The Farmers have decisively named their Presidential nominee, Al Gore. Webb met his loss with magnanimity, smiling as he shook hands with his fellow Senator. In a short but sweet acceptance speech, Gore said, among other things, "I have my vision. It's comprehensive and sweeping. I've traveled to every part of this country during the last six years. And during my service in Congress, I have always taken the initiative. And I will take the initiative here in moving forward a whole range of initiatives that have proven to be important to our country's economic growth and environmental protection."
It's now time for the Vice Presidential nomination. It's time for the candidates to make their case...

Senator Mary Landrieu of Louisiana

Despite coming in third out of three in the Presidential nomination race, Landrieu still keeps in the race as a possible Vice Presidential nominee. She would be the first female Vice President in Confederate history if Gore wins the election (though some history buffs joke she would be the second, referencing First Lady Edith Wilson). Her moderate reputation is solid, and she could lock up the female vote. Plus, if Louisiana's vote in this election was ever in doubt, it wouldn't be going forward.
That's the thing, however. Louisiana, and the broader Deep South, are near-guaranteed to vote for the Farmers this election. There's also still the question of Landrieu's relative social conservatism, which could cause problems in the minority votes, not the least of which being the black vote. But then again, if not the Farmers, who would win the black vote?

Senator James Webb of Virginia

Although he couldn't clinch the nomination this time, some still think James Webb would make an excellent Vice President. Webb is certainly unique in that he's a Farmers Party Senator from the infamously conservative Virginia, and could lock down the Dominion State, which hasn't voted for a Farmers candidate in its history. He also brings a hard-hitting and straight-talking persona which might contrast well with Gore.
But as mentioned before, Webb walks a fine line between a fighter and a strongman. His previous Vice Presidency may also have him being seen as damaged goods. Even Webb himself seems less than enthusiastic about being the Vice Presidential nominee another time, despite his endorsement of Gore.

Governor Dexter King of Georgia

An unorthodox choice would be to choose the highly controversial, newly-minted Governor of Georgia, Dexter King. The son of the former revolutionary leader Martin Luther King Jr., who is infamous for his leadership role in the New Afrika Insurrection in the 60s, King ascended to the Governorship of his native Georgia in what was termed "The Savannah Miracle," becoming the Confederacy's first-ever black Governor, even amidst cries that King cheated somehow. King has many times over denounced his father's violent actions back in the 60s, and did attend and speak at the 50th anniversary of the Centennial Incident. He makes for a very "high risk, high reward" choice for the Vice Presidency, guaranteeing the black vote nationwide and possibly sealing the deal in Georgia, if the Farmers are lucky.
But, even looking past his controversial arrival to the office of Governor and his family, King has a few problems. First, and perhaps foremost, is that he's only just become Governor, and has held no prior political office. He was formerly the President of a non-profit, but his actions as President were suspect, slashing the staff to bare minimum at a bad time and having a falling-out with even his own family over the matter. And even looking past that, the disastrous 1994 election, the last time the Farmers ran a black Vice Presidential candidate, is still in the back of the Party's minds. Gore himself is even nervous about the prospect of having the controversial Governor on his ticket.

Fmr. Secretary of State for Internal Affairs Hodding Carter III of North Carolina

A Vice Presidential option that has a surprising amount of support is that of another former Carter cabinet member, alongside James Webb. Hodding Carter III (no relation to the former President Carter) has been President of a non-profit committed to the arts and journalism since 1998, but has reentered politics at the request of Webb. In general, Carter appeals to old Farmers who have since voted for the Populists and Dixiecrats, and they might come back to the fold with a former Carter cabinet member. He could also appeal to both Florida and North Carolina which, when put together with the expected Farmer victories in the Deep South, would make the election a slam dunk.
But Carter is an unexciting choice. For one thing, he's been out of politics for over 20 years now. And even if that weren't the case, he's getting rather long in the tooth at the age of 77. And if he can't help carry North Carolina or Florida, then he does little else. He's also not particularly interested in the Vice Presidency, having only put his name forward because an old friend, James Webb, asked him to.

John Wolfe Jr. of Tennessee

A relative unknown candidate from Tennessee, businessman (and perennial political candidate) John Wolfe Jr. could potentially appeal to the pro-business wing of the Farmers which, although few in number, are not exactly thrilled at Gore's nomination. His appeal is mostly on the economic front, pushing for the use of antitrust laws and having the national Treasury department sponsor an "alternate" Treasury Reserve to loan out money to small businesses and individuals, arguing that the current system only benefits the major banks. He enjoys a small but noticeable degree of popularity in Missouri and Louisiana as well, and if Missouri can be turned green, that would be a large win.
But Wolfe would have the Farmers putting all their eggs in the Tennessee basket, and there's not much reason to do so. Wolfe is also well to the left of Party orthodoxy, going so far as to push for national government-sponsored single-payer healthcare, the constitutionality of which is... debatable at the very best. Wolfe and Gore are also rumored to really dislike each-other, and it's imperative that the Farmers put forward a united front to win.
The options have been presented, the candidates have made their speeches, who will Al Gore be campaigning with this election season?
View Poll

6/1/2023 Fall Guys - Blorbius the Despiser
6/1/2023 Midnight Ghost Hunt
5/26/2023 Coldest Circles Quest Pack
5/19/2023 DEATH STRANDING
5/13/2023 The Sims™ 4 The Daring Lifestyle Bundle
5/5/2023 Kao the Kangaroo
5/5/2023 Against All Odds
4/27/2023 Poker Club
4/27/2023 Breathedge
3/10/2023 Epic Cheerleader Pack
3/10/2023 Rumbleverse™
12/29/2022 Mortal Shell
12/22/2022 Fallout Tactics: Brotherhood of Steel
12/22/2022 Fallout 2: A Post Nuclear Role Playing Game
12/22/2022 Fallout: A Post Nuclear Role Playing Game
12/15/2022 Bloons TD 6
12/15/2022 Fall Guys - Snowberry
11/24/2022 Evil Dead: The Game
11/24/2022 Dark Deity
11/24/2022 Epic Cheerleader Pack
10/28/2022 Saturnalia
10/28/2022 Warhammer 40,000: Mechanicus - Standard Edition
10/27/2022 Evoland Legendary Edition
10/27/2022 Fallout 3: Game of the Year Edition
9/24/2022 Gloomhaven
9/2/2022 Destiny 2
9/2/2022 Submerged: Hidden Depths
9/2/2022 Knockout City™
8/16/2022 Cook, Serve, Delicious! 3?!
8/16/2022 MultiVersus
8/16/2022 Rumbleverse™
6/30/2022 Iratus: Lord of the DeadIratus: Lord of the Dead
6/30/2022 Hood: Outlaws & LegendsIratus: Lord of the Dead
6/30/2022 Geneforge 1 - Mutagen
6/23/2022 Roller Champions™
6/23/2022 Car Mechanic Simulator 2018
6/21/2022 Fall Guys
6/16/2022 Supraland
6/9/2022 Maneater
6/3/2022 Wolfenstein: The New Order
5/28/2022 BioShock: The Collection
5/21/2022 Borderlands 3
5/13/2022 Redout: Enhanced Edition
5/11/2022 Terraforming Mars
3/24/2022 EVE Online - Superluminal Pack
3/17/2022 In Sound Mind
3/3/2022 Centipede: Recharged
3/3/2022 Epic Slayer Kit
3/3/2022 Black Widow: Recharged
2/25/2022 Cris Tales
2/17/2022 Brothers - A Tale of Two Sons
2/11/2022 Windbound
1/28/2022 DAEMON X MACHINA
1/23/2022 Relicta
1/8/2022 Gods Will Fall
12/30/2021 Tomb Raider GAME OF THE YEAR EDITION
12/30/2021 Shadow of the Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition
12/30/2021 Rise of the Tomb Raider: 20 Year Celebration
12/29/2021 Salt and Sanctuary
12/25/2021 Prey
12/25/2021 Pathfinder: Kingmaker - Enhanced Plus Edition
12/23/2021 Vampyr
12/21/2021 Second Extinction™
12/21/2021 Loop Hero
12/19/2021 The Vanishing of Ethan Carter
12/17/2021 Neon Abyss
12/16/2021 Shenmue III - Standard Edition
12/9/2021 Godfall Challenger Edition
12/9/2021 Prison Architect
12/2/2021 Dead by Daylight
12/2/2021 while True: learn()
11/18/2021 Never Alone (Kisima Ingitchuna)
11/18/2021 Guild of Dungeoneering
11/18/2021 KID A MNESIA EXHIBITION
11/13/2021 Rogue Company
11/13/2021 Tiny Tina's Assault on Dragon Keep: A Wonderlands One-shot Adventure
11/4/2021 Aven Colony
10/22/2021 Among the Sleep - Enhanced Edition
10/15/2021 Stubbs the Zombie in Rebel Without a Pulse
10/15/2021 Paladins Epic Pack
10/7/2021 PC Building Simulator
9/30/2021 Europa Universalis IV
9/28/2021 2064: Read Only Memories
9/24/2021 Santa's Sweatshop
9/16/2021 Tharsis
9/16/2021 Speed Brawl
9/9/2021 Sheltered
9/9/2021 Nioh: The Complete Edition
9/3/2021 Yoku's Island Express
8/26/2021 Automachef
8/25/2021 Saints Row®: The Third™ Remastered
8/19/2021 Yooka-Laylee
8/19/2021 Void Bastards
8/12/2021 Rebel Galaxy
8/6/2021 Core
8/6/2021 A Plague Tale: Innocence
7/30/2021 Mothergunship
7/30/2021 Train Sim World 2
7/15/2021 Offworld Trading Company
7/15/2021 Obduction
7/8/2021 Ironcast
7/8/2021 Bridge Constructor The Walking Dead
7/1/2021 The Spectrum Retreat
6/24/2021 Sonic Mania
6/24/2021 Horizon Chase Turbo
6/17/2021 Hell is other demons
6/17/2021 Overcooked! 2
6/10/2021 Control
6/3/2021 Frostpunk
5/27/2021 Among Us
5/20/2021 NBA 2K21
5/14/2021 The Lion's Song
5/7/2021 Pine
4/30/2021 Idle Champions of the Forgotten Realms
4/23/2021 Alien: Isolation
4/22/2021 Hand of Fate 2
4/15/2021 Deponia: The Complete Journey
4/15/2021 Ken Follett's The Pillars of the Earth
4/15/2021 The First Tree
4/9/2021 3 out of 10: Season Two
4/1/2021 Tales of the Neon Sea
3/31/2021 HITMAN 3 Access Pass: HITMAN 1 GOTY Edition
3/30/2021 HITMAN 3 - Free Starter Pack
3/25/2021 Creature in the Well
3/23/2021 Magic: Legends
3/18/2021 The Fall
3/6/2021 Wargame Red Dragon - The Millionth Mile
3/6/2021 Wargame Red Dragon - Norse Dragons
3/6/2021 Wargame Red Dragon - Second Korean War
3/6/2021 Wargame: Red Dragon - Russian Roulette [10v10 ...
3/4/2021 Wargame: Red Dragon
2/28/2021 PHANTASY STAR ONLINE 2
2/25/2021 Sunless Sea
2/18/2021 Absolute Drift
2/18/2021 Rage 2
2/11/2021 Halcyon 6
2/4/2021 Metro: Last Light Redux
1/28/2021 Dandara: Trials of Fear Edition
1/21/2021 Galactic Civilizations III
1/14/2021 STAR WARS™ Battlefront™ II: Celebration Edition...
1/7/2021 Crying Suns
12/31/2020 Jurassic World Evolution
12/29/2020 Solitairica
12/28/2020 Stranded Deep
12/27/2020 Night in the Woods
12/26/2020 My Time at Portia
12/25/2020 Darkest Dungeon®: The Musketeer
12/25/2020 Darkest Dungeon®
12/23/2020 Tropico 5
12/21/2020 Alien: Isolation
12/20/2020 Defense Grid: The Awakening
12/19/2020 The Long Dark
12/18/2020 Oddworld: New 'n' Tasty
12/17/2020 Cities: Skylines - Carols, Candles and Candy
12/17/2020 Cities: Skylines - Pearls From the East
12/17/2020 Cities: Skylines - Match Day
12/17/2020 Cities: Skylines
12/10/2020 Pillars of Eternity - Definitive Edition
12/10/2020 Tyranny - Gold Edition
12/3/2020 CRSED: F.O.A.D.
12/3/2020 Cave Story+
11/26/2020 MudRunner - Old Timers DLC
11/26/2020 MudRunner - Valley DLC
11/26/2020 MudRunner - Ridge DLC
11/26/2020 MudRunner
11/19/2020 The World Next Door
11/19/2020 Elite Dangerous
11/13/2020 Neverwinter
11/13/2020 The Textorcist
11/5/2020 Dungeons 3
10/29/2020 Blair Witch
10/29/2020 Ghostbusters: The Video Game Remastered
10/22/2020 Layers of Fear 2
10/22/2020 Costume Quest 2
10/15/2020 Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs
10/15/2020 Kingdom New Lands
10/8/2020 ABZU
10/8/2020 Rising Storm 2: Vietnam
10/1/2020 Pikuniku
9/29/2020 Heroes & Generals WWII
9/24/2020 RollerCoaster Tycoon® 3: Complete Edition
9/23/2020 Rocket League®
9/17/2020 Football Manager 2020
9/17/2020 Watch Dogs 2
9/17/2020 Stick It To The Man!
9/10/2020 Railway Empire
9/10/2020 Where The Water Tastes Like Wine
9/7/2020 Spellbreak
9/3/2020 3 out of 10, EP 5: "The Rig Is Up!"
9/3/2020 Into The Breach
9/3/2020 Diabotical
9/1/2020 Commander Lilith DLC
8/27/2020 3 out of 10, EP 4: "Thank You For Being An Ass...
8/27/2020 Shadowrun Collection
8/27/2020 HITMAN
8/22/2020 3 out of 10 Episode 3: Pivot Like A Champion
8/20/2020 God's Trigger
8/20/2020 Enter The Gungeon
8/13/2020 The Alto Collection
8/13/2020 Remnant: From the Ashes
8/13/2020 Might & Magic: Chess Royale
8/13/2020 3 Out of 10 Episode 2 Foundation 101
8/13/2020 A Total War Saga: TROY
8/6/2020 3 Out of 10 Ep 1 Welcome to Shovelworks
8/6/2020 Wilmot's Warehouse
7/31/2020 Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery EP
7/31/2020 Barony
7/31/2020 20XX
7/23/2020 Next Up Hero
7/23/2020 Tacoma
7/16/2020 Torchlight II
7/10/2020 Delores: A Thimbleweed Park mini-adventure
7/10/2020 The Escapists 2
7/10/2020 Lifeless Planet: Premier Edition
7/10/2020 Killing Floor 2
7/3/2020 Trackmania
7/3/2020 Hue
6/25/2020 AER Memories of Old
6/25/2020 Stranger Things 3: The Game
6/18/2020 Pathway
6/11/2020 ARK Valguero
6/11/2020 ARK Crystal Isles
6/11/2020 ARK The Center
6/11/2020 ARK Editor
6/11/2020 ARK Ragnarok
6/11/2020 ARK: Survival Evolved
6/11/2020 SAMURAI SHODOWN NEOGEO COLLECTION
5/28/2020 Sludge Life
5/28/2020 Borderlands: The Handsome Collection
5/21/2020 Sid Meier's Civilization VI
5/14/2020 Grand Theft Auto V
5/2/2020 Amnesia: The Dark Descent
5/2/2020 Crashlands
4/23/2020 For The King
4/17/2020 Wheels of Aurelia
4/17/2020 Just Cause 4
4/15/2020 Paladins
4/15/2020 Sherlock Holmes Crimes and Punishments
4/15/2020 Close to the Sun
4/4/2020 Gone Home
4/4/2020 Drawful 2
4/4/2020 Hob
3/26/2020 Tormentor X Punisher
3/26/2020 Figment
3/26/2020 World War Z
3/20/2020 Watch Dogs Standard Edition
3/20/2020 The Stanley Parable
3/2/2020 InnerSpace
2/21/2020 Magic: The Gathering Arena
2/21/2020 Assassins Creed Syndicate Standard Edition
2/21/2020 Faeria
2/14/2020 Aztez
2/14/2020 HD Voice Pack - English
2/14/2020 HD Voice Pack - German
2/14/2020 HD Voice Pack - French
2/14/2020 HD Sound Pack
2/14/2020 HD Texture Pack
2/14/2020 Kingdom Come: Deliverance
2/6/2020 Ticket to Ride
2/6/2020 Carcassonne
1/30/2020 Farming Simulator 19
1/23/2020 The Bridge
1/16/2020 Horace
1/10/2020 Sundered Eldritch Edition
1/1/2020 Darksiders Warmastered Edition
1/1/2020 Steep
1/1/2020 Darksiders II Deathinitive Edition
1/1/2020 Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair
12/30/2019 Hello Neighbor
12/29/2019 The Talos Principle
12/26/2019 Faster Than Light
12/23/2019 Ape Out
12/13/2019 The Wolf Among Us
12/13/2019 The Escapists
12/5/2019 Jotun Valhalla Edition
11/29/2019 Rayman Legends
11/21/2019 Bad North Jotunn Edition
11/15/2019 The Messenger
11/7/2019 Nuclear Throne
11/7/2019 RUINER
10/31/2019 SOMA
10/24/2019 Layers of Fear
10/24/2019 Q.U.B.E. 2
10/17/2019 >observer_
10/17/2019 Alan Wake's American Nightmare
10/10/2019 Surviving Mars - Mysteries Resupply Pack
10/10/2019 Surviving Mars - Space Race
10/10/2019 Surviving Mars
10/4/2019 Minit
9/26/2019 Metro: 2033 Redux
9/26/2019 Everything
9/19/2019 Lego Batman Trilogy
9/19/2019 Batman Arkham - Trilogy
9/18/2019 Conarium
8/29/2019 Inside
8/29/2019 Celeste
8/23/2019 Fez
8/21/2019 The Cycle Early Access
8/15/2019 Mutant Year Zero
8/15/2019 Hyper Light Drifter
8/8/2019 GNOG
8/3/2019 Alan Wake
8/3/2019 For Honor Standard Edition
7/25/2019 This War of Mine
7/25/2019 Moonlighter
7/18/2019 Limbo
7/11/2019 Torchlight
7/4/2019 Overcooked
7/3/2019 Dauntless
7/3/2019 Last Day of June

