Hi friends! I submitted a diary in February 2021 that you can find here! Since then we’ve sold one house, started higher-paying jobs, moved states to be closer to family, rented a kind of busted house, bought another charming fixer-upper of a house, and given in fully to lifestyle creep, especially when it comes to plants and gardens.
❤️ Section 1: Assets and Debt
Total Net Worth: $108,763 if you believe the equity calculator I reference below. Negative tens of thousands if you think the housing market is about to crash or even just reset!
Retirement Balance: $10,000 for me, split just about evenly between a Roth and a 401k; $25,500 for my husband, L. This will make more sense when you get to the “income progression” section, and after you accompany me as I spend money like I have money to spend, every day.
Savings Account Balance: $17,000 split between an “upcoming house repairs & dental fund.” The first $7k is spoken for already between a big chimney repair ($3k) and an expensive upcoming dental appointment for L ($4k), both in April. The remaining $10k we don’t touch – it’s for an emergency fund.
Checking Account Balance: $1000ish. I try to keep this pretty low to discourage my own spending, which works only sometimes.
Credit Card Debt: $12,100 left from our home renovations and move last October. We got two 0% APR cards to finance this, and will pay both off before the APR jumps at the end of this year.
Student Loan Debt: $80,000 for L’s undergrad and MAT. $18,000 for my undergrad and (unfinished, womp womp) MAT. We aren’t paying on this til we have to, and are hoping it will be forgiven – mine via Biden, since I was a Pell Grant recipient, and L’s via PSLF.
Equity: $145,000. This number is from an online equity calculator, and is for our century-old house in a very walkable neighborhood in a popular Southern city, but who knows whether it’s real or not. Numbers that are real: We paid $570,000 for the home last fall, including a 20% down payment that my dad split evenly with us – his portion from his recent inheritance, our portion from the sale of our previous home.
When we started looking in 2021, our “stretch budget” was $450k, but the housing market exploded and it seemed like overnight the base budget for kind of place we were looking for was more like $650k (I’m committed to city living, and we wanted to make sure there was enough space for my sister, J, and her boyfriend to continue living with us, given the skyrocketing rent prices). We bit the bullet on this place after my dad offered to pay for half the down payment. That gift helped us avoid PMI, so that the rent we were paying for a worse place was comparable to the monthly payment on this one. We spent the remaining $15,000 from our previous home sale buying down the rate and on moving costs, repairs, furnishing, gardens, appliances, etc, and then still took out about $12,000 more in credit card debt to renovate the bathrooms and make a few other upgrades.
❤️ Section 2: Income
Monthly Take Home: My base pay is $125,000, and L’s is $55,000. We bring in about $11,400 a month after taxes. The whole family’s health insurance is paid in full by my work, and our pre-tax retirement contribution details are below.
Income Progression: I’ve been working since I was 15 years old, moved out at 18, and paid my own bills starting that year, but income below starts the year I graduated college.
Year 1: $15,000 (part time ABA therapist, full time baby anarchist)
Years 2-8: $28,000 (This is a rough average of my income across these years. I accepted a spot in Teach for America right out of college in order to have a salary, despite my maximalist politics at the time, and kept working with young people for years after my TFA service ended. I paid for L’s expenses in college and supported a few other family members off and on while I taught. When I took a big pay cut to do youth organizing work for a couple years, L’s teacher salary helped support us).
Year 9: $45,000 (got a full-time nonprofit fundraising job, quit teaching)
Year 10: $55,000 (got a raise)
Year 11: $65,000 (got a raise and promotion)
Year 12: $75,000 (was promoted again, realized I was still underpaid)
Year 13: $98,000 (was hired by my current employer)
Year 14: $125,000 (was promoted!)
❤️ Section 3: Expenses
Mortgage, Taxes, & Insurance: About $3,000. My sister and her boyfriend currently live with us and contribute $600 of this total payment each month, but we budget as if we pay the full mortgage ourselves.
Investment Contribution: L’s retirement is pulled out of his check before he receives it: it’s $289 a month. I put $170 into my 401k, directly out of my check. I also contribute $100 to a Roth IRA through Acorns each month. Through Acorns we also have a UTMA/UGMA account for B which gets $100 a month, and we put $40 a month into a taxable brokerage account.
Savings Contribution: We tally an extra $1.5k-$3k a month beyond expenses, and are expecting $6k back from our tax return this year. But we aren’t prioritizing savings right now, and instead are: 1. cashflowing L’s timely dental work (found out in the course of this diary that we’re looking at about $11k this year); 2. paying down the debt on our credit cards ($12k, see above); and 3. cashflowing a few must-do house projects (estimating about $8k total for those).
Debt Payments: See above! As I mentioned, we have student loan debt to the tune of $100k but aren’t paying right now. I actually paid my loans down by $10k during COVID with money from our first house sale. But I panicked when Biden said he was going to forgive loans and got my full payment during the pandemic – all $10k – reversed. That money is now our emergency savings account.
Electric/Gas: $150ish, varies significantly. We installed a high-efficiency wood stove when we moved in, which cuts down on the cost of our old furnace a bit.
Internet: $80
Water: $75
Cellphone: $100, for L & I both
Subscriptions: $10 Spotify; $10 Youtube music; $2.99 Apple data; $22 NYT, for newspaper and cooking app; $5 for Acorns. I also pay yearly: $40 for the Freedom app, $20 for Hobnob, and $60 for Insight Timer.
Car Payment and Insurance: $200 for insurance. This covers both of our used cars and my dad’s used handicap van. We paid off our 2012 Honda Fit when we sold our last house, and recently paid cash for a Honda CRV with 180k miles which we use for family trips.
Medical/Therapy: $0. My therapist is $181 a session, and I see her twice a month – but this is covered by my job’s MERP card. I also get an inhaler at least twice a month - that’s reimbursed too, but would cost $60 otherwise.
Pet Expenses: Our precious pittie suffered some injuries before we adopted her. She’s on Gabapentin daily for pain management which is about $60 a month.
CSA: $40/week minimum – this is a special CSA service that has all kinds of tempting goodies, so I usually spend more.
Coworking space: $150. I expense $100 of this to work.
Gym memberships: $75 for a family Y membership, and $120 for my spin studio; I also buy 10-packs to the yoga studio down the street every few months, which are $120 a pop.
Donations: Varies. We give $10 monthly to our local Democratic Socialists of America and $10 monthly to the Working Families Party. We give one-off donations when asked or when we come across a need, usually $50-$100 at a time. Once we have less immediate debt, I plan to up our recurring gifts.
Childcare: $600. B goes to the best public preschool in the land – he was on the waiting list for 18 months. We previously paid double this for a subpar Montessori school run out of a church basement. Often babysitting is an extra $100 or so a month.
Kids’ Activities: $120 every three months or so – think swim lessons, toddler soccer, etc.
Outdoorsy memberships: $110 yearly for memberships to nonprofit parks, botanical gardens, etc etc. These are not too expensive and a fun way to spend a day with little ones.
House cleaner: $320. They come twice a month and charge $160 each time. This is some of the best money I spend each month.
Nuuly: $94. This has been a gamechanger for work travel.
❤️ Section 4: Money Diary
✨DAY 1: TUESDAY✨
5:00 am: I wake up wheezing with two pudgy legs draped right across my chest. My three-year-old, B, gave me a cold that I’ve just recovered from, but my asthma is still a bit aggrieved. I disentangle myself from B and head downstairs to make a french press and get some work in before everyone’s up.
6:30 am: B comes running downstairs, naked and boisterous as ever. I spare a thought for my little sister, J, and her boyfriend, who share a wall with him. J and her boyfriend have been living with us since the deep pandemic when we all moved together, which has been a blessing for us. But the early mornings and constant circulating upper respiratory infections are doing them in, and they’re moving to a nearby apartment in May. This very basic apartment one-bedroom will double their monthly rent D: And, since J is finishing up school right now and doesn’t have a steady income, L and I had to cosign their lease in order for them to even qualify for the place. Big sigh on housing across America right now.
7:15 am: B and L head out, and I get dressed and do a little more work. At 8:30, I head to my first-ever dermatologist appointment. My mom recently treated me to a mothedaughter facial where I learned that the creeping redness on my nose is likely hereditary rosacea! The facialist suggested I make an appointment with a dermatologist after I informed her that my skincare routine has to date involved only a wet rag and a heavy moisturizer.
The dermatologist suggests a gentle papaya cleanser; a phyto vitamin c serum; a rosacea triple cream; and a moisturizing sunscreen. The cost for the appointment itself ($150) is covered by my MERP card from work, but I pay for the cleanser, serum, and sunscreen from his office ($141) and the rosacea triple cream from an online pharmacy ($49) out of pocket. Thus begins my first-ever skincare routine. Sadly, the dermatologist’s proprietary packaging is ugly, so if you use something similar but cute, please share a link.
10:00 am: I’ve walked the dog, made another cup of coffee, turned on Freedom, and am settling into my laptop for a day of toggling between Google Docs and Zoom rooms.
12:30 pm: M barks rancorously as I’m wrapping up a Zoom call. The Tubies I ordered last week for me (and B) were delivered. It’s SPRING and we are about to eat SMOOTHIE POPS, everybody. It’s also time for lunch, so I heat up this very yummy soup (we subbed veggie sausage and it worked well) and toast a piece of focaccia. I read “I Went On A Package Trip for Lonely Millennials” while I eat. It is every bit as unsettling as it sounds.
1:40 pm: L calls — B has had diarrhea at school and needs to come home. B’s preschool is in the public school where L teaches, which means L handles all pick up and drop off, but my work schedule is much more flexible than L’s so I often do early pickups like this one. I shift my afternoon meetings, notify my direct reports that I’m signing out early, and stop for gas on the way to pick up poor little B. ($40)
4:30 pm: B and I spent the afternoon doing quiet things together – he took a bath, played with toys, and watched some PBS Kids, and I took a few minutes to tie up some loose ends at work. When L gets home at 4:30, we set up the sprinkler on our tiny front “lawn” (currently actually a patch of very-tilled dirt), where we recently seeded low-growing wildflowers.
6:00 pm: I want to drink wine with L while we make veggie fried rice for dinner, but think better of it given that I just got over a cold. L offers to make me a hot toddy (yesssss) but then realizes we’re out of lemons. He and B head to the grocery store around the corner while I finish up dinner. They get lemons, a lime, and a giant bag of lollipops for L’s students. ($11) The hot toddy is delicious.
9:00 pm: B’s bedtime routine is a wrap and my new skincare routine is complete – turns out my face does feel cleaner after a cleanser! I take a nebulizer treatment and read my favorite book that has completely transformed my life, Overcoming Unwanted Intrusive Thoughts: A CBT-Based Guide to Getting Over Frightening, Obsessive, or Disturbing Thoughts, until we turn out the lights. Goodnight!
🌿 DAILY TOTAL: $241
✨ DAY 2: WEDNESDAY✨
5:00 am: I wake up wheezing deeply again. I head downstairs to eat a cold banana and take a prednisone left over from the last time my asthma was aggravated by a cold. I decide to sit for a little Sarah Blondin meditation by the woodstove before I start my early-morning work block. Lesson 8 in this course is my go-to, and is alone worth every bit of the yearly Insight Timer fee.
7:00 am: B and L are awake, but B is staying home from school today so things are a bit slower. I make a mango smoothie for B and then add kale and protein powder for L and I. At 7:45 I don my favorite lilac workout onesie (I have it in black too) and head to my spin class.
9:00 am: I am but one month into spin classes and totally enamored. The dark room and loud music extremely do it for me. After class I stop at the coffee shop next door and buy a big drip coffee to split with L, a sticky bun for L and B to share, and a bag of coffee beans cause we are almost out at home. ($28)
9:30 am: Take a quick post-spin shower while I listen to Iris Dement’s new album, which serves the sound I grew up on and a very earnest progressivism that reminds me of my parents and their sweet Boomer friends who care deeply about abortion access and post anti-racist memes on Facebook. I cover my body in Warm Feelings, spritz on Winter (the best), wriggle into some cheetah-print overalls, and head down to work until L leaves in about an hour and a half.
12:00 pm: My meeting with my boss ran over so L had to leave for work while I was mid-call. I extricate B from Disney+ (we use J’s login) and receive only a moderate tantrum in response. After some breaths, B lays on his blue rug and pretends he’s eating his lunch (a mango pop, grilled cheese, & berries) in the shallow end of a swimming pool. Pre-nap, we read Gabito, a recent fave, and B’s eyes flutter closed during the last few pages. Back to work!
3:30 pm: B comes running into my office but I need to wrap up an important task, so we listen to superhero stories together while I tappity tap. It’s raining out, and L isn’t due home til 6p, so I make a gametime decision to spend the afternoon doing one fun inside thing for me (pick out berry bushes for our garden!) and one fun thing inside thing for B (ride rides inside the mall near the garden center!). B and I gather $2.50 in quarters for his rides, and he dons his Ironman costume and rainboots for the occasion.
At the garden center, we pick out two triple crown blackberry bushes, two chandler blueberry bushes, one heritage everbearing raspberry bush, and, after a quick phone consultation with L, one black tartarian cherry tree. L loves cherries and is very excited to use them in his cocktail-making. We also pick up a galvanized steel watering can since my old thrifted one keeps leaking all over the floor when I water my inside plants. The total is $253. Because I am very excited about this purchase and it’s for our house, it counts as free in my heart.
4:30 pm: B and I are the only nerds in the mall wearing KN95s and clutching quarters in our fists. So far B has purchased a ride on a train ($1) and some tiny banana candies ($.50). He settles on a very exciting race car for his final four quarters – but the greedy car eats his money!!! ($1) We are both very sad, and start searching for a ride that might take a debit card. Then, suddenly, to our left, appears a LEGO STORE. B dashes in and we find that you can build your own tiny Lego person. He happily obliges and I spend $5 on a three-inch-tall Lego man with a spider face and a big helmet.
6:30 pm: Back at home, L and I discuss our most exciting news of the week – L’s youngest sister and her partner arrive at their new apartment in our city TONIGHT! They’ve been living several states away for years. L’s whole family lives in the area and we are all thrilled these two are coming back home. L, B, and I plan to help them unpack tomorrow, and I think we should take them a gift. L heads out to the bottle store down the street to buy two bottles of Morphos (one for us!) ($52), and then goes to the grocery store to buy White Claws and some pull-ups for B. ($25) We could save more money but life is for living.
Dinner is leftover fried rice, and B doesn’t fall asleep til 9. L and I take our favorite CBD gummies before bed and I read the “soft fruits” section of Down to Earth to prepare for our big planting this weekend.
🌿 DAILY TOTAL: $365.50
✨ DAY 3: THURSDAY✨
6:00 am: I wake up late today – I had trouble sleeping because I couldn’t breathe all night. I make my favorite smoothie for breakfast (which is something like this but incorporates protein powder and frozen kale and cayenne), L eats oatmeal, and B eats two mango smoothie pops plus a cereal bar. They leave around 7:15 am and I get myself together to walk the dog before heading to my coworking space for the day.
8:30 am: I pack up my stuff and ride my bike to my pretty coworking space. The sun is out! It’s spring! The trees are blooming! Everyone is glad.
1:45 pm: I heat up fried rice and drink some of the on-tap kombucha. While I eat, I read Today in Tabs and consider adding it to my monthly expenses so that I can read it more. Our cleaner texts that they’re done at the house, and I Venmo her $160 (included in monthly expenses).
3:10 pm: I decide to bike home before the final Zoom call of the day. I cannot stress enough how glorious it is outside. It’s also glorious inside, thanks to our fabulous cleaner.
Post-call, I make some smol avocado toasts and L calls to say his sibling is not in fact up for a visit tonight – they are whelmed by boxes. We pivot: bike ride to the playground! While at the playground, B is the first kid to hear the ICE CREAM TRUCK approach. Chaos ensues and we spend $5 on one scoop of cookie dough ice cream.
7:00 pm: For dinner we make mini pizzas on TJ’s cauliflower crust. I also make asparagus with a delicious flaked salt left by my bestie the last time they stayed over, and the result is pretty enough to text to them. L makes us gin fizzes with strawberries and with mint from the garden. 🌱
8:00 pm: Teeth brushing is always a slog with B, but on this night I am visited by a stroke of genius. Tonight, I explain to him that the tooth fairy has been hired for a residency at our place and is listening in while he brushes his teeth and uses the potty. If he does a good job, she’ll leave him a coin somewhere in his bedroom. L overhears and makes tooth fairy sounds (think tinkling giggles) from the hallway – B is delighted and brushes his teeth with aplomb. This is a big win! While he uses the potty, I steal away and hide a quarter under the toe of his stuffed Spiderman. He requests tooth fairy bedtime stories and falls asleep listening. ($.25)
🌿 DAILY TOTAL: $5.25
✨ DAY 4: FRIDAY✨
6:00 am: Another late wakeup for me. I have a spin class at 8 and a packed workday, so I make my favorite smoothie again and walk M while it’s still dark out. Afterwards, I help B with his teeth brushing/potty routine, and it continues to be so much smoother than ever before thanks to our friend the tooth fairy. This time, L stashes a dime under B’s stuffed bear. B proudly puts the dime and last night’s quarter in his coat pocket and, as I buckle him into his car seat, announces he is NOT sharing his money with his teacher today. I suppose the discussion about whether money should be treated as a public good or a personal asset can come later. On the way to school, L stops for gas. ($25 for gas, $.10 for the tooth fairy)
8:00 am: I arrive at the spin studio and learn that the teacher I expected overslept. His sub unfortunately leaves half the lights on and plays lots of Eminem. I survive the weird vibes and head home for a quick shower before work – no coffee shop stop this time! I am a disciplined and frugal Recessionist millennial.
10:15 am: Our CSA is delivered! It includes spinach, heirloom tomatoes (!! new this week!), apples, lacinato kale, meyer lemons, limes, oyster mushrooms, shiitake mushrooms, red onions, shishito peppers, and mixed cherry tomatoes, plus a delivery charge, for $63, $23 more than the monthly minimum I included in set expenses. I fetch it from the sunny porch and am reminded that urgently want a pair of white platform Birkenstocks for spring. I find a pair in my size in EUC on Poshmark and buy them now: $60 with shipping, a steal compared to $110 new!
1:00 pm: My delightful neighbor and I take lunch together! We walk to a nearby eatery where I get a tempeh reuben and diet soda (my vice), $18 including tip. Over lunch we discuss parenting, gardening, her upcoming major home renovation, and how squirrels can sometimes relocate crocus bulbs. Meanwhile, B and L have early release at school so they head to a kid’s play place as a special treat to B. ($23 with snacks)
3:30 pm: B is home early but, curses, I still have much work to do! He and L chill while I tappity tap for a while longer. I eventually wrap up, but will have to do more work over the weekend.
L wants to work in his shop for a while, so B and I take the bike to the playground. He is a very good friend at the playground, running around happily with a couple of 7-year-olds he’s never met and then, when they leave, chatting amicably with an 18-month-old and his parents. He periodically begs me to let him take his pants off so he can better pretend he’s in the pool. The answer is no, but he is shirtless, shoeless, and covered in “tattoos” (washable marker), and I think that’s a pretty good compromise.
7:00 pm: Back home, L is making dinner (avocado tacos!), and I announce to him that we need a few more spring items: new (unscratched) oversize sunglasses and a beaded eyeglass chain for me, and little kid Tevas for B. I use my dad’s Amaz*n to buy the glasses and chain for me ($20) and three pairs of Tevas for B to try on. They’ll only charge us for the ones we keep, which will be $21.
L and I spend the evening drinking the Morphos he bought earlier this week and hanging out with J and her boyfriend. We turn on the AC for the first time which reminds us that we need to get an HVAC repairperson out here to check out some weird details of the old AC system our inspector caught. I mentally add it to my to-dos for the week.
We get B in bed late again – around 9 – and we watch Schitt’s Creek til almost 11. We will never tire of re-watching this show.
🌿 DAILY TOTAL: $185.10
✨ DAY 5: SATURDAY✨
6:45 am: I wake up breathing easy today! Blessings, prednisone; blessings, springtime.
8:00 am: L and I make eggie toasts with heirloom tomatoes, and L reveals that he had a long-awaited budget chat with the medical hospital where he’s been getting dental work done. They’re estimating we’ll need to spend an additional $11k this year to get L’s teeth in order. This kicks off a Big Conversation, during which we realize we absolutely need to be spending less than $8k monthly in order to cash flow his teeth, cash flow our must-do house projects, and pay down our cards by end of year. This should be doable, in theory, but will be a big adjustment as for months we’ve been splashing out on everything from gifts to travel to furniture to tools to fabric to support my baby-clothes-making hobby. As the conversation drags on, tension rises, and we’re both mad at each other but not sure why.
After a few breaths, I realize: we are just launching big numbers back and forth across the room, completely unmoored! I offer to make us a big fancy draft annual budget with monthly projections and schedule a date night to review. HOW FUN! L obliges after I convince him that I actually, truly, want to do this, and I find a very nice budget template on Etsy. ($20)
10 am: I run down a hill and across a parking lot to yoga, and slip in some vom along the way. Meanwhile, L and B head to the gym together.
12 pm: I take our e-bike (the one we’ve been riding around all week) to the shop and tell the bike guy that the lights and the breaks are in rough shape. He tells me they’ll fix it up, but that we should consider replacing it with a Yuba Spicy Curry which is $5200. I think not, but in my heart, I do really want to sell this one and buy a RadWagon or a Blix Packa Genie. Ebike moms and dolls, send thoughts.
When I get home, L heads to Aldi and spends $125 on berries, lots of bananas, eggs, rice, oat milk, oatmeal, snacks for B, frozen berries, fresh broccoli, yogurt, and a bunch of other stuff including Aldi swag that he is very stoked about: a matching pullover, socks, and tumbler. He then goes to Ace Hardware and buys s’mores sticks for use with our fire pit and some light bulbs ($37). B takes a nap and I plant the berry bushes and cherry tree while he snoozes!
6 pm: We head out to dinner to celebrate the big move with L’s sister and her boyfriend. It’s a long walk to our favorite taco place, but a beautiful day. B rides his pink scooter and is very cute, but reader, he is a spirited child and today he is having A Day. We field multiple meltdowns and lots of not-listening on the way to the restaurant. Dinner itself is delicious, though, and we watch the sun set over the water as we eat. It’s $58 with tip for the three of us, including a coconut margarita for L and a watermelon sangria for me.
🌿 DAILY TOTAL: $240
✨ DAY 6: SUNDAY✨
5 am: Up and thinking about parenting. L and I had a long conversation after B fell asleep about what we could do differently to help him manage his emotions. He’s a big child in size and in personality – at 3 he’s wearing size 6 clothes and talking as much as any child that age too. He has big joy, big wonder, big imagination, and also big anger and big sadnesses. We’ve tried to follow Janet Lansbury’s teaching since B was born, but at times gentle parenting, which Janet teaches, has seemed too lax for B. I decide to return to her work anyway. I read the transcript to her newest podcast episode, and wonder if maybe we’re overengaging with B’s big feelings. Then I read this one about another child struggling with aggression, and am glad that B is at least not spitting, I guess?
10 am: B’s morning is going great after all, and we decide to pack a lunch and head out for a hike. B makes himself a ham, cheese, and hummus sandwich, and I make L and I veggie sandwiches with pesto. We happen upon a plant sale on the way home and L approves a “Fuzzy Mystery” peperomia for our bathroom. ($8) Afterwards we drop off my Nuuly at UPS (prepaid!) and head home to watch a movie while it rains. I do work things and start our new annual budget spreadsheet during the movie.
5 pm: J takes a walk with us and M the dog to a playground nearby, and while we’re out, our neighbor texts to suggest once-a-week family dinners on Tuesday (yes please!). For dinner tonight, I make Smitten Kitchen’s tomato sauce with onion and butter using the heirloom tomatoes from our CSA and it’s very good as always. L and I drink some Pinot with dinner, and B eats his spaghetti with his hands.
9 pm: My anxiety (her name is Esther) visits while I’m putting B to sleep, so after he’s down, I decide to get to the bottom of a few things via Google. As usual, this is a bad idea! I walk to bed crying and lay on L’s chest. I cry a lot more, including about the trailer for You Hurt My Feelings which I saw three days ago, and about how scary it would be if L were to die, and about how L’s parents’ best friends’ lives have never been visited by tragedy and is that possible for us too?
Therapy is on Tuesday, everyone! We will make it.
🌿 DAILY TOTAL: $8
✨ DAY 7: MONDAY✨
6:30 am: I wake up later than I wanted to after a fitful night. B was coughing a lot (post-nasal drip, ick), and I was thinking a lot. I have back-to-back calls today with lots of prep beforehand so I get dressed quick and grab a pre-made smoothie from the freezer for breakfast. B and L leave at 7:15; I light my Gardener candle and tuck in to work.
1:00 pm: Lunch is fried rice with a chonk of a Trader Joe’s milk chocolate hazelnut bar, yum. I eat on a call but politely turn off my camera.
4:00 pm: B and L are home and I’m still wrapping up. On the way home, they picked up some natural honey cough syrup stuff for B ($12).
6:00 pm: L and I drop B off at the Y childcare, and find out they are hosting a spring break camp for 3-5 year olds. L wants to build B’s long-awaited tree house over the break, so we sign B up for four days of camp. Very cute! And also less than half the price of other camps in the area. ($100)
6:15 pm: I check the NYT as I start up the elliptical and am sent reeling by news of the school shooting in Nashville. I try to distract myself with The Crown. Unfortunately, Princess Di is really going through it, so the distraction is a bust. I turn on Sarah Blondin’s Learning to Surrender meditation instead, and listen to it twice. I’m trying desperately to trust the universe but the hellscapeness of it all makes that difficult sometimes.
Life marches on anyhow: After our workout, we head to Trader Joe’s to buy the items Aldi didn’t offer over the weekend (fancy bag salad, plantain chips, challah, frozen greens, a Galia melon, a few other things), plus a lot more broccoli because we need it for the tofu and veggies we’re making with the neighbors tomorrow. I love this peanut butter tofu recipe, in case you’re looking for one. ($31)
8 pm: We three look at videos of baby B over dinner, and L says maybe he is ready for a second. I think I am too.
adrienne maree brown posted today,
put your attention on suffering – which is constant and everywhere – and it is all you will see. joy will come, and laughter, but you will find it brief, possibly a distraction.
put your attention on joy, being connected and feeling whole, and you will find it everywhere. your heart will still break. you will know grief. but you will find it a reasonable cost for the random abundance of miracles, and the soft wild rhythms of love.
return to love as many times as you can.
🌿 DAILY TOTAL: $143
❤️ Section 5: TOTALS
Total Expenses: $1228.85
Food & Drink: $376
Fun & Entertainment: $130.85
Home & Health: $557
Clothes & Beauty: $101
Transport: $64
❤️ Section 6: REFLECTION
This week was spendy for us between the plants and the skincare routine – but I’d say we usually have at least one week a month where we spend like this, and that needs to shift if we’re going to pay for all the things we need to pay for this year without drawing from our life savings. I’m also aware that N’s student loan payments will likely resume, and that having a second baby isn’t cheap – so I’m excited to finish our budget spreadsheet and treat it like a goal rather than a suggestion (I currently treat Mint’s categories like unsolicited advice from an obnoxious internet stranger).
I do like what we spend money on though, and feel really very lucky. Thanks for reading!

