Hi GYW,
Its my routine boot care day and I was reminiscing about my first pair of GYW boots, so I thought it would be fun to show an example of how you can mess up every single thing, break all the rules of boot purchasing and care we've learned here in GYW... and still end up with a pretty great pair of boots.
I started my journey back in early 2018, I was a 22 year old Produce manager at a grocery store and a buddy of mine was going on and on about how Wolverine 1000 mile boots were the greatest boots ever made. It peaked my interest so I did some hardcore research on these boots (2 google searches, and a scroll through their website). I was sold. But fuck, $400? That's a whole paycheck for me. I had moved back in with my parents after a breakup and had some disposable income but still..$400?? So, I put the idea on the back burner, and then they consumed every thought I was having.
Fast forward to March and I was at a Nordstrom's Rack with my mom just perusing the men's shoe department... lo and behold. There was a freaking pair of 1000 miles for $199.99. Pretty much half off! Not the ones I was originally looking at but still, cant beat half price.
Now, you have to remember, I knew NOTHING about GYW/Heritage boots. I had some Timberland hiking boots from boy scouts but nothing about this side of the boot world.
I was a 10.5 in running shoes, and these were a 10.5....perfect. I got them. Used a generic Instagram filter and showed the world.
https://imgur.com/dnAYBzt https://imgur.com/a/fIRmgYN
After the first week of wearing these I was bummed, crushed, defeated, full of regret, because my feet were fucking swimming in them, I couldn't tighten the laces enough to keep my feet in place and they were getting scratched as all hell (which sucked because I just spent 200 hard earned dollars on them and I wanted them to look nice). I also have atrocious arches so the lack of any support in these things absolutely killed my feet and knees. (over the years I discovered I'm actually a 9-9.5D depending on brand)
Since I had bad knees I decided to say screw it and throw a set of SuperFeet green insoles in them that I had laying around and ya know what, it helped. Gave me about 1/4-1/2" within the boot that helped me fill it out a bit. Night and Day difference. They no longer hurt to wear. I rolled with this for a couple months but was still really frustrated about how they were creasing and folding in weird places. https://imgur.com/T0RGgLc
A couple months later I stumbled upon a reddit post that mentioned you're supposed to condition your boots to help keep the leather moisturized and extend the life...And that was the extent of the research I did. I proceeded to go on amazon and bought Doc Martens Wonderbalm and a bottle of Lexol from amazon recommended. I proceeded to condition the ever loving fuck out of these boots. When I say I over did it, I mean there was a time I was doing it after almost every wear.
Later, I found another reddit post that basically said "hey there speed racer slow the hell down, only do it every six months or so unless you're abusing the hell out of them in super dry conditions". I'm a PNW guy, so that didn't apply to me... and I slowed down a bit (albeit not as much as I should have).
Its now 2023, I've since found goodyearwelt and other leather boot subreddits. Purchased Whites, Chippewas, Iron Rangers, and various other leather shoes/boots. I have invested in brushes and other polishes and creams too. I still wear these boots semi-regularly with that same set of SuperFeet insoles and a new set of laces. They hold a special place in my heart as the pair of boots that led me down a path of boot discovery and obsession. Although a cocaine addiction might have been cheaper....
I love them, they're not perfect, they're by far not the greatest boot ever made, but they're mine and I think they still look pretty darn nice. You can see in places where the hard insole has stretched out the toe box and creased in weird ways, but to hell with it. I think the patina and creasing makes them look loved. https://imgur.com/DQsUWod
Shout out to all you nice folks out here on GYW that consistently and repeatedly answer the same conditioning questions, creasing questions and sizing questions out there from the noobs that are just getting in to this expensive lifestyle. I wouldn't be here without some of you guys.
https://imgur.com/kqFEmyH
If you made it this far, thanks for reading. I was just having some fun looking back at all my mistakes and naiveties.
Album I took today: https://imgur.com/gallery/Lkv3DUM

Zero bullshit, texts to prove it. TLDR, May 31 I had a vivid dream about being visited by them. I’m not nuts, I don’t think I was abducted.
But, what I saw in my dream looked almost precisely like what this kid in the video described. Very tall, huge eyes, skinny grayish green with long 4 fingers on each hand.
In my dream I woke up for the usual pee and food at early morning. Something made a sound in the garage so I looked in and the door to the garage was unlocked. I panicked and went to check on my GF who was asleep, grabbed a boom stick and looked outside. There on of them was in my back yard, I went back into the bedroom to check on my gf and through the window I could see it flanking the house so I went to the front windows
Another one was at the neighbor going inside and a bright light flashed. Fear turned to rage and I went to go outside and shoot whatever wasn’t human.
The one in my yard spoke to me but without words and said it’s not here to fight and don’t cause a scene, we will leave soon. I could sort of hear a conversation between them saying I’m awake and armed and it’s a problem
The light flashes again but like the sun through the whole area and I woke up.
Never have I once dreamed anything similar, and that we we had the disclosure and the Vegas scene.