I feel I've done hours of due diligence, but only just realized I've yet to research the best inverters and whatever else I dunno that I don't know haha
I'm trying to install 13-16 panels to make 8-10k kWs a year in shadeless Houston. So I can increase my home usage (79F AC down to 75 here I come!) and have sort of black out backup.
1) Is the Enphase Sunlight Backup (ESB) expensive? If installed wall batteries are costing me $15k in quotes, I'd be willing to pay up to $3k for the ESB and hopefully run HVAC during sunniest hours. I've asked 2 salesman and they haven't responded, it is the weekend after all.
2) Are Enphase micro inverters worth the higher cost per watt $2.77 vs 2.59? Unfortunately it's not apples to apples since the installers are Infinity Energy (BBB A+) with Q cell BLK ML G10 400 vs Freedom Forever (BBB B+) with REC Alpha Pure 410. I think the REC is a better panel with less % loss to temp and time, but I'm pretty sure I'd rather the Made in USA Q cells. My main concern is if micro inverters blow power optimizers on the REC out of the water...
3) I've signed with Freedom Forever to even get a designer to come out with a real blueprint. But I can cancel with no issues till Wednesday I believe. Should I just wait till I know which inverter is good or bad and which ones are planned by the 2 installers before finalizing?
Extra: a friend has told me they regret not installing a Powerwall because no one wants to come out and install it now. Is there really no money to be made on batteries? I hear Powerwall 3 and Tesla V2H function along with Enphase bidrectional charger are all coming soon!

I was asked to dog sit for my moms best friend from this past Friday to this coming Thursday.
I am woken up from a call this past Saturday morning from my boyfriend. His mom has died unexpectedly and in a tragic way.
I immediately called my mom who is with the best friend in another state to tell them what happened. As my mom is expressing her sympathy for us I can hear the best friend in the background yelling at my mom about what is she going to do with her dog.
I went home to pick my boyfriend up (we live an hour and a half away from where I am dog sitting) and he has been with me here so I can make sure he is okay.
He should be at home with our cats and near his dad and friends during this time. I am so thankful he came back with me here so I could be there for him.
I am planning on leaving tomorrow afternoon with my boyfriend.
She is coming back tomorrow for one day and then has to leave for a conference Tuesday - Thursday.
I am not understanding why she will not use Rover to hire someone to come over and walk and feed the dog twice/three times a day. She is paying me far more than what it costs to hire someone from Rover (which she has done before)
AITA if I leave? I believe I NEED to put my boyfriends needs first here.

25F, usually sit at desk for studying/doing work but take walks several times a week. Low sun exposure and always wearing sunscreen and sunglasses outside. Skin on rib cage has not been under direct sunlight. Sometimes have insomnia and find it hard to fall sleep early so tend to sleep later and wake later. Previously (2022) worked jobs with long commute and needing to work beyond 9-5 hours, which caused stress; currently looking for new jobs with better work life balance and remotely or little commute.
Recently noticed a black mole on my left rib right below my chest. It isn’t protruding or anything but should I be worried and see a doctor? How can I treat it? Have Medi-Cal insurance but no consistent income so I also don’t want to be spending much out of pocket if not covered by health insurance.

Happy to find this sub.
I think dogs have a place, but not in the house. Houses that have dogs always have a smell. Dogs have some kind of skin oil or something that rubs off and impregnates all of the areas that the dog touches.
I can’t stand dog culture and the people who perpetuate it. Of course I don’t hate everyone who owns a dog, but I really can’t stand people who make dog related activities their entire lifestyle and personality.
I live in an apartment complex that is overrun with dog people. They walk each other’s dogs and let their dogs run around without leashes. It’s literally the only thing any of them ever talk about. They remind me of sheep. They’ve commandeered all of the grassy areas so there isn’t anywhere for kids to play because there are piss stains and dog shit piles everywhere.
Story time: All my neighbors hate me because I got the neighbor above us evicted.
She had two pit bulls who were kept in crates all day while she and her boyfriend worked long hours. When they would come home, they would let the dogs run back and fourth through the house and it sounded like a stampede. More importantly, they often let the dogs run around outside without leashes. Even when they were on a leash, she couldn’t handle them and they would pull her around while chasing other dogs and more terrifyingly, like my hundred pound wife and our two toddlers. She never picked up their shit unless people were out there.
I asked her and her boyfriend to keep the dogs on leashes after they chased my wife to the door at night while “gruffing and ruffing.” They both argued with me and blew me off.
I wrote an initial complaint.
Sadly, the apartment building management didn’t give a shit about the dogs. The ladies that manage the buildings literally brought their dogs to work sometimes. The email response was: “sorry about the dogs, but please rest assured that they are good dogs. Your family is safe.”
The duo started directing the dogs to shit in front of my window every time. I started waking my wife and kids to the car park with a hunting knife clipped to my belt. My wife considered getting a gun. My kids were not allowed outside.
I decided to go on a warpath. I started documenting every incident and replying with updates to the initial response I got from the manager. I took pictures of the pit bulls without leashes. I took video of the woman walking away from turds without picking them up.
The apartment complex finally replied with a request to stop writing emails. They stated that they had already “notified the tenant.” Whatever that means.
The last straw was pulled during the dead of winter when I looked out the patio and saw hundreds of literal piss-icicles dangling down above all my patio furniture and my bicycles. The deck above has gaps and they were too lazy to take their dogs out so they began letting the dogs piss onto the deck where it was dripping through and freezing into icicles.
Managements reply: “maybe it’s not what you think it is. That could be anything like runoff from the roof”
What the apartment management didn’t know was that the tenants above us were growing marijuana. I don’t really care what people do, but the smell was coming into my apartment and I was tired of that also. I knew they were growing because I would see the boyfriend bringing in all kinds of supplies like soil and buckets. I saw him throw out a huge trash bag of stems and trimmings one time also.
Weed is legal to grow in my state but I knew growing was against the apartment complex rules. There is a clause in my lease, so I knew it would be in theirs also.
I sent an email to management about the weed smell and my suspicion that they were growing it. They replied that while smoking and growing are both prohibited in the complex, they had no way of knowing if it was the neighbors in question.
I felt like they were rolling their eyes at me. I was pissed.
Well, it was the middle of winter and pipes freeze in my area if you don’t keep the heat on. I decided to trace their gas line and shut it off at the emergency valve for their meter one night.
They probably had a cold night but they both went to work the next day. When they got home, I heard a lot of fighting and cursing.
I don’t think their pipes froze, but they had to call maintenance who couldn’t figure out that someone had simply shut off the valve. Maintenance had to bring in the gas company and I guess the gas company had to bring in the fire marshall for an inspection because one of the bedrooms was filled with illegal wiring and fire hazards so the gas company was unwilling to turn the gas back on. Of course the apartment management was panicking because they didn’t want the pipes to freeze so they went up there with maintenance to see what was happening.
My last words to them as they moved out during a blizzard: “should have use a fucking leash. This would have been so much easier…” she just stomped off.
I forwarded ALL my emails to the corporate entity that owns the entire complex at that exact time. I haven’t seen the dog lady managers and we have a new maintenance crew. They also build a “bark park” and removed the dog cleanup stations from the grassy areas near people front doors. They replaced the poop bag stations and trash and with a sign that directs them to walk their dogs to the field next to the “bark park.” Of course everyone still lets their dogs shit on the grassy areas.
Apparently the duos apartment was trashed because they were wearing tyvek suits and respirators when they hauled out the carpet and the partially pit bull eaten interior doors.
Your wanna know the worst part? They were part of a dog owner group chat for the apartment complex and they blamed us for getting them evicted, only mentioning that we complained about their poor pit bulls.
Now all of them hate me for making the complex less dog friendly and they all direct their dogs to poop in front of my window. Poor maintenance guy had to come and clean it once a week until they filled in the area with pea gravel.

