys in their car all the time. It’s much easier to get away with.” I walk in front of the car and lean on the hood with my elbows and repeat what I first said… And then I calmly say, “Now get out. Come on.” Then the [now ex-]wife gets in the driver’s seat. A young girl is in the passenger seat, and the [now ex-]wife drives off with her… The girl with her is not blond like the original three… * I go back into the larger house, grab my modified Spanish sword, and feel like I have to make sure that no one is in the house… Still Christmas/Christian icon motif… There is a line of various glass cases leading up to the front door (glass door{s})... The first glass case has an 8 or 9 year old African American boy in it… The rest of the glass cases are empty… Looks like he is trying to hide, but the case is glass… I ask him to get out of the case… I have the sword, and he is scared… But I’m not trying to hurt him… Sword is in my right hand; I wave him on with my left hand… Cops are at the front door, now… They are telling me to put down the weapon… I ignore them, at first, and, smiling, I keep waving the child on… Cops have their guns drawn… I finally throw down the sword and raise my arms… Cops come in and ask what I’m doing in this house… I say something about a secret passage from my wooden house in the woods to this one (from the Frog Room)... The cops who were initially angry and confrontational now seem very confused and genuinely concerned once I mention the passageway... x x https://jsyandow.blogspot.com/2021/10/dream-transcribed-recovered-from.html

Dream from 2004 Transcribed (Inner Space Cavern?) [Written in Journal #66 entitled "Trans-Dimensional Shift" in Lubbock, TX, sometime around February of 2004.] The house looks like it’s in the wilderness. Weathered wood, outside; inside is fairly small. My wife, at the time, and I live there. There is a room in it that we rarely go in/ never go in. I go in and find a fish tank full of various frogs. I ask to show her. She seems very distracted. * I finally get her into the room. There are more fish tanks, but the room hasn’t changed. I remember something long forgotten. As a child, I had put frog eggs (jelly soft masses) from various ponds into the tanks to see if they would hatch. Lots and lots of frogs are everywhere. Some connection to a college kid I lived with who was literally trying to take over the world with Artificial Intelligence that was supposed to learn how the human brain works and then enlighten everyone in the world, physically, via hacked nanotechnology. The filters in the tanks were clogged with algae and dead frogs… I feel like I can unclog them… There are live frogs of all kinds and colors in tanks and all over the room, loose. I climb up into the rafters to turn on more lights and find more and more frogs… Tanks contain turtles and crayfish that I had collected and forgotten… They, the ones in tanks, even though the filters were clogged, have somehow formed perfect balance (like mini biospheres) and have survived untended for years (one acts like actual tide pools with active tides)... I think they need more water and tending even though they likely do not… * Next time I go into the room alone, and there are other animals there in different tanks and cages… There is more light in the room… Guinea pig-like rodents. Three bear cubs… I touch one’s nose carefully (big teeth)... Saltwater fish opposite frog tanks… All these fish have ich all over their heads, no eyes or mouths… I remember fish like these used to be in nightmares, but now I see they are just sick, quarantined fish… There is an orangutan in the room… Also, a man, can’t remember what he says, but he offers to show me some more things… There is a younger man in the room who says nothing (he is one of the “things” I am shown)... * I go to my [now ex-]wife. Still acting somewhat indifferent and bring her into the room… The room is now a corridor. No animals. [Later turns out to be underground passage that leads beneath and away from the small wooden shack]... Looks like a gift shop with a band/instrument motif… Man leads us through… Begins to look like Christmas shop… Crosses and Christian decorations, what look like Christmas ornaments… There are small people dressed like dwarves and elves… The man says something about the quiet young man… Says he made him (cloned him?) and taught him everything that he knows through genetic engineering and guided L.S.D. experimentation… We are led to a counter… There are police at the counter… [I feel like a recent marijuana possession arrest at the time of this dream was a past event at this point]... A policeman asks me questions… Says because I am 18, I got off much easier… Asks if I’m really 18, I look at the [now ex-]wife and her eyes somehow tell me to be quiet, not let on that I am much older than 18… Before I can answer, more people come in [like a rush at the gift shop I now work at], A little confusion ensues… The cop offers me a blunt… Says it’s herbal… For clearing up congestion… Implies that it is not marijuana (wink, wink)... Mentions something about three people who make higher judgments about my case (a friend of the [now ex-]wife is one of those people)... Before they let us go on I am given a set of dominoes with runes carved into one side [like a set that I had made], boxed set… All that same Christmas/Christian motif and smells in this scene… * Just before I am given the runes/dominoes, I notice everyone in the