I don’t see many travel diaries for Europe or the UK so thought it would be nice to do an example of a long weekend!
For reference I live with my partner and share some housing / bills with him but keep all other money separately, however I went on holiday with one of my friends.

Section 1: Bio

Age - 34
Occupation - Tech Manager
Hometown - East Sussex
Number of PTO days and how you accrue them - in the UK most people get at least 25 days annual leave plus public holidays. In addition to this I get the option to buy holiday as part of my benefits - I do this every year, usually between 6 and 10 days, so this year I have 31 days.

Section 2: Assets and debt

Savings balance: We bought a house early last year with my partner, that wiped out most savings! I’ve probably got £10,000 now across stocks and shares ISAs and standard savings pots.
Checking balance: About £1500
Debt: Other than a giant mortgage, no other debt.

Section 3: Income

Salary after deductions: Around ~£5K per month - that’s after tax, NI, pension, life / critical illness insurance, health insurance, holiday purchase deductions
My pals overall situation: I don’t know her specifics but she works in PR and makes somewhere in the area of £60-70K per year.

Section 4: Travel expenses

I have kept all costs as combined through the diary and then have done the split at the end.
We wanted to do a long weekend Europe trip but wanted it to be pretty relaxed and I didn’t feel like taking a flight so we eventually decided on doing the Eurotunnel.
For reference, the Eurotunnel is where you drive your own car onto a train and then the train goes through the channel tunnel from the UK to France. We then thought we would do a bit of northern France and do a bit of exploring! I've done other areas of France previously but never further North than Paris.
Pre trip:
Eurotunnel and insurance - £213 - we booked this beforehand, this is return for one car with two people in it. It was a fixed time train each way, and includes car insurance for when we were in France for three days.
I also spent £40 on a “prepare your car for Europe” kit which included what you must have in your car to legally drive in France (high viz jacket, first aid kit, breathalysers, light deflectors etc) - I haven’t included this in the trip expense totals because we will reuse it many times for trips, and to be honest seems like a handy thing to have in the car anyway!
Air bnb - £155 - we booked the accommodation beforehand, we booked two nights in Lille in a studio apartment with one double bed and one sofa bed. I always like to get an AirBnb as it gives more flexibility to stay in, have your own kitchen and have a bit more space!
I didn’t book separate travel insurance - I get full year cover as part of one of my bank accounts.
Accommodation total: £155
Transport total: £213
Pre trip total: £368
Day 1
9.30 - I pick up my pal from a nearby train station then drive down to Folkestone where the Tunnel is. I am very excited to take my car on a train!! We stop off for fuel at the services nearby so that I won’t need to figure out France petrol stations - it only needs half a tank to fill, we also pick up snacks for the drive £40 for fuel and £5 for snacks.
11.30 - our train is at 12.20 but we arrive about an hour before. Check-in is super easy and we get a little sign to hang from the mirror to show what our train number is. We park up at the terminal and wait for the signs to show to proceed. We grab a drink from the terminal whilst we wait £4.
12.30 - whizz through both passport controls and then drive on the train! So weird to be sat in a car which isn’t moving on a train which is speeding along. The train takes 35 minutes and then you can just drive straight off onto the motorway. We lose an hour with the time difference so arrive at 2pm.
2 - we have no plans as we've both been so busy with work and decided to just see how we get on! But the signs on the motorway says Dunkirk and that’s a place I’ve never been so we head there which is about a 35 minute drive. Park the car £1.
3 - wander around Dunkirk looking at the war memorials and the pretty harbour. Buy some cheese baguettes to keep us going - £5.
5 - back in the car to drive to Lille where the AirBnb is which is about an hour away. We stop off at Lidl to buy some provisions (bread and cheese ofc), snacks, Prosecco, champagne, and tonic for the bottle of gin I brought with me from home - comes to £45 but £15 was the bargain champagne!
5.30 - check into the Airbnb. Promptly drop my bottle of champagne on the floor and it smashes everywhere. £15 well spent… spend ages cleaning it up. Have a glass of Prosecco to commiserate.
7 - decide we need to go out for a drink to make up for the champagne. Head out to a nearby French restaurant - food is delish, service isn’t excellent but overall a lovely evening catching up - £65.
9 - head back, more Prosecco, put the sofa bed up and then off to sleep eventually around 11.
Day 1 total: £165
Day 2
9 - time to explore Lille! We get our walking shoes on and start to explore the city - lots of walking down little streets. We do the classic of wandering from cafe to patisserie with a snack here, a drink there, comes to about £15 for the three breaks. The city of Lille is beautiful - it didn't get as destroyed in the war compared to Dunkirk so full of French architecture and big grand squares.
11 - walk a bit out of town to the Citadel and do a big walk around the park outside. You can't go in the citadel but its still a very nice spot to walk around.
1 - time for proper lunch!! We fancy crepes and thankfully we are in France! Find a great crepe restaurant and have a sweet and a savoury - ham and goats cheese which is so good. Plus a couple of glasses of wine - £27
2 - there are so many chocolate shops due to how close we are to Belgium. Pop into one and buy some chocolate as a gift for my partner - £7
3 - feet are getting tired by this point so make the 25 minute hike home - almost 20,000 steps today! We are exhausted. Collapse in the Airbnb for introvert time of tv, phones and ignoring each other.
4 - I for some reason start to feel a bit off and have a bad stomach (too much cheese and wine?! Surely not). Make the decision to stay in for the evening.
7 - have a little bit of gin which I brought with me and watch a movie on Amazon Prime. End up getting Uber eats of some pizza - £25. I used to feel guilty when we stayed in when I was on hols but now I know that I need to not be exhausted when I get back so a night in is okay! We did so much exploring that we did make the most of seeing Lille. Plus I know it's so close now, I can pop back!
10 - water, reading, bed!
Day 2 total: £74
Day 3
8 - feel much better this morning - so thankful! Nothing like being ill when you know you need to travel, I was worried it would not be a good driving day today. Glad I got lots of sleep!
10 - clean up the Airbnb and pop to the patisserie for croissants - £2, before hitting the road and driving back to Calais to do some exploring. It's raining a bit but clears up when we hit Calais - win!
11.30 - it’s about an hour and ten back to Calais. Driving hasn’t been too bad considering it’s the wrong side of the road for me and the wrong side of the car! I was a bit worried about it but as long as I just tell myself continually to drive on the right then it seems to be okay! I want to go to the lace and fashion museum as it sounds interesting. We park - £1 - and then walk over. It’s £8 for both of us to get in because it only has one exhibit on - bargain! Very much enjoyed it, never realised so much went into lace or that there were so many different types!
1 - time for our final lunch! Head to a probably too touristy restaurant and the food wasn’t great. Clearly means time to go home! £27
2 - head back to the Eurotunnel and stop in the terminal once we are checked in. Pop into duty free and buy 2 bottles of rum as they are a bargain, plus some macarons as a gift - £33. Stop for a drink in Starbucks - £8.
3.30 - another speedy trip through the tunnel! Save an hour on the way back too. Head back and drive home. Used about three quarters of a tank of fuel so quite pleased with that. So nice to have a lovely break, see somewhere new but also return back not feeling utterly exhausted!
Day 3 total: £79

Section 5: Overall

Total cost for both of us: £686
Total cost for what I paid: £370 (half most costs, plus full cost of rum, smashed champagne and gifts)
How I afforded the trip: I’ve only recently started earning more so I’m still a very naturally frugal traveller! Plus most of what I enjoy when travelling is just wandering about and eating the delicious food.
I split the cost so did all the pre trip costs earlier in the year so it doesn’t feel like all at once. I then usually put my “spending money” onto my Monzo which I don’t use for anything else - makes it really easy to track how much I’m spending and keep an eye on it. This was probably lower that I expected for the trip because we didn't go out for dinner on the second night which definitely saved some money!

I propose a new restriction style for commander:
-Rules of commander (40 life, 100 card singleton, etc) apply
-The only commanders allowed are legendary creatures that have "elder" as a subtype, but they are not allowed in the main 99
-the only cards that are allowed in the decks are cards preceding 8th edition w/ pre-8th edition frame, along with any card printed by WOTC with a retro frame
-banlist is power 9, but it cannot have any additions, nor be removed
Does this sound like something that could become popular? Any name suggestions? Do you have any suggestions for ways to make the restriction more fun? Do you think preEDH is better?

