Saturday blessings
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2023.05.30 17:19 afraidofunknown112 Feeling Lost
I'm 20 days out from DDay. Some background info on the situation. Married since September 2015.We have had our share of struggles with closeness, intimacy, and affection over the years. This came to a head in September of 2022, and we were seeking help in MC. Some life events happened, and we backslid on our progress. I knew it was a problem, but I couldn't get a foothold in the situation. The last week of April this year things came back to a head.
My wife approached our MC to express the backsliding. He came to me, and we met to discuss this privately. My wife did not know we were meeting. Later that night, as I wrestled with some of the things discussed, my wife said some things that hurt. I got defensive, and we had a raw emotional conversation that took place over the next two days. On the 3rd day (Friday), my wife was even more off. We continued the conversation and she expressed a desire to leave that night. After a long conversation, she agreed to stay and it seemed to her that I had really shown a desire for change and R.
The next morning something still wasn't right. She was hiding things from me. Her alarm went off very early, unusual for a Saturday. I asked why and was able to coax out of her that she had made arrangements for a group of friends to be at the house bright and early to move her out. I became scared and desperate. How did it get so bad? We continued the conversation, and I expressed a desire to reconcile, and she admitted my demeanor felt far different than it ever had. She called the friends off, burning some bridges with them as she did (some had driven very far from states away to come help.)
The next week and a half were full of highs and lows, but overall felt like progress. We sought the advice of some trusted friends and a new MC with the blessing of the former to try a different approach. Then I got hit with DDay on May 10th. 20 days ago. One evening, my wife expressed that she hadn't felt the same possible progress as I did. I was hurt and crushed, but knew she was struggling. I had been putting 100% of my focus on her and trying the be the husband I had failed at for a while. I had been wearing the blame and she had been doling it out to me. I was also trying to express how I had felt too, and that I thought we both needed to own our faults and put the effort in. Her response was, "You don't want a wife like me."
What happened next will change me forever. She proceeded to painfully confess a PA. AP was an ex-boyfriend and someone I knew, her BF from before we dated. My wife and I met at a mutual hobby activity, and he was part of it too and they had met there previously. Shortly after my wife and I started dating, she found out he had done something during their relationship that left her hurt and betrayed. Last I knew, she was very upset and hurt by him and didn't want anything to do with him.
She confessed that about 3 years into our marriage (now almost 8, so 4+ years ago) she was struggling with a lack of nurturing and intimacy from me. She reached out to him by text/chat and went looking for attention. They send flirty texts and pictures back and forth. This turned into him driving down to see her. We had relocated to a neighboring state when we married, so he drove a significant distance, multiple hours round trip. They spent the day together in a similar flirty fashion. She says he made a move on her, she didn't say no and let it develop into a sexual encounter in his car. Over the next few months, they continued this pattern. She states she thinks it was a total of 4 times, though originally she thought it was more. She states that he told her his only regret was that it was in his car and not more intimate. The remainder of the PA took place at his house, my wife was uncomfortable driving to his location so he arranged and paid for suitable public transportation to get her there. I would go to work in the AM, she would disable her location services on her phone ( we had shared location at the time, but she has since disabled that), drive to the public transportation, visit for the day, and return home before I got back from work.
Since that day, things have ridden many lows and what feels like some progress. I very much want to reconcile. To date, she states she does not. She has been willing to stay and see if time will change her heart, but she keeps doubling down on her statements of wanting to leave. I feel like her confession was her attempt to make me want to separate, so she didn't have to do it. We have both begun IC, though she is very resistant and hardened to it. Among her hardness though, I see glimpses of hope. At times she is much warmer to me than she has been in years. I am putting 110% of myself into trying to make it work.
She does respond positively to my efforts at times, but there are also moments of less-than-stellar response. She will react to my touch in a negative way or something similar. I also have what I now know as an intense case of HB. Meanwhile, she has almost no drive for me, though she has admitted she has the drive for self-fulfillment. I say almost no drive when it comes to me because she has tried for my sake twice prior to DDay but after her attempt to leave, and once since DDay though it didn't involve intercourse.
Is there any hope for R in this? Will my WS ever come around to wanting R. She is leaving me in limbo currently, and it hurts. But I don't want to rush things either. IC/MC advises that if I want R, I need to love her like I always should have and that showing her unconditional and sacrificial love even in this situation is the best way to bring her around in time. I'm afraid she will leave before she softens. She seems impatient and keeps saying things like "Nothing has changed", "I still feel the same way" or "I see your effort, but I'm just waiting for the other foot to fall like it always does." On top of that, I have yet to see true remorse or repentance. She says she's sorry that what she did hurt me, but otherwise, she has been very cold about the PA. I'm 20 days out from DDay, desperately want R, but WS hasn't come around yet. What can I do?
submitted by afraidofunknown112 to AsOneAfterInfidelity [link] [comments]
My wife approached our MC to express the backsliding. He came to me, and we met to discuss this privately. My wife did not know we were meeting. Later that night, as I wrestled with some of the things discussed, my wife said some things that hurt. I got defensive, and we had a raw emotional conversation that took place over the next two days. On the 3rd day (Friday), my wife was even more off. We continued the conversation and she expressed a desire to leave that night. After a long conversation, she agreed to stay and it seemed to her that I had really shown a desire for change and R.
The next morning something still wasn't right. She was hiding things from me. Her alarm went off very early, unusual for a Saturday. I asked why and was able to coax out of her that she had made arrangements for a group of friends to be at the house bright and early to move her out. I became scared and desperate. How did it get so bad? We continued the conversation, and I expressed a desire to reconcile, and she admitted my demeanor felt far different than it ever had. She called the friends off, burning some bridges with them as she did (some had driven very far from states away to come help.)
The next week and a half were full of highs and lows, but overall felt like progress. We sought the advice of some trusted friends and a new MC with the blessing of the former to try a different approach. Then I got hit with DDay on May 10th. 20 days ago. One evening, my wife expressed that she hadn't felt the same possible progress as I did. I was hurt and crushed, but knew she was struggling. I had been putting 100% of my focus on her and trying the be the husband I had failed at for a while. I had been wearing the blame and she had been doling it out to me. I was also trying to express how I had felt too, and that I thought we both needed to own our faults and put the effort in. Her response was, "You don't want a wife like me."
What happened next will change me forever. She proceeded to painfully confess a PA. AP was an ex-boyfriend and someone I knew, her BF from before we dated. My wife and I met at a mutual hobby activity, and he was part of it too and they had met there previously. Shortly after my wife and I started dating, she found out he had done something during their relationship that left her hurt and betrayed. Last I knew, she was very upset and hurt by him and didn't want anything to do with him.
She confessed that about 3 years into our marriage (now almost 8, so 4+ years ago) she was struggling with a lack of nurturing and intimacy from me. She reached out to him by text/chat and went looking for attention. They send flirty texts and pictures back and forth. This turned into him driving down to see her. We had relocated to a neighboring state when we married, so he drove a significant distance, multiple hours round trip. They spent the day together in a similar flirty fashion. She says he made a move on her, she didn't say no and let it develop into a sexual encounter in his car. Over the next few months, they continued this pattern. She states she thinks it was a total of 4 times, though originally she thought it was more. She states that he told her his only regret was that it was in his car and not more intimate. The remainder of the PA took place at his house, my wife was uncomfortable driving to his location so he arranged and paid for suitable public transportation to get her there. I would go to work in the AM, she would disable her location services on her phone ( we had shared location at the time, but she has since disabled that), drive to the public transportation, visit for the day, and return home before I got back from work.
Since that day, things have ridden many lows and what feels like some progress. I very much want to reconcile. To date, she states she does not. She has been willing to stay and see if time will change her heart, but she keeps doubling down on her statements of wanting to leave. I feel like her confession was her attempt to make me want to separate, so she didn't have to do it. We have both begun IC, though she is very resistant and hardened to it. Among her hardness though, I see glimpses of hope. At times she is much warmer to me than she has been in years. I am putting 110% of myself into trying to make it work.
She does respond positively to my efforts at times, but there are also moments of less-than-stellar response. She will react to my touch in a negative way or something similar. I also have what I now know as an intense case of HB. Meanwhile, she has almost no drive for me, though she has admitted she has the drive for self-fulfillment. I say almost no drive when it comes to me because she has tried for my sake twice prior to DDay but after her attempt to leave, and once since DDay though it didn't involve intercourse.
Is there any hope for R in this? Will my WS ever come around to wanting R. She is leaving me in limbo currently, and it hurts. But I don't want to rush things either. IC/MC advises that if I want R, I need to love her like I always should have and that showing her unconditional and sacrificial love even in this situation is the best way to bring her around in time. I'm afraid she will leave before she softens. She seems impatient and keeps saying things like "Nothing has changed", "I still feel the same way" or "I see your effort, but I'm just waiting for the other foot to fall like it always does." On top of that, I have yet to see true remorse or repentance. She says she's sorry that what she did hurt me, but otherwise, she has been very cold about the PA. I'm 20 days out from DDay, desperately want R, but WS hasn't come around yet. What can I do?
2023.05.30 06:30 farmer_giles91 12 Days Honeymoon in Tokyo & Kawaguchiko with tips and observations
I just had my honeymoon (originally scheduled for Jun 2020). My wife and I are in our early thirties. It’s my wife’s first time in japan while it’s my fourth. I’ve benefitted immensely from stalking Tokyo travel reddit and would like to return the favour. I’ll provide some of my tips and observations to the end (skip to the end if the itinerary doesn’t interest you), some of which I think haven’t been mentioned before.
Thank God pretty much everything went to plan, and my wife thoroughly enjoyed the trip. We spent 12 days in Japan, most of it in Tokyo and 2 nights in Kawaguchiko. Many people were surprised to know that we’d be spending most of our trip in Tokyo, but I thought it was just fine because Tokyo had a lot to offer. My wife and I aren’t big on visiting shrines or ticking tourist hotspots off a checklist. We don’t shop much, but we did a lot of it simply because it’s Japan and we bought lots of quality-of-life items (not fashion) for ourselves and others. Given how much my wife really enjoyed the trip, I think others with similar interests could find something helpful too.
Pre-trip planning
Arrived in Haneda late, about 11pm. Clearance was quick but baggage took 30mins. As I wouldn't make my stipulated airport limousine timing, I had no choice but to cancel my airport limousine and take the metro to our hotel in Shinjuku. I tried Apple wallet’s Suica at first. It worked seamlessly but I felt that a physical metro card was just faster so I eventually switched over. We reached after midnight, so do let your hotel know in advance if you anticipate arriving at odd hours.
Day 1 (Thurs) - Shinjuku exploration
Originally planned to visit Tsukiji on day 1, but given that we arrived late the previous night, agreed with my wife to change the plan and spend the first day doing the Shinjuku itinerary.
Planning for Fuji Q & Morning Jog: I didn’t plan to go to Fuji-Q highland before the trip. Always felt it a bit of a waste to visit amusement parks overseas. That’s until I realised that Fuji Q had some of the most exciting (I mean world-record-holding) rollercoasters in the world. Maybe they don't hold the records anymore, but that intrigued me enough, because most amusement parks only had 1-2 coasters. Problem was that wife is terrified, and she said cycling on the streets of Kawaguchiko was already like a coaster ride for her. Still, I'm really thankful she encouraged me to go and said she was happy waiting and taking pictures for me. So I decided I would reach at opening time, and buy time by paying for the fast passes and try their top three coasters. The night before, we felt that we had to make decisions on our itinerary as it was our last day at Kawaguchiko. If Mt Fuji still wasn’t visible the next day, we'd go to Oshino Hakkai, if it was, we could try going to Shimoyoshida to get a nice picture.
Woke up before sunrise for a run and to attempt to catch a sunrise picture of Mount Fuji. Streets were completely empty. Even ran to the famous Kawaguchiko Lawson for a picture. Headed back for an onsen bathe (note: we never used the room's shower, and always went for an onsen bath throughout our stay in Kawaguchiko as it was just too convenient). Took a 7am bus to return to Shinjuku.
It was a crazy day where we simply hit the places we wanted to revisit regardless of proximity. Headed to Tokyo Skytree in the morning to check out another Ghibli store in hopes of getting another Ghibli shirt; reason was because I ended up buying one at the museum I really loved (made in Japan, beautiful colour, perfect fit. I hesitated at first because I couldn't try it). If you’re not going to the Ghibli museum, this is probably the best store available for Ghibli goods. Alas, the museum's items were really quite exclusive. Headed to Shinjuku to try curry udon, then to Kichijoji to try satou beef balls and dangos and to make some purchasing decisions on some sports equipment. Then we ended up at Shibuya (my favourite place!) to the mega Don Quijote and Tokyu Hands to shop for gifts for others. It was a lovely end to our trip!
Day 12 (Mon) - Back home
Best trip ever, says my wife.
Tips for travellers
submitted by farmer_giles91 to JapanTravel [link] [comments]
Thank God pretty much everything went to plan, and my wife thoroughly enjoyed the trip. We spent 12 days in Japan, most of it in Tokyo and 2 nights in Kawaguchiko. Many people were surprised to know that we’d be spending most of our trip in Tokyo, but I thought it was just fine because Tokyo had a lot to offer. My wife and I aren’t big on visiting shrines or ticking tourist hotspots off a checklist. We don’t shop much, but we did a lot of it simply because it’s Japan and we bought lots of quality-of-life items (not fashion) for ourselves and others. Given how much my wife really enjoyed the trip, I think others with similar interests could find something helpful too.
Pre-trip planning
- It was out first leisure trip in years, and my wife's first trip to Japan. I wanted to show her my favourite parts of Japan, and took months trawling through reddit posts and trip reports, watching youtube videos, and just soaking in all the things before deciding on an itinerary that I thought my wife would enjoy. It was almost exclusively planned by me, and I would consult my wife along the way.
- Other than the hotel & flights, I booked the highway express bus to Kawaguchiko one week prior.
- Decided on the airport limousine bus to bring us from the airport to the city a few days prior.
- Studio Ghibli tickets booked one month in advance. There's a good guide available on reddit already. International tickets were quickly sold out, so we used a free VPN to get onto the Japanese site which had more tickets & timings available. Simply Google translate the entire page.
- Booked a cooking class on cookly months prior.
- Did Visit Japan QR two days prior. It takes some time, so do it earlier rather than later.
- Added all places of interests in a Google list, and all food places in another Google list. I tried the custom Google maps at first but didn’t feel the UI was easy to navigate.
- Planned itinerary based on location proximity, and also highlighted parts that were interchangeable in case we wanted to switch it up (which we did).
- The Google maps foods list was always just for consideration: if we had time or were craving something. We didn't hard-code food places into our daily plans. But when food was the primary activity (e.g. visiting Tsukiji market), we'd determine to visit particular food stalls. Otherwise, just needed to do a cursory Google review check on whether a random food place is worth eating it. As a principle, we didn't want to spend time queuing >20m for food.
- I'd plan the next day's itinerary the night before, considering fatigue, interest, and proximity. I would create a brand new Google maps list for the next day, including potential food places.
Arrived in Haneda late, about 11pm. Clearance was quick but baggage took 30mins. As I wouldn't make my stipulated airport limousine timing, I had no choice but to cancel my airport limousine and take the metro to our hotel in Shinjuku. I tried Apple wallet’s Suica at first. It worked seamlessly but I felt that a physical metro card was just faster so I eventually switched over. We reached after midnight, so do let your hotel know in advance if you anticipate arriving at odd hours.
Day 1 (Thurs) - Shinjuku exploration
Originally planned to visit Tsukiji on day 1, but given that we arrived late the previous night, agreed with my wife to change the plan and spend the first day doing the Shinjuku itinerary.
- Walked to a popular Tsukumen place at 11. Queued for 20mins and it was an interesting experience as there were lines of people standing right behind watching you eat. Wife said it was her best Tsukumen ever!
- Sekaido for art & stationary supplies: My wife does art so it was a haven for her. We spent a few hours there!
- Tokyu Hands Shinjuku: Wanted to look at more stationary/home/fashion stuff but two floors were under renovation.
- Omoide Yokocho: A quick walkthrough of this famous street for salarymen which comes alive at night. Many tourists.
- Kappabashi Dougu Street: looked at kitchen supplies aimed to find a nice nakiri knife! (If you want to buy a knife, do research on what knife you need beforehand).
- Fabric Town: My wife just passed a seamstress exam so she eagerly anticipated visiting fabric town, we spent a few hours in Tomato.
- Akihabara (Animate, Bic Camera, Gyukatsu Don): It was drizzling the entire day so it was not the most comfortable lugging that many bags around a wet Akihabara in the evening. Wife wasn’t interested but I wanted to let her experience this unique culture. Had dinner at a popular gyukatsu don (beef cutlet that you’d have to cook yourself). It was our first time eating gyukatsu. It was so tender and juicy and mmm. But it was a long one hour wait. It was after this episode that we decided we were not going to queue this long for food again.
