Maybe that title is a bit too cheesy, but I really do like exploring the night sky. Helps especially since my hometown was a great place to do so. That all aside, hello! I am Pydras, fat cat collector, lessor avatar of chaos, and most boring of all, corporate accountant. I am to find people to potentially connect with and see what develops. Whether that leads to friendship or something more will remain to be seen, but life is short so have to get out there and try!
A little more about me! As stated earlier, I am a corporate accountant, working in interior BC, currently saving to get my own place. I am quite fond of cooking, and decent enough at it as well! I would say at least 67% of it would be tolerable to most people. Since my job is basically just sitting around all day, I try and workout at least three or four times a week to stay active and in shape. That being said I do have a sweet tooth that I am quite good at managing, except for my weakness of homemade baked goods. Art wise, I really have no skills in most of those areas except for writing (use to do some RP back in the day). Well, I do make quite the horrible MS Paint masterpiece if the inspiration hits, so that might count. Politically I am quite on the left side, and religion wise I tend to fall more into agnosticism and atheism.
For subject interests, my top three would probably have to be history, geography, and geology. One of my favourite things to do when bored is open Google maps and go to a random area and see what I can learn of those three for it. However, my absolute biggest interest and the one I hold closest to me is music. While I can't really play an instrument (have been trying to relearn piano), I usually have some sort of playlist on if I am not too busy or in a loud environment. I can literally go into paragraphs upon paragraphs about some of my favourite songs. Just about what I like about them, how they make me feel, etc. I am always up for sharing or creating playlists with someone, I truly feel like music is one of the better ways to get to know someone. My usual genres end up to alternative, indie, and math rock, but I will really just listen to anything that I like the sound of.
Hobby wise, it sort of depends on what time of the year it is. If the weather is nice in the spring or summer, I love to go for long walks and hiking. Just being out in nature beings a sense of relaxation and peace you can't get anywhere else. Plus, the views, just all the amazing views and secrets you can come upon. When the weather is not as pleasant or it is winter (so quite a few months here), I am usually found being a homebody. Probably no surprise, but gaming is a major filler of my time when I have nothing else to do. My main game right now is FFXIV, realized today that I have been playing it for over half a decade at this point, how time flies. I do enjoy the Paradox Interactive games as well, especially with all the amazing mods some of them have. Like music, I could spend hours talking about some of my favourite games. Would also love more people to play with, generally not picky about what, as long as you don't mind me potentially sucking. Gaming with people is always such a joy and fun time. I can be quite the reader if a particular book or series catches my attention. Once burned through a trilogy in a week since it captivated me so much. One of the dangers I found with me reading is I'll always go for one more chapter, then suddenly it is 3 am. Don't really have any specific genres in particular, though I am quite the sucker for some good worldbuilding.
I could probably keep rambling about myself, but why take away all the fun? As said before, I am looking for someone to see what kind of connection we can build. Location wise, for something more than friendship, you would likely have to be in Canada or have plans to move here. While I do enjoy all my friends in the US, I have no desire to move there unfortunately. Either way, if I intrigued your interests feel free to send me a DM and we can connect from there!

Demographics Korean international student Moved from CA to Korea in Junior year, so not domestic Junior, Male, high income, first generation
Intended major Biochemistry Entomology Biology
Academics ACT: 33 SAT: Planning this summer. What score should I be satisfied with? GPA: 3.91 our school use only UWGPA
Coursework: APHUG, APBIO, APWORLD - SCORE 4 APCHEM, APSTATS, APUSH - SCORE TBD
Senior year course: Korean language and history(mandatory), senior capstone, Spanish 2, english 12, APCALC BC, maybe physics
Awards: Sports - 3rd place in 202a Ayala Golf Tournament JV team match - 2021, 2022 scholar athlete award from school - 2023 Spring KISAC golf individual champion - 2023 varsity golf MVP medal Others - Certificate of congressional recognition - community volunteer award - 3rd place in Orange County Young Writing Contest - House of Representatives certificate of special recognition - Award for excellent achievement in 2022 Orange county young writing and art contest - Certificate of achievement from city of Stanton, CA - 2022 community clinic math competition perfect score - Award for excellent achievement in 2022 community clinic science competitions
Extracurriculars - Livingstone community clinic SVO vice president - Westview multicultural program art/physical/speech therapy assistant for disabled people - La Jolla Indian Reservation lead volunteer - Rainbow family daycare, fundamental subject tutor, and fundraising - Habitat for humanity - underprivileged home management - Orange tech pros - programmesoftware engineer for local sport competition software - Zero carbon emission club at school - planning for entomology club next year - Varsity Golf team captain - Drum tutoring at dormitory
Internships - shadowed doctor in stem cell research center - Internship at Pharmicell, Korean stem cell treatment/research company - participated in case report for stem cell application for multiple sclerosis patients. - Planning for participation at 2023 Annual Meeting of Korean Society for stem research for experiment result report
Independent study - Collected and bred 10 Korean species of beetles in family Lucanidae - Collected variety of insects, made specimens, and donated them so local island national park - Small business on internet selling rare beetle collections in Korea - Working on experiment using the Rhino beetle larvae that I bred, to utilize them as a potential future food source and pet
Common Application essay would probably be about my early interest on insects, or life as boy in a small island who transitioned to international student to CA preparing universities in United States.
