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March has come and gone. I turned another year old. The sub grew larger. We had fun. If you missed it, for April Fool's we switched to fictional stories. Thanks to SolariaHues for helping us switch the banners for a day.
In addition, we lost an old warrior when dittybopper passed away. He was known personally to some of the moderation team, and he helped make this place. Because of that, we are going to leave his memorial post up this month and permanently archive his stories for those who come later. Rest easy brother.
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Your Story of the Month for March is "The Bone Marrow Guy of Fort Bliss" by blissbonemarrowguy. This whole thing was near and dear to my heart, losing my brother to Leukemia. I'd like to thank you personally for being the best kind of E4 Mafia. Congratulations. You will get gilded and may have custom flair if you like - contact the moderation team.
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Everyone stay safe and we will see you next month.
Congratulations to our winners!
January 2023 Winner "I can absolutely refuse a NJP and I will SSGT" by nospamkhanman.
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Q: How are winners chosen?
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OneLove 22ADay Glory to Ukraine

I've been seeing a lot of comrades attacking Ron, and it seems that they're being serious. So, let me educate the ones not in the loop.
Ron DeSantis is our guy.
Dead fucking serious. He's our man on the inside. Now, his exact politics are ambiguous. It's hard to tell just where he lands on a scale of lib to leftist. However, the important thing is that he is not really conservative. He's successfully infiltrated the GOP via a carefully constructed persona and cunning theatrics. Let me explain.

A little background

First off, Ron was born and raised in Jacksonville, one of the largest enclaves of BIPOC culture in all of Florida. Ron's mother was a hippie and his father was a left-wing atheist, they even met at Youngstown State University (which was one of the most liberal colleges in the country at that point). There's a lot of information about Ron's upbringing, most notably his fascination with baseball (the national sport of Cuba) yet, curiously, there's very little on his Churchgoing life, or if he even attended Church at all. Nowadays he's quick to cite his attendance to the OLL Catholic High School, although it's ambiguous how much time he actually spent there. It's possible he wasn't there longer than a semester, if even that.
The point is, Ron was not born or groomed into conservatism like most Republicans are. Even after graduating Dunedin High School, he pursued a liberal education at both Yale and Harvard. It wasn't even until 2012 that Ron got involved with politics at all, running as a Republican in an overwhelmingly Republican district (6th congressional district), one that hasn't elected a Democrat since the party switch. He won, and proceeded to have a very uneventful, middle-of-the-road congressional career. He also married Casey Black, an openly feminist journalist and Charleston alumni with a major in Economics and a minor in French.
So, up until his bid for governor, Ron DeSantis has been anything but the typical Republican. In fact, he's been battling RINO accusations since as far back as Michael Cohen's political relevancy (if any of you even remember him). His actions are less consistent with a Republican ideologue and more consistent with someone who secretly loathes the party they're in but is trying to keep up appearances. A bit like an anti-Krysten Sinema, if you will. But, as the heading indicated, that's only the background. Let's get to the interesting part.

A series of Saul Goodman gambits

I know you've read about Ron in the news, or at least in posts here. I'm sure everyone here knows about Martha's Vineyard, LibsOfTikTok, the "war on woke". These would all be very fashy things if they were meant to succeed. But, that's just it: they weren't. Let's go down the list.
The Martha's Vineyard Stunt: Everyone knows about this act of cruelty: Ron kidnapped a bunch of undocumented latinx immigrants and stranded them in frozen weather. The left was outraged, the right was cheering and Ron became a hero to the conservative cause. But let's take a closer look. It's common knowledge in lefty circles that the undocumented immigrants were shipped from Texas to Florida, and then to Massachusetts. At first glance it's the actions of an extreme hypocrite: a xenophobe who complains of "illegals" swarming his home, but can't even find any within his own state. This wasn't by accident. Florida has 772,000 undocumented immigrants (source). Ron could have just much more easily found immigrants in Palm Beach or Broward, but he deliberately chose to 1) Subtly undermine his own stunt and give an optical victory to the left 2) Relocate dozens of undocumented immigrants out of Texas, one of the cruelest states to immigrants in general (particularly of a latinx background). Martha's Vineyard is one of the richest parts of one of the most migrant-friendly states in the country. No matter how you slice it, their lives are vastly improved and it was all done on Florida's payroll.
LibsOfTikTok: Here's a much shorter breakdown. When infamous TikTok Nazi and serial doxxer, LibsOfTikTok, got doxxed herself, Ron DeSantis publicly announced that he would offer refuge in his governor's mansion. He got a lot of praise from the right and scorn from the left. Then he didn't do it.
The War on Woke: Here's another long breakdown, although not as long as I had expected. Ron's made constant news coverage with his supposed "war on woke", a series of proposed laws and regulations that would criminalize leftist thought and persecute minorities. This is absolutely a terrifying force to be playing with. However, this is the point that I need to remind y'all: Ron went to Harvard. He graduated with a JD. These laws haven't just failed, they were designed to fail. You've heard of failproof? These were successproof, and intentionally so. The Reedy Creek board has no control over Disney, yet Ron gets credit for "taking down woke Disney". The "stop-woke" law targeting colleges couldn't even make it past a conservative judge. The supposed book bannings have even had the comical side effect of removing the bible from many Florida public schools, a matter which he had curiously not anticipated despite being the architect of their machinations. I'm sure many here assume that these outcomes are all the product of stupidity, but that's not the case. "But why make laws that aren't supposed to succeed?" Well, that's where things get really interesting.

Why would Ron do all this?