cop/counter area is very tall, over ten feet tall… When we leave, we pass people who are dressed like elves and dwarves again… I joke and say, “Finally! People who are more my size…” (I am only a few inches taller than most of these people)... * Outside of this house(?) (ours?), but it is in a public area [like a parking lot]… Bigger than the wooden shack, much nicer… Still seems like Christmas there, but summer-like outside… (Very mild winter?) Three blond girls are in the [now ex-]wife’s car… One in the driver’s seat is trying to steal the car… She can’t figure out how to start it… They don’t see me… I walk up and put my hand on the back of her neck, gently, and say, “You need to find a car with the keys in it. People forget their keys in their car all the time. It’s much easier to get away with.” I walk in front of the car and lean on the hood with my elbows and repeat what I first said… And then I calmly say, “Now get out. Come on.” Then the [now ex-]wife gets in the driver’s seat. A young girl is in the passenger seat, and the [now ex-]wife drives off with her… The girl with her is not blond like the original three… * I go back into the larger house, grab my modified Spanish sword, and feel like I have to make sure that no one is in the house… Still Christmas/Christian icon motif… There is a line of various glass cases leading up to the front door (glass door{s})... The first glass case has an 8 or 9 year old African American boy in it… The rest of the glass cases are empty… Looks like he is trying to hide, but the case is glass… I ask him to get out of the case… I have the sword, and he is scared… But I’m not trying to hurt him… Sword is in my right hand; I wave him on with my left hand… Cops are at the front door, now… They are telling me to put down the weapon… I ignore them, at first, and, smiling, I keep waving the child on… Cops have their guns drawn… I finally throw down the sword and raise my arms… Cops come in and ask what I’m doing in this house… I say something about a secret passage from my wooden house in the woods to this one (from the Frog Room)... The cops who were initially angry and confrontational now seem very confused and genuinely concerned once I mention the passageway... x x https://jsyandow.blogspot.com/2021/10/dream-transcribed-recovered-from.html

A special thanks to u/bluefishcake for the wonderful original story and sandbox to play in.
A special thanks to my editors LordHenry7898, RandomTinkerer, and Swimming_Good_8507
And a big thanks to the authors and their stories that inspired me to tell my own in this universe. RandomTinkerer (City Slickers and Hayseeds), Punnynfunny (Denied Operations), CompassWithHat (Top Lasgun), CarCU131 (The Cook), and Rhion-618 (Just One Drop)
Hy’shq’e Ay Si’am (Thank you noble friends)
​
Chapter 22: The Concern of Parents
Andy drove the old pickup out of the base impound lot, with Aftasia and Sitry beside him on the bench seat. It was an old Rez truck, faded with age, dented, and rusting out in places, but it ran well enough and had a half tank of gas.
They’d landed easily enough, and Andy had let Aftasia and Sitry step out first to explain to the surprised militia garrison about him and his rifle. Andy was conscious of the leering faces of the Shil’vati women as they walked off the tarmac to the impounded vehicle lot. He’d spent twenty minutes convincing the two of them not to take one of the Marine transports. Now they bounced along in the old truck, and he had to stop himself from laughing at how they had to keep readjusting their ears as they folded over against the ceiling.
He drove out on the old coast road towards the river that had once been the border between the North Straits Salishian Reservation and Washington. Andy opened the window and the cab filled with the sea breeze as he drove over the neglected and bumpy road carefully. His two passengers were silent as they drove through the old abandoned suburbs of the town until they reached the crossing by the old collapsed bridge that used to span the river. Andy pulled the vehicle up on the bank and got out. The water was muddy and moving fairly fast. Andy took out a cigarette and started considering his options. The storm had swollen the river, and while the truck could probably ford the crossing, it wouldn’t do to have to go for a swim in front of the maybe boss and her cute daughter.
“Is this how you get home?” Andy turned when he heard Sitry’s voice behind him. Both of the Erbians had gotten out too, and Andy put the cigarette back in the pack unlit. Sitry was looking at him expectantly, and Andy found himself suddenly at a loss for words. Behind her, her mother had pulled out her omnipad and had popped in a set of earbuds.
“Hold on, Yes? Ah, Akil’eas, I was wondering when we’d get your call…she’s fine, I checked her myself. Her eyes are still black, her skin is still purple, and she has no viral lesions. Sakalbi and Rhaxiid are taking her to that little hospital in Bellingham. Yes, and no, I don’t want you calling her when you’re in this state. Kalai doesn’t need an overwrought father right now, she needs a mother who’ll flick her ears and tell her what an idiot she is.”
Andy couldn’t help but chuckle at hearing the one-sided conversation before looking over at Sitry and cracking a smile.
“My sister’s in trouble,” Sitry whispered as she moved to stand next to him as they watched her mother speak to what was presumably Kalai’s father on the other end of the line.