In general it's just way too fast for its own good. Our introduction to the world is really good. We spend the first 8 chapters, or 3 episodes, hyping up this amazing hole in the ground. We are shown this big beautiful map that is still only described as a 'rough map of the Netherworld,' implying that there is much more to discover than what is shown. We are told of all the amazing treasures that are contained within. There are so many of these, in fact, that even after 1900 years of exploration there are still artifacts being discovered in the first 1000m, right on the edge of the abyss. After all this build up, when Riko and Reg set out on their one way journey into the Abyss, what do they do? Race to the bottom as fast as possible, taking no time for exploration or sight seeing. Seriously, what the heck?! I know Riko wants to reach her mother right away, but, come on! Riko herself even at one point says that "this journey in the abyss is a once-in-a-lifetime thing, after all!" (in justification for eating something that is probably going to give her food poisoning.)
Volume 1 was entirely Orth. 1/3 of the way into volume 4 and the team is already moving into the 5th layer, and roughly half that page count was spent at either the Seeker Camp or Nanachi's Hideout. At this point Riko has descended through over half of the Abyss in roughly twice the page count as was spent in Orth. Seriously, what was the point of all the hype if we weren't actually going to spend any time exploring the abyss. The worst part is that we can't ever go back and fill in those details later because of the premise of the Abyss. Once we've moved past an area, that's it. It's done. It's not the kind of story where Team Riko could find themselves needing to return to layer 3 for some reason to flesh it out a bit more. I suppose Tsukushi could write a side story involving new characters, making a more careful and thoughtful descent, but he really doesn't seem interested in that. So we end up with the fact that, despite the tremendous build up, the Abyss comes across as feeling rather small and uninteresting.
Ok, but I can hear the responses already: "Tsukushi had to rush down to Nanachi because the manga was in danger of being cancelled." and "He's only one guy doing all the art and story by himself, if he spent a volume or more exploring each layer it'd take him 30 years to finish the story!" Well, answer me this: What is one thing that anime adaptations have been traditionally known for, even to their own detriment? Filler! Made in Abyss was crying out for episodes and episodes of filler content to flesh out this world, and yet what we got was one of the most bare bones adaptations they could manage. I really don't understand why they did it this way, other than MIA maybe wasn't popular enough to justify more than 14 episodes.
There's something else I want to take a moment to briefly address before returning to the pacing issues in layer 5 and 6. Namely I want to talk about artifacts for a moment. There aren't any! After setting out into the Abyss Team Riko doesn't find a single artifact in 60 chapters! (end of season 2) What even is this? Every artifact that we see Riko use (sun stones, scaled umbrella) was something she had found on the first layer before even starting her adventure. This is one of the major pillars that the premise rests upon: namely that this is an amazing pit full of treasure. She doesn't even need to find anything super amazing that'll make her OP, just something. Anything! Just to show that the stuff actually exists in the world and isn't just conjured into being when you don your stylish white whistle armor. The first volume really gives you the impression that this is going to be a journey of exploration and discovery, almost archaological in nature based on some of Riko's stated goals, but the story completely refuses to deliver on this promise.
Anyway, to return to the issue of pacing, in layer 5 the pacing really starts to affect the plot, in addition to the previously stated issues. Namely, the problem is with Prushka. She and Riko spend about 2 hours together, in which they apparently form a bond so deep that when Prushka turns herself into a white whistle she attunes to Riko rather than the father that she is utterly and completely devoted to. It's just a bit of a stretch. Imagine this, though. Rather than meeting Team Riko at the doors of Ido Front, she meets them at near the start of layer 5, just after Nanachi has finished snacking on slimey stew. Her accompanying umbra hands conveniently die (Bondrewed being the fiendish and calculating genius that he is), and Prushka is left alone to guide Team Riko back to Ido Front, the widest of the layers. Give us a goodly few chapters spent developing both Prushka and the wonders of layer 5, then continue the story as normal at Ido Front, and Prushka's inevitable sacrifice will feel a lot more meaningful and Riko's reaction more natural. After seeing how much fun adventuring with Team Riko is first hand, it's more understandable for her to turn into a white whistle to continue the adventure, rather than after just having heard a couple stories.
In layer 6, things really turn around and we starting hitting pacing issues from the other end. This is the longest arc by far. A full 5 volumes are not only spent within a single layer, but almost entirely within a single village. This arc gets as much time devoted to it as everything before it combined. And none of it matters. Nearly every character, place, and thing introduced is dead or destroyed by the end. Large sections of the story are dominated by these new characters, with our protagonists simply acting as spectators, or even unconscious. Almost the entirety of volume 8 is a flashback to the story of these new characters. Even the anime director recognized how dire this was to the pacing and attempted to break it up a bit by interspersing it throughout the season. I really get the sense that by this point Tsukushi was pretty burned out on the initial premise he set up for MIA and wanted to tell a different story, with different characters, and was simply obligated to drag our trio along for the ride. The problems with Iruburu arc are many, and as I'm planning to write another post focusing exclusively on it, I'll suffice it to say for now that this part of the story drags. It drags hard. And they still don't spend much time actually exploring the Abyss itself, just this one village.
So that's the problems with the pacing in Made in Abyss. In general, it's too fast to deliver on the sense of wonder and discovery that was promised in the opening chapters.

Title says it all. I've been aiming for around 1200 calories per day and going to the gym 3x/week + at least 1 active outing per weekend (hesitate to call this exercise because I have a toddler in tow, so not hiking or walking with much intensity but still out and moving!). I eat around 1200 calories a day. On gym days I have an additional small snack before my workout like a granola bar or protein bar so end up closer to 1400 those days. I measure my food and don't drink anything with sugar (mostly water plus unsweetened tea or coffee in the morning). I started at 172 lbs. Today weigh 171.8. I'm honestly about to cry. I'm not sure I can keep up this diet for nothing. Any suggestions or motivation would be appreciated. Below I'll put my last 24 hr food diary in case maybe I'm just completely off on my calorie counts?
Yesterday (not a gym day) Breakfast 200 cal Black coffee 0 cal Dave's killer bread 110 cal Low fat cottage cheese 90 cal Salt and pepper 0 cal
Lunch 320 cal Stir fried tofu and green beans 220 1/2 cup rice 100
Snack 1/2 cup fresh cherries 50 cal
Dinner 540 cal Homemade spinach feta turkey burger 190 cal Dave's killer hamburger bun 160 cal 10 tater tots 160 cal Ketchup 30 cal
Dessert Chocolate vanilla crunch yasso bar 140 cal
Total: 1250 cal