Isn't it obvious? Publicity.
It's easy to forget, but Trump is still the defacto leader of Republican Party. There's no sign of a mass exodus from him anytime soon. He is their strongman, he is the new Reagan. Forget Biden, Trump is Ron's final boss. It's also easy to forget that Trump gets billions worth of publicity for free. Nobody can afford to compete with that, not conventionally. Ron is trying to beat Trump at his own game. But there's a clear difference between the two: Trump is a true Republican and has been his whole life. Behind every zany university scam is a trail of ruined lives and stepped on people. Trump has left behind a verifiable trail of destruction. But DeSantis? His big ploys for attention have been victimless. He gave a better life to undocumented immigrants. He wooed right wing voters with authoritarian laws that had no chance of coming to fruition. He's boasted about making the GOP stronger while undermining it every step of the way.
Even John Oliver's Ron DeSantis segment had trouble making substantial criticisms of him. I think this is perhaps because the Last Week Tonight staff are more thorough in their investigations than most legitimate journalists. For example: in the entire 30 minute segment, not once did John ever mention Martha's Vineyard or LibsOfTikTok. In fact, one has to wonder if John is in on it when he spent most of the time playing up Ron's "conservative strongman" persona in a way that would actually make him appealing to the Republican voterbase. In fact, if you watch that segment with the idea of it being pro-DeSantis propaganda, it's actually more effective than it was as a liberal hitpiece. John even felt the need to mention that Trump is the worse between the two.
Which brings me to my final point, and possibly the most important:

What is Ron's relationship with Trump?

That's a topic that the media has been musing over for the last year, but it's really not that hard to figure out. Early on, everyone talked about the "rivalry" between the two. This rhetoric heated up as Trump's jabs at him became meaner and even borderline slanderous. Yet Ron has been careful not to fight back, even attempting to be cordial with Trump.
So, that means Ron likes Trump, right?
Dead wrong. Dead fucking wrong. The biggest piece of evidence that Ron does not like Trump is the fact that he's gearing up to run in 2024 at all. He's only 44 years old. There's no urgency for him to run in 2024. The only reason he would have to dedicate himself to such a clusterfuck of a year is that it's likely his only chance to usurp Trump. Does anyone really expect such a decrepit, out of shape piece of shit to run in 2028? 2028 would likely be easier for Ron, who will only be 48 (an actual child compared to most presidential candidates). Plus he wouldn't be running against a Dem with the incumbent advantage.
No matter how you slice it, the only way Ron's 2024 bid makes any sense is if you view it as pure spite against Trump.
But that circumstantial evidence isn't enough. Instead, I'd like to allow Ron to speak for himself. On the topic of Trump's indictment, Republicans (even supposed "never Trumpers" like Romney) have been outspoken in defense of Trump. Well, with one notable exception. When asked about his thoughts on Trump possibly being the victim of political persecution, DeSantis (who is not one to pass up an opportunity to speak out about Democrats) only had this to say:

He's trying to do a political spectacle … I've got real issues I've got to deal with here in the state of Florida (source)

Ron DeSantis was practically given the chance to woo the Trump voterbase. And yet, a man known for being thunderous and commanding instead responded with... silence. It's perhaps the loudest silence of all: the silence of endorsement.
I rest my post.

TL;DR Ron DeSantis' inexplicable and sometimes illogical political career is a carefully crafted, carefully acted ploy to undermine Trump and possibly the GOP as a whole.