- Private cooking class in Shinjuku: Our host was great! We were invited into his cosy house and he taught us how to make Okonomiyaki, Yakisoba, and a Japanese salad. I paid careful attention to the menu beforehand as I wanted to learn dishes I could easily recreate back home (i.e. not choose dishes that depended on seasonal Japanese ingredients). My wife absolutely loved the experience of getting to know a local and understanding his life story, Japanese culture, and hearing some of his horror stories of foreign guests. We got more food recs from him to understand where the locals really ate at.
- Shibuya 109: Paid $5 for a drink to have a bird’s eye view of the Shibuya crossing. It was Saturday so the crossing was at its full force. Even if you think this is touristy, it’s amazing to see that many people like little ants crossing a street. There are several nice locations here to take some artsy shots.
- Ishibashi Music Shibuya: absolutely loved the vibe in this music store. Back home, I’d been thinking about getting a particular keyboard but never got a chance to try it. I was able to play this particular one undisturbed and feel like I could go on for hours without any pressure from staff. Bought a few Japan exclusive guitar picks as gifts.
- Shibuya Tokyu Hands: This was amazing. I thought Shinjuku Tokyu Hands was the flagship store. So I only stumbled into this because I urgently needed to pee and someone said Tokyu hands had toilets. We were confused as its name was rebranded to simply "Hands" with a new logo. If you only have time to visit one Tokyu Hands, visit the Shibuya one. Each floor had 2 sub-floors so that’s a ton of floors! Lots of quality-of-life improvements one could get from this store. My wife got a buckwheat pillow.
- Shibuya Loft: After Sekaido and Tokyu Hands, I didn't think there was much daily life products/art/stationary to look at. But Loft was very different. Similar to Tokyu hands but seems more modern and fashionable. Worth visiting together with Tokyu hands! It also had packaged food available! It was late and my wife and I concluded that we didn’t have to to explore all the floors and that we’d return to Shibuya again.
- Church in Komazawa: not a tourist activity, but we linked up with some partners from our home church and attended service at a little church held in a nursery. It was an amazing and encouraging experience to hear the gospel preached in a foreign language.
- Harajuku: Way too crowded. I had anticipated this as it was a Sunday, but thought to just try. Takeshita street was so packed my wife feared there would be a stampede risk (it wasn’t that bad). We did queue 20mins for pretty tasty crepe. After checking out all the recommended streets (e.g. cat street, uru-harajuku), my wife simply felt that she couldn’t stand the Harajuku crowd and the vibes. So we decided to go back to Shibuya again!
- Shibuya JINS: I didn’t mention this but previously in Shinjuku and Shibuya, I had been checking out recommended optical shops in the vicinity for a particular style of glasses. Japanese-made glasses are highly-rated, but I couldn’t find something at the right price-point. At JINS, I found a design I liked. Though not made in Japan, it cost me less than 5000 yen. Took them 1 hour to make it. For some reason I loved the vibes at Shibuya, and I earmarked it to return again later.
- Tsukiji market: wanted to arrive before 8 but arrived at 8.30am. Thankfully the crowds weren't that bad yet. Everything we tried was lovely. Potato/corn fishcakes, strawberry mochi, tamago, wagyu beef, uni inarisushi (my first time trying uni - wife loved it but I didn't like it), unagi. But the star was Masa burger (thanks to Paolo from Tokyo), which we waited till 11am to try. By then, the tourist buses had come and the streets were packed. But Masa burger was in a corner and we were their first customers. We tried fried codfish burger + homemade ginger ale. Both were was so well done and the fried cod was so crispy yet fresh and tender. It was also nicely completed with very refreshing salads! It was soo good we had it twice.
- Ginza Uniqlo/Muji: we wanted to take a look at some of Uniqlo’s exclusive items. Apparently they do have exclusive t-shirts for each region (e.g. Harajuku, Shibuya, Ginza), which tend to be collaborations with well-known food places in the area. However, they were always white in colour (cheap to produce) and not made-in-Japan-quality. Muji @ Ginza was a disappointment, not a lot more than the usual.
- Tokyo Station Ghibli store & Tenugui hunting: Went to Tokyo station to check out the Ghibli store and to look for a particular traditional tenugui (Japanese towels) store as my wife were hunting these down to give as gifts.
- Shinjuku Ichiran & Mister Donut: We returned to Shinjuku for Ichiran ramen, specifically at 5+pm. No crowds at all. Yummy! We then saw a Mister Donut, and recalled news in our home country that when it had its first opening in my country, people queued 5 hours for it. We thought to try it to see what the fuss was all about. Cash only, but the donuts were wonderfully textured and not too sweet. My wife doesn’t like sweet stuff, but mister donut really hit the sweet spot (no pun intended).
- Tokyo National Museum: We had a good time learning about Japan’s early history, and discovered that so much that we know of Japan resulted from Chinese/korean influence.
- Fabric town & Akihabara revisit, Ochonomizu: We decided that this was likely the right time to go back for items we missed out on or didn’t have time to see. My wife went to fabric town again while I went to Akihabara’s Yodaibashi camera, which I felt to be better and with more varied things than Bic Camera. I then went to nearby Ochanomizu to look at more music and sport shops. We met up again at Shinjuku for another Gyukatsu Don before heading to mister donuts again.
- Shinjuku Gyoen Garden: lovely large garden grounds. We spent almost an hour just lying under a tree and watching clouds float by. Wife was doing some rough sketches of the garden. We had mister donuts from last night for breakfast.
- Mori Museum: Saw the exhibition of Heatherwick studios, which was inspiring and educational. Paid for the rooftop access to have a quick view of Tokyo from 50-ish floors up.
- Ginza Wakamatsu: Because of one of the Uniqlo-ginza-exclusive t-shirts, my wife was curious about this traditional Japanese dessert. So we gave it a check and realised it’s been around for more than a century. There was a short line (mainly Japanese elderly). The shop interior transported us back decades. It felt surreal eating a dessert that the Japanese ate centuries ago. Unlike modern desserts, this Japanese dessert certainly doesn’t excite and overwhelm one’s taste buds immediately. But there’s an old charm to it.
- Shinjuku Okadaya fabric: Returned to Shinjuku as my wife wanted to check out another of their famous fabric stores. Prices were more expensive than fabric town, but had somewhat different items.
- Bus to Kawaguchiko: Packed light to Kawaguchiko, and forwarded our remaining luggage to our final hotel in Tamachi. The Shinjuku hotel staff were very helpful. I was merely inquiring on how luggage forwarding was done, but the staff picked up the phone, called my Tamachi hotel to confirm the booking, and prepared the documents for me. All I had to do was roll my luggage the next night to them and make payment. Took our 7:45am bus to Kawaguchiko and managed to catch a glimpse of Mount Fuji when we were on our way there!
- Cycling In Kawaguchiko: We lugged our bags to our ryokan and headed out again. My wife was quite hesitant about cycling overseas and I was also worried it’d tire her out too much. I debated between cycling or simply taking the sight-seeing bus. Eventually felt that it was worth trying to cycle. We unexpectedly walked by an e-bike place and decided, why not? Neither of us had tried an e-bike before and that could reduce the effort required for my wife. So we did and boy was it fun! It took a while to get used to the e-bike but it really reduced a lot of effort up the hills! I barely perspired at all thanks to the e-assist. Kawaguchiko had pretty narrow roads so it wasn’t the easiest to cycle. But I had plenty of road-cycling experience back at home so I was not daunted. We borrowed helmets from the e-bike place but saw that we were the only tourists that wore them. Yes, I'd recommend wearing helmets when cycling.
- Kubota Itchiku Art Museum: Cycled here knowing that this museum would interest my wife. It had a garden free for entry and it was really quaint, quiet, and charming! The pond had a singular vibrant-coloured Koi swimming in it. Museum entry requires tickets. On this trip, I realised that visiting museums tired me easily. It could be because I spent time reading each description. I told my wife to go ahead as I waited outside. She eventually took 45m in the museum and was so enthralled by it. She even bought a heavy hard-cover book of Itchiku Kubota’s kimono art :/
- Momiji Corridor: was just 50 meters away from the museum. Still beautiful with only green leaves, but I’d imagine it would be majestic in Autumn/Spring.
- Oishi Park: Many colourful flowers! It’s a pity that it had been cloudy the entire day, and Mt Fuji was not visible. That would have made the cycle perfect. Had a peach/plum ice-cream. Park was crowded with tourists.
Planning for Fuji Q & Morning Jog: I didn’t plan to go to Fuji-Q highland before the trip. Always felt it a bit of a waste to visit amusement parks overseas. That’s until I realised that Fuji Q had some of the most exciting (I mean world-record-holding) rollercoasters in the world. Maybe they don't hold the records anymore, but that intrigued me enough, because most amusement parks only had 1-2 coasters. Problem was that wife is terrified, and she said cycling on the streets of Kawaguchiko was already like a coaster ride for her. Still, I'm really thankful she encouraged me to go and said she was happy waiting and taking pictures for me. So I decided I would reach at opening time, and buy time by paying for the fast passes and try their top three coasters. The night before, we felt that we had to make decisions on our itinerary as it was our last day at Kawaguchiko. If Mt Fuji still wasn’t visible the next day, we'd go to Oshino Hakkai, if it was, we could try going to Shimoyoshida to get a nice picture.
- I went for a morning jog and as the path brought me along the river's perimeter, my jaw dropped when I saw Mount Fuji towering into view. I raced back to tell my wife (about 6am) and we both trekked up to a viewing spot to enjoy the view. This made it more urgent to not spend too much time at Fuji Q as we didn’t know how long Mt. Fuji would be visible for.
- Fuji-Q Highland: Was absolutely amazing. Yes, I blew a lot of cash here buying fast passes for the three available coasters. But they were some of the craziest coasters. Took Eejanaika, Fujiyama and Takabisha. Total time it took probably a little more than 1 hour with the express passes. It was so good, but so fast that I have little memory of it, except that there was a 90 degree climb to the top for Takabisha and I had a beautiful view of Mt. Fuji while climbing to the supposed world record of 79m for Fujiyama (this was 2 days before the news reported that Fujiyama got stuck in the middle of a ride and the people in the carts had to climb down :o). Had more time to take a few other rides, and enjoyed all the Naruto statues around for fun photo-taking. What I really enjoyed about the park was that it was mostly filled with Japanese tourists; in fact, there was a Japanese school having an outing there. It was nice to see excited students running about. If I could spend the day here, I'd take the three coasters multiple times to imprint the sensations in my head. But I'm still thankful I got to try some of the world's most thrilling coasters!
- Shomoyoshida Honcho St: This destination was simply to take the famous street view of Mount Fuji with Japanese shops lined in the foreground. It’s not easy to get to, and there was quite a walk. We noticed there weren’t much people around, and most shops were closed. But when we reached the destination, there were many tourists right at the particular traffic light. So much so there was a grumpy Japanese traffic police person managing the crowd. We saw the worst of tourists that day. People were disobeying traffic laws and just running in the middle of the road just to get a shot. We then chanced upon a hidden udon shop and it felt like we were transported back to the 50’s! It was super old school, people sat on raised platforms, and several elderly customers were watching the tele while eating. There was only one udon option available, with free cabbage top-ups. We learnt that the shop had been around for 73 years. We actually headed back to Fuji-Q Highlands to take a 4D 'plane ride' with Joe Hisashi music in the background. Since my wife actually wanted to ride something, I was happy to agree to her request. Ride was very ordinary but wife actually felt terrified at times lol. Rushed back to the hotel for a private onsen booking.
- Batting Cage: I had never played baseball/softball and my home country doesn’t have a baseball culture. Yet I had seen batting cages in Japanese drama and always wanted to try. Loved it! My technique was probably pretty bad! I did well at first but as I tried faster balls, I tired out and failed to hit any haha. Some teens beside me were knocking out 120km/h balls out of the park! We ended the day eating ramen outdoors with a view of Mount Fuji.
Woke up before sunrise for a run and to attempt to catch a sunrise picture of Mount Fuji. Streets were completely empty. Even ran to the famous Kawaguchiko Lawson for a picture. Headed back for an onsen bathe (note: we never used the room's shower, and always went for an onsen bath throughout our stay in Kawaguchiko as it was just too convenient). Took a 7am bus to return to Shinjuku.
- Kichijoji: Arrived at Kichijoji at about 10am. Wife really loved the vibes there. We tried the Tsukuba suisan fish cakes which were really tasty, and my wife was intrigued that a line had formed at the adjacent store named Ozasa. Apparently they sell traditional Japanese desserts and locals would go there as early as 5am to get a ticket. So we queued 15m and managed to get three boxes worth of the snacks! Tried the Amane Taiyaki fish-shaped bean paste snacks, another traditional dessert. It was a small lovely old shop.
- Ghibli Museum: Requires a long walk through Inokashira park. Ghibli was fantastic. Many people have been saying recently that it’s over-rated, and that it doesn’t cater to foreign crowds and most things are in Japanese. We similarly struggled with that at first. But we found out that if you asked the staff, they actually had English language exhibition booklets ready for every exhibition! That was a revelation. And we managed to understand almost all the exhibitions by asking the uniformed staff (except the short film, which had minimal dialogue anyway). I mentioned this to one foreign group and they were really grateful for that. But I saw that many other foreigners that probably came earlier were just bored or simply going crazy at the Ghibli shop. My wife bought the museum book (which also has English explanations of each exhibit), and we understood Miyazaki’s vision for the museum - to make it suitable for kids and adults, with no pre-determined route, allowing for play, exploration, to help people be inspired by the artists’ process. Through that, we saw that every thing in the museum was intentionally designed, all of the exhibitions, cafe, shop, and garden. Reading that helped me appreciate and enjoy the museum much more.
- Roaming Kichijoji and Some Time Jazz bar: My wife and I split up to roam kichijoji. I checked out some sports shops and saw that their prices were lower than Ochanomizu. We reconvened for dinner at Sometime Jazz bar. I’m picking up Jazz piano but had never been to a jazz bar. Booked it one day before, but was sad that our table position only allowed us to see some of the drummer and the pianist’s expression. Still, it was a very hip place for jazz cats and we had a wonderful time. We only sat through the first half of the performance that night. Note that there are seating charges, so that + dinner added up to quite a lot. But we rationalised that this was akin to paying for a performance. Checked into our hotel in Tamachi.
It was a crazy day where we simply hit the places we wanted to revisit regardless of proximity. Headed to Tokyo Skytree in the morning to check out another Ghibli store in hopes of getting another Ghibli shirt; reason was because I ended up buying one at the museum I really loved (made in Japan, beautiful colour, perfect fit. I hesitated at first because I couldn't try it). If you’re not going to the Ghibli museum, this is probably the best store available for Ghibli goods. Alas, the museum's items were really quite exclusive. Headed to Shinjuku to try curry udon, then to Kichijoji to try satou beef balls and dangos and to make some purchasing decisions on some sports equipment. Then we ended up at Shibuya (my favourite place!) to the mega Don Quijote and Tokyu Hands to shop for gifts for others. It was a lovely end to our trip!
Day 12 (Mon) - Back home
Best trip ever, says my wife.
Tips for travellers
- Spread out your itinerary: I originally planned to front-load all the must-see tourist stuff and leave the remaining days for shopping. But in May, Ghibli Museum was closed for two weeks so we had no choice but to schedule it at the end of the trip. That was a better arrangement. It felt that each day was distinctly different, and we could remember the highlight of each day. Also, be specific about where you want to go. Don’t simply put locations, e.g., Visit Harajuku, or visit Shibuya crossing.
- Plan your itinerary in consideration of weekend crowds: Places like Tsujiki market, Ghibli Museum, Fuji-Q Highlands and other stuff are likely going to be very crowded on weekends. If you want to shop in Harajuku or Shibuya, try to avoid weekends. I opted to put the cooking class and ‘less-exciting’ Museums on weekends.
- Carry more cash than you think you need: In my experience, the cash-to-card ratio was about 40:60. Considering that all metro card top-ups require cash, you'll need quite a bit of cash! Sometimes even bigger restaurants are cash only.
- Bring foldable tote bags, and use lockers where necessary: If you’re buying stuff, packing them in tote bags makes it easier to lug around. Bigger shops will charge you for bags. If you just arrived from one area with bags and are going to explore another, use the lockers. Most metro stations likely have lockers and they are really affordable and convenient.
- Travel light by planning to do laundry: I only brought four sets of clothing, and we did laundry every 3-4 days or so. It’s really convenient, about 200 yen per 30m wash, and another 200 yen for a 1h dry. It’s worthwhile to check if your hotel has coin laundry available.
- Buy discriminately: Many people say the kind of things available at places like Don Quijote or Uniqlo are mind-blowing. Fact is, most of them are made in China or elsewhere. About 95% of the items we saw in Daiso were made in China. In fact, many items in Kappabashi street were made in China. You’re more likely to get value for money by buying a made in Japan item. Sometimes the shop will highlight if a product is Japan made. But other times, you have to scrutinise the fine print. Learn to look out for these three words in Kanji: 日本製. This is where the camera function of Google translate is immensely helpful. This was not available or widely publicised when I last visited Japan years back in 2016, so use this tech to your advantage and scrutinise the fine print!
- Plan your toilet trips if possible: If you know you’re headed to low-rise areas like Tsujiki, Fabric town where it’s just shop after shop, it’s going to be hard to find a toilet. Make sure you relieve yourself beforehand at the train station. But if you still need to go, try to find a multi-storey building and chances are, there’ll be toilets available there.