Hello there...
i am not from this insula world called PbtA. But i am a fan of the Avatar series and universe. So i gave it a try with some friends, which have little, but at least some experience in role playing.
​
Maybe someone can elaborate to me how this can be fun, because i don't get it.
​
We tried hard on our first adventure to stick to the rules given, which was way more complicated and time consuming than everyone would've liked. The climax of this adventure was of course a fight with a fire nation engineer. Planning ahead this was declared as combat exchange.
And it was probably one of the most horrible experiences i had so far doing RPGs in general. Calling the moves which hit or wont, and then without nearly any modification will inflict very dumb fucking stuff onto the NPCs and Players just didn't get to anyone in my group.
We played like 5 "rounds", and a jr team of 3 weak players finished a masterful NPC, nearly twice, if they had wanted to.
And its nothing creativity can fix. A DM could just turn things some way, but nothing by these rules will make an exciting and thrilling epic fight. We had 2 scenes, where, -only- out of not getting more guidance by the rules, we decided with fiction how it would play out. And if it wouldn't be for the DMs decision to overthrow the stuff going on on round 5 and letting the NPC escape, it would just probably have broken the adventure.
Players can abuse statuses with starting characters like crazy hardcore to cc and take out nearly any NPC, because there is just no layer of dodging/armor whatsoever. [The suggested solution to this problem is: "not to let players gang up" on NPCs, just "throw in masses of enemies, like up to 20 unskilled footmen" - yeah sure...]
I could think of nearly 100 ways to narrate an interesting combat by the moves taken by all players, but there is no way the description, even with all their freedom make for an real encounter.
We triple checked later with sources on our use of rules.
​
If we put "combat exchanges" aside we got a fantasy game where player X describes how they waterbend 1-5 enemies away, and if no miss is rolled it basically happens, maybe with some flick told by the DM. Thats it. If the roll rly should fail, which rarely was the case, players may just take a hit, which has nearly no consequences, and next player tries his luck. That's it basically, they win everything. All decisions on environmental influences and chases were rather interesting, but only because of having a roll for it, which also exist in many other systems or can decided upon by the DM in every other system.
The limited techniques, and artificially forced "move" description (so they fit "all" the situations) also do not reflect players fantasies. You end up using the same moves over and over. Sure they can just narrate us what they do, and it basically just happens.
​
Right now we will either create our own rules or just lean on another system to play our stories and characters.
​
But lets get some insights on all the other aspects i first read and then experienced during preparation and/or our first adventure game nights:

• I could rant hours about this snowflake style safe space they try to create everywhere for everyone in the rule books. It gets annoying quickly if you start seeing through what they were trying to do there... and is all on cost the DMs power, how great.
• The first thing i notice coming from other RPGs is this horrible idea of enforcing "no dice" on a DM - and it didn't bring any impact, also it conflicts with the combat exchange system
• In no universe these playbooks are nice for fresh players - badly positioned explanations all partly sprinkled over the 350 pages about techniques and fighting styles, which are then plain lists in the appendix
• The idea of pre creating a complete adventure WITH the group and spoiling them for their first session, oh gawd, even if we would believe that the outcome, of this "scenario" would be really decided by the dice later, cmon
• they literally expect the players to fit their group as solution to the problem, meaning precisely filling the holes for the plot with countermeasures in composing the team, there are few examples there this kind of group creation leads to "nice dynamics" nor to exciting adventures
  • this contradicts and eliminates the idea of playing nearly anything else than as the avatar good guy circle jerk group, maybe players want to do more than that?
• Half of the basic stuff, is all meta explanation on how things should feel. Which no player, even very experienced friends, with heavy DM exp, LARP exp or more, i showed the system and material to, could understand fully. People confronted with this have many questions, then are unrested with it and find a "fitting answer" to write down. Again if they try to "use" this things in play confusion hits
• I did not feel elevated switching from the quick start to the full rule book. It feels like nearly no addition at all.
• i will just not comment on balance, and how its supposed to work, there are some posts here that shit down on that, for a reason.
• it took so much time to prepare a game in this system, it was barely worth it.

Greatness was composed by all the extra work and gimmicks, handouts and so on put in by our DM, without it, left by the stuff we got from Magpie, it would have been a really bad evening to recover from as a new group.
Conclusion
I can say this is not a product for mature players. It is written from snowflakes to a woke target audience. It eliminates many aspects such a universe could give to players and destabilizes the idea of a DM. Nearly all the conceptual ideas explained very meta and broadly throughout the book show that there is an idea of how things could be, if you basically make your own numbers, rules and game.
With 3 years of experience in DMing for 2 very young girls (which will be more creative than every woke snowflake will get for AL, and make DM life way harder) in the system "No Thank you, Evil!" i can say, this is way more engaging for DM and players, has more playable depth, and that with only 1 D6.
I am glad i did not put the money in for a hard copy and only funded basic digital stuff. I honestly can not think of any PnP Hobby product i bought there i felt my money was just wasted.
There is no great lore in all the pages. Artworks, and a very basic frame is all you can harvest in my opinion. Feels like the awesome material got just violated. Its sad that this will not reach many players.

After starting around 20 qts of rye berries, a half-dozen all-in-one bags I forgot I ordered showed up, in addition to the 4 I already had on hand, so now I have a surplus of prepped berries.
Are these refrigeratable? Pre- or post- pressure sterilizing?
Or should I just admit I blew it and toss them into our compost bin?
Thanks!

When 2.7/first contact came out, I remember an additional effect for xenophile was added that gave bonus research to insights from pre-FTLs. Now it only shows the extra trade value and envoys.
Did they remove it? Is it just hidden? Or am I just going crazy and it was never actually there?

Reimagine METRO Project Provides Comprehensive Review of Transit Route Network
Online public forum will be held TODAY, March 21st from 5-6:30PM
Santa Cruz METRO recently launched Reimagine METRO, a project that examines every aspect of METRO’s route network, with a goal to make it more frequent, convenient, and reliable for riders. METRO will hold an online public forum to review early findings and invite input from the general public on Tuesday, March 21, from 5-6:30 PM. The forum will be conducted in English and Spanish. Participants can join the online meeting via computer or telephone. Full details for joining are on the Reimagine METRO website.
“I’m pleased that METRO has opened this study up for public feedback, so that as a community, we can identify areas to improve METRO’s route network allowing for more frequent and reliable service for our riders.,” said METRO Board Chair Shebreh Kalantari-Johnson.
The forum follows four weeks of surveys and interviews with stakeholders and transit riders, in which riders were asked to share how often they commute on METRO, demographic information and ideas about how routes can be improved.
“We’re thankful for the input about transit priorities that we’re receiving from riders and community members,” said METRO CEO/General Manager Michael Tree. “The upcoming public forum provides METRO an opportunity to report our findings and preliminary recommendations while hearing community feedback. In addition, our project website will offer residents various opportunities for input throughout the course of the study.”
For more information visit scmtd.com/ReimagineMETRO.
About Santa Cruz Metropolitan Transit District (METRO)
Established in 1968, METRO’S mission is to provide environmentally sustainable transportation to Santa Cruz County. METRO directly operates county-wide, fixed-route and Highway 17 commuter service, with connections to Santa Clara County and Monterey Salinas Transit at our Watsonville Transit Center. The agency also operates ParaCruz paratransit service. Today METRO operates a fleet of 94 buses on at least 24 fixed routes and 32 paratransit vehicles.
Every ride on a METRO bus takes cars off the road, significantly reduces greenhouse gas emissions, and supports economic opportunity and quality of life in our community. Moving into the future, METRO strives to meet the following goals:
Increase transit ridership to 7 million trips annually within the next five years
Transition to a zero-emissions fleet with a mix of hydrogen and battery electric buses
Develop 175 affordable housing units at METRO-owned transit centers over the next decade
For more information, visit scmtd.com Follow METRO on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