I (26F) had walked out of the house because I was fed up with everyone and everything.....let me start from the start......
I have been with my boyfriend (M25) for 5 years, just with in the few past years he was comming clean about him, how he felt and stuff he hid from me, example: our first two years we were togeather he did not love me because I was not working at the time, I was not showing the potential and he knew a girl and he expressed his feelings for her while we're were togeather and when I found out he had lied about it...
There is more, but I want to get to the point of this story...
With in the past almost 2 years at my job I had experience alot of truma, I am a caregiver, my co workers and I had a rough year and yet today we are battling alot within our own personal circles, to begun with is we had covid in October of 2021 and lost two consumers ( in hospitals) and in March of 2022 I jad experience my first death, I have been to funerals, but I have never been with a family member as they past, this consumer had past peacefully which helped me understand that they were no longer in pain and that she left this earth knowing she was taken care of and loved by family.... flash forward to October of 2022 I found out I was pregnant..... 31-34 weeks along... I was in shock and surprised and happy because me and my boyfriend had a few miscarriages so I was excited.
a week befor I had my baby I was passing meds and getting the consumers ready for the day, this consumer was wheelchair bound with other disables so I had to get them up, bathroom, change clothes and fed them for they were on a puree diet, I went into the bedroom and I called their name, no answer, I called again, no movement, I turned the lights on and they were on their side and I lightly shook their arm and called their name again thinking they were in deep deep sleep... I rolled them over... and they were gone... I freeze and panic I ran very pregnant to the office and called hospice, manager, shift leader...
now I know what your thinking, why dident I do CPR, because the consumer was on hospice due to disability and had a DNR( and idk of this is correct and idk if this is the same for every state, Im in Michigan) we were told if a consumer has a DNR and ON HOSPICE, you can not do CPR.
I was sobbing on the drive home, I called my boyfriend and let him know what happend and it scared me. Week later we went to the hospital and was haveing a hard time getting a OBGYN because alot of them don't except pregnancy this far along so he took me to the hospital, I was stressed so I had high blood pressure and was kept over night so I wouldn't turn into pre-eclampsia, my water had broke the night and I had my beautiful baby girl, flash forward to February and everyone had noticed that I have changed... but I was afraid to admit how I felt because it did feel embarrassing and I was sappose to have a strong head on me.
I was struggling with Post Parduim Depression, depression, anexity, PTSD and I had constant thoughts about ending my life, when my bf and his dad sat me down to talk they had no idea this is how I felt and my boyfriend had taken me to the hospital.
Few weeks ago I went to a behavioral clinic because for the past month I kept telling my boyfriend on how I felt, and he wouldn't talk to me, we ended up getting into a huge fight several times, and we both agreed I should go... and I was sappose to go to GHS ( Genesee health system) on Monday but...my day turned very shitty...
My boyfriends step mom was going off because of very of things, he son is a asshole, lack of chores being done, pop shots at everyone and attacking everyone, and then she came out and said " I got the water ready for you, the dishes needed to be done, I'm not asking, shit is going to change" that was when I had enough, she has always made pop shots at everyone, doesn't do much around the house ( does have bad hips and is getting ready to do surgery) but this is everyday, even when we ALL have worked hard on the house and done everything she has asked.
Long story short, I was talking to my boyfriend because I was frustrated and he said " if you feel like that then go", I said " ok", got up grabbed my bag, packed worked cloths, underwater and socks and was getting ready to walk out of the door and headed to work, step mom and now boyfriends dad are arguing, which sets me off ( I basicly crouch down and cry and cover my head) and I looked at my boyfriend and I said I was ready to go when he was, we get into the jeep, we drive and I am of course am sobbing, for the simple fact I had to leave my daughter there because I was homeless at this point and it broke my heart that I had to leave because I would rather stay alive, then end my life and rot in a box 6 feet below, she needed me so I left so I can fix myself, my mind set for her, and be a good mom for my daughter.
my bf pulled over at school ball park, we talked and then I got out and begun to walk while it was a mix of snow and rain( hate Michigan weather) and I walked, I had walked to the little part of the town we lived by the school and my bf called me, he asked were I was and that his dad said to come and get me so us four adults can talk, and when he found out that my bf had "dropped me off" ( even though it was my choice and I needed to clear my head) and I couldn't hold it back and I yelled on the phone and was bawling because I had enough, I was upset, heartbroken and honestly I dident want to go back, he got pissed and hung up on me.... I was still walking and I took a few moments to breath and called him back and decided to go back.
After a bit all four of us talked, I even tried to but it was almost about me not letting the walls down, I do have an issue with trusting people and being opend because I have had ALOT of truma, I am getting better but it still I hard, my bf took me to work ( normally I drive but I was emotional hot mess) and he told me to think about everything rather if I'm comming home or leaveing.... and he had me come up with a pro or cons list and everything pointed to pro...but at the same time my head and hurt are fighting eachother, it's 4 am and he sappose to be here at 7 am to pick me up.... and idk what to do.... idk if rather to go back...and if I did.... what would I have to do there and then?
Sorry I wrote a book but I needed to get this off my chest, my chest is hurting due to the heart palpitations and my head and heart are equal at this point....thanks
Edit: I know I'm not perfect, or an angel, and I know what my part has played into this whole shit hole of a mess, which is why I am getting the help, and i know I am equally at fault, but it jas gone on for too long and now that my mentle health has gone down the drain and I'm trying to heal and move forward and I felt like I can, I was called immature for leaving but I honestly think I did the most grown up by leaving and taking myself out of a situation so I don't want to go down hill further and to be able to be happy and be able to be a mother to my daughter, what also got me though is when I said I had to go get ready for work step mom yelled " yep go-ahead and run away" and my bf and his dad both said that I was getting ready for work... and that felt like a knife in the gut..

I've known my boyfriend for a year, been dating since February. We have tickets to go to a wedding for his sibling in June across the country.
We went to a party tonight. It was mostly older folks, but there were a couple women around my age. I knew one person there, as it was his circle of friends. The night was going well and I gradually broke off and tried to make conversation with other people.
I met Cassie, who said her family absolutely loves my boyfriend. I looked over at him and smiled from afar. He is great. I told him later what she had said and he said he wasn't sure if it was a sexual thing or not. I pushed it aside.
I was in the house later and the women were talking about the state of Georgia and Florida and how its kind of trashy. I kept my mouth shut - I am a floridian in a northern state. I politely bowed out of the conversation and went out to the bonfire.
That's when I saw them. Cassie was in his arms in a close embrace, looking up into his eyes and he down into hers. She looked over at me, knowing I came with him, looked back at him and swooned about how she'd just love to take his photographs. My heart sunk, I turned and walked away. I couldn't watch. I walked a mile to the nearest gas station in the rain and got a hot chocolate. I texted him I'd left the keys on his tire (i was the dd), and that I was sorry but I ran after what I'd seen.
He hadn't been close with me at the party and if any outsider was watching, they would have believed she was the girlfriend.
I talked with a girlfriend on the phone on a bench at the gas station, who was willing to come get me. I said I wasn't sure. He texted me and asked my location. I replied. He showed up. I let her go and said I'll call her tomorrow but that I'm going to try to work things out.
In the car he told me I can't run off. He was scared. He said she is married, has kids. On the way home he said if I'd stayed 10 more minutes I would have seen it was innocent. His guy friend had come up and started humping him while he was hugging her and he got freaked out and stopped everything. I said I'm not sure how I'm supposed to feel better that you were hugging for ten minutes. He said he saw her kiss his guy friend on the other side of the house from the husband. Again, I said I'm not sure how I am supposed to feel better about her. In fact, now I feel worse because it sounds like she needs all the male attention in the room. She sounds like bad news.
I reminded him of the guy who wanted to have a coffee with me... a coworker... who has a girlfriend. An innocent coffee about work. I was transparent with him and we discussed it, and we both decided no coffee. Might be weird. If coffee is weird, how is this acceptable at all?
He said he wished I had said something before walking off. I said how was I supposed to interrupt what I was seeing? He agreed, there was no good way. He said he wasn't sure what he was supposed to do, but that he guessed he should have told her he has a girlfriend. DUH.
I've been burned so bad by women who exhibit this kind of behavior before. It isn't ok. And it isn't ok that he thinks its OK. And his behavior isn't ok either.
At the end of the night, he had called his brother. He came back to me and said he was sorry for having broken my trust. I didn't say anything. I didn't know what to say.
He said OK, no pictures with Cassie. Off limits. I said I'd prefer someone who is more professional. He said she was one of the first people he met when he moved here. They've never slept together and he doesn't want to. He said he doesn't know how to put distance between them due to their social circles. I said I'm not asking you to make things awkward. I'm asking you to assert a relationship you claim you want.
I've been lying in bed for 2 or 3 hours wide awake. I can't sleep. What would you do? Would you want more information? What questions should I be asking? Am I overreacting?
Tl;Dr boyfriend held a woman in his arms for ten minutes at a party who kissed another man than her husband and he tried to justify it as being ok and claimed to not know what to do.