- Avoid queuing for food by timing right: In general, I found that most popular food places that required queuing had queues mainly consisting of foreigners. I wonder if this is because of the reddit/youtube/google maps review effect (not a lot of Japanese review on Google I think). So if you have to queue, there's a good chance you're competing with other foreigners. Simply put, almost all food places open at 11am, so be there at 11, or have early dinner at 5pm and perhaps you may avoid the queuing.
- Scrutinise Google maps to figure out the different train types: for daily travel, there could be local, rapid, and express trains. Local trains stop at every station. Rapid skips a few, and express trains likely only stops at key location. They make a big difference to travel time, and to your comfort. When Google maps recommends a route, scrutinise the detail to ensure what kind of train they are recommending. It gets confusing at the station as the platforms on your left and right may end up at the same location, but one could be a local train and the other an express train.
- Learn just 2 essential phrases: It always felt weird for me to speak Japanese because I felt like a try-hard. But this time I did - just learn to say thank you in Japanese (arigato gozaimasu). The other essential word is - summimasen - excuse me/sorry. Useful for if you need to exit a crowded train, or if you need to get someone’s attention. We survived with just these two phrases. As our cooking teacher told us - it’s better to say something in Japanese than say nothing at all. For the rest, you can use Google translate app’s picture function.
- Other misc tips: as mentioned, bring trash bags. Some shops explicitly tell you not to walk around and eat their food. So the solution is to finish the snack in front of the shop, and say, “summimasen, can you help me to throw this trash?” That helped us avoid carrying trash around a lot. As a traveller, you’re gonna get a lot of carbs (my curry udon meal included a bowl of udon + a bowl of rice...) and fried food. To get more fiber, try the basements of shopping centres and get yourself some fruits. Also, if you exercise regularly like me, you'd be concerned about getting some exercise. I did pre-trip research on pools/gyms/parks to visit. But visited none of them. With what little hotel room space I had, I settled with a daily morning routine of 100 squats and 100 pushups. That and walking an average of 18k steps daily helped. I actually lost some weight somehow.
- Drinking culture in Japan: we saw quite a few drunk people in the streets. Some of them at the parks. I had never really seen drunkards much in my home country (it could be because I don’t stay out late). When we walked by a bar area with our cooking instructor at 10am, he told us some of the people in them had been there overnight. At Inokashira park, we saw a lady dressed in office wear face planted on the ground. Her friends tried to help carry here elsewhere but her entire body was limp and almost lifeless.
- The Japanese sleep late: when we arrived, we were still on the train to our hotel at 11:50pm. But the train was still packed with salarymen in suits and many others. In fact, it seemed the later it was, the more crowded the trains.
- Foreigner influx and how we stick out: there were way more foreigners this time than the last I visited Japan. I commented to my wife that I felt more immersed in Japan on the metro or at places like Tokyu hands as I could hear Japanese being spoken around me. But at tourist spots and some museums, I felt like I could have been in any other country. I tended to feel very uncomfortable when large groups of foreigners were around. I had to tell myself not to be hypocritical as I was a foreigner myself. But I suppose one reason is that there were many inconsiderate foreigners. Speaking loudly, making brash comments, and just not behaving like visitors. We saw a foreign couple locked in a head-to-toe embrace on a picnic mat in a park full of families. And they chose a spot right next to the footpath. Many foreigners also leave unkind Google reviews for places just because it’s not up to their expectations. I get it, we worked for our holiday and are paying customers, and there is often an innate tendency to feel entitled or complain when something isn’t up to our expectations. But I think it helps to remember that we are like visitors in someone’s home. Be self-aware, don’t speak loudly, note the traffic customs, where to stand on the escalators, how to behave etc.
- Japanese men have great hair: the Japanese men’s hairstyle feels frozen in time. I didn’t see the typical Korean-inspired center-parted hairstyles in Asian guys nowadays. And balding men were a small minority somehow. As someone whose hairline is slowly receding, I was envious to see many Japanese men have wavy long hair deep into their 60-70s! My wife commented that the women's hairstyles were more or less the same - dyed, curled etc. But the men were rocking so many styles!
- In-person shopping still matters: as the days went by and as my wife and I began to covet the "made-in-Japan" label, we realised that we hadn't done such shopping in years since online shopping became prevalent. I also recall people commenting that you could get these goods online anyway, so why bother shopping in Japan. Well, physical shopping makes comparison easy, it allows you to ask for recommendations, and enables you to know the items's size, feel, and look on you (if buying fashion items). It also makes discovery of new items possible. I'm not a huge shopper or a foodie, but in Japan, it's worth it to be one simply because the Japanese are thoughtful about their craft and tend to produce quality that's quite unmatched. I suppose it's a blessing in disguise that our honeymoon got delayed 3 years, as we are now well-aware of our post-wedding lifestyles and the items we'd need in the kitchen/around the house.
- Reading culture is strong: in a week when I read reports that leisure reading had declined in my home country, I was pleasantly surprised to see many people reading hard-copy books on the train, many of them even had personalised leather book covers. Kinokuniya was also teeming with life. As a bookworm, this is a great encouragement. And I wish English language books came in such compact sizes too, although I think that's due to the limitations of the language. As Japanese characters can be read vertically, that allows for more play on possible book sizes.
- No one culture is worth idealising: Japan remains my favourite country to visit as a tourist, but I've come to see that Japanese culture - like any other culture - has its flaws. That's simply because people are flawed. Yes, their service culture is impeccable, especially when you're served by middle-aged super helpful and super kind ladies. But on every Japanese trip so far, I've always had at least one unkind or impatient service encounter. On a day-to-day basis, people don't really apologise if they bump into you, and may not give up their seats for the elderly too. My cooking teacher says the Japanese are extremely polite in person but would rant and give very bad reviews anonymously at home. I've come to just enjoy their products, service, and their views of certain ways-of-life as a tourist, but stop short of idealising their culture. There are kind and unkind people in every culture. That said, I would still say on average, the Japanese may be more civic-minded than most. That doesn't mean they are innately kinder or warmer people, but simply that they are more self-aware of how their actions are perceived by others.
2023.05.30 03:42 Independent-Treat805 https://youtu.be/Id8l7ZpKNEI
God Bless Ukraine. I know it isn’t Saturday, but I’m trying to learn how to post. Not sure if it went through. I’ll try again Saturday. Have a nice even fellow country music lovers
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2023.05.30 02:23 JewishSpaceTrooper Southern Television broadcast interruption by an unknown galactic source
Did anybody hear about the TV broadcast interruption that happened in 1977 in Southern England? I’m absolutely astounded! It’s been called a hoax (of course) even though the cause of it was never found. According to Wiki (as there are scant other sources) On Saturday 26 November 1977, at 17:10 UTC, as ITN's Andrew Gardner presented a news summary where he reported on clashes in then-Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) between security forces and Zimbabwe African National Liberation Army, the TV picture wobbled slightly, followed by a deep buzz. In 1994 a Zimbabwean school in Ariel was visited with a similar The audio was replaced by a distorted voice delivering a message for almost six minutes.
A complete transcript of the message reads:
This is the voice of Vrillon, a representative of the Ashtar Galactic Command, speaking to you. For many years you have seen us as lights in the skies. We speak to you now in peace and wisdom as we have done to your brothers and sisters all over this, your planet Earth. We come to warn you of the destiny of your race and your world so that you may communicate to your fellow beings the course you must take to avoid the disaster which threatens your world, and the beings on our worlds around you. This is in order that you may share in the great awakening, as the planet passes into the New Age of Aquarius. The New Age can be a time of great peace and evolution for your race, but only if your rulers are made aware of the evil forces that can overshadow their judgments. Be still now and listen, for your chance may not come again. All your weapons of evil must be removed. The time for conflict is now past and the race of which you are a part may proceed to the higher stages of its evolution if you show yourselves worthy to do this. You have but a short time to learn to live together in peace and goodwill. Small groups all over the planet are learning this, and exist to pass on the light of the dawning New Age to you all. You are free to accept or reject their teachings, but only those who learn to live in peace will pass to the higher realms of spiritual evolution. Hear now the voice of Vrillon, a representative of the Ashtar Galactic Command, speaking to you. Be aware also that there are many false prophets and guides at present operating on your world. They will suck your energy from you – the energy you call money and will put it to evil ends and give you worthless dross in return. Your inner divine self will protect you from this. You must learn to be sensitive to the voice within that can tell you what is truth, and what is confusion, chaos and untruth. Learn to listen to the voice of truth which is within you and you will lead yourselves onto the path of evolution. This is our message to our dear friends. We have watched you growing for many years as you too have watched our lights in your skies. You know now that we are here, and that there are more beings on and around your Earth than your scientists admit. We are deeply concerned about you and your path towards the light and will do all we can to help you. Have no fear, seek only to know yourselves, and live in harmony with the ways of your planet Earth. We here at the Ashtar Galactic Command thank you for your attention. We are now leaving the planes of your existence. May you be blessed by the supreme love and truth of the cosmos.
Has anyone heard of this before? What a profound message!
submitted by JewishSpaceTrooper to spirituality [link] [comments]
A complete transcript of the message reads:
This is the voice of Vrillon, a representative of the Ashtar Galactic Command, speaking to you. For many years you have seen us as lights in the skies. We speak to you now in peace and wisdom as we have done to your brothers and sisters all over this, your planet Earth. We come to warn you of the destiny of your race and your world so that you may communicate to your fellow beings the course you must take to avoid the disaster which threatens your world, and the beings on our worlds around you. This is in order that you may share in the great awakening, as the planet passes into the New Age of Aquarius. The New Age can be a time of great peace and evolution for your race, but only if your rulers are made aware of the evil forces that can overshadow their judgments. Be still now and listen, for your chance may not come again. All your weapons of evil must be removed. The time for conflict is now past and the race of which you are a part may proceed to the higher stages of its evolution if you show yourselves worthy to do this. You have but a short time to learn to live together in peace and goodwill. Small groups all over the planet are learning this, and exist to pass on the light of the dawning New Age to you all. You are free to accept or reject their teachings, but only those who learn to live in peace will pass to the higher realms of spiritual evolution. Hear now the voice of Vrillon, a representative of the Ashtar Galactic Command, speaking to you. Be aware also that there are many false prophets and guides at present operating on your world. They will suck your energy from you – the energy you call money and will put it to evil ends and give you worthless dross in return. Your inner divine self will protect you from this. You must learn to be sensitive to the voice within that can tell you what is truth, and what is confusion, chaos and untruth. Learn to listen to the voice of truth which is within you and you will lead yourselves onto the path of evolution. This is our message to our dear friends. We have watched you growing for many years as you too have watched our lights in your skies. You know now that we are here, and that there are more beings on and around your Earth than your scientists admit. We are deeply concerned about you and your path towards the light and will do all we can to help you. Have no fear, seek only to know yourselves, and live in harmony with the ways of your planet Earth. We here at the Ashtar Galactic Command thank you for your attention. We are now leaving the planes of your existence. May you be blessed by the supreme love and truth of the cosmos.
Has anyone heard of this before? What a profound message!
2023.05.30 01:06 Mushbeeguy Please, all you pros out there!
I don't drive a truck. Sadly I have seen this before but this weekend it came home. Saturday in standing traffic on a flat freeway one of your peers apparently didn't see the mile or so line of stopped traffic in front of them and slammed into my wife's car at full speed. I had spent 20ish yrs driving cross country for my work, and I get it. Sometimes it's just boring. As a new widower all I ask is for you to get your sleep, take your breaks, and never forget it is somes life at stake every time you climb in the cab. God bless you all for bringing stuff to us, we could exist without you.
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2023.05.29 21:40 bimbo_wannabe_ [I Accidentally Joined The Mafia In South Brooklyn] Chapter 6: On The Organizational Habits of Unrested Spirits and The Taste of Demon's Blood, Part 2.
![[I Accidentally Joined The Mafia In South Brooklyn] Chapter 6: On The Organizational Habits of Unrested Spirits and The Taste of Demon's Blood, Part 2.](https://preview.redd.it/tg89nt4e7v2b1.jpg?width=640&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=4d6a9c29165458196f54ebd8cdd81d78f917d7d4 "[I Accidentally Joined The Mafia In South Brooklyn] Chapter 6: On The Organizational Habits of Unrested Spirits and The Taste of Demon's Blood, Part 2.") | Previous Part: https://www.reddit.com/redditserials/comments/13ux5om/i_accidentally_joined_the_mafia_in_south_brooklyn/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android_app&utm_name=androidcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button submitted by bimbo_wannabe_ to redditserials [link] [comments] My nerve wavered a little. "I don't really like the taste of blood, B." "It doesn't taste like blood. Everybody tastes something different. Rossi says it tastes like old wine, Jimmy tastes caramel and leather, and me? To me it… tastes like gunpowder, and the way diesel smells." I stared at the glass, then quickly tipped it into my mouth, took it down in two quick gulps, slid the mouth guard in place, at the same time sitting back against the sectional again as Becca snatched the glass from me. It burned when it touched my tongue, and for a moment I tasted rose water and cinnamon, and in the next second, I was gone. I've had a seizure once in my life, detoxing from heroin. The doctor said it was very rare, I was an unlucky fuck at best, but this? This was worse. You ever seen a video of a tetanus convulsion? How the back bends, only their head and feet are touching the ground? Well, that's exactly what happened the moment the burning settled in my stomach. My entire body locked down, it felt like my muscles themselves would break my bones. The pain overtook me and everything went black, but I soon realized I hadn't lost consciousness. No, I could see into the black. I was floating in it, naked. It was rolling like clouds of smoke, or a velvet curtain rippling in the breeze, and inside of the black, things were moving. They were just as black, slimy, slithering things. Arms and legs and spider fingers and… wings, wings like bats, but no… not just black, iridescent. I saw within them blue, purple, red. They came from the darkness and spread over me like oil. Their touch was cold, but me? The burning spread all over my body. I felt like I was on fire. I came back to the apartment a moment later, tried my best to tell my body to go with it while my muscles contracted and shook. It ended just as suddenly as it began. I felt weak, when it was over. My body hurt. I felt like I had been in a car crash. But oddly enough, some parts of me didn't hurt anymore. My limbs felt like lead as I removed the guard, but I found the strength to reach down and lift the leg of my pants. The old surgery scars on my knee were gone. The pain I had been living with for the last nineteen years was completely and suddenly absent. My arms shook as I let go of my pants leg. I couldn't find the strength to lower it back to my ankle. I touched my nose as gingerly as I could with my hand jerking. It still hurt just as badly as it had before, but the ring finger on my left hand? It was bending again. "Did it work?" I asked. Becca removed a few bits of ephemera from a mirrored tray on the coffee table, and raised it before my face. My skin was no longer swollen and bruised, my nose still bloody but no longer dripping. Beneath my fingers, the bone felt whole again. It wasn't the only thing that had changed. The creases in my forehead, the crow's feet at the corner of my eyes, the smile and frown lines around my mouth, they were all gone. My skin was as smooth as though I was a teenager again. My eyes were brighter, somehow. I had always gotten quite a lot of compliments on my green eyes, didn't think it was arrogant to recognize what others had told me, but they were different now, somehow paler yet deeper in color all at the same time. There was a new ring of yellow around the pupil that hadn't been there before. I felt with my tongue on the left side of my jaw. The molar was back, like it had never been gone. It was different, though. Still a flat chewing surface but the edges were sharp, sharp enough that I sliced the tip of my tongue running it across the surface. I tasted blood for a moment before the cut was suddenly whole again. I flexed my fingers experimentally, found the tremors were easing with every passing second and a flush was spreading across my body, both hot and cold all at once. Strength flooded my muscles, my mind was as clear as a bell, but despite all of that, I still felt a consuming weakness and exhaustion inside. I'd gotten stuck for two shifts at the grocery store once, then had a call out on the stock crew and had stayed for four hours to help them. I had worked a total of twenty hours that day, and this… felt exactly like that, exhausted and as wired as a methhead on a three day bender all at the same time. Simultaneously bone-tired and hurting but feeling like I was bulletproof. Becca was watching me with a sad grin. "Hell of a ride, huh?" I jerked my head in a nod, found I had to adjust the amount of force I put behind it because I was moving quicker than I had before. "You know, I can see why Jimmy likes it… and Rocco doesn't." "Rossi, well, how do I put this? He likes to stay in control, but he isn't a control freak. He barely even drinks… but Jimmy… he's less concerned about controlling himself and more concerned about controlling everyone else." Becca stood then, removed some alcohol wipes and a tourniquet from the tackle box, turning on the blood warmer. She hooked the first of the bags to the IV line and sat again, opening the wipe but not removing it yet. She tied the tourniquet around her arm, or, tried to. She was struggling with it. "You need some help with that?" She looked at me for a moment before she nodded. "Yeah, actually." I took the tourniquet from