I was there for nearly 10 years. Its nice to know at least some people there had my back. But also funny to see I've started something. They're now down like 7 members of staff. Maybe that's why I'm still on payroll as an unauthorised absence when I quit 5 days ago 🫡
See you in hell, fuckers. I'd rather be evicted for not paying my rent than ever get verbally abused by my colleagues ever again.
Some of my favourites:
Dirty water got poured in my work boots and my handmade gloves got cut up. Management shrugged and said no camera so don't know don't care sorry
Refused 40p/hr pay rise to help out in other department that was struggling. Cashier is lowest wage in store. I'm trained on banking and payroll and service desk and paint mix which all count to qualify for a pay increase. Said no sorry, not in budget. Hire new staff member on next pay band I was asking for. Find out other cashier notorious for laziness on pay increase. Same with other lazy colleague on service desk. While telling 9 year employee no money in budget for increase and getting angry that I refuse to pick up phone on service desk (not my job or in my job description lol) when I'm just on my till waiting for a customer
Adjusting timesheets for certain people so they don't get late strikes by literally not clocking in and adjusting payroll, then giving other colleagues strikes for being 3 minutes late because of public transport etc.
Rumours that I cut myself in the work bathroom and came in on a Sunday to fuck another colleague in the staff room, where I pushed him against the lockers and called him daddy and begged him to f- me. I've been in a relationship since 2016 man
Give a group of favourites 6-2:30 Monday to Friday and no weekends and all on next pay band up. Colleague was like this isn't okay? And got told to shut the fuck up by manager. (Contracts are 6-8pm Sun-Mon anytime within contracted hours. That's retail baby) although they're all now struggling because I always covered evenings and weekends and a couple of the others who have quit or are now refusing, there's days where there's literally 1 member of staff for a 6 person desk on weekends.
Deputy store manager said to my close friend in another department that I need to "shut the fuck up and get over myself" when asking for help with my disability
Called a sperg and that I "look like a retard" (I'm autistic/adhd and regularly make autism jokes with someone I worked with who also had it but what in the goddamm fuck? LOL) by a supervisor and my grievance got ignored. I kind of stopped caring here so me and the person I worked with just called each other Turbo Sperg as a greeting.
The closest I got to my disability accomodation meeting was a quick conversation with no witness note taker or HOH rep, that then got written up on formal paperwork that they tried to ask me to date and sign when they couldn't even date the paperwork with when the "meeting" took place, it also got written up from memory 4 DAYS later by my manager who made half of it up and when I refused to sign it and asked why I didn't get any representative or note taker etc, got told it wasn't formal. They never replied to my email asking for a follow up meeting + clarification on why it was on formal paperwork needing a signature and date if it wasn't formal. This was in March and the day I quit I was still waiting on a reply.
It's well known that I will do anything for anyone - I've loaned colleagues £600, handed out my switch to multiple people without a second thought, made three several tiered birthday cakes for parents who couldn't afford birthday cakes for their kids, crocheted and sewed probably 20 gifts or random presents to people just because I liked them. My love language is handmade gifts or giving help anywhere I can because I find verbal communication can sometimes be hard for me. Not always, but I find bonding via chatting and whatnot sometimes difficult. I find out these same people are calling me a retard and blaming me when they get in trouble for gossiping and spreading rumours. The fantastic side of having autism is not knowing you're being exploited until it's too late. I doubt I'll ever see my poor switch again.
It took me FOUR MONTHS to get uniform this last time around and when I quit I'd been waiting again for 6 weeks. I've lost a massive amount of weight because of stress and illness (like, 40lbs) and I was still in the same uniform. I have some hilarious email trails I forwarded straight back to them when they tried to say I was lying and never asked for uniform. I remember saying something like "I know you think I'm the retard due to how you talk about me, but I'm smart enough to know my clothes don't fit" and literally demonstrated the 4 inches of room I had in my work trousers. 😭 it got ordered that day.
Anyway, rant over, fuck that shit hole. My friends still work there so I'm getting a spectator view of it falling apart. I applied to one of my dream jobs after years of being told I wasn't good enough to even be a cashier. I've got a decade of being treated like shit to make up for now.
Every single one of you out there being made to feel like shit whether its by customers or coworkers - you are enough, you work your ass off and I see it. We all deserve so much better.

Hey all, it’s me Frank Jones again. I wrote that post a while ago about why you shouldn’t be a paranormal investigator and a lot of you liked it. Since settling into my hideaway in the mountains, life has become quiet and I thought about checking in. The plague hit us like nothing and now that everyone is wanting to travel again, I thought to say hi. I want to say thanks to all of you who commented and gave me those weird pointy thingies this social media does. Some of you even figured out my post office box address and sent me letters. I appreciate it (and don’t do it again).
The common strain among your posts was wanting to know if I had ever encountered other things as an auditor. Of course I have but I have been reluctant to tell you because I don’t want to shine some sort of light on all of it or make it sound like some romantic adventure. It’s “pissing yourself” fear all wrapped up in a waking nightmare with a side of gory terror. I am one of the few who actually made it to retirement…if that’s what you could call this life I’m living now.
But, I have nothing else to do really. Carl only visits once in a while when he’s passing through and I cannot risk any other sort of company knowing I’ve pissed off a lot of people…and things. So, I’m back on this internet board and sharing. So many are curious, I thought maybe another story can scare you all straight. This was the first time complacency almost got me and another killed.
This story takes place somewhere in the 90s in a small New England town. It was one of those places nestled along the banks of a serene river, historic brick buildings line the winding streets, their facades adorned with weathered signs that hint at the town's seafaring heritage. A place where everything smelled like either the ocean or decaying fish. I’m not going to specifically name the town to protect the young lady that may still be living there but in the heart of the town, there’s a renowned drawbridge which stands as a testament to the place’s affinity for water. Its ancient mechanisms creak and groan when allowing vessels to pass through the calm waterway. It also had some of the best outdoor markets I had a chance to stop and check out.
I didn’t pass through this part of the country that often as my boss preferred me to do the long hauls across the country but there was a dead haul nobody wanted.I took it cause I wanted a change of scenery. I was already working as an auditor and part of a loose alliance of others who investigated and dealt with any weird things. I actually had a few monsters under my belt. I honestly had the foolhardy idea that I could handle anything out there. God, I was an idiot.
The supernatural never crossed my mind until that evening, stopping to fuel up my red 1992 Peterbilt 379 and paying for the gas with the attendant and restocking up on those beef jerky sticks and coffee.
That was when I noticed her. She was a young woman about in her mid 30s looking like one of the corporate types with the short hair cut and business suit. I would have not paid her any mind if it wasn’t for the touch of apprehension on her face as she talked on one of those new fangled bright yellow Nokia cellphones. Soft strands of chestnut hair framed her face, their gentle sway moving as she glanced around while talking on the phone. As I observed her, I couldn't help but notice the way her fingers trembled slightly, when trying to get money out of her pocket. I’ve seen that type of fear before. So, like a creep, I eavesdropped on her call.
“Yes, it happened again,” she had said as the nickels finally made it to the counter to pay for her snacks. “I could have sworn there was something outside the window near the edge of the forest….no, of course the security cameras didn’t pick up anything. They’re cheap. Ronald was a skinflint when it came to things like this. Hope he’s rotting in hell wherever he is.”
My mind began to drift away, more annoyed I couldn’t get a move on it. It sounded like a problem for the police and if anything, I was gonna tell her that. It was what she said next that made me stop and brought back the reality of the world.
“Yeah. like nine or ten feet tall. I’m thinking kids are playing around with scarecrows or something. Won’t come from the edge of the forest and when I check, I can see foot impressions and stuff. I already put in a call to the cops. They found nothing.“
“Did it sway a bit and its eyes seem to glint like a cats or owl?” I asked without thinking.
The look I got from both her and the gas attendant made me realize what I had done. Well, too late now.
“I’ll call you back,” she said quickly, eyeing me as she hung up the phone and slipped it back into her purse.
“You need me to walk you to your car, ma’am?” the attendant asked, staring at me.
Of course, I forgot that The Truck Stop Killer had only been arrested a few years before.
“I’m fine, thank you,” she said, quickly gathering her stuff and making for the door. I slapped the one hundred and seventy bucks on the counter to pay for my diesel guzzler ignoring the change and followed her out but making sure to not move in a way that caused the teenager in the station to call the cops.
“Ma’am,” I called out to her and she turned to me while hurrying up her pace.
“I’ve got pepper spray. Stay away from me.”
“The thing in the woods. You could have sworn you smelled fresh dirt like mulch and it seemed to sway back and forth like it could not keep its balance.” I threw it out there in desperation.
She froze and turned to look at me. Eying me up and down as I kept my distance and angled to head towards my truck.
“How do you know?”
“I…uh…dealt with something like that before. On a job in Canada.”
“Who are you?” she asked, looking at my faded shirt and company logo. “A trucker?”
“I moonlight as a problem solver. Like an auditor of sorts.”
“Who is it?” she demanded, eyes still affixed to me and hand in her purse.
“Better question is ‘what is it?’,” I answered.
I have learned to pick up on the contempt and disbelief from people who hadn’t seen what I have. I was already being dismissed as a whack job.
“You have tracks on your porch you have written off as animals, especially if you own a dog. If you did own a dog, it’s missing. Cops told you it ran away. You got a garden?”
“Yes,” the certainty had started to leave her voice. “A walled garden.”
“And anytime you’re in there, you feel like you’re being watched.”
At that, her hand came out of her purse empty and she approached me with the fear I had seen in her eyes now on her face.
“How did you know?”
“I’d rather not explain out here,” I said sheepishly running my hand through my sandy brown hair that only started getting flecks of gray. “But you got a…pest problem.”
“And you can do something about it? I’ve had exterminators, cops, nature lovers…even a priest.”
“None of those won’t do you any good and I don’t want to scare ya but it’s more active which is not a good sign.”
For a few moments, I could see the indecision in her eyes. The desperate want to dismiss me as a lunatic but whatever she had heard or seen won over.
“Fine. You can follow me to the house.”
“Mind if I hitch a ride?”
The woman started but then looked at my truck. “Promise. I mean you no harm. I really think you’re in danger.”
That was when I found her name was Isabelle Walker.
We left my truck in long-term parking after she told the attendant that I was a long lost relative and that’s why the change of demeanor. I don’t know if he believed her but at that point, I don’t think he cared. I left my truck with its metallic frame standing tall and proud amidst the rows of other vehicles.
I did not realize how desperate this woman was until we got going on the road. I had loaded myself in the passenger seat after pulling out my military backpack from the war which I also used for my auditing services and tried to look as harmless as a man of my stature could.
For the first fifteen minutes of the drive, her focus was on the lonely road, those beautiful eyes darting to me anytime I shifted my weight. I didn’t want to scare her so it was her that spoke first.
“What is it?”
“I really don’t know but the people in my profession call it a Bone Walker.”
The nose crinkled in disbelief.
“Halloween is not for a few more months, Mister…”
“Jones. Frank Jones.”
The James Bond reference caused her to snort in amusement.
“I don’t know what to tell ya, ma’am, except I’ve dealt with some pretty scary things out there. Normally I’m never this forward as most people try to call the cops on me or dismiss me as a lunatic. I mean, I could be a lunatic but I know what I’ve seen.”
“And that is…?”
“You know. Ghosts, vampires, werewolves. They’re real. They’re not common but real nevertheless.”
“Really?”
There was still the disbelief in Isabelle’s voice but I grew to ignore things like this.
“Sure. I mean, think of all the things you experienced and be open to alternate answers.”
Isabelle was quiet for a few minutes and then sighed. “Either you are telling the truth or you're the biggest liar and I’m a fool that’s not going to live through this night.”
“I promise,” I tried to reassure her. “I’m not going to hurt you.”
After a few more minutes and off the main highway, we approached her home. The large house stood resolute amidst the dense, ancient forest, its weathered exterior a testament to the passing of time. It was a grand structure, its imposing presence commanding attention. The sprawling estate exuded an air of mystery and faded grandeur, as if it held stories whispered through generations.
As we pulled in, the main house loomed before me, its facade adorned with intricate woodwork and worn stone. Ivy crept along the walls, weaving an emerald tapestry that hinted at the passage of years. The windows, framed by elegant yet slightly cracked panes, stared out into the world with a mixture of curiosity and melancholy.
To the side, a large shed stood detached from the main house, its weathered boards echoing tales of forgotten tools and lost endeavors. The wooden structure sagged under the weight of time, its roof covered in a patchwork quilt of moss. Inside, shadows danced amidst remnants of a bygone era, rusty equipment and dusty shelves attesting to the once-bustling activity that had long since ceased.
Not far from the shed, a family cemetery nestled amongst the ancient trees. Tombstones, adorned with intricate carvings and weathered inscriptions, dotted the landscape. The hallowed ground exuded a solemn tranquility, as if time stood still in reverence for those who rested eternally in its embrace. Wisps of fog clung to the grassy knolls, lending an ethereal quality to the sacred space.
At the far end of the property, an old walled garden stood as a testament to the house's former splendor. Once vibrant and lush, the garden now appeared overgrown and untamed. Stone paths meandered through a sea of tangled foliage, leading to hidden nooks and forgotten corners. Dilapidated stone benches, adorned with intricate carvings, sat scattered throughout the garden, silent witnesses to a time when laughter and conversation filled the air.
As I stood amidst the silence of the forest, the house, shed, cemetery, and walled garden formed a tapestry of history and mystery. They were a testament to the ebb and flow of life, the remnants of a bygone era that clung to the present. Within their weathered walls, secrets whispered and memories danced, waiting to be discovered by those who dared to venture into their enigmatic embrace.
“Great place to be haunted, huh?” she said with sarcasm. “My ex left it to me in the divorce. Was only going to be here long enough to sell it but no one wants it and my job wants me to move to this state anyway.”
“Where are you originally from?”
“California.”
“So, this is definitely a change of scenery for you,”
Isabelle only hummed back at me as she fumbled for her keys in the dying light of evening. I pulled my backpack closer to me as my eyes scanned the treeline where the shadows had begun to deepen. Nothing stood out against the silhouettes of ancient trees which was a good sign. I wasn’t too late.
Stepping through the weathered front door, I entered the interior of the old house, greeted by a mix of nostalgia and faded elegance. The air carried a hint of mustiness, a reminder of the countless years the house had to have witnessed. As my eyes adjusted to the dim light filtering through the stained-glass windows, I could make out the clash between old decor and the modern furniture Isabelle had bought.
The foyer, adorned with a worn, threadbare rug. The walls, once adorned with portraits and intricate wallpaper, now bore the markings of time's passage. The wooden banister of the grand staircase, polished with use, creaked softly under my touch as we made our way towards the living room.
Moving further into the house, I found myself in a spacious living room. Large, ornate windows which would have allowed slivers of daylight to filter through the heavy velvet curtains. The walls were adorned with faded wallpaper. An aged fireplace, its stone mantle adorned with trinkets and old photographs, served as the heart of the room.
“You want some coffee?” Isabelle asked, throwing her keys on to the coffee table. I sat down on her couch and dropped my backpack on it with a clunk.
“Sure.”
“Sugar?”
“A lot.”
The kitchen light clicked on and I heard her moving about setting up the coffee pot. The adrenalin was now pumping through me as my mind raced. I’m not going to go into a lot of detail on what a Bone Walker is but it’s a creature that usually haunts the western coast. It being so far out east was strange. I pulled out my old gun bag and unrolled it. My Stevens Model 520-30 “Trench” shotgun was the first thing I reached for as I popped open the internal pouch holding he high flash shells I was glad I packed. It was the startled sound from Isabelle that made me quickly look up.
She stood there with my coffee, eyes locked on the shotgun in my hand. I slowly held up one of the cartridges I was planning to load.
“Flash powder shotgun shells. No load. Just makes a loud noise and a bright white light. What we’re facing lives in the shadows and hates light…normally,” I had heard stories that they could strike in the day but it was extremely rare. She didn’t need to know that.
“Oh,” was her quiet response. “Do…do I need a gun?”
“You know how to use one?”
“No.”
“Then it’ll do more harm than good. You got any flashlights?”
Isabelle nodded mutely, the gravity of the situation sinking in at the array of weapons and items in my pack laid out in front of her.
“Go get them.”
While she was gone, I quickly unloaded the silver bullets out of my Makarov pistol (a gift from a Viet Cong officer and a story for another time) and placed normal 9mm rounds in the clip. I had it holstered under my jacket with the two back up clips when she returned with three cheap flashlights.
“One in your hand and one in your pocket.”
“Why?”
“In case you drop the one you are holding.”
The woman obeyed silently.
As night fell quickly around us, I slung my shotgun over my shoulder and with Isabelle close, we made our way upstairs. There were tell tale signs I needed to check as the only advantage I had over this thing was the fact it stuck to a pattern. If it was at the stage I thought it was, there would be signs.
“Which room is yours?” I asked.
Isabelle pointed to a door down the hallway across from a large window. Approaching it, I quickly shined my flashlight at the mahogany door frame. It was the glint that caught my eye. Deep gouges in the wood.
“What’s that?” she asked.
“Claw marks,” I responded. There was no use sugar coating anything now.
“This thing was in my house?” Isabelle said horrified.
“For the last few weeks now,” I said, my nose picking up the faint odor of dirt and mud.
“Why didn’t it attack me then?”
“It wasn’t time.”
“What?”
Talking was going to be the only thing to keep her focused. I had felt the world shift a bit as night fell and I needed her not to panic.
“Bone Walkers are ritualistic creatures. They are very choosy over their prey. It can take a month or two before they move in. That’s why they are so hard to catch.”
“Criteria? Like what?”
“We don’t know.”
That was the honest truth. The only reason we knew their existence and patterns was thanks to blind luck and people surviving their encounters. I showed my light around looking for other signs. Discolored stains in the corners where shadows would naturally form, healthy moss and mold that shouldn’t be there. I found a patch around her bed. She did not notice and I did not want to tell her that it probably stood over her through the night watching her sleep. The sooner I buried this thing, the better.
“Frank!”
There was a trill of terror in Isabelle’s voice and I immediately looked to where she was. The woman was standing by her bedroom window staring out at something. I quickly moved and spotted what she saw. In the forest, at the edge of the shadow cast by the moonlight was an almost, imperceptible form. It stood nine feet, hunched over like a broken scarecrow, its owl like eyes staring back at us.
“Shit,” I muttered. Thank god we had turned on the lights as we went.
It was the flash of light and the crack of thunder that heralded the arrival of the storm. The lights of this old houses flickered which caused my belly to flop a few times. My brain was on fire as I glanced back from the lightbulb to where the creature was and found it had vanished.
“Where did it go?”
I did not have time to explain as another crack of lightning caused the lights to dim. I grabbed Isabelle roughly by the arm and yanked her back down the hallway towards the living room where I had left my stuff. We barely made it to the living room when the lights dimmed low. I grasped the glow sticks out of the bag, cracked a handful and scattered them about, their bright yellow light beginning to glow. The power then went out bathing us only in the eerie glow of the emergency lighting.
As we waited in breathless anticipation, the storm struck, its wrath manifesting in torrential rain. The mansion seemed to respond, succumbing to a power outage that plunged us into an abyss of blackness only moments before.
A trill of terror coursed through me. I knew this Bone Walker thrived in darkness, using it as a cloak to conceal its malevolence. We auditors were not sure if it actually teleported or it preferred to move in pitch darkness. I just knew that the black was our biggest threat.
For a few moments, we could only hear the ragged breathing of the two of us being drowned out by the pounding rain against shingle and glass. Isabelle had wound her hand into my jacket pocket and was gripping it tightly, I could feel her shaking with terror. I kept my shotgun gripped tightly in my hand listening for the tell tale sound of its arrival.
It was the movement out of the corner of my eye and the fact her grip got tighter on my jacket. I swiftly turned on my high-powered flashlight as I spun around and the brilliant beam pierced the obscure corner of the room. No matter what I had read or seen before did not prepare me for what I saw.
It stood there in the corner, its eight foot height engulfing that section of the house. My eyes strained as it appeared the thing was struggling to stay in focus. Its arms were too long for its body, spindly and almost to the floor while the legs appeared backwards giving it a strange forward leaning look. It wore a hunter’s long coat and trousers but through the rips and tears I could make out something squirming and moving underneath. The air filled with the stench of decaying plants and diseased vegetation. Its face was covered with what looked like the remnants of a cheap bandanna but its owl-like eyes gleaned back with malevolence.
Isabelle whimpered, her fear palpable in the room and the Bone Walker lunged toward us. Even though my fear was ripping through me like an unstoppable train, I had the sense to pull the trigger of my shotgun aimed in its direction. The flash and resounding roar painted the entire room in a brilliant black and white shadow causing every corner and edge to appear thick and vivid. The creature screamed and fell to the side into the shadow not illuminated by the weapon’s fire.
Isabelle had thrown herself on the couch and was huddled there, trembling with terror, while I moved quickly to crack a few more glow sticks and toss them into the dark corners of the room. In one, I saw its foot recoil back into the kitchen where it was darker than night itself. This was quicker than I had anticipated. The plans I had been formulating on the drive were no longer viable. I wanted to lure it to where I controlled the battlefield but that was not an option anymore. This had become a cat and mouse game and I knew this was with a predator I could not even hope to understand and had years to hone.
Out of the kitchen again this thing charged forward, relentless in its pursuit, it was trying to find a way around my light barrier which only appeared to slow it down. With shaking hands, I fired several more rounds, each blast forcing the creature to retreat and the girl to scream in terror. As soon as it retreated to a dark part of the house, I turned to where the woman of the house had been. To my horror, Isabelle's fear had gotten the best of her. In that moment of panic, she darted from the safety of the light, towards the hallway and the door outside.
“Isabelle! Stop!” I yelled trying to command her back with my voice but I doubted she heard me. Between the abject horror and the relentless rain, she was going to take her chance. A chance I knew she did not have.
I only took a step when I sensed it. The musty smell of an organic landfill overwhelmed me as the form silently darted past me, its long arm clobbering me up the side of the head. The world spun as pain burst through my brain. I felt the world tilt and fall heavily to the ground, flashlight and shotgun falling away.
As I slipped in and out of consciousness, I knew I was a sitting duck for this thing. There was no way for me to stop it from ripping me to shreds like some of the corpses I had seen. As I blinked, I came to my senses and realized I was alone. How long I had actually been on the ground, I did not know.
I sat up, my head pounding and I could see the door hanging open, the wind slamming the door on its hinges and the rain soaking the hallway floor. Struggling, I found my flashlight and gun and pulled myself together.
There was a slim chance that Isabelle was still alive. I had to think. Where would it go? I ran all the stories I could think of and then it hit me. The garden. The walled garden.
I charged into the rain-soaked night. I sprinted toward the enclosed garden at the edge of the property. As I grew closer, I saw that the rusted door was open and hope flickered in my soul. As I came to a stop, I brought my flashlight up again with my shotgun and saw it.
This creature stood there in the middle of the overgrown garden, its massive clawed hand wrapped around Isabelle’s chest and holding her up. Out from under its bandanna mask, putrid vines had appeared and led up to Isabelle’s face where they were forcing their way down her throat and up her nose. I could see the wide terror in her eyes as vines were snaking their way around her waist and I did not want to think about what they were planning to do.
I brought up the shotgun again and fired. Knowing that I had distance, the flash of light caught the creature by surprise. It shrieked as it fell back. Trying desperately not to release its prey. I did not hesitate to grab the machete at my side and hack at its arm until Isabelle fell down free of it.
It’s claw swiped at me striking me on the leg and easily tearing through my pants leaving bloody lacerations but I put the weapon point blank and fired another round. I do not know if it was the flash, the combination of the creature, or that the almighty above was looking out for me, but the creature caught ablaze from the spark.
It fell back swinging wildly as the fire spread unnaturally fast catching the plants around it on fire. Within a matter of seconds, the walled garden had become ablaze with the bone walker in the center. As I ripped the vines out of Isabelle’s mouth and dragged her towards the door, I looked up to see those owl-like eyes looking at me with such abject hatred that the look stick with me today.
I honestly don’t know how we survived. I had helped Isabelle to her porch and we both passed out against our will from the sheer terror and exhaustion. We were awoken by the sound of a siren. The lights had come back on sometime in our sleep and the rain had drifted off to a comforting drizzle. The fire was still raging in the garden but contained by the ancient walls. At least two fire trucks, an ambulance and cops were flying up the private road towards us.
This entire hunt had been ill-planned and stupid. I knew it. As the cops approached with their hand on their pistols, I knew that I had allowed my own ego to get in the way. I should have taken Isabelle somewhere else until I had done a proper reconnaissance. I shouldn’t have taken her home where it was waiting. And now, the cops were looking at two thoroughly soaked humans, one a trucker with a wound and a gun and a young lady in distress. I was pretty sure I was going to go to jail.
“Isabelle?” One of the cops and his voice caused her to sit up, relief washing over her.
“Derek!” she wailed. “We were attacked! In the garden!”
Another two cops that had arrived had taken off in that direction while Derek helped the girl up and took her towards the ambulance. The other cop with a comically large mustache looked at me with keen eyes, his hand still on his pistol, sergeant stripes glowing in the light.
“Attacked?”
“Yeah,” I said, sitting up slowly and keeping my hand away from the shotgun and trying not to show the one under my jacket. “Someone came after Mrs. Walker. They were in the garden.”
The cop watched me closely but there seemed to be a recognition in his eyes.
“You by any chance Frank Jones?”
My heart jumped and I must have looked startled as the cop’s face broke into a smile. To my relief, his hand fell away from his holstered sidearm.
“I’ll take that for a yes. My guess is you don’t remember me. Clay Wilson. Santa Fe PD, about six years ago. You helped my partner with a...problem. Nellie Nelson?”
I knew the name but the face escaped me.
“She told me you helped her audit a police union building.”
“Ah, yes,” I said, remembering dealing with the wraith and the twinge in my right arm from it’s bite.
The cop looked towards the fire that was slowly being put out by the fire fighters.
“Any chance this will be one of your audits?”
“Yeah.”
He seemed to think for a few minutes and then nodded.
“Then I think you need to grab that shotgun of yours and hitch a ride with me before too many people ask questions. Whatcha think?”
I nodded. I was not going to look a gift horse in the mouth. I collected my stuff quickly from the living room and made my way back out where he was waiting. As I limped with the cop to his car, I looked towards Isabelle who was being held by the other. She gave me a look of thankfulness as the cop looked at his partner with confusion.
“Her brother’s got her,” Clay said, opening the back door for me. I was not gonna argue or fight. If he took me to jail or not.
And that was it. My leg was not as bad off as I thought and wrapped it in the back of the police car. Clay only asked where I wanted to go and he took me back to my truck. With that time, I was back on the road with that small town in the rear view mirror.
I never did find out what happened to Isabelle after that, if another creature came looking for her or if she had a chance to live in peace. I just knew that we both barely made it out alive and that was due to my own stupidity. I was furious with myself for weeks after that and told myself I wouldn’t put another person in jeopardy like that again. At least, despite my idiocy, another life was saved and another monster was put in the ground...I hoped. I never did find out if they found a body.