Ring-a ding ding! Looks like Fallout: Miami's explosive influence has yielded fantastic results for its creators. Fallout: Miami, a mod for Fallout 4 created by Wayne and Luke-Benjamin Carlson, is being officially licensed by Bethesda! This is truly a momentous occasion for Fallout fans. Fallout: Miami has a unique take on the Fallout universe and its established canon. Opting for glamorous Florida beaches and sunny weather, this quirky mod distinctly contrasts its main-game counterpart, with its dark, rad-infested alleyways and desolate wastelands. Bethesda plans to include Fallout: Miami's intricate storyline in future Fallout canon, as well as make small tweaks to it in its initial debut.
The Bethesda team has taken full creative control of Fallout: Miami, bringing in other elements of Fallout canon into the popular mod. It is rumored that voice actors from previous Fallout games will be returning in Fallout: Miami to re-record Miami's innumerable voice lines with a Bethesda twist. They are also changing up Fallout: Miami's maps to “better suit the look and feel of Fallout, reminiscent of the iconic Fallout: 3 and Fallout: 76 games". A Bethesda team member revealed that they will be removing palm trees to replicate that feeling of wandering a post-apocalyptic wilderness. Rad-ical!
The iconic Brotherhood of Steel will also be making a comeback as a more prominent protagonist in Fallout: Miami, taking on a role similar to that in Fallout: 3. This newest version of our beloved Brotherhood will also be featured in future Fallout games. The re-appearance of these tech-clad warriors has inspired creative director Todd Howard to make power armor a leading feature in Fallout: Miami's gameplay, allowing players a wide variety of new power armor sets while de-emphasizing their drawbacks. This will create a more open-world feel for players, helping them along in their post-apocalyptic journey.
With all these new features coming with the release of Fallout: Miami in late 2024, it is without a doubt the most anticipated game release of the coming year. We here will be tracking all the juicy updates right here. It's just like what the wasteland's iconic radio host, Three-Dog, says: "You can't stop the signal, baby!"

/LonghornNation Daily Off Topic Free Talk Thread

Today: 4/2/2023

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Trending on Reddit

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1. Conservative who claimed that "Brooklyn felt more unsafe than Afghanistan" is captured and held hostage by the Taliban two years after having been evacuated by the British Army
2. New Zealand's Cook Straight captured from the International Space Station.
3. The Onion went hard AF with this
4. TIL Snoop Dogg was excommunicated by the Rastafari Council after his attempt to rebrand as Rastafarian "Snoop Lion"
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1. The Twelfth Annual /CollegeBasketball Bracket Challenge
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5. Florida Atlantic releases plans to switch to an all sand field design for the 2023 season
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7. BREAKING: Texas A&M, Arkansas to leave SEC for Big 12 as early as 2024 - Good Bull Hunting

/LonghornNation

1. [4/1/2023] Saturday's Off Topic Free Talk Thread
2. [Series Thread] ⚾ #21 Texas at #17 Oklahoma State
3. Former Longhorn LaMarcus Aldridge announces his retirement (again)
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Upcoming hike with two housedogs!
Heya!
I live in south Florida where everything is flat and the only elevation changes are sand dunes. Our 'hiking' with our two spoiled rotten dogs are flat land and soft sand. Next month though we are going to Georgia and going to a bunch of Falls hiking areas.. I'm not terribly worried about the dogs in their physical capabilities because we know their limits but I am looking for ideas and any helpful tips! I already got a lot from just reading posts on this sun.
Dog 1: will likely end up carried most of our trip. He's a 1.5 yr old 10 lb shorthaired chihuahua/yorkie/pomeranian/shihtzu/schnauzer mix who's already had knee surgery. If you have any suggestions on hands free carrying for him we are kind of clueless on what works best in general.
Dog 2: she is a short winded? athlete in that she herds sheep and sprints around our yard but our other dog has better stamina even with his bad leg. She is all black so she does overheat easily in direct sunlight but the places we plan to go are almost all shaded and the times of the day we plan on going are cooler than any weather she's herded in here in FL. She's a 1.5 year old 38lb shorthaired boxeapbt/chow/beagle/chihuahua mix. I'm more worried about her feet than anything else, I'm not sure if I should get mushers secret or booties because she could overheat if her feet can't breathe BUT she's only been in grass fields, grassy backyards, sandy flat trails and the beaches.. her feet aren't really equipped or used to rocky trails which we expect to probably experience some of close to some of the falls..
We are going to br pretty slow moving in general. I'm not someone who does anything like running or walking just because so I'm not planning on doing any difficult trails myself.
Some things already on our list:
Doggy first aid kit / Wate Bowls/ Food/snacks for breaks/ 'Place' mats for breaks/ Harnesses and 6ft leashes/ Collars with ID tags/ Backup leash and harness each/ Poo bags and a container to store the poo until we get to a trash receptical.