LORs - processing AP Chemistry Teacher Environmental Science teacher Golf team coach Pharmicell internship doctor
I transferred from CA to Korea during Junior year, due to parents divorcing. My cumulative GPA dropped from 3.94 to 3.91 The divorce lawsuit is still processing, not going to end before admission results comes out
My realistic dream schools are any top UC schools or USC I am trying to ED cornell for Entomology, but I think I am not likely to get in. First of all, my stats dont look that good. Also, few years ago, our former student had problems with cornell university, and since then our school never had Ivy league acceptances, but only top 10-20s. My counselors blames him, but I am not sure.
I want to get recommendations for schools. Also, any improvement advice would be very appreciated. Thank you, and I hope you enjoy your day.

Timestamp: https://imgur.com/SaZDZtf
Hey y’all I have here some assorted parts, tools and swag I’ve accumulated over the past year. The lady says it’s all getting pitched if I don’t do something with it, newborns are expensive so figured I’d see if one of y’all would like to have it.
Itemized List:

• New leftovers from a CMC ar15 lower parts kit includes: milspec safety, bolt catch, safety detent & spring, bolt catch roll pin, gas tube roll pin
• No name set of QD sling loops 1.25” & 2 QD socket mounts mlok: only mounted once
• 50 count 8” zip ties uv black, weather resistant
• Unused harbor freight auto punch
• Swag- Hellsent sticker, Eotech sticker, Gizzzlee coffee (only approx. 2 weeks old)
• Pocket U.S. Constitution- just take it, I have about 10 of them

Asking $22 Shipped OBO Basically just the cost of shipping and gas to drive to post office (I live in bumfuck)
Paypal Friends & Family Please comment first then pm, no chats I can’t see them Please leave note section blank in PayPal
If you don’t like the price just send me a message with an offer Dibs rule applies

Hi everyone! first time posting here and just need some advice. Sorry about the long rant in advance but just want to explain my situation
Ive been in real estate and mortgage for roughly 10 years now. Started selling homes for my fathers real estate company but most of my leads came from him as he was also a loan officer and would refer some people to me. Now these would normally be his clients so we worked a deal where it was fair to both of us and at 19 that was great.
After a few years however my numbers started dropping, i got involved in a restaurant and lost big time. Had to declare bankruptcy and tarnish my credit bad.
At this time I decided to try Lux real estate and get into some higher valued properties. I did good with the deals I had but really had a hard time finding clients in that Niche
A year or so later I decided to go to a big box mortgage lender who gives nothing but leads and works you halfway to death....I don't mind, I'm usually a hard worker and did great there. I made over $140K all over the phone no degree multiple years in a row.
I left a year and a half ago since my last director at the big box lender was terrible, literally half my team quit because of him. I went to a brokerage and liked the environment but I felt they weren't as organized as they could be and I drifted away from selling there
I now own my own mortgage branch. my commission is twice as much literally as if I worked somewhere else, and I have all the same programs and systems.
For whatever reason I cant figure out why I'm in a terrible funk. I cant seem to get motivated to reach out to realtors and clients, I don't get much traction on social media....Ill admit I'm deathly afraid of posting videos which is the thing to do right now in mortgage sales. I wake up unmotivated every day. I'm at the point where I cant make a lousy $3K a month and decided to rent out my home (at 3k) to pay my bills and moved in with family. Im only on month 1/12 and Im going crazy. I have no working car as of right now since I sold my reliable one and my beater car just took a dump (lets hope my uncle can fix it!). If I can hit $400k in loan value monthly which is actually pretty low, id be making a pretty decent wage of $75k and thats only half of what I used to make.
any tips on how we get back on track with my career? I really don't like anything else (aside from some passion projects that really aren't good sources of income) but I'm just so unmotivated with everything right now.
​
I will say, I don't workout even though I have a great gym membership, I don't eat well even though I'm living at home and my family makes delicious meals (grandmas a chef) that are also healthy. I tend to watch porn daily now. luckily I haven't fallen back on my soda addiction as I went from having 2 liters a day to literally 1 can over the last 12 months!
Idk i just feel like if I had one client it would change everything around, but I cant find anything in me to call leads that I cant afford when rates are the highest they've been in years. really I catch myself just scrolling through posts on here daily trying to figure out what to do or reading self help books creating action plans but not executing.
any advice helps.
​
Im 30 in a few weeks, single, with a puppy living in my grandmothers basement in Michigan.

Series Page - Read 10 weeks ahead on Patreon - Read the story so far on Royal Road
*
Chapter Thirteen - Bridge Over Swift Water (Part I)
​
‘Almost there, Wil.’