​
https://preview.redd.it/xbbmvwk05y2b1.jpg?width=1280&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=116c1a4c80219604524cc4a321c8086cdb93a5a7
if ANYONE is interested send me a message on Fiverr
==> https://bazarcom.org/Biahezacourse
NEW COURSES (Included when buying my whole collection!):
· ⭐Iman Gadzhi – Agency Navigator 2023
· ⭐Sam Ovens - Consulting Accelerator 2023
· ⭐Cole Gordon – 30 Day Closer
· ⭐Montell Gordon - Agency Transmulation
· ⭐Charlie Morgan - Easygrow Course
· ⭐Sebastian Esqueda - Ecom Revolution
· ⭐Biaheza Droppshiping Course 2023
· Andrew Tate – Courses Bundle
· Charlie Morgan - Imperium Agency
· Charlie Morgan - Gym Growth Accelerator
· Biaheza - Full Dropshipping Course 2023
· Jordan Welch - The Reveal 2023
· Savannah Sanchez - TikTok Ads Course 2023
· Iman Gadzhi - Copy Paste Agency
· Sam Ovens - UpLevel Consulting
· Miles – The FBA Roadmap + The Profit Vault
· Andrew Giorgi – Amazon Dropshipping Course
· Sebastian Esqueda – Ecom Revolution Training Program
· Luca Netz – Advanced Dropshipping 2023
· Kevin King – Freedom Ticket 3.0
· Jordan Platten – LearnAds – Facebook Ads Pro 2023
· Miles – The FBA Roadmap + The Profit Vault
· Dan Vas – Ecom Freedom Shopify Blueprint 2023
· Alexander J.A Cortes - WiFi Money Machine
· Kody Knows - Native Mastery
· Bastiaan Slot - Six Figure Consulting
· Kaibax - Centurion agency
· Joe Robert - Print On Demand Accelerator
· Ryan Hogue - Ryan's Method Dropshipped POD
· Kevin Zhang - Ecommerce Millionaire Mastery
· Ryan Lee – 48 Hour Continuity
· [METHOD] ⚡️TikTok Algorithm Domination Skyrocket your engagement TODAY Updated 2023✨
· Troy Ericson – Email List Management Certification
· Larry Goins – Filthy Riches Home Study Course
· Ry Schwartz – Automated Intimacy
· Patrick Bet-David – All Access Bundle
· Andrea Unger – Master the Code & Go LIVE
· Jon Benson – 10 Minute Sales Letter
· Alen Sultanic – Automatic Clients & Bonuses
· Taylor Welch – Cashflow for Consultants
· Akeem Reed – Slingshot Rental Blueprint
· The Futur Greg Gunn – Illustration for Designers
· Trading180 – Supply And Demand Zone Trading Course
· Jim McKelvey (Foundr) – How To Build An Unbeatable Business
· Master of AI Copy – Copy School by Copyhackers
· Copyhackers – Copy School 2023
· Matei – Gann Master Forex Course
· YOYAO Hsueh – Topical Maps Unlocked
· Tyler McMurray – Facts Verse Youtube Automation Course
· Ashton Shanks – 7 Day Copywriting Challenge Featuring ChatGPT
· Rene Lacad – Rockstar Marketing Blueprint
· Top Trade Tools – Hedge Fund Trender
· Brandi Mowles – Conversion For Clients
· Glen Allsopp – SEO Blueprint 2 (DETAILED)
· Trading Busters – Prop Trading Formula Course
· Sam Woods – The AI Copywriting Workshop (Complete Edition)
· Brian Anderson – Recovery Profit System
· LOW COMPETITION KEYWORDS IN MINUTES ⚡ 70+ REVIEWS ✅ BONUS PDF WORTH $200+
· Devon Brown – Easiest System Ever
· Duston McGroarty – St. Patrick’s Day 2023 Live Event
· Dan Wardrope – Click & Deploy Sales Android
· Lost Boys Academy – How To Make Life Changing Money With OnlyFans!
· WealthFRX Trading Mastery Course 2.0
· TOM & HARRY – Digital Culture Academy
· 100+ Cold Email Templates
· [METHOD] ✅ Make Real Cash with Auto Blogging ⛔Get $1199 Worth of Resources ❌ CUSTOMIZED SECRET PROCESS⚡DONE FOR YOU SITE ⭐ Unlimited Niche Opportunity & So on
· Tobias Dahlberg – Brand Mastery
· Raul Gonzalez – Day Trading Institution 2.0
· Rasmus & Christian Mikkelsen –Impact Academy 2023
· [METHOD] ☢️ The Quick eBay Money Loophole Guide ☢️
· Apteros Trading – March 2023 Intensive
· Rob Lennon – Zero to 10k Twitter Accelerator
· Rob Lennon – Next-Level Prompt Engineering with AI
· Rasmus & Christian Mikkelsen – NEW Audiobook Income Academy Download
· Grow and Convert – Customers From Content
· Charles Miller – The Writersonal Branding Playbook
· Kaye Putnam – Convert with a Quiz
· Forex Mentor – London Close Trade 2.0
· Chase Reiner – Fortune Bots Update 1
· Andrew Ethan Zeng – Social Marketing Mastery
· [Method] Upload FULL, 100% Unedited Copyrighted Videos on Youtube! Content ID DESTROYER!
· Digital Daily – Top 150 ChatGPT Prompts to Make your Life Easy
· Patek Fynnip – Psychology Course
· Thomas Frank – Creator’s Companion (Ultimate Brain Edition)
· [METHOD] ⚡ See the MAGIC of Bulk Posting ✨ Untapped Method ✅ [ BONUS ChatGpt and Affiliate list Pdf]✅
· ⭕️ YouTube Content Machine – Unlimited FREE traffic for CPA – Fully Automated Method ⭕️
· Jakob Greenfeld – Scraping The Web For Fun and Profit
· Adrian Twarog – OpenAI Template Starter Kit for ChatGPT / GPT3
· The Secret Merchants List of Over 2000+ Dropshippers and Amazon FBA Suppliers Based in The US
· Top Trade Tools – Top Swing Trader Pro
· Charlie Houpert – Charisma University 2023
· ▶️ [METHOD + GUIDE] ✅ Make Money ✅ with Kindle Books ⚠️ Even if You Can’t Write ⚠️ [STEP-BY-STEP] ⚡ NO INVESTMENT REQUIRED! ⚡
· Charlie Morgan – Easy Grow
· Nina Clapperton – Jasper AI Course for Bloggers
· Travis Stephenson – Simple Profit System
· Manny Khoshbin – Real Estate Starter Program
· Tanner Henkel & Jerrod Harlan – 7-Figure Email Machine
· [METHOD] Stop Wasting Money on AI Writers Train And Fine-Tune Your Own AI For Free With No Code ⚡⚡⚡Real Method & Practice Examples ⚡⚡
· Creator Hooks – YouTube Title Mastery
· Thomas Frank – Creator’s Companion (Ultimate Brain Edition)
· Sean Dollwet – Royalty Hero
· Jason Bell – Birthday Marketing Formula
· NXT Level FX – Investors Domain
· [METHOD] ⏩ My ETSY $40K~ Passive Income 2023 + HOT Products (Earning Proof) ⏪ Make Money No Marketing Easy $40K~ Guide FOR NOOBS ✅
· Rob Jones & Gerry Cramer – Profit Singularity Ultra Edition 2022 (AI & ChatGPT)
· Cody Wittick & Taylor Lagace – The Influencer Marketing Blueprint
· ⚡️➡️$390/Week BLUEPRINT+PROOF✅Scalable Method❤️Amazon to eBay Dropship✅
· Kody Ashmore – Simpler Trading – Drama Free Day Trades ELITE
· Youri van Hofwegen – YouTube Search Automation
· Montell Gordon – Agency Transmutation
· Csaba Borzasi – Breakthrough Conversions Academy
· Tim Denning – Twitter Badassery
· Geoff Cudd – AI Writing Course for Bloggers & Digital Marketers
· RED CPA FORMULA – UNTAPPED UNDERGROUND CPA SYSTEM
· BowtiedCocoon – Zero to $100k: Landing Any Tech Sales Role
· Holly Starks – Make LINK BUILDING Great Again!
· Mike Warren – Deeds4Cash
· BITCOIN BRITS – The Crypto Course
· Max Gilles – ⚡️☄️ UHQ Leak ❤️CPA JACKER – Epic CPA Blueprint✅⚡️
· Aidan Booth & Steve Clayton – 123 Profit Update 9
· Christina Galbato – The Influencer Bootcamp
· John Thornhill – Ambassador Program
· [Sales] 999+ Ultimate ChatGPT Prompts To Copy & Paste (250+ tasks)
· Pollinate Trading – Curvy Trading System
· Content Mavericks – The Greatest Hits Content System
· Andriy Boychuk – Flowium – Klaviyo Mastery 2.0
· Dagobert Renouf – How To Dominate Twitter (Advanced Growth Bundle)
· Darius Lukas – ⭐ The Marketer’s Bible to ChatGPT ✅ 1000+ ChatGPT Prompts to Copy, Paste & Scale
· Billy Gene – 5 Day A.I. Crash Course for Marketers
· Alex Cattoni – Posse Eye Brand Voice Challenge Program
· Casey Zander – YouTube Fame Game Blueprint
· Harlan Kilstein – Midjourney Mastery
· Shawna Newman – YouTube for Niche Sites
· [Marketing] 1099+ Ultimate ChatGPT Marketing Prompts To Copy & Paste (200+ tasks)
· Karen Foo – Star Traders Forex Intermediate Course
· TheMacLyf – Hive Mind & Masterclass (Onlyfans Course)
· Brittany Lewis – Top Seller Secret
· Dan Henry – Facebook Ads for Entrepreneur
· Russ Horn – Ultra Blue Forex
· Scott Phillips – Crypto Salary System
· Roland Frasier – AI Powered Expert Apprentice + Update 1
· Roger & Barry – Give Academy 1k/Day Platinum Mastermind [COMPLETE with LATEST UPDATE]
· Bretty Curry (Smart Marketer) – Smart Amazon Ecommerce
· Steven Dux – Traders Edge 2023
· Aidan Booth & Steve Clayton – 123 Profit
· Allie Bjerk – Tiny Offer Lab
· Dicke Bush – Generate 10x More Content Using AI
· Mateusz Rutkowski – New Money Blueprint
· Smart Raja Concepts (SRC) – Forex 101
· Chase Reiner – Short Form Riches Bootcamp 2023 – AI ChatGPT Bot Update 3
· Chase Reiner – AI Profits
· Travis Sago – Cold Outreach & Prospecting AMA Offer (Best Value with All Bonuses)
· Live Traders – Professional Trading Strategies
· Allan Dib – The 1-Page Marketing Plan Course
· Dan Koe – Digital Economics Masters Degree
· The Trading Guide – The Gold Box Strategy
· The Complete XAUUSD GOLD Forex Scalping System On Real Trading Account
if ANYONE is interested send me a message on Fiverr
==> https://bazarcom.org/Biahezacourse