CANFORGEN 054/23 CMP 028/23 211728Z MAR 23
INTRODUCTION OF THE CANADIAN FORCES HOUSING DIFFERENTIAL
UNCLASSIFIED
REFS: A. CBI 205.453 CANADIAN FORCES HOUSING DIFFERENTIAL (CFHD) B. CBI 205.45 POST LIVING DIFFERENTIAL (PLD) C. CBI 205.452 TRANSITIONAL POST LIVING DIFFERENTIAL (TPLD) D. QR O VOLUME IV APPENDIX 4.1 CHARGES FOR FAMILY HOUSING REGULATIONS E. NDHQ DCBA OTTAWA DCBA3 003/19 051825Z MAR 19
THE CANADIAN FORCES HOUSING DIFFERENTIAL (CFHD) AT REF A WILL REPLACE PLD AND TPLD AS OF 1 JUL 23. EFFECTIVE 30 JUN 23 REFS B AND C ARE REPEALED THIS CANFORGEN IS NOT POLICY BUT IS INTENDED TO PROVIDE INFORMATION IN RELATION TO CFHD. REF A, THE ACTUAL POLICY, SHOULD BE REVIEWED BY ALL MEMBERS IN ITS ENTIRETY AFTER AN EXTENSIVE REVIEW OF THE PLD AND TPLD POLICIES, THE CFHD AIMS TO ESTABLISH A MORE SOPHISTICATED AND EQUITABLE APPROACH TO ASSISTING CAF MEMBERS IN ADJUSTING TO HOUSING COSTS ACROSS CANADA. IT CONSIDERS THE VARYING RESIDENTIAL HOUSING MARKETS AND IS INCLUSIVE OF A GBA PLUS ANALYSIS. IT IS RECOGNISED THAT THE COST OF HOUSING IS A CHALLENGE FOR ALL CANADIANS, THE CAF IS IN A UNIQUE POSITION TO HAVE THE FLEXIBILITY TO PROVIDE ASSISTANCE WHERE IT IS NEEDED THE CFHD IS A TAXABLE BENEFIT INTENDED TO PROVIDE EQUITABLE ASSISTANCE TO OFFSET BASIC ACCOMMODATION COSTS FOR REGULAR FORCE MEMBERS. RESERVE FORCE MEMBERS ON CLASS B OR C SERVICE MAY ALSO BE ENTITLED WHEN THEY ARE MOVED AT PUBLIC EXPENSE THERE ARE DISTINCT DIFFERENCES BETWEEN CFHD AND PLD SUCH AS: ENTITLEMENT TO CFHD IS BASED ON THE PLACE OF DUTY TO WHICH A MEMBER HAS BEEN POSTED AS INDICATED ON THEIR POSTING MESSAGE, NOT NECESSARILY THE LOCATION OF THEIR RESIDENCE A MEMBER MUST PROVIDE PROOF THAT THEY ARE INCURRING HOUSING COSTS BY PROVIDING A RENT AGREEMENT, LEASE OR MORTGAGE. THESE DOCUMENTS MUST BE EITHER IN THE MEMBER S NAME, OR IN THE NAME OF THE MEMBER S DECLARED SPOUSE (MARRIED OR COMMON-LAW) ENTITLEMENT CEASES IF A MEMBER HAS BEEN IN RECEIPT OF CFHD FOR LONGER THAN 7 CONSECUTIVES YEARS AT THE SAME PERMANENT RESIDENCE OR WHILE POSTED TO SAME PLACE OF DUTY A CAF MEMBER S MONTHLY HOUSING DIFFERENTIAL WILL BE DETERMINED ANNUALLY (REGARDLESS OF WHETHER THEY RELOCATE OR REMAIN IN THE SAME GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION). IT IS THE VALUE OF A PRE-DETERMINED QUOTE AVERAGE RENT UNQUOTE COMPARATOR VALUE FOR THE GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION OF A CAF MEMBER S PLACE OF WORK (THEIR MILITARY POSTING) MINUS A FIXED PERCENTAGE OF THEIR GROSS MONTHLY SALARY. THE AVERAGE RENT COMPARATOR VALUES ACROSS CANADA WILL BE DETERMINED ANNUALLY BY A THIRD PARTY CONTRACTOR. THIS APPROACH MEANS THAT NOT ALL MEMBERS IN THE SAME LOCATION WILL RECEIVE THE SAME CFHD RATE AND ENSURES THAT MEMBERS ARE PROVIDED A DIFFERENTIAL WHEN REQUIRED MEMBERS RESIDING IN DND LIVING ACCOMMODATIONS (RHU, SQ AND DESIGNATED RESIDENCES) ARE NOT ENTITLED TO CFHD. AS PER REF D, RENTAL RATES IN THESE MARRIED QUARTERS ARE CAPPED AT 25 PERCENT OF A FAMILY S GROSS HOUSEHOLD INCOME AND THOSE IN SINGLE QUARTERS HAVE THEIR RATES SET AT REF E ONCE ALL ADMINISTRATIVE PROCEDURES ARE IN PLACE, ADDITIONAL DETAILS ON THE APPLICATION PROCESS WILL BE COMMUNICATED TO ORDERLY ROOMS BY DMPAP NLT 28 APR 23 AN ONLINE PORTAL HAS BEEN CREATED FOR THE PURPOSE OF FEEDBACK OR QUESTIONS REGARDING CFHD. THIS ONLINE PORTAL WILL DISTRIBUTE COMMENTS AND QUERIES TO THE APPROPRIATE OFFICE FOR INFO OR ACTION AS REQUIRED PLEASE VISIT THE CFHD WEBSITE FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: HTTPS://WWW.CANADA.CA/EN/DEPARTMENT-NATIONAL-DEFENCE/SERVICES/BENEFITS-MILITARY/PAY-PENSION-BENEFITS/BENEFITS/CANADIAN-FORCES-HOUSING-DIFFERENTIAL.HTML

Date: Thursday, May 18th, 2023

• Strip Location & Time: The Park - Bliss Dance Statue, located outside of T-Mobile Arena @ 6PM PDT
• CampEDC Location & Time: The campEDC pre-party, inside of CampEDC @ 8PM PDT
  • Look for the meetup flag!). Shout out to u/DJRonin for being our flag bearer!

What is this? A general meetup pre-festival on the night before day 1 to get together with friends from the subreddit and Discord prior to the festival when everyone's schedules get hella crazy and meetups aren't well attended.
How long will this last? For the strip: We'll hangout, chat, and vibe at the statue for about an hour (someone bring a speaker for some tunes!) until 7PM, then we will take a meetup picture and then go enjoy the rest of our nights. On the strip, in the past, at 7PM some of us have done an "electric parade" down the Strip to the Bellagio fountains, so bring your flow toys and glow things if you are interested in doing that!
For campEDC: We'll hangout for around an hour in and around the back of the crowd (exact location once map is out!) (peep the flag) the campEDC pre-party set at 8PM and break off or hang out after a group picture to continue exploring camp together or alone depending on how everyone is feeling and what parties/activities are available.
An additional meetup has been scheduled by one of our Discord members!

Date: Saturday, May 20th, 2023 @ 10PM EDC time

• Where: Location TBD once EDC Friday starts! We will have an exact picture of the meetup spot!
• What: Third Annual EDC Saturday Meet Up (Hosted by David Yug3n). Our only meetup inside the fest! Come chat with other Discord and reddit members, trade kandi and meetup! Don't forget to take lots of pictures!

More details to be added once Friday starts! We will have an exact picture of the meetup spot! Hope to see you there!

Hey!
So I’m a incoming freshman in the Buisness pre-major. I want to do marketing and just wondering if anyone can tell me a bit about it and how it is and things I should know.
In addition, a couple questions.

1. Is there a Sports Marketing major or anything like that?
   
2. For Alumni, how’s the process from college to jobs.
   
3. Is the major very demanding? Like will I have free time?
   

Thanks yall!

Hello! I am only looking for these items. I would like to have New in Box(NIB) to be in mint condition. Let me know what you have. Thanks for looking!
HAVE:
Wii U
• Super Mario 3D World CIB https://imgur.com/a/G6wrKmj
Xbox 360
• Gears of War Judgment CIB
• Batman Arkham Asylum CIB
• Guitar Hero 3 Legend of Rock CIB
• Lego Indiana Jones The Original Adventures/Kung Fu Panda CIB
PS2
• Lego Star Wars The Video Game CIB
PS3
• Batman Arkham City CIB
• Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition (Disc and Case Only) https://imgur.com/a/atT4ZxD
• Transformers: War for Cybertron (Disc Only)
• Guitar Hero World Tour CIB https://imgur.com/a/ohesUEo
• Injustice: Gods Among Us CIB https://imgur.com/a/feSh0mK
• J-Stars Victory VS CIB (Japan Import)
• GameStop PS3 Wireless Controller BB-6308 Wireless w/sync dongle
Amiibos
• NA NIB SSB Peach Amiibo
• NA NIB Splatoon 2 Purple Inkling Squid Amiibo
Other Items
• Square Enix Final Fantasy Brave Exvius Poster Print (Size 11 x 17) https://imgur.com/a/P0G8CSW
• Kingdom Hearts III Toy Story Woody Fabric Poster GameStop Pre-Order Exclusive https://imgur.com/a/lVKwXBV
• Anime Expo 2016 Exclusive Phantom of the Kill Tote Bag https://imgur.com/a/L58HANV
• E3 2017 Capcom Exclusive Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Limited Edition Autograph Poster Signed by Yoshinori Ono (Executive Producer of Street Fighter V) (14 x 20) https://imgur.com/a/BzOvEf7
• E3 2017 Exclusive 8-Bit Pixel Pals Batman & Joker Tote Bag https://m.imgur.com/a/pAHwZpo
• E3 2018 Sony PS4 Exclusive Spiderman Promo Newspaper Daily Bugle https://imgur.com/a/Q3kMwLS
• E3 2019 Exclusive Borderlands 3 Tote Bag https://imgur.com/a/614tUl7
• E3 2019 Exclusive Borderlands 3 Psycho Mask https://imgur.com/a/ttvRiXh
WANT:
Amiibo
• NA NIB 1st Print SSB Peach
• NA NIB 1st Print SSB Greninja
• NA NIB SSB Ivysaur
• NA NIB 1st Print BOTW Rider Link
• NA NIB 1st Print BOTW Bokoblin
• NA NIB Pikmin
• NA NIB Solaire of Astora
• NA NIB Splatoon Octoling (Blue)
• NA NIB Poochy Amiibo
• NA NIB Samus Aran and Metroid Amiibo 2-Pack
• NA NIB Super Mario Odyssey Wedding Mario, Peach and Bowser Amiibo 3-Pack
Pokémon Games
• Pokémon Red (Loose Cart)
• Pokémon Blue (Loose Cart)
• Pokémon Yellow (Loose Cart)
• Pokémon Silver (Loose Cart)
• Pokémon Crystal (Loose Cart)
• Pokémon Ruby (Loose Cart)
• Pokémon Sapphire (Loose Cart)
• Pokémon Fire Red (Loose Cart)
• Pokémon Let's Go Pikachu CIB
• Pokémon Let's Go Eevee CIB
• Pokémon Sword CIB
• Pokémon Shield CIB
• Pokémon Sword Plus Expansion Pass
• Pokémon Shield Plus Expansion Pass
• Pokémon Brilliant Diamond CIB
• Pokémon Shining Pearl CIB
• Pokémon Stadium (Loose Cart)
• Pokémon Stadium 2 (Loose Cart)
• Poké Ball Plus (2x)