Part 1
It’s been a day, and still no sign of anyone coming by. I was really hoping to be writing this in the comfort of my home, but apparently there’s other plans for me.
I’ve been out of food and water, it’s all back at the campsite and I can’t rightly go back there.
I guess I’ll keep on reliving what was going on, maybe that’ll make time pass faster.
Ivy and I had dashed away into the woods, the late evening sun rushing through the trees alongside us. We heard the panicked yells and footfalls of our friends as they also fled, and we knew the ranger would likely be close behind us.
As fucked up as this is, I could only hope and pray that he’d follow after them instead of us.
We ran for what felt like an hour, but from the lack of darkness, I know it couldn’t have been that long. The sun was going down slowly, lazily, like it does in the summer. At least Ivy had killed the guy’s ATV, he’d have to follow on foot…
Although with how big the fucker was, his strides were probably long enough that was a negligible issue. Shit.
We stopped for a breather, the woods still eerily silent. We could no longer hear screams, or hurried footsteps. Just our breathing, trying as best we can to keep quiet.
After some time, we started moving again, slower now. The light was starting to fade, and we decided our best course of action was to try and walk back to the cars and go get help. Of course, there was hardly any signal at the cars, and absolutely none once we got into the woods proper, but we hoped we could get through to 911, if nothing else.
I looked to one side as I stood up, and on my left, I could see a phone flashlight cutting through the branches, bobbing with each step. From where it was being held, it likely wasn’t tall enough to be the officer. I squinted, and once it got a bit closer, I could make out the distraught features of Greg, Jeremy’s brother. His girlfriend, Loretta, was close behind. Both of them looked like they’d been crying, which was… understandable, I guess.
Greg looked at Ivy and I, squinting past his light. “You guys seen him?”
We both shook our heads, and Loretta rolled her eyes. “I told you we should just go, Greg.”
He snapped his head back to her, a glare on his face. “We all need to get out of here, babe. I don’t wanna leave anyone behind.”
Before Loretta could respond, the sound of metal scraping on metal was heard, like in a movie when a knife is pulled from a sheath. I turned my head again, and saw the large, imposing figure of the ranger.
He stood about ten feet off, holding a hatchet in one hand. “Hey, there, kiddos. Using lights at night in the forest can really disturb the local flora and fauna of this here forest.”
With that sentence that sounded straight out of a PSA, he Hurled the hatchet, the head of it finding purchase in Greg’s thigh. He let out a scream and collapsed to the ground, holding the handle of the small axe as he writhed on the ground. The ranger grinned, the last few rays of sunlight illuminating his face enough to let us see his sick joy at the turn of events.
Loretta screamed and bolted back in the way her and Greg had come, and he looked after her for only a moment, before looking at Ivy and I. “Go on, get the hell out of here! Go!”
Ivy hesitated for a moment, clearly wanting to help, but at the first footfall from the ranger, they nodded and took off, me following closely behind. As we took off, we could hear one last defiant shout from Greg.
“Fucking do it then! You goddamn freak! DO IT! Fucking ki-”
The word was cut off by the sound of impact on flesh, over and over. Eventually we ran far enough to escape the sound, and collapsed on the forest floor, breathing heavily.
We heard heavy footsteps treading, but not getting closer to us. They went parallel to us, eventually fading out into the night air.
We sat for about 20 minutes, listening for any sign of pursuit, or any sign of our friends. Right when we were about to get up and keep walking, we heard what sounded like a rope moving quickly? I can’t quite think of the words to describe it. It was close, we ran towards the sound and in about five minutes we saw Luke hanging upside-down from a tree, his bag resting on the ground near his head.
He looked at us as we approached, and quickly started shouting for help. Ivy and I both tried to shush him, but he wouldn’t listen, and we quickly heard the ranger making his way through the trees towards us again.
Luke seemed to realize what was coming, and he started screaming louder. Not for help, now, though. For Adam, for his mother, for God, anyone who could maybe hear him and send some giant eagles his way, so to speak.
The ranger emerged from the brush again, looking at his newly caught quarry with another grin. His uniform was stained with splatters of blood now, although his face was clean. His hatchet was tucked into his belt, now, and he was carrying a small bag on his back.
“Now, in this here forest we practice catch, tag, and release. These here snares are for catching, now I’ll tag, and then release.”
Luke tried to swing away from the man, but he reached behind the tree and pulled on a rope, and the snare gave suddenly, with Luke falling violently.
Due to his momentum in trying to swing away from the man, he didn’t land on his shoulder or have time to put his arms up to break his fall. He landed face first in the dirt, at a steep angle. His neck snapped, as did his back, and he folded over himself, his feet coming to rest near his head. His body gave one final shudder, and a wheezing, rattling gasp, before falling quiet.
The ranger cocked his head to one side, seemingly puzzled. I couldn’t help but think of a meme Ivy had sent me before this trip, asking why animals cock their heads when they see something strange.
What, does it make more sense at a 45 degree angle, bud?
The ranger coughed, still staring at Luke’s body. “Well. That, uh… Huh.”
He looked genuinely surprised, before shrugging and walking towards us.
Ivy, who’d been looking at Luke as well, a green tinge to their face, snapped their head up at the movement and bolted. I turned to watch them go, barely turning my head back to see the ranger swinging a fist at my head.
I yelped and dropped to my knees, barely dodging the swing. He snarled and tried to grab my hair, but I was able to dart between his legs and kick at the back of his left knee. He grunted and stumbled as I felt around wildly in the dirt. A solid stick, a rock, surely something here could help me…
The ranger stood back up, looming over me with a scowl. “Y’know, in this here forest we do our best to keep the paths clear. You’re not likely to find much that’ll help you bash my skull in, miss.”
He grabbed me by the shoulders and lifted me off the ground, dirt still between my fingers. Desperately, as he lifted me to his eye level, I ripped off his sunglasses with one hand, flinging dirt into his eyes with the other.
The ranger swore, dropping me and rubbing at his face. I took the opportunity and darted into the woods, in the general direction that I saw Ivy run.
Bedding down again for the night. Like I said, there’s barely any signal out here, all my calls have been dropping before they can get anywhere. Gonna try and conserve battery on my phone, keep my hazards on and hope that someone comes by.

Take a look into my life so I'm 32 about to be married in a week I have 3 kids and one on the way I am self employed I make less then $30000 a year at $20 dollars an hour does seasonal landscapin I just finished paying my car off which put $380 back in my pocket just to be taken by food and other bills I wanna start my own business but can't because my licenses are holding me back and I need less then $2000 to get them back for a probable cause dui charge to clear my licenses so I can get my life on track but I can't do that when I can't even spare the money. Now I go to work every day every week for up to a min of 16 hours to a max of 30 usually a week now I've been working in this same company for 10 years and some with only 4 max employees he has me a a jack of all trades basically one day I'm cutting grass the next I'm sealcoating his drive or working on his truck mind you all for 20 a hour Then he tells us almost every year we did bad but in the past 4 year we help this man build his new house get his 2022 brand new trucks tagged till 2029 he got a 50ft boat with a 3000 dollar fishing radar on the boat he just went last week and got a brand new 2023 Harley limited edition but when I mention any of my problems it I ain't losing any sleep I got in too accident none of my fault and I get I don't give a fuck and heres a claim number good luck Now I depend on this job for my family survival I use to love to do it but now I hate it and I wanna be where he is I understand it's his business but dang so what should I do in this situation I wanna get this place I'm living in but I don't know if I can afford it do I ask for a raise or say my hourly rate need to go up I don't have to pay for any transportation for work brother in law live close by to pick me up every morning he makes 24 an hour and self employed to in damn near the same boat as me what should I do

Looking for the best food trucks in St Catharines only please.

⟳ apt.izzysoft.de from Fri, 09 Jun 2023 17:36:01 GMT updated on Sat, 10 Jun 2023 17:45:17 GMT contains 1079 apps.

Updated (7)

• tunedetective (version 10): Your ultimate music discovery app, connecting you to artists and their latest re
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^{2023-06-10T17:51:15Z}

Everything in my inventory is up for trade. The most valuable items are listed here, the rest you can find in My Inventory

Feel free to Add Me or even better send a Trade Offer. Open for any suggestions: upgrades, downgrades / knives, gloves, skins / stickers, patterns, floats.

All Buyouts are listed in cash value.