Check out Amazon Gold Box Daily Deals
Check out the Top Deals on Sneakers for Sale on Amazon!
Official Images: Jordan Tatum 1 Zoo
Dropping in April, here is a detailed look at the Jordan Tatum 1 Zoo.
Officially unveiled last month, the Jordan Tatum 1 will be the lightest performance shoe that Jordan Brand will have to offer from their performance line this season. The sneaker is highlighted by its lightweight, reinforced TPU frame that allows excess material to be stripped away. Elsewhere you will find an uncaged Zoom Air unit in the forefoot helps provide energy return without sacrificing court feel. The Tatum 1 will also be available in kid’s sizing, this version will come with a design that features a collapsible heel system for easy on-off entry. Dressed in a Black, Metallic Gold, University Gold, and Beach color scheme, the Tatum 1 Zoo is inspired by Tatum’s favorite place to take his son, Deuce. Details include different animal patterns covering its upper with the phrase “Welcome to the Zoo” printed on the insoles.
Retailing for $120, look for the Jordan Tatum 1 Zoo to release on April 7th at select Jordan Brand retailers and Nike.com. For a complete guide including official photos, release dates, pricing and where to buy, visit: Jordan Tatum 1 Zoo.
In release news, the Air Jordan 11 Low Cement Grey makes its way to retailers on April 1st.
UPDATE (3/27): A look at official images of the Jordan Tatum 1 “Zoo” which is set to release on April 7th for $120.