“So how does that work, exactly? Is she adopted or something?”
“Akil’eas, smart people do dumb things sometimes, and I choose to focus on the outcome…no one was permanently hurt, she’s on her way to the hospital for a check, and she’s back with….I’m her parent too, you know…I have been for years while you’ve been here, and quite frankly, if this is the full extent of her ‘pre-teen rebellion’, I’ll happily take it over what some of my other children have done when they were her age!”
Sitry looked around and walked over to sit on a fallen log and patted the space next to her. “Yes and no? Dr. He’osforos is an old family friend. He went to school with my moms and my dad, and he used to teach and do research at VRISM with them, too. Me and Narny were born around the same time as Kalai and Gadea.”
Andy huffed in amusement and unwrapped the blanket from his shoulders to refold it over him like a sash. Sitry turned bright red and averted her eyes while he did before he took a seat next to her.
“Our folks put us all in the same nursery and we all went to the same school…we’ve been in each others’ back pockets ever since.” She started up again after a moment. “When the…attack went down, all the Shil’vati got sick. The virus doesn’t affect us, so our House didn’t lose anybody, but…almost everyone in our class got sick and died. Kalai lost her sister and her two mothers. Her dad came to Earth looking for a way to cure her, and he’s been here ever since. Kalai’s been living with us for so long, she may as well be Erbian at this point, but she’s not officially a member of our Warren or anything.”
Akil’eas….AKIL’EAS! She is fine, a sprained ankle, a sore shoulder, and too much humble pie at the moment. That’s all! Yes. Yes, she won’t be let out of our sight until you wrap up whatever it is you’re doing that’s so important right now…Well, I think that’s something I need to speak to you about in person.” Andy locked eyes with Aftasia for a moment and gulped before turning back to Sitry.
“So sisters but not. Family, but not. Strangely, I can relate.” Andy focused on Sitry who seemed to be playing with her hair while deliberately trying not to look at his exposed chest.
“You had a brother too, right?”
“Have. I have a brother. Like I said, he got nuked by the Imp Navy and all it did was nothing. He and grandpa took what stommish were ready to fight and went to war.” Andy felt a wave of sadness wash over him and his breath caught in his throat for a moment. “I can barely remember him, I was so little the last time I saw him. He took no shit from anybody.” Andy felt tears in his eyes and he sniffed them back, as he recalled a story that he could tell her without falling into tears.
“You know he, uh…one of the few things I remember about him was…there was this kid on the base, and he used to knock me down when we were coming home from school. Kay Tee…Konstantin…he found out and he followed me home, but he thought he was James Bond or something because he was running behind fences and trees and mailboxes waiting to ambush the bully. So the kid, I don’t even remember his name, walks up and pushes me down…and Kay Tee just bull-rushes him from the side and does this flying jump kick into the kid's nads and beats the piss out of him.” Andy started laughing at the memory. “So he puts the kid on his ass, and he says, ‘You mess with one Salish, you mess with all of us, and we don’t fight fair!’ He picks me up and tells him ‘You push my brother again, I’ll cut your head off and stick it on a stake on the beach!’ or something like that.”
“He sounds like Leonidas.” Sitry’s voice had an airy quality and she was staring at him with very large blue-green eyes.
Andy burst out laughing. “What?”
“You know, a hero! Blight, that didn’t come out right!” Sitry giggled nervously and she looked away.
“I mean, if you say so. Leonidas got himself killed, and Kay Tee isn’t dead," Andy laughed while giving Sitry a side eye. She squealed and pulled her ears over her face as she flushed a deeper red.
“-No I won’t, so message me when you can…alright, the human Shel, your place. We’d love to, and we’ll be bringing a guest…yes. We’ll see you then, and I’ll let the rest of the family know. Goodbye, Akil’eas!” Aftasia walked over to them as she wrapped up her phone call and removed her earbuds. “So, you two seem to be getting cozy,” she said in a flat tone and a raised eyebrow to her daughter.
“I wasn’t looking, honest ma!” Sitry mumbled, going red again in embarrassment. Andy looked from Sitry to her stern looking mother and he cleared his throat to get her attention.
“So I know why you want to hire me, but what exactly is it that I’d be doing on a day to day basis? A thousand credits a week is an exorbitant amount of money around here. I want to know what it is I’d be getting myself into.” And folded his arms over his chest as he studied Aftasia, watching her closely to try and discern what she might be thinking.