This is long. Everything is so hard right now. Are you ever so slammed you don't have time to cry?
I'm breaking more often than not. I try to delegate to him. He's willing to do more, but he doesn't fucking remember to write shit down and follow up. Rinse. Repeat. His knee-jerk defensiveness in lieu of care and concern toward me is getting better, but is still gross and painful.
"I didn't know there was a rule" for common courtesy. "All you have to do is ask" is the default refrain when I expect him to step up. Sometimes the weaponized incompetence is enough to quit caring, so I do for awhile and it helps.
Yesterday, I spent hours helping my husband set up and tear down a craft market booth. 😑 I ran several errands to replace the credit card reader he learned he lost THE NIGHT BEFORE and got other stuff.
Friday night, I made labels for his wood spoons and spatulas & put them on. He's legally blind and some things are still hard for him to do/see. Yesterday evening, he decided to quit this craft market. Okey, fine, waste my time. I don't really care, it's just that I was sorta volunteered to do it and then not do it.
Last week, I also made a detailed expense and contact lists for our attorney while having a complex migraine that lasted 9 days.
We learned last fall that our neighbor & landlord (same folks) are doing something meth related because we are breathing in meth byproduct vapors that transfer through the soil and come through the floorboards.They've made us sick for 4.5 years.
We need to move out of this awfully toxic, but fantastic grand ranch, house that gives us enough space tobdo stuff and not hate each other. Which could mean a different high school for kid depending on neighborhood, etc.
My (47F, autistic) autistic son (16) is somewhat behind on schoolwork and is trying to wrap up the school year. I'm the one following up. He still needs to enroll in high school as he's been in online school for 2 years.
I'm also chronically ill from the meth byproducts. I have complex migraines that have stroke-like symptoms. Also pain - lots of it. Some meds help.
Guess who's decluttering every room in the midst of housework? And guess who stopped to help him with the craft market booth stuff?
And yet, my husband continues to carve one thing after another outside, as if nothing in the house is happening. He claims he knows I'm perpetually really busy.
One time, I wanted help cleaning off the dresser because it screams "clean me!" when I wake up wvery day. I asked him to clean up his corner, and I gave old tissues as an example. Guess what he removed? Him "But you told me to remove..."🙄
Later, I told him that it would mean a lot to me if, after a day of me supporting him with his market stuff, if he could offer some time to support me with something.
His responses were dumb enough to walk away:
"I thought this was something we were doing together, like for us." (Teflon cosplay🧸) Me: I supported you because of reasons that were important to you and gave up some of my time to do so. I take no issue with the decision I made.
"All you gotta do is ask." Me: No. This is a social skill. Especially after big favors.
"I didn't realize we needed to have a rule for this." Me: We dont, this is a social skill.
My God, he doesn't know know how to argue fairly without moving hoalposts from one day to the next, and the weaponized incompetence just magnifies all of it. Marriage Counseling is in our future. Thank goodness.

I am playing my first Final Fantasy game ever which is Final Fantasy VII from 1997. Here is the previous part for those who care: https://www.reddit.com/FinalFantasy/comments/13zpdz2/my_first_final_fantasy_game_ever_part_16/
​
For this part, I completed the Forgotten City and the Raid of Midgar.
​
For the gameplay, I finally found the Key of the Ancients which was under the Forgotten City Island using the submarine. It took me over an hour trying to find it. I regret not googling the answer because I would have saved more time. The only consolation I got was that I went back in the Gelnika Ship and found a second room that led to me find cool stuff. As for the boss fights, I thought they were really good. The fight against the Grey Weapon and the 3 boss fights in Midgard I thought they were good. While I realized that the boss fights against the Turks was optional, I still chose to fight them because it was fitting. After that, I was able to battle the Black Weapon and I got Ultima Weapon for Cloud which looks cool. Unfortunately it doesn't grant materia growth so I will use it later. And with the Blue, Grey, and Black Weapon defeated, there is only one weapon to defeat which is the Green Weapon. Scratch that, I have found the existence of the Red Weapon and I got a game over from it. I do not like the Red Weapon. While I may have yet to fight the Green Weapon, the Red Weapon has to be the hardest enemy in the game. The ability to remove your party members while at the same time having tentacles that take away your MP and HP is super strong. I will need more levels and legit strategy to beat the Red Weapon. I also discovered that the Black Weapon left a crater which allowed me to go to the Mountain Forest. I did not like the Mountain Forest because the leaf enemies are incredibly annoying. They dodge my attacks left and right I felt like I had to use magic but I had low ethers to replenish it. Those leaves can dodge some attacks from Omnislash so it is ridiculous. I found Typoon Summon but overall the Ancient Forest is something that I do not plan to come back to anytime soon.
​
Now for story. So now we know the purpose of what Aerith did in the Forgotten City. She was trying to summon Holy using White Materia and the small plot twist was that White Materia has been with her the entire time as her hair pearl. I did not expect Aerith's hair pearl to be plot relevant later on. It turns out that the Holy summon has been activated but it has been suppressed by Sephiroth. So the plan is to defeat Sephiroth to stop the suppression of Holy. But before we can enter the Northern Crater, we have to intercept the Grey Weapon from attacking Midgard. It was epic to actually fight and defeat a Weapon cause they were something that I have typically avoided. After that I went to Midgard but I did not know that we are supposed to fly over it instead of walking to it. I walked into Sector 5 which I was able to do because I found the key in Bone Village and that lead me to the Premium Heart. I find it very funny that I was able to find what seems to be Tifa's strongest weapon because I was stuck in the return to the Forgotten City. After actually going on top of Midgard, it was epic to see how we have to enter the city via parachute with the gang. And of course, if I have to do a level in Midgard, I can only use the Midgard Trio of Cloud, Tifa, and Barrett. I often like it in games when they have a section of ending things where they began. This game began with us bombing one Shinra Reactor and now here we are finishing Shinra by coming to Midgard and stopping the Sister Ray. I also found it very satisfying to finally beat Heidegger and Scarlet in the Prod Clod together. Now for the Hojo boss fight. The boss fight was fine but the revelations are holy crap. It is confirmed that Hojo is the father of Sephiroth! I call BS on that. There is no way that Hojo could have smashed Lucrecia. I saw Vincent's flashback in the waterfall cave, I am still baffled. Of all the things to happen in the story from talking cats, a planet creating weapons, and crystals that can summon meteors, the most unrealistic thing about this game is that Dr. Hojo has the rizz to bag Lucrecia. I have said this in the previous part and I will say it again here. Whatever happened between Lucrecia and Vincent had to be something super major like Vincent had a hand in killing Lucrecia's parents or something of that gravity. It is just unbelievable that someone like Hojo could feel the touch of a woman. The only conclusion that I can see for Hojo and Lucrecia happening is that Hojo mind-controlled Lucrecia or that Lucrecia was so into science that she smashed Hojo out of science. Those can be the only explanation. I think I have spent enough time talking about this.
Moving on, we now have the get together in the Highwind. Seeing everyone having to prepare themselves for the final confrontation with Sephiroth is just emotional. Having everyone leave to do their own thing is just heartwarming. Barrett goes to Marlene, Red XIII visits his grandfather, Yuffie goes to Wutai to see her own father, Cid goes to Rocket Town to see Shera, and Vincent probably went to the Waterfall Cave to see Lucrecia. After that we have a one on one with Cloud and Tifa and just it is adorable and sad at the same time. Both Cloud and Tifa no longer have a place or anyone they can go to anymore so they stay on the Highwind but at least they have each other. I really enjoyed the one on one and then seeing Tifa sleep on Cloud's shoulder is just so cute. While the somber tone may be sad, the things said were just great. But after that everyone regroups together and now with a clear purpose in mind, AVALANCHE has one more mission to complete: Defeat Sephiroth.
​
From the looks of it, I think that my next part, Part 18, will probably be my final part for this series. But before I enter the Northern Crater there are a few things I need to do. I need to find the manual for Tifa's Limit Break 4, the best weapon for Red XIII and Cid, and to beat the Red Weapon and maybe Green Weapon if I feel it.
​
As always, please do not spoil what I have left for the game.