The pony snorted, eyeing the bottom of the low hill distrustfully. Ren rolled his eyes.
‘Stop complaining.’ he told animal, patting his flank, and looked back over his shoulder. The emerald grass of the South Realm was laid out behind him in the midday sun like the face of a great green canvas, folding around gentle hills and low valleys, laced with brushes-strokes of silver water. Cottages, farmsteads, thickets full of ash and birch and oak. An endless (or so it seemed to Ren) collection of slow-moving, slow-talking life. They had been riding most of the morning; the farm was a long way behind them, and though the thought filled Ren with a giddy kind of excitement, even he had been hard-pressed to tell the dif-ference between it and the half-dozen other farmsteads they’d passed on their way. There was another rider coming his way across the grass, flicking sparkling dew into the air behind him. The sun was hot today, and Ren could see sweat gleaming on his forehead.
‘Come on, Trin!’
‘She’s going as fast as she can!’ Trin replied, panting. Beneath him, Pol snorted steam, grumbling. Ren smiled, turning back to the hill.
‘Let’s go, then.’ he said to Wil, tightening his grip on the saddle. He shook the reins and the pony snorted, lurching forward. Ren leaned into the slope, putting one hand on the pommel of his saddle, and the hill began to slide past him. The sun was warm against his cheeks, and Wil's hooves beat at the dirt, sinking softly into the turf. Halfway there. The pony began to slow, but Ren squeezed his heels gently against the beast's flanks, clicking his tongue.
‘Almost there.’
Ren closed his eyes for a moment, feeling the air streaming gently past his cheeks, listening to the rhythmic beat of the pony's breath, the drum of his hooves against the soft loam. He remembered, not for the first time that day, why he was so fond of riding.
Then they were there, and the sunlight burst over the hilltop, sweep-ing across the fields to the north, setting the pale line of the Swiftwater aflame as it streaked across the grass. Beyond, the grasslands tumbled on, interminable, towards the sea, or the edge of the world; whichever came first. Ren sat there, quietly, contemplating the world beyond the grasslands on his panting steed, until Trin pulled up beside him a few minutes later. Pol snorted irritably. She was a little smaller than Wil, a ruddy brown in colour, and rather plump around her flanks. Both she and her rider were panting alarmingly.
‘Well that's a sight.’ Trin murmured in spite of himself, breathing hard. Ren smiled, tracing the line of the Swiftwater from east to west, squinting into the brightness. There was a thick swathe of trees squat-ting against the far bank, dark and brooding.
‘There!’ he said suddenly.
‘What?’ Trin asked, confused.
Ren pointed. Directly north of them, there was a small building pressed against the south bank of the river, dipping its toes in the crys-tal waters. A trail of smoke rose from its roof, swept this way and that by the breeze, dissolving in the midday air. Beside it, a narrow stretch of stones bridged the frothing water, disappearing into the shadows of the trees on the far bank.
‘The mill?’ Trin frowned. ‘I thought you didn’t like Ted?’
But Ren barely heard him. His eyes were fixed on the river. How far was it? A mile? Two, more like. He lifted the reins expectantly. Not far. Just a short canter across the fields. They'd be back before dark, still, and his grandparents would be none the wiser.
‘Wait... You mean the bridge? Your grandfather said-’
‘Yah!’
Ren shouted suddenly, snapping his reins, and Wil lurched forward down the slope. For a moment the rush of air filled Ren's eyes with wa-ter, dissolving Trin's red face into a ruddy blur, then they were away. Wil whinnied happily, wind streaming through his pale mane, and Ren clung tight to the saddle, watching as the grass raced by, savouring the rush of the wind on his face, the tug of it in his hair. He snatched a glance back over his shoulder. Trin was hurrying after him worriedly, doing his best to coax Pol into a reluctant gallop as he clung, ungainly, to the saddle. Ren looked back at the river, the mill, the bridge, and de-cided his friend would be fine without him.
They were at the foot of the hill in moments, and Wil set about eat-ing up the fields in great hungry bounds, hooves whirring over the grass. He remembered his grandfather's lessons, and let himself move with the pony, sighing into the saddle. He listened to Wil's hot breath steaming into the autumn air, the solid thump of his heart vibrating through his back. Ren had always thought there was a deep calm in the rhythm of riding. The speed of it. He found himself smiling. The mill was not far now. He dare not look back over his shoulder again, lest he fall, but he knew Trin was somewhere behind him, struggling to keep pace. He was starting to make out the cottage ahead, leaning lopsidedly against its great wooden wheel, churning frothing, foaming water through spokes big as men. Couldn’t see anyone though. Not that it mattered. Wil's steps drummed against the ground, and the river drew closer. Closer. Until the mill was beside them. Behind. Ren barely looked up as they shot past it, bound for the bridge beyond.
‘Whoa.’