Aftasia’s stern expression softened and her ears swiveled forward towards him. “Well, ideally, you’d come live with us at Headquarters in Victoria, so you’d have twenty four hour access to the facilities and our people. I think my husband wants you to be a field guide for our restoration teams, which would mean leading expeditions and excursions. I’d imagine there’d be a training component to it as well. Teaching us to identify invasives, avoid causing ecological harm, and so on. We’d also like to ask you to speak to your people about perhaps not trying to shoot us or sabotaging our equipment? Would you be willing to do that for us?” She held her hands open at her side and they moved slightly as she talked.
Andy felt his brow get heavy and his mouth pulled down in a frown. “That last one might be hard. I don’t speak for all the humans that live around here. I don’t even really speak for all of my own people…but there are enough that would at least hear me out because of my name and my heritage.” He schooled his features back into a stoic mask to hide the sudden wave of fear that threatened to make him shiver. “Living with you…giving up my home…”
Aftasia knelt down in front of him, concern clear on her face. “You’d have transportation at your beck and call, if that’s what it takes. If you’d rather not live in the arcology, then we’d make arrangements for ground transportation or even a shuttle service.”
Andy took a deep breath and considered his words carefully. “It just feels…well, almost like I’m being conscripted. Instead of a rifle and that black catsuit armor, I’d get a clipboard and a collaborator’s jacket.”
“We aren’t the military, Mr. Shelokset. Even if you signed the contract, we’d never ask you to compromise your people or yourself.” She reached out and grabbed his hand, causing Andy to flinch, and instinctively pull his hand away and he stiffened, unable to hide the sudden burst of panic on his face. Aftasia seemed to pause and looked at him with an expression he couldn’t read, and her face fell before she spoke again. “Andrei, I don’t know the details of how the Imperium treated you, but…I know that there were many cruel and ‘inhumane’ things done to you. I can’t change that, but I know that we want to be better. We’ve been trying to reach out to humans for a few years now and…all they see is the marines and the nobles. We aren’t those women, Andrei.”
Andy felt himself begin to untense, and he fought back the sudden desire to flee, letting Aftasia continue. “My family…our Warren…was tasked with the restoration of Earth to showcase the benefits of being part of the Empire. We’d like to be a force for good. To make a gift of your homeworld restored to the brilliant and beautiful garden world it was. We’d like to build a working relationship with humans and earn your trust and hopefully, your friendship. That means when you speak, we listen. When you tell us how it is, we believe you and act on it.”
Andy stood up and walked a few paces away. He stared down at the coursing mud-brown river, as he tried to silently calm himself down. Now was not the time for a ‘Cry Song’, and he longed for the bottle of Jack Daniels he’d hidden in his closet. He focused on his breathing until the panic and fear subsided before he spoke again. “Well, this was the way home, but the water's a little high at the moment to risk crossing here. The bridge over by Ferndale’s still up, so we’ll detour around.” Andy made a show of brushing himself off. “Should only add about fifteen minutes to the drive.
“Well, at least our flood prevention is keeping the river contained.” Aftasia said brightly as she watched Sitry walk back to the truck like a hawk.
“Yeah, about that. We’ll need to talk about what you did to the river. You caused more problems than you solved," Andy replied as he clambered back into the truck and started it up again.
“Wha…really? I’d ask now, but I’d rather wait until we can pay you for your time and expertise. Your knowledge should be properly honored,” Aftasia sighed as Andy turned the vehicle around to drive the back roads to get to home.
“I think if you take that approach, it’ll make things a lot easier with my people in the long run," Andy added hopefully as they drove alongside the farm road by the river. The new raised and reinforced embankments to either side that contained the river and straightened its course out had made him and most everyone else grind their teeth in frustration. It was one of the reasons the salmon populations were dying in the rivers.
They fell back into silence again as they drove on and around, crossing the bridge onto the old Reservation. The road led past The Silver Reef Casino, and he felt a wry sense of amusement to see the parking lot full of both human and alien vehicles. They were doing good business at least, and he’d check in with the Kwainset and the George families that ran it and coordinated their less than legal activities.
“Is that another one of those Indian Casinos?” Sitry asked as they passed by the only buildings in the middle of the abandoned farmland.
“Yeah, each Band has its own, and that’s the Silver Reef, which belongs to my Band. Grandma’s Clan owns half of it because they built it with their money. We do alright, but we’re nowhere near as successful as the Lower River Salish between here and Seattle,” Andy grumbled bitterly. They may be Salish, but some Band rivalries ran deep and the formal dissolution of the Tribe had broken their unity as a people with everyone out for themselves. Stand together or die alone. That was our way. His jaw tightened and he growled.
“So what’s the difference between a Band and a Clan?”
“Oh, uh, not much really. Bands are what the American and Canadian Governments organized us into when they took our land and forced us on different Reservations. The Clans were our own Warrens, so to speak. Some Bands have only one Clan, others have multiple Clans.”