Hi I bought my car in 2020 with 72 monthly payment for $281. I thought I could manage it but I was only making $30,000/yr at the time so I’d say it was a huge financial mistake. This was also before I knew of the 15% rule for cars which now says I have a budget of max $534 because my take home income is $3624.
I recently came to realize I spend over $335 a month in phantom costs (gas, insurance, parking). So in total I spend around $616 per month for a car that’s used for commuting around town.
My idea: Trade-in my 2018 Hyundai Elantra for $10,000-13,000. I would get $0-$3000 positive equity towards a new car and go with a cheaper model with 48 month payments of no more than $190. My credit score is 755 so interest won’t be too high.
I’m at $70,000 now so I could afford it if I cut into my savings and spending money but after 3 years of being broke behind this car I’d rather just start over with lower payments for a car that I’ll keep forever (which was my intention with this car initially). I have 3 years of payments left which feels like a lot.
If I sell my car and lower my car payments to $190 a month that would lower my fixed costs every month. They currently take up 70% of my paycheck every month so saving is really hard.
Would this be beneficial for me financially in the long run? Or even in the short term?
I’d rather be able to save more money than continue to pay for this car. I’d be perfectly happy driving something from 2012. I just don’t want to wind up paying more money. I have about $10,000 left on my loan and my car is worth about $13,000. I think I’ve paid around $7,000 for it so far.
I’m looking to get a used Honda Civic or Toyota Camry. I have $2000 for a down payment.
If I keep paying my loan will that result in more positive equity for me? I would ideally make a purchase in October or around Black Friday.
TLDR: spent too much on car payment initially. will it be beneficial to sell my car for a used one to get lower car payments?
I live in Baltimore btw.

I recently completed a RTW award on ANA and wanted to share my experience to help others with this amazing award. I spent a long time researching before going through with booking --Hope this can help the next person! I did make a few mistakes/learnings along the way hope some can take into consideration. Overall, I spent 125,000 points transferred from Amex MR & ~$950 for 8 segments going East from the US in Business.

Routing

DEN-YYZ-LHR, VIE-BKK-SIN-DPS-SIN-HND-SFO - can paste into GCMap which results in a total of 21,526 mi; within the 22,000 Business Category.
​

Routing	CarrieClass
DEN (Denver) - YYZ (Toronto)	AC (Air Canada) / Economy
YYZ (Toronto) - LHR (London)	AC (Air Canada) / Business
VIE (Vienna) - BKK (Bangkok)	BR (Eva Airways) / Business
BKK (Bangkok) - SIN (Singapore)	SQ (Singapore) / Business
SIN (Singapore) - DPS (Bali)	SQ (Singapore) / Business
DPS (Bali) - SIN (Singapore)	SQ (Singapore) / Business
SIN (Singapore) - HND (Tokyo)	NH (ANA) / Business
HND (Tokyo) - SFO (San Francisco)	NH (ANA) / Business

The total portion of my time is about a month, with a majority of my time spent in Europe between LHR and VIE, a small portion of time in Bali to break up flights, and about a week in Japan before flying home.

Research Process

I had been targeting Spring/Early Summer 2024 for this award for awhile but hadn't nailed down a particular date. I wanted to travel during shoulder season to maximize value, crowds, and decent weather across these regions. I was just waiting for the award calendar to open up for most of the carriers. I started looking about a month out (April) and doing some random searches/looks to see what flights were coming available and possible routings. In my research I found that most flights leaving from the US to Asia booked up fastest right after being released at the edge of the booking window (ex: ANA opens up bookings on its metal 355 days out; and within say 3-4 days of release most of these flights are snatched up and go into Waitlist status in Business). I had originally been planning on flying West from the US and starting in Asia, however, after doing a few mock bookings this soon became apparent it would be near impossible (Especially since Japan in spring is peak season with the Cherry Blossoms, festivals, etc). I would occasionally find a random flight departing from the US to Asia within a month of the edge of the booking window; and try to plan flights around that going westward, but it would disappear extremly quickly and my plans would be spoiled. As a result I found for this time of year it would be easiest to go east from the US through Europe first, and then ending in Asia and snatching my return flights at the edge of the booking window when ANA's flights opened/other carriers.
I would definitely recommend being flexible and don't have your heart set on going one direction originally due to concerns about time in the Air vs. Jetlag etc. I had been reading a few articles/discussions about the best direction to take and really had my heart set on going westward originally; but would say after going through this process to ignore choosing a direction initially and try to do a few samples in either direction to see what is easiest. I think I wasted a-lot of time/frustration originally trying to go westward rather than just seeing what was easiest with the most connection opportunities.
Another research point is that domestic US Business availability/North America is extremly hard to come by. United basically was only offering Economy segments domestically; I didn't see any J fares. AC Departures from US up to Canada was nearly the same thing. I did randomly see consistent J availability from SMF - YVR on a CRJ AC was offering nearly every day, and from ORD on a few dates but didn't think going out of my way was worth it. It was at a bad time and on a relatively undesirable (IMO) CRJ so I could see why that route had wide open availability. The problem was once you made it to YVR; you usually had to connect to YYZ or YYC internationally and I had the same issue finding J space domestically in Canada; so it was a dead end. I ended up just booking my first segment in Economy on AC up to Canada - didn't want to waste valuable hunting time looking for a short segment in J domestically when the biggest fish looking for space was internationally. Don't obsess over having every segment in J especially your first flight. If space opens later you can always switch into a higher class on the same flight.
For research and booking I used FlightConnections to get routing ideas based on Star Alliance carriers. I then used United's monthly award calendar (without being logged in) to see Saver availability, and then confirmed this on ANA's website. I was going to use some other tools but didn't find them useful. I paid for a day trial of point . me but found it slow and cumbersome without the filtering I needed. I didn't find Aeroplan that useful either. If I was to do this again I would explore paying for ExpertFlyer Pro and using that to search more easily.. would have probably been faster. The trial wasn't long enough to be that useful for when I was researching/booking, but it did give me some ideas - and looking back I would have easily paid for a month or two of Pro Membership to speed up my searching. Overall though, I just stuck to FlightConnections + United + ANA confirmation.

Booking Process

The time had come to where the edge of the booking window was approaching the dates I wanted. I had a few routings in mind and had saved multiple variations targeting the 22,000 mileage cap. I had a few options but nothing nailed down; so I started the process to transfer 125,000 points from Amex to ANA. Even though as a "best practice" most say to not transfer until you have the flights chosen or held, I had read some conflicting points online stating ANA does not do holds, so didn't want to risk this. I was confident based on my research I would be able to piece something together as I had a-lot of backup options chosen. I attempted to transfer late on a Friday afternoon online but got the message the transfer was unsuccessful and had to call Amex; did that early Saturday morning and they completed the transfer for me manually. Turns out I didn't have a "Call Center Pin" setup; so make sure you go into your account and set one before trying and the transfer online should go through, according to the agent. This ordeal added to my stress during the process -- if you are going to be transferring MR please make note!
I was on edge waiting for the points to deposit the entire weekend, and kept tabs on my various options. US - Europe had a-lot of options on AC; and I also had a few backup options on TAP. The "riskiest" flight for me was VIE-BKK as I really needed to get out of Europe to Asia; and there weren't many options since I was booking really close to the edge of the booking window. I couldn't see any long haul availability on Turkish/Ethiopian/other European Star Alliance carriers; so I was pretty much banking on EVA with my backup as Egyptaiothers. I noticed that Singapore seemingly doesn't publish any saver J availability to partners on long haul flights; but it does have pretty decent availability in J on short haul interasia flights. It seems like the cutoff is around 4.5 hr; but found good availability from some cities in India and even Dhaka in Bangladesh to SIN I could have used to connect to with a mix of EgyptAir / Air India / Singapore if EVA didn't work out but honestly this was a last resort and I didn't want to; but at least I had a plan. During the weekend my original VIE-BKK flight selection disappeared; but luckily they had another flight the next day I was able to book into instead. They also had other options within Europe I could have fallen back on like LHR and AMS. I didn't want to depart from LHR unless absolutely necessary as the UK Departure tax would have been ~200 pounds; something that can be avoided if possible. Definitely look into 5th freedom routes for "hidden gems"; I know Ethiopian offers some too. Apart from this; within Asia there were alot of options, and I wasn't concerned about getting back to the US from Japan because I was purposefully booking on the edge of the booking window for ANA to ensure I had availability.
Points were finally deposited early Monday morning sometime between 1am - 9am EST. I saw them in my account when I woke up early which was perfect as I was targeting calling the ANA Call Center around then, some posters online had said calling around this time resulted in the shortest wait. I waited about 1.5 hours and got a nice agent who helped me. Of note; when I called the very first thing she confirmed was my point balance. It seems like they won't even entertain booking something for you (or at least this agent in particular) if you have 0 points; so I am glad I transferred my points before. She was very helpful in quickly researching and confirming the flights -- at the same time I was on the ANA website with the multi city booking tool confirming the space was there too alongside her. She questioned at first about me backtracking by going from SIN - DPS - SIN but realized I had to do this to connect with SIN - HND as there weren't any direct flights from SIN and was fine with it. At the end of feeding her the flights she said the routing I desired was greater than 22,000 miles (~23,5000 miles) and would trigger the next bucket to be 135,000 points -- my heart sank.
This is where my mistake came in... Originally I had 2 inter-european segments, and also wanted to fly from HND - IAH instead of HND - SFO. The entire time I had been researching with gcmapper to get the distances; I had been using nautical miles (nm) in the calculations rather than statute miles (mi)! The nautical mile calculation had been below 22,000 so I thought I was in the clear the entire time. The agent was super helpful and understood my mistake and I did some research in the background for a few minutes. I ended up dropping the inter-european segments and switching from HND-IAD to HND-SFO which made my routing 21,526mi which was below the 22,000 threshold according to gcmapper. She came back to me and quoted 21,523mi, so we were pretty close in our distances after this... 3 mile difference hah. Disaster averted.
After she confirmed all the segments had availability she put me on hold and calculated the taxes and fees ~($950). The majority of the taxes and fees were from the 2 ANA segments at the end of my trip; with fuel charges. I got sent to an automated phone system to input my card info, and returned back to her (don't hang up!). She told me that she had to have the fare desk ticket the itinerary and I should be getting an email or callback. Sure enough ~2 hours later she called me back and said I had to re-enter my card info as they had some issue with their system; the flight hadn't yet been ticketed. I took the opportunity to change one of the segments during this callback to a better time I had found and she helped me change it since It hadn't yet been ticketed -- I was flustered on the first call when she said the milage was too high.
Something interesting I noted is during the time between calls I was able to see the reservation on the ANA App; and an alert said "Complete Payment by *date*" which was 3 days from the present. So it looks like technically they will "hold" a reservation for up to 3 days while waiting for card payment. It sounded like the Agent was willing to work with me as well when I needed 135,000 points instead of 125,000 points; but I didn't want to spent more or risk the timing with transfers. I wouldn't bank on this at all. Just FYI though. After this second call I got an email about a half an hour later with my receipt and ticket/itinerary and PNR. I was able to select seats and finally relax after the ordeal.
After all of this, I probably spent about 12 hours spaced out during 3 days of the booking process plus my previous research over about a month. Definitely set aside some time for yourself during booking and research.

Change Process

Something I hadn't seen much of online was the process for making a change to an existing RTW booking - I ended up doing this as well, so hopefully this can help some.
About a week after booking I noticed one of the flights opened availability from SIN-HND on ANA at a better time. I was originally flying overnight but wanted to fly during the day to help minimize jetlag, and jumped at the chance. Also I wanted to spend more time in Singapore so this helped. Note you can only change the date + time of a flight; it must be the same routing and carrier and class (except you can move up a class if one becomes available and your original ticket allows for that class). I called around 2PM EST and it only took about an hour to get through this time. The agent simply told me I would owe the difference in taxes/fees for the change. There wasn't any penalty or call center charge assessed for this. I had read somewhere that apparently you'd be charged a 1,000 point fee for the change but this wasn't the case for me. The difference amounted to some small amount around a dollar or so which I happily paid. The agent shared something helpful to me -- she asked I save a card on the ANA website to my account rather than doing it on the phone. This would help the Fare Desk charge faster without needing to call me back like last time, I guess they have issues with their credit card system on the phone with some credit cards. I ended up doing this with her on the phone guiding me and she confirmed she could now see my card. The change ended up going through an hour later with a new ticket/itinerary and recipient emailed to me; no second call necessary.
According to the fare rules denoted on my PNR; you can do a similar change with date/time only up to 4 days (96 hours) before departure - also during the trip itself I believe as well. (full endorsements/restrictions on the ticket: NO MILEAGE CREDIT/NH FFP/NON END/RRT/DT CHNG UPTO 4DYS B4 NEW FLT)

TLDNeed to know Tips

• Successfully booked ANA RTW in Business at 125,000 points transferred from MR ~950 in taxes/fees. ANA was the culprit for majority of costs with fuel surcharges on 2 segments I flew.
• Don't have your heart set on going a particular direction upfront - go with what is easiest to book, and be flexible!
• Make sure you have Call Center Pin set in Amex if using MR before transferring to ANA to avoid issues.
• ANA seems to not hold for RTW for point transfer time if you have no points; I was asked upfront if I had the points before the agent would assist me. I had to transfer before.
• You can store a card online in ANA's system before calling which can help the Fare Desk/agent speed up processing to avoid callbacks/payment issues. You can store up to two cards. They were willing to hold itinerary up to 3 days awaiting card payment, and possibly for more points (but not with 0 points in my account) - did not test this. Use this info at your own risk. I wouldn't bank on it with points -- risky.
• Used United's award calendar without being logged in + FlightConnections; consider paying for ExpertFlyer too, also be savvy about the booking window(s) of carriers and book against the edge for the best availability especially with ANA.
• When calculating distance with gcmapper use statute miles (mi) not nautical miles (nm)!
• You can change flight(s) after booking as long as its simply a date+time change - no change in routing/carrier. Class change upwards is allowed if your original ticket allows for it. I was not assessed a penalty/fee for the change like some claimed online - could depend though.

I hope this was helpful - pardon the length - just wanted to be as detailed as possible and give back to the community after all the help I received. Since this is all fresh in my mind please feel free to ask questions and I'll try to answer. I sincerely feel all the effort was worth it for the value I received - best of luck booking!

Source: Gerry Harvey says minimum wage rise will put jobs at risk (afr.com)
Text:
Companies will consider cutting staff or increasing prices after the largest rise in the award wages since 2009, warns retailer Gerry Harvey, whose homewares and electronics chain is among the retailers expected to be the hardest hit by the hefty pay rise
The Harvey Norman chairman and executive director said the Fair Work Commission’s decision to increase the pay of 2.4 million people on awards by 5.75 per cent would present challenges for all businesses and make the Reserve Bank’s attempts to tame inflation more difficult.
Mr Harvey said the new wage rates could test the viability of some businesses at a time when many retailers were watching pay packets rise faster than sales.
“We’ve got inflation and we’ve got a big wage increase, and it’s a difficult situation,” he said.
“It’ll affect all businesses, and the first thing [business owners] will do is look at their staff and think about how to get rid of people. That’s what every business does when wages go up.
“Certainly, a franchisee at a Harvey Norman would be no different to anyone else in business – they would be looking at their wage bill, and how do you counter that? You either cut wages or increase prices.”
In addition to the broad 5.75 per cent rise for award-wage earners, the commission on Friday also declared an 8.6 per cent increase for 80,000 non-award workers. Those lowest paid workers will get an extra $70 a week, with their hourly wage rising to $23.23 from $21.38.
Analysis conducted after the decision has indicated that retailers such as Harvey Norman, cheap jewellery chain Lovisa and Solomon Lew’s Premier Investments, which controls fashion brands such as Portmans and Just Jeans, could be among the hardest hit by the 5.75 per cent increase.
COULD SPARK MORE RATE RISES
JPMorgan warned the wage rises would hit retailers hard, and could contribute to the need for more rate rises.
“The implications for retailers are significant, given the large proportion of costs linked directly to minimum wage increases at a time of slowing [or] negative sales growth,” the broker said.
“The risk of a wage-price spiral for inflation triggering incremental RBA rate rises exists as minimum wage increases above 5 per cent in our view.”
Analysts, including UBS, said the increase would hurt specialty retailers more than supermarkets because those selling apparel, homewares and other discretionary products had relatively higher labour costs, smaller stores and less essential products.
“Essential products (e.g. food, basic household goods, telecommunications) [have] more resilient demand despite cost-of-living pressures, with rising immigration another tailwind for retailers that have high market shares in essential categories,” UBS said.
Mr Harvey said the $4.2 billion Harvey Norman’s wage bill was at its highest as a percentage of sales in the company’s history.
Although the lift in award rates would push the company’s wage bills higher, it was also possible it could bolster sales, he said.
“Paying more wages means some businesses will have to figure out if they can keep going. But it also means people are going to have more money, which means they have more money to spend,” he said.
“And people are still spending.”
UBS concluded that Mr Lew’s Premier Investments, footwear and clothing retailer Accent Group, youth casual apparel store Universal, jewellery chain Lovisa, Harvey Norman, Super Retail Group and then JB Hi-Fi would be among the hardest hit.
It was less concerned about Wesfarmers’ Bunnings, Kmart and Officeworks, which the analysts said “enjoy strong value positions in market”.
JPMorgan, in contrast, concluded that Coles and Woolworths would be most exposed to the wage increase because of their high wage bill relative to revenues.
“Woolworths and Coles have the highest leverage to wage rate inflation ... as supermarkets have high labour costs and relatively low margins,” the analysts said.

You had everything you could ever dream of. You were Rich, you were dating the Quarterback, You were the head of the Cheer Squad, Had all the most popular girls in school begging to be your bestie just for the social credit it brought, You were even the most beautiful girl in all of town! You had it all. The Queen of our little town. You lived it up, burning cash like it didn't mean anything. A Party every night, countless amounts of booze and drugs, and just the most active of sex lives to keep up with your urges. But after one of those such nights...Everything went wrong.
Who would have known letting your Boyfriend drive you home would have been such a bad idea. And how the hell were you supposed to know how much he'd been drinking or how much coke he'd done, you were a busy girl! You didn't babysit him at every party...And who would have known blowing through a single Stop sign would have been such a poor life choice. You could have handled a cop, you had plenty of money to blow on a ticket or you could always have flashed him...that usually worked if it was a guy. You could even have handled a night in prison! What you couldn't handle...Was an 18-Wheeler hauling lumber. Jake, your Ex, was practically unharmed, getting out of the accident with a few broken ribs and a hell of a lot of bruises. But you on the other hand...Your dad had always told you to keep your feet off of the dash, but that was just to keep the dirt off. Turns out that when an airbag deploys, it kicks really fucking hard...
You woke up in the hospital after 6 weeks in a Coma. The mix of blunt force trauma, internal injuries, and minor brain damage had forced them to put you under till your condition improved. Your face was bruised and broken, but they told you that you'd make a full recovery. Your hands were shattered, and while they'd never be 100% again, they told you that you should regain 60-80% functionality if you stuck to the therapy they assigned. What they couldn't fix...was the spinal damage. You originally woke up in a panic, the terror of the situation you had survived weeks ago finally making its way to your brain. The scramble to stand up led to a tumble to the ground as your legs just...wouldn't move...You were thinking so damn hard but they just lay there as the tears started flowing like mad. You actually ended up puking from the stress and anxiety. So obviously, the next few days were...a blur. Barely taking in any information, just...gliding by on autopilot...Something about therapy sessions, something about the new ramps and assistants your father was hiring and having put in...But the entire time this was going on, Not a single one of your friends came to visit. None of the cheer squad, none of the other Party Girls, Not even Jake...You couldn't even text him because your hands were still so damaged, but the few times you tried to call with help, he never picked up.
It took a while till your doctors cleared you to go back to school. And when you got there...It was horrible. Jake had seemingly already moved on, your friends treated you like filth...All your status, all your fame, and reputation were down the drain. Because now you aren't cool anymore. You aren't the girl who has sex in the back of Jake's Mustang whenever he feels like it or the girl does so many shots she blacks out or does so much coke she could fuck all night...Now, you're just the girl who couldn't even go to the bathroom unless there were rails to hold on to. Your life is nonexistent now. So you convinced your Dad to buy a new house halfway across the country to get away from it all...Your father staying behind to deal with his business, but he promised to visit as soon as he could. And so you moved, by yourself emotionally, even if your father had arranged for your new physiotherapist to be on call at all hours.
Today is the first day of your new life, The first day we meet, and the first day you've laughed in months...

Hey there, I know this is a bit of a dark story but I've always had a bit of a thing for dark stories anyways. This is meant to be a slow-burn, wholesome romance RP of an Ex-Popular girl meeting someone who genuinely cares for her despite her injuries. She's not meant to have any major physical deformities, but more than likely has scarring and lots of mental problems since her life changed so much so fast. As I said in the story, her hands were injured in the accident, so you can have them be as functional or dysfunctional as you want, just remember even if they function close to normally, she still has the trauma. If you have ideas or questions, feel free to ask them in a Chat or DM. I hope someone out there is interested in taking a dive into this plot with me. Must be 18+

So on Friday I was on a flight from ORD to LGA that got diverted to the Harrisburg airport for a couple of hours. Long story short, got to my destination over 3 hours late. Has anyone had success requesting compensation in these situations?

Tldr halfway through
She was diagnosed summer last year with early CKD (SDMA 14) and doing really good up through March of this year (SDMA 17 and 18), when she suddenly needed oral surgery because she was biting her cheek when she ate due to a malocclusion.
We were so hesitant of putting her under anesthesia because of her age and small weight, but we knew she was a fighter and living with pain while eating would be no life at all. So I found her the best vet two hours away in Dallas, an amazing facility with human-standard care. The oral surgery was a success and she was a complete champ, so strong and didn’t let it get her down. She never had pain eating again all spring.
What I wished for while she was under is that she’d get to enjoy at least one more spring on her screened-in porch, her favorite place in the world, and that’s what she got.
We had to say goodbye to Lily on May 31st. On the 30th she came and told her momma something was suddenly wrong, and very different. She would go to her water bowl but not drink, look at her food but not eat. Something I hadn’t seen her do since she was a kitten and needed emergency surgery for a congenital diaphragmatic hernia.
I took her to the ER the same day and then the normal vet when they opened. Her results were not good. Her SDMA was 37, she had the beginnings of systemic issues like fluid on her lungs and an enlarged heart, and her breath was uremic. The week before she was her normal self, and even played with me chasing each other around the house.
When the vet gave the results, I understood what she was saying between the lines, and made the decision that morning to have the vet come out to the house that evening to help us say goodbye to our baby girl.
She had the best possible, most ideal last day, something I’m so grateful for. I gave her gabapentin that morning before taking her to the vet and it never left her system—she was calm up until the very end and relaxed laid out in my lap, not hunched over or uncomfortable. With the fluids and meds the vet gave her that morning she drank half a bowl of water when she got home and was even able to eat her favorite food: people chicken.
Her 7 favorite people spent the whole day adoring her and loving on her. Then around 6 pm on her porch listening to the birds and soaking in the sunbeams, she passed on peacefully with the help of her vet. She was in my lap and I was looking into her eyes when she went.
tldr: anger, guilt, questioning
The perfect ending right? So why am I so angry, and why do I feel so cheated? I question myself about everything. Why did she only get a year after being diagnosed when other cats get a few? Why did her SDMA only go up 4 points in the first 6+ months then more than double in the next 3?
Why didn’t I ask more questions or take more time before saying goodbye instead of making that choice the same day? She could still be here, and I could still be saying goodbye.
She would barely eat kidney food and was already tiny so I had to feed her normal food as well. Did that help kill her or keep her from wasting away even faster? Was her oral surgery something that was too hard for her kidneys to handle? Maybe biting her cheek while eating would have been better than dying three months later if so.
I realized her vet probably never even checked her bp since she was diagnosed. My fault for not mentioning it. I just trusted her vet to do what was needed for the most part, I should have been more aggressive. I asked about a urinalysis and the vet said we needed to weigh the stress to Lily with further testing and visits etc.
For so many reasons I feel like I failed her, and she’s gone so early because of me. I didn’t do something right that others do right, when their cats get a few more years instead of one.
It’s only been a few days but I miss my best friend so much it’s agony. I see her everywhere and in everything, I even dream about her. It feels like I’ll never be able to move forward and life will never be okay without her here.
I love you, little girl:
https://imgur.com/a/ANPi2DP
(Does not contain anything nsfw, despite imgur’s warning—just her last image and her memorial/grave)

White noise Black screen Focus, Study, Relax 1 hour

Question: If April flowers bring May showers, what do May flowers bring?
Answer: Puritans and misery.
Part 1 - May Flower Moon
I'm no expert but I'm pretty sure this is a ghost story. It all started in early May under the, "Flower Moon".
In the still of the night, I awoke from a deep sleep to witness a moonlight so spectacular it hurt my eyes.
Fumbling for my glasses, I found them, dropped them, cursed, then almost stepped on them. I finally got them where they belonged thinking I needed to use the bathroom. I glanced at the digital clock on my desk.
3:33 am. Again.
Willow weep for me
Bend your branches down along the ground and cover me
-Ann Ronell as sung by Billie Holiday
The birds were chirping loudly. I shuffled to the window. I looked up wide-eyed at the sky. There was the moon; big, round and golden like it didn't mind a big electricity bill. As I used the bathroom, I remember thinking that I didn't ever remember a full moon so bright it could light up my apartment.
I washed my hands then splashed warm water on my face. I cracked my neck. I dried my hands and face with a towel. I remember thinking if I didn't get back to sleep the day was going to suck.
Shuffling back into my bedroom I thought to look for my ski hat. I figured I could pull it over my eyes and escape the light under the blanket. Flower Moon was beautiful but so too is sleep. If I could just hide under the blanket perhaps it wasn't too late for sleep to creep up on me.
I have been renting the same sunny shoebox in old Brooklyn for more than 20 years. It's a corner apartment on the second floor of a 19th century walkup. Across the street, diagonally resides a community garden fronted by a very tall and expansive weeping willow tree that won't let me move away. I didn't know it's age until recently. But it's younger than me. Most things are these days.
I shuffled to the corner window to squeeze the blinds tight and that's when I felt grateful, grateful I had decided to use the bathroom first.
There, at the base of the hundred-foot-tall willow, behind the wrought iron fence, illuminated beneath the moon's glow, I witnessed something that froze my blood and tested my aging bladder. Standing beneath the moonlight, I saw, clear as day, a little boy in footed pajamas with a trap door. The little boy was holding a blue stuffed Grover Muppet in one hand and crying.
Trying to get a good look at the boy was like trying to look at something from behind a campfire. There was a shimmering distortion. What I could clearly see was that he was pointing down at the ground in front of his feet with the non-Grover hand. Suddenly, the little boy spun his head up and around looking directly at me. Eye contact occurred and then too, something I can't explain.
First, a truck transporting fuel broke loudly for the red light at the corner. Through the open windows I smelled what seemed like diesel. I grew light-headed. The room spun around. I remember thinking this feeling smelled both nauseating as well as timeless.
I reached down to try and pick up the floor and that's when it hit me in the face. A sharp pain across my cheek like I had been slapped in a 3 Stooges short. I felt icy fingers grab the hair I had not had in over 30 years and jerk my head back. I smelled more diesel. I grabbed the edge of the desk to keep from losing my balance.
Holding on to the desk, I noticed my mind's eye was playing the little boy's face like a movie. The camera panned in. His little boy face filled my consciousness like I was watching from the front row. He was about four or five years old with long dirty blonde hair. His face looked familiar from a dream.
Then, another slapping pain turned my last good cheek. Losing my balance, I fell ass first to the floor.
Out the window, from on my ass, I watched the traffic light turn green. I heard the truck lurch into gear, rev it's engine then drive away. As it rumbled off into the distance my equilibrium returned.
Muttering my life sucked I gently shook my head and felt for damage. Just my non-existent pride. I got myself vertical, yet once again; feeling a distinct twinge of anxiety.
I looked out the window but the little boy was gone. An FDNY ambulance took his place, it's siren jarring me back to reality. I closed the blinds and got under the blanket. I never did really get back to sleep that night. Or ever since.
Part II - Unhappily Ever Since
Sad as I can be Hear me willow and weep for me... -Billie I keep seeing a little boy under the tree... - me ...
The first thing I want to say is that I keep waking up for decades at exactly 3:33 am.
It's the exact time my decrepit birth certificate claims I was introduced to this world. Can't say why, but ever since digital clocks became a thing, I'm up more often than not to witness 3:33 am transpire. Never remember it happening before digital.
One of my friends recently told me it was an angel number. I don't know anything about angels. Never met one. But I for sure have met some demons in my day. In fact. you might say I was born of demon mother, and I might not be offended. Back to my birth certificate. I was born and yes, still live in Brooklyn, New York. There were gaps but it's my home.
I moved to this particular apartment building a few months after 9/11. I had moved in with a woman at the tail end of doing a romantic nickel, but that fell apart like Madoff, Abramoff or Fuckoff, and she married another dude a year later. So, there in 2002, I and my faithful golden retriever, Spenser, found ourselves, for the very first time, on our own. And, we liked it.
Like I mentioned, Spenser and I lived diagonal to a community garden that fronts a big and beautiful weeping willow tree. I felt an immediate kinship as my favorite book as a child had been, "The Giving Tree" and that's what she reminded me of; only more beautiful.
There will be more about the tree. Anyway, the tree and I dwell in an old part of south Brooklyn called Park Slope, infamous for being the stomping grounds of a young Al Capone, and, believe it or not, young me.
That was a long time ago. Things have changed a lot since Al and I, were separately roaming the streets of Park Slope, looking for adventure and whatever came our way. I came up in the day when if you cried your mother would give you something to cry about. And, not going to lie, I cried a lot. I don't remember my dad that much.
I remember he was a hippie. I remember he had a big beard and moustache and long hair. I remember his denim jacket was always cold, smelling like weed and cigarettes. I remember he gave me, "The Giving Tree" and taught me how to read it. And then, I remember he was; gone. Just. Gone.
I also remember my mother. I remember her never talking much. I remember her just smelling like hair spray, cigarettes and instant coffee with sour milk. I never was able to drink milk, not even as a child, and to this very day just the sight of a milk carton turns my stomach to acid.
I lived alone with the old lady about half a mile from where I live now. Yeah, in over thirty years I made it a whole thirteen blocks. Like I said, my pride was non-existent these days unless I was sitting on it. Another, weird thing besides waking up at 3:33 am is I have a lot of memory lapses. It has been getting worse the last few years. Especially, since old Spenser had a seizure in my arms back on the 9/11 of '09. He was fifteen and my best friend. I'd always loved dogs. But after losing Spenser, I couldn't quite remember things right all the time.
Sometimes, it was little things. Like did I turn off the stove or lock the front door. Other times, it was deep things, like did the telephone repair man try to do something to me when I was five and left home alone. Like did I pull a kitchen knife on him before he scampered out like a thief in the night; scared he'd be caught by my screams for Batman? Did I remember my mother having strange guests over late at night? Did I remember being locked in my room? I just couldn't remember anymore.
I had taken to obsessively keeping lists. But you can't put ghost-busting on a list, can you? And that was my real problem. Ever since, the May Flower Moon the haunting just kept rinsing and repeating. Eat edibles, Nyquil, and Advil PM and still wake up at 3:33am. Smell diesel. Wave of nausea. Little boy in garden. Little boy crying. Little boy pointing at something. Little boy looking up at me. Little boy. Little boy. Little boy.
By last Friday, I was a mess.
My work is suffering. I am too embarrassed to tell my aunt or besties I see a little boy. They already think I am weird enough and last thing I need is a wellness check.
To remain scientific, I have continued my daytime visits to the garden whenever it is open. Everything seems so lovely in the day. I even brought the new woman I am seeing. She fell in love with the tree at first sight. The flowers are gorgeous. And the roses; so mesmerizing. Even the fish in the koi pond are happy.
But at night. Something isn't right.
...Weeping willow tree Weeping sympathy Bent your branches down along the ground and cover me Listen to me plead Hear me willow and weep for me...
My new friend at work I mentioned, who told me about angel numbers, asked me recently if something was bothering me. She told me when we met, she is in the midst of a spiritual awakening.
Part of it includes awakening every morning to read the Tarot cards and commune with who, or what, she calls, "spirit".
I cracked and told her about the little boy under the tree. She didn't bat an eye. She told me spirit wants something from me. I didn't know what to say to that so I just left it alone. I guess I'm afraid what if she's right. And what if I don't like what, "spirit" wants?
Last night was Saturday. I had a dream.
That night I dreamed about a collie I had when I was a very young boy right after my dad split. Her name was Pearl. I had found her on the street on my block and for some inexplicable reason had been allowed to keep her.
Not long after, one hot summer day in Prospect Park, when my mother was going to give me something to cry about, Pearl suddenly ran down the hill she was frolicking on, making a wide sweeping arc that screamed, "ride or die, full throttle, and damn the fucking torpedoes," it's trajectory directly between my mother's legs. Fur overcame flesh just in the nick before I was given something to cry about.
Instead, I laughed.
I laughed so fucking hysterically at the sight of her on the grass, on her ass; smug look gone with the wind; replaced by an expression seething red menace that would have been McCarthy's wet dream.
And, like the little boy at 3:33 am, Pearl's eyes met mine. She seemed to nod her collie head, as if she were acknowledging that, yes, she was the best dog and don't you forget it. I didn't cry much for a while after that till I came home from school and Pearl was gone. Just gone. To some farm I was told. Where she could be happier. So, I guess I did get something to cry about after all.
And then last night I had a dream.
Part III - It weeps for me?
I dreamed of Peter Pan and buried treasure. I dreamed of Stove Stop stuffing and commercials loud enough to drown out a breech birth. I dreamed of Spider-Man letting Uncle Ben's killer go free. I dreamed of being American. I dreamed of Watergate, the fall of the Berlin wall, 9/11 and watching people jump out windows to avoid burning to death out the window of my office.
I dreamed of Iraq and Afghanistan and George Floyd and Covid and never-ending cycles of boom and bust. I dreamed of a golden carrot on what started out as a stick but soon morphed into what I realized was a branch. A long flowing beautiful branch covered in red. A branch that hung low. It swayed along the ground, swayed above my head and there I was.
I was in the garden. Under the tree. I felt drops of warm dew caressing my face. I was about to reach up to caress the tree. My tree. I noticed I was wearing pajamas. Not the black satin jammies I had been wearing for decades but old footie pajamas. They were Star Trek pajamas. With three golden rings on the cuffs and a trap door.
A drop of dew fell in my eye. I wiped it away and looked at my hand. It was red. Red with blood. My Mickey Mouse watch involuntarily color-coordinated with the blood. It appeared to be just after 3:30 am.
Suddenly, a dog appeared. It was Pearl. Then another, it was Spenser. They jammed their snouts into my flannel covered groin. I pet them both and noticed my tears mixing with the dewy blood drops turning them a soft pink under the moonlight.
"Good boy. Good girl." I said.
"Hi," a voice I recognized but couldn't place said.
I looked around. And there, was, the little boy. And, in his hand was Grover.
"Hi," I heard myself say.
"Who's the dog?" he said.
"That's Pearl. And this is Spenser." I answered.
"I know Pearl, silly. She's my dog," then, "Hi, Spenser."
Spenser left my crotch for the little boy's. They went together like peanut butter and sandwiches.
"Where are your parents?" I heard myself ask.
"Dad left. Mom told me to stay here until she comes back."
"When was that?" I asked.
The little boy shrugged then, "Been a while I guess," and he started to cry. Spenser got agitated and started to whine. I approached. I went to put my hand on the boy's shoulder and he jumped.
"Hey, it's okay." I took my hand back.
He looked up at me. Then he said, "You want to see something?
I said, "Yes."
The little boy fished around in his pajamas and pulled out something, it looked like a piece of rolled up construction paper secured with a red ribbon that matched the bloody dew drops.
He un-scrolled it then solemnly showed it to me.
I looked like a child's treasure map. That ended in the garden. Only it wasn't a garden. It said, "JUNK YARD" and there was a big X next to the corner of the rectangle the words were written in. I looked down at him.
"There's no junk yard here, son," I said.
The little boy looked away from Spenser and up at me. Pearl ran to his side. I felt six eyes on me.
"That's what you think," he said
A moment later there was the loud cracking of fireworks being detonated. I awoke in my bed
Fumbling for my glasses, I found them, dropped them, cursed, then almost stepped on them. I finally got them where they belonged thinking I needed to use the bathroom. I glanced at the digital clock on my desk.
3:33 am. Again.
I ran to the window to look out. But, unlike every other time for the past month, the boy was not in residence. He was gone. Just. Gone.
Part IV - The is The End
Gone my lovely dreams To weep my tears along the stream Sad as I can be Hear me willow and weep for me
...
This was fucking ridiculous. I am sane. I am not mad. I'd been reading, "The Giving Tree," too much. Spending too much time alone working from home. Maybe I just needed to get away. Take a trip somewhere.
I realized getting back to sleep was going to be impossible. So, I went into the kitchen and made a pot of tea. No milk.
Back at my desk, my "SHIT. FUCK. DAMN." glass mug of tea firmly in hand, I took a deep breath. There was no point in giving myself a heart attack. Maybe it was just anxiety. Maybe panic attacks. I had dated lots of neurotic women. That could be it. Maybe some Lexapro and I'd be good as new. I decided to check my email.
A woman I used to date from Queens and stayed friends with had sent me a link entitled, "Birth of a community garden." It was video to my garden. Before it was a garden. Over forty years ago. It was a decrepit vacant lot filled with dead cars and refuse and apparently had been a neighborhood drug bazaar. Like I said, things have changed a lot since Al and I were young as springtime.
By the time I moved back you would have never known what things looked like. Spray painted signs that read, "NO DRUGS SOLD HERE!" and the like. Just like the Batman, Dark Knight, the 80s were a time when Urban Renewal was striking back. And before you could say, "corruption at City Hall," there was fecund soil where once had stood God knows what.
It gave me hope that humanity wasn't so bad. Maybe I had just been going through a tough time. Maybe I should quit while I am ahead and get a good night's rest. So, I closed the blinds and went to bed.
Why I am never sleeping again
That night I dreamed I was part of the junk yard's saviors. Hauling out decades of festering trash and replacing it with good old Mother Earth. A whole community coming together to commune with nature. I felt myself smile.
All day we hoed the rows. The fecundity of the soil filling my nostrils. There was food and laughter and soon day turned to night. One by one all the gardeners left into the dusk. Soon I stood alone next to a young woman. She held a green army duffle bag. And two shovels.
"You look like a strong man. They're going to be planting a weeping willow tree here soon. But first, I wanted to leave the earth a gift to grow up. I want to give to the tree. Won't you help me?"
I felt a passing twinge of disgust. I rubbed my upper lip with the back of my hand and thought I smelled the faint smell of diesel. I heard myself say, "Hand me a shovel."
An hour later I had fulfilled the lady's request to deposit the duffel bag deep within the new garden's soil. She lit a cigarette I recognized. She blew some smoke in my face and it smelled like sour milk.
"Ever read a boy and his dog?" she asked.
I nodded.
"This is the opposite," she said. I smelled the diesel again and then remembered no more. This morning I awoke feeling none too swell. I got my glasses on without dropping them for a change then sort of hobbled to the kitchen area to make some tea. I opened the blinds and there was my weeping willow tree. Swaying gently in the Sunday early June overcast chill.
Implacable. Inscrutable. True to it's nature. The day was gray as a widow's anniversary.
Well, there's always tea, I thought, ever the optimist. And then I dropped my, "SHIT. FUCK. DAMN." mug on my foot, simultaneously battering and scalding it. I let out a yelp.
Then, mouth agape, I smelled the diesel waft in the window by the fire escape. The window, where, leaning against the fire escape's stairs I witnessed something that froze my blood and tested my aging bladder.
I spied two shovels and an empty duffle bag.
I wonder what spirit will have to say about that?
Willow Weep For Me?

White noise Black screen Focus, Study, Relax 1 hour