Post-indictment poll: Trump surges to largest-ever lead over DeSantis

A new Yahoo News/YouGov poll — one of the first conducted after former President Donald Trump was indicted Thursday for his role in paying hush money to a porn star — shows Trump surging to his largest-ever lead over Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, his likely 2024 GOP primary challenger, as Republican voters rally around the only president in U.S. history to face criminal charges.
In the previous Yahoo News/YouGov survey, which was conducted less than two weeks ago, Trump (47%) led DeSantis (39%) by eight percentage points in a head-to-head matchup among registered voters who are Republicans or Republican-leaning independents. As recently as February, it was DeSantis who was narrowly ahead of Trump, 45% to 41%.
But the new, post-indictment poll suddenly finds Trump lapping DeSantis by 26 percentage points — 57% to 31% — in a one-on-one contest. The former president even attracts majority support (52%, up from 44% previously) when pitted against a wider, 10-candidate field of declared and potential GOP challengers, while DeSantis plummets to 21% (down from 28%).
No one else cracks double digits.
More at the link at the top of this post...
During yesterday's Real Time with Bill Maher, Maher told Gov. Chris Sununu that trump would win in 2024 (see the 5:20 mark); Sununu vehemently disagreed. A "Teach" is on record attempting to instill fear in Reddit readers here...polls have shown he is indeed rising. I have faith in the American voter that this too shall pass...So what do you think?