“So which are you?”
“Bear Clan, North Straits Salish Band. We’re the northern most Indians that the United States kept inside their borders. Which reminds me, there’s a good chance my grandma’s not home. So if she’s not, I’ll just run in, get cleaned up and into civilian clothes, then we’ll go to the Casino. The Council officially meets there these days. If we do, just…let me do the talking.” Andy was gratified to see Aftasia nod earnestly before turning to whisper to her daughter. Andy brought his attention back to the road as they drove deep into the Rez and around back to the old coastal road to his home.
By some miracle, their old two story home had survived the orbital bombardment and the firestorm that had followed. The old blue and gray house sat on the top of the cliff, overlooking the bay towards Bellingham and had a beautiful view of the volcano, Kulshan. The gravel driveway crunched noisily as he pulled up the small dive, and found his grandmother’s car parked in front of the garage.
“Huh, looks like you’ll be able to meet my grandma after all,” Andy noted as he killed the engine and opened the door.
“This is your house? Your view is amazing!” Aftasia exclaimed as she followed him out and took in the view of the rising green hills, dominated by the single snowclad mountain behind them.
“Thank you. You’re welcome to come in if you’d like, but if you’d prefer not to, I’d ask that you stay close to the house. Not everyone around here is friendly to hwun’eetums. It might help that you’re not Shil’vati, but I’d rather not risk it!” Andy called back to them as he made his way up to the front door and the porch. He heard them scurry up behind him as he pushed the door open. The smell of smoked salmon wafted out of the house and he closed his eyes happily as he crossed the threshold. Old blankets hanging over the bay windows cut the light and suddenly he felt his head nod. The events of the last two days finally caught up to him and reminded him of how tired he was.
“Grandma! I’m home!” he shouted as he looked over at the living area in the front of the house. The potbelly stove in the corner was cold, and the couch that faced the windows was empty. Magazines and bills filled the coffee table and he walked quickly over to poke his head in the kitchen. She wasn’t there either.
A sudden loud chain of high pitched barking, scrambling, and scratching, followed by a series of thumps from the stairs by the kitchen heralded the approach of the worst guard dog in the world. Puck, the little snow white, fox-faced, American Eskimo Dog came tumbling down the stairs in his excitement, skidding across the hardwood floor like an idiot. Andy knelt down happily and the little fluffy cannonball jumped up into his arms barking and whimpering in his excitement.
“Oh my goodness, a Rakiri!” Andy heard Sitry practically shout as she and Aftasia came in after him.
“Not exactly. This fluffy idiot’s my dog, Puck. Don’t worry, he’s all bark and no bite,” Andy huffed as Puck hopped out and barked loudly at the two alien women. He skittered excitedly over to them and started hopping in place barking at them while panting happily. Aftasia held her ground admirably, but Sitry shrunk back from the loud little puffball.
“Alright, you little idiot! I know we’ve got alien invaders! Now sit!” Andy commanded and the dog half squatted, half sat as he danced from foot to foot. He fell mercifully silent, save for the panting and he looked up with a happy smile.
“Tsu’ti’tsi’uqw!” The iron twinged voice, gravelly from years of smoking, echoed from the back rooms where grandma’s home office was located. She appeared in the doorway, dark eyes blazing with anger. She spoke in Salishian as she advanced into the kitchen, and he stood up at attention, the blanket falling to the floor as he put his shoulders back and his chin up.
“You took the Ancestor Masks out to Orcas and held a Gathering? Are you insane?” she roared at him in their language. She was smaller than him by almost a foot and a half, but there was no one in the world he was more terrified of in that moment as she came blazing up to him. The carved ivory necklace she wore clacked and clattered against the beaded hair ties that kept her steel gray hair in two tight ponytails as she stared up at him.
He refused to meet her eyes, staring over her as he felt his insides turn somersaults. “There were more than twenty Clans there, Grandma! Representatives from-”
“And no tumulhs except you! It was an insult and a failure that will set our plans back again! Do you know I’m getting calls from the tumulhs of those Clans claiming everything from Wendigo attack to you turning traitor and…what and who are they?” Grandma Kwainset looked over and behind him at the two suddenly fearful Erbian woman who had gone stock still. “Cover yourself, for God’s sake, and I’ll deal with you later,” Grandma said as she moved to stand in between Andy and the Vaidas.
“Uh, good morning!” Aftasia managed brightly, though her tone was a bit unsteady to Andy’s ears. “Would you happen to speak Vatikre?”
“Fluently,” Grandma replied icily in the alien language with a look back at Andy as he quickly rewrapped himself.