KNIVES

★ Butterfly Knife Freehand FN #1, B/O: $2500

★ Butterfly Knife Ultraviolet FT, B/O: $822

★ Butterfly Knife Scorched FT, B/O: $616

⎯

★ Bayonet Tiger Tooth MW #1, B/O: $1300

★ Bayonet Autotronic FN, B/O: $1050

★ Bayonet Tiger Tooth MW, B/O: $629

★ Bayonet Bright Water FT, B/O: $326

★ Bayonet Safari Mesh BS, B/O: $233

⎯

★ Karambit Lore FT, B/O: $1110

★ Karambit Damascus Steel FT, B/O: $840

★ Karambit Freehand MW, B/O: $784

★ Karambit Bright Water MW, B/O: $759

⎯

★ M9 Bayonet Fade FN, B/O: $1801

★ M9 Bayonet Fade FN, B/O: $1801

★ M9 Bayonet Damascus Steel FN, B/O: $751

⎯

★ Nomad Knife Fade FN, B/O: $1156

★ Nomad Knife Slaughter MW, B/O: $544

★ Nomad Knife Blue Steel WW, B/O: $318

⎯

★ Flip Knife Marble Fade FN, B/O: $646

★ Flip Knife Doppler (Phase 4) FN, B/O: $574

★ Flip Knife Gamma Doppler (Phase 1) MW, B/O: $552

★ Flip Knife Case Hardened FT, B/O: $257

★ Flip Knife Freehand FT, B/O: $255

★ StatTrak™ Flip Knife Bright Water FN, B/O: $287

⎯

★ Huntsman Knife Lore FN, B/O: $461

★ Huntsman Knife Gamma Doppler (Phase 4) FN, B/O: $436

★ Huntsman Knife Doppler (Phase 3) FN, B/O: $353

★ Huntsman Knife Autotronic FT, B/O: $212

★ Huntsman Knife Bright Water FT, B/O: $129

★ Huntsman Knife Forest DDPAT MW, B/O: $129

★ Huntsman Knife Forest DDPAT BS, B/O: $123

★ StatTrak™ Huntsman Knife Rust Coat BS, B/O: $127

⎯

★ Bowie Knife Gamma Doppler (Phase 2) FN, B/O: $375

★ Bowie Knife Gamma Doppler (Phase 1) FN, B/O: $363

★ Bowie Knife Tiger Tooth FN, B/O: $269

★ Bowie Knife Crimson Web WW, B/O: $192

★ Bowie Knife Bright Water FN, B/O: $159

★ Bowie Knife Ultraviolet FT, B/O: $126

⎯

★ Stiletto Knife Slaughter FN, B/O: $616

★ Stiletto Knife Crimson Web FT, B/O: $412

★ StatTrak™ Stiletto Knife Night Stripe FT, B/O: $227

⎯

★ Falchion Knife Lore FT, B/O: $214

★ Falchion Knife Autotronic FT, B/O: $192

★ Falchion Knife Scorched WW, B/O: $105

⎯

★ Survival Knife Crimson Web BS, B/O: $216

★ Survival Knife Case Hardened FT, B/O: $198

★ Survival Knife Scorched FT, B/O: $111

⎯

★ Shadow Daggers Fade FN, B/O: $368

★ Shadow Daggers Doppler (Phase 3) FN, B/O: $228

★ Shadow Daggers, B/O: $201

★ Shadow Daggers Damascus Steel FT, B/O: $108

★ Shadow Daggers Ultraviolet FT, B/O: $105

★ Shadow Daggers Black Laminate FT, B/O: $99

★ Shadow Daggers Forest DDPAT FT, B/O: $85

⎯

★ Gut Knife Doppler (Sapphire) MW #1, B/O: $1700

★ Gut Knife Gamma Doppler (Phase 1) FN, B/O: $223

★ Gut Knife Marble Fade FN, B/O: $203

★ Gut Knife Doppler (Phase 2) FN, B/O: $191

★ Gut Knife Case Hardened BS, B/O: $127

⎯

★ Navaja Knife Doppler (Phase 4) FN, B/O: $199

★ Navaja Knife Doppler (Phase 4) FN, B/O: $199

★ Navaja Knife, B/O: $138

★ Navaja Knife Damascus Steel FN, B/O: $111

⎯

★ Classic Knife Urban Masked FT, B/O: $146

★ StatTrak™ Classic Knife Stained BS, B/O: $168

⎯

★ Ursus Knife Doppler (Phase 3) FN, B/O: $476

★ Ursus Knife, B/O: $375

⎯

★ Skeleton Knife, B/O: $1137

★ Talon Knife, B/O: $608

★ Paracord Knife, B/O: $305

★ Survival Knife Forest DDPAT FT, B/O: $97

GLOVES

★ Moto Gloves Transport MW, B/O: $204

★ Moto Gloves Polygon BS, B/O: $142

★ Moto Gloves Blood Pressure BS, B/O: $84

★ Moto Gloves Blood Pressure BS, B/O: $84

★ Moto Gloves 3rd Commando Company BS, B/O: $63

★ Moto Gloves 3rd Commando Company BS, B/O: $63

⎯

★ Specialist Gloves Crimson Kimono WW, B/O: $1215

★ Specialist Gloves Tiger Strike FT, B/O: $672

★ Specialist Gloves Lt. Commander FT, B/O: $305

★ Specialist Gloves Lt. Commander BS, B/O: $140

★ Specialist Gloves Crimson Web BS, B/O: $137

★ Specialist Gloves Buckshot FT, B/O: $75

⎯

★ Driver Gloves Crimson Weave FT, B/O: $359

★ Driver Gloves Imperial Plaid BS, B/O: $229

★ Driver Gloves Overtake BS, B/O: $77

★ Driver Gloves Racing Green FT, B/O: $48

⎯

★ Sport Gloves Omega FT, B/O: $739

★ Sport Gloves Amphibious BS #2, B/O: $733

★ Sport Gloves Arid BS, B/O: $292

⎯

★ Hand Wraps Giraffe MW, B/O: $212

★ Hand Wraps Leather FT, B/O: $160

★ Hand Wraps Desert Shamagh MW, B/O: $101

⎯

★ Broken Fang Gloves Yellow-banded MW, B/O: $185

★ Broken Fang Gloves Needle Point FT, B/O: $67

★ Broken Fang Gloves Needle Point WW, B/O: $59

⎯

★ Hydra Gloves Case Hardened BS, B/O: $65

★ Hydra Gloves Emerald FT, B/O: $65

★ Hydra Gloves Emerald BS, B/O: $62

WEAPONS

AK-47 Case Hardened BS, B/O: $130

AK-47 Bloodsport MW, B/O: $79

AK-47 Fuel Injector BS, B/O: $76

AK-47 Fuel Injector BS, B/O: $76

AK-47 Bloodsport FT, B/O: $70

AK-47 Neon Rider MW, B/O: $60

StatTrak™ AK-47 Aquamarine Revenge FT, B/O: $72

⎯

AWP Fade FN, B/O: $1039

AWP Asiimov FT, B/O: $139

AWP Asiimov FT, B/O: $139

AWP Wildfire MW, B/O: $95

AWP BOOM MW, B/O: $93

AWP BOOM MW, B/O: $93

AWP Duality FN, B/O: $81

AWP Asiimov BS, B/O: $79

AWP Asiimov BS, B/O: $79

AWP Chromatic Aberration FN, B/O: $60

StatTrak™ AWP Hyper Beast FT, B/O: $68

StatTrak™ AWP Hyper Beast FT, B/O: $68

StatTrak™ AWP Electric Hive FT, B/O: $55

⎯

Desert Eagle Blaze FN, B/O: $623

Desert Eagle Emerald Jörmungandr FN, B/O: $241

Desert Eagle Cobalt Disruption FN, B/O: $81

Desert Eagle Cobalt Disruption FN, B/O: $81

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I worked a golf tournament in Roosevelt on Friday and the catered lunch was Bam Bam’s BBQ food truck. The bbq was amazing. The ribs were huge and fell off the bone. The shredded chicken was great as well, but the highlight was definitely the smoked brisket. It definitely filled me up. I don’t know their prices because it was free, but the food was fabulous. Probably the best bbq I’ve had in Utah so far.
They have a brick and mortar store in Orem. Great food.

Part II
Don’t
The eerie warning still echoes through my shaken psyche.
It has been about ten months since I last updated the Báthory saga. Ten months and three more disappearances. I am not sure where the dumping ground for the devoured cadavers has moved to, but I am all too aware of where Báthory is the vast majority of the time.
Even though Báthory has not spoken to me again since its warning in the wake of the medium’s grisly demise, its presence has been a constant at work.
When I arrive.
When I hold a Zoom conference.
When I pick up the phone.
Báthory’s inky outline haunts my door when it isn’t off hunting for another stomach-curdling meal. A constant reminder that it is aware of my reluctance to stand idly by while the feeding continues. A reminder that any effort to stymie its bloody feast will be met with swift, intense, and lethal violence. A reminder that my usefulness has expired and Báthory’s patience has limits.
As you can imagine, this has done wonders for my general disposition. My colleagues have noticed my constant nervousness. Students openly comment about my paranoid “vibe” and complain about the ever widening turn around on grades. I have struggled with anxiety before, but this is different. That was general anxiousness about everything that made me frustrated to stand in slow lines or push through crowds. This is a paranoia about something very real. I know exactly what the threat is and what it can do.
But how can I grade in a timely fashion when I still have to be a husband and father at home, then use my old sleeping hours to conduct the research necessary to stop Báthory? Grading is slipped in between meetings and classes during my work day. The few hours between work and “bed time” are to ensure my burden does not destroy my family, and then I browse through online sources for any glimmer of information that could banish this malevolent entity.