I have received so many comments on my original post of MA plans. I appreciate all those comments. Instead of responding to individual comments, I decided to write general responses. First of all, I am not an agent or commissioned person. I am about to enroll Medicare in 2-3 months. When I refer MA plans, they are nationally reputable MA plans offered from the likes of AARP/UHC, BCBS, Humana, Aetna, etc. There are other MA plans offered from small regional providers, but I am not interested in those plans. I am also looking for MA PPO plans with some premium for more flexibility. So, here's my responses.

1. Fair Comparison: When people say Original Medicare (OM) is better than MA plans, they do not make a fair comparison. OM (Part A&B only) and MA plans are not even in the same league. MA wins by a mile. Even OMPD (Part A, B &D) and MAPD comparison, MAPD wins. Then, people say, but, but, but. Hold your breath, and continue reading.
2. FOR PROFIT: When people say OM is better than MA, they actually mean OM plus PD plus supplemental MediGap plans. And, they say MAs are offered by private insurance companies FOR PROFIT. Yes, you are right, but MediGap plans are also offered by the SAME private insurance companies FOR PROFIT. MA additional premium (if any) is much smaller than MediGap premiums. This is because Gov't pays money to private insurance companies for MA plans, but not for MediGap plans.
3. Quality of Care: Most reputable doctors do not even know what their patients insurance plans are. Of course, clinics and hospital know your health plan, but doctors just treat their patients regardless of your insurance. They will make necessary referrals regardless of your plan. Most of reputable MAs will have wide in-network specialists, and MA PPOs do not even need specialist referrals. Of course, you may sometimes need pre-authorizations, but MediGap plans also require pre-authorization for certain procedures.
4. Freedom: OM gives you a freedom of whatever doctors you can choose. Again, most of MA plans have plenty of choices of in-network doctors. I have had HMO and PPOs during my entire working years, and I never felt that my choice is limited. I have a good primary care doctor, who was in my PPO plan, and in fact, he and his clinic also participate in other PPO and HMO plans too. If your doctors and hospitals are in-network, what freedom do you want? If you are still screaming FREEDOM, it's good for you. OM is your choice.
5. Trend: As I mentioned before, 28m people (48%) participates MA plans, and its popularity is increasing. There is a stunning graph from KFF showing its popularity is increasing. You can see it by yourself here: https://www.kff.org/medicare/issue-brief/medicare-advantage-in-2022-enrollment-update-and-key-trends/. MA participation rate is projected to reach to 60% in 10 years.
6. Lastly, someone mentions that MA is for poor and uneducated. It is hardly the case. Those who choose MA plans are smarter and better educated. Where do you think those increasing trend comes from? Existing OM participants switching? May be. But, majority of increase comes from the new entrants to the Medicare system. Younger entrants to the system are smarter and better informed, so they are making smarter choice.

Thank you for reading this lengthy post.