Well here we are again. It's always such a pleasure. Remember when you tried to kill me twice?
​
Oh, wait, that's not the right intro. We're not at the end of the sixth book and it's been quite the journey everyone, I must say. People didn't like my writing. People did like my writing. People said I was writing too much and I need a tl;dr. People downvoted my stuff without telling me why. People hilariously took issue with my saying maybe our heroes should address poverty. You know, fun stuff like that. But the main thing is that I got to read a really cool book out of it, and it was pretty fantastic, really. So, if you think about it, I was the true winner here.
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There were quite a few pretty major developments in this book and a few dangling plot threads as well. It's interesting how this book is bookended so completely by Demandred and a mysterious Myrddral, Shaidar Haran, that speaks directly for the Dark Lord apparently. There's not a lot of indication of exactly what the plan here is, but it has something to do with keeping Rand alive and the mysterious "Lord of Chaos." I'm really not sure if that is a reference to a specific person or thing or if that is a metaphor. The "Lord of Chaos" could just be Rand himself, but the Dark Lord doesn't want Rand succeeding, obviously, because he's destined to lose to Rand at the Last Battle. Whatever it is, Demandred is doing something in this book that he considers a success and perhaps the Dark Lord does as well and it's really quite hard to tell exactly what that is, probably we won't know until later books.
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One of the major developments, in itself, is learning that the Dark Lord can resurrect Forsaken, at least those who haven't died to Balefire because they get ripped out of time altogether, itself a pretty wild and fucked up ability. The fact that the Dark Lord can't reach out of time is interesting, there's a limitation there that can perhaps be exploited. The only way to keep the Forsaken out for certain is to kill them with Balefire or to make the Dark Lord dislike them in some way, like with Asmodean, so it doesn't resurrect them. One thing I do like about these books is how the bad guys are always operating in the shadows and it's rather rare that we get a look in to what they're doing, but I like that. The influence is there under the surface and behind the scenes. It makes sense for what team Dark Lord have to do right now. They don't have the strength to come out and openly fight Rand yet. That has to wait until the last battle, presumably. I like the use of Aran'gar, here. She's the Forsaken who used to be a man resurrected. I knew for sure that she had to be a man despite now inhabiting a female body because no female Forsaken died before this point. Hell, none of them have died AT THIS POINT either. None of the Forsaken died in this one, interestingly enough. Huh. Aran'gar working behind the scenes in Salidar is absolutely interesting and I'm wondering what exactly she was up to the whole time. Obviously she freed Moghedien. We also know that she wanted to influence the Hall to gentle Logain since the Forsaken and probably the Dark One see Logain and probably the whole Black Tower that he is probably about to go to as a threat. There's also the annual (once per book) look in on Padan Fain as we count down the days until he actually does something to influence the plot, lol.
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Another major development that I don't particularly like is Morgase going to the Whitecloaks for help and eventually signing over her country to them. This definitely felt like bad writing to me, to be honest. Probably the only instance of it, in the book, although the Egwene being made Amyrlin section is iffy. The fundamental problem with this section is that it's just the worst possible decision she could have made amongst a sea of bad decisions. I definitely get the idea that she was brain damaged, that compulsion made her illogical, that Rhavin made her distrust Aes Sedai. That's the bad writing part. In order for this decision to work, Morgase has to be brain damaged and not in her right mind because it's not a decision that she would make if she completely had her mental capacities, one would think. Which just isn't as interesting as a character making a decision for herself and not because of something someone else did to her. That can, certainly, be interesting, the Forsaken influencing the rulers of nations with compulsion, but it's much more disappointing AFTER she's supposedly broken free of the Forsaken's influence. I get that this is going to be the basis for Pedron Niall declaring war on Rand. But the thing that kills me about this is that it wasn't necessary at all. The Whitecloaks really didn't need an excuse to declare war on Rand, they would have done it anyway, eventually. They are an inherently anti-magic organization that believes all channelers are darkfriends. Period. They're certainly not going to support anyone who calls himself the Dragon Reborn. You could have gotten your war with the Whitecloaks and Rand in any way AT ALL, you didn't need a mentally damaged Morgase. Fortunately, this is the only major development I dislike. The others are quite interesting.
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I really appreciate in this book how Rand is holding firm to his political power and not abandoning it and running away. I said this in the previous book as well, but this was a habit of his. He had a habit of gaining political power, setting up a base, and then immediately abandoning it. But here he is forced to stay in one place, or, two places. I liked seeing him jump back and forth between two different courts and having to deal with the different problems of each one. That was really cool. I'm not sure how this is going to change, now, after the ending. Whether he's able to hold on to one or both is going to be interesting. The point is that he's doing things, he influencing nations, giving commands, sending out agents into the world to do his bidding. He's a real political player on the board and not just a random guy running around on a quest. I love that. That's the type of thing I'm here for.
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Continuing the major developments, we have the development of the Black Tower. This is the first time we've see the character of Mazrim Taim and boy is he a cool character. Somehow he's held off the madness for long enough to come to Rand and Rand has now appointed him as the headmaster of his new school for male channelers. Taim is such a sketchy character, too, and I see why Rand doesn't want Taim to use the power on him. Rand's amnesty is huge and completely unprecedented. Male magic users are inevitably going to go insane because of the taint on saidin, that's why the Red Ajah exists at all in the first place to hunt them down. To not only allow them to roam free, but to teach them and to use them as soldiers is wild. And what happens at the end when they prove how gut-wrenchingly powerful they are when they destroy an army and capture Aes Sedai is truly earth shattering: politics defining. The Black Tower is a serious force to be reckoned with and maybe now be completely out of Rand's control. I really think that the two times Rand was almost attacked by Asha'mon in this book was deliberate foreshadowing to when the Black Tower, not really knowing who they're supposed to serve, turn on him as the madness takes them. Or just because they don't want to support Rand anymore. I'm calling it now: The Black Tower will turn on Rand at some point.
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The Salidar stuff is absolutely fantastic and a real highlight of the book for me. I've consistently loved the Aes Sedai politics and this stuff was no exception. Sheriam's inner circle, probably the strongest political faction in Salidar, made a play to made Egwene the Amyrlin Seat. After thinking about this for awhile, I've come to the conclusion this is actually, secretly, a genius, if absolutely batshit insane, move. It is also kind of tropey in a young adult novel kind of way. A young kid is given a massive amount of power without having done anything to earn it. Naming Egwene Amyrlin is genius for a few reasons. She wasn't in the Tower when Siuan was deposed. Indeed, I'm pretty sure she was in the Waste at that point. She's insanely powerful in the power, which is what they need now: someone with a lot of power. She's (nominally) close to Rand, though she doesn't have as much influence over him as Sheriam would hope. She's extremely young, I believe they said she's only 18. That makes naming her look absolutely fucking ridiculous. Which it is. Which makes the other Aes Sedai factions under Romanda and Lelaine think they can control her. Sheriam thinks this too and she is controlling Egwene to an extent. Egwene has proven to be fairly capable of resisting that control, though, as much as she is able and is even trying her hand at political manipulation for herself. She's even had some pretty good successes with it.
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Huge development with Nynaeve, as well. Nynaeve managed to cure stilling and gentling. BY ACCIDENT! Nynaeve came out of the fifth book as my favorite character, because of her arc of standing up for herself in that book after being beaten down so much, and she's continued to live up to that now as she turns out to be an insanely powerful healer. Nobody has ever done this, probably in thousands of years, and Nynaeve does it absent-mindedly while thinking of something else. I genuinely couldn't be more happy for her on her huge accomplishment. I dunno if she'll continue to live up to that reputation as the series goes on, but that remains to be seen. In the meantime, this has huge implications for magic users in general and I couldn't help but feel genuinely happy for Siuan and Leanne and Logain.
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There's another huge development in the Aes Sedai, Alanna, someone who I didn't even know existed until now (and who apparently was with Verin in the Two Rivers in the fourth book) bonds Rand as a Warder against his will. That is absolutely fucking wild. Doing that against someone's will is seen as rape by the rest of the Aes Sedai and rightfully so, it's a really intimate act. That bond leads the Aes Sedai to tracking down Rand in the finale battle, but it also leads to the Aes Sedai being forced to kneel.
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This spooks Rand pretty significantly and it is the beginning of the end of any amount of trust he has left for Aes Sedai. He's already suspicious of anyone using the Power at all and doing this was monumentally stupid. Alanna's justification is pretty flimsy, so I'm not sure what her deal was here, but it was the beginning of the dominos falling. The Salidar embassy that arrives does another monumentally stupid thing: they try to intimidate Rand in retaliation for an attack on one of them. They don't realize that it wasn't him who did it, but they jump to the conclusion that it was him anyway. And finally, the last straw for them is when the two Aes Sedai who had been sent out near the beginning of the book to look for him arrive and that makes thirteen, the magic number. The kidnapping made him distrust Aes Sedai so fully that he needs them to swear loyalty to him. This is also a huge development. Aes Sedai do not kneel to anyone. They are as independent as possible and have monumental influence on nations in and of themselves. But being forced to bend the knee changes the game dramatically. It means they are no longer the most powerful kids on the block anymore. The Dragon Reborn and his Asha'man are now more powerful. That has huge political ramifications. Rulers aren't going to be so eager to trust Aes Sedai or take their advice when they know that Elaida is untrustworthy, for the plan being to trick Rand and kidnap him, and that the Asha'man are more powerful. The Salidar Aes Sedai don't look amazing either, as it was the Salidar Aes Sedai forced to kneel to Rand. Between the two, though, the Salidar Aes Sedai look better than Elaida's Aes Sedai and it's going to probably help the Salidar case that they are tethered to the most powerful person in the world.
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That's pretty much it for the major developments, I think. There are some smaller things I found interesting though. I really like Verin for some reason and I think it's because she made for a really interesting foil to Moiraine when she became the Gandalf of the party in the second book instead of Moiraine. Her thirst for knowledge rather than just being motivated to fight the shadow was really cool to me. It was a break from fantasy tradition. And then her fighting the Trollocs in the fourth book was really cool as well. It's just a shame we didn't get to see a whole lot of her in this book, though I find it interesting how she's apparently sneakier than she lets on. She apparently influenced the Aes Sedai who got attacked into deciding on punishing Rand in a certain way that helped lead to the downfall of the embassy. I'm wondering what that's about. Hmmm....
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There's a huge cloud hovering over the entirety of this book, and by cloud I mean sun. It's the middle of winter and yet it's insanely hot. Like Florida or Texas or California. Miserably hot. It hangs over the whole story as everyone is feeling the misery of the insane heat. Now that I'm thinking about it, actually, I'm wondering if THIS was Demandred's order from the Dark Lord. The "Lord of Chaos" could be the unleashing of the miserable heat that potentially affects everyone's decision making. I'm not ruling it out. One of the major plot points is Nynaeve and Elayne finding a bowl ter'angreal in Ebou Dar in Tel'aran'rhiod that supposedly controls the weather. That would be a big deal. If they could find something to turn off this insane heat, they might be heroes and it would help the Salidar cause.
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Moving on to the dangling plot-threads. We saw Graendal and Sammael plotting together and nothing has really come of that yet. We also saw Rand's army getting ready to cross the border into Illian. That was supposed to be a decoy for Rand to show up by portal and kill Sammael, what he did with Rhavin. But nothing ever came of that either. I was surprised that we set this up only for it to not happen in this book. I'm wondering if that will be part of the plan for the next book? Rand just kind of forgot that he was planning on doing it? I guess? Or the timeframe didn't work out? Obviously, Rand ordered Mat's people to go to the Salidar Aes Sedai, but he had plenty of time to enact this plan before that and he just... didn't. There was even a threat from Sammael in the form of a messenger who self-destructed and nothing. There's Loial's mother and betrothed and stedding leader or whatever the position is called who show up and go looking for him. Now they're in Two Rivers and Loial is in Cairhien. That seems to have just been dropped. Especially since Loial got his battery recharge by going to a Stedding and he's all good to go. There was a brief talk about how Rand wanted to guard all the Waygates and we got an interesting scene in Shadar Logoth, but that didn't really go much of anywhere. It even led to Sulin being a hilarious servant for awhile and still nothing. There's also the matter of the Seanchan returning. The notes that Pedron Nial got from his isolated spy in Tanchico absolutely led me to believe that the Seanchan have taken it over as a beachhead. Rand is going to have to fight them here soon, probably in the next couple of books. I don't even know if the Children of the Light are up to keeping them at bay. They're both two evil groups, though, so let them fight.
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Even with a book this insanely long, there's only so much time. And this book is long, this is the longest book in the series according to word count and page count, apparently. These three: four, five, and six, are the longest stretch of the series and I got through them. I'm absolutely shocked that I've done it. But I'm going to be moving on to the next one here as well. I find it hilarious that people took issue with my saying we should address poverty and with my political beliefs because I'm sure the politics is only going to continue as we go on. So if you don't want to hear about how I think people shouldn't have to live in poverty or be homeless, you might want to step out after this, I imagine the series is going to keep showing us people living in poverty. It's not the first time it's done it, too, we've seen refugees in Cairhien and the pretty blatant class system in the city of Cairhien with the wooden city outskirts, Foregate, in, I believe, the second book? And the slum in New Spring. Why do the books keep showing us people living in poverty if they don't mean to address it? So I'm looking forward to that and I'm excited to see these books getting more and more political. That's the type of fantasy I like, it's why I quite enjoyed Game of Thrones, you know, before it collapsed in on itself and the author lost interest.
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This book also had one of the coolest endings to a fantasy book I've read in awhile. That battle was absolutely fantastic. Fantastically written and fantastically staged. Not to mention the earth-shattering ending that absolutely changed the world forever. So I'm excited for whenever I start the next one. This series has been fantastic now that I'm past the fourth book and into the political stuff. I feel like I ran a marathon after that almost 1000 page book, and I'm kind of relieved the rest of the books aren't that long. 600-800 pages feels like a quick breezy short story in comparison. I will be taking a break, though, to read other things, as I always do with these books, but I will definitely be back soon with book seven: A Crown of Swords, where we will pick up the dangling plot threads that we left off. See you then!