her, moving before her and sitting on the coffee table. "You know, as many years as I've been doing this, I still suck at it. Can't find a fucking vein for a goddamned hour at a time, blow them out everytime I turn around." I made a sound of acknowledgment as I tied the tourniquet tight around her arm. I felt with my fingers, but wasn't having much luck. A slap with the back of my hand in the dip of her elbow didn't do much more to distend the veins. The back of her hand was equally lacking in usable veins. "There's one thing about it, kid, you would have made a terrible junkie, you got shit for veins." She made a sound of frustration and tried to pull her arm away from me. "See, I told you." "Uh-uh, hold on. You can launder money in your sleep, but me? I can find a vein with my eyes closed." I felt farther up onto her forearm, then tried the back of it. I finally had luck, pressed the vein a few times to get it to stand up farther. "See, you got a good one right there." I wiped over it with the alcohol, grabbed the hypodermic and glanced up to her face. She had her eyes squeezed shut. "On three." She nodded, and I counted down, slid the needle in, then pressed the snap to leave only the cannula inside the vein, taped it down, then removed the tourniquet. "All done." I opened the tubing to allow the blood to start traveling down, and adjusted the flow regulator just a bit. "Voila." She stared at me for a long moment. "You're really good at that. You ever considered going to school? You'd make a hell of a phlebotomist." I snorted lightly. "I can see all kind of doctors in my future just itching to hire a felon into their office." "You could go work with Farid down at the free clinic. He runs the place, you know Muslims love doing charity work. They don't pay amazing, nonprofit and all, but he honestly don't give a shit who works there as long as you know what you're doing." I hummed quietly. As I watched, the color drained from her face, going from white, straight to gray. She winced, and sat back against the couch stiffly. "It hurts when it goes in the vein?" I asked the obvious. She nodded. "Burns like I shot up acid. Never gets any easier, but at least I don't get an in-game tutorial on a Grand Mal seizure, so… small blessings." "You want a drink or something, B? A snack?" She laughed weakly. "Yeah. Give me a water and some oreos. They're in the cabinet over the stove." I followed her directions and brought the bottle of water and a saucer of the cookies to her. She pulled one knee up, her bare foot balanced on the edge of the couch cushion and set the saucer on her other thigh. "Can I ask you something, Tony?" "Shoot, B." She stayed silent for a long moment. "You know, I don't want you to think I'm hitting on you but… would you… hold me?" I laughed quietly and sat down beside her, looping my arm around her shoulders and tucking her in close to my side. I laid her head against my shoulder, tucked under my jaw, and looped my other arm around the front of her shoulders, smoothing my hand over her hair. She wiggled against me just a bit, getting comfortable. "No worries at all, B. I mean, I guess you and me are literally famiglia now. And no offense, you're a good looking kid but… other than the fact you're too young for me, and you're my best friend's girl, you're not exactly my type." She snorted. "Let me guess, the gentleman prefers blondes and older women." That gave me a bit of a chuckle. "I gotta say, you got me pegged again, B." I smoothed my hand over her hair, and began humming softly and rocking gently. "No, Non Si Speri," she said, quietly. "That's funny, that's Ma's favorite song." I laughed. Goddamned patterns… "Mine, too, Miss Rebecca, mine, too." She tried her best to relax against me, but I could feel every time she stiffened and winced. Time to distract her again. "So, uh, that night, Antoni came in late, and asked you out… start from there." She adjusted her body against mine again. "Yeah, uh… he asked me if I was seeing anyone, and I asked him why he wanted to know, and he told me he didn't want to step on anyone's toes… so I told him he should be worried about stepping on my toes, cause he was talking to the Boss of me. And he laughed, and asked me if I could ask the Boss about the girl who worked the register, if she would be interested in having dinner and seeing a movie. It kind of caught me off guard. I had been fantasizing about that exact thing happening but I was scared. I told him if he was just fucking with me I'd have to ban him from the store, permanently. But he said no, he was serious… so I told him that we'd go out that Saturday to see this horror movie that had just come out and he could pick where we ate, cause I'd eat most anything, just not to take me anywhere fancy, cause I only dress up for Mass and his ass wasn't better than God." "You probably should have kept that bit to yourself, B. Bet you sealed the deal for him right then and there. He'd found his girl and she was already a Catholic, didn't even have to get her to convert." "So we… went out the next night. I worked the morning shift so I could have the night off, and I had Antoni meet me on the platform so there'd be less chance of somebody seeing. All that day at work, I started to get more and more worried. The motherfucker was literally two feet taller than me, down to the inch, but I figured that put me at a good height to suckerpunch him in his balls if he stepped out of line. I ain't exactly a slouch when it comes to self defense but when I met him that night I took my steel telescoping baton with me, just in case. I didn't have to worry. He never laid a hand on me, not once, till I touched him that way first, even if it was as simple as holding my hand, or putting his arm around me. "I mean, the man should be up for canonization… he had patience like a fucking Saint. That… that picture, on my phone, that was the first time I ever kissed him. Six weeks I made him wait. Six weeks and him taking me out every Saturday like clock work, but he never said a word, never made a pass, just waited for me." I could hear tears feathering into her voice again. "That day, I made him call off work so we could spend the day at Coney Island. Made him spend two hundred damned dollars on the fairway to win me this giant blue bear, and he lugged it around the rest of the day with this stupid grin on his face, carried it home on the fucking train. Six weeks, and me spending almost every night in his bed…" "So you two slept together before you ever 'slept together'?" I could feel her nod, more than see it. "At first, I just wanted to give him a hard time… you know, see just how much patience he really had… but, I felt safe with him, Tony, sleeping beside him was the safest I'd ever felt in my life. I didn't want to give up that feeling. If I had known how it would all end up, I wouldn't have made either of us wait that long… but… that day, right before we left, we went on the Wonder Wheel and… the fucking engine blew. There was this loud ass boom and this big ass cloud of smoke. I thought it was a fucking bomb, to be honest. We were stuck up there at the top for four solid hours while they tried to fix the engine, and when they finally gave up and called the fire department, we had to wait for a ladder truck to get there. So after the first thirty minutes had passed, I asked him if he wanted to make out, and he grinned at me and said… Absolutely." She sniffed back her tears, cleared her throat and I tucked her tiny body closer against my side. "You know, he took that picture to send to his brother. He hadn't brought his phone, so he used mine. Said Igor had been riding his ass the whole time about how I was stringing him along for the past six weeks and he was stupid enough to let me. And after that, I got a little handsy, to be honest. It was like the old saying goes, there was some Roman Hands and Russian Fingers that day. I had to put his hands where I wanted them myself, but uh… he didn't need a lot of instruction after that point. The assholes in the booth behind us kept whooping and hollering, they knew exactly what was going on but… I didn't really give a fuck. I just wanted to get a nut and give him one, too, and we had hours to kill. "We fooled around for a few more days after that, you know, exchanged some, uh, oral instruction, if you will, but… I-I was scared to death. I didn't want to admit I'd never been with a man before, so the night I decided to go all the way, I goaded Ciech into a drinking game. Drank his ass under the table, but… Antoni, that stupid fucker… he told me no. Said I was perfectly welcome to spend another night in his bed, but if I wanted more than that, then I had to come to him sober. I was so embarrassed I cussed him like a dog, in every language I knew and he just… sat there through the whole thing, never even looked up from his book, just… asked me if I was done acting like a spoiled child. So then, I started crying cause I was so angry. And then the stupid fucker told me, 'You shouldn't cry like that, it's embarassing." I snorted. "Yeah, he was a bitch about that, wasn't he? Little bit of toxic masculinity to spice things up, eh?" "So then I was doubly pissed, and I didn't talk to him for three days." She sighed. "Most miserable three days of my life. I couldn't eat, I couldn't sleep, it was like… every cell in my body was calling for him. I finally broke down, and begged him not to say no again… and he didn't. And, Jesus Christ, I wanted it every day after that, sometimes twice a day and… he never told me no again. It took a little while to get comfortable for the two of us, but eventually we started to share some of our proclivities with each other. "Turned out he was a sadomasochist, just like me, so we uh, added some new activities in. We both got a kick out of the fact he could throw me around like a rag doll and fold me up like a pretzel, but, personally, I think he got a bigger kick out of the fact my little ass could actually hurt him if I really wanted to… and sometimes I wanted to. I'd have a bad day at work or school, and come home and take it out on him… and he loved every second of it." She sighed again. "But uh, that shit, it got us both in trouble. One night in early November, I had gotten a little rough with him. He had, you know, bruises and scratch marks and bite marks all over him. And the next day when he went to work, the heating system fucked up. It was running on high, no matter how low they put it… Antoni told me he was getting so hot his head was hurting. His Dad was up front on the counter and Toni was back there where none of the customers could see, so he thought he was safe and took his shirt off, but… his Dad came back to ask him something. "You know, I guess from the outside looking in, it kind of looked like Antoni'd gotten a hold of somebody that didn't wanna be gotten a hold of, and apparently his Dad has very strongly held convictions when it comes to rape. So he uh… jerked Antoni's ass up, pinned him against the wall and asked him what in the hell he had done. And Antoni told me he was so damned scared that all he could think to say was, 'Don't worry, it was consensual.'" I winced. "Ohhh… that is…" "Yeah, not good. So then he got his ass jumped for getting, uh, 'friendly' with somebody but not having brought me there to introduce me to the family… but, apparently he had already been planning on taking me over to Greenpoint, cause a couple of weeks before he had asked me for my measurements. Hell, I figured he wanted to buy me a catsuit to go along with the damned Dominatrix boots he bought me. He used to want me to stand on his chest, step on his hands..." "The boot worship comment makes a lot more sense now," I muttered. "What?" "I said continue your story." I raised my voice back to speaking. She sat in silence for another minute. I could practically hear her frowning, but in the end she didn't push it. "Anyway… I'd told the stupid fucker not to buy me a dress, and what did he do? Bought me a dress to meet his family in. But when I saw it, I didn't even care. It was beautiful, all these colorful, gorgeous embroidered flowers all over the skirt. There was like this flower crown that went with it, with all these ribbons hanging down. The family dinner he was planning to take me to was an informal Polish Independence Day celebration, you know, not the whole neighborhood, just the people they knew. And the dress was traditional Polish clothing. I felt so goddamned out of place wearing that thing, everybody on the train kept staring, but he was wearing funny clothes too, and this stupid little hat, so it wasn't so bad. He made me wear the damned boots with the dress, though." Laughter burst out of me. "And you know, his Dad's eyes got kind of big when he first saw me." "Probably trying to figure out how you'd torn his son's ass up so bad with as tiny as you are." "But they were nice to me, his parents and his cousins. Everybody was nice to me. And it wasn't long after that, about a month, that he asked me to marry him. I guess he was nervous too, and he got drunk hisself, and then I told him no, cause I'm a spiteful bitch. Said he was perfectly welcome to have me in his bed another night but if he wanted more, he had to come to me sober… and then I asked him where the hell the ring was, and he said he wasn't going to buy a ring if I wasn't going to say yes, and I told him I wasn't going to say yes unless I had a ring. But apparently he had bought a ring, and given it to his mother to keep." She held her left hand up to show me. It was a 3 carat Princess cut diamond with a ring of smaller diamonds around it. "It's a brand of lab grown diamonds, Mivoleti." She said quietly. "Mi vole ti, 'I want you,' in Italian. Odd that." "Yeah," she answered. "And now I can't even wear it, nobody knew we were together but his family. Come to think of it, I got no idea how I'm gonna tell Pops I'm pregnant, but, I guess at least he can't threaten to kill Antoni for deflowering his daughter, seeing as he's already dead and all." I shook my head, squeezed her tight and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "It's gonna be alright, Becca." I had no idea how it was going to be alright, but I had to say something. "Looks like it's time to switch bags." We finished the transfusion some time after that. I removed the IV but didn't bother with the gauze or tape. The hole in Becca's arm sealed shut almost immediately after I pulled the cannula from the vein. We slept. I don't remember falling asleep, but when I opened my eyes it was dark outside and the apartment was getting cold again. I tried not to wake Becca, but it was a pointless effort. She watched me bleary-eyed while I filled the heater with Kerosene again and relit it. "What time is it?" I asked in a sleep-gravelled voice. She turned her phone on and glanced at the screen. "It's 8:05. You got about two hours till you go get Ma. Go get something to wear while I wash that suit, and take a quick hot shower so you don't freeze to death." |
2023.05.29 14:14 Snowstep- [Online][5e][GMT/EST] Seeking players for a group of 4 to 6; homebrew setting, Saturdays, weekly, RP Heavy. 1-5 PM EST // 6-10 PM GMT (warning: wall of text inside)
Hello friends,
This subreddit is basically a second home for me at this point, with how many amazing people I've met and fantastic games I've played through here. I'm currently on a bit of a hiatus with games and have some free time, and the itch to scratch - so I'm back!
So, onto the specifics - I'm looking for to-be members of a 4 to 6 person group to play on Saturdays, times being roughly 1-5 PM EST // 6 - 10 PM GMT, to be played once a week. We are going to play via Roll20, using Discord for voice/video.
Please keep in mind that no prior experience with tabletops, or 5e Dungeons and Dragons in particular is required to apply.
However, I ask you to be 18+, specifically due to a few possible touchy subjects mentioned below, that might(and more than likely will) partake in the game. Sorry!
Game is run in the homebrew world of Atheria, consisting of multiple continents, major factions, countries, lands - whatever you want to call them - which, as a setting, uses very little to no homebrew rules - likely only a couple, which are to be discussed with the joining players. Races and classes available are everything officially released by WotC up until this point. Rest is case-by-case approval by me. As this is a frequently asked question, I usually tend to be against homebrew races or classes, unless your backing is flawless. Keep that in mind, please.
What you can expect is:
As for me personally, I'm quite patient, inclusive, easy-going, open, new player-friendly, albeit not the most "mechanical" GM, but one that knows how to make a game fun for their players; not always following the rulebook, because FUN > RULES. I don't mind min-maxers and powerplayers, but it is not the focus of the game here. 28M, decent at jokes; dedicated to make the game fun; always willing to work with players (POSSIBLY YOU) to improve the overall experience for everyone involved. Have about 8 years of experience at this point, with some of it being with things like Shadowrun 5e, Burning Wheel, 5e DnD, WH Rogue Trader, Mouseguard, bit of Pathfinder, Call of Cthulhu, Legend of Five Rings, and a few others.
If you've read so far and would like to apply, please understand - this is NOT First Come First Serve. It will be an application-and-interview based system, where the most interesting applicants will be taken for a short voice/video interview; and based on those, final decision on the joining players will be made.
If you've read through everything, and would like to apply, feel free to proceed with a PM/chat using the form below.
submitted by Snowstep- to lfg [link] [comments]
This subreddit is basically a second home for me at this point, with how many amazing people I've met and fantastic games I've played through here. I'm currently on a bit of a hiatus with games and have some free time, and the itch to scratch - so I'm back!
So, onto the specifics - I'm looking for to-be members of a 4 to 6 person group to play on Saturdays, times being roughly 1-5 PM EST // 6 - 10 PM GMT, to be played once a week. We are going to play via Roll20, using Discord for voice/video.
Please keep in mind that no prior experience with tabletops, or 5e Dungeons and Dragons in particular is required to apply.
However, I ask you to be 18+, specifically due to a few possible touchy subjects mentioned below, that might(and more than likely will) partake in the game. Sorry!
Game is run in the homebrew world of Atheria, consisting of multiple continents, major factions, countries, lands - whatever you want to call them - which, as a setting, uses very little to no homebrew rules - likely only a couple, which are to be discussed with the joining players. Races and classes available are everything officially released by WotC up until this point. Rest is case-by-case approval by me. As this is a frequently asked question, I usually tend to be against homebrew races or classes, unless your backing is flawless. Keep that in mind, please.
What you can expect is:
- Roleplay heavy (around 70/30), NPC- and player-interaction focused gameplay with tons of dialogue, puzzles, little quests in a setup, where combat is done meaningfully and not just to get EXP - therefore is more rare, however quite a bit harder and more satisfying to overcome
- Living world that doesn't wait for you to make a decision and go for it, but rather evolves around
- Complete sandbox with very little-to-no railroading
- Medieval setting with several continents, trading routes, major NPCs, and a "reality" feeling - racism, sexism, raids, assassinations and such things will take part in the game, when necessary and when it makes sense.
- Very little use of Roll20 besides CharSheets and Maps and such - mostly going by Theatre of the Mind
- Rule of Cool / Let it Ride
- Non-generic NPCs that can have stats, are not taken out straight from the handbook/manual; thus making interaction/combat more interesting
- Answer for pretty much any question you might have for lore, places, NPC or anything about the world
- Most of the time - a serious environment. We will have our dad jokes, laughs and drinking contests here and there, but I will expect everybody to be focused and serious when it is needed.
- No metagaming
- A storytelling experience where your characters are not the "center of the universe", but rather a part of it - you might not be heroes from get-go, but you can earn it with hard work & dedication. A world, where characters aren't treated as friends/heroes/enemies right away, slipping in more reality and a generally more realistic approach to things
- A (fully) prepared world for 1-20 campaign that can go on for a long time, with right players and the commitment
- Believe in communication. - I can't stress this enough. So many games break down due to lack of communication between players, or players and the DM. I am your friend, not your foe. Other players are here to be a part of a story together. I'm here to help you weave it. Please understand this.
- Be considerate. - You're not alone at the table. You will have your moments. Everybody else will, too. And sometimes the party itself, as a group, will be in the spotlight. It's a group game, first and foremost, and will be treated as such. No single person's interest will be held higher than somebody else's or group's at any given moment.
- Will to Roleplay. - You might have a "duh" after you read this, but I suggest you re-read it. We're here to practically bring a character to life. Your ability to roleplay or you coming up with voices doesn't concern me - however, I want to play with people that want to, even for a few hours a week, immerse themselves in another world, life, action - you name it.
- Be respectful. - This isn't the same as being considerate. Everybody else at the table are here for a good time. You're not obligated to show up if you don't want to, or can't. If you're feeling down, had a fight with your SO, your cat is sick, your kid is crying, had a bad day at work, etc - skip it! Send a message to the group, or at the very least to a single person out of it, and let them know. If you want to talk about things - reach out. If not, and you need a distraction from IRL shit - sure! But let us know. We can't read minds (well, mostly.)
- Be engaged. - Obviously, it is up to me, partially, as the DM, to provide this, but if you're disinterested, if you'd rather be doing something else, watch a movie, play videogames, etc - please, feel free! I encourage you to do so. Don't do this at expense of others' time or fun, though. Please.
As for me personally, I'm quite patient, inclusive, easy-going, open, new player-friendly, albeit not the most "mechanical" GM, but one that knows how to make a game fun for their players; not always following the rulebook, because FUN > RULES. I don't mind min-maxers and powerplayers, but it is not the focus of the game here. 28M, decent at jokes; dedicated to make the game fun; always willing to work with players (POSSIBLY YOU) to improve the overall experience for everyone involved. Have about 8 years of experience at this point, with some of it being with things like Shadowrun 5e, Burning Wheel, 5e DnD, WH Rogue Trader, Mouseguard, bit of Pathfinder, Call of Cthulhu, Legend of Five Rings, and a few others.
If you've read so far and would like to apply, please understand - this is NOT First Come First Serve. It will be an application-and-interview based system, where the most interesting applicants will be taken for a short voice/video interview; and based on those, final decision on the joining players will be made.
If you've read through everything, and would like to apply, feel free to proceed with a PM/chat using the form below.
- General info about yourself, including age, preferred pronouns, your whereabouts
- Your previous experience with DnD and tabletops in general.
- Describe yourself, using only 5 adjectives.
- What is it that you are looking for in a game of DnD?
- A very short introduction to what you would like to play - this can be as basic as "what kind of a character" or as in-depth as "class, race, alignment" thing. Please do not include any backstory - it would be a waste of time, both yours and mine. Those will come into play later.
- Your discord name
- Are you comfortable with using a webcam during gameplay?
- Feel free to add anything you think is necessary.
- Feel free to ask anything as well if you have any questions.
2023.05.29 13:47 arinceo Weekend MTGO Events (Qualifier + Challenges) - May 27th/28th, 2023
Saturday Qualifier
The MTGO website pages order the decklists by Swiss standings - the Top 8 decklists are reordered in these posts to reflect the final standings following the Top bracket 8 results.MOM: Aftermath cards marked next to decks
Full Results: https://www.mtgo.com/en/mtgo/decklist/pioneer-qualifier-2023-05-2712552611
- Abzan Greasefang: trollasceticftw
- Mono-White Humans: winna06 - Coppercoat Vanguard
- Azorius Control: Seasoned_Pyromancer
- Mono-Blue Spirits: Diceshake
- Abzan Greasefang: Satay
- Green Devotion: yashimoro
- Rakdos Sacrifice: Brittney
- Green Devotion: Magggnius
- Rakdos Sacrifice: Shadowz2005
- Abzan Greasefang: nickdebe
- Rakdos Midrange: burnt_taco77
- Green Devotion: MarcoIa
- Rakdos Midrange: manohito
- Izzet Turns: RemiFortier
- Rakdos Midrange: Graciasportanto
- Rakdos Midrange: Arianne
Decks Using MOM Cards:
- [[Chandra, Hope's Beacon]] Izzet Turns
- [[Furnace Reins]] Rakdos Sacrifice, Rakdos Sacrifice
- [[Invasion of Gobakhan]] Mono-White Humans
- [[Knight-Errant of Eos]] Mono-White Humans
- [[Polukranos Reborn]] Green Devotion, Green Devotion
- [[Seed of Hope]] Abzan Greasefang
- [[Wrenn and Realmbreaker]] Green Devotion
Saturday Challenge
Full Results: https://www.mtgo.com/en/mtgo/decklist/pioneer-challenge-2023-05-2712552644- Lotus Field Combo: Sunbird17
- Sultai Rona Combo: mattn
- Elves: XboxGreg
- Green Devotion: Mitchellsocks
- Omnath to Light: bennybo
- Boros Convoke Aggro: KelMasterP
- Lotus Field Combo: GinkoHS
- Azorius Spirits: ThaisM
- Boros Convoke Aggro: TheNutLo
- Abzan Greasefang: canepis16
- Izzet Creativity: tbrantl99
- Mono-White Humans: Boin - Coppercoat Vanguard
- Green Devotion: OxyWithMoxy
- Azorius Spirits: Capriccioso
- Angels: MarcioMatthew - Sigarda, Font of Blessings
- Green Devotion: Calliann
- Azorius Control: cspickle
- Mono-White Humans: AmazingtheMonkey - Coppercoat Vanguard
- Mono-Blue Spirits: samwise88
- Keruga Fires: kyon1024
- Green Devotion: SouthwestChicknSalad
- Abzan Greasefang: nickdebe
- Izzet Creativity: Tree42o
- Rakdos Midrange: cftsoc3
- Green Devotion: ethoda16
- 5c Atraxa Transmogrify: LordEgg
- Boros Convoke Aggro: Oscar_Franco
- Orzhov Humans: jakers1016 - Coppercoat Vanguard
- Azorius Control: HomerJay
- Rakdos Midrange: Pururin
- Rakdos Midrange: Belenus
- Mono-Red Aggro: ShowTime_
Decks Using MOM Cards
- [[Chandra, Hope's Beacon]] Lotus Field Combo, Lotus Field Combo, Izzet Creativity
- [[Chrome Host Seedshark]] Omnath to Light, Azorius Control
- [[Heliod, the Radiant Dawn]] Keruga Fires
- [[Invasion of Alara]] 5c Atraxa Transmogrify
- [[Invasion of Gobakhan]] Boros Convoke Aggro, Boros Convoke Aggro, Mono-White Humans, Boros Convoke Aggro
- [[Invasion of Ixalan]] Green Devotion, Green Devotion, Green Devotion
- [[Invasion of Tolvada]] 5c Atraxa Transmogrify
- [[Knight-Errant of Eos]] Boros Convoke Aggro, Boros Convoke Aggro, Mono-White Humans, Boros Convoke Aggro, Orzhov Humans
- [[Pile On]] Elves
- [[Polukranos Reborn]] Green Devotion, Green Devotion, Green Devotion, Green Devotion, Green Devotion
- [[Rona, Herald of Invasion]] Sultai Rona Combo
- [[Sunfall]] Lotus Field Combo, Azorius Control, Azorius Control
- [[Tribute to the World Tree]] Green Devotion
- [[Volcanic Spite]] Izzet Creativity, Izzet Creativity
Sunday Pioneer Challenge
Full Results: https://www.mtgo.com/en/mtgo/decklist/pioneer-challenge-2023-05-2812552650- Rakdos Midrange: Diem4x
- Green Devotion: fininho10
- 4c Elementals: Oscar_Franco - Nissa, Resurgent Animist
- Boros Convoke Aggro: RogeDeckWins
- Azorius Spirits: Keepa
- Rakdos Sacrifice: Brittney
- Azorius Control: OneModel
- Abzan Greasefang: Gamestore_Linz
- Green Devotion: Aelyck
- Goblins: Imoutogetyou
- Bant Spirits: remf
- Jeskai Helix Combo: Tiemuuu
- Izzet Phoenix: TSPJendrek
- Lotus Field Combo: Raest
- Rakdos Midrange: AisyaKodante
- Omnath to Light: Laplasjan
- Lotus Field Combo: AndyV
- Azorius Control: crazeejakee07
- Izzet Creativity: Babybop
- Lotus Field Combo: matsumatsu
- Rakdos Sacrifice: scoutscodemfko
- Mono-White Humans: xxlmmd22 - Coppercoat Vanguard
- Abzan Greasefang: petomartinez
- Orzhov Humans: ura_frst - Coppercoat Vanguard
- Green Devotion: moviemaker
- Boros Mettle: Theagent002
- Azorius Control: RagingMachismo
- Boros Convoke Aggro: D00mwake
- Green Devotion: Dreddybajs
- Green Devotion: Squirtle19
- Azorius Spirits: ThaisM
- Rakdos Sacrifice: teyi - Ob Nixilis, Captive Kingpin
Spice Corner
- 4c Elementals: Oscar_Franco
- Boros Mettle: Theagent002 Decks Using MOM Cards
- [[Chandra, Hope's Beacon]] Lotus Field Combo, Lotus Field Combo, Lotus Field Combo
- [[Chrome Host Seedshark]] Omnath to Light
- [[Elspeth's Smite]] Azorius Control
- [[Furnace Reins]] Rakdos Sacrifice, Rakdos Sacrifice, Rakdos Sacrifice
- [[Invasion of Gobakhan]] Boros Convoke Aggro, Mono-White Humans, Boros Convoke Aggro
- [[Invasion of Ixalan]] Green Devotion, Green Devotion
- [[Invasion of New Phyrexia]] Azorius Control
- [[Knight-Errant of Eos]] Boros Convoke Aggro, Boros Convoke Aggro
- [[Polukranos Reborn]] Green Devotion, Green Devotion, Green Devotion, Green Devotion, Green Devotion
- [[Rona, Herald of Invasion]] Jeskai Helix Combo
- [[Vorinclex]] Green Devotion
Check out my Season Data Spreadsheet, which contains Top 32/16/8 data for all MOM season MTGO Challenges . Maybe your pet deck had an off day this time around and has been doing well, or maybe it's completely off meta, but one event in isolation doesn't determine a deck's status.
2023.05.29 13:09 kukusek Loan report 29.05. 22-23 Summary. Not yet championship edition.
Okaaay, so we're still shaking after the game, and already shaking before next season. Time to wrap things up.
Let's start with the Ladies team, they finished 6th and deserve some recognition. I don't follow WSL much, so i'll help myself with BBC Sport Emma Sanders quote:
"Their form dipped in the final few months and they still lack consistency but given they were fighting relegation last year, this can be viewed as a very successful campaign and they have solid foundations to build on. "
Also worth noting, our Women's team played their last game away at City, were losing 3:0 but still managed to scare them by going 3:2, knowing these 3 points don't matter to our place in the table. Their lost their last game of the season but put up a fair fight.
U18:
First full season under Leighton Baines ended at 4th place in the Under-18 Premier League North.
“For our lads, the development comes before the winning,” he said. “The winning still has to matter because they’re getting older and closer to the real game. We create that environment on a Saturday as balanced as we can. We work on certain things during the week and we’re willing to practise them on the weekend, even if it may be to a detriment of the potential outcome.
“At the same time, the kids play football, and they want to win. We’re not trying to create an overly sanitised environment where they don’t know how to win and where they don’t know how to play under pressure. We find a balance of those two things. What I’ve been blessed with this year, is that the lads have built a really strong bond and team spirit. I think that’s been reflected in some of those comeback performances and the ability to dig in." - Leighton words on his first coaching season.
https://www.evertonfc.com/news/3340734/baines-reflects-on-impressive-maiden-year-as-a-coach
Since last report - Two draws against MU, draw against Newcastle, and a home win vs Stoke.
U19:
Also our u19 team played at Nawi Mumbai PL Next gen cup last two weeks, in which their ended third in their group and lost their playoff game to go further. Some games were played in 37'C heat.
U21:
Youngsters finished eight in the PL2 _ Division 1. What is more impressive, they managed to get to quarterfinals in the PL International Cup, beaten by the final winners PSV Eindhoven U21, and to 1/16 in both PL Cup and EFL Trophy(beaten by Senior Lincoln team). That was first Paul Tait season as U21 coach. Results went downwards after the january transfer window, when Tom Cannon went on loan, and Joe Anderson and Seb Quirk joined Sunderland and Accrington Stanley on permament transfers. Some words from the coach:
“It gave the boys a lot of confidence they could go on and play men’s football,” he explained. “The likes of Tom Cannon, Joe Anderson and Seb Quirk all got good moves
“Tom played against these experienced players in the Papa John’s and then went on to have a really successful loan spell at Preston North End.”
“It was a huge transition between January and March," he added. "Players went out and we needed replacements, but I felt we found our feet again towards the end of the season.
“It’s not easy for some of the Under-18s transitioning through. They can find the jump hard, but they’ve done well. We’ve had lads like Owen Barker, Halid Djankpata and Roman Dixon coming through and impressing.
“Roman joined us in the past few weeks and knows the level that is required now. It’s important for these players to experience it. Ishe Samuels-Smith has been with us since the start and has been brilliant, as have Katia Kouyate and Francis Okoronkwo.”
Since last loan report: Win and loss against Leicester, and Loss away vs Arsenal.
Loanees:
João Virgínia (SC Cambuur) - Last time on the bench - 21.04 - since then probably they were sure of the relegation and preferred their own players. Joao last game played was 21.01 and it was a bad one. Then he was benched, and changing of manager didn't help him either. Even when new first choice keeper made multiple blunders, manager kept with him. Contracted till 2024
Andre Gomes (Lille OSC) - He found his place and a manager that uses him well. Lille sits 4th which grants them Europe league, with one round to play next week. They have to win with already relegated Troyes, otherwise they might fall even to 6th. Andre Played 5 matches from the 7 Lille played since last report - 3 wins and 2 draw. One loss and win without Andre. To end it on a happy note, here are some highlights, with two goals as beautiful as Andre is. Recommended ! Contracted till 2024
https://youtu.be/MQMj43reBmM - Andre bangers!
Jarrad Branthwaite (PSV Eindhoven) - He's the hope for us, won the Cup, and ended second with PSV Eindhoven. After a rough start he became a natural starter. PSV would love to keep him, but they would have to break all the banks in Netherland. Contracted till 2025
Since last report: 7 games, all with Jarrad. 6 wins, 1 draw against Heerenveen, PSV last home game(That wasn't a great game by Jarrad, but that happens).
https://youtu.be/g3hrvYMxB4M - Cup Final with Jarrad OG. Keeping Ajax in check was never meant to be easy. Love his sprint around 1:25 to provide support though.
Niels Nkounkou (Saint-Etienne) - That's our Second French league hot cake, and definitely not a fullback. ASSE is 10th with one game to go, and still can finish form 12 to 6th. They were dancing with relegation zone when he came there. I wonder what comes next for this guy. 6 goals 7 assists since january.
https://youtu.be/u1F3QCWb9R8 - assist vs Guingamp
https://youtu.be/Rhso0dEBgnM - goal Vs Metz
Dele Alli (Beşiktaş JK) - Last involvement in football - 26.02 match against Antalayaspor. For more news visit Celebrities rumours section of some shady journo outlet. Contracted till 2024. Ughh
Jean-Philipe Gbamin (Trabzonspor) - At least he's still involved in football, played in 4th of 5 matches since the last report. Always subbed on in the last 20 minutes. Two rounds to go. No idea about what to do with guy, but at least he's on the field sometimes. Contracted till 2024
Thomas Cannon (Preston North End) - After a great spell, with a lot of goals scored, there comes a slump. From 5 last games, PNE lost 4, and drew 1. Tom scored one goal in this time, against Swansea, but it meant nothing in the end (4:2 loss). PNE buried the small chance it had of getting to playoffs and finished 12th. 8 goals and 1 assist since January. His contract is valid till 2025.
https://youtu.be/n785ACurXI0 - goal against Swansea
Lewis Dobbin (Derby County) - Derby really lost their way at the end and landed in 7th place. Dobbin always played the role of a fresh energy sub, but didn't get an goal or an assist since the end of february. This season numbers: 3 goals, 1 penalty won, 4 assists. + one goal in a EFL Trophy, and one assist in a cup. He has a contract till 2025.
Lewis Warrington (Fleetwood Town) - 2 Wins, 2 losses, one draw since last report, all with Lewis playing. In terms of game time per season - clear winner, he missed only a few games. As a midfielder playing under Scott Brown, he surely learned something. Only one assist to his name, but also no red cards and no errors, and he mostly plays as the last midfielder, screening defence. Fleetwood Town ended season in 13th place. He could find a loan in the championship next year. Contracted till 2024
Ryan Astley (Accrington Stanley) - Haven't played since february, kept out by injuries. When healthy, played all the games he could. Accrington Stanley are relegated to League Two now, but i can see them, or even some League One club wanting him to play if healthy. He's out of contract this summer. Seb Quirk joined him and penned a deal with AS this january.
Lewis Gibson (Bristol Rovers) - I'm happy to finally see this kid play some football without injury. When he showed his quality, he quickly became a starter for BR, playing as CB and occasionally as LB. They ended 17th(5 losses and 2 draws since last report), and could sign him permamently as he's out of contract this summer. Surely some League One club will go for him.
Tyler Onyango (Forest Green Rovers) - He had to fight for his place during the Burton Albion loan, and played not regularly under Dino. Then he(with Everton club) took a gamble and sent him to Forest Green Rovers, to play under Big Dunc he knew very well. No one could have predicted the injury that kept him out after playing just 3 games for the Green team. Fun fact - Burton Albion fought against relegation when he was there, and they ended 15th, but Forest Green Rovers ended being relegated from the last place. He's 20y.o. contracted till 2025.
Harry Tyrer (Chester) - The National League North Team of the Season 2022/23
"The Everton loanee has had quite the season down CH1. Recruited last summer on a season-long deal, Tyrer was quick to show his key attributes.
His dominance inside the box was clear for all to see, as was his remarkable shot stopping. His distribution isn’t bad either – that assist for Kurt Willoughby’s winner at home to Bradford (PA) springs to mind!
A fan favourite from day one, his signature dive into the Chester fans after away victories became a highlight on the road. A record of 21 clean sheets in his 55 appearances isn’t bad either.
Harry evidently has a bright future in the game and has been a credit to the Blues both on and off the pitch – he will always be fondly remembered at the Deva." - Chester FC
Chester sadly lost against Brackley 0:1 in the promotion playoffs.
Harry has contract with the club till 2025
Thank You guys. Sorry for being chaotic, but with the relegation battle going on i couldn't focus on doing these regularly. It's gonna be a hard next season, but i look forward to how our academy will look like next year as changes made under Thelwell should be more evident.
submitted by kukusek to Everton [link] [comments]
Let's start with the Ladies team, they finished 6th and deserve some recognition. I don't follow WSL much, so i'll help myself with BBC Sport Emma Sanders quote:
"Their form dipped in the final few months and they still lack consistency but given they were fighting relegation last year, this can be viewed as a very successful campaign and they have solid foundations to build on. "
Also worth noting, our Women's team played their last game away at City, were losing 3:0 but still managed to scare them by going 3:2, knowing these 3 points don't matter to our place in the table. Their lost their last game of the season but put up a fair fight.
U18:
First full season under Leighton Baines ended at 4th place in the Under-18 Premier League North.
“For our lads, the development comes before the winning,” he said. “The winning still has to matter because they’re getting older and closer to the real game. We create that environment on a Saturday as balanced as we can. We work on certain things during the week and we’re willing to practise them on the weekend, even if it may be to a detriment of the potential outcome.
“At the same time, the kids play football, and they want to win. We’re not trying to create an overly sanitised environment where they don’t know how to win and where they don’t know how to play under pressure. We find a balance of those two things. What I’ve been blessed with this year, is that the lads have built a really strong bond and team spirit. I think that’s been reflected in some of those comeback performances and the ability to dig in." - Leighton words on his first coaching season.
https://www.evertonfc.com/news/3340734/baines-reflects-on-impressive-maiden-year-as-a-coach
Since last report - Two draws against MU, draw against Newcastle, and a home win vs Stoke.
U19:
Also our u19 team played at Nawi Mumbai PL Next gen cup last two weeks, in which their ended third in their group and lost their playoff game to go further. Some games were played in 37'C heat.
U21:
Youngsters finished eight in the PL2 _ Division 1. What is more impressive, they managed to get to quarterfinals in the PL International Cup, beaten by the final winners PSV Eindhoven U21, and to 1/16 in both PL Cup and EFL Trophy(beaten by Senior Lincoln team). That was first Paul Tait season as U21 coach. Results went downwards after the january transfer window, when Tom Cannon went on loan, and Joe Anderson and Seb Quirk joined Sunderland and Accrington Stanley on permament transfers. Some words from the coach:
“It gave the boys a lot of confidence they could go on and play men’s football,” he explained. “The likes of Tom Cannon, Joe Anderson and Seb Quirk all got good moves
“Tom played against these experienced players in the Papa John’s and then went on to have a really successful loan spell at Preston North End.”
“It was a huge transition between January and March," he added. "Players went out and we needed replacements, but I felt we found our feet again towards the end of the season.
“It’s not easy for some of the Under-18s transitioning through. They can find the jump hard, but they’ve done well. We’ve had lads like Owen Barker, Halid Djankpata and Roman Dixon coming through and impressing.
“Roman joined us in the past few weeks and knows the level that is required now. It’s important for these players to experience it. Ishe Samuels-Smith has been with us since the start and has been brilliant, as have Katia Kouyate and Francis Okoronkwo.”
Since last loan report: Win and loss against Leicester, and Loss away vs Arsenal.
Loanees:
João Virgínia (SC Cambuur) - Last time on the bench - 21.04 - since then probably they were sure of the relegation and preferred their own players. Joao last game played was 21.01 and it was a bad one. Then he was benched, and changing of manager didn't help him either. Even when new first choice keeper made multiple blunders, manager kept with him. Contracted till 2024
Andre Gomes (Lille OSC) - He found his place and a manager that uses him well. Lille sits 4th which grants them Europe league, with one round to play next week. They have to win with already relegated Troyes, otherwise they might fall even to 6th. Andre Played 5 matches from the 7 Lille played since last report - 3 wins and 2 draw. One loss and win without Andre. To end it on a happy note, here are some highlights, with two goals as beautiful as Andre is. Recommended ! Contracted till 2024
https://youtu.be/MQMj43reBmM - Andre bangers!
Jarrad Branthwaite (PSV Eindhoven) - He's the hope for us, won the Cup, and ended second with PSV Eindhoven. After a rough start he became a natural starter. PSV would love to keep him, but they would have to break all the banks in Netherland. Contracted till 2025
Since last report: 7 games, all with Jarrad. 6 wins, 1 draw against Heerenveen, PSV last home game(That wasn't a great game by Jarrad, but that happens).
https://youtu.be/g3hrvYMxB4M - Cup Final with Jarrad OG. Keeping Ajax in check was never meant to be easy. Love his sprint around 1:25 to provide support though.
Niels Nkounkou (Saint-Etienne) - That's our Second French league hot cake, and definitely not a fullback. ASSE is 10th with one game to go, and still can finish form 12 to 6th. They were dancing with relegation zone when he came there. I wonder what comes next for this guy. 6 goals 7 assists since january.
https://youtu.be/u1F3QCWb9R8 - assist vs Guingamp
https://youtu.be/Rhso0dEBgnM - goal Vs Metz
Dele Alli (Beşiktaş JK) - Last involvement in football - 26.02 match against Antalayaspor. For more news visit Celebrities rumours section of some shady journo outlet. Contracted till 2024. Ughh
Jean-Philipe Gbamin (Trabzonspor) - At least he's still involved in football, played in 4th of 5 matches since the last report. Always subbed on in the last 20 minutes. Two rounds to go. No idea about what to do with guy, but at least he's on the field sometimes. Contracted till 2024
Thomas Cannon (Preston North End) - After a great spell, with a lot of goals scored, there comes a slump. From 5 last games, PNE lost 4, and drew 1. Tom scored one goal in this time, against Swansea, but it meant nothing in the end (4:2 loss). PNE buried the small chance it had of getting to playoffs and finished 12th. 8 goals and 1 assist since January. His contract is valid till 2025.
https://youtu.be/n785ACurXI0 - goal against Swansea
Lewis Dobbin (Derby County) - Derby really lost their way at the end and landed in 7th place. Dobbin always played the role of a fresh energy sub, but didn't get an goal or an assist since the end of february. This season numbers: 3 goals, 1 penalty won, 4 assists. + one goal in a EFL Trophy, and one assist in a cup. He has a contract till 2025.
Lewis Warrington (Fleetwood Town) - 2 Wins, 2 losses, one draw since last report, all with Lewis playing. In terms of game time per season - clear winner, he missed only a few games. As a midfielder playing under Scott Brown, he surely learned something. Only one assist to his name, but also no red cards and no errors, and he mostly plays as the last midfielder, screening defence. Fleetwood Town ended season in 13th place. He could find a loan in the championship next year. Contracted till 2024
Ryan Astley (Accrington Stanley) - Haven't played since february, kept out by injuries. When healthy, played all the games he could. Accrington Stanley are relegated to League Two now, but i can see them, or even some League One club wanting him to play if healthy. He's out of contract this summer. Seb Quirk joined him and penned a deal with AS this january.
Lewis Gibson (Bristol Rovers) - I'm happy to finally see this kid play some football without injury. When he showed his quality, he quickly became a starter for BR, playing as CB and occasionally as LB. They ended 17th(5 losses and 2 draws since last report), and could sign him permamently as he's out of contract this summer. Surely some League One club will go for him.
Tyler Onyango (Forest Green Rovers) - He had to fight for his place during the Burton Albion loan, and played not regularly under Dino. Then he(with Everton club) took a gamble and sent him to Forest Green Rovers, to play under Big Dunc he knew very well. No one could have predicted the injury that kept him out after playing just 3 games for the Green team. Fun fact - Burton Albion fought against relegation when he was there, and they ended 15th, but Forest Green Rovers ended being relegated from the last place. He's 20y.o. contracted till 2025.
Harry Tyrer (Chester) - The National League North Team of the Season 2022/23
"The Everton loanee has had quite the season down CH1. Recruited last summer on a season-long deal, Tyrer was quick to show his key attributes.
His dominance inside the box was clear for all to see, as was his remarkable shot stopping. His distribution isn’t bad either – that assist for Kurt Willoughby’s winner at home to Bradford (PA) springs to mind!
A fan favourite from day one, his signature dive into the Chester fans after away victories became a highlight on the road. A record of 21 clean sheets in his 55 appearances isn’t bad either.
Harry evidently has a bright future in the game and has been a credit to the Blues both on and off the pitch – he will always be fondly remembered at the Deva." - Chester FC
Chester sadly lost against Brackley 0:1 in the promotion playoffs.
Harry has contract with the club till 2025
Thank You guys. Sorry for being chaotic, but with the relegation battle going on i couldn't focus on doing these regularly. It's gonna be a hard next season, but i look forward to how our academy will look like next year as changes made under Thelwell should be more evident.
2023.05.29 09:04 Middle_Chemistry_434 Working nights and trying to date…
I have been working nights for 2 years. I believe I will be working this shift for as long as I can. I’m a returning member and it can be hard working nights and trying to be active in the church , especially with dating.
My parish doesn’t really have many YA events and it’s mostly older folks. I work every other weekend , on the weekend I work I get off Sunday mornings at 7 am and go to Mass at 9 am and run out the church after the father gives the blessing and says the mass has ended bc I have to go to sleep before work that night at 7 pm.
On the weekend I don’t work, I usually go to vigil mass Saturday evening. I try to attend at least one weekday mass but 4 out of the 5 are at noon and I’m sleeping by then . Every other week I’m able to make it to the 8 am mass bc I’m up at that time.
Rn my parish is having a viewing party of the chosen series and I was able to make it 1 of those a month ago but again it was only like 6 people and everyone was 50 years older than me .
It’s tough trying to date and even worse when you live a complete opposite life to everyone but I’m trying.
Just wanted to see if their were any other members who work nights and are lookin into dating
submitted by Middle_Chemistry_434 to CatholicDating [link] [comments]
My parish doesn’t really have many YA events and it’s mostly older folks. I work every other weekend , on the weekend I work I get off Sunday mornings at 7 am and go to Mass at 9 am and run out the church after the father gives the blessing and says the mass has ended bc I have to go to sleep before work that night at 7 pm.
On the weekend I don’t work, I usually go to vigil mass Saturday evening. I try to attend at least one weekday mass but 4 out of the 5 are at noon and I’m sleeping by then . Every other week I’m able to make it to the 8 am mass bc I’m up at that time.
Rn my parish is having a viewing party of the chosen series and I was able to make it 1 of those a month ago but again it was only like 6 people and everyone was 50 years older than me .
It’s tough trying to date and even worse when you live a complete opposite life to everyone but I’m trying.
Just wanted to see if their were any other members who work nights and are lookin into dating
2023.05.29 09:01 AutoModerator 'National News' Posting is now over.
As per Rule Five of PNWConservatives 'National News' Posting is now over until next Saturday and Sunday. Thank you for your posts, and we look forward to seeing more of them next weekend!
God Bless you and God Bless the Pacific North-West!
submitted by AutoModerator to PNWConservatives [link] [comments]
God Bless you and God Bless the Pacific North-West!
2023.05.29 06:03 Metal_Florida May 29: North/Central Florida concert and festival picks.
Please note that the ticket links are usually for general admission; for VIP tickets, if available, you may have to go to the band's website.
Monday, May 29, 2023
Tuesday, May 30, 2023
Friday, Jun 2, 2023
Saturday, Jun 3, 2023
Sunday, Jun 4, 2023
Monday, Jun 5, 2023
Tuesday, Jun 6, 2023
Wednesday, Jun 7, 2023
Thursday, Jun 8, 2023
Friday, Jun 9, 2023
Saturday, Jun 10, 2023
Sunday, Jun 11, 2023
Monday, Jun 12, 2023
Tuesday, Jun 13, 2023
Wednesday, Jun 14, 2023
Thursday, Jun 15, 2023
Friday, Jun 16, 2023
Saturday, Jun 17, 2023
Sunday, Jun 18, 2023
Wednesday, Jun 21, 2023
Thursday, Jun 22, 2023
Friday, Jun 23, 2023
Saturday, Jun 24, 2023
Sunday, Jun 25, 2023
Monday, June 26, 2023
Tuesday, Jun 27, 2023
Wednesday, Jun 28, 2023
Thursday, Jun 29, 2023
Saturday, Jul 1, 2023
Sunday, Jul 2, 2023
Thursday, Jul 6, 2023
Friday, Jul 7, 2023
Saturday, Jul 8, 2023
Sunday, Jul 9, 2023
Monday, Jul 10, 2023
Tuesday, Jul 11, 2023
Wednesday, Jul 12, 2023
Thursday, Jul 13, 2023
Friday, Jul 14, 2023
Saturday, Jul 15, 2023
Monday, Jul 17, 2023
Tuesday, Jul 18, 2023
Friday, Jul 21, 2023
Saturday, Jul 22, 2023
Sunday, Jul 23, 2023
Tuesday, Jul 25, 2023
Thursday, Jul 27, 2023
Friday, Jul 28, 2023
Saturday, Jul 29, 2023
Sunday, Jul 30, 2023
Thursday, Aug 3, 2023
Saturday, Aug 5, 2023
Sunday, Aug 6, 2023
Wednesday, Aug 9, 2023
Friday, Aug 11, 2023
Sunday, Aug 13, 2023
Wednesday, Aug 16, 2023
Saturday, Aug 19, 2023
Sunday, Aug 20, 2023
Tuesday, Aug 22, 2023
Wednesday, Aug 23, 2023
Thursday, Aug 24, 2023
Saturday, Aug 26, 2023
Wednesday, Aug 30, 2023
Thursday, Aug 31, 2023
Saturday, Sep 2, 2023
Sunday, Sep 3, 2023
Tuesday, Sep 5, 2023
Wednesday, Sep 6, 2023
Friday, Sep 8, 2023
Saturday, Sep 9, 2023
Sunday, Sep 10, 2023
Wednesday, Sep 13, 2023
Friday, Sep 15, 2023
Sunday, Sep 17, 2023
Tuesday, Sep 19, 2023
Thursday, Sep 21, 2023
Friday, Sep 22, 2023
Sunday, Sep 25, 2023
Friday, Sep 29, 2023
Saturday, Sep 30, 2023
Thursday, Oct 5-7, 2023
Tuesday, Oct 10, 2023
Wednesday, Oct 11, 2023
Saturday, Oct 14, 2023
Sunday, Oct 15, 2023
Tuesday, Oct 17, 2023
Wednesday, Oct 18, 2023
Friday, Oct 27-29, 2023
Tuesday, Nov 7, 2023
Wednesday, Nov 8, 2023
Friday, Jan 24, 2024
submitted by Metal_Florida to floridarockcommunity [link] [comments]
Monday, May 29, 2023
| The Dood, Nibiru, The Heavens, Oakflesh | High Dive - Gainesville |
|---|---|
| Fromjoy, Corpse Pile, Manifest in Filth | 1904 Music Hall - Jacksonville |
| Madeline Goldstein, More Ephermal, Donzii | Will's Pub - Orlando |
|---|
| Attack Attack!, Traitors, Belmont | Conduit - Winter Park |
|---|---|
| Currents, Like Moths To Flames, Foreign Hands | Orpheum - Tampa |
| Summer Salt, The Rare Occasions, Addison Grace | The Abbey - Orlando |
| Attack Attack!, Traitors, Belmont | Orpheum - Tampa |
|---|---|
| Not Promised Tomorrow, Get out of Nashville, Forged with Blood | Pegasus - Tampa |
| Screaming at the Silence, Auditory Armory, Orchestra in Black | Conduit - Winter Park |
| M.99, Shadow the Earth, FILTH | O'Malleys Alley - Ocala |
| Peace Cult, Sistamatic, Deux Visages | Stardust Video & Coffee - Orlando |
| SCHISM, New Divide, Humanity Gone | OCC Road House & Museum - Clearwater |
| Ugly Kid Joe, Fozzy | Jannus - St. Petersburg |
|---|
| Rhapsody on Fire, Wind Rose, Seven Kingdoms | Conduit - Winter Park |
|---|
| Dying Whale, Dead Register, Moth Bite, The Path | Born Free Pub & Grill - Tampa |
|---|---|
| Heart Attack Man, Super American, Arm's Length | The Abbey - Orlando |
| Mike's Dead, The Haunt | Level 13 - Orlando |
|---|---|
| Within Chaos, Eyes Sewn Shut, Automatik Fit | Jack Rabbits - Jacksonville |
| Jameson Tank, Parks & Razz, Outer Edge Band | 1904 Music Hall - Jacksonville |
| Subhumans, UpChuck, gilt | Jack Rabbits - Jacksonville |
|---|
| Grass is Dead, The Coppertones | Underbelly - Jacksonville |
|---|
| Halo Scars, Mind Virus, Cypher Machine, Re-Birth | Brass Mug - Tampa |
|---|---|
| Maul, Tombstoner, Plasmodulated | Conduit - Winter Park |
| Downswing, Falsifier, Bottomfeeders | Manna Tea & Kava Bar - Sarasota |
| My Children My Bride, Extortionist, No Cure | Conduit - Winter Park |
|---|---|
| Bury Your Dead, Thirst, Edict | Tipsy Tiki - Fort Pierce |
| Maul, Tombstoner | Brass Mug - Tampa |
|---|---|
| Spotlights, Skyliner, The Darling Fire | Jack Rabbits - Jacksonville |
| Halocene, Lauren Babic, Alphamega | Hooch & Hive - Tampa |
|---|
| Drain, Drug Church, Magnitude, Gel | Brass Mug - Tampa |
|---|---|
| Halocene, Lauren Babic, Alphamega | Level 13 - Orlando |
| The Convalescence, Summoner's Circle | Jack Rabbits - Jacksonville |
| pulses., With Sails Ahead, I Met A Yeti | Will's Pub - Orlando |
| Halocene, Lauren Babic, Alphamega | Jack Rabbits - Jacksonville |
|---|
| Roxx, Re-Birth, Cyber Machine, Haloscars | Conduit - Winter Park |
|---|---|
| Hollow Leg, Clamfight, Moat Cobra | Will's Pub - Orlando |
| Every Avenue, Makeout, Say We Can Fly | Orpheum - Tampa |
| Crossbreed, Cultus Black, Cypher machine, Davey Partain | Orpheum - Tampa |
|---|---|
| Defy the Tyrant, Losing Daylight, Shadow the Earth | Kona Skate Park - Jacksonville |
| Breed, Gillian Carter, Audible Parts | Will's Pub - Orlando |
| Crossbreed, Cultus Black, NoSelf, The Dev | Level 13 - Orlando |
|---|---|
| Bodybox, No Zodiac, High Pressure | Conduit - Winter Park |
| Dikembe, Camp Trash, Glazed | Will's Pub - Orlando |
| Dream Theater, Devin Townsend, Animals As Leaders | Ruth Eckerd Hall - Clearwater |
|---|
| Garbage, Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds, Metric | MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre - Tampa |
|---|
| Dream Theater, Devin Townsend, Animals As Leaders | Hard Rock Live - Orlando |
|---|
| Misfits, Megadeth, Fear | MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheater - Tampa |
|---|---|
| Intoxicated, Vacuous Depths, Ebullition | Conduit - Winter Park |
| black midi, YHWH Nailgun | Orpheum - Tampa |
| No/Mas, Knoll, Shock | Conduit - Winter Park |
|---|
| We Are the Union, Kill Lincoln, Catbite | The Social - Orlando |
|---|---|
| No/Mas, Knoll | Orpheum - Tampa |
| Yungblud, The Regrettes, Caspr | Jannus - St. Petersburg |
|---|
| D.R.I., Metalriser | Underbelly - Jacksonville |
|---|---|
| Peter Frampton | St. Augustine Amphitheatre |
| The Cure | Amalie Arena - Tampa |
|---|---|
| D.R.I., Metalriser | Will's Pub - Orlando |
| D.R.I., Metalriser | Brass Mug - Tampa |
|---|---|
| Liliac, Fortune Child | The Twisted Fork - Port Charlotte |
| Godflesh | Conduit - Winter Park |
|---|
| Sad Summer Festival | Daily's Place Amphitheatre - Jacksonville |
|---|
| Sad Summer Festival | Coachman Park - Clearwater |
|---|---|
| Subdivisions, Violence System, The Fallen Sons | Jack Rabbits - Jacksonville |
| Memphis May Fire, Norma Jean, Secrets | The Beacham - Orlando |
|---|
| Memphis May Fire, Norma Jean, Secrets | High Dive - Gainesville |
|---|
| blink-182, Turnstile | Amalie Arena - Tampa |
|---|---|
| Orthodox, Cell, Chamber | Crowbar - Tampa |
| Analepsy, Cognitive, Wormhole, Nectoricgorebeast | Conduit - Winter Park |
|---|
| Analepsy, Cognitive, Wormhole, Nectoricgorebeast | Crowbar - Tampa |
|---|
| Staind | Seminole Hard Rock - Tampa |
|---|
| Staind | Hard Rock Live - Orlando |
|---|
| Obituary | Brass Mug - Tampa |
|---|
| Cenotaph, Horrific Visions, Architectural Genocide | Conduit - Winter Park |
|---|
| Agents of Chaos, Black Clash | Jack Rabbits - Jacksonville |
|---|
| Joan Jett & the Blackhearts, Bryan Adams | Amalie Arena - Tampa |
|---|---|
| Mudvayne, Coal Chamber, Gwar, Nonpoint, Butcher Babies | MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre - Tampa |
| The Final Sound, Abbey Death, Layne Lyre | New World Music Hall - Tampa |
| Yosemite In Black, Endbringer, Murder Afloat | Orpheum - Tampa |
| Yellowcard, Mayday Parade, Story of the Year | Daily's Place Amphitheatre - Jacksonville |
|---|---|
| Less Than Jake, Voodoo Glow Skulls, Devon Kay & the Solutions | House of Blues - Orlando |
| Rising Up Angry, Tragic, Legions Blind | Kona Skate Park - Jacksonville |
| Yellowcard, Mayday Parade, Story of the Year | Yuengling Center - Tampa |
|---|---|
| Endbringer, Yosemite In Black, Heavy Hitter | 1904 Music Hall - Jacksonville |
| Fall Out Boy, Bring Me The Horizon, Royal & The Serpent | MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre - Tampa |
|---|
| Havok, Toxic Holocaust, I AM, Hammerhedd | Conduit - Winter Park |
|---|
| Between the Buried and Me, Rivers of Nihil, Thank you Scientist | Jannus - St. Petersburg |
|---|---|
| Round Eye, No Fraud, Caffiends | Will's Pub - Orlando |
| Between the Buried and Me, Rivers of Nihil, Thank you Scientist | Beacham - Orlando |
|---|---|
| Southpaw, Highest Crown, Fortitude, Dead Mirrors | Born Free - Tampa |
| Crobot, Rickshaw, Billie's Burger Patrol | Orpheum - Tampa |
|---|
| Underoath, The Ghost Inside, We Came As Romans | Yuengling Center - Tampa |
|---|
| Disturbed, Breaking Benjamin | MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre - Tampa |
|---|---|
| Underoath, The Ghost Inside, We Came As Romans | St. Augustine Amphitheatre |
| Sanguisugabogg, Kruelty, Vomit Forth | Conduit - Winter Park |
| The Queers, The Radio Buzzkills, The Jasons | Jack Rabbits - Jacksonville |
|---|
| Pyrexia, Cerebral Incubation, Atoll | Conduit - Winter Park |
|---|
| The All-American Rejects, New Found Glory, The Starting Line | MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre - Tampa |
|---|---|
| Black Flag | High Dive - Gainesville |
| Alesana, Vampires Everywhere, Limbs | Level 13 - Orlando |
|---|
| The Offspring, Sum 41, Simple Plan | MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre - Tampa |
|---|---|
| hed p.e., Lydia can't Breathe, Razorz Edge | Jack Rabbits - Jacksonville |
| Left to Suffer, Distant, Justice for the Damned | Conduit - Winter Park |
|---|
| The Smashing Pumpkins, Interpol, Rival Sons | MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre - Tampa |
|---|
| The Mezingers | Underbelly - Jacksonville |
|---|
| Bless The Fall, Caskets, Kingdom of Giants | Orpheum - Tampa |
|---|
| Clutch, Giovanni & The Hired Guns, Mike Dillon | Jannus - St. Petersburg |
|---|
| Rob Zombie, Alice Cooper, Ministry | MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre - Tampa |
|---|
| Ghost, Amon Amarth | Daily's Place Amphitheatre - Jacksonville |
|---|
| Ghost, Amon Amarth | MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre - Tampa |
|---|
| Baby Metal, Dethklok, Jason Richardson | Orlando Amphitheater |
|---|
| Spitalfield, Rookie of the Year, The Future Perfect | Conduit - Winter Park |
|---|
| Bad Omens, ERRA, I See Stars | Jannus - St. Petersburg |
|---|
| Bad Omens, ERRA, I See Stars | House of Blues - Orlando |
|---|
| The Waning Moon, Palace of Tears, Rux Vendetta | Hooch & Hive - Tampa |
|---|
| Kamelot, Battle Beast, Xandria | Hard Rock Live - Orlando |
|---|
| Angelmaker, Vulvodynia, Flasifier | Conduit - Orlando |
|---|
| 3 Doors Down, Candlebox | Daily's Place Amphitheatre - Jacksonville |
|---|---|
| Dance Gavin Dance, SiM, Rain City Drive | Hard Rock Live - Orlando |
| 3 Doors Down, Candlebox | MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre - Tampa |
|---|
| Avenged Sevenfold, Falling in Reverse | MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre - Tampa |
|---|---|
| Wave to Earth, slchld | Orpheum - Tampa |
| Scowl, Militarie Gun, MSPAINT | Conduit - Winter Park |
|---|
| Scowl, Militarie Gun, MSPAINT | 1904 Music Hall - Jacksonville |
|---|
| Cavalera Conspiracy, Exhumed, Incite | Beacham - Orlando |
|---|
| The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus | High Dive - Gainesville |
|---|
| CIRCLE JERKS, TSOL, Negative Approach | Underbelly - Jacksonville |
|---|---|
| Shinedown, Papa Roach, Spiritbox | MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre - Tampa |
| NOFX | Vinoy Park - St. Petersburg |
|---|---|
| Flogging Molly, The Bronx | House of Blues - Orlando |
| Absolution Fest | Crowbar - Tampa |
|---|
| Ne Obliviscaris, Beyond Creation, Persefone | Orpheum - Tampa |
|---|
| Ne Obliviscaris, Beyond Creation, Persefone | Conduit - Winter Park |
|---|---|
| Fit For a King, The Devil Wears Prada, Counterparts, Landmvrks | The Ritz - Tampa |
| Beast in Black, Dance with the Dead | Orpheum - Tampa |
|---|---|
| Fame on Fire, Kingdom Collapse | The Social - Orlando |
| Beast in Black, Dance with the Dead | Conduit - Winter Park |
|---|---|
| Motionless In White, Knocked Loose, After the Burial, Alpha Wolf | Hard Rock Live - Orlando |
| Atilla, Gideon, Until I Wake, Ten56 | Underbelly - Jacksonville |
|---|
| Atilla, Gideon, Until I Wake, Ten56 | Orpheum - Tampa |
|---|
| The Fest | Gainesville |
|---|
| Protest the Hero, Moontooth | The Abbey - Orlando |
|---|
| Protest the Hero, Moontooth | Orpheum - Tampa |
|---|
| Kansas | Florida Theatre - Jacksonville |
|---|
2023.05.28 21:52 ShadowWarriorK If Saturday is the sabbath as the Bible says, is it wrong to go to church on Sunday?
This would be while also keeping Saturday as the sabbath. No seventh day church in my town, all are on Sundays.
Exodus 20:8-11: “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.”
Jesus and his followers also kept Saturday holy.
submitted by ShadowWarriorK to Christian [link] [comments]
Exodus 20:8-11: “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.”
Jesus and his followers also kept Saturday holy.
2023.05.28 21:50 ShadowWarriorK If Saturday is the sabbath as the Bible says, is it wrong to go to church on Sunday?
This would be while also keeping Saturday as the sabbath. No seventh day church in my town, all are on Sundays.
Exodus 20:8-11: “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.”
Jesus and his followers also kept Saturday
submitted by ShadowWarriorK to Christianity [link] [comments]
Exodus 20:8-11: “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.”
Jesus and his followers also kept Saturday
2023.05.28 17:57 H1MFirst Follow Christ today ! i !
submitted by H1MFirst to god [link] [comments]
2023.05.28 17:57 H1MFirst Follow Christ today ! i !
 | submitted by H1MFirst to TheBiblicalPost [link] [comments] |
2023.05.28 17:56 H1MFirst Follow Christ today ! i !
 | submitted by H1MFirst to ChristianPost [link] [comments] |
2023.05.28 14:22 ChanceOfRainTx Blessed on this fine Saturday morning 😮💨
 | submitted by ChanceOfRainTx to Market76 [link] [comments] |
2023.05.28 05:25 GGH2023 PLUVICTO
I thought it would be beneficial that I give some insight to those battling ADVANCED PROSTATE CANCER so they may be proactive. My husband turned to PLUVICTO as a last resort and was extremely positive about the possibilities. Below I am sharing his six-month fight with PLUVICTO and experience that I addressed with an email to his doctors after he passed.
submitted by GGH2023 to u/GGH2023 [link] [comments]
It is with a heavy heart that I reach out to all the doctors and health care professionals that treated my husband these past years and notify that he passed away on Saturday, April 15th. Furthermore, I believe it is my obligation to stress the importance of continuous scans, and aggressive follow-ups for patients receiving PLUVICTO. On 10/31/2022 my husband began treatment and immediately his side effect was diarrhea, which is common for many cancer treatments, nevertheless for this type of radiation. However, everyone was hopeful that with time this side effect would stabilize, and days became weeks and weeks became months even while taking prescription meds. After four months of persistent diarrhea, we discovered my husband had C.Diff.
For this reason, patients with detrimental side effects should immediately be tested and if it is related to the GI tract there should be a quicker avenue for immediate referrals and appointments. Keep in mind that doctors refer you to a GI specialist and an appointment may take weeks or even months. In our case, after reaching out to four GI doctors from Baptist which had no availability for months, even when explaining the circumstances, I called Dr. Cristian Andrade who is my GI, and my husband was scheduled as an emergency. In addition, his stool results (C.Diff) took at least two weeks due to an internal issue with the lab.
After three sessions of Pluvicto, due to my husband’s significant weight loss (65 pounds), deterioration and progression of the disease concluded by a scan done at Mount Sinai Hospital on 3/10/22 we agreed to stop treatment. As a result of months of radiation proctitis and C.Diff which caused extensive diarrhea and lack of nutrition because of the discomfort as well as extreme fatigue; it led to Necrotizing Fasciitis that developed in his colon and rectal area. We learned about this bacterium by a CT scan on April 8th when we went to the ER which brought upon an emergent debridement of the area that extended to his bowels. The resulting wound of my husband was so large and deep that the pain from performing wound care every twelve hours sounded inhumane, it was like he was being tortured or burned alive. In fact, he had to be kept in the ICU so they could administer Fentanyl & Versed for wound care and even then, he was still in agonizing pain. Eventually, my husband decided on comfort measures because he would require surgical intervention for placement of a colostomy for the wound to properly heal, which he could not handle.
I consider that each day brings a new teachable moment, and I wanted everyone to learn of my husband’s journey these past six months. I know that the end result would have been the same due to his advanced prostate cancer, but what my husband endured was brutal in 2023. A million thanks to all those that brought him a smile and optimism because you gave him hope. We never thought he would almost make it to four years due to statistics. I consider that my husband was blessed and received the best possible care through the years. He always thought of those worst off and younger battling cancers. Therefore, I created a GOFUNDME in his honor to help others less fortunate. All proceeds will be donated to the National Kidney Foundation, Zero Prostate Cancer Foundation, and the Baptist Health Miami Cancer Institute. https://www.gofundme.com/f/jose-enrique-hidalgo-ramos
2023.05.28 02:48 how-riveting Breaking News: White House and G.O.P. negotiators struck a deal to raise the debt limit, a breakthrough that could pull the U.S. back from the brink of default.
White House and G.O.P. Strike Debt Limit Deal to Avert Default
With the government on track to reach its borrowing limit within days, negotiators sealed an agreement in principle to raise the debt ceiling for two years while cutting and capping certain federal programs.
May 27, 2023, 8:32 p.m. ET Top White House and Republican negotiators on Saturday reached a deal in principle to raise the debt limit for two years while cutting and capping some government spending over the same period, a breakthrough after a marathon set of crisis talks that has brought the nation within days of its first default in history, three people familiar with the agreement said.