“Ah, well, I’m Aftasia Vaida and this is my daughter-”
“Yes, I know your name. You work with the Ministry of Sciences and are one of the advisors to Governess Ta’naios. You and your family are responsible for the…environmental protection of the region.” Grandma’s icy tone did not abate and Aftasia closed her mouth for a moment.
“Grandma, they stopped the marines from abducting me, and they brought me home-” Andy continued in Salishian, moving around to stand beside her.
“And they’ll want something in return, no doubt.” Grandma’s reply in Vatikre was curt as she stared at Aftasia, appraising her.
“Grandma, they want to offer me a job-”
“Enslave you-”
“Grandma, they saved my life! Be mad at me, not at them!” Andy’s voice was firm as he stepped in front of her again, shielding the two aliens from grandma’s wrath.
“Oh, I’ve no need for your permission to be mad at you, grandson!” Andy felt the full weight of her authority hit him like a tsunami and he did his level best to hold his ground against it.
“Grandma, they want to hire me to fix the things they’re fucking up on! They’re willing to listen!”
“Of all the people to suddenly develop a naivete about the foreigners…” Grandma growled at him before walking over into the kitchen. “May I offer you something to drink?” She called out to Aftasia and Sitry in Vatikre, switching her language to one they could understand.
Andy looked over to Aftasia and nodded his head. “Uh, yes, please and thank you.” There was clattering from the kitchen and Andy rushed over to whisper to Aftasia.
“Our rules of hospitality mean she can’t kick you out if you accept food or drink; just don’t finish it. If you do before we resolve this, claim hunger," Andy whispered before quickly moving back to where he stood as Aftasia gave him a nod of understanding. Sitry’s eyes went wide as she stood next to her mother and gulped audibly. Grandma Kwainset came back out carrying two small glasses of water, which both Aftasia and Sitry accepted graciously and sipped at.
“So you have a job for my grandson. What is it?” Her tone was brusque and she folded her arms over her chest as she glared at the two of them.
“We’d like to hire him as a cultural expert-” Aftasia began before being cut off.
“His culture is not for sale.”
Andy took a deep breath to steady himself and interjected in the short silence that followed. “Grandma, she wants me to help them restore the land!”
“I’ve seen how they’ve been going about it. No deal. I’ll not put our plans, your reputation, and the family name at risk with the Clans to see you sell out to the invaders.” Grandma’s words stung him to the core and Andy felt that old core of frustrated anger that lived inside him start to awaken as his heart began to pump faster in his ears. The two of them glared at each other with neither backing down an inch.
Aftasia’s voice broke the small battle of wills and the two of them turned to look at her. “Missus uh…”
“Kwainset,” Grandma responded, and Andy bit back an angry growl at her use of her maiden name.
“Mrs. Kwainset, I’m not asking him to sell out. We need your help-” Aftasia began.
“I’ll say.” Grandma’s words were a challenge that Aftasia did not take, but instead she soldiered on admirably. Her tone remained gentle and even, just as it was in the shuttle when she’d talked with Andy.
“...your grandson has made us aware of several of the shortcomings in our approach to land management, and we would like to ask for his help in correcting these shortcomings. He’d even help us undo our mistakes in a way that honors and restores the historical territory of your people.”
“And by ‘your people’, you mean us humans?” Grandma shot Andy a severe look.
“No, I mean the Salishians. The indigenous people who have lived here since…how did you put it, Andy?”
“Since time began. Nilh tu’ oh,” Andy said, folding his own arms over his chest as he gave Grandma her own look back.
Aftasia finished her drink deliberately and set the cup on a coaster lying on the coffee table. She looked over and gave the clearly terrified Sitry a reassuring smile before moving to stand before Grandma Kwainset. “Yes, exactly. You are quite right, of course. We are in desperate need of your help, and we are also indebted to your grandson. He saved three of my children last night; this one in particular.” She motioned to Sitry who gave a nervous nod of agreement as Grandma turned her gaze on the teenage girl.
Aftasia continued when Grandma said nothing. “He is a credit to you and your family, and his care for and knowledge of your ancestral homeland is something we admire and would like to engage with to protect and restore it. He was adamant that he needed to receive your blessing before giving us an answer to our offer. We will, however, abide by your decision as his Matriarch, and if your answer is no then we will not impose upon your family any longer.”
Grandma Kwanset held her gaze for what seemed a long while, and Andy could see the impending negative answer building in her eyes. As she drew breath to speak, Andy felt a wild stab of courage compel him to make one last plea in Salishian. “They’re willing to listen! Something is better than nothing and better late than never, Grandma! Please! They’re willing to listen and change!”
Grandma’s words halted in her mouth as she fixed Andy with that hard appraising stare, and again Andy felt as though she would crush him under the weight of her authority and inwardly he trembled at what felt like the inevitable answer. Seconds felt like hours as the silence hung, before grandma finally spoke. “Andy, go get cleaned up. I want a word with this hwun’eetum.”
It wasn’t a no, but it wasn’t a yes either, and Andy felt a different tension settle over him. A feeling of defiance that had seen him into so much trouble in the school, but had kept him alive ever since. It reared its ugly head and tried to rebel at the order. She wanted to speak to Aftasia, and that at least was something. All he could do was nod and turn to give a reassuring nod to Sitry and Aftasia that he didn’t feel before trudging up to the stairs that led to his room on the upper floor. When he’d gotten halfway up he stopped for a moment as he heard the front door open and close. His jaw clenched as he turned around, ready to fly back down the stairs to confront Grandma when her voice stopped him in his tracks and he stayed rooted in place, silent.
“Your warriors killed my husband, my sons, and all my grandchildren except him. He is the last of several long lines of leaders and LET ME FINISH…if he is frozen out by the Clans, or worse, taken AGAIN to be held hostage and brainwashed, then everything he represents will be lost.” Andy knew Grandma didn’t believe like he did that Grandpa and Konstantin were still alive. It had been far too long, and the two of them argued over it incessantly. He knew why she believed them dead, and why she was so insistent that he stop believing they were alive. She wanted him to sit in on the Council Meetings. The Shelokset name was an old and very respected name, but had become controversial. Many of the Clans still held Grandpa Wiley in high regard for his decision to go to war, and several of the surviving elders that had been recovered and brought home from the relocations had made it clear that until the exiles were recalled, there would be no reunification, recognized or not.
Grandma had wanted Andy to step up and take over as a young voice on the Council, but to do so would be to usurp Grandpa and Konstantin’s place, not to mention put him in the limelight, which he feared more than anything. He shivered and his skin got goosebumps as the thought of having to be ‘in charge’ frightened him. What if he got something wrong? Who was he? Just some kid, but doing something was better than nothing, and Grandma’s grand plan of Imperial recognition was never going to work. The Imperium just didn’t give a Goddamn about anyones’ inherent rights.
He quietly trudged up the stairs, avoiding the ones that creaked and went straight to the bathroom. With the shower heating up, he turned to look at himself in the mirror. His paint was a mess. Large areas had washed away or smeared all over him, and the bags under his eyes reminded him that he’d been awake now for almost two whole days. His blanket fell away and he stared at himself, wishing he could be certain of something, anything, about himself. The only things he felt any surety in was his roles as a tumulh, and a Speaker.
“Some Speaker though, the voice and Witness of my family and outside an official gathering I can barely hold it together without either trying to kill somebody or wanting to go fetal. At least I found some hwun’eetums willing to listen. Maybe I’m not such a failure of a healer after all.” Andy wiped the mirror as it began to fog up, so he quickly washed his face and shaved the patchy stubble before stepping into the shower. The hot water felt good and he stayed to enjoy it for a bit longer than he’d meant to. Remembering that he’d left the two Erbians downstairs with his grandmother had him speed up through his normal routine. Slipping and sliding a bit on the floor, he moved quickly to his room to get dressed. His mind chased itself as he wondered what to wear and if he’d need to pack or prepare to say goodbye.
They’ve seen me at my most ‘primitive’, now might be the time to try and impress. He thought as certain lessons about male deportment came bubbling up from the school. Andy squeezed his eyes shut and forced the memories and the feelings of white hot rage and hatred back down deep as he quickly dressed in some of his best. “If they want a fucking Indian Prince, I’ll give them a Goddamn Indian Prince," he said aloud to himself as he finished dressing and braiding his hair. Andy stood in front of the mirror on the dresser and looked himself over. Black slacks, white shirt, beaded pattern vest buttoned up, black coat left open, ivory beaded choker with three carved ivory feathers hanging down over his chest, and three Bald Eagle feathers secured in his rope-tight braid that hung down to the small of his back. “You’ve seen the savage half of me, now let’s see what you think of the noble,” Andy told his reflection sarcastically before looking back at his bed. He’d pulled his suitcase out, but had left it empty. Hope for the best, plan for the worst.
Andy made his slow way down the stairs, straining his ears for any sound from the living room, but heard nothing. When he rounded the corner of the stairs, he saw his grandmother in the kitchen, leaning over the sink, and Aftasia’s ears poking over the back of the couch. He cleared his throat to get their attention.
The red ears over the couch rotated almost comically and Aftasia poked her head up to look at him. There was a moment where the woman did a double take and had a look of surprised shock as she looked him over. Grandma on the other hand took a moment to turn around and look at him. When she did, her face was unreadable. She walked slowly, heavily, towards him until she was standing right in front of him. When Grandma spoke, she spoke in Vatikre.
“You are your own man now, grandson, and you are a Chief of the Salish. I cannot tell you what to do, but I will not give you my blessing to work for our overlords.” Andy felt his jaw tighten, but he waited as Grandma took a breath and looked over at Aftasia, who averted her gaze from the two. “Nor will I forbid you either. You do what you think is right, but remember that your actions will be carried forward by your children and your children’s children. Succeed, and you will be praised. Fail, and your name and line will be forgotten. If you’re willing to gamble your heritage and your birthrights on these hwun’eetums, then there’s nothing I can say or do that will stop you. My door will always be open to you, but the Tribe’s doors may close and you well know that once they do, they never reopen.” With that, she gave him a brief hug and walked away back towards her office in the back of the house.
Andy stood alone looking down the dark hall she’d gone down and heard her shut the door. She doesn’t want me to do this. She thinks I’m making a grave mistake…maybe I am. We need the money, especially if the Tribe’s ever going to…no. We have to succeed! If the Clans take this the wrong way, they’ll freeze me out…but if THEY think I’ve turned, I’ll wind up in a black bag or worse. Andy felt a soul crushing icy pressure settle in his chest, and he felt very alone and small in that moment.
Aftasia approached slowly, stopping a few feet from him and she seemed subdued when she spoke. “I would understand if you turned us down. Your grandmother laid out your situation quite clearly, and as much as I’m convinced that we need your help more than ever, I cannot in good conscience ask you to give up-”
“I am a tumulh…and the last Shelokset tumulh. If not me, then who?” Andy said, interrupting her as he continued to stare down the hall after his grandmother, emotions whirling too fast to make any sense of. “Can you promise me that you will listen? That you will make what I stand to lose worth the risk?” Try as he might, he couldn’t keep the trepidation out of his voice.
“Andrei, you don’t know me yet, so I don’t expect that at this moment my words will carry much weight with you.” Aftasia spoke firmly and with conviction. Andy tore his eyes from the empty hall to look her dead in the eyes. He saw iron resolve reflected there and the claws that had him by the heart started to lose their grip to see it. “Come what may, the Vaida Warren will do right by you and your people. Upon my degrees, upon my children, upon my marriage. When you speak, you will be heard. If you need shelter or protection, our Warren will provide it.”
“And you speak for the others too?” Andy pressed, hoping for an answer that would shake the last of the tendrils of fear from him.
“As I said, you don’t know me yet, but you will…and when you do, you’ll understand the significance of what I’ve pledged. Suffice it to say, yes…I speak for my spouses…and all the Houses within the Warren.”
Andy stared at her in concealed amazement. She spoke like the elders and the fear subsided enough for him to make his choice. He stood still, his face a stoic mask to hide his feelings behind, until at last he made up his mind, and held out his hand, palm open.
“What…what is…I don’t understand?”
“A handshake. For us, the most unbreakable ‘contracts’ are sealed with a handshake and backed by your sacred honor.” Andy quoted one of the many video-letters his father made for him and his brother whenever he went on deployment. Aftasia looked down and slowly held her own out. He clasped her hand firmly and gave it a single shake, never breaking eye contact with her. “Then it’s done. I’ll come work for you.”
Aftasia’s face broke into a smile. “We’ll still get it in writing for appearance’s sake…for the Accountants and ITAD. They like their paperwork.”
“Government, the necessary evil,” Andy replied. “Where honor dies, and it’s only what you can prove in a packed court.”
“Spoken like a true citizen of the Imperium. Get packed, our driver is on his way to pick us up. We’ll fly over to the hospital, pick up the rest of the family and head out to Headquarters. We’ll get you your own apartment in the complex so you don’t have to worry about shuttle availability. Of course you’ll be able to come and go as you please…which reminds me, we’ll need to get you an Approved Entry pass from the Governess’ office.”
Andy nodded and hurried back upstairs to shove as much as he could into the one or two bags he owned. One for all the clothes he owned, which was enough to see him through a week if he ever fell behind on laundry, and the other for his regalia. Plans started to form in his mind, and he hoped that Atasia and her husband would be true to their word.
​
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To be posted 4/9/23

Hi!
Passing on report of a dog walking around Columbia Heights on 11th St between Park and Monroe. They were seen turning on Park towards 13th St. It was light brown (possibly gray too) and medium build. No idea about breeds but like if a German Shepherd and Husky mixed…aka a small wolf.
Sending this out in hopes that the owners know the dog is ok (despite crossing in middle of street) but on the move.
Couldn’t include the photo I got but I’ll pass on a link if Popville or the like posts it.
Edit: tbh…is it a coyote of some type?