“Factors that are considered are the ability to pay income expenses and asset equity. ”As Bronnenkant mentioned the IRS may agree to accept your offer if there is a “doubt as to collectibility’” meaning that you don’t have enough income or assets to pay off the balance in full. "We cant feel sorry for ourselves. That’s up from up from near zero odds the week before but a marked shift from the hawkish rate-hiking picture painted before Silicon Valley Bank’s collapse sent markets reeling. PT Pertamina also offered shares in PT Pertamina Geothermal Energy earlier to raise $604 million in what was one of the world’s biggest deals this year. One of the sectors capturing investors’ attention is the EV-battery space. “But there are multiple options that can help you repay that debt. ”Here’s what you should know. One way to pay off your tax debt is by applying for a short-term repayment plan. “This option is available for taxpayers who owe less than $100000 dollars [in combined tax penalties and interest]” Bronnenkant said. All rights reserved[1/7] Apr 1 2023; Miami Florida US; Petra Kvitova (CZE) celebrates with the Butch Buchholz championship trophy after her match against Elena Rybakina (KAZ) (not pictured) in the womens singles final on day thirteen of the Miami Open at Hard Rock Stadium. Two units of JD. com Inc. also filed for IPOs on Thursday. READ: Alibaba Spinoff Plans Bring Hope to Hong Kong’s Tepid IPO MarketWeakness in Indonesia’s secondary market is another concern. "I didnt expect that to go in the top corner but Ill take that every day" said the midfielder who was making his first appearance since February. "On the depth of his squad Arteta said: "First of all the players have to feel trust that we trust them. That could account for some of the difference between the average contribution amount between those who invest and those who don’t. “HSA providers require balances of $1000 before investment” Spiegel said. Indonesia’s total also exceeded that of Tokyo and London and at least two more offerings larger than $500 million each are expected to price in early April. That could create a negative feedback loop for credit said Knutson. “There is a lot of complacency about the risks that come from financial tightening” said Gordon Shannon portfolio manager at TwentyFour Asset Management. - Alpha AI