He pulled hard on Wil's reins. The beast dug in his hooves, and they skidded to a halt a few feet from the start of bridge-stones. The water whipped by, rumbling. It was suddenly, eerily quiet, without the sound of the wind in his ears. He listened breathlessly for a few moments, staring at the shadows of the trees on the far bank, then glanced back over his shoulder. Trin was still a fair distance away across the fields, swaying unsteadily in his perch. He never had been a great rider. Ren turned back to the wooded far bank, watching the leaves shifting in the breeze, shadows shifting through thick boughs. He slid slowly from the saddle, and his boots landed on the soil with a faint thud, wet earth squelching softly underfoot. Wil snorted quietly, and he put a hand on the pony's nose.
‘Stay, Wil.’
The river was foaming around the stones of the bridge, and a fine spray was floating over the walkway, shifting and turning like mist. Ren took a step. He looked over at the far bank, and hesitated in spite of himself. The trees were taller than he had thought, their shadows deeper. Darker. An open doorway. Licks of silver flame.
He shook himself. He was being foolish. He glanced back at Wil, but the pony was stood obediently where he had left him, looking back at him with large, dark eyes. One step. Then another. Just a few more. His boots left the grass, and the stones pressed against the balls of his feet, hard and unyielding. He felt the spray of the river against his cheek, ice cold, and he almost shivered, blinking at the mist. The shad-ed trees seemed to shift and blur, trunks twisting. Another step.
‘Hey!’ Trin shouted behind him. Ren started, but did not turn back. ‘Where are you going?’
Ren ignored him.
‘Ren!’ Trin called. ‘Come back!’
This time he looked back. Trin had dismounted, red-faced and breathing hard, waving at him franticly from the bank. He was standing as close to the bridge as he could, without touching the stones, and Ren knew he wouldn’t follow him.
‘Just having a look!’ he called back, turning away from his friend again. The spray parted around him as he stepped forward, peeling back the grey blur from the faces of the trees. They seemed stark and black in the sudden clarity, and shadows moved through the branches, twisting and turning in the breeze. He was past halfway, now. Just a few more steps.
‘Ren!’
Ren barely heard him. The word was swept away in the rumble of the river, the soft sigh of the wind over the trees, creaking. His feet were still moving, gliding, floating over the stone. The wind was pick-ing up, and the shadows quickened, whirling through webbed branches.
‘Ren!’
His feet touched the grass, and he drew up short, suddenly still. Fro-zen beyond the spray, staring into the boughs. It seemed to him that the shadows were taking shape, black faces leering back at him from the dark, grins flashing in the dappled sunlight. A black mask. Silver flames. Gold eyes. The fortuneteller’s tent closed in around him, press-ing at his shoulders, and he almost fled, but realised he couldn’t move. The shadows drew closer, grinning as they came, reaching out to him, and something knotted in his belly, something cold as ice. The nightglass pendant was heavy around his neck. His head ached. Eyes blurred. Were those lights, in the trees?
‘Boy?’
There was a hand on his shoulder, pulling him back. He flinched away from it, frowning. But something caught his heel, sending him sprawling, tumbling. Back into the dirt. He hit the ground hard, and the breath went out of him in a gasp. Faces in the trees. He shook his head, blinking. He was on his back, half-blind from the sudden gleam of sun, and there was a dark figure leaning over him, light flooding over his shoulders. He squinted, half-dazed, at the axe-head gleaming in the man’s hand, and froze. Then he spotted the stack of firewood under his other arm, and exhaled hard, rocking back on his elbows.
‘Temur's teeth boy!’ the man exclaimed. He was wearing a thick, worn tunic, stained brown from use, and his boots were caked with wet grass. ‘Jumpier than a rabbit in a wolf den.’
Ren took a deep breath. His heart was slowing. He looked up at the trees again, but the sun seemed a little brighter now, and the shadows were nowhere to be seen. He exhaled hard, hesitating, then squinted up at the newcomer, blinking into the sun.
‘Ted?’
‘Well, fuck me.’ the miller grumbled, laying the firewood down at his side and running a gloved hand through his red hair. A face of deep lines, belly more than a little rounded, hair shot through with grey. The scar across the side of his neck had always made Ren shiver; long and puckered, tugging at the corner of his throat like a fishing line. ‘Derin's boy. What you doing out here?’
‘I… We’re just out for a ride.’
‘Your Grandda know you’re so far from home, then?’ the old miller asked him, raising an eyebrow. ‘Come on, let's get you up.’
Ted held out a hand, and Ren took it, letting the older man help him to his feet.
‘When d’you get so big, boy.’ the miller told him, grunting with ef-fort. ‘Still running off, then?’
'Sometimes.' Ren admitted, more than a little bashfully.
‘Sometimes, he says.’ Ted mumbled through his grin, scar tugging at his throat. ‘You eaten? Werla’s got some stew on the boil.’
Ren hesitated, glancing at the trees again, then back at the miller. ‘I could eat.’
Ted chuckled. ‘Come on, then. Wouldn’t take no for an answer, an-yways.’