[Chapter 1] ;[Previous Chapter] ; [Discord + Wiki] ; [Patreon]
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Chapter 107 – A Patron Saint
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“[…] with the leadership of many territories claiming that the muted response to the thread is once again a blatant showing of the Community-Leadership’s clear bias against Deathworld affairs. Loratexach Echtsesimm, the current leader of the united Lachaxet territories, even went so far as to call it, quote: “A kick to the face for all those of us seeking to live in a peaceful unity.” Meanwhile other deathworld groups, like the occupants of the only known Class V deathworld, the Ligormordillar, are trying to quell the conflict and urge their fellow deathworlders to make a measured response, pointing to the lack of any concrete evidence when it comes to the recent events, and asking to give authorities a bit more time to investigate things. However, the accusations of corruptions that emerged in the last quarter have many people questioning how much the current Acting Galactic Council can truly be trusted with the investigations, and calls for the addition of independent investigations are becoming louder,” an Urounaek news caster professionally read off the seemingly endless lines of texts on her teleprompter, while b-footage of recordings of the sitting governments of a diverse number of species played in the background. “Surprisingly, humanity, the largest accuser of corruption in the Galactic Council as well as a front runner in the proclaimed fight for the extended rights of people and especially deathworlders that feel ousted by the Community, and also one of the Myiat’s currently closest military allies, have so far made no official statements or press-releases about the incidents, apart from damming the attack as a violation of intragalactic law as well as the laws of war.”
James passively allowed himself to be doused by the white noise of the TV that Shida had basically been glued to for the last days while he checked through his messages and mails on his phone and laptop. Of course, any of his addresses and contacts that had at some point been public in some way had been absolutely bombarded with a torrent of spam, threats, offerings, accusations, and even more spam. It was a daunting task to sift through all of the messages in an attempt to pick out the few of them that could possibly be useful every day, especially since those were extremely few and far in between, however, he still did it. On the one hand, he did it because he felt that it was his duty to leave nothing untried, no stone unturned, and no resource unused in these dire times they found themselves in. On the other hand, it was a quite time- and labor-intensive yet still comparatively easy task that he could easily waste away hours with without feeling like he was being unproductive.
Of course, all the really important messages he received would be forwarded to him through his more secure contacts that just select people had access to, and therefore the things he did find in his private messages were usually rather menial in comparison, however it was still something.
His hopes of not feeling so left out and abandoned anymore now that shit had thoroughly hit the fan had sadly been short-lived, as it quickly became clear that any broadcasts and statements to the outside world when it come to the topic at hand would be made by actual diplomatic professionals and not by-circumstance Ambassadors that had basically stumbled into their role.
…Which was honestly fair enough, James had to admit. Certainly, people who did this for a living had a much lower chance of screwing everything up and making things even worse than they already were than he did.
However, that did little to quell the nervous and anxious energy within him that just begged to be released in some productive way.
“While official governmental replies are being released by the hundreds by individual species, many collaborative political groups have also proclaimed their intentions to react to the current tensions caused by the attack on Dunnima. For example, many order-collaborations have been sending out invitations for emergency-conferences to possibly discuss a united reaction and collaborative measures to help ease the Galactic Tensions between their members; among others, the collaborative councils of the Tetsudines, Psittacines, Corvids, Hymenoptera, Canines, Skitellifera, Estotsucuvae, and Primates will be gathering within the week to discuss possible measures. Additionally, for the first time in about 12 uniform years, a recently founded, provisional ‘council of deathworlders’ is also inviting possible participants to a first conference, after having reportedly struggled to find an adequate venue for such an event for a few uniform months. This council is the thought-child of representatives of the Lachaxet, Ligormordillar, Roosh’gaack, and Teracheponn territories, who are now trying to get representatives of as many deathworlds as possible to take part in it, claiming it as an important step towards future collaborations between the so-designated worlds and people.”
“I wonder who they’re going to invite,” Shida commented as she tensely leaned forwards and absorbed the news with great concentration, her ears opening widely to not miss a single detail. Inside, she was just as rearing to go as James was. But just like him, she was also bound to the orders they were being given.
So far, they had both not been called in to reinforce the fleets that were either stationed to more intensely control the borders of their own unified borders or sent out into the cosmos to reinforce the myiat’s defenses after the first attack. However, the military base in Lorraine that they had been staying at for a while now had certainly become a lot emptier ever since the attack, leaving basically only instructors, very fresh recruits and essential personnel behind. And themselves, of course.
The constant tramping of boots outside of their doors had been replaced by an eerie emptiness, and their regular trainings-sessions that they had along with other occupants had also run dry, as most of the people on a similar level to them had received orders to move. And working with actual trainees didn’t exactly have a lot of appeal to it either.
“They have plenty of options,” James mumbled while his eyes flew across rows and rows of recently received mails, going back hour by hour that he had slept while sifting through piles and piles of junk.
Finishing off with the mail-service he had used during his Uni-days without having found anything of note, he then switched over to the next tab, where he had opened his miraculously still not out of service work-mail that had been assigned to him during his in hindsight very brief time of working on the G.E.S.-32.
He had no idea why exactly it was still in service, but as long as he received messages to it, he was going to check them, even if so far, this had by far been the least useful of his addresses when it came to receiving any messages of actual note.
And indeed, it was once again basically all junk.
Spam, a death threat, a very angry email from a former coworker, spam, more threats, a clearly fake solicitation from some firm he had never heard of, some news-channel trying to get an interview with him, spam, another news channel, spam, even more threats, spa-
He paused for a moment as his cursor hovered over a mail he had apparently received about five hours ago, that had the very brief and uninformative title of
“You are invited.”
Usually, he would’ve almost instantly disregarded it as clearly some form of spam, however after what he had just heard on the news, it made him raise an eyebrow and quickly check the address it was sent from.
Lifting the eyebrow even further as he saw an actual, official government address, he clicked on the mail to open it up. Slowly, his eyes read over the neat lines of text that had been revealed to him, his eyes getting wider and expression becoming more confused and disgruntled by the moment.
Was this a joke?
“What’s up?” Shida asked, apparently having noticed his expression changing, and just as anxious to do something as he was, she immediately stood up and walked over to him to glance at his screen while her tail swiftly flailed through the air. “One of the threats getting too personal?”
James shifted his lips as he gathered his thoughts to reply.
“No, I was invited to one of those conferences,” he said, and his eyes quickly double-checked if this invitation was actually addressed towards him and hadn’t just accidentally landed with the wrong person by some sort of blunder.
Shida glanced at him in mild confusion, her yellow eyes scanning over his face while trying to read his thoughts from it.
“The Deathworld one? That’s not surprising, is it?” she commented with a flick of her ears, before pressing up to his side a bit closer so she could lower herself in a position that would allow her to more easily peek at his mails. “Not only are you a deathworlder, you’ve also been a pretty public figure when it comes to the public fight for more rights. Hell, you probably inspired them to found that whole thing in a way, so of course they want you along for the ride.”
James scoffed slightly and turned his screen so she could look at it.
“Well, if it was that, I wouldn’t be surprised,” he said and waited a second for Shida to read, seeing her face also slowly turn into a more confused one as she realized what the invitation he had received was for, before he added, “But this is from the council of primates.”
Shida looked at the message for a little longer before turning only her eyes towards him.
“What the hell do they want?” she asked with clear distrust in her voice. James just shrugged.
“A trap? Appeasement? Publicity? Options are numerous,” he said with an exhausted exhale before switching the tab yet again to log into his ‘professional’ mail services, copy-pasting the text of the invitation before forwarding it to a pre-prepared list of people that should probably be informed about this.
Shida hissed through her teeth and stood up straight again.
“Are you going?” she asked, crossing her arms and glancing down at him.
“If I have a say in this? Absolutely,” James replied after hammering the ‘send’ button. Anything to get out of here and do something at this point. Besides, it would probably give him the opportunity to give some people some serious stern talkings to. “Buuuuut you know how this goes.”
“We should keep an eye open who else might get invited to something,” Shida commented after acknowledging his reply with a huff but not responding to it. James nodded. In his periphery, he noticed how Shida’s fingers were starting to dig into her arms as her grip likely inadvertently tightened, and he reached out to rub his hand against her side, wordlessly aiding her with relaxing.
“They have plenty of options,” he repeated his earlier statement as he opened the invitation one more time.
“You are invited.
James Aldwin, Ambassador of Earth by community tradition, you have been officially invited to the emergency conference of the council of primates. Given recent events, the council has decided it is imperative to coordinate a response among the members of our esteemed order.
As humanity has so far not had a representative in the council of primates, it has been decided to extend an invitation to you for this conference. This invitation officially grants you access to the venue on Nedstaniot-Station and makes you eligible for a support-fund covering the traveling costs for you and an accompanying group of up to ten (10) companions of your choosing.
Should you accept this invitation, please contact us under one of the council of primate’s official addresses to receive access data to the necessary accounts as well as a detailed plan of the venue and scheduled events.
Should you not accept this invitation, a message of your declining is not strictly necessary, but always welcome to aid in planning.
I hope this message finds you well and am looking forward to possibly meeting you at the venue.
Sincerely
Klanneifer FF of the Tiasonko.
Success to you!”
Well, if they weren’t going to regret that…
​
--
​
Alexander clutched the necklace around his neck tightly as he looked into the mirror, taking deep breaths to quell his nerves.
Yes, he was nervous. Extremely so in fact. He thought that he would be excited previously, but now that the time had come, he could feel only the nerves.
Well, maybe that was understandable. Something like this really didn’t happen every day, after all.
“God, give me strength,” he prayed silently with his hands clutching the symbol of his faith even tighter.
Then, he took a minute to, one last time, check if his hair was in place and his robes were immaculate. He couldn’t make a fool out of himself on an occasion like this, after all. His own blue eyes stared back at him from the mirror sternly. Scrutinizing. As if he was judging himself. And he should. After all it was a big day. Taking a moment to judge oneself was important in moments such as this, lest you get complacent and started to make the wrong choices.
Soon after, there was a knock at the door.
“Father Mokoena is beginning his sermon, Alexander,” a muffled voice said from the other side. “You should be ready for when you are called upon.”
Alexander exhaled deeply and took one last look at the mirror, his gaze wandering from his own eyes down to the pendant around his neck.
“I’m on my way,” he then assured the Brother waiting outside, before stepping away from the dresser with a flourishing movement of his robes.
As he stepped out of the cloakroom, brother Anders slightly bowed to him, before stretching out a robed arm to guide him in the right direction. The brother was of the older sort, yet he had held his body in a shape worthy of a temple. Thinning and greying rose-blond hair did little to distract from that, as his wide frame could easily be spotted even through the loosely fitting robes.
A man of devotion in more than one way.
Alexander moved in a slow and measured way, his head held high, as Brother Anders guided him through the branched and tight back hallways of the old theater that they were holding today’s sermon in. As they got closer to the stage, Alexander could already hear the booming voice of father Mokoena as he addressed the masses from his place on the stage. It was no microphone he heard there, no amplifiers or other speakers. Only the impeccable voice of a devoted preacher.
Despite his age, the man had pipes like the largest organ, and still he was speaking at a volume that Alexander wasn’t used to from him. Inhaling deeply, he swallowed for a moment. Hopefully the people would even be able to hear him when he spoke. He certainly couldn’t bellow like the father could. Then again, this was a theater. Maybe his voice would be carried further by the acoustics than he anticipated.
It was rare for him to speak in a place like this, after all.
For a moment, Alexander thought about houses of faith. All the temples, churches, mosques, synagogues and whatever else he had visited throughout his life. Their large, marbled halls. Their magnificent decorations. The instruments and loudspeakers and all the other tools they were equipped with for impressive…performances.
That is what he had always called them. Performances. All those people just playing at faith while all they truly worship was their own selfishness.
And yet here he stood in the backrooms of a theater, watching as a father Mokoena gave a sermon on a literal stage and waiting for his cue to join him in the spotlight. What ironic twists fate could take.
The theater had been the most sensible option of a place that was for rent for one night and also held enough seats for this many people to come together. Still, he wondered if maybe they should have swallowed the tougher pill and looked for something else. For his liking, this was a bit too close to making a mockery of the event. The ‘houses of God’ may have been a sinful sham, but was this really much better?
Still, what was done was done. And while reflecting on past mistakes was certainly a virtue, getting stuck on them was most decidedly not. They were here now, so they would use what they had.
He and Anders finally came to a halt right at the side of the stage, hidden behind the large, red curtain that could be used to cut the stage off from view. Of course, today, it would stay wide open for the entire time, allowing everyone to witness.
“Are you nervous?” Brother Anders quietly asked him, leaning in close to whisper so there was no chance of his voice leaking out and disturbing the Father’s sermon.
Alexander smirked in slight anxiousness.