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

Heya!
I live in south Florida where everything is flat and the only elevation changes are sand dunes. Our 'hiking' with our two spoiled rotten dogs are flat land and soft sand. Next month though we are going to Georgia and going to a bunch of Falls hiking areas.. I'm not terribly worried about the dogs in their physical capabilities because we know their limits but I am looking for ideas and any helpful tips! I already got a lot from just reading posts on this sun.
Dog 1: will likely end up carried most of our trip. He's a 1.5 yr old 10 lb shorthaired chihuahua/yorkie/pomeranian/shihtzu/schnauzer mix who's already had knee surgery. If you have any suggestions on hands free carrying for him we are kind of clueless on what works best in general.
Dog 2: she is a short-termed athlete in that she herds sheep and sprints around our yard. She is all black so she does overheat easily in direct sunlight but the places we plan to go are almost all shaded and the times of the day we plan on going are cooler than any weather she's herded in here in FL. She's a 1.5 year old 38lb shorthaired boxeapbt/chow/beagle/chihuahua mix. I'm more worried about her feet than anything else, I'm not sure if I should get mushers secret or booties because she could overheat if her feet can't breathe BUT she's only been in grass fields, grassy backyards, sandy flat trails and the beaches.. her feet aren't really equipped or used to rocky trails which we expect to probably experience some of close to some of the falls..
Some things already on our list:
Doggy first aid kit / Wate Bowls/ Food/snacks for breaks/ 'Place' mats for breaks/ Harnesses and 6ft leashes/ Collars with ID tags/ Backup leash and harness each/ Poo bags and a container to store the poo until we get to a trash receptical.

Hi. I've grown some veggies and fruits in pots and raised beds the last few years. It's been a learning experience but I never had particularly great results with anything that fruits. Last year I kinda failed at the whole thing, and grew hardly anything. My mental health was too bad to keep up with watering. I'm still in a bad place mentally, but now I'm medicated and in therapy, at least. So I want to try again to grow some veg. Maybe it will help this time.
Some "stats" of my gardening space:
-Around Los Angeles, so the weather is nice and warm in spring and hot hot in summer, and near the coast so it's a little more humid than dry.
-Gets morning-to-1pm-ish sun, maybe only 5 hours tops, but in summer the sunlight is intense and hot. It makes my sweet peppers black on the side that sunlight hits, and the black krim tomato I grew last year had nice dark fruit, albeit a tiny harvest...
-I have two raised beds of 1 foot by 4 feet, and I hope to expand one to 2x4 feet before planting. I have a couple of larger pots, of 25-30 gallons. I have lots of smaller pots but I think I should focus on the bigger things this time so the plants will not dry out so fast.
-I don't really have a space to make a compost heap. I tried it in small amounts in buckets, but it didn't turn out too well. I don't think I have enough food scraps from just myself...
-The rains recently made the weeds thrive, and I have to pull a ton of them. Some are monsters. I don't suppose I can quick-compost these somehow? Or turn them into mulch?
-The last few years I have had pretty decent results with san marzano tomatoes. They grow big and fruit a lot, though the fruits are a bit smallish. The black krim, beefmaster and cherry tomato I tried never really flourished. But it could have been due to poor watering. Should I try one of those others again, or stick to good old san marzanos?
-I seem to always have zuchini do great and produce a few good fruits early on, but they always run out of steam before summer and stop producing. the new fruits just don't get pollinated and shrivel up even when i pollinate by hand early in the morning. What can I do about this? And are other summer squash probably easier than zucchini in my scenario?
-I gave up on lettuce and collards and greens like that, because they always get infested with gray aphids that cluster at the center, and getting them out is impossible without badly harming the plant. I'd like to grow collards in particular but the bugs come too fast to stop them...
-I've tried several kinds of beans, but I'm certain there is some kind of bean rust or bean wilt disease present in the soil. They always grow until flowering, then the leaves suddenly yellow, dry out and turn crispy. It's not the sun, this happened in spring and fall. I think beans are no-go in this space, sadly...
-My first year growing sweet potatoes from slips ordered from florida had great results from one of the 1x4 foot boxes. I got lots of big long roots that tasted good. The cuttings I took from these and replanted never seemed to do so well. I had a decent edible root here and there, but they are mostly string roots in the box by the end of the year...
-I suspect I don't use enough fertilizer, or water consistently enough, or both. Maybe this is why i'm having trouble. Also I know there is probably not enough sun for everything to thrive, but I thought it would be enough to get at least some good growth.
Positive things I feel good about:
-I planted carrots several months ago to see how they would grow through the cool winter months, and they have grown very slowly, but the roots of the few i pulled up look good! By the end of spring I expect them to be good crunchy snacks! On the other hand I am not fond of carrots...
-Green onions seem damn near foolproof to grow once they get past the seedling stage where they are vulnerable to caterpillars. I've even had them bloom and set seed!
-Greek oregano and my african blue basil bush have thrived where they were for several years now. The oregano struggles in mid summer but comes back when the weather cools off a little. Nothing seems to phase the basil, it thrives through the heat, and I can trim it down to nothing but sticks with a few little green nubs and it grows right back. It seems indestructible. I'm so proud of this bush, it is a champ. I want to be like it. And it's even popular! It's always got bees buzzing around in it. Freakin' plant celebrity.

Testing on 04/28. And my family is planning on a vacation to Florida from 04/13-04/22 which is the week before my exam, now they are asking me to join them. I said I would not be able to study but mom kept saying we will not take you to anywhere just think as you changed the environment to study at somewhere warmer, you will not join any of our activities. Just enjoy the good weather and vibes and study. You probably won't be able to study in home without us. She is even saying will write me a letter to promise me that no one in the family will bother me. I am so hesitant now, I don't know if I would get 100% done if I tell them I am not going and stay home . Give me some suggestions plz..

I'm going somewhere. I've got a convertible and the day off. I'm going to drive for no more than two hours, and find something to do tomorrow. It may end up being Alabama Jacks for conch fritters and PBL, or it could be Jan's Place in Jensen Beach. I haven't decided yet. What I have decided is that I'm going on a mini road trip tomorrow. Would anyone like to join me?