Ren nodded politely, looking back over the bridge. Trin was almost hopping with anxious energy on the far bank, but he hadn’t yet worked up the courage to set foot on the stones. Ted frowned at the red-faced youth as he reached down to pick up his bundle of firewood.
‘What's got him so excited?’
Ren shook his head. ‘No idea.’
Ted raised an eyebrow at Trin. ‘South Realmers.’ he muttered, in an accent thick as farmer’s milk, tucking the wood underneath his arm and setting off over the bridge. Ren shot one last nervous look back towards the trees behind them, then followed close behind.

First of all, I repent of not being a responsible daughter, mother and wife!
I am from Jiangsu Province, China. I divorced at the end of 2011. Although custody of my son was awarded to my ex-husband, I couldn't let go of my child in my heart, and I always wanted to do my best to be a mother and do my motherly duty.
My son was born in 2000. He was admitted to the hospital at 3 months old with a cold. The doctor looked at his face and palm and determined that he suffered from Down syndrome. When I learned this, my whole family was very helpless! We didn't know what his future path would be. We didn't know what to do to save him. At that time, we didn't know what recovery was, nor had we heard about it. However, we just educated him based on what we had learned. Meanwhile, I hoped for a divine gift (to save him) in my hearts! I always believed that there would be kind people to help me!
I started practicing Buddhism in June 2012 after I made an online Buddhist friend.
In June 2012, a netizen added me as his friend. When I saw his screen name I knew he was a Buddhist. I told him about my son’s situation, hoping for guidance. He recommended me to watch videos of Citta Dharma Door. From the videos, I learned that to save my son it was useless to burn incense and worship Buddha only. I must recite the scriptures, pay off my debts, and do good deeds to help my son.
Later on, I joined the Buddha Study Group. The Buddhist practitioners kindly offered me scripture book, blank Little Houses, red pens and a plate, which gave me more confidence to study Buddhism. In the beginning, I just focused on doing my daily recitation, and reciting Little Houses, not listening to the recordings, not reading the blogs of Master Lu, not knowing that the Little Houses had to be recited one batch by one batch, not knowing exactly how many Little Houses to recite, and not knowing how many Little Houses I could recite in a day. Anyway, I finished one recitation and burned it immediately. I strongly believe that as long as I practiced hard and followed the Citta Dharma Door, my son would be fine.
When I started chanting, I dreamed that my aborted child, deceased friends and relatives asked me for Little Houses. Even more amazingly, after I married my current husband in 2013, his father and grandmother, who I had never met, also came to ask for Little Houses in my dreams. Some dreams also told me what would happen.
Firstly, let me show you my changes after practicing Buddhism:
(1). My temper becomes better. My first marriage break is associated with my bad temper.
(2). I have suffered from chronic bronchitis for many years. When the day was cold, I coughed for several months. I would slowly recover from the illness until the day was warm. No matter what medicine is used or how hanging bottle infusions are administered, both are useless. After practicing Buddhism, chronic bronchitis never appeared.
(3). Previously, I spent hundreds of CNY on cosmetics, now I just spent 10 CNY on snow cream. However, my complexion is very healthy. I used to feel tired even without work. Although I became a vegetarian since practicing Buddhism, my mental state is very good. Now I insist on getting up at 5:30 am every day regardless of spring, summer, autumn and winter, and resting at 9-10 pm. My physical and mental states are positive.
(4). Frequent night urination disappeared.
(5). In this recessionary market, my business is booming. I used to look for customers, but now they look for me.
I set up a Buddhist altar at home. Gradually, I listened to more Buddhism recordings. Under the guidance of fellow practitioners, I learned how to make vows, recite scriptures, and perform life liberation.
Secondly, let me talk about my son after I practiced Buddhism.
(1). He has become much more sensible now. I took him to the temple to worship the Bodhisattva. When he saw me kneeling on the floor, he gave me the mat and knelt on the floor. We went to the orphanage to see the orphans. He didn't eat any of the fruits I bought and left them for those children.
(2). Recently, he has grown up very fast.
(3). He is cheerful, often smiles, speaks a lot, and often makes me laugh. His grandmother often says that he knows much more than before.
(4). He knows how to cook, steam eggs, wrap ravioli, and take the bus home by himself. He frequently communicates with us by letter. The teachers and students at school like him and help him a lot.
I firmly believed in my heart that the change in my child was the mercy of the Bodhisattva. I was so grateful to the Bodhisattva, to my fellow practitioners for bringing me to the Dharma Door, and to their help.
Once my son asked me, "Mom, have you ever regretted having me?" I was overwhelmed with emotion, and tears flowed down my face. Seeing me in tears, he said to me, "You can't cry, being in an unhappy mood will affect your health." My child mother thanked the Bodhisattva for giving you to me. Otherwise, I would not encounter and understand Buddhism, I don't know what the real life is, and how to be a real person and live a meaningful life.