Check out Amazon Gold Box Daily Deals
Check out the Top Deals on Sneakers for Sale on Amazon!
Official Images: Air Jordan 2 Low Seersucker
The Air Jordan 2 Low Seersucker is a new colorway of the model that gets its inspiration from springtime colors.
Done in an Atmosphere, Pale Vanilla, White, and Photon Dust color scheme, the Air Jordan 2 Low Seersucker is constructed in a mix of materials highlighted by the festive seersucker patterns that cover the entire upper. Other details include the Wings logo on the tongue, Nike branding on the outsole and hits of White on the laces and midsole.
Retailing for $150, the Air Jordan 2 Low Seersucker is set to release on April 8th at select retailers and Nike.com. Stay tuned for official images and confirmation directly from Nike. For a complete guide including official photos, release dates, pricing and where to buy, visit: Air Jordan 2 Low Seersucker.
In release news, the Air Jordan 11 Low Cement Grey makes its way to retailers on April 1st.
UPDATE (3/27): Check out official images of the Air Jordan 2 Low “Seersucker” which is expected to release on April 8th for $150.
UPDATE (3/6): The Air Jordan 2 Low Seersucker will be part of this year’s Jordan Brand Summer lineup. The springtime colors-inspired Air Jordan 2 Low is set to release on April 8th at select retailers and Nike.com for the retail price of $150.
UPDATE (2/1): Check out more on-feet shots of the Air Jordan 2 Low Craft Atmosphere aka “Easter” courtesy of yankeekicks.
UPDATE (1/31): Private Selection provides us with on-feet images of the Air Jordan 2 Low Craft Atmosphere. Look for these to drop on April 8th for the retail price of $150.
UPDATE (1/17): Consistentkixllc provides is with our latest look at the upcoming Air Jordan 2 Low Craft Atmosphere. Current reports have these debuting on April 8th for the retail price of $150.
UPDATE (1/5): masterchefian gives us a first look at the Air Jordan 2 Low Craft Atmosphere.

h/t: Sneaker Files/zsneakerheadz

Hii,
is it possible to create a mini polyhouse on the NFT setup only ? A box type structure, made up of NET, covering only the NFT pipes underneath & at-least 2 feet above from the NFT pipes to protect the plants from such mites, small petty pests without taking larger space on our home terrace.
​
If possible, kindly forward few pics, will get it DIY at my place.
​
Regards

time stamp
Selling my Fujifilm XE4, silver ~1675 shutter count. Was part of the combo kit (box) but only selling the body as I no longer have the lens. Sale comes with the Fujifilm metal hang grip, Fujifilm thumbgrip, 2x Fujifilm batteries and a pair of Peak Design anchors. Shutter button no name from Amazon.
The boxes included are for the camera, mhg and thumbgrip
Works perfectly and the only cosmetic flaws are from the mhg pressing up on the body and a very slight nick by the XE-4 logo, see the 9th image.
PRICE IS NET TO ME $900 PayPal G&S only I’ll cover the shipping Local 94501
Please comment on post before PM’ing me
Thanks

My partner and I have been contemplating getting a second cat into the home. Of course it's partially our own interest, but we're primarily vested in the best interest for our cat. We've heard so many people swear by getting a second cat and say single kittens will grow up with bad attitudes so we're wondering if it'd be best for HIM if got him a sibling.
My kitten is currently 9 months old (came home with us at 16 weeks) and is the most affectionate and social guy around humans. He is a Velcro cat which we love. He was born the only kitten in his litter and his mum quickly lost interest in him so we're not exactly sure how great he gets on with other cats, which is our main concern. Maybe he likes being an only child. He did bond with a kitten from another litter that was around at the same time, but she was already paired off with a sibling.
Our main thing is that growing up hes struggled with issues that might be related to single kitten syndrome? He sometimes doesn't cover his poo, and the main symptom is he sometimes immediately swipes/bites HARD when he wants to be left alone rather than just warning us off. He sometimes doesn't clean his bum properly. He's also not nearly as playful as we would have expected a kitten to be. However, he's not at all destructive and has never truly attacked someone, and he always goes in the litter box.
We're pretty nervous so any advice is welcome. We're happy either way, we just want what's best for our lil guy.
Edit: I realise I never finished the title lol. "Not sure whether to commit".

People that cry about MAXes are fundamentally missing the point of its existence.
You are not supposed to win a 10v1 with a MAX without one of three things on your side;

1. Pure luck.
2. God.
3. Anime.

The entire point of the MAX is in the name. It is the MAXIMUM class. It is the bullet hose. It is the anchor in the storm. Playing MAX is making a conscious decision to wade into the madness of a battlefield and be the biggest non-Heavy infantry target around. You are supposed to kill, and you are supposed to draw fire and be killed as a result.
If you are playing any other class and then complaining that the class whose literal entire existence is based around forward aggression keeps beating you, you're either an entitled nitwit or hyper-focusing on so many mental gymnastics that you're about to genuinely believe Pikachu is a Digimon.
Engineers and Combat Medics are support classes.
Infiltrators and Light Assaults are asymmetrical guerrilla classes.
MAX is the front line linear assault class.
Complaining about dying to the class that was designed to be the frontline combatant is like rocking up to a boxing ring after attending two personal trainer classes, and then crying that the 5 year professional boxer beat you harder than Earnie Shavers annihilated Jimmy Ellis.
MAXes exist to die for their teammates, and take down enemies in that death. They exist to put rounds down range, extend direct advantage, and suppress enemy encroachment through the use of excessive force and highly concentrated usage of heavy arms. It is a simple, brutalist, and shock-centric class.
If you are losing 10v1s, then MAX is meeting its design parameters.
The MAX does not have verticality. The heavy does not have stealth. The MAX does not heal nor revive. The MAX does not have high utility or (outside of ASP/Merit) deployable high-fidelity cover.
The MAX has crayons, rage, and dakka.
That is the entire point of the class.
If you don't like, stop taking the fights.
Alternatively, learn to hit heads.
Alternatively alternatively, have more than two braincells and flank or clientside.
Your gripe is not with MAX, your gripe is with your desire to have your cake and eat it too.
Bitch all you want. Cry your silly, silly tears.
I'll be over here injecting my beserker and mowing down hallways with my scattercannons.
Buff ordinance armor.
Zagger out.

I will start the story from the previous Saturday, which was the 18th of March.
Saturday, 18th March:
I arrived at the UoA Grafton campus at around 10 am that morning, and I parked my car by the road on Park Road, which is right next to the new UoA Grafton Building for FMHS. I left my house key and gate remote inside the car, packed my bag and went off.
For those who wonder, I usually leave my house key and gate remote inside the cupholder. There is a cover on top of the cupholder, and I always make sure that it is covered up. I only use the gate remote to open and shut my gate, and apart from that, I would not take it out anywhere.
So at around 4 pm I came back to my car, I then drove to the quay street countdown with my friend to shop for groceries. After I came back to my car from countdown, I noticed that the cupholder was uncovered and the house key and gate remote was not there. (I didn't notice it while I was at Grafton) I thought I might've put it in my bag or in a pocket so I searched for them but they weren't there. I then spent more than an hour going back and forth between UoA Grafton Campus and Quay Street Countdown looking for the key. I traced absolutely everywhere but I could not find it at all. I thought to myself that it was just a set of house key and I probably just dropped it somewhere. So after an hour of searching, I drove home. I got the house door lock replaced and gate remote reprogrammed afterwards. On that day, there was an accident on State Highway 1 which blocked the Greenlane East part of the motorway, and cars all needed to get off the motorway at the Greenlane East exit.
Now let me forward the time to yesterday, which was Monday, the 27th of March.
​
Monday, 27th of March
So after I drove home I opened the engine bay and saw that my coolant level was low. I needed to top up some coolant. I know how to top up the coolant, but when it comes to the car's mechanical stuff, which I am not completely familiar with, I would have the habit of checking the owner's manual. So I opened the glovebox and surprisingly, the owner's manual case was not there anymore. The owner's manual case contains the owner's manual, service manual, and paper service history documents. It has always been in the glove box, and it was not there when I wanted it. I then started searching thoroughly throughout my house because I did take out the owner's manual at the start of March. However, I searched throughout the entire house and it was not there. I literally searched every single cupboard, every drawer, every single closet. I searched all of the places that I could think of and I still couldn't find it. I searched my entire car as well and it was also not there. The owner's manual case is not like a key. It is huge and you simply cannot miss it. I was so confused about how it had vanished.
​
Now, there are only two conclusions that I can reach:
The first conclusion is that someone had probably broken into my car and taken away the house key and the owner's manual. I read an article online on why car thieves would steal your owner's manual, it says that the owner's manual may contain a key code that can be used to make another key, and they can then come back and drive the car away. A bit of context: I drive a 201x Audi and it requires chips to unlock and start the car. I had also looked through the owner's manual case multiple times and I didn't find any key code or sensitive information about my car whatsoever. I had also called FOUR Audi technicians from both Continental Car Audi and Giltrap Audi, and they all reassured me that they cannot do anything with the owner's manual as a replacement car key requires the chip to ship from Germany, which can't be done without the original car, and even then, you will have to pair it with the car in order for them to work. According to them, breaking into an Audi without smashing windows, or damaging the lock is extremely hard, and they also said that replacement car keys could only be done through Audi.
The second conclusion is that when I was panicking searching for my key throughout my car that day, I must've left the owner's manual case somewhere on the floor and then driven off. But I think that I would not leave such a significant item on the floor without noticing it, but again, it was just a theory.
​
That was all, and it might sound like I am panicking for no reason but I am really scared right now. I feel unsafe and I feel like I'm being followed wherever I go. What happened to me was extremely weird, and all of it just does not make sense to me. I do not know how someone can come inside my car without smashing the window or damaging the lock, and it scares me if there is anything else out there.
​
I'm not sure if similar things have happened to y'all recently, but if they did, please comment!
​
P.S. Address on the service details were from the previous owner as I am too broke to service at Audi hahaha

Hi everyone, I'm writing a book, and just curious as to any feedback that people may have for my first chapter, I uploaded a previous draft before, a very early draft I might add, and now I'm looking for some good old fashioned feedback.
For more information about my book, check out my youtube channel at Crimson Clover - YouTube
Thanks, also the channel is very rough, it was my first time making videos and thus fairly poorly made, however I am attempting to improve it by making less book relevant content, which will allow me to improve my basic skills.
Chapter One :
Divinity. That is what connected the walls surrounding Dundis castle, not stone or metal, this was not a mere wall but a divine gift from ones above. Divinity sealed the wall, made it whole, the walls sealed together without mark or blemish, something no man could ever replicate. The wall had stood for a century, and would likely last ten more, there was no weakness, no flaw in design. 50 metres tall the wall was unscalable, unbreakable. No man could break the wall, it was the Vaunghe empire’s crowning gift, their wonder of the world. Those that were hired to clean the wall’s dirt and grime were heralded as the truly faithful, and all longed to help the gift of the gods. And yet despite this the Alizian’s watched, standing with armies around the great wall, waiting to breach its crust and destroy the core.
The Vaunghe had watched their foes throw everything they had, hundreds of men attacking the steel doors of the wall to no avail, an attempted archer attack quickly squashed by the wall's height. The Alizian military was strong, a blend of the Alizian warriors and Strolim blacksmiths made for a truly terrifying army. The army was so terrifying that the Vaunghe inside the castle doubted there were any more Vaunghe troops left, this was the end to a long battle between man and man. Even the soldiers left weren’t particularly important, just those lucky enough to guard the king and a few trainees. But the Vaunghe felt their luck running out.
The food supplies had run low, even if the nobles weren’t in the castle there was no chance of resupply. The few men who had eaten in the past few days stood alert, gazing down from the ramparts at the enemy. The soldiers knew they had to either surrender or fight, but the Vaunghe were passionate people, they could never leave behind their identity in favour of life. So the men waited, bows and arrows at the ready, for the next attack. Heavy items such as ingots and chairs lined the rampart, ready to be thrown off at a moments notice.
They had waited in this position for many cycles, and as day turned to night, and night turned to day the Vaunghe were exhausted, finished with whatever feeble attacks these barbarians had planned. They could throw whatever armies and arrows they wanted at the wall but it would remain unphased, forevermore. When the Alizian’s next attacked they would be met with the last strength of the Vaunghe, and it would be a story remembered for milenia by man and the gods.
As the morning sun rose over the wall, the enemy was revealed in all their glory. Even from so high above the Vaunghe could see the glint of silver from the Alizian military. The bright greens of the Alizian armour created a dazzling sensation that they were one with the grass, which blended in so perfectly with their clothes. They stood in their thousands, armed with whatever they could find, and even on the wall the men could see him.
The slaughterer, the murderer, the man, the myth and the legend Osmund stood alone on an overlooking hill. The fiend was well known by the Vaunghe, he was likely the greatest foe that had come from the opposing sides. Vaunghe generals often fled at his coming, or surrendered first, but rumour had it that Osmund gave no mercy. Overseeing his army to destroy everything that was left, the Vaunghe soldiers knew today really was the end. The figure on the hill moved closer to his army and screamed. The battle-cry of the Alizian’s shook fear into each of the Vaunghe atop the rampart, being so loud that it even reached so high.
The hundreds of troops began to move in sync, forming three individual groups of soldiers, with 10 metre spaces between each. Each contingent comprised six hundred men, easily dwarfing the 82 Vaunghe soldiers that were left. But the Vaunghe were not afraid, at least not afraid of a breach anytime soon. These walls were built to withstand any damage, no man could breakthrough one.
Between the troops was movement, indeed there seemed to be movement down all three rows of men in blue. The Strolime empire had finally revealed themselves, with their short stature and mental prowess the Strolime were gifted inventors not expected to appear on the battlefield. And yet here they were, almost one hundred of them hauling forth three large metallic objects. The sun bounced off of these objects into the Vaunghe’s eyes.
None of the men had ever seen objects like these, seemingly composed of pure metals and on wheels. Some thought they were a testament to the gods, some holy objects, others believed it to be some new invention from the Strolime, however none of them could say anything for certain as they were pushed closer and closer to the wall. The Strolomites stopped in their advance, approximately 20 metres away from the wall. The purpose of these objects had yet to dawn on the men, although one of the younger men on the rampart claimed he could see small objects poking through the metal, which was now aimed at a forty-five degree angle towards the wall.
As the Strolimites halted their advance many began to move away into the safety of the Alizian wall, likely afraid of any precautionary Vaunghe archers. One of them, a rather short and plump soldier, stayed with the object, placing a hand on it and turning to the wall. It was a fleeting moment, but for a second it seemed the man was gazing at the Vaunghe soldiers in shame. One last condemnation to the ones that began this war, before it would all come crashing down. But then the moment passed, and the short man moved as the rest did, doing a slight zig zag to avoid arrows.
And now, just as quickly they had come, the Strolomite’s were gone in the ranks of the Alizians, still waiting in their groups for something, and then they came. Three figures, two women and a man, moved between the lines just as the Strolimites before them. These three wore no armour, only the greens of Alizia upon their tunics. They stood beside the objects and began to reach their arms into the underside of it. Before the Vaunghe’s eyes the objects began to turn slightly, aiming even more directly at the wall.
One of the Vaunghe had enough of this display, and raised his bow. There were low winds on this day, and he was a good enough shot to reach at least one of the Alizian soldiers. He aimed his bow, finger on the drawstring, and released. It is likely that this arrow would’ve drawn first blood in this battle, however the arrow never reached its target.
In the split second before the release of the bow, the Vaunghe noticed the smoke billowing out of the bottom of the devices, the flames that shot out, and finally they noticed for not even a fraction of a second the object that shot out of the metallic thing, something white and red that hit the wall in an instant.
The wall shook, and the following barrage of these objects shattered any notion of divinity. Crashing and crumbling the rampart was launched, sending soldiers flying everywhere. The Vaunghe beside the wall were subject to the falling rubble, both the crumbling stone of the walls and the miscellaneous objects they had left upon the wall. All of the objects crushed the few Vaunghe left, save for the few sickly starving soldiers left inside the castle’s inner walls.
Down went the walls, such a harsh strike against the wall that nothing stood in the path of this monster. The roaring splattered through the castle, the screams of the falling wall waking the King himself from his slumber. Such a vast creation had fallen in seconds before the might of the Alizian’s, and now there was nothing left but to watch the battle unfold.
Smoke flooded the inner walls of the castle, casting the few remaining into fits of coughing and blindness. The walls finished their crumbling, and yet the roars didn’t stop. These were not the roars of the wall but the war cries of the soldiers outside, and they began to get louder, echoing through the walls of Dundis and into the ears of the weak nobles and soldiers.
Through the smoke they came, weapons raised and charging the weak. The few that tried to fight were slaughtered, cut down by a sea of green soldiers. Those that were choking, sputtering or raising their hands in defeat were spared, hauled through the hordes and into one of the stables facing the inner wall. They were to be tried and jailed, for no human regardless of their crime should be killed. It is simply not the Alizian way.
Out of the one hundred and fifty two people who were in Dundis, forty two had died in the wall’s destruction, and a further eleven were detained by the Alizian military. There was nothing that the Vaunghe could do, save for locking their doors, shield themselves and hold out for as long as possible. The Vaunghe forces built barricades in their castle, locking away the Alizian combatants for as long as possible. And during all of this Osmund waited. Waiting for his time to end this war, this travesty of battle that had gone on for too long, and that time finally came.
* * * *
Osmund stood alone atop the hill, and watched the madness unfold. The walls crumbled at the face of these weapons with no more effort than a straw house, and the plumes of smoke assaulted his men, although not to the extent of the inner wall. After a few moments of sputtering and choking the men cheered, for this was the moment that they had been waiting for, the end of such a long war now in the Alizian’s favour.
The Vaunghe capital was in shambles, their military long crushed underneath Osmund’s almighty power, and all that was left was the King. Hiding behind his walls as if he didn’t deserve this loss, this final failure in his life. Osmund was willing to spare as many people as he could, it was the Alizian code, but there would be no mercy for the King. This wasn’t one final battle between two great armies, that conflict happened weeks ago, this was the last breaths of a psychotic monarch being silenced amongst the last of his troops.
Osmund gazed longingly at Dundis, the ruined walls and advancing soldiers and doubted. He felt something was off, something was very wrong with all of this. His heart began to thump, as Osmund’s eyes turned every way to understand what was wrong, what abnormality was here. It grew and grew, Osmund began to shake at what was about to happen, nothing was right here Osmund should be somewhere else helping someone, there’s something wrong here something very-
Peace. Osmund’s heart stopped thumping, body stopping its perpetual shaking. He looked again to the marching troops, now almost entirely inside the walls, and looked back to his back, and the reserve Strolomites that now stood. They were cheering, marvelling at the success of the assault, and how the god’s gift had saved so much effort on their part.
Such strange creations composed of metal and flame, Osmund marvelled at the power the gods possessed. These devices were so unique in design Osmund doubted if any army could defeat them. The large red tubes they released could easily destroy an entire village by itself, but with one hundred of them an entire valley could be bathed in flames. Something truly abnormal in this world, something so parallel to the code of battle that no army would ever think of it.
The Vaunghe were once considered to be the greatest fighters, with the tournaments they created bringing forth the greatest warriors from throughout the land. Their dedication and power were unmatched in ferocity and violence, some called the Vaunghe the standing due to their unmatched will to always get back up. Osmund recalled his days in the tournaments, those peaceful days when he was not yet a hero to people, but a simple military man. He was still only Osmu back then, and yet even those of the time knew he would be something special. As Christoff used to say, ‘Ozzie you’re going places, big ones’. Osmund missed Christoff, It had been so long since their last meeting, and all Osmund wanted was to meet again one last time.
Osmund’s assistant came to him, a younger Strolomite by the name of Gizmu. Gizmu was rather muscular for a Strolomite, a strong figure contrasting his associates' plumper bodies, and stature was fairly tall for one of his people at 6’5 ft tall. Hazel hair protruded through a blue helmet, and for the first time Osmund considered what his assistant could look like. Gizmu was one of the many Strolomite’s who refused to show their face until military success, a tradition that Osmund respected. He had no doubt that Gizmu's true face would one day be revealed to him, as the man possessed genuine prowess in the fields of agriculture, something sorely missed in the modern military.
“Osmund, your team is preparing now, they’ll come soon. I advise you to prepare your armour sir, as it won’t be long before you’re sent in.” Osmund sensed mild concern in Gizmu’s voice, but didn’t pursue it.
“Thank you Gizmu, my friend. I’ll begin my preparations, tell the guests to meet me here when they are fully prepared. And do ensure they understand that there is still risk of injury on this mission, ensure each of them wears their armour.” Osmund’s voice was deep and echoed his long life, commanding a sense of authority amongst all Alizian forces.
Osmund left the hill, passing the cheering Strolomite’s and the peasant farmers who supported the army, and entered the rows of tents. They stretched out on either side, one for every four soldiers, until he reached his own tent. Entering Osmund was surprised to discover a fellow commander still asleep in his bed, snoring away peacefully.
Osmund removes his upper clothing, the clean tunic falling to the ground. While removing these clothes Osmund kicks the sleeping man in the leg, which doesn’t actually amount to anything rather than halting his snoring. Osmund kicks the sleeping soldier again, this time in the buttocks, which does a far better job of riling him. The man looks around wide-eyed, before settling onto the sight of the giant Osmund.
“Hey, why'd you kick me? I almost had a bleedin’ heart attack don’t you know not to meddle with a sleepin man?”
“Don’t you know that you were meant to be on the battlefield at the crack of dawn? I don’t know what kind of promotion you’re expecting when you aren’t even going on the battlefield. Do you really want to be Balmun forever?” Osmund spoke coldly, now reaching for his chestplate.
“Well no sir. But the thing is I actually have a very cunning plan, I thought of it all myself.” A smile falls upon the man’s face, whose head bears an uncanny resemblance to a potato.
“And what is that?” Osmund halted his preparations briefly.
“Well if I say I was there but didn't actually go, who’d think I wasn’t? I can just sleep through it all until the battle is won and no one would be the wiser.” Osmund puts a hand onto Balmun’s fleshy shoulder.
“A fine plan, if I wasn’t your commanding officer you buffoon. By the gods I believe some divine creator mistakenly put a turnip in your head instead of a brain because no noble’s son has ever been as frankly idiotic as you have. You’re coming with me to the battlefield, and I suggest you get dressed or you’ll be facing the last of the Vaunghe army with your flopping cock dancing for all to see.” Balmun stood and began to slip some clothes on, as Osmund completed his own set of armour.
Osmund’s armour bore the mark of a noble family, some rich fools who wanted their family crest to be associated with a bloody conflict and a dangerous murderer. Osmund wore it because of the armour’s quality, customfit to encompass Osmund’s 9’5 ft tall body, something no other armour was able to achieve. Osmund’s height was always an oddity, reaching far above the average 8ft heights of most Alizian’s, and making him one of the tallest figures in the lands. It was this height and his skin’s colour that earned him the name of the black death, which he wasn’t particularly fond of due to the mention of his skin. And even then Osmund certainly didn’t feel like a black death, whatever that was meant to be, rather he felt like death itself. Osmund was to be fifty years old by the end of the week, and it showed on his body. The hair that was left on his head was grey, and while still possessing an impressive form Osmund’s body was not in its prime, he was old.
Osmund looked at himself in the full body mirror, grabbing his longsword and leaving the tent, dragging a half dressed Balmun with him. Back through the tents they travelled, back past the now eager Strolomite’s and atop the hill where Osmund’s infiltration team stood. In any other battle Osmund would’ve despised the one that left this group with him, a collection of subpar and mediocre soldiers with all the military future of an Otter in a stew. But then again Osmund’s battle history did feature a lot of important people dying under his watch, so perhaps this was for the better.
The force began with Edmun, a cross between a prostitute and a noble who unfortunately takes more from the noble. An egotistical brat, as well as a greedy goblin of anything that isn’t bolted down, Osmund had borne the unfortunate duty of his company for months, since the initial assault on the capitol. The man could barely hold a weapon, save for slight skill with a flail of all things which he wore by his side. It was a gold plated flail as well, specifically made for beating in the heads of the poor Vaunghe soldiers stupid enough to get close. Blonde hair obscured blue eyes that spoke to his red-light mother, in fact for a noble’s son Edmun had all the appearance of an incestuous dullard. The man had survived by pure luck, and was the only casualty that Osmund wanted his side to suffer.
The Enick twins Humun and Eumun were up next, named after their family crest of the god of alcohol Enick. In contrast to Edmun these were a pair of real soldiers, Osmund had seen the fruits of their labour many times. They were great at the art of flanking, Humon’s greataxe paired alongside Eumun’s spears proved to be an unbeatable combination. The only issue that Osmund had with the pair was their… peculiar relationship. While the two were great fighters, whenever they were together anything else became impossible to comprehend. Osmund had once caught the pair attempting to seduce a goat wearing a knight’s helm, and while they were drunk there is still clear evidence of idiocy amongst them. The pair were identical in appearance, burly figures of 8’5ft, short cut black hair and overgrown beards stretching down their faces, however the distinguishing feature between the two was Eumon’s cleft lip, which gave his speech a lisp.
Josmu was far more a scholar than a soldier, although Osmund enjoyed his presence greatly. Since they first met the pair had hit it off, often discussing each other’s lives in Alizian taverns across the kingdom. A gifted archer, Josmu was the son of two aspiring poets and enlisted into the military voluntarily to assist in the war efforts. Osmund had a great deal of respect for the man, and hoped that the two would one day have a drink together, and ruminate on the past once more.
And then there was Jumun, a gifted soldier and one of the few Osmund thought could take him in his prime. Long strands of red hair ran down her rough face, a pointed nose and peculiar eyebrow shape giving her a perpetual look of disappointment. At a height of 9’2 ft she stood almost toe to toe with Osmund, in fact there were many aspects about her that reminded Osmund of himself. The first was her attitude, she treated every war as a tragedy of its own, and yet she would never fail to perform against her enemies. Skilled in most weapons Jumun’s life had been long and arduous, her worn out armour covered in patches and dents. Osmund had offered her a new set of armour once, to which she vehemently refused, telling Osmund that she wished to end the war in the armour she started it in. Currently she held a single large sword nearly identical to his own, and Osmund predicted that she couldn’t wait for the battle to be over.
The group stood facing the smoking walls, watching the now descending Strolomite’s retrieve the three gifts from the gods. Pushing them back up the hill would take tremendous strength and a long time, which is why nearly double the number of Strolomite’s assisted in the endeavour. Osmund cleared his throat, prompting the looks of the team. All of their eyes were of Balmun, who was somehow already panting after a 2 minute drag through the ground. Osmund released the man and pushed him towards his new comrades, to which he sulked.
Osmund could see through the smoke of the ruins now, noting the strangely high number of bodies present from Osmund’s view. It appeared that there were more forces than originally estimated, as it was initially guessed there were around one hundred and fifty soldiers inside. Judging by the number of corpses inside those numbers clearly forgot to account for the possibility of trainees inside of the castle. This may be a slightly larger fight than initially predicted, although even supposing there were another hundred or so trainees locked inside rooms there were things Osmund could do against that.
“Alright then, good to see that some of you actually bothered to wake up today, Balmun, and I think we all know that this mission is going to end the war.” Balmun raised his hand.
“Yes Balmun?”
“Sir I have a very cunning pl-”
“Shove your plans up your slacker buttocks, you idiot. Now then, I’m gonna say this once, because quite frankly the more chances I give Balmun to interrupt the more likely I’ll butcher myself with this sword. Now then we are the backbone to the forces, our mission is to help take individual points of conflict from alternative points. We will accomplish this with the leaked maps of the castle gained from Vaunghe intelligence. Now then, originally it was believed that we were dealing with only around one hundred and fifty troops, but it looks like someone didn’t remember the number of rookie troops that are trained here, so we could be looking at a few more troops than expected.” Osmund saw the hand raised but tried to ignore it. The man with the potato for a head seemed adamant however, and raised his hand higher. When that didn’t work he raised both arms.
“By the gods what is it?”
“Well sir, what kind of weapons do you think they have?” Osmund stopped in his tracks, not expecting anything even related to an actual important question. A smile formed on his face, it seems that even fools can think every now and again.
“Decent question my friend, we can probably expect the basic mix of swords and axes, likely shields also, but we may have one or two archers running around however it’s unlikely any survived the wall’s collapse.”
“That is good Osmund, once we take a few down I need a weapon, I like the swords myself.”
“What’s wrong with your sword?”
“I left it in the tent sir.” Osmund cupped his hands into his face, cringing against the stupidity of this man.
“Listen…. just everyone follow me please, I mean by the gods man. Come on. Listen I don’t think we will need any armour with us today, we have the single thickest piece of meat just over there as we speak.” Osmund points towards Balmun, who turns to see what everyone is looking at. Without another word Osmund begins to walk down the hill towards the castle, muttering things that even the gods consider a little racy.
* * * *
The ruins of Dundis stood firm in their strength, with the ruined walls blemishing what was once a grand fortress that none had penetrated. Tall spires protrude from the shapeless stone complex. Along the gateway was a path leading directly into the Dundis entrance, which stood slightly ajar. Fragments of the wall had crushed many parts of the outside, with simple wooden stables and trees crushed by the weight of the plummet of the debris. The architecture that remained spoke to the complexities of the Vaunghe, as spiralling patterns adorned the walls of the castle, interlaced with rare jewels that coated the walls. The Vaunghe were so fortunate with minerals that one could find them coating their walls, despite the fact that no one other than a fellow Vaunghe was ever meant to see such a thing.
A veil of embarrassment and determination clashed as the group descended the hill, weapons at the ready. The group had reached the ruins of the wall now, debris coating the grass and the bodies that were surely there. Even destroyed Osmund still felt some of that divine power the Vaunghe always babbled about, he felt the strength in the walls and not for the first time wondered why the gods would bestow such a gift upon such a vile group.
The group began clambering through the ruins, over the cracked pieces of stone and through the divine walls final remains. There was a smell here, the remnants of smoke colliding with the smell of blood, but there was a third smell, one that Osmund knew well. It was the smell of inevitability, heavy in the hair. That which is unlikely to happen always will happen, and when it does the smell adds to it all, the smell of fate and destiny runs through this place.
Inevitability hides everywhere, in the trees and the skies, carried by the wind through it all. From nature it was born, but in man it thrives, the building’s will one day fall, the kingdoms will fade away, and everything will one day lead to something else. From every beginning comes an end, and each end becomes a beginning, this is how it has always been. This place thought itself against such things, and inevitability infected its walls, creeping along slowly rotting the once great walls into a hellish nightmare. Now the bubble has burst, and the smell of inevitability crowds the world, taking over everything.
Moaning. A low whimper. A cry for something. Calls for assistance. A terrified yell. Osmund approaches the source of these noises, his team close behind. At the source of these screams is a Vaunghe soldier, somehow alive after the rampart’s collapse, covered in piles of stone and smoke. His outstretched hand reaches towards Osmund, who in turn takes it.
The man mutters something, sputters blood, and begins to fade. As he does, Osmund moves towards the rocks, feeling against it. Somehow the rocks aren’t as heavy as they should be, and Osmund slowly moves the rocks. The first and second rocks move, and after some struggling Osmund moves the third rock, revealing a bloody leg, spurting forward. Osmund realises how the man survived, the remains of a metal box squashed around him. As the rampart fell the man landed inside, narrowly missing an immediate demise. Now he sat, bleeding in and out of consciousness, and moaning for help. Osmund put his hands around the man, slowly lifting him, and moving forwards into the inner walls.
There are running medics here, and as they see Osmund’s approach they run to him, taking the injured man and placing him onto a table. The man may survive, they told Osmund, however his bleeding may take too much from him. As Osmund turns to leave he hears the voice, the message of the man.
“T-t-th-than-” It was shaky, interrupted by coughs and convulsions, but bore strength, and Osmund felt the ghost of a smile play upon him.
“It wasn’t an issue.” And with that Osmund left the tent, admiring the surroundings in focus for the first time. Eyes bore into him from his party, and yet no one said anything, they couldn’t. Many had called Osmund a monster in his time, they had seen him do bad things to bad people, and yet none would call him a monster, for there is no such thing. Osmund is not some black death, he’s another beast entirely.
For the first time Osmund admired his surroundings, the inner walls were now filled with wreckage, and looked back to the tent. It was amazing how quickly the medics could establish tents, the battle had occurred for less than an hour and already there were three tents established side by side. Besides the wounded Vaunghe soldier were three other injured soldiers, each seeming to be hit by a minor injury likely from the smoke inhalation.
The captured and surrendered were lined up against the castle's wall, being carefully monitored by over sixty members of the contingent. There were only around twelve or thirteen of the captured, smoke-covered and sputtering. On the ground were bodies, those rookies that tried so valiantly to protect what they cared for. They now lay, looking up to the sky blindly.
Osmund saw the bodies and felt his stomach turn. The desire came back. The shaking returned, alongside it the painful sharp stabbing thoughts. Everything changed, he forgot who he was. What kind of person would approve of this, what even was Osmund was he real or fake, how is he even conceiving things like this. What is reality and why is it real, why can’t he understand-
Silence. Peace. Osmund returned to himself, the shaking never happening at all. He looked down at the bodies and continued to walk. There was nothing he could do for them, not anymore. The eyes of his group bore into him, shattering something that had broken a long time ago. He raised his hand and motioned for his team to follow, leaving this travesty of death and life behind.
Footsteps. Osmund turned to their echoing sound, the way they bounced through the place was unbelievable, the way it echoed between the walls and the castle structure itself. Through open castle gates he ran, a messenger in green, sword in its scabbard and now approaching Osmund. The man tripped on something, a large rock of some sort, before standing, dusting himself off and reaching the group.
“Osmund, we have hit the enemy’s points of defence.” The man was young, maybe twenty, and no more than twenty five.
“And? Where are they?”
“There are three fronts, the first is in the scout’s tower where a group of Vaunghe are amassing weapons and barricades fast. We can no longer enter the tower, as the amount thrown down makes common entrance impossible. The second location is the garden, where we believe the last of the nobles and the King himself are. We’ve faced harsh opposition from the enemies, who have formed a wall of shields to protect the door. Finally we have the guard’s quarters, where a few amount of Vaunghe are in active combat as we speak, although that will likely be taken without need for intervention.”
“Good job soldier.”
“Thank you sir.”
Osmund removes a slip of paper from his garb, and admires it in the sunlight. It was a complex map of Dundis, including the secret passages and escape routes of the entire place. It cost the annulment of many Vaunghe men and women, but was worth all the effort. Consulting the map Osmund noted the existence of an escape passageway inside of the tower. It was obscured behind a wall, thus explaining the lack of windows on that side.
“Report back to your commander that we’ll begin with the tower, there are several clear passages into an alternative staircase. Launching a pincer attack we’ll defeat the enemy and allow for the redistribution of forces. By that time I expect the guard’s quarters to be taken, allowing us to completely overflow any opposition protecting the garden.”
“Yes Osmund, I will inform her now.” And with that the young warrior ran back through the castle’s long iron gates.
The group followed suit, pushing the gates open fully and revealing the site of further bodies. They were inside the building’s inner wall now, the sun still bearing down upon them. This was the location home to many of the more important stables and areas for battle preparation. The ruins of a barricade lay around the door, alongside the copious number of trainee bodies who failed to protect themselves. While there was no evidence of the wall’s debris assaulting this place, there was still a large amount of destruction here.
The remains of statues greeted the group, once magnum opus now a disfigured remnant of what was. They were made of marble, and once depicted the Vaunghe gods, although who each one was could not be discerned, due to the broken faces and pieces they had been split into. The statues lined the walls of this castle, with a new statue lining the wall every five metres. If they weren’t destroyed they would likely be the most impressive feat Osmund had ever seen, standing at almost double his nine and a half foot frame.
Moving forward, Osmund looked to the north, where the entrance of the tunnel system began. According to the map the entrance was hidden below the royal stable, and gave passageway into the complex’s vast tunnel system that could lead to several strategic positions. Motioning for his group to follow, they moved slowly around the curved walls of the inner wall. The bodies gradually stopped appearing, prompting the drawing of Osmund and the other’s weapons, save for Balmun who still lacked anything to protect himself with.
The royal stable was just as grand as Osmund expected, long silver poles supporting a twenty metre stable. Beside each pillar was another statue of a god, albeit these gods were untouched and in their full glory. First was the god of thought, Merculd, a figure of 19 ft who sat upon a throne of gold. Adorned with jewels and royal fabrics, the bearded man watched down upon those that approached, beckoning them inside. The man himself was crafted out of intricate copper and glass, an architectural marvel that Osmund couldn’t comprehend its creation.
Beside the father of thought was the mother of art Freya, whose statue was in opposition to the metals of Merculd. Freya was a wood carving, an intricate and detailed depiction of the woman who was 15 ft tall, standing up with beckoning hands towards any visitors. Her face was carved to the smallest detail, with each individual tooth lovingly crafted on her mouth. In contrast to the first statue Freya’s was carved alongside her body, a tight fitting tunic layered over hard to know pants, due to the lack of colour or texture upon them.
The last of the three statues was Zid, the proposed god of the wall, a 19 ft tall mass of flesh and muscle. There was nothing to this god but his muscles, they were the only trait he has, a blank, general male face looming over the entryway. It was made out of stone, likely being the oldest statue here and thus the simplest. That is not to say the statue wasn’t a work of its own, every detail to Zid’s veins had been lovingly placed, it’s just compared to the other two Zid felt… irrelevant to Osmund, past its time.
The stable was enclosed in intricately carved stone, helixes intersecting each other granting slimmers of light into the stable. There was no damage here, no bodies, no other people, this was Vaunghe architecture at its finest, and all of this hard work was spent on a singular, slightly inconveniently placed barn. The oddities of the Vaunghe never failed to surprise Osmund, and he braced to enter the barn.
Straw floors and hay bales greeted him, alongside a single lone steed. A fine horse, certainly of nobility, awaited patiently for its master to return. It had been alone for time unknown, and yet Osmund noticed it was still being fed quite well, a decent number of carrots awaiting on a plate. Osmund opened the gate to the horse and approached the fine steed. He slapped it on the behind, sending it out of the stable and into the inner wall.
“Sir, I’ve stepped into horse dung. May I have another pair of shoes?” Balmun’s voice rang through the room, echoing slightly. Osmund responded by throwing a carrot at his head. Balmun dodged with less than a second to spare, and the armed man behind him was hit dead on.
Reeling back from shock and surprise, the armed soldier moved his sword to his front, trying to shield any further blows. The man was tall, 8’5 ft to be exact, and dirty. His armour was coated in dirt and remnants of the smoke from the wall. Osmund could see the desperation in his eyes, and now charged the man.
Osmund met the man’s blade with his own, parrying immediately. A foot swept the enemy to the ground and Osmund stood above him sword raised. The man went for the blade only to find his hand was removed, spouting blood everywhere. Osmund grabbed the man and pushed him to his feet.
“There is a base for any injured troops at the entrance to Dundis, go now before you bleed to death.” The man’s face flashed in surprise, and he quickly scrambled out of the room, hand stump spouting blood.
“Hey sir?”
“What is it Balmun?”

At Britwrap, we have everything you need for your move or shipment and the appropriate packaging material so that you can carry out any packaging task. We have been professionals for many years in the world of cardboard boxes. We provide the best protective packaging in the UK. Our effort is aimed both at being the most competitive in the field of boxes and packaging and at offering you everything you need for your move. Our extensive range of products includes moving boxes, mattress bags, floor and rug protection, Anti Humidity Desiccants, Sofa covers, TV bags, and much more. We address a wide audience from individuals or companies to other electronic businesses that need boxes for their shipments or packaging boxes.

So the other day me and my friends were all boxing each other for fun and I took a few hits to the face, more specifically right on my nose.
It bled a tiny bit but it wasn't too bad. Eventually later that night I get a bloody nose again. I clean it and for some reason I don't connect it at all to the boxing session from earlier and ignore it. Next day, I get another bloody nose that lasts like 15 minutes. Getting bloody noses randomly is rare for me so for it to happen two days in a row is kinda odd.
As I'm cleaning up I feel dripping at the back of my throat. I put my tounge back there and stick it out and it's covered in blood. Ok so now there's blood dripping at the back of my throat from my nose bleed, not very good.
Another thing that's been happening is my nose has been very runny ever since the first bloody nose like I'm sick. Which I'm not. And know what I just realized as I'm typing this? Every now and then some mucus from my nose will drop down my throat like the blood did.
So any clue of what happened? Maybe a fracture or something (idk how it works) and if it does happen to be fractured or broken is it something I could just live with for a while as it heals or will I have to see a doctor?

So the other day me and my friends were all boxing each other for fun and I took a few hits to the face, more specifically right on my nose.
It bled a tiny bit but it wasn't too bad. Eventually later that night I get a bloody nose again. I clean it and for some reason I don't connect it at all to the boxing session from earlier and ignore it. Next day, I get another bloody nose that lasts like 15 minutes. Getting bloody noses randomly is rare for me so for it to happen two days in a row is kinda odd.
As I'm cleaning up I feel dripping at the back of my throat. I put my tounge back there and stick it out and it's covered in blood. Ok so now there's blood dripping at the back of my throat from my nose bleed, not very good.
Another thing that's been happening is my nose has been very runny ever since the first bloody nose like I'm sick. Which I'm not. And know what I just realized as I'm typing this? Every now and then some mucus from my nose will drop down my throat like the blood did.
So any clue of what happened? Maybe a fracture or something (idk how it works) and if it does happen to be fractured or broken is it something I could just live with for a while as it heals or will I have to see a doctor?

I have found someone selling a set of fat 50s for £140 on eBay. They are in the original box, but I noticed that the pickup covers have noiseless written in gold in them. Is this normal for fat 50s or is that what is written on the fender noiseless pickups?

So I originally posted my theory below but it was early and I wanted to dig a little on why I believe Nichole is at least involved.
I’ll do this in a checklist so it’s not a wall of text:

1. Nichole was the first person we saw who was hanging fliers. But she didn’t even bother going to Maddie’s mom all that time. I know her mother has issues, but you would think if she was so sure she was alive she’d want to maybe check her room, her computer, etc. It also seems like a guilty compulsion/cover to look like she’s worried and really trying to convince others she’s alive, or that she believes she’s alive.
   
2. The photo being liked and her reaction read like a red herring, because it led to a pretty revealing flashback. It showed that Nichole has no qualms stealing, and is a halfway decent thief by stealing a bunch of snacks and drinks from the store. Maddie was missing her phone, her backpack, and her necklace. Someone tricked the teacher into giving “Maddie” money.
   
3. In the flashback at the elevator control room above, Maddie talked about how Nichole’s only two friends are both going away together to a prestigious university and getting out of their shitty town they hate. Maddie commented on her being an amazing artist and Nichole was pretty upset she couldn’t afford to leave or go to art school. Well, blackmailing a teacher out of money could sure help to get her out of town.
   
4. Her thieving behavior and Maddie’s items: first her phone was stolen and her case slapped on. I think Nichole was the one who heard and saw and recorded Claire and Anderson arguing. She temporarily stole Maddie’s phone to text the teacher from her phone (how she knew Maddie had his number hasn’t been revealed but we’ll see) so she could pretend to BE Maddie and blackmailed him into leaving the money for her in a locker.
   
5. Maddie somehow catches Nichole with the money and her phone or something that raises a red flag when she left class to find her mother. She confronts her, Nichole panics, brings her to the boiler room for privacy, panic ensues and Maddie is struck in the head with something.
   
6. Nichole drags her body out thinking she’s dead (because she temporarily did die) and steals her necklace and backpack.
   
7. During the search in the woods Nichole happens to be the one to “stumble” onto Maddie’s movie ticket printout. Which is in incredible condition for being outside in the elements except for a newish muddy footprint. We all know that ticket was in her backpack. So Nichole went on that search specifically to leave fake clues using what she had.
   
8. Now that everyone thinks Maddie might be alive, she leaves her backpack in the abandoned house and tries to set it up to look like Maddie is/was squatting there and that’s who they see in the house.
   
9. The football game. When she is taking Maddie’s mom home, she waits until her mom is in the car before popping the trunk but waits to make sure no one is looking before slyly slipping the boxes in, likely hinting that there is something in her trunk implicating her.
   

Is clear Nichole envies Maddie. She has what she wants, a future out of their small town, a boyfriend, their best friend favors her, the teachers love her. Maybe it became too much.
Knowing this show it’ll be someone we never even suspected but so far I’m going with my gut. If I’m missing anything ….
Also does anyone else ever interact with the custodian besides Simon? Could he be a ghost? Just a small thought I had.

Overall, as a roommate, I am not controlling. Nor am I just passive. I am just not a negative guy, I keep myself healthy enough to try and be open-minded, I am not glued to sensation obsessions (like knowing when a box of cereal has been moved to the left one inch in the pantry), and I am not a bad person for trying to help to a reasonable extent. I have screwed up (taken a few food items that I forgot to replace). Not always been ultra-clean. But I do the vast majority of the deep cleaning of the apartment now, and 99% of roommates would be happy to have someone like me that can legitimately deep clean and clear a 2-bedroom apartment in hours. I clean the apartment every Sunday/Saturday to try and keep it fresh. My "roommate crimes" are extremely light. Much better than a huge majority of random roommates.
I have given into a lot of demands from my roommate. Demands that never changed, be it unemployed, or employed and coming back from a 12-14 hour shift. Some would say way over the top demands, and very controlling. Part of it is just their core personality. The other thing is that they went through a lot of previous health issues, which are now thankfully cleared up, but past the age of 30 and going through lots of inflammation...it can change you. So I always give this roommate breaks. Even if they're just not being a good person at the time. And the big issue here is their health deeply affects how they talk and interact on good and bad days. Same with all of us, but it's just not fully normal form of that.
But now it's gotten a bit weird. Where things are being moved, things are being taken, that are just ALARM BELLS for "I want to affect you negatively." There's a difference between taking someone's cookies and throwing away personal art. Taking drawings off the fridge, erasing art for no good reason, removing chain locks because twice a month I forgot to take the chain off and it surprised them. Taking food covered on plates in the fridge (just one, not like a collection), throwing the plate into the sink to make me clean it. I literally deep cleaned that fridge last week, and even cleaned each, single, bottle, in it. By moving that covered cabbage nothing changed in that fridge. It was a power move. Still just as clean as it was before. When they want things to change, they will get upset quickly. When, after months of inaction, they decide to act, suddenly you need to do exactly as they want.
And frankly, I am bit of tired of walking on eggshells, and always having to be the one that has to solve non-issues. This roommate uses non-issues as control. Enough third parties have sided with me on this, and that includes the landlord. And the reality of it is that I see all of this and let things go. Nor do I ever say I'm perfect, I have conceded many things. So it's to a point where, I want them to feel ok, but I can't just say something and make them feel ok. I've literally been at points where all demands were met and they'd still come at me. It's more, I am not fully willing to go "are you ok? what can I do to help?" because all they care about is them. They make it very clear they're very concerned about themselves. And many times I believe they actively do not want me to feel well (as in, don't want me to be energetic or have a good time). It's been over half a year and this person has never once asked me "how are you?" Not once. It's possible, but I can't recall. Not the same by me. I want them to feel well. But guess what, I want to feel well and expressive too.
So maybe more of a rant, but I'm just not sure what their gameplan is, because frankly, I am going to ignore all this recent stuff. It weirds me out. And only address if I see it continue. Because their complaints and aggressive attitude is about tons of non-issues as a way to control their own anger at me. Anger that isn't justified. As I put in well over 50% of my share to furnish, clean, and maintain the space. I am not overbearing or over the top as a roommate.