Congressional passage of the plan before June 5, when the Treasury is projected to exhaust its ability to pay its obligations, was not assured, particularly in the House. Republicans hold a narrow majority in the chamber, and right-wing lawmakers who had demanded significantly larger budget cuts in exchange for lifting the borrowing limit are all but certain to revolt.
But the compromise, which would effectively freeze federal spending that had been on track to grow, had the blessing of both President Biden and Speaker Kevin McCarthy, raising hopes that it could break the fiscal stalemate that has gripped Washington and the nation for weeks, threatening an economic crisis. The two spoke by phone on Saturday evening to resolve final sticking points.
The people who spoke about the deal did so on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment publicly in advance of a formal announcement.
It was structured with the aim of enticing votes from both parties, though it would most likely draw the ire not only of conservative Republicans but also Democrats furious at being asked to vote for cuts they oppose with the threat of default looming. Still, it gives Republicans the ability to say that they succeeded in reducing some federal spending — even as funding for the military and veterans’ programs would continue to grow — while allowing Democrats to say they spared most domestic programs from significant cuts.
NY Times article here:
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/27/us/politics/debt-limit-deal.html?campaign_id=60&emc=edit_na_20230527&instance_id=0&nl=breaking-news&ref=cta®i_id=112059282&segment_id=134113&user_id=ac6769d3af9937513e4fab0f93c967a1
submitted by how-riveting to HowRiveting [link] [comments]
With the government on track to reach its borrowing limit within days, negotiators sealed an agreement in principle to raise the debt ceiling for two years while cutting and capping certain federal programs.
May 27, 2023, 8:32 p.m. ET Top White House and Republican negotiators on Saturday reached a deal in principle to raise the debt limit for two years while cutting and capping some government spending over the same period, a breakthrough after a marathon set of crisis talks that has brought the nation within days of its first default in history, three people familiar with the agreement said.
Congressional passage of the plan before June 5, when the Treasury is projected to exhaust its ability to pay its obligations, was not assured, particularly in the House. Republicans hold a narrow majority in the chamber, and right-wing lawmakers who had demanded significantly larger budget cuts in exchange for lifting the borrowing limit are all but certain to revolt.
But the compromise, which would effectively freeze federal spending that had been on track to grow, had the blessing of both President Biden and Speaker Kevin McCarthy, raising hopes that it could break the fiscal stalemate that has gripped Washington and the nation for weeks, threatening an economic crisis. The two spoke by phone on Saturday evening to resolve final sticking points.
The people who spoke about the deal did so on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment publicly in advance of a formal announcement.
It was structured with the aim of enticing votes from both parties, though it would most likely draw the ire not only of conservative Republicans but also Democrats furious at being asked to vote for cuts they oppose with the threat of default looming. Still, it gives Republicans the ability to say that they succeeded in reducing some federal spending — even as funding for the military and veterans’ programs would continue to grow — while allowing Democrats to say they spared most domestic programs from significant cuts.
NY Times article here:
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/27/us/politics/debt-limit-deal.html?campaign_id=60&emc=edit_na_20230527&instance_id=0&nl=breaking-news&ref=cta®i_id=112059282&segment_id=134113&user_id=ac6769d3af9937513e4fab0f93c967a1
2023.05.28 02:05 robfromyarmouth Saturday re up! Hit up Verilife. Loving the disposable happy valley. I'm blessed!
 | submitted by robfromyarmouth to bostontrees [link] [comments] |
2023.05.27 22:35 InternetTraumatized Saint John the Russian and Confessor, whose relics are on the island of Euboia (May 27)
(from oca.org)
The Holy Confessor John the Russian was born in Little Russia around 1690, and was raised in piety and love for the Church of God. Upon attaining the age of maturity he was called to military service, and he served as a simple soldier in the army of Peter I and took part in the Russo-Turkish War. During the Prutsk Campaign of 1711 he and other soldiers were captured by the Tatars, who handed him over to the commander of the Turkish cavalry. He took his Russian captive home with him to Asia Minor, to the village of Prokopion.
The Turks tried to convert the Christian soldiers to the Moslem faith with threats and flattery, but those who resisted were beaten and tortured. Some, alas, denied Christ and became Moslems, hoping to improve their lot. Saint John was not swayed by the promise of earthly delights, and he bravely endured the humiliation and beatings.
His master tortured him often in the hope that his slave would accept Islam. Saint John resolutely resisted the will of his master saying, “You cannot turn me from my holy Faith by threats, nor with promises of riches and pleasures. I will obey your orders willingly, if you will leave me free to follow my religion. I would rather surrender my head to you than to change my faith. I was born a Christian, and I shall die a Christian.”
Saint John’s bold words and firm faith, as well as his humility and meekness, finally softened the fierce heart of his master. He left John in peace, and no longer tried to make him renounce Christianity. The saint lived in the stable and took care of his master’s animals, rejoicing because his bed was a manger such as the one in which the Savior was born.
From morning until late evening the saint served his Turkish master, fulfilling all his commands. He performed his duties in the winter cold and summer heat, half naked and barefoot. Other slaves frequently mocked him, seeing his zeal. Saint John never became angry with them, but on the contrary, he helped them when he could, and comforted them in their misfortune.
The saint’s kindness and gentle nature had its effect on the souls of both the master and the slaves. The Agha and his wife came to love him, and offered him a small room near the hayloft. Saint John did not accept it, preferring to remain in the stable with the animals. Here he slept on the hay, covered only by an old coat. So the stable became his hermitage, where he prayed and chanted Psalms.
Saint John brought a blessing to his master simply by living in his household. The cavalry officer became rich, and was soon one of the most powerful men in Prokopion. He knew very well why his home had been blessed, and he did not hesitate to tell others.
Sometimes Saint John left the stable at night and went to the church of the Great Martyr George, where he kept vigil in the narthex. On Saturdays and Feast days, he received the Holy Mysteries of Christ.
During this time Saint John continued to serve his master as before, and despite his own poverty, he always helped the needy and the sick, and shared his meager food with them.
One day, the officer left Prokopion and went to Mecca on pilgrimage. A few days later, his wife gave a banquet and invited her husband’s friends and relatives, asking them to pray for her husband’s safe return. Saint John served at the table, and he put down a dish of pilaf, his master’s favorite food. The hostess said, “How much pleasure your master would have if he could be here to eat this pilaf with us.” Saint John asked for a dish of pilaf, saying that he would send it to his master in Mecca. The guests laughed when they heard his words. The mistress, however, ordered the cook to give him a dish of pilaf, thinking he would eat it himself, or give it to some poor family.
Taking the dish, Saint John went into the stable and prayed that God would send it to his master. He had no doubt that God would send the pilaf to his master in a supernatual manner. The plate disappeared before his eyes, and he went into the house to tell his mistress that he had sent the pilaf to his master.
After some time, the master returned home with the copper plate which had held the pilaf. He told his household that on a certain day (the very day of the banquet), he returned from the mosque to the home where he was staying. Although the room was locked, he found a plate of steaming pilaf on the table. Unable to explain who had brought the food, or how anyone could enter the locked room, the officer examined the plate. To his amazement, he saw his own name engraved on the copper plate. In spite of his confusion, he ate the meal with great relish.
When the officer’s family heard this story, they marveled. His wife told him of how John had asked for a plate of pilaf to send to his master in Mecca, and how they all laughed when John came back and said that it had been sent. Now they saw that what the saint had said was true (Compare the story of Habakkuk, who miraculously brought a dish of pottage to Daniel in the lions’ den [Daniel 14:33-39], in the Septuagint).
Toward the end of his difficult life Saint John fell ill, and sensed the nearness of his end. He summoned the priest so that he could receive Holy Communion. The priest, fearing to go to the residence of the Turkish commander openly with the Holy Gifts, enclosed the life-giving Mysteries in an apple and brought them to Saint John.
Saint John glorified the Lord, received the Body and Blood of Christ, and then reposed. The holy Confessor John the Russian went to the Lord Whom he loved on May 27, 1730. When they reported to the master that his servant John had died, he summoned the priests and gave them the body of Saint John for Christian burial. Almost all the Christian inhabitants of Prokopion came to the funeral, and they accompanied the body of the saint to the Christian cemetery.
Three and a half years later the priest was miraculously informed in a dream that the relics of Saint John had remained incorrupt. Soon the relics of the saint were transferred to the church of the holy Great Martyr George and placed in a special reliquary. The new saint of God began to be glorified by countless miracles of grace, accounts of which spread to the remote cities and villages. Christian believers from various places came to Prokopion to venerate the holy relics of Saint John the Russian and they received healing through his prayers. The new saint came to be venerated not only by Orthodox Christians, but also by Armenians, and even Turks, who prayed to the Russian saint, “Servant of God, in your mercy, do not disdain us.”
In the year 1881 a portion of the relics of Saint John were transferred to the Russian monastery of the holy Great Martyr Panteleimon by the monks of Mount Athos, after they were miraculously saved by the saint during a dangerous journey.
Construction of a new church was begun in 1886, through the contributions of the monastery and the inhabitants of Prokopion. This was necessary because the church of the holy Great Martyr George, where the relics of Saint John were enshrined, had fallen into disrepair.
On August 15, 1898 the new church dedicated to Saint John the Russian was consecrated by the Metropolitan John of Caesarea, with the blessing of the Ecumenical Patriarch Constantine V.
In 1924, an exchange of the populations of Greece and Turkey took place. Many Moslems moved out of Greece, and many Christians moved out of Turkey. The inhabitants of Prokopion, when they moved to the island of Euboia, took with them part of the relics of Saint John the Russian.
For several decades the relics were in the church of Saints Constantine and Helen at New Prokopion on Euboia, and in 1951 they were transferred into a new church dedicated to Saint John the Russian. Thousands of pilgrims flocked here from all the corners of Greece, particularly on his Feast, May 27. Saint John the Russian is widely venerated on Mount Athos, particularly in the Russian monastery of Saint Panteleimon.
Saint John’s help is sought by travelers, and by those transporting things.
Troparion — Tone 4
He Who called you from earth into the heavenly abodes, keeps your body incorrupt even after your death, O righteous John; for you were taken as a prisoner into Asia where you also won Christ as your friend. Therefore, entreat Him that our souls may be saved.
Kontakion — Tone 4
O Righteous Father John, the holy memory of your illustrious contests has come today, gladdening the souls of those who honor you with reverence and faith.
submitted by InternetTraumatized to Christianity [link] [comments]
The Holy Confessor John the Russian was born in Little Russia around 1690, and was raised in piety and love for the Church of God. Upon attaining the age of maturity he was called to military service, and he served as a simple soldier in the army of Peter I and took part in the Russo-Turkish War. During the Prutsk Campaign of 1711 he and other soldiers were captured by the Tatars, who handed him over to the commander of the Turkish cavalry. He took his Russian captive home with him to Asia Minor, to the village of Prokopion.
The Turks tried to convert the Christian soldiers to the Moslem faith with threats and flattery, but those who resisted were beaten and tortured. Some, alas, denied Christ and became Moslems, hoping to improve their lot. Saint John was not swayed by the promise of earthly delights, and he bravely endured the humiliation and beatings.
His master tortured him often in the hope that his slave would accept Islam. Saint John resolutely resisted the will of his master saying, “You cannot turn me from my holy Faith by threats, nor with promises of riches and pleasures. I will obey your orders willingly, if you will leave me free to follow my religion. I would rather surrender my head to you than to change my faith. I was born a Christian, and I shall die a Christian.”
Saint John’s bold words and firm faith, as well as his humility and meekness, finally softened the fierce heart of his master. He left John in peace, and no longer tried to make him renounce Christianity. The saint lived in the stable and took care of his master’s animals, rejoicing because his bed was a manger such as the one in which the Savior was born.
From morning until late evening the saint served his Turkish master, fulfilling all his commands. He performed his duties in the winter cold and summer heat, half naked and barefoot. Other slaves frequently mocked him, seeing his zeal. Saint John never became angry with them, but on the contrary, he helped them when he could, and comforted them in their misfortune.
The saint’s kindness and gentle nature had its effect on the souls of both the master and the slaves. The Agha and his wife came to love him, and offered him a small room near the hayloft. Saint John did not accept it, preferring to remain in the stable with the animals. Here he slept on the hay, covered only by an old coat. So the stable became his hermitage, where he prayed and chanted Psalms.
Saint John brought a blessing to his master simply by living in his household. The cavalry officer became rich, and was soon one of the most powerful men in Prokopion. He knew very well why his home had been blessed, and he did not hesitate to tell others.
Sometimes Saint John left the stable at night and went to the church of the Great Martyr George, where he kept vigil in the narthex. On Saturdays and Feast days, he received the Holy Mysteries of Christ.
During this time Saint John continued to serve his master as before, and despite his own poverty, he always helped the needy and the sick, and shared his meager food with them.
One day, the officer left Prokopion and went to Mecca on pilgrimage. A few days later, his wife gave a banquet and invited her husband’s friends and relatives, asking them to pray for her husband’s safe return. Saint John served at the table, and he put down a dish of pilaf, his master’s favorite food. The hostess said, “How much pleasure your master would have if he could be here to eat this pilaf with us.” Saint John asked for a dish of pilaf, saying that he would send it to his master in Mecca. The guests laughed when they heard his words. The mistress, however, ordered the cook to give him a dish of pilaf, thinking he would eat it himself, or give it to some poor family.
Taking the dish, Saint John went into the stable and prayed that God would send it to his master. He had no doubt that God would send the pilaf to his master in a supernatual manner. The plate disappeared before his eyes, and he went into the house to tell his mistress that he had sent the pilaf to his master.
After some time, the master returned home with the copper plate which had held the pilaf. He told his household that on a certain day (the very day of the banquet), he returned from the mosque to the home where he was staying. Although the room was locked, he found a plate of steaming pilaf on the table. Unable to explain who had brought the food, or how anyone could enter the locked room, the officer examined the plate. To his amazement, he saw his own name engraved on the copper plate. In spite of his confusion, he ate the meal with great relish.
When the officer’s family heard this story, they marveled. His wife told him of how John had asked for a plate of pilaf to send to his master in Mecca, and how they all laughed when John came back and said that it had been sent. Now they saw that what the saint had said was true (Compare the story of Habakkuk, who miraculously brought a dish of pottage to Daniel in the lions’ den [Daniel 14:33-39], in the Septuagint).
Toward the end of his difficult life Saint John fell ill, and sensed the nearness of his end. He summoned the priest so that he could receive Holy Communion. The priest, fearing to go to the residence of the Turkish commander openly with the Holy Gifts, enclosed the life-giving Mysteries in an apple and brought them to Saint John.
Saint John glorified the Lord, received the Body and Blood of Christ, and then reposed. The holy Confessor John the Russian went to the Lord Whom he loved on May 27, 1730. When they reported to the master that his servant John had died, he summoned the priests and gave them the body of Saint John for Christian burial. Almost all the Christian inhabitants of Prokopion came to the funeral, and they accompanied the body of the saint to the Christian cemetery.
Three and a half years later the priest was miraculously informed in a dream that the relics of Saint John had remained incorrupt. Soon the relics of the saint were transferred to the church of the holy Great Martyr George and placed in a special reliquary. The new saint of God began to be glorified by countless miracles of grace, accounts of which spread to the remote cities and villages. Christian believers from various places came to Prokopion to venerate the holy relics of Saint John the Russian and they received healing through his prayers. The new saint came to be venerated not only by Orthodox Christians, but also by Armenians, and even Turks, who prayed to the Russian saint, “Servant of God, in your mercy, do not disdain us.”
In the year 1881 a portion of the relics of Saint John were transferred to the Russian monastery of the holy Great Martyr Panteleimon by the monks of Mount Athos, after they were miraculously saved by the saint during a dangerous journey.
Construction of a new church was begun in 1886, through the contributions of the monastery and the inhabitants of Prokopion. This was necessary because the church of the holy Great Martyr George, where the relics of Saint John were enshrined, had fallen into disrepair.
On August 15, 1898 the new church dedicated to Saint John the Russian was consecrated by the Metropolitan John of Caesarea, with the blessing of the Ecumenical Patriarch Constantine V.
In 1924, an exchange of the populations of Greece and Turkey took place. Many Moslems moved out of Greece, and many Christians moved out of Turkey. The inhabitants of Prokopion, when they moved to the island of Euboia, took with them part of the relics of Saint John the Russian.
For several decades the relics were in the church of Saints Constantine and Helen at New Prokopion on Euboia, and in 1951 they were transferred into a new church dedicated to Saint John the Russian. Thousands of pilgrims flocked here from all the corners of Greece, particularly on his Feast, May 27. Saint John the Russian is widely venerated on Mount Athos, particularly in the Russian monastery of Saint Panteleimon.
Saint John’s help is sought by travelers, and by those transporting things.
He Who called you from earth into the heavenly abodes, keeps your body incorrupt even after your death, O righteous John; for you were taken as a prisoner into Asia where you also won Christ as your friend. Therefore, entreat Him that our souls may be saved.
Kontakion — Tone 4
O Righteous Father John, the holy memory of your illustrious contests has come today, gladdening the souls of those who honor you with reverence and faith.