“Of course, I am,” he confessed honestly. “It’s not every day you get to make proclamations this weighty…or enemies this powerful.”
“Are you afraid of them?” Anders then asked with an almost pitiful look at Alexander, who sighed deeply.
“Of course, I am,” he confessed yet again. “I’d be a fool not to be.”
The task before him was grand, and his foes, in a way, even grander. There was a reason that the realized that had plagued Earth once upon a time had taken the name of heaven’s general for itself. They were powerful. And they knew it.
And that was not even mentioning the force of Earth’s armies, that could turn against them on a whim of fate. Masters over the forces of nature. The undisputed leaders of destructive power. Those who had managed to best such a powerful being before.
Yes, he was afraid. But overcoming fear was a virtue as well.
Meanwhile, the sermon was starting to whip up into a louder cadence, as Father Mokoena seemingly began to introduce the important part of the evening.
“[…] Many years has he studied and prayed and silence, following the will of our Lord by standing by and reflecting. Keeping humble. Keeping modest. And he has developed into a fine man of faith. Eighteen years of serving and studying under our faith, hidden away in the dark and obscure, waiting for the event that would catalyze his becoming! Now it has finally come. And with it came the time for him to step out into the light! Please welcome with me, oh children of the Lord, our newest ‘Guide’! Guide Alexander Paige!” the Father loudly announced and lifted his arm in the direction of where Alexander still stood out of sight. The bald head of the dark-skinned man reflected the spotlights above while his modest robes swung around from the energetic movement.
Meanwhile, Alexander took a deep, calming breath.
“Best of luck, Guide Alexander,” he could hear Brother Anders next to him say, and he respectfully bowed to the man before advancing out of the shadows and into the light.
His eyes narrowed strongly, and he had to resist the urge to lift his hand in order to protect them from the blinding light that now blared down on him. Of course, he did his best to keep his respectful and reverent expression before the Father, however he wasn’t quite able to entirely resist the pain of the rays stinging into his sight. Still, he advanced with quick yet collected steps all the way up to the side of the Father.
“Don’t scream,” he told himself as he prepared his throat for how loud he would have to talk to be heard in a place such as this. The lights were so bright and the rest of the room so dark that he couldn’t see those listening to him, but he still knew they were there. Hundreds of them. Another failure of this chosen venue. He couldn’t even see the faces of those that would listen to his words. How could he claim to speak to them if he couldn’t even look them in the eyes?
Well, it was too late now.
“Thank you, Father,” Alexander loudly announced as he had finally reached the man, and he did his best to talk as loudly as possible without it escalating into shouts. It was hard to gauge how far his voice carried in this room, and he silently prayed that he would be understood.
The Father then reached out his arm, offering his old, worn hand to Alexander. Alexander reciprocated the gesture, taking the Father’s hand with his right, while positioning his left underneath, pressing its palm up against the father’s wrist. Meanwhile, the father lowered his left onto Alexander’s wrist from above, holding his hand as if he was blessing it.
“Alexander!” Father Mokoena loudly greeted him, and Alexander almost flinched at the intensity of his voice up close. If that was what it took to be heard around here, then his own words would merely come across as a whimper. He truly hoped that the old preacher was just overdoing it with his enthusiasm. “You have finally found your treacherous sea, it seems!”
“Indeed,” Alexander replied and really just couldn’t measure up to the Father’s incredible voice no matter how he tried. What an impressive organ. “And I am prepared to guide my fellow men through it, towards safer ventures.”
“And the Lord shall bless your path!” the Father proclaimed, before taking his hands off of Alexander’s again.
“May the Lord bless your path,” a gentle echo came from the unseen crowd.
“And yours as well,” Alexander replied quickly, having almost forgotten to do so given the stressful situation.
The Father nodded deeply, before stepping away from Alexander and in front of the crowd again for a second, as he raised his arms high and declared,
“Tell us about your treacherous path, Guide Alexander, so we veer from it with you!”
Then, with another flourishing movement of his robes, he stepped back and aside, leaving Alexander basically alone in front of the many unseen eyes watching him.
Even after years of waiting, he wasn’t truly prepared for this. For the briefest of moments, he imagined just walking off. But no. He had to do this. This is what he had lived for. His entire life up until now had led up to this moment.
“I am telling you all no secret when I say that the recent times have been turmoil filled ones,” he began to speak, getting right to the matter at hand without any greetings or big introductions. The air around him felt heavy, and the room was so quiet whenever he didn’t speak that he could hear the lights above softly buzzing with electricity. The old wood under his feet gently cracked whenever he shifted his weight, and he was sure that it could be heard all the way up in the top rows whenever it happened. “As all of you who have come together here know, we stand in front of a huge danger. You do not need a guide to tell you that treading in the domain of a realized leads to peril. Such an affront needs no explanation on my side.”
He swallowed heavily, truly hoping that they had not all come together to hear him proclaim that he would guide them against the A.I.
That was simply no task for a Guide. Yet hopefully the others understood this as well and did not think that he was avoiding the threat in order to pick an easier mission for himself. After all, he would still gain its ire with his words, he was sure, even if it was not his declared danger.
Swallowing again, he continued,
“No, I am here today to talk with you about something else. About someone else. Someone whose words have touched many; and influenced even more. A man who was thrust into conflict against his will. Hurtled into the chaos, he fought, and the galaxy shook before him. A man known to the entire Galaxy obviously needs no introduction, but I would still like to take a moment to list James Aldwin’s achievements to give you a better picture of what I am talking about. Before his life was thrust into conflict, he used to dedicate his time to the improvement of life. He took some of nature’s gifts, and he used them to make new things that would aide people in need. Medicine was his claimed goal, and although he never got to reach that state, he had the clear intention to make life easier for many with his inventions, caring little for where they came from. Then, after his life changed for the worse, his focus shifted. Instead of trying to safe the ill somewhere in the future, he instead dedicated himself to saving people right here and now.”
Talking himself up into a bit of a frenzy, Alexander began to walk back and forth on the stage without even fully realizing that he was doing it. The blinding spotlights were still turning everything that wasn’t the stage into a dark, blocked out void. Night had been separated from day, and he was standing in the sun.
“He turned his focus onto those he thought to be like him,” he explained, starting to make wide gestures with his arms that caused his robe to move in flowing downward waves, embellishing his movements even further. “Those whose lives had been thrown into chaos through no doing of their own. Those born into it. Those ousted. Those who felt ‘othered’ by the world. The pariahs. He promised them acceptance, with little care for who they were.”
He then stopped his pacing for a moment to fully face the crowd, his gaze turning upwards so they would all be able to see it.
“Even when faced with one of our world’s greatest calamities asking him to take it in, he did not cave,” Alexander proclaimed, and he could feel himself tapping into potential of his lungs that he didn’t know he had within him, as his voice boomed throughout the theater. “Despite knowing of the danger in his path, he walked it all the way. Truly, what kind of man is it that will turn no one away? What kind of man who puts himself on the wayside to help others? What kind of man that cares not for who or how?”
“A Saint!” a booming echo came back from the crowd, and Alexander could feel the vibrations of their roar beneath his feet as it rolled over him.
“Indeed,” he replied to the people. “After seeing the path he walked, I say that his actions are worthy of nothing less than sanctity!”
A sound came back from the crowd that was hard to describe. It was neither jeering nor cheering, but something entirely in between. A deep rumble that filled the air with almost nonsensical noise as it escaped the mouths of hundreds of people who reacted to his declaration.
Alexander now lifted his arms in a wide arch, as if he wanted to beckon the crowd into an embrace.
“By the Ministry of the Church of the Failed Savior, bestowed upon me as your new Guide, I hereby proclaim James Aldwin as the Patron of Realized Sapience!” he loudly declared, and the noise of the crowd picked up in intensity.
He took a deep breath while letting the sound slowly fade out, although he didn’t wait for the people to be completely quiet before he let his arms sink again and continued in a milder tone.
“Sanctity is a dangerous path,” he said as he began to slowly pace along the stage again, this time with collected, measured movements. “The Saints walk it, and they invite all who will to follow. They do not warn them of the danger. In fact, they encourage all to face it. Proclaiming their path as the right one, they tell all who follow to not stray from it, no matter the danger. It is a dangerous thing indeed, such a Saint.”
He stopped again, but this time, he didn’t face the crowd. Turned to the side, he stared straight ahead, his eyes fixating on a part of the folded, red curtains while his mind went to a different place.
“Saint Aldwin believes himself to walk the right path, and nothing is holy to him, neither on Earth nor in Heaven, man made or God given, but that which allows him to follow it,” he said, still loud, but a lot more restrained in emotion. “He believes himself to be a protector. A shepherd. A…savior.”
This time, the jeering of the crowd was palpable, as the ground once again shook with it. Any sense of good will had disappeared from the noise.
Now, Alexander waited for it to completely die down. Calm and quietly, he stood there without moving a muscle for minutes on end while the sound gradually faded out.
Only when he could have heard a pin drop in the enormous room did he speak up again.
“As your new Guide, I promise to show you the way to the safe road. I promise to disarm traps and sweep away obstacles in your way. I promise to keep my sight on the destination, and to always point you in the right direction should you stay. And…” he paused for a moment to take a deep breath, before he continued louder than before, lifting his head high as he did so. “And I promise to veer you off the paths of all the Saints and Doomed to Fail Saviors who would have you walk with them into hell!”
A cheering broke out in the crowd, going so far that some of the people began to drum their feet on the ground in a wild, rhythmless thunder.
Meanwhile Alexander turned around to face the man behind him.
Father Mokoena had a wide smile on his wrinkled face as he walked back up to him, his hand extended. As they repeated the same gesture they had given each other earlier, the Father loudly announced,
“God bless your path, Guide.”
“Thank you, Father,” Alexander replied with a deep nod. “I am going to need it.”
After a moment, they let go off each other’s hands again, and Alexander wordlessly walked back off the stage, while Father Mokoena already loudly addressed the crowd again.
Behind the curtain just off the stage, Brother Anders was still waiting for him.
“A captivating speech,” the muscular man complimented him with a brief faux applause he hinted at with his hands, not actually clapping so he wouldn’t disturb the sermon. “But was that a reference I spotted in the middle of it there?”
Alexander scoffed at the man.
“All speeches have references,” he said while he passed the Brother, folding his hands behind his back as he went.
Anders looked after him in mild confusion.
“Aren’t you going to stay and hear the sermon?” he asked as Alexander was already disappearing away from the stage again.
“My faith is between me and our Lord,” Alexander explained as he shook his head. “My prayer does not need an advocate.”
No, instead of wasting time listening to a sermon of prayers that he could speak himself, he decided to instead use it to look after those who were in need of his guidance.
Walking back to from whence he came, he passed his earlier cloakroom and traversed the hallways all the way to a larger, much more open changing room, that would usually most likely house droves of actors or other performers in marvelous costumes before they would go out on stage to dazzle the masses.
Today, however, it was home to a much sadder sight.
Laid out on two benches, surrounded by their peers, were two truly pitiful casualties of conflict. As he walked in, their ears twitched and they began to look up in erratic movements, their muscles twitching and shivering as if under immense stress from just the simple movements, and even after their head was lifted, it was stuck in a constant quiver.
Meanwhile, their far healthier compatriots also turned towards him, their gazes dark and eyes sharp, while their agitated tails whipped through the air like angry flails.
“How are you feeling?” Alexander asked the first of the two clearly ill myiat who met his gaze.
“According to the…circumstances,” the man replied, his voice about as jittery as his posture as he spoke. His name was Mirrakshra. A good man, suffering a bad fate.
Meanwhile, one of their healthy compatriots, a dark-skinned fellow with a scar from a cut right over his cheekbone that had accompanied Alexander since back on Dunnima, glared at Alexander with fiery eyes as he saw the kind of robe he wore.
“If you’re going to try some sort of faith-healing bullshit, then I swear to-“ he began, however Alexander cut him off harshly.
“You shouldn’t swear, Eskfotarra. Not on heaven or on Earth,” he reprimanded him with firm words. Then he smirked, “You may promise to harm me all you like, however. But no, that’s not why I’m here. I’m not a fool. I know I can’t work miracles. I simply worry about his wellbeing.”
“It’s al..alright,” Mirrakshra quelled the worries of his friend. “Y-y-you got news?”
Alexander exhaled disappointedly.
“Sadly, yes,” he said and looked away. “It seems that some of our allies have…how do you say…jumped the gun? They attempted to exterminate the affront prematurely, and in the process, have only made it all the more enduring, it seems.”
Eskfotarra scoffed and his ears twitched slightly as his tail slowed to a gradual sway.
“So, she’s out now?” he correctly assumed, and the smirk on his face told of him not finding those circumstances all too disagreeable. An unfortunate choice, but his to make.
“Indeed,” Alexander replied. “And at the scale we’re currently working at, I’m afraid it’s going to be hard to stamp it out.”
By now, the AI might have infected the entire Galaxy. There was no telling of the kind of hardships they would soon face because of it.
However, Eskfotarra just glanced down at his ill friends again as his grimace soured.
“And Aldwin?” he asked darkly.
Alexander lifted his arms with open palms and shrugged.
“Hidden away where we cannot reach him, at least for the moment,” he explained.
The myiat aggressively clicked his tongue and hissed through his teeth.
“Then when will we be able to reach him?” he asked, his claws unfurling on his arm, cutting into the sleeve of his shirt. “It’s high time that he answers for a lot of things.”
In a picture that should be grotesque but could only be described as empathetic, the quivering, injured feline laying before him looked up at his healthy friend with pity, while wrath seemingly consumed Eskfotarra.
Alexander nodded.
“I’m sure he would agree with you there,” he pointed out, seeing as Aldwin had never been shy to point out his own misdeeds. “That is why sooner or later, he is going to make it possible. The danger is the nature of a Saint.”