3187 words
A god's secret name holds the key to their deepest powers, and speaking it to their face transfers that power to the speaker. Isis once tricked Ra into revealing his secret name, giving her his powers and making her the most powerful goddess in the land. This precedent still stands for all time, as the power of the gods lies not only in their secret names, but also in the courage of those who claim it, even if they are otherwise a fool.
-RV. Chronicler of the Kenoma.
Once upon a time, as I crouched down to clean the kitten litter boxes in Madam Zoe's cluttered garage, I heard a loud buzzing noise coming from my smartphone. I paused and checked the screen, confused since I had music playing that should have overridden all notifications. An emergency broadcast was flashing across it. On the screen, I saw Ra, the Sun God. His shimmering golden fur glowed as he stood on a space chariot with billowing golden sails trailing out behind it like the sun itself. Alongside him were Set, the God of Violence in the form of an indigo lion, and Bastet, a pink Abyssinian Cat Goddess of Protection. The three of them were locked in fierce combat with a monstrous storm of green neon space dragons that swarmed around the solar chariot. Behind them, some impossibly large monster's wings blocked out all other light beyond the solar chariot.
I couldn't believe what I was seeing. It was like some wacky TV show, but the graphics were so realistic that I couldn't help but be mesmerized. After a few moments, I shrugged it off and went back to cleaning the litter boxes. After all, the posters on the walls read "the Golden Rule of Goodness is this: save all cats and kittens!" And for me, that meant keeping their litter boxes clean and tidy.
Suddenly, a weird golden cat with spinning clock eyes appeared out of nowhere in the garage with me. I yelped in surprise and stumbled backward, knocking my head on a hanging light. Catnip bags came tumbling down on top of me, adding to the mess I'd already cleaned up. While rubbing the back of my head, the golden cat hissed at me. Despite its striking appearance, I couldn't help but think to myself that there was no way this cat was actually Ra. The cat had all of its hairs standing up, its back arched, and its sparkling crystalline fangs bared at me.
"Ra!" I hissed back at the cat. I reached out to shoo it away, but something strange happened. It let out a meow that sounded like it was about to speak words. Then, I felt a strange sensation as a sound wave rippled through the room. The lights shattered, and everything started to fly off the shelves.
A surge of warm electricity coursed through me. I didn't know what was happening, but I could feel the energy radiating through my blood and bones and tips of my fingers and toes. Meanwhile, the strange gold cat had dimmed to a dull orange and was throwing a tantrum, spinning around and tearing up bags of catnip before running out of the room and down the hallway.
I was left standing there, feeling like a bolt of lightning had just passed through me. I didn't understand what had just happened, but as much as I wanted to clean up the mess, rescuing the clock-eyed cat was way more important.
As I chased the cat down the hallway, I was struck by the intricate carvings on the walls. This hadn't been there before. Usually that was just a plain jane white hallway. I hesitated to wonder where all this stuff had come from, but shrugged that thought away as well. Egyptian iconography, long lost to time, adorned the limestone walls, depicting scenes of feline gods and goddesses. Anubis, the jackal-headed god of the dead, was shown weighing the hearts of the deceased against a feather. Bastet, the feline goddess of protection, was depicted with her claws unsheathed, ready to defend her followers against any who would threaten them. The hallway itself seemed to twist and turn in on itself, like a labyrinthine temple.
As I entered the strangely embellished cat lounge, I was struck by the cozy and inviting atmosphere that hadn't been there before. The walls were adorned with holographic images of Egyptian gods, their glowing forms seeming to dance and shimmer in the dim light. The air was filled with the soothing hum of advanced air filtration systems, keeping the space free of allergens and pollutants. The furniture was sleek and modern, with plush cushions and soft, faux fur coverings.
In one corner, a group of cats lounged on a platform adorned with intricate hieroglyphs, their eyes closed in contentment as they soaked up the warmth of a futuristic heating system. Another group of cats played with high-tech toys that emitted colorful lights and sounds, their playful antics made me smile and want to tumble down and play with them.
The space was a harmonious blend of futuristic technology and ancient Egyptian aesthetics, creating a unique and welcoming environment that felt both modern and timeless. I couldn't help but feel a sense of awe as I looked around, marveling at the beauty and ingenuity of the space while also wondering how I had not noticed whoever put all this stuff there.
At the end of the corridor, I could see a faint light emanating from a door carved with the likeness of Bastet. The door was made of a strange, shimmering metal that seemed to pulse with a faint light. As I approached and reached out to touch the door, I was struck by a strange sensation - it was as if I could feel the power of the goddess coursing through my veins. For a moment, I felt invincible, as if nothing could harm me. But then, as quickly as it had come, the feeling was gone, leaving me feeling empty and alone.
Despite my initial thought that the clock-eyed cat could be Ra, I knew deep down that it was impossible. The cat was too small, too ordinary to be a god. But as I looked around me at the ancient carvings and futuristic architecture, I couldn't help but wonder if there was more to this place than met the eye. Perhaps, in some way, the garage had fused with a temple to Bastet - a place where her followers could come to seek protection and guidance in a world that had long since forgotten the ancient ways.
The orange cat ran out of the room and headbutted a fire escape crash bar on a door. Fire alarm klaxons blared, scaring the cats to scurry all over the place. Above the blaring fire alarms and mewling cats, I could hear the distant music of a piano, bass, and violin in my earbuds fighting against the song of the sirens. Looking at the time clock on the wall to my right, I took a deep breath and said to myself, "I gotta save the Kittens. No matter what!" The excitement got my breathing a bit too fast. Electric tingles trickled up my fingertips.
As I caught my breath, I noticed my favorite teal hoodie hanging on a hook. It was the softest thing in the garage (other than the cats) and always brought me comfort. The intricate patterns woven into the fabric mesmerized me, reminding me of the veins a gentle, persistent stream bores into soil or stone.
As I clocked out, the monotone voice of the time clock reminded me, "You have thirty minutes for lunch, Aktaly." Sigh.
Stepping outside, I was greeted by a teal and violet sky that hung over an oil-stricken river lined with brambles and sycamore trees. The plastic trash balls that tumbled across the causeway leading to a broken bridge were an all-too-familiar sight. 3D printed coffin towers ate up most of Neo-Babylon's horizon. Each tower had solar-powered drone ports lifting cargo from them and buzzing like flies. Madam Zoe's wise, old face was painted along each tower, but the eyes were all scratched out.
It had been my routine on lunch breaks to explore the hidden paths around the old sycamore tree. It was easy for me to chase Kittens across a half-full parking lot behind Madam Zoe's garage. I followed him towards the riverside bramble of trees to a familiar spot.
The violet sun shone down on us like the light of Pistis, illuminating our path through the tangle of the old sycamore tree. Kittens stopped to chew on some soft teal flowers and golden mushrooms that grew out of the base of the tree. Madam Zoe had a song about these symbols of the goddess Inanna's power over nature. I plucked a few petals and mushrooms to nibble on and honor her as I settled down in my secret spot.
Mellow tones from pianos and violins distracted me as I searched for a song that would make me whole. One addiction had replaced another. Searching for a song that didn't exist kept me craving with no way to fix my fix. Some scabs felt better to remain perpetually fresh.
Five years ago, I had finally sobered up after rehab and started working for Madam Zoe, the greatest musical composer in Neo-Babylon as a halfway house kind of deal. I had been an assistant for the care of her music transcriptions ever since she had lost her sight. But, someone better inevitably came along and I was demoted to care for her cats and cars. I still wasn't sure how to make a difference beyond keeping litter boxes tidy, playing with the cats, and keeping them fed.
With a deep breath, I closed my eyes and let the music carry me away. For the next few minutes, I melted into the melodies and rhythms of a string adagio, feeling more whole than I had in a long time. In that peaceful moment, I thought about the song I had been dreaming of for eternity. The sounds and vibrations called to me, pulling me toward some deep, distant plane of existence. In this world, every face and facet held a crest or trough in the waveform that harmonized with the universe. I yearned to compose a song that would let me become one with everything. Whispers of this song would visit me in fleeting moments and right before I would nod off and out, urging me to unlock its secrets.
As Kittens approached me with a meow, I couldn't resist giving him some attention. "Look at you, ooooh!" I said, patting his head and ruffling his pointy, caracal ears. Kittens rubbed his face on my hands and crawled further into my lap. A warmth tingled from my knees to my elbows and right back down my spine. "See we can be friendly kittens."
Kittens let out a contented purr as I absentmindedly stroked his fur. My hands craved to flick a lighter or pop a topper, ever tempting me like an old flame. But I refused to give up control again. I took a deep breath of cool, fresh air and closed my eyes, listening to the rustle of leaves through sycamore trees and the soft adagio of strings.
Despite being one level above tone deaf, I had poured countless hours into studying and practicing music, determined to replicate the tones perfectly. As I reached for my synthesizer app on my phone, a surge of creative energy flowed through me.
But then, a deafening sonic boom shook the ground. Startled, Kittens leapt up, clawing at my favorite hoodie. As I cursed and tried to calm the frightened feline, a bloody slit opened up in the sky, revealing a portal to distant Bronze Saturnus and its icy rings.
The sight reminded me of Inanna, who had once traveled to Saturnus to aid its defense against the Marzans through a similar crimson star gate.
But this time, instead of a Goddess, a swarm of huge, shimmering dragons poured out, their scales reflecting the light of the violet sun. Behind them, I caught a glimpse of something darker and even more massive than all the dragons combined, looming closer and closer as if pushing the invaders towards us.
"What in the world?" I gasped, my eyes wide with disbelief. But instead of succumbing to panic, I quickly shifted my attention to something playful. "Kittens!" I exclaimed, grabbing the stray cat on my lap and cuddling him close. "Do you think those dragons like catnip?" I asked, giggling as I rubbed his belly. Kittens let out a happy purr, and I could feel my anxiety slowly dissipating for the moment at least.
The dragons soon answered my question with an onslaught of green lightning. Their beams sliced through the pale coffin towers at a 45-degree angle. But even as they wreaked havoc, I kept my focus on Kittens, determined not to let the chaos consume me.
The feeling of two fingertips rubbing against each other, that uncanny sensation of mirrored texture, billowed through the air, leaving a weight upon every single breath as if a ghost was getting close.
"Nope!" My bony behind scurried back out of the bramble branches with Kittens still in my arms. I pushed through the tangle, ignoring the cuts, scrapes, and bruises the tree and cat carved into me. My coping method wasn't perfect, but it had helped me avoid a panic attack.
In the parking lot behind the garage, a few dozen people were all recording videos of the dragons in the sky. I tried to look skyward but got all spinny and nauseous at the red slit widening in the sky and dripping with shimmering space dragons. I stumbled down right in the middle of the sidewalk. Kittens hopped away only to become mesmerized by the celestial sights. His little kitty mouth was even hanging open with a bit of drool dangling.
A bicyclist zoomed down the sidewalk. I looked up in time to realize they were about to hit the distracted cat! "No!"
I rolled into the path of the bicyclist to shield the poor kitty. The bicyclist ran into my back and crashed. "Watch out!" yelled the bicyclist once it was already too late, as their head smeared the sidewalk with a fresh coat of blue. Blue blood? Aye, yai. I shouldn't have eaten those mushrooms.
Spikes of pain bloomed on my face and back, scrapes widened as my body roiled. But I had saved Kittens! Oh yeah!
I jumped up and spun around with Kittens in my arms. Our happy moment was quickly interrupted by some people yelling in the parking lot. "Hey, hey, what the, where is my signal?" was echoed from the mouths of all the rubbernecking videographers.
"Down for you too?" said some dude.
"Yeah, why don't you fix it?" said a dudette.
Then, some hobo dude ran up and stole the other dude's bike that had crashed into me, "Haha, all you stupid phone people, your reckoning's come! We're all going to Kur, but not me because-"
Suddenly, one of the shimmering dragons landed in the parking lot, crushing cars and squashing people, including the hobo and his contraband bicycle.
Rather than roar, this huge diamond-scaled beast screamed toward Kittens, who approached the dragon without any fear and meowed right back at him.
The sight triggered my amygdala, and it blasted me with cortisol. I froze up, unable to move or think. I was lock-jointed while my lips pursed for a cigarette. My heart pounded in my chest. I realized that the invasion was just the beginning. The real danger lay beyond the portal, waiting to consume everything in its path. If the dragon meant us harm, nothing would have stopped it, but no, it screamed out in pain with
The sight triggered my amygdala, and it blasted me with cortisol. I froze up, unable to move or think. I was lock-jointed while my lips pursed for a cigarette. My heart pounded in my chest. I realized that the invasion was just the beginning. The real danger lay beyond the portal, waiting to consume everything in its path. If the dragon meant us harm, nothing would have stopped it, but no, it screamed out in pain with a sharp, crystalline grating scream.
The dragon's scales reflected the violet light of the sun and the crimson slit in the sky. Disoriented, I tried to snap out of it, to take action, but all my cortisol paralyzed me still. The ground shook violently as the dragon screamed even louder, straight up into the sky, as its brethren soared above.
Kittens ran back and hopped into my arms right as a rush of air lifted me off the ground. I braced myself for the worst, but then I felt the warm, scaly tail of the dragon wrap around me and Kittens, pulling us towards its jaws. I held the cat close to my chest, trying to protect him with my body as much as possible.
As we approached the dragon's mouth, I couldn't help but think of the old sycamore tree and how close to peace I had been in those moments. And how fast all of it had been torn away. But before my life could flash before my eyes, a familiar aroma distracted me from my impending doom: toasted bread.
I opened my eyes to see the silhouette of a person holding a bagel standing in a portal that floated in the dragon's mouth. A voice came from the portal, sounding worried and confused. "Oh dear, you look like her, but you're not her. Oh, dear, oh my, this is not good."
"Hey, you! What the hell is going on?" I shouted, hoping for some answers.
"Come, receive a chance that the rest of your species shall not. If you survive the procedure, that is. Bring her in, Pep." There was a beep-boop-bop, and then the dragon's tail reeled me in with smooth, mechanical cranking towards the portal.
I held onto Kittens tightly, assuring him that everything was going to be okay. But deep down, I knew that no one was going to come save me from this bizarre situation. As we were pulled closer to the portal, I looked up and saw a face beyond that I would never forget.
A handsome, saturnine man in his fifties, at least seven feet tall with five green eyes that had bronze pupils and violet flame-like irises in between two diamond spiral horns. He had red, leathery, rune-scarred skin and wore a golden bathrobe while holding a pumpernickel rye bagel. An aura of teal light shimmered an inch above his body, and as he looked down at me, I couldn't help but feel a shiver run down my spine and through every hair on my body.
I wondered what I had gotten myself into. The answer lay ahead, beyond the portal, and I had no choice but to refrain from having a panic attack and find out.

An ayurvedic full-body massage is an ancient healing technique that originated in India thousands of years ago. It focuses on the balance between the body, mind, and spirit. Ayurvedic massage is a therapeutic massage that combines herbal oils and traditional techniques to promote relaxation, detoxification, and rejuvenation.
It is believed to help balance the body's energy, release tension, improve circulation, and enhance overall well-being. The therapist at the ayurvedic massage center will use long, flowing strokes, kneading, and pressure point techniques to stimulate and soothe the body's tissues and muscles in this massage. This blog post will cover everything you need to know about ayurvedic body massage.
Read More: How Ayurvedic Massage can be a part of holistic wellness routine

Hey, this is my first time posting here and for some reason my code just simply doesn't work? this is a template I have downloaded, I can post the files inside, but this is what pops up on my page right now.
code inside
the page if you view it