Honestly, the late night research hours sometimes work to my advantage. I have moved beyond keeping the scope of research limited to Native American folklore and mythology. I have expanded to any and all strains of supernatural belief across the globe. You know, a completely realistic and manageable scope. I’m not running headlong into a swirling vortex of paranoia and guilt induced insanity, I swear. You just have to have solid, healthy coping mechanisms. The off-brand sugar-free Sour Patch Kids that I devour like a hangry Kronos keep the crazies away. Down the hatch blue raspberry Poseidon.
But, back to how being a night owl researcher has worked to my advantage. Many of the repositories that I contact in search of ancient tomes on mythology and lore are overseas. The time difference means that even though it is the wee hours for me, it is normal business time for some of them. Language barriers be damned, I have Google Translate on my side. Oh, and also the motivation of not wanting to continue being an accessory to appalling murders. That helps me to get my point across the linguistic gaps to these archivists a lot too.
I have already racked up an impressive selection of books of mythology, demonology, and every other topic that could possibly lend some insight to the origins and weaknesses of my shadowy companion. Composed of ancient first editions, reprints, translations, and original copies, the stack has taken over the entire right side of my desk and the coffee table next to the visitors chair in my office. It has been slow going to get through the books. Even when I can locate a colleague that can help with translations, there is often an issue with dialects or other translation hurdles that slow the quest for illumination. Not to mention the probing questions about what exactly my research goals are.
I have spun so many incoherent stevia-fueled lies that I have lost track of what I tell everyone I am on about. The sleep deprivation tends to leave me unprepared for the question and each query receives an off-the-cuff response that never seems entirely satisfactory. It is a good thing I already had a reputation for being a bit eccentric.
Then again, the rumors about how I am linked to the death of that medium might be a more compelling reason for many to lend a helping hand to the rambling, disheveled, wide-eyed professor that storms into their office looking for assistance with analyzing passages of arcane ghost stories.
Keeping my hoard of esoteric books in the center of Báthory’s hunting grounds and conducting my research throughout the fields of prey turned out to be the opposite of a well conceived plan. When prepping a trap for a predator, you should probably not shop for the supplies in its lair.
Keep in mind, I never once claimed to be the Napoleon of monster hunting.
A few days ago I stepped from my office for a quick faculty meeting. I know for a fact that the office door was shut completely behind me, I am a bit obsessive about making sure I close doors behind me. Just be sure that it was fully shut, you will understand why I am emphasizing it here in a minute or two.
After a speedy yet frustrating faculty meeting about details that could have been an email and a shortcut to gather some more snackables, I set off to return to my lair of gothic readings. Imagine my surprise when I found the door ajar.
Imagine my surprise when I entered the room and found the wall smeared with gore and the crumpled body of a student topped with the stump of what had once been a head on the floor.
The bright green collared polo and slacks were still immaculate. His black and white sneakers were as clean as if he was trying them on fresh from the box. The only thing askew was that his neck ended in a still oozing stump and a viscous concoction of skull, skin, brain, and blood was smeared around a rather deep hole in the drywall. This wasn’t the kind of drywall hole a Mountain Dew infused Kyle creates after losing a match on Call of Duty, this was the kind of hole a sledgehammer wielded by someone with a bloody glee in their heart creates.
Naturally, after a brief shocked yelp and unceremoniously depositing my lunch on the floor I called the police. A murder had just occurred in my office. I knew the police could never catch this particular culprit, but what else was I supposed to do when faced with a corpse in my office? Wait for the custodians to take it away with the gummi wrappers and other garbage?
Imagine my surprise when the first responding officer had also been there to question me at the medium’s death. And oh boy, did he definitely recognize me. That stern face was clearly practiced. His face had the round quality of a cheerful baker in a Disney cartoon. Eyes not hardened by years of stress and worry. This was someone who could leave work at the office, but turn on the character while in uniform.
If you are wondering, he did not seem to regard my presence at another death scene as an unwelcome coincidence. His face had more of an “I knew this motherfucker was up to no good” quality to it than surprise or any other reaction. Can you blame him? First I was walking with someone who just happened to start screaming before running away from me into traffic and now one of my students looked like he was trying to spread brain jam on my office wall. He knew I am connected to the deaths somehow.
If only he would believe the truth. If I told him, I would definitely have a Netflix documentary sooner rather than later.
He asked me the normal, if you can call them that, interview questions. We discussed my whereabouts, the identity of the victim, and the timeline of events.
Not buying what I was selling, he decided to pull the security footage. I offered up no objections, the tape would clearly exonerate me. But I also knew it would not provide any evidence he would accept of another, more sinister, culprit.
Just as I had stated, the video showed me leaving my office at the time I had provided. About three minutes later, the student could be seen entering my office.
But how? I know I had shut the door.
Unfortunately, the angle of the camera did not show the latch side of my door, and thus there was no evidence that I had securely shut it. Clearly, according to the officer, I had misremembered. We had both watched the student enter with no resistance. He just pushed the door open. I asked the officer to play back the tape from after I left.
What was I looking for? The shadow that played along the wall toward my door about a minute after I left.
Báthory had set a trap for both the student and myself.
Báthory had had enough of my meddling.
But why not just kill me?
The next part of the video showed me returning, making the gruesome discovery, and calling the police after soiling myself. No evidence of anyone else ever having entered or left my office.
Except for that shadow again.
Releasing me upon my own recognizance, the officer asked if I took one last look at the scene to see if I noticed anything unusual. Aside from the Pollock-esque redecoration my wall had undergone. I indicated to the officer that I did not.
But that was a lie.
About a quarter way down the stack of books on my desk had been a hefty tome bound in faded blue and gilded with dull silver lettering. That book stood out to me among the others due to its age and quality of craftsmanship.
It was no longer in the stack.
That book had the key to Báthory.
You sly bitch.
I racked my brain to remember the origin of that book.
French? Slavic? Uzbek?
I could search through my spreadsheet, find its metadata, and track down any copies if my office wasn’t now a crime scene and everything in it evidence. I would have to find the book itself.
You have overplayed your hand, Báthory.
Now it is a race to the finish. Either I find the contents of that book or Báthory successfully frames me for murder.
Game on.

That last chapter was so sweet, ahhhhh, it’s nice to see the two have such a good relationship. Well let’s move on to a more suspicious chapter shall we? This is quite the big chapter so strap in, get a nice drink or snack and get comfortable. This fanfic is based off the fanfic The isolationists, by Seeyouon_otherside. Another thank you to Demon_Deity for allowing me to make another reference to his series marred migration.
Constructive criticism is appreciated.
Memory Transcript Subject: Armanne, Zeyzell toddler.
Yay! Objects! “Squeak!” I was playing with the orange cubes that daddy got me! They are very fun! Stack them. Make them into shapes! Fun fun fun! I was making a grand tower, like the one back on the white covered home we lived on. Before we went to the stars!
*thudding noises*
Aww, they fell over.
I put them back up when I see red-eyed brother in the vents! Hello- aw he’s gone. The door opened. Oh! Daddy and mommy! They brought in my fishy brother, since that’s what daddy calls him, into our room! He’s asleep. He has a blanket around him. What happened?
I tilted my head in confusion. “Squeak?”
“Hey there Armanne! How’s my best juggler!” Yay mommy!
“Squeak! Squee!”
“Aw that’s a good girl! Are you playing with the blocks that daddy got you?”
Yes I am! They are very fun! “Squeak!”
“That’s a good girl…hey Alvaro?” I looked over to daddy as he was putting wet brother into his bed.
“Yeah sweetheart?”
“Do you think it’s a good idea to bring Armanne onto the station?” Station? What station? I look to daddy for answers.
“Hmmmmm, no, not yet.”
What? Hey, I want to go! “Squeak! Squee sqeuuu!”
Dad looks at me again. “Sorry my little juggler, you're not ready yet. Nor is it clean enough yet.”
Hmph! We’ll see about that! Oh there leaving! Not without me! Quickly! After them!
I crawl as fast as I can! They have longer legs! Faster! Yes I’m gaining! Faster! Faster! Oh there stopping! Hide!
We’re through? There! The box. Oh hey it’s comfy in here! Lots of blankets, no don’t fall asleep now, but…I’m so tired from crawling, no don’t fall asleep …don’t…doooo….
[Significant time pass detected, jumping to next conscious moment.]
Ahhhh! That was a nice nap! We’re am I? Hey, the top is closed. Oh! Voices?”
“…yeah this is our area to clean…it’s a mess, protector help me I don’t wanna meet the thing that did this.
“Well you're gonna, he’s in command of this station.”
“What?! Oh that’s great. What is he?”
“Some sort of cyborg Velil.”
“Like a deathwatch guard?”
“Noooo, much more scary.”
“Wonderful, let me grab the cleaning rags. Wow, that’s a long way down. How far do you think?”
“Dunno, deep. When we get this place cleaned up I call dibs on the room with the comfortable bed.
“They all have comfortable beds, dumbass, this place was built for, well an invasion of a galaxy. The Feds would need a place to relax and hang the heads of our kits.”
“Yeah, man am I ever glad we’re getting out of that crazy place of a galaxy, dang the zippers stuck.”
Oh! Someone is opening the top! It opens! I pop out to say hello.
“SQUEAK!”
“AHHHHHHH!”
Oh! I’m falling? Why am I falling? Wow…that’s deep…uh oh. Back into the bag-OFF! OW OW OW!
*thudding noises*
Ow…that hurt! Where is daddy? Mommy?
“Squeak…squeak?”
I look up, wow I fell a long way down. Good thing the bag cushioned my fall! We’re am I? It's weird down here.
I crawl around to see if I can find anything. Maybe down this hall? Oh hey there’s someone here! Why are they lying against the wall?
I crawl over to them. Wow they smell really bad…I don’t like that smell. It smells bad…are you ok?
I touch them, ewwww, they're all slimy, why do they have feathers? Did my paw just go through his arm? Are you ok…
“S-s-squeak?” Why are they leaning over like that? They're sliding down against the wall. Oh no, they're going to hit their head on the ground! Don’t worry I can…
*pop*
D-d-d-did their head…j-j-just fall off? It’s rolling towards me…it-it has no eyes. What’s in its mouth? Is that a worm? What’s a worm…
*Hissing noise*
“…”
“SQQQUUUUEEEAAKKKKKK!!!”
Run away! Get away! Mommy daddy! Help me I don’t wanna be here! Help anyone. I pass by more people slumped against the walls!
*bang* what did I slip…?
“SQUUUUEEAAAAAAAA!”
No no this is a nightmare! They're dead!? Is this what being dead looks like! I don’t wanna die! Mommy! Daddy! Anyone. A room! Get into it! I dive into it and…there’s someone in here? Who is that? They are very big, they have metal all over their body. Wow! It has a screen coming out of his stomach that’s glowing orange, but I can’t see their face, hey there talking.
“…the human and Zeyzell are very important to my plans for my children. You know this.”
Uh oh, I walked into a conversation again! Whoops! Daddy doesn't like it when I do that. I move very fast behind a box thing.
“Yes I do.”
“You also know my children desire…no, crave to no longer be alone in this galaxy. The Humans and Zeyzell are fundamental, no, Vital for my children’s future. Mainly the Humans with their unique abilities to pack bond. Also since my children can pack bond, they will amplify each other's pack bonding ten fold creating unbreakable bonds. The Zeyzell are also changing. Even when exposed to a single human I have observed much change in them. They no longer shy away from xeno like foods, activities, or media and entertainment. They embrace and enjoy it.”
Wow, whoever is talking from that screen has a very odd voice. Loud and powerful. Yet…more? I dunno. Maybe daddy or mommy might know?
“Yeah, I know that effect very well. You couldn’t have picked a better species to bring to your children. They’ll get along VERY well. AHAHAHA!!” Wow he laughs weirdly.
“Yes indeed. The Zeyzell are no longer the Zeyzell they think they are. They are open to new species. They no longer use the term Xeno. This is all from the effect of only one Human, imagine what the Zeyzell will become when they are met with over twenty thousand!”
“Really?! You know we’re more are?! All the way out here?! Wait…do you mean…”
“Yes, I have located two ARK ships, ARK’s eight and twelve. Each has a population of over ten thousand. They have been wandering the stars for a while now. Searching for a home. I intend to give them, and the Zeyzell that have arrived at your station, a home. A place they can not only survive in, but thrive, a place to nurture and protect.”
“That’s a lot of humans! I’m all for it but can your children handle a population that big?
“Yes, I’ve been sending them more raw materials than normal, they will have more than enough. A lot of their planet is still wilderness so colonization shouldn’t be a problem. The surface area is also much larger than earths. Although I’m worried about the fragility of the humans on my children’s planet, the planet has much higher gravity then there earth, among other things. “
“Yeah, humans can be pretty tough, but they're still one of the most fragile and vulnerable species I have ever encountered. Like a child in a giant war suit. They may appear scary and intimidating, however all they wanted was to be loved, to be held and told, welcome to the greater galaxy, yet they got near genocide.”
“Yes it is despicable what happened to them, no species that kind and caring should have that happen to them. Protect the Humans and the Zeyzell, please. They are not the last of their kind, but I fear for them. I can’t bear to see anymore of their kind killed simply because of the way they look and what they eat. It breaks my heart. On this note however, I must also now keep a much closer eye on the Tesh and Wurnta. Since my discovery of them after their societal collapse I saw born survivors. However now they are threatened by a Sivkit herd that crash landed on their planet and I’m uncertain if they can survive a hatred so potent as these federation fanatics.”
“Ah, these two species again! You discovered them on one of your wanderings, yes?”
“Indeed, I remember it like it was yesterday. I passed by a planet of ice and snow, that I sensed once had a great life, imagine my surprise when I bumped into an artificial satellite. It was old, very old. It was ready to burn up in the atmosphere. My presence was obscured by the raging snow storms on their world so they did not see me. So I took a look at them. They are so full of promise these two are, working together to survive a harsh and dangerous environment. Many died and many lived. Now I see that their civilization is back. They are recovering from the collapse of their first civilization. Now however they face a danger that they have never faced before. Pure hatred, by an enemy who is pure evil to them. This Sivkit herd wishes for their extinction, their only crime? Their existence. To the Sivkits that is enough for extermination, and that makes my core BOIL. The two species are linked on a deep level for surviving on a planet together for so long. Something I’m hoping that my children will achieve with the Humans and Zeyzell.
“TWO SENTIENT SPECIES LIVING ON THE SAME PLANET IN DECENT ENOUGH HARMONY! IT IS A GLORIOUS THING! AHAHAHAH!”
“Yes it is. I do believe that my children and the Humans would find them…very cute.”
The metal man looked surprised. “Cuter than…me?”
“Mmmmm, possibly.”
“WHAT?! That’s HERESY! I DEMAND TO SEE THESE BEINGS AT ONCE!”
The belly screen changed color but I still couldn’t see anything on it. The metal man’s hands went up to his face.
“AHHHH! THERE ADORABLE! I JUST WANNA HUG AND SQUEEZE THEM AND-!” The metal man dropped their hands to their hips. “Hmph! Guess I do have some competition. Anyway, I will do everything in my power to protect the Humans and Zeyzell, my lord. For I am your disciple.”
“Oh for- don’t say that! Or call me that! We’re friends Hazard!”
“HAHAHAHAHH! I know! I just like to get under your metal!
“Ohhhh, sometimes I swear…alright I’ll leave you to it, please don’t die too quickly. I can only bring you back so fast!”
“Hehehehhe! Yeah yeah! I know! Have a good day!”
“You too Hazard, you too.”
The screen went dark and it went back into his belly, he turned around and…
“Why hello there little one? Where did you come from?”
He’s huge! Bigger than daddy, I thought no one was bigger than daddy, he looks really scary. Where is his mouth? Why is his eye like that?
“Squeak?”
“Aw you poor thing.” He bent down and I shifted away. “Hey hey don’t worry, I’m not going to hurt you! I’m a friend! AH, what would Alvaro do?"
He’s a friend of daddy? I perked my ears up.
“Ah you know that name? You must be one of his kits! Great to meet you!”
He very gently picked me up. Then put me in his lap. I look over at the wall and I hear a faint sound. It sounds like…why is that person being ground up in that device?!?
“SQUEAK!”
“What? Are you-OH, I’m sorry you're too young to see something like that! He’s um, dead so I’m turning him into, uhhhhhh, fertilizer!
Is that what happens to us once we…die? “Ssss-sss-queak?”
“Oh sorry, uh your too young for that, oh I have just the thing!
He opened his chest and turned around, so I couldn't see the person anymore…oh! A plushie! Yay!
“That belonged to someone close to me. However the plushie seems to like you too. I’ll let you take care of him for now? Ok?”
Yay! Of course! “Squeak!”
“Glad you like him! I’ll turn on my heaters and get you a blanket. Better?
Hmmmmm, warm! “Squeak!”
“Glad you like my lap heaters! Built them just for this! I have an idea, I’ll tell you a story. Do you like stories?”
Yes, yes I do! “Squeak!”
“Alright let’s see…got one! This story is about a unique Venlil who was turned into a being of rage, but caring for others at the same time…I’m gonna need to work on that title. well lets get started”
The metal man clasped his hands and made a beep noise with his speaker mouth thing.
“Not too long ago on a planet called Venlil prime, a unique Venlil was born. He had odd thinking, horns, and sharper then normal teeth!”
Sharp teeth? Doesn’t everyone have those? Even daddy has some.
“Now this Venlil was strange from the beginning, he would use his sharp teeth to eat hard and tough plant foods. He would use have to hid his horns, but when he didn't he would put stuff on them, like flashlights, lights, small flags and other Knick knacks. You know what Knick knacks are right?”
I didn’t but I nodded my head yes so he would continue with the story. I love stories!
OK then! Now these oddities on him got him many odd looks. His parents however used their influence to keep the bad people away. With their tubes of fire, their suits of foil, and their tanks of flames. He would spend much of his younger years alone, but alive. Then he started school. He was shunned and bullied by all his peers, casting him out of anything they did together.”
Hey that’s mean! “SQEUAK!” I stamp my legs in protest.
“Hehe, indeed! It was very mean! They would call him names, horrible names!” His metal skin moved around. Up and down…cooool.
“He never liked his own kind much, always preferring to be around the Yotul. As they were very nice, and never judged you at first glance. They were oh so kind and very sweet. They became fast friends. This is when he developed his curiosity with technology! Always testing and building something new to show his friends! They would play and sing, and use the things the Venlil built. They would look to him for help and he would look to them for friendship. One day the little Venlil was walking on the dark side of the planet. He would walk there often. Then one day he came across a dead bird. That had been EATEN!”
Huh? We eat meat all the time. What’s so strange about that?I gave him a very confused look.
“Oh right uh you eat meat. Anyway, this was very unusual. What was more unusual was this young Venlil was not scared, he was curious! He followed the trial the creature had left behind and found an injured night hound, at least that’s what he called them. These would roam the night, hunting for anyone out in the dark side of Venlil prime. The night hound had been caught in an exterminator trap. The night hound was starving because it had had no food for a long time. So, the Venlil walked back to the dead bird and brought it back to the night hound. And feed it. The night hound was very grateful! It yelled in delight and happiness. The Venlil felt happy that he had saved a life, freeing the night hound from the trap it bounded away! The next day, the Venlil went through his daily routine, wake up, hugged his loving parents, go to school, get harrassed and bullied, meet up with his Yotul friends, and walk home by the woods. Then the same night hound appeared! The two became fast friends! Spending much time together! The two were inseparable! He would show the night hound his amazing inventions! It was a very happy time…”
Why did he look so sad?
“Then the bad people came. They had heard about the strange Venlil boy, they wanted to meet him, and so they did. They followed him home one day, and tried to kidnap him! The Venlil boy screamed in fear! Then the night hound tried to rescue him, but he was no match for the tanks of fire. Then…the night hound was no more…the boy cried and wailed, the bad people laughed and laughed at the boy. They take him and he never sees his parents again…he’s taken to a strange place. A place he did not like. They did things to the boy, cried about how the boy was the worse case of predator disease…They kept him there for many years, transforming the boy, taking his teeth, his horns, his…life. After they added things, they added…metal.”
His hand formed a fist, wait? How does he and the boy both have metal skin? Maybe they can be friends!
“Then, the Arxur came. They took everyone, even the boy. They brought them to an even more horrible place. A place of misery and pain. A place where the boy was hunted for sport. The boy was very injured on one of those hunts. He was going away to the other side. Then someone saved him. A powerful being, a chaotic being. It made a deal with him. Take revenge on the Arxur and the Federation, and he shall never truly die. The boy agreed, eager to take revenge against them. So when the Arxur were preparing to eat him, he LEAPED UP! Then the hunters became the hunted. When the boy took many Arxur lives, they trapped him and put him in a dark cold place. There was no light and little food. The boy however hung in with the fire of revenge. Then the humans came, his angels, he saw them for the amazing things they were. True people! Ones who would care about you. He traveled with them, then the powerful being came back in a dream and gave the boy new orders. Protect the humans, and so the boy did, and does, to this very day.”
Wow! That was an amazing story! “Squeak squeak!” I clap my paws together.
“Thank you thank you! Now let’s call your parents…wait…I forgot to call them!” He then put his hand up to his ear. “He Alvaro? Yeah I know she’s lost. How? Because she’s on my lap! Yeah I’ll come up. I’ll be there as fast as possible! Bye! Alright, time to see your dad again my little listener! I probably need to work on my sorry telling, not that age appropriate.”
I did not care I liked it! “Squeak!”
First/Previous/Next

Hey guys so I've been in the production industry for 5 years now and got my union card back in November. I still haven't gotten one call from Local 2 chicago and I've been hearing they've had a ton of super green people on the crews lately.
so what gives? like do they blacklist people who they see as having been "scabs" for the last few years? I even tracked down a foreman and talked to him a bit when I was dropping off a truck of production. I told him I was just trying to put a face to the name and all that, gave him a quick elevator pitch and went on my way (definitely didn't wanna sound entitled or arrogant). now I'm wondering if that may have even hurt me cause they now just see me as some guy desperate for gigs or annoying or something.

FENCING. I know this is a subject all its own (surprised there's no Reddit on this, at least as far as I can tell). This year’s goal is to build a more aesthetic and functional fence. We're in Year #3 of the garden, and problem pests have been (in order of headache): rabbits and groundhogs, chipmunks (sucked all the tomatoes last year in the heat/drought), mice (in supply bin), possum (occasional), raccoons (not in garden), and deer (also not in garden). We have coyotes and fisher cats in the area and lots of green space so, I guess, it feels like there’s not a *lot* of determined infiltration.
The design to date is 4' u-posts with standard coated welded wire fencing along with 2' of chicken wire at the bottom (1' comes up the face of the fence and 1' flares out into the yard and grows down into the grass). Deer don't seem interested in jumping the fence, but chipmunks and anything small have free reign. Most of the rest of the pest issues have to do with a poor door, but I have a good plan on that.
Where I really want to 'nail it' is a new perimeter fence. Thinking of sinking 4x4 posts to 4’ high with cattle panels in between. Then, add a finer mesh lower down and below ground. I'm thinking of also facing the post bottoms with 1x6 boards to create a growing opportunity along the fence itself (as well as another barrier). I'd reuse the chicken wire and splay it out into the yard to prevent digging at the fence itself.
Cross-sectional view from inside out: 1x6 board >> spacer >> 4x4 post >> cattle panel >> finer mesh >> chicken wire (mostly flared out into yard but anchored by post and 1x6) >> outside 1x6 board.
Main question is "How well will this work?" More detailed questions are "For the finer mesh at the very bottom and below grade, what material (hardware cloth?), what size mesh, how tall above ground, and how deep below ground?"
I get pests are a common, evolving situation. Like everyone, want to keep everything out. We're not growing food for them -- We're growing for us.
Also, I’ve considered whether to make panels and even posts removable to make for a cleaner space/view during the winter. Has anyone done anything like that, even if just to remove a panel for start/end-of-year activities?

What is the most unique food truck you've ever tried and why was it memorable?