Offloading some stuff I don't listen to. Discogs entries are linked in the names. All prices include CONUS shipping (no international, sorry).
Please comment before PMing! No chats, please. Happy to provide additional photos/info.
The Killers – Pressure Machine Deluxe Vinyl — $65 This arrived to me with the case damaged, pic here. One of the record sleeves is coming apart, but the records themselves are unharmed. Can provide more detail upon request.
Death Cab for Cutie – The Photo Album — $40
Deafheaven – Infinite Granite (Neptune blue) — $25
Caspian – Waking Season (green marble) — $45
The 1975 – A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships — $20
Conor Oberst – Ruminations — $18
Gordi – Reservoir (white/magenta marble) — $15 (or free with purchase of $40+)
Fenne Lily – Breach — $15 (or free with purchase of $40+) Side A has a smudge that creates some noticeable surface noise.

For each player i will highlight things i liked and then if there are any major risks (besides the fact that everyone seems to get hurt playing baseball)
NOTE: In a nutshell though i have done a shit ton of review of spray charts for each player and i think the L shift ban is going to be bigger than the “industry smart money” thinks. We will see. I am guessing a free 8-15ba for most L handed hitters and a few even more than that. Plus some additional power as they pull more…..
Tucker OF - L (left handed), SC (statcast), lineup, Speed. Risk: no major risk
Ohtani - dh - hitter L (left handed), SC (statcast), lineup, park, Speed. Risk: elevated injury risk
Michael Harris A -OF- L (left handed), SC (statcast), lineup, Speed. Risk: BA / sophomore slump
Chisholm - 2b - position eligibility, Sc, speed. Risk: lineup, park and injury.
Schwarber OF - L (left handed), SC (statcast), lineup, park, Speed. Risk: BA
MJ Melendez - C - L, ok SC for position/adp, position. Risk: park and ba
Christian Javier - SP - sc, k rate, context, park, coaching. Risk: No major risk
Tom Edman - 2b/ss- Position, L (left handed), SC (statcast), lineup, Speed. Risk: position in lineup
Jeff Springs - P - SC. Park. Risk: wins
Brian Reynolds - OF - Sc. High floor, L. Risk: power? park/ lineup (but hoping he will get traded).
Ryan McMahon. - 3b (also adding 2b). Sc, speed, L, Park. Risk: somehow even though good SC doesn’t hit outside of Coors (maybe this will be the year?). Lineup isn’t great
Hunter Brown - SP- strong minors, great coach, contexts for wins. Risk: rookie
Johan Duran - CL. - stuff / SC. Risk: part time role to start
Seth Brown - OF - L. SC, speed. Risk: park/ lineup
Evan Philips - CL - stuff/SC. Risk: committee role
Tyler Mahle - SP -New Park, K rate.SC for ADP. Risk: SC isn’t perfect
Zach Eflin - SP - new park, SC for ADP, Risk: K rate. Fb spin/velo
Josh Rojas - 2b/3b - position eligibility. Speed, L. Park. Risk: SC.
Carlos Santana -1b - amazing SC for adp. . Risk: age.
Brendon Pfaadt: good minors. Improved as went up level, amazing in PCL. should be called up soon. Risk: rookie and whip
Elehuris montero - 3b - park, position eligibility, showed well in 1st time in majors. Did i mention Coors? Risk; rookie. Rockies management
Ok. I am tired of writing. I have 50 more so lmk if interested

This was incredibly hard for me to write and admit., I'm sure I have forgotten important information and have errors.
DEEP IN DEBT DIARY TEMPLATE
Title: I am 33 years old, making $80,000 salary ( just started new job ) plus $21,300. Spouse ( 39 )makes $40 per hour plus $14,200, and we have $77,313 debt not including our mortgage.
SECTION ONE: Background
Job: Project Analyst ( new job ) & GIS Analyst
Industry: Finance
Location - MCOL, rural Texas
Context - I have worked for my MIL since 2015 with no benefits. My husband has worked for her since 2013 with no benefits. We were led to believe we would take over the business and have a really good secure income. Instead, we have made less than others in our same careers or near the same, but with no benefits, no paid holidays etc. We attempted to get the plan of action for us to take over starting in 2017, but were met with aggression and personality issues each time. It’s been a long mentally exhausting 5+ years. I have finally broken away.
SECTION TWO: Current Debt and Assets
Credit card debt: Total Credit Card Debt $31,606.30. Breakdown: Card 1 ($10,799.30 out of $14,500) Card 2 ( $17,002.84 out of $18,000 ) Card 3 ( $0 out $0 ) Card 4 ( $3,805 out of $5,000)
Personal loans: $0
Medical debt: $0 paid down from $18,000
Student loan debt (for what degree). $12,534.18 Bachelors in Engineering Technology. Already paid off over $15,000. His grandparents and parents paid for his undergrad; he saved up ( before we met ) and paid for his master's.
Remaining mortgage balance if you’re a homeowner. $298,000 remaining. Originally 318,000 at 4.84%. Yearly Dividends are around $3,500-$3,800.
Auto loans: Truck $19,781.71 u/2.25%, small SUV $13,390.64 @ 2.25%
Any other type of debt and how you accumulated it (e.g., payday loans, title loans). N/a
Retirement balance (and how you got there). Around $5000-$6,000 for both of us. This was from putting some into accounts we opened a few years ago.
Equity $502,000
Our first house was purchased for $82,000 in December 2010 with low interest. We sold it 2016 for $115,000 to buy our land.
To buy our land, we put some of the equity towards credit card debt and the rest towards purchasing the land for $150,000 at a 15 yr fixed rate of around 5% interest rate. We “rebuilt” our house starting Nov 2019 with a refinance and construction loan in one. We didn’t put any down, it was 90% loan to value. The house we built made the value ( once complete ) more than the loan. Currently, the estimated appraisal is around $800,000 leaving $498,000 in equity. We didn’t purchase and build in a typical way. We bought the 45 acres for 150k 4% or so15 year loan 3 years before refinancing with a construction loan. We did put down $15,000 to purchase the land originally.
Savings account balance: $200
Checking account balance: averages $4000-$5000 to cover all bills etc.
Any other assets that are applicable to you.
SECTION THREE: Income
Main Job Monthly Take Home aka Net Pay I just started my new job so I don’t know what the health insurance etc will look like. My salary is $80,000. My insurance is 80% covered. My husband makes $40/hour with no benefits besides two weeks of paid vacation.
Side Gig Monthly Take Home
We have owned a business for 10 years. It is a contract that has been $30,000 per year until this year; it is now $35,500. This is very part-time, part of the year. We have always worked on this in our free time, until 2021 when I did work it as my main job for that year and a half. We have had our real estate licenses since 2016; we didn’t make any money until 2019. It ranged from $15,000-$30,000, was in 2021. He is quitting real estate and I recently also quit.
Any Other Monthly Income Here
N/A
SECTION FOUR: Monthly Expenses
Mortgage $1676
Home insurance Annually $3,000
Property Taxes Annually $3,300
Private Health Insurance $580
Additional Retirement contribution N/A
Savings contribution N/A
Investment contribution N/A
Private School $350 plus $100 for aftercare
Trash Pickup $89/quarter
Husbands Life Insurance $51 monthly
My Life Insurance Annually $180
Debt payments We put extra money towards debt and get out of credit card debt most years, then go back into it. We paid the minimum from when I quit working full time for MIL until now.
Donations (please estimate monthly) I donate a lot; I’ve been on a minimalist journey for years and donate nearly everything. I used to also donate to St Jude's $25 a month.
Electricity averages $200-$275.
Water Averages $45-50
Sewage on a septic system
Internet $71 it will go up to $97 soon.
Cellphone $240 per quarter Mint
Subscriptions Apple TV $6.99, Apple Care $10.81, Discovery+ $6, Hulu Disney Bundle $5.39, Amazon $8 ( sister is taking over ), Netflix another sister usually pays for this,
Pet expenses Approximately $50
Car payment / insurance small SUV $317, truck $526. Yearly auto-ins. $1,000 for the truck, $600 suv
Parking/toll/gas/other transportation costs. $500-$700 we live out of town. It’s a 45-mile drive one way to go to a decent grocery store or to buy most things. Our town only has a tiny walmart ( limited options and bad produce ) and a very expensive small grocery store. He does get paid mileage but also has to have a 4x4 truck for work; although he doesn't work in the woods most days.
Regular therapy/other routine healthcare or wellness treatments. No insurance to cover it, but grandfathered in at $75 when I go. I/we used to go once or twice a month for years on and off. Our daughter did see a therapist last summer. She was $125 every two weeks for a couple of months.
Beauty/grooming not enough, honest. I may get a haircut twice a year and he gets his cut maybe once every few months. This will become more scheduled.
Paid hobbies nodda
Food/Drink Average $800 a month on groceries but during the worst times for us, $2000. I want to get this lower; we don’t buy meat so I feel like we need to do better planning.
Fun / Entertainment $0
Random House/Property stuff Averages $200 a month +
Clothes $0. Our daughter has a uniform for school; I tend to buy when on clearance. I’ve rarely bought anything since quitting MIL.
Any other expense that's relevant to you.
SECTION FIVE: [Write your Deep in Debt Diary here]
Please provide a detailed history of your debt accumulation and payments, including your pay at the time, any strategies you used to target your debt, and anecdotes about your experience. Example:
2010-2014 Worked as a draftsman while getting my associates in drafting. I was honest with them from the beginning about going back for a bachelor's. The most I made was $15/ hour with benefits only in the last year of employment. We started our contract work in 2013 at $25,000 per year.
2014 went back to college for a bachelor's degree and got my first real credit card. I don’t recall my balance when I started working on it but I would say it was over 3k. I also learned he had over 5k in cc debt when we started talking about combining our finances and working on debt. He was making $33 per hour with no benefits. Our contract was $25,000 per year which was broken up into equal payments over the year.
2016 - 2019 We combined out income and I took over finances completely with no help. I agreed to join the family business after finishing my degree in May 2016 and also got my real estate license ( boss MIL was also a broker). Worked full time from May until end of November when our child was born. I made $15-$25 in that time. We paid $800 per month for private insurance and had a traumatic delivery that came to another $18,000 after insurance coverage. I was scared of being one alone with my child; I had postpartum but didn’t tell anyone nor fully wanted to admit it to myself. Our daughter wasn’t easy going even as a baby, she had to be on my body at all times to be happy. She still gets bored easily. We spent a lot of money on stuff to entertain her at home; she never liked anything, not even a swing. We hired a nanny to be at our office with us full time from age 1 month to 3. We paid her $10 per hour in cash. Our daughter started pre-k at a private school at 3. $350 a month. Debt varied as always. I was at the office 40-45 hours but my boss used me to do real estate stuff she didn’t want to do which cut my hours to 30-32 per week hourly; I was never compensated for all of the real estate admin and website building. We both had our real estate licenses but never made anything until 2019-2022. It took up 8+ hours or so of my weekly hours then a lot of our weekends. In 2016, our contract work increased to $30,000 and payments changed to larger payments during our busy time of the year. I feel like that was when we started relying on that income to bail us out of debt.
Nov 2019-April 2020. Refinanced our land and did a construction loan to rebuild our house. Our daughter was out of school and at home with me working which was very hard. Our house was finished April 2020 two weeks before everything started shutting down further it seems. Debt was maybe around 10k because we forgot to plan for the carport that still doesn’t have a slab. It’s just dirt.
2020-2021 We told our boss MIL we were leaving the business. We were tired of the stress and chaos with her and low wages with no benefits. We were given raises ( $33 and $40 per hour ) to keep us there. I told her several months later in a formal notice I was quitting. I was guilt tripped and manipulated to stay; she stated we would make the changes necessary and I would start taking over her job. Of course nothing at all changed. I was a wreck and quit without notice 6 months later after trying again 2 months before because I was a serious mess. This hurt us financially because I wasn’t taking care of our finances and was too upset. I did take over our business contract work so we didn’t have to work on that during our free time. My husband was also a mess on and off, so we kept an emergency fund to support him quitting and finding a job. He told her twice he was quitting but could never follow through. We used up our emergency fund because we weren’t paying attention. Somehow spending 2k a month on groceries for several months. I hate that I have no clue how it happened and how much food waste we had.
2021-2023 I didn’t work for MIL from May 2021-October 2021 when I went back but only 10 hours per week. I went back because we needed the income. I typically worked 12 hours a week until leaving recently. We decided to move to Michigan; I feel like i sacrificed a lot staying in Texas ( I never wanted to ) and putting up with everything working for his mother and all the chaos and control that came with that. We will be moving end of May beginning on June. He still works for her and doesn’t have a set plan.
Reflection
I feel like our lives have been a wreck the last 3-6 years and I refuse to fall back into it. I feel like not having benefits has hurt us more than we ever imagined it would. Just this year so far we’ve paid $2400 for his emergency root canal and crown. $400 for a consultation and CT scan for my nose for sinus issues. $3500 for a new fence for our dogs. It seems to never end.
I was upset with myself for awhile; I am trying hard to focus on the future. We need to learn to plan and save for large expenses. I am highly considering separating our finances and splitting everything proportionally. He has yet to actually help me with managing our finances although I have mentioned and asked numerous times. He is also supposed to be evaluated for ADHD. He does try and he’s a great partner besides his mom problems and not helping with finances. He thinks just not spending money is enough for our finances. Our therapist thinks us getting away ( even if it is only part of the year ) will change my husband and his dynamic with his mother. I hope he will fall in love with where we are moving, and agree to stay there permanently and sell our home/property in Texas.
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The above template was modified, with permission, from MoneyDiariesACTIVE.