As a result of my child's progress, I have gained more confidence in my ability to transform sentient beings. My first priority is to let parents with mental disordered children be free from suffering, since I know their feelings best. It is the hope of every parent that their children will get better sooner. After I joined the Down syndrome baby group, I was heartbroken. There are so many poor children. I can't even look at some of them and dare not look at them. My child is 14 years old. How come there are still so numerous parents with Down syndrome babies? How come there are so many weird diseases? We should think deeply about these!
Firstly, I picked a few groups of parents to transform. Some of the parents understood and accepted Buddhism right away. Many of them started learning Buddhism by watching the videos, listening to the recordings and reading the blogs. When I heard a parent started to practice Buddhism, I was happier than I was when I made money in business because their child was saved.
For parents who are still lingering outside the door of Buddhism, I urge that, for the sake of our children and ourselves, please take some time every day to learn about Buddhism and receive education on how to achieve happiness via Buddhism. Buddhism is an education, not a superstition. Buddhism teaches us how to achieve permanent happiness and joy, and what causes suffering. Buddhism does not make you superstitious, but gives us the absolute right knowledge to break superstition.
Lastly, I want to express my gratitude to Guan Yin Bodhisattva, all the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, and all Dharma Protectors! Gratitude to my fellow practitioners! Gratitude to my family! In the future, I will be one of the hands and eyes of Guan Yin Bodhisattva! Be a faithful Buddha disciple! To be worthy of the Bodhisattva! Be worthy of myself!
Practitioner Shi, from Jiangsu Province, China
Written in: 2014
Translator: Frank
Published: 2023-06-05
STATEMENT BY THE TRANSLATOR
Story was translated by meaning, not word by word, and some sentences were not translated. If there is anything that is not rational or in line with the true meaning of the Chinese version, I’d like to seek forgiveness from the Greatly Merciful and Greatly Compassionate Guan Yin Bodhisattva, all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, Dharma protectors and Master Jun Hong Lu.
原文如下：
心灵法门救了唐氏综合症的宝宝
感恩大慈大悲观世音菩萨！感恩诸位龙天护法！感恩各位师兄和佛友！
能有这个机会在这里分享我学佛以来的经历，首先我忏悔我没有做好一个好女儿，好母亲，好妻子！
我是来自江苏的同修，在2011年年尾离的婚，2012年6月份从网上结缘佛友认识心灵法门开始念经学佛，虽然离婚时儿子归前夫，但在我心里一直放不下孩子，一直想尽做母亲的能力做好应尽的母爱。孩子2000年出生，在3个月时感冒去医院，医生看孩子的面相和手掌判断孩子是唐氏。当时听到这个消息，家人都非常的无助！孩子以后的路不知道是怎样的？不知道怎样能救好孩子？那时不知道什么是康复，也没有听到过，只是凭自己的所学教育孩子，同时心里一直盼望神灵的恩赐！因为一直相信会有善良的人会帮我！
2012年6月份有位网友加我好友，一看他的网名是学佛的，我就很信任的把儿子的情况跟他说，希望得到他的指点。结果他推荐心灵法门的视频给我看，当我看到视频真正的知道要救儿子光烧香拜佛是没有用的，是自己要念经消业还债，行善积德解决的。后来进了学佛群，师兄非常热心的送我经书，小房子包括红笔和盘子都一一帮我准备好，这让我更有信心的学习佛法。刚刚开始我只顾抓紧时间做功课，赶小房子，不听录音、不看博客，也不知道小房子要一拨拨念，也不知道究竟要念多少，不知道自己一天能念多少，反正念好就烧，坚信只要自己努力，跟着心灵法门学，儿子一定会好。
当我刚刚开始念经，就梦见自己的堕胎的孩子、故去的亲朋好友一一来要经，更神奇的是2013年跟先生结婚后，没有见过面的先生的父亲和奶奶、外婆也来梦中要经。梦中也时常把将要发生的事情梦中提前预示给我。
先说说我念经来的改变：
1、我脾气好了很多，当时婚姻破裂跟我脾气也有关系。
2、我几年的慢性支气管炎念经后就没有发过，往年天一冷就要咳嗽，一咳就咳几个月，要等天暖和才慢慢变好，随便吃药挂水都没有用。
3、虽然我从一开始学佛许愿吃素，但我的脸色非常好，以前还花几百元化妆品涂涂，现在用10元的雪花膏打打就行。还有精神状态也非常佳，以往不做什么活，就感觉疲倦，现在不管春夏秋冬每天坚持5点30起床，晚上差不多9-10点休息。
4、晚上尿频也没有了。
5、在这经济市场萧条的情况下，自己的事业蒸蒸日上。以前是我找客户，现在是客户找我。
再说说孩子，2013年婚后家里设了佛台，做功课和念小房子比较方便，自己也慢慢的多听录音，经过师兄指点，懂得怎样许愿，念经，放生。孩子现在真的是懂事得多，带他去庙里拜菩萨，看到我跪地上，他就把垫子让给我，自己跪地上；去孤儿院看孩子，买的水果，自己没有吃一个，留给那些孩子吃。个子最近也长得很快，心情开朗，经常笑嘻嘻的，语言也很多，还时常哄我笑，孩子奶奶经常说：孩子比以前懂得多得多。自己懂得做饭，蒸蛋，包馄饨，自己坐公交回家，经常书信跟我们沟通。学校老师和同学都很喜欢他也很帮助他。我心中默默知道孩子的改变这是菩萨的慈悲。心中无比感恩菩萨，感恩师兄带我进佛门，感恩师兄们的帮助。有次孩子对我说：“妈妈，你生我有没有后悔过？”我听后无比的激动，眼泪情不自禁哗啦啦的流下来。看到我流泪，孩子对我说：“不能哭，心情不好会影响身体。”孩子，妈妈感谢菩萨把你赐给我，不然妈妈也不懂佛法。不懂什么才是真正人生，怎样做实实在在的人，过有意义的生活。
从孩子的进步我更有底气去度人，最初，我最想让那些有残疾孩子的父母先离苦得乐，因为我最了解他们的心情。最希望自己的孩子早点好起来，望子成龙，望女成凤是每个家长的希望，虽然我们的孩子有残缺，打破了我们的规划，但我们父母应该尽我们的能力帮助孩子越来越好。在我进唐氏宝宝群，看得真的心很痛，有这么多可怜的孩子，还有的真的是看都看不下去也不敢看。我孩子都14周岁了，怎么还有这么多父母生唐氏宝宝？怎么有这么多奇奇怪怪的病？这些我们应该深思！
先是挑选几个群试着度那些父母。有的父母一讲就通，也有很多自己先看视频听录音看博客就开始学佛了，听到哪个父母开始学佛，心里比我做到生意赚钱都开心，因为我们的孩子有救了。家庭和睦。像单身妈妈和离异的父母在群里看到的很多很多，我已经没有给孩子一个完美的家，但我不希望有更多孩子的这样。虽然现在先生很好很支持我学佛念经，做功德没有一句怨言过，但在孩子面前我永远不是一个完美母亲，如果前几年学佛，也不会离婚。说实话我们的孩子需要社会的温暖，那温暖应该先从我们自己做起。学菩萨行善心结善缘。远离痛苦因，永远快乐！
还徘徊在佛门外的父母们，我呼吁——为了我们的孩子，我们自己，请你：每天抽一点点时间来了解佛法，接受如何获得幸福的教育。佛教是教育，不是迷信，佛法让我们懂得如何才能获得永久的幸福与快乐，什么是痛苦的根源；佛法不是让你迷信，而是让我们绝对的破除迷信的正知正见。我们要觉正净，觉而不迷，不对一切事情着迷，对任何事情能有一个觉净。我们每天抱怨这个社会，抱怨骗子太多了，要知道不是别人骗了我们，而是我们自己被自己骗了。社会好，政府好，为什么我们觉得现在社会风气不好，那是因为我们社会的人心开始变了，是人的思想道德意识变了。所以我们要改变社会首先从我们自己改，天下兴亡我的责任。我们的心灵法门导师——卢军宏台长多年来无私忘我弘法，发宏誓愿，行菩萨行，他日以继夜的用自己的肉身慧命，白天的工作排的满满当当，晚上只睡3-4个小时，救度了那么多有缘众生使大家家庭好了，工作好了，身体好了，学习好了，我们还有什么理由不好好学？千万不要等到恶疾缠身才想起菩萨，不要等到万事休矣才知道忏悔。
最后还是感恩观世音菩萨！所有诸位佛菩萨龙天护法！感恩师兄！感恩家人！末学在未来的日子里做好观世音菩萨的千手千眼！做好一名佛弟子！对得起菩萨！对得起自己！
江苏 施同修
2016年

Previous Chapter - Read 10 weeks ahead on Patreon - Read the story so far on Royal Road
*
Chapter Thirteen - Bridge Over Swift Water (Part I)
‘Almost there, Wil.’
The pony snorted, eyeing the bottom of the low hill distrustfully. Ren rolled his eyes.
‘Stop complaining.’ he told animal, patting his flank, and looked back over his shoulder. The emerald grass of the South Realm was laid out behind him in the midday sun like the face of a great green canvas, folding around gentle hills and low valleys, laced with brushes-strokes of silver water. Cottages, farmsteads, thickets full of ash and birch and oak. An endless (or so it seemed to Ren) collection of slow-moving, slow-talking life. They had been riding most of the morning; the farm was a long way behind them, and though the thought filled Ren with a giddy kind of excitement, even he had been hard-pressed to tell the difference between it and the half-dozen other farmsteads they’d passed on their way. There was another rider coming his way across the grass, flicking sparkling dew into the air behind him. The sun was hot today, and Ren could see sweat gleaming on his forehead.
‘Come on, Trin!’
‘She’s going as fast as she can!’ Trin replied, panting. Beneath him, Pol snorted steam, grumbling. Ren smiled, turning back to the hill.
‘Let’s go, then.’ he said to Wil, tightening his grip on the saddle. He shook the reins and the pony snorted, lurching forward. Ren leaned into the slope, putting one hand on the pommel of his saddle, and the hill began to slide past him. The sun was warm against his cheeks, and Wil's hooves beat at the dirt, sinking softly into the turf. Halfway there. The pony began to slow, but Ren squeezed his heels gently against the beast's flanks, clicking his tongue.
‘Almost there.’
Ren closed his eyes for a moment, feeling the air streaming gently past his cheeks, listening to the rhythmic beat of the pony's breath, the drum of his hooves against the soft loam. He remembered, not for the first time that day, why he was so fond of riding.
Then they were there, and the sunlight burst over the hilltop, sweeping across the fields to the north, setting the pale line of the Swiftwater aflame as it streaked across the grass. Beyond, the grasslands tumbled on, interminable, towards the sea, or the edge of the world; whichever came first. Ren sat there, quietly, contemplating the world beyond the grasslands on his panting steed, until Trin pulled up beside him a few minutes later. Pol snorted irritably. She was a little smaller than Wil, a ruddy brown in colour, and rather plump around her flanks. Both she and her rider were panting alarmingly.
‘Well that's a sight.’ Trin murmured in spite of himself, breathing hard. Ren smiled, tracing the line of the Swiftwater from east to west, squinting into the brightness. There was a thick swathe of trees squatting against the far bank, dark and brooding.
‘There!’ he said suddenly.
‘What?’ Trin asked, confused.
Ren pointed. Directly north of them, there was a small building pressed against the south bank of the river, dipping its toes in the crystal waters. A trail of smoke rose from its roof, swept this way and that by the breeze, dissolving in the midday air. Beside it, a narrow stretch of stones bridged the frothing water, disappearing into the shadows of the trees on the far bank.
‘The mill?’ Trin frowned. ‘I thought you didn’t like Ted?’
But Ren barely heard him. His eyes were fixed on the river. How far was it? A mile? Two, more like. He lifted the reins expectantly. Not far. Just a short canter across the fields. They'd be back before dark, still, and his grandparents would be none the wiser.
‘Wait... You mean the bridge? Your grandfather said-’
‘Yah!’
Ren shouted suddenly, snapping his reins, and Wil lurched forward down the slope. For a moment the rush of air filled Ren's eyes with water, dissolving Trin's red face into a ruddy blur, then they were away. Wil whinnied happily, wind streaming through his pale mane, and Ren clung tight to the saddle, watching as the grass raced by, savouring the rush of the wind on his face, the tug of it in his hair. He snatched a glance back over his shoulder. Trin was hurrying after him worriedly, doing his best to coax Pol into a reluctant gallop as he clung, ungainly, to the saddle. Ren looked back at the river, the mill, the bridge, and decided his friend would be fine without him.
They were at the foot of the hill in moments, and Wil set about eating up the fields in great hungry bounds, hooves whirring over the grass. He remembered his grandfather's lessons, and let himself move with the pony, sighing into the saddle. He listened to Wil's hot breath steaming into the autumn air, the solid thump of his heart vibrating through his back. Ren had always thought there was a deep calm in the rhythm of riding. The speed of it. He found himself smiling. The mill was not far now. He dare not look back over his shoulder again, lest he fall, but he knew Trin was somewhere behind him, struggling to keep pace. He was starting to make out the cottage ahead, leaning lopsidedly against its great wooden wheel, churning frothing, foaming water through spokes big as men. Couldn’t see anyone though. Not that it mattered. Wil's steps drummed against the ground, and the river drew closer. Closer. Until the mill was beside them. Behind. Ren barely looked up as they shot past it, bound for the bridge beyond.
‘Whoa.’
He pulled hard on Wil's reins. The beast dug in his hooves, and they skidded to a halt a few feet from the start of bridge-stones. The water whipped by, rumbling. It was suddenly, eerily quiet, without the sound of the wind in his ears. He listened breathlessly for a few moments, staring at the shadows of the trees on the far bank, then glanced back over his shoulder. Trin was still a fair distance away across the fields, swaying unsteadily in his perch. He never had been a great rider. Ren turned back to the wooded far bank, watching the leaves shifting in the breeze, shadows shifting through thick boughs. He slid slowly from the saddle, and his boots landed on the soil with a faint thud, wet earth squelching softly underfoot. Wil snorted quietly, and he put a hand on the pony's nose.
‘Stay, Wil.’
The river was foaming around the stones of the bridge, and a fine spray was floating over the walkway, shifting and turning like mist. Ren took a step. He looked over at the far bank, and hesitated in spite of himself. The trees were taller than he had thought, their shadows deeper. Darker. An open doorway. Licks of silver flame.
He shook himself. He was being foolish. He glanced back at Wil, but the pony was stood obediently where he had left him, looking back at him with large, dark eyes. One step. Then another. Just a few more. His boots left the grass, and the stones pressed against the balls of his feet, hard and unyielding. He felