Extreme makeover home edition season 2

So some context. I grew up in this house until I was in my teens. My grandmother died in 2015, But while she was staying in a nursing home for about 5 years one of her children, my aunt did a sneaky and moved in to her house under the guise that she would take care of it and she absolutely and utterly destroyed the house. Fast forward to present day. My other aunt who is extremely responsible and pretty much has domain over all of my grandmothers stuff finally kicked her out and had someone assess what I thought was how much it would cost to get the house up to livable standards. My aunt has told me she would sell the house very cheap to us kids if we want it. I don't know "How cheap". My mother said probably around $20,000. I have been told it needs at least $30,000-$40,000 in repairs just to get it livable and up to code. It was built in 1928. "Technically" its a 3bd, 2bath, but it's more complicated than that. I don't know the fancy term for it but it basically has its own apartment on the top. So it has 2 pretty big bedrooms on the top, A full size kitchen with a walk-in pantry, A little dinky bathroom that's never been remodeled. And a little bit of space next to the stairs to put maybe a tall bookshelf. The downstairs is pretty much the same except the bedroom is massive, And then there's a set of stairs that looks like they used to connect to the stairs that go to the 2nd floor, But it is blocked off. It has a full size basement And not a very big front yard at all. Backyard is about the same.
The information on zillow says $107,000-153,000. I will take that with a grain of salt considering values of houses right now. I would not let anybody buy this house for any amount of money in its current condition. It's very very bad and makes me very upset.
My question is, Do you all think this is a good investment whether living in it myself or renting it out? I do not like the neighborhood it is in anymore. It used to be worse with police needing to be called, but it's not as bad because new ownership took over an apartment complex that's nearby but not right next to the house.

Athletics (10-44)	Astros (30-21)

First Pitch: 3:07 PM at Oakland Coliseum

Team	Starter	TV	Radio
Astros	Cristian Javier (5-1, 3.07 ERA)	ATTH	KBME, TUDN/KLAT (ES)
Athletics	Luis Medina (0-3, 6.45 ERA)	NBCSCA	A's Cast, KIQI (ES)

MLB	Fangraphs	Reddit Stream	Discord
Gameday	Game Graph	Live Comments	/baseball Discord

Line Score - Scheduled

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E	LOB
HOU										0	0	0	-
OAK										0	0	0	-

Box Score

Posted at 8:00 AM. Updates start at game time.
Remember to sort by new to keep up!

29M. Software Engineer. Earns decently. So, here goes my experience wrt Arranged Marriage Bride Search:

• Girl 1: Connected with her parents on JS. Her father told us to talk on video call after 2 days. We said OK. Next day, I messaged her father and he didn't reply anything and ghosted us.
• Girl 2: Connected with her father on Shaadi.com. Her father told us to meet at CP in Delhi on the upcoming weekend and told us that he will give us the time to meet but didn't do it, while we were waiting for his call. Instead, he called us on next week and told us that her daughter had to go out of town on that weekend and insisted to meet on the upcoming weekend. We said OK. Then he again made excuse on the upcoming weekend. I declined that girl on Shaadi.com
• Girl 3: School teacher from Rajasthan. Connected through JS. We talked on call multiple times but everytime, she started taking career advices and didn't talk much about me or her or marriage. I was bored AF and rejected her and told her to connect on LinkedIn if she needs career advice. Also, she was super sensitive to comedy.
• Girl 4: Data Scientist in private company. She believed that data scientist are the most intelligent people in the world. Her family belonged to RSS. Said she hates muslims and won't allow me to do any interaction with Muslims after marriage. I was like WTF. Also was talking in an egoistical tone. Said she wants her husband to give surprised for a long drive every week.
• Girl 5: Talked to her mother and it felt like I was talking to an HR as her questions were:
  • What's your annual CTC ?
  • What's your in-hand ?
  • What's your joining bonus ?
  • Any retention bonus ?
  • How much are the ESOPs ?
• Girl 6: Golddigger. Seemed nice in the beginning but rejected me later just because I didn't have a car. Details mentioned on this reddit post.
• Girl 7: Lived in Gurgaon and didn't speak any work in Hindi/Hinglish. She felt Hindi is an outdated language which she spoke with her family only and with her clients in her company, she used to speak in English only. I don't drink alcohol and consuming alcohol felt like her hobby while conversing with her as she told me that she can't survive with me if I would refuse to let her drink alcohol and she used to drink a lot on every weekends.
• Girl 8: Software Engineer. She was quite mature but said only 1 thing which shocked me. She said if her salary is X, then her husband's salary should be between X - 5 to X + 5 only. I asked if we get married, and my salary gets doubled then what will you do ? She said she would prepare for the interviews and double her salary too and in reverse, I would have to prepare to double my salary also if hers gets 2X. I was afraid on hearing this and I was thinking that all of my weekends would be spent on Leetcode in this case. Also, she was non-veg whereas me and my family are veg so that became another reason to not proceed further.
• Girl 9: Freelancer. She earned 10-12k per month and straightforwardly gave me a condition that she will bring her 2 dogs with her if we get married. Also, she felt like a traumatic person when she gave me another condition that I won't have to talk to any girl after marriage as I can have affairs. At the end of the call, she started begging me to convince my parents to bring dogs to home. I rejected her.
• Girl 10: School Teacher. Extremely poor communication skills. Wasn't saying anything in return. Details mentioned on this post.
• Girl 11: School Teacher. Golddigger + Papa ki Pari + rude + immature. Weirdest girl I have ever talked to till now. Details mentioned on this post.
• Girl 12: School Teacher. Golddigger + Papa ki Pari. Told me that there are 4 weekends every month. 1st weekend, we will hangout, 2nd with my parents, 3rd with her parents, and 4th again both of us. I was thinking as if there's nothing to do in weekends except trips. Then told me if my parents would want to go on weekend, then they must have to contribute financially for the trip. I was about to say F*** off. But stopped and rejected her diplomatically. Also told me that those who are drinking alcohol are not morons so she wants her husband to consume it as not consuming it in front of everyone would make him a moron and she doesn't want a moron. I was like WTF.
• Girl 13: School Teacher from Delhi. She had only 1 condition that she will ONLY wear SHORT CLOTHES aka SKIRTS everytime, whether its home, family function, or anything else. I was like what kind of weird condition is this. Also, told me to shift to her city as she wanted to work in the same school forever whereas I being a Software Engineer would change my job frequently. I asked what's the guarantee that her school wouldn't fire her. She replied, it's because she trust his school. I was like LOL.

And apart from these experiences, had a lot of other experiences where girls or her parents just connected, told us to talk and ghosted or rejected midway without specifying any reason or sometimes without even talking.
I don't understand what the hell is going on in our country. Even the experiences of many friends of mine in arranged marriage scene are quite similar to above. My patience has reached its threshold and I am feeling quite exhausted. I think it's better to remain single forever than throwing myself in this mess.

Hi Melburnians,
Long time follower, first time poster. Love the Melbourne subreddit.
So I am on the hunt for my first home in Melbourne and finding it extremely difficult to narrow down my search. I have lived in Clayton South and currently living in Rosanna so am familiar with both these sides of Melbourne but can't afford anything in or around these areas. I have a limited budget of 725k and would want a decent townhouse or a house for that price. Since my partner and I both work from office twice a week in and near the city, we don't want to move too far from it. I know there are compromises to be made but which compromises are worth it in your opinion. A house in newish suburbs further north or west or townhouses in other suburbs. Is one investment too bad over another. This won't be our forever home but would want a nice roomy place in a decent area for kids. What I can find on RE, Domain in my budget are:
Townhouses in Croydon, Ferntree Gully, Reservoir and surrounding areas.
Houses in South Morang, Epping, Point Cook and surrounding areas.
TLDR:

• First home buyer. Need a 3 br house/townhouse which isn't too tight or too old and crumbling.
• 725k budget.
• A couple with 2 kids under school age.
• Both work twice a week from office in city/inner suburb so don't want to move too far and would prefer staying closer to a train line.

Considering all this, which areas would you suggest and why?
Thanks in advance.

My husband and I live 1000 miles away from both our families. We do not have family or really many friends nearby at all (and we are totally ok with that!). We are in our mid 30s. We have an almost 2 year old toddler and I’m 3 months pregnant with the next babe. My husband works 12 hours a day, 5 days a week. We do not have a nanny/childcare, house keeper, nothing. We do it all ourselves.
My mom won’t communicate via text bc she doesn’t like it. She just won’t engage in more than a simple yes/no short sentence texts. She ONLY wants to talk on the phone, which is a minimum of a 45 minute conversation easily 1-1.5 hours.
My toddler doesn’t care for me being on the phone (bc they want to play with it if they see it) so that leaves me with her nap time to talk to my mom. However, her nap time is the only time I can 1) tidy up my house 2) shower without a toddler pushing me out of the way 3) eat peacefully 4) do any god damn thing for myself without a mess being created. ORRRR the other times that leaves is on the weekend when I get to see my husband for two days.
What I would love is to be able to communicate with her when I have a moment to respond. Sending a text takes less than one minute, and I can much easier sneak that in than a phone call multiple times a day. But that doesn’t work for my mom apparently. So we have minimal phone conversations. Like 2x a month. But you best believe the other 28 days of the month I’m ruminating that I’m a bad daughter bc I haven’t called and asked how my moms last vacation was or whatever. So am I the asshole by not calling her once a week?
TLDR: as a pregnant mom of a toddler with no outside help am I the asshole for cleaning my house or taking showers instead of calling my mom more?
Edit: I don’t ignore her calls, unless I’m putting kiddo to sleep or not near my phone. If I miss a call I will call within 24 hours.
She has visited me and my kid once since being born. I have taken my kid back home as well once. And we’ve met in the middle once.
My mom also flaked on coming out here when baby was born bc she was scared of getting sick. My mom also rescheduled her one visit for my kids first birthday bc she magically got a cold the night before her flight. And unrelated (maybe) I rescheduled my wedding once and ultimately cancelled it (during 2020) because my mom couldn’t commit to traveling for fear of getting sick.
Also worth noting- my mom does NOT have any chronic illnesses, works out multiple times a week, eats incredibly clean and is in great health. Her doctors agree with her being healthy

Hi, I'm a guy.
If you're a gal, and you're looking for a guy, then that's a great start, keep reading.
A little about me; I have hobbies, lots of hobbies.
I have a pretty extensive workshop where I dabble in everything from blacksmithing to bookbinding.
I have a thing for interesting historical objects and clothing. I make most of my own props and outfits for the work that I do at various festivals around the country.
I love hiking, kayaking, cycling, reading, martial arts, music, good food, and deep conversations about the mysteries of the universe. I'm far from being a health nut, but definitely trying to take better care of myself these days. I have a slowly growing tattoo collection as well.
I'm an entertainer by trade. I perform at Renaissance fairs, music festivals, and on the fringes of society. I'm known for eating fire, juggling crystal balls like David Bowie, and twisting balloon animals, but primarily I am an illusionist. A conjurer, prestidigitator. A Magician.
Yes, that's my real job, and it rocks.
I'm also teaching myself to shoot and edit video because I've always wanted to make movies. I have a few small projects out there, and just started a podcast as well, but there's still a long way to go.
What I'm looking for in a partner:
I'm a long-term relationship kinda guy. Not into hookups. Maybe that's strange, but it's just how I am. I've been single for a few years, and I'm ready to find something serious and meaningful.
I have lots to give and I'm searching for someone else who does as well.
I can appreciate different types of women, but my ideal match would be Caucasian, medium to fit build, 25-38 years old, with no children (I don't have any) but might want them someday with the right person.
She should be self-motivated and ambitious, but not too busy to spend time together. Sorry gamers, life is too short so spend it in front of a screen.
I'm not into hard partying, anymore, for the most part. Social drinking and 420 are still cool, but I've outgrown my wild phase so I'm hoping you can jive with that.
If you are kind, adventurous, loyal, unvaccinated, and at least semi-traditional then you should definitely consider getting to know an awesome person like me.
My goals for the next 3-5 years include learning more about natural/herbal medicines and horticulture. I have a green thumb and I would like to find a place to settle down and start a homestead with a special lady and grow most of our food and medicine in the garden.
I have a few business projects in the works that will supplement my sometimes-seasonal income from performing, and my hopes are that I can do much of my work from home in the future. I travel quite a bit, and I love it, but it gets old sometimes when you HAVE TO do it.
So, I guess that's a start anyway. If you want to know more, you'll just have to reach out and start the conversation.
Maybe attach a pic as well, so at least I know you're an actual human and not an assassin android from the future. I learned my lesson there.
My name is Jesse. Have a great day!

Analysis of Search Incidents and Lost Person Behavior in Yosemite National Park
Referenced from Lost Person Behavior by Jared Doke.
Yosemite National Park is an American national park in the state of California.
Crampton (1988) described a continuum of being lost with two distinct degrees of lostness.
The 1st, and arguably the most serious, is defined as “unknown lost”.
This occurs when a person believed that they knew where they were, when in fact they didn't.
This could happen to a hiker if they arrived at a diverging trail and took one path, but misidentified the one they should have otherwise taken.
The hiker may continue on in a denial process, fitting the terrain to their expectations, rejecting any discrepancies.
Eventually, they will have realized the mistake they had made, and only then can they take action to correct their errors.
Lost people generally have two goals: to try to find their way or to try to be found (Cornell and Heth 1999).
Yosemite National Park is unlike any other place on earth. It has its own distinct geology,
One must first understand the environment, hazards, and underlying processes that influence a lost hikers' decisions.
The geology, geomorphology, climate, weather, hydrology, vegetation, fauna, history, park visitation, and potential hazards are all relevent here.
The data indicates that people don't get lost at random locations, rather they get lost after they arrive at pre-known locations.
In Yosemite Valley these “hot spot” areas exist at the Yosemite Valley rim, Glacier Point, Sentinel Dome, the Badger Pass Ski area as well as a few trailheads.
Conversely, lost hikers are also found at pre-known locations as well.
The same significant “hot spot” areas.
On the Pianista trail, River 1/508 would be an example of a well known location.
Where a diverging trail exists, is after crossing river 2, there is an open paddock.

• The prevalance of hikers becoming lost -

In Yosemite Valley, 45% of hikers, whilst present on the trail, had identified themselves as being lost or agreed that they didn't know where they were.
This figure should probably be higher, but hikers are often too embarrased to admit to being lost.

• Contributing factors that caused hikers to become lost -

Main Contributing Factor n %
Lost Trail Accidentally 16.9%
Failed to research the trail and identify a planned route 11.7%
Miscalculation of time or distance of trail 9.4%
Darkness 7.0%
Left Trail Intentionally 5.6%
Insufficient Information/Error in Judgment 5.6%
Snow on Ground 5.2%
Wrong Trail Taken 4.7%
Fatigue/Physical Condition 4.2%
Steep Terrain 2.8%
Emotionally Upset 2.4%
Ground Level Fall 1.9%

• Successfulness of lost mitigation strategies -

For the most part, the lost incidents had a favorable outcome.
Of the 213 incidents, 68% resulted in the lost person/group being found uninjured and 23% were resolved by self-rescue.
10 incidents concluded with the subject being found injured, 9 subjects were found deceased, and 2 were found with medical problems.
Types of lost mitigation strategies used
In Yosemite, lost hikers who were in an active state of lostness typically attempted to follow a linear feature, in order to reorient themselves, or to become found.
Route Traveling 41.9%
Staying Put 25.7%
Backtracking 16.2%
Random Traveling 5.4%
View Enhancing 4.1%
Route Sampling 2.7%
Direction Traveling 2.7%
Doing Nothing 1.4%
The goal of Yosemite's PSAR program is to “help visitors avoid the need to be rescued by providing education about the hazards of hiking, and the time and equipment necessary to complete a planned hike
One of the most promising aspects of this report was the realization that watersheds may be used to predict the found locations for lost subjects.
A watershed is an area of land that drains all the streams and rainfall to a common outlet such as the outflow of a reservoir, mouth of a bay, or any point along a stream channel.
Watersheds are often used to draw search segments because ridges and streams provide natural borders for searchers in the field.
Kris and Lisanne very much underestimated their hike. It wasn't a pleasant afternoon trip, it was described as a walk in the park.
Alot of people posted to forums after this incident, and it's interesting to read the most revevent statements from 2014 that were the most accurate and well thought out:
"I've studied this case a great deal, and I think it's very possible that Kris and Lisanne didn't know that once you reach the summit, you're supposed to turn around and go down the way you came up. The El Pianista trail does not end at the summit"
"I believe they thought you're supposed to follow the trail down the other side of the mountain, and they probably also thought that it would take about as long to get down that side as it took them to get up the other side - about three hours."
"They might not have even been truly lost when they made their first 9-11 calls; they may have gotten lost only later in the evening, by travelling desperately in low light and darkness in an attempt to avoid spending the night in the jungle, perhaps leaving the trail to take "shortcuts."?"
"It is important to note that there are many paths made by the indigenous Ngobe tribes people, leading away from the official path, even locals and tour guides get regularly lost there and there are no signs that are indicating which path is the right one."
"These paths are well known for being incredibly dangerous (narrow, steep ascents/descents, slippy mud track and dangerous rope bridges) and are even avoided by the indigenous tribe at all costs."
"At this point it was already unlikely that they would meet another person there, since every local knows that they are otherwise risking their lives, by deviating onto these less traveled pathways."
"Oh, it's VERY possible to get lost on the El Pianista, and I'm speaking from experience! I hiked this same trail and got lost just 3 weeks ago while on vacation - signs at the base next to the restaurant even say it's prohibited to hike unless for scientific purposes. You have to cross two streams, and halfway up the trail it becomes practically nonexistent - once I got to the top, about a 3 hour hike without seeing one person, I lost track of the trail and lost my mind within seconds, and began running downhill completely lost - All the vegetation made it impossible to walk at times, I had to climb, crawl and scoot downhill for Two hours before I eventually wandered into someone's property and yelled for help."
"People do get lost. Sometimes fog can blanket the area and there's no visibility. A heavy rain can wash out trails. There can be confusion with game trails, because they are pathways that give the hiker the false impression that they are navicable."
Off The Beaten Path – Cerro de la Muerta
Consisting of steep, narrow curves and countless potholes, the mountain roads would be somewhat less hazardous if not fully submersed in fog. Due to its altitude, Cerro de la Muerte temperatures rise and fall to both day and night extremes.
Before Costa Rica had a lot of roads, people braved the treacherous mountain trails barefoot, on treks lasting three or four days, to secure supplies for their homes and livestock.
For many, Cerro de la Muerte was the worst part of a journey, many people didn't survive it.
With temperatures often below freezing, many travelers died of hypothermia along the trail or got sick and died of pneumonia later on, assuming they survived the frequent landslides and didn’t fall off any of the cliffs etc.
Sunburn danger here is higher than normal, owing to the thin clear air.
The road is usually open all year round, but flash floods, landslides, narrow curves, and steep cliffs make the pass extremely dangerous. There’s a reason this place is called the Mountain of Death.
Higher mountain peaks extend along the Cordillera de Talamanca, the region that the Pianista trail leads into.
Montane streams in the tropics are among the most extreme fluvial environments in the world. A combination of steep slopes, high mean annual rainfall, and intense tropical storms generate an energetic and powerful flow regime.
Much of the range and the area around it is included in La Amistad International Park, which also is shared between the two countries.
The highest peaks are present within Costa Rica and Panama.
Much of the Caribbean areas of this range are still unexplored.
Rapid runoff production generates flashy, frequent, short-duration floods and occasional high-magnitude floods associated with hurricanes and other tropical disturbances.
During the peak wet season, strong hydraulic forces are present within the stream channels.
The Changuinola is a river network with well-developed downstream hydraulic geometry.
Many alluvial rivers develop systematic changes in slope, channel geometry, and grain size, from their headwaters to the coast, in response to changes in discharge and sediment yield.

Hello, i am a Filipino but i was born and raised in Singapore/Canada. Im planning to study in the Philippines, so im here to ask questions about things i need to expect studying in the country, specifically in Mapua Makati. I plan on taking BSIT.
Questions: 1)Would there be any Filipino(tagalog) classes in BSIT? I can speak tagalog but only the basic and day-to-day conversations i’ve acquired from growing up with parents speaking tagalog at home. I’ve never had any education in tagalog language where we really learn in-depth tagalog unlike probably most students.
2)Are students in Mapua friendly towards english-speaking students?
3)I’ve been asking around when is the deadline for MPASS. I plan to take it next month. I have not even reserved a slot yet. What month do schools in PH normally close their enrollment season? Would there still be slots in BSIT normally in the month of June?
4)Do professors teach in English, or tagalog? Baka ma “nose bleed” ako if tagalog 🥲
Thanks in advance for your answers.

I am over it. I am ready to quit. Found out at 9dp5dt my beta is 24… due to the holiday weekend next beta is 13dp5dt even though the clinic is open for patients doing natural transfers, egg retrieval cycles, etc. My home tests are extremely faint and not progressing. The meds are making me absolutely miserable. The dr told me this will be a chemical but he can’t tell me to stop until they do another beta. I think I am just quitting today. This is my first attempt to get pregnant through IVF, but my 7th loss in 2 years. I am doing IVF because I was told it was the only way to get pregnant due to my recurrent losses (no known cause, RPL panel showed nothing) and now this still fails. I am done.

My Hyper xcloud finally said Good-night... No sound on the ear-pads, no mic signals... My Budget for new is around 500-600 USD (Can be stretched if Sound and quality of headphones is worth it). (keep in mind, my knowledge about this stuff is extremely limited).
But Now im sitting here looking at stuff like : Maxwell! (MAYBE audeze Lcd of some kind) Saundras Hifiman edition XS Or one of the HD-whatevers ... Wich one of these would you recommend, and if there is better choices, wich would that be?
Reason for getting new: My current cans said good night, and im tired of the almost once pr 2 year cycle of buying "gaming headphones"... Usage will be PC gaming! and netflixing but Most important is gaming! then Movies\music. (maybe i will start twitch streaming sometime). Open Or Closed: I live very sound insulated so Open or back dont matter much for me.. (Also dont know much of the difference regarding Gaming, i know other people around me can hear my sound with open.. but yeah). What i like? I love immersion in my RPGs and movies. "competitively" i only play Fps for fun (multiplayer maps in CoD) so footsteps etc isnt important but still nice. And Mobas (not many stepps there to be found!).
Extra If i need a seperate mic i will tack on extra Money, but stuff like SM7b is a bit overkill in my book, both price wise and for Discord\talk to chat uses... Also please suggest a Amp nd mic if its needed!

Hello dear readers! My colleagues and I are planning to visit Philippines on September. Hahaha I know its rainy season during that time, but we have no choice (corporate slaves feels). They are Singaporeans who want to visit our beloved home country. But I am running out of ideas where should I bring them. My initial plan is to do the Mt. Pinatubo Adventure and 2 days stay-cation in a resort anywhere in Zambales. But is there anything you can recommend of? Especially if our plan will not go as planned. Thank you!! <3

My 13th birthday was the worse day of my life. It started off with me just being excited about it the whole week and counting down the days. Friday was the day and I was so excited. My dad,who was married to a different woman and living in New Jersey,sent me money and again apologized for not being there to spend it with me. Okay,that’s alright. I took a really great shower,put on my new shoes and my new clothes,put on the nicest jewelry,smelt extremely good and had my skin glowing. I have never felt more excited for a day even tho I spending the day at school. I rushed to the van that picks me up for school. I got to school early and had to stand outside the gate that lets us in,there was really nobody else there yet except and the other kid that got dropped off with me. 20 minutes later,a few of my friends came and realized that it’s my birthday. More came and after they realized it was my birthday,you know what they did? They all gathered around me and started giving me birthday punches. the punches quickly turned into me getting beat up against the gate by at least 7-10 people,I was on the ground and got pulled from them by 2 of my other friends. I was crying and smiling through the tears,I thought I was crying because it was so cold outside but no,I was crying because of how they were waiting to do this but I let it go because I didn’t want it to ruin my day,okay that’s alright. I was a bit sore since that morning til lunch time,I was sitting next to my best friend and putting my head down til other people came and heard it was my birthday. Guess what? I got beat up again by even more people. They even started recording me when I was crying and begging them to stop. I kept saying stop and they kept punching me. My other friend was defending me and pulling me away and took me to the bathroom. I started bawling my eyes out and stayed in there the rest of the lunch time,other girls came to console me and help but I was so upset and tired. some of the girls went to confront the people who beat me up and their excuse was that I was a violent person in general and give the worse birthday punches. What? I give soft birthday punches and half the time none at all. Sure me and my friends play fought and I used to fight a lot last year but I have changed and just had problems. I was nicer to everyone this year and gave so much things to people and apologized for my behavior last year,knowing how bad and horrible I was. But even the some of the people who beat me up didn’t even know me and just wanted to have fun. I was sore the rest of the day and crying,I just wanted to go home. When I got home,the door was open for me with my stepdad smiling at me. I immediately broke down and dropped my bag and my stepdad said it wasn’t good I was crying on the day I was so excited for and reminding everyone about with a smile on my face. the rest of the day I was so dull and unhappy and just went to sleep. I have never hated a day more then my 13th birthday. When I remember it,I just burst into tears because I never knew what I did to deserve that to happen. I just wanted to enjoy the day I was so excited for and instead of ending that day in a smile,it ended in tears.

Daily Dash: Austin Hays dives, Starling Marte leaps - 00:51
5/27/23 Real Fast: Kiner-Falefa walks it off in 10th - 00:59
Quick Pitch explores the Premier Plays from May 27 - 00:48
Season 8, Episode 9: Ronald Acuña Jr. stops by - 22:39
Bo Bichette: Home Run Statcast Analysis - 00:15
Austin Hays: Home Run Statcast Analysis - 00:16
Salvador Perez: Home Run Statcast Analysis - 00:17
Max Muncy: Home Run Statcast Analysis - 00:11
Mitch Haniger: Home Run Statcast Analysis - 00:14
Gio Urshela: Home Run Statcast Analysis - 00:15

SPOILERS FOLLOW, to get the same table with scores hidden, go to the comments.

GAME	RECAP	CG
SD 2, NYY 3, F/10	recap - 03:12	condensed - 08:47
CWS 3, DET 7	recap - 03:02	condensed - 08:48
TOR 7, MIN 9	recap - 03:14	condensed - 08:59
TEX 5, BAL 3	recap - 03:10	condensed - 08:26
HOU 6, OAK 3	recap - 02:57	condensed - 08:17
WSH 4, KC 2	recap - 03:02	condensed - 07:47
PIT 0, SEA 5	recap - 03:13	condensed - 08:19
LAD 6, TB 5	recap - 03:14	condensed - 08:23
PHI 2, ATL 1	recap - 03:11	condensed - 07:40
SF 3, MIL 1	recap - 03:14	condensed - 08:46
BOS 2, AZ 1	recap - 03:07	condensed - 08:05
CIN 8, CHC 5	recap - 03:14	condensed - 07:29
STL 2, CLE 1, F/10	recap - 02:55	condensed - 07:48
NYM 7, COL 10	recap - 03:05	condensed - 08:57
MIA 8, LAA 5, F/10	recap - 02:59	condensed - 09:47

Longest dongs of the day:

NUM	BATTER	PITCHER	RBI	DIST	EV	LA	VIDEO
6	Ryan McMahon	Jeff Brigham	2	439	109.7	30	video
7	Francisco Alvarez	Jake Bird	3	435	103.5	27	video
9	Fernando Tatis Jr.	Luis Severino	1	426	106.4	30	video
4	Willi Castro	Adam Cimber	1	419	102.9	28	video
4	Mitch Haniger	Peter Strzelecki	2	419	103.7	27	video
3	Zack Short	Jimmy Lambert	2	416	105.8	25	video
20	Pete Alonso	Chase Anderson	1	415	105.1	22	video
6	Austin Hays	Andrew Heaney	1	411	105.8	31	video
1	Matt Wallner	Chris Bassitt	1	409	107.4	32	video
16	Max Muncy	Tyler Glasnow	1	408	108.9	26	video

2023 Results (So Far): +18.78 Units
2022 Results: +73.185 Units
All Time: +92 Units

Full transparency, I run a MMA betting service called Provide Picks. We have been operating for roughly a year and a half completely tracked and verifiable with a return of over 96 units in that short time. You can find our full tracking sheet history here and you can also see a bunch of customer testimonials and betting slips throughout that time here.
Me myself, I have watched MMA religiously for more than 10 years and trained for over 4.5 years, I love this sport so I figured why not help bring some insight and analysis to others! Now this isn’t a sales pitch, I know how Reddit works and I really enjoy the opinions shared on this sub-reddit so I genuinely want to help contribute and if you enjoy the output, please feel free to join the team! We are proven to be profitable long-term so if you have some spare change to invest at any level, you love the sport and are interested in improving your knowledge - come over and check us out at providepicks.com. As we have a fair base of paying members, it wouldn’t be fair to them to share every single one of our bets however I want to provide as much value for this betting community as people, hopefully to help you guys see a different angle in terms of MMA betting and long-term profitability and more importantly - sending these bookies broke.
Anyways enough waffle - let’s get into this week’s shenanigans. This is a surprisingly fun fight night card, I love these events that are lower on name value but just full of decent talent and exciting matchups. This is definitely one of them and generally when you have slightly lesser talent stacked fight nights, you have a night full of violence and finishes - let’s see if that continues in this one. Onto the breakdowns!
Maxim Grishin (32-9-2) vs. Philipe Lins (16-5):
Grishin is a tall, orthodox fighter who is just a real good mixed martial artist. He is a big frame for the LHW division, is strong and still has fairly slow, plodding style of movement and footwork. Is good in the clinch, very good at holding position by winning underhooks and using his big head to frame against the neck of his opponent and keep them in position for taxing knees to the body and just wearing on them with his big frame. I like his ability to keep the fight in his range, using slight forward pressure and a decent feint game to his advantage. Can be a little heavy set on the lead leg so should look out for the speedy outside leg kick of Lins in this one - Grishin is also pretty handy at catching the body kick and punishing. Personally, never been massively high on Lins in his career, admittedly he has looked better since dropping to his proper weight class post juice cycle but it is against weak competition. He is OK everywhere but not great anywhere, I do like his hand-speed with his boxing combos especially when pressuring forward. I think he mixes in takedowns well in his game at times but he can also be held against the cage. I probably slightly edge Lins in terms of cardio but I also do think this is a massive watch the scales fight due to Grishin’s size and propensity for bad weight cuts. This is a tough fight to call given both guys are fairly unimpressive. I favour the speed of Lins with the hand-speed and kicks definitely but he doesn’t set them up intelligently. I think Grishin can hold Lins against the cage, wear on him with his size and win minutes. I capped this fight 50/50 and I think we see a close fight, will take Maxim Grishin by UD but with very low confidence.
BET: No bet.
Luan Lacerda (12-2) vs. Da'Mon Blackshear (12-5-1):
I like what I saw on debut from Lacerda - he has a very Muay Thai style of fighting, very flat-footed with a high guard, move forward pressuring with the lead leg ready to pop up and check kicks quickly. He has sharp, fast hands and particularly his hooks to the body are very technically sound. Against Stamann he was able to mix some grappling in when it suited but it is clear he is more of an Aldo style fighter that prefers to stuff takedowns and keep it on the feet. Coming up against Blackshear here who I have been very impressed with even though he is off 2 losses. Da’mon is a super well rounded guy, I like his creative offence on the feet and I also like his offensive grappling ability on the ground too. Defensively, he leave a little more to be desired and can be a little comfortable with fighting off his back which I don’t particularly like. We haven’t seen too much grappling from Lacerda so will be interested to see how he fares in this one but I think the technicality of Lacerda on the feet, the ability to mix his targets to the head, body and legs and just land the more damaging strikes will edge him this one. Taking Luan Lacerda by UD.
BET: No bet.
Jinh Yu Frey (11-8) vs. Elise Reed (6-3):
I would be doing a disservice to everyone who reads this if I honestly told you with any level of confidence that you should put your hard earned money anywhere near this fight. Don’t, simple as that.
Daniel Santos (10-2) vs. Johnny Munoz Jr. (12-2):
This is a super fun matchup between two very efficient grapplers which should make for a exciting scrap here. Let’s start with Daniel Santos, if you knew nothing of this guy and watched him fight and had half a clue on MMA, you would know immediately that he is a Chute Boxe fighter. He has relentless forward pressure, irresponsible boxing defence and is a very kill or be killed style fighter. I like his stalking style, but he has little head movement besides the pull counter really, likes to pressure you until that back foot is up against the cage and then explode in with spinning attacks or elbows from weird angles. He keeps his hands high but then head on centre line and thus far has shown some crazy durability but this can only get you so far. Looks to have solid grappling, not accepting bottom position and constantly looking to invert and throw up submissions. Against Arce he looked good however Arce was able to be elusive with his footwork, stick and move and use angles well to counter in and out of range. I think against anyone who can effectively stay on the outside and use smart, straight shots effectively, he will struggle. I just don’t think that guy is Munoz JR on the feet - he is clunky, doesn’t throw in combinations and looks to parry alot of shots defensively which I really don’t like against a guy who throws wild, unorthodox strikes in Santos. He is a solid wrestler with some good offensive TD numbers but he has to be careful not to shoot unintelligently and throw himself into a submission which will make him hesitant and have to strike. I think Munoz’s wins have been against low level guys who aren’t in the promotion anymore and I think this is a bad stylistic fight for him. I think Santos will land the more damaging shots and I fancy he gets him out of here in under 2 rounds. Taking Daniel Santos via TKO RD 1.
BET: Like the look of the Santos moneyline, fancy Santos Inside the Distance too but will wait to see what price this opens at. If we get anything in the realm of +125 to -120, I would look at a 1.5 unit play. Under 2.5 rounds is an option also depending on price, I think it will probably be around the -200 to -250 play so anything south of that will be a play too.
Andrei Arlovski (34-21) vs. Don'Tale Mayes (9-5):
Huge experience edge to the old-dawg here in Arlovski. Mayes has been everything but impressive thus far in his UFC career and I don’t know how you could be intrigued to play either side in this one. Mayes can hit hard and is reasonably athletic for the HW division but skill for skill outside the boxing, he doesn’t offer a lot. I couldn’t be confident on ever betting him to be quite honest. You know what you’re going to get with Arlovski and that is volume, if his chin can handle what is coming back at him. He is a special for split decisions so if you’re a degen and want action, look to that but for me, no interest here. Will take the side of Andrei Arlovksi via UD using his volume and experience but you couldn’t be more lower confidence.
John Castañeda (19-6) vs. Muin Gafurov (18-4) :
Gafurov taking this on short-notice with Castaneda set to take on Mendonca before that was cancelled and replaced with possibly the furthest opposite style of fighter. The Gafurov gameplan is simple, contest on the feet, use blitz attacks such as looping overhands when moving forward followed by a double leg against the cage and rely on his Sambo capabilities to hold top position and out-work his opponent. Castañeda is a guy that doesnt get a huge amount of spotlight but I like his game alot. He has nice footwork, good striking out of southpaw and orthodox, has good wrestling entries and is able to grapple competitively, just a solid all around mixed martial artist. In this one, I really favour the movement and footwork of Castañeda and I think the speed is going to give Gafurov issues. Castañeda is sitting at a 60% TD Defence rate which is concerning against a guy who will consistently shoot like Gafurov, but I think Castañeda will be hard to find, using the angles in and out of the pocket and throwing quick shots up the middle to dissuade and make Gafurov think. I like John Sexi Mexi Castañeda to win this one by UD.
BET: No lines opened yet but have capped Castañeda as a 60% winning chance.
Elizeu Zaleski (23-7) vs. Abubakar Nurmagomedov (17-3-1):
Zaleski is an interesting fighter to me. Good sprawl, solid TD Def against the cage, good balance and strength to win underhooks. Quite a flat-footed striker, not a massive amount of footwork but I like his rear leg power kick, he hits the body well and switches levels nicely. Relatively low volume and works single shots mainly without a massive amount of feinting. The frequency that he fights worries me but it has been the story of his career. Abubakr is the typical Dagestani fighter, limited stand up basically a quick overhand right and other single shots, tied in with a grinding, gruelling wrestling pace. He seems on the lower end of the Nurmagomedov scale in terms of skill, often leaving himself open to submission when in top control whether it’s knee-bars or even the common triangle. He is able to hold a good pace over 15 mins which is good given how top heavy and smothering he can be at times. He fights out of both stances, looks more comfortable out of OD but if he fights SP, I think he will lose this fight. Zaleski is too sharp on the feet especially with the body kicks and straight shots which will only be accentuated in the opposite stances. I also think the knees for Zaleski are going to be huge here, he throws them with bad intentions in the centre and against the cage which tied in with his teeps and front kicks are a dangerous sight for Abubakr. Abubakr is a good chance at smothering the fire power of Zaleski and just wearing on him but I think he is dangerous enough off his back to survive and challenge at times and I expect the damage will start to add up on the Zaleski side and I think we see a finish. Taking Elizeu Zaleski via TKO RD 2.
BET: Zaleksi ITD will be a play if over +200. Moneyline odds are probably bang on.
Guram Kutateladze (12-3) vs. Jamie Mullarkey (16-5):
Guram has a K1 kickboxing background and it shows, very high level on the feet with good head movement and sharp, unpredictable strikes set up with a smart feint game. He has really good distance management, uses great fundamentals and is super quick with his hand-speed and he finishes combos with kicks which I love, its that kickboxing mentality. He fights out of All Stars which shows in his TD Defence especially against the fence, he is clearly strong but has very good wrestling and counter wrestling technique. He has had a super high level of competition and performed very well in wins and losses, we just don’t see him active enough due to injuries and bad luck. Mullarkey is an absolute junkyard dog, pushing the pace and moving forward with intense pressure making you fight every second of that 15 minutes. He like to engage in the pocket, for better or worse, and in recent times we have seen his wrestling really shine through some of these tough scraps. He has a nice jab which I expect to be pumping prior to every combo and entry for Mullarkey. I just think at this point in his career this is quite a tough fight for Mullarkey. Guram is a super high-level striker with a good base for stuffing takedowns and keeping the fight in kickboxing range. I expect Mullarkey to want to close distance and engage, I just don’t think defensively he is strong enough to absorb and adapt to the speed and combinations of Guram and I think we see that chin tested for Mullarkey. I think this is a bit of a step down in competition for Guram although if Mullarkey can get some early takedowns it will be interesting to see the gastank of Guram tested. The activity is always a question mark but at this point I think Guram should win this handily, will be taking Guram Kutateladze via TKO RD 2.
BET: Wouldn’t touch Guram at -350 but he should win.
Karine Silva (15-4) vs. Ketlen Souza (13-3):
Silva should win here but at that price, even blind Freddie could see that this is a pass on the moneylines. Silva actually has a high finishing ability in terms of WMMA, so if we can get a good price on a fight doesnt go the distance line, that could be an option here.
BET: Wait for round lines to drop.
Tim Elliott (18-12-1) vs. Victor Altamirano (12-2):
Altamirano is a SP fighter, fairly unusual style of striking with sort of a Tony Ferguson style mixed in with some well timed takedown attempts. He has very little power in his strikes but OK volume. Defensively, he leaves a lot to be desired with a modified sort of philly shell style where his lead hand is low and near the hip, he does get hit and often but he has shown very good durability. His takedowns worry me at times because he is very content to dip his head to an advancing opponent and run a double or single leg, he is very open to knees and front kicks up the middle. Tim Elliott lives up to his nickname of “Awkward” extremely well. He has bizarre head movement, footwork and feints that all tie in to his sort of herky jerky style of fighting. He is able to tie his wrestling game in very well, I’d say technically he is far more technically sound than Victor. He does put himself into submission opportunities with some of his entries but im not too worried about that in this fight. This has the potential to be one of the worst fights we have seen TBH and only because of how weird and unorthodox these guys are, the awkwardness really has the potential to make this fight a strange one. I am pretty confident that Tim has the grappling/wrestling edge and also the more diverse and comfortable striker, the recent occurrence with Tim and Gina Mazany in the media does give me pause that he might be coming into this too emotional but I think it may fire him up to really perform. I think Tim is under his value here and can win in a multitude of ways, going to take Tim Elliott via UD.
BET: Tim Elliott Moneyline -175 (2 Units to win 1.14 Units)
Jim Miller (35-17) vs. Jared Gordon (19-6):
I will keep this one short and simple, Gordon is a really bad stylistic matchup for Miller and would win probably 7/10 times currently BUT he is returning way too soon after getting KO’d by that headbutt from Bobby Green. Gordon has good wrestling and generally good durability with a knack for pushing these grinding paces and outworking and outlasting his opponent. Pair that up with good submission defence and thats a horror fight for A10 Miller. But you can never count Jim out, he hits hard for a vet, he is unorthodox and he has the potential to catch you. For me, Gordon should roll here but I love to play Jim Miller round one given that is his money round - have cashed plenty on this through his career! Short breakdown and not a thorough one, I think Jared Gordon should win this fight but I think it is too soon. I will take Jared Gordon via UD**,** but take it with a pinch of salt.
BET: Jim Miller wins round 1 (price not available yet, .75 units)
Alex Caceres (20-13) vs. Daniel Pineda (28-14):
Haven’t had time to break this one down yet but will update if any bets come off it!
Kai Kara-France (24-10) vs. Amir Albazi (16-1):
KKF is a kickboxing fighter who we have seen develop nicely through his career in the UFC. He has worked tirelessly on his takedown defence and it shows in his huge improvement in ability to not only stuff shots but his ability to use the cage and his excellent balance to keep his feet underneath him. I think KKF’s hands are still fairly rudimentary and not necessarily in a bad way, he uses the jab decently well and relies on the 1,2 sometimes too much. For his weight, he has good power and one area I really like are his leg kicks, he has solid rear leg power kicks that he lands very efficiently off the back of his straight shots. Albazi is more of a grappler in nature with a majority of his victories by submission but I have liked what I have seen from him on the feet also. He has a sharp, snappy jab which he works off the back of and allows to dictate the fight. He has a pretty limited kicking game and in terms of kick defence, I expect KKF to really try and exploit the lack of checking and the heavy set stature of Albazi. In the grappling realm, I don’t think it’s close. Albazi has some elite scrambles on the mat and if you’re content to sit in his guard, he has some really damaging ground and pound in which he will equally target your head and body and punish you and wear on you. Albazi is far superior in terms of grappling but the question is will he be able to get it down to the mat? I think his timing going under the big right hand will be an option and I think he will be able to use his strength advantage when in close to muscle certain movements. This is a big step up in competition and his first venture into main event rounds which is a worry. This is going to be a fun fight and I am really looking forward to it but I think as long as everything looks good after weigh-ins, I will be on the Albazi side. He is improving with every fight and I think we see him get this fight to the ground and wear on KKF, eventually finding a submission, probably a RNC. Taking Amir Albazi via SUB RD 3.
BET: Will wait to see what round lines are set at. Will be looking at the Albazi Inside the Distance line also.
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And that wraps up the breakdowns for this week! We send our followers the full betting cards on Saturday morning here in Australia, post weigh-ins. Nothing worse than betting on a fighter pre weigh-in, just to see him look like complete shit on the scales. We will post some of our betting card here incase anyone is interested!
Good luck, always gamble responsibly and remember to hang around long-term because there will be ups and downs but trust the process and we will build some bankroll. Would love to know if you agree or disagree anywhere and let us know who you are riding with below. Enjoy the fights! - Dylan.

1
I live in a suburb surrounded by forest. My house is in a row of other properties built next to a tree line. The neighborhood was always quiet. The sounds of crickets, birds, and sight of black bears were routine on most summer days.
The scenic area was something I was always grateful for. I lived completely alone since the death of my parents. An accidental fire took both of their lives. Once I collected my inheritance, I relocated to a much more peaceful region. I had always fantasized about moving there.
I tried to start a relationship with Samantha. I had gone to High School with her sixteen years before. She had gone on to become a respected Detective. My attempt at something long lasting with her failed. She was too career oriented. I was reeling from grief. Focusing on building something meaningful with her was a pipe dream.
Things around my community changed once the Murphy family went missing.
The first sign that something was off on that Wednesday was how their blinds had closed. Their silver Chevy Chrysler remained parked in the driveway.
A tennis instructor at the country club noticed the wife of that house did not show up for the program. He called their number to make sure everything was alright. When no one responded, he notified the authorities. Rumors abounded immediately among the home owners association about an alleged affair. The gossip only furthered when the married couple and their three kids were not found in the abode.
I watched from my balcony as the patrolmen roped the place off with caution tape. The domicile was a three story building with brick chimney’s and a few peaked roofs in the style of English towers. They were beige, light blue and crimson.
On the morning of the Murphy’s desertion of society, the architecture became a hollow image. It was one that was once filled with activity and life.
The law did what they could. Any success they may have had in the investigation was secret. A few months passed by and they removed the caution tape.
I followed the on-line police logs. The weather was pristine and clear the day they vanished. The fact that there were no witnesses to what direction they may have gone disturbed me.
I had heard how the man, Frank Murphy, had a bit of a temper and always had a bourbon in hand. I had heard mutual friends describe him as an alcoholic in denial of his servitude to liquor. He was an indignant individual who knew no true repercussions for his behavior. He always had bail money from a software company he founded and sold a long time ago.
I was never close to that family, but I peered out at their vacant house far more than I ever had. I was in need of an answer. What could have happened?
2
I called Samantha one evening as I sat on my bed, wondering how she would respond to my reaching out. We were never argumentative or on bad terms. I still worried about her reaction, and hoped it would not be a dismissive one.
I heard her say hello. Her voice still impressed me. I had almost forgotten how silky her tone was. I knew it could change to a much firmer pitch when she was interviewing a suspect.
“Hi, Sam. I’d like to know if you’d be free tomorrow for a cup of coffee. We can go to that place, The Bean Field, off Pond road. It’s been a while and I know you have a lot to tell me about what’s new in your life.”
There was a pause on the other end, and for a second a bout of anxiety hit me. I judged my own words as robotic, stilted, and sure to push her away. I reasoned she was summoning an excuse to get out of having to interact with me. How dare I presume she would even entertain the notion of having a meeting.
“That sounds great,” she said. “Tomorrow is my day off, luckily for you. I’m in the middle of an incident right now. It’s a five car pile-up about forty minutes from where you live. I’ve gotta run. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
When she hung up, I was triumphant. I looked at our old text conversations. I realized we had not been in communication with each other for over twelve months. Now was my opportunity to reconcile that gap of unintended avoidance. I knew it would be an undeserved opportunity.
3
I sat outside of the cafe the next morning at a black metal table. I had a view of rolling hills dotted with trees. A highway with multitudinous shrubberies sat on either side of it. I sipped a piccolo latte while waiting for her.
When she arrived and stepped out of her hatchback in the parking lot, her appearance floored me. She had not dressed up for our supposed date, but that did not make a difference. She had arrived from the gym and wore shorts and a top set. She donned a gray and green hoodie.
She sat across from me and reached for the menu.
“Can you go to the front and order me avocado toast?” Samantha asked. “I’ll also take a mocha with a few shots of espresso. Please.”
I did exactly that. When I returned with her items, she apologized for consuming her meal in less than two minutes.
“I hadn’t eaten since five PM yesterday,” she said between sips.
“I understand,” I said. “I doubt you ever have a consistent schedule anymore.”
“You’re right, but that’s why I have to enjoy my free time when I can.”
We settled into talking about what had happened since we last saw each other. I referenced my trying to learn another language (French) with the hopes of moving to Europe or Canada.
After fifteen minutes of small talk, I asked her about work, but I did so with caution. It started with me wondering about what the call she was on when we were on the phone was about.
“A drunk driver blew a stop sign and hit two other vehicles,” she said. “It was ugly. A few people died. We’ll see if the man in silk pajamas gives him the proper sentence or a traffic citation.”
“You know, I’m curious about what happened to the Murphy’s, if they’re hurt or not.”
“You and everyone else,” she said. “We’ve been getting so many witness accounts, and so far they’ve all been bogus. All I know is what I saw when I got there.”
“I didn’t know you were one of the responders,” I said.
“Yeah. Something about the place was off from the moment I walked in. I found heavy items in placed they should not have been in. The toolbox was not in the garage but on the second story. A disassembled snowblower lay scattered everywhere in pieces. The oven door was on their bed. Frank Murphy was not the strongest guy in the world, either. For him to cause the kind of property damage I saw doesn’t make a lot of sense. At the risk of sounding crazy, inexplicable things happened when I was there.”
“Like what?”
“I was under the impression that something was playing a trick on me. Electrical outlets sparked a few times out of nowhere. The ceiling fan would go from still to spinning when I looked up at it. Books would fall off of the shelves. A volume on black magic, of all things, almost hit the top of my head when I walked on by. Another book about fairies collapsed with it.”
“So the home intruder set up a bunch of weird diversions,” I said. “I’ve heard of that before. These killers or kidnappers want the victims to think there was more than one of them. It’s so their account’s disputed in court.”
I’ll tell you right now,” she said, “we didn’t find any outside DNA.”
“So it’s a case of family annihilation,” I said as I took a long swig of my beverage. “I don’t know if you can substantiate the facts, but a few people have said that Emily had a big life insurance policy. Frank knew about. He may have been using steroids and having an affair, and that could have contributed to-“
It occurred to me that she eyed me with suspicion, as though I was digging too deep. I could also tell she regretted letting information about the forensic results slip.
She stood up and stared at me with a flash of anger in her eyes.
“I thought you wanted to piece something back together with me,” she said. “I didn’t know you wanted to play armchair investigator like every true crime fan. You know, your parents were kind. I wish you’d follow their example. I’ll let you get the bill.”
She walked back to her vehicle and I knew it would be a while before we conversed again.
Later that night, I stared out my window at the Murphy home. I saw a star shoot across the sky, and it almost seemed ready to plummet into the side of their house.
4
The next evening, I took a walk around the suburb. I spotted a thin line of dried red fluid along a path which led into the woods.
I was attempting to get in some movement to get my mind off of the events of the day before. Negativity and self-deprecation were all-consuming. I felt the need for a long saunter to try and release some of the meandering and pessimistic energy I accrued.
When I saw the carmine ribbon along the dark soil, a sense of worry filled me. I was not that far removed from a cul-de-sac with palatial manors a block away. There was no way I could speculate on me being the first to see it.
Could it be a hint where they are? I thought.
The notion seemed absurd, a reach.
I had read in the local newspaper that there was an uptick in bobcat sightings due to recent wildfires. The animals relocated during prior summers. I reasoned it could have been a house pet which became a victim after it got snatched away into the overgrowth.
I followed it, and the uneven road of red stretched on past many bushes and over logs. A shrill chirping in the background became louder. I moved between two conifers with petrified wood and found myself in a part of the forest I had never been in.
There were so many branches that it blacked out the falling sun. Ahead of me was a clearing. A swarm of gnats and mosquitos descended upon it. The sea of insects soared together in chaotic unison as a wave among the sedges and lichen.
I looked towards the right of the meadow and saw a ramshackle tree house. I trailed the red line towards it. I peered in through one of the windows and saw a statue of a woman with wings. I knew she was not an angel. There was no halo, nor were her organs of flight feathery, but rather they were thin and bat-like.
I entered the place knowing the danger I was putting myself in. I had tracked mud in and was oblivious to the incriminating actions I partook in. I was trespassing and risking stumbling into whoever may have owned the land. My curiosity got the better of me and caused me to keep moving forward.
The room was sparse but decorated. The walls had carvings of men and women, also with wings. Their bodies held yogic-like positions as they reached out to one another mid-air.
A piece of parchment with a few words sat in the corner. I picked it up and read it:
‘Humans are the greatest living beings to play tricks on. Especially when they go through a time of drought and extreme cold.’
I sat it down where I found it, unsure of what to make of it.
I touched the central figure’s neck. The chiseling was not only cold, but below freezing, as though I had submerged my hand in a polar pool.
The noise of some kind of bird attempting to escape a confined space reverberated below me.
Something brushed against my leg. I looked down and saw an army of glow bugs float up between the cracks, and they circled around me. They were like dragon flies. At the time I had labeled them as such, but in reality their shapes were far too humanoid.
I walked back home. I went to bed and slept. I was still perturbed at the wine-colored avenue and cabin.
I awoke in the middle of the night after something tapped at my walls from the outside. I peered out and saw the Murphy home, and observed how the blinds over their casements were wide open. A hive of mites filled every inch of the interior.
5
I found the decomposing body of a chipmunk stuffed into the tailpipe of my vehicle the next day.
This horrified me, because the deliberation of the act was too evident to ignore. While I did have a surveillance camera on my porch, the coverage of my vehicle was non-existent. I calmed myself down by thinking it was likely a tempestuous child. I retrieved a pair of medical gloves and disposed of the creature before going on with the errand. The rotting body had a horrible smell. It was like an onion left out in humidity for days, and my stomach turned as I sealed it off in the garbage with the lid.
The next morning, I looked in my closet. Some of my favorite shirts had disintegrated. Holes and patches of destroyed fabric littered them. I found it odd, and even searched on-line for possible answers before I decided it had to be a moth infestation. I sprayed lavender. Information on a website statEd that was a cure-all, but the problem persisted. It bothered me that I had not seen a single aphid, but I pushed that concern away.
A few days afterward, when I had tossed my disheveled pieces of attire, the power in my house went out. This was not such an unusual occurrence during the heavy winter months. For it to occur in the summer was strange.
It was a rolling blackout. Once my house had electricity again, I noticed how someone moved items around.
Something turned my kitchen table on its side and stuffed into a part of the kitchen I would have never placed it in.
I grabbed a butcher knife and did a sweep of the premises, and I did not find anything. There were no footprints or signs of anything else tampered with. When I got to the second story, birds nested along the tree tops, and the repugnant odor of fish attacked me.
My allergies became insufferable over the next month. Nothing purchased over the counter which helped it.
6
I went to the beach on an overcast day. After roughly half a mile of walking, I saw an illustration someone had drawn in the sand with a stick. It was of a being with airfoils.
A light precipitation had fallen earlier. As I trailed along the former part of the sand, a glint in the corner of my eye caught my attention. I looked out at the water and saw what appeared to be a light blue outline of wings beneath the surface.
A phosphorescent wall of creatures surrounded me.
As the days march on, I know I am stalked by something I cannot rebel against, let alone have any agency or autonomy over. My pillowcases have shredded, the pipes in my basement have burst, and someone left me a gift at my front door. When I opened it, I saw mice scurry away. It was a book, and it was one about the history of fairies.
I picked it up and had to blow the dust off of it. Someone had stolen it from a musty subterranean chamber and brought it here.
I theorized that it was Samantha, passive aggressive with her disappointment in me. Yet I flip through its pages and find it all too familiar. I cannot help but wonder if this is a sign of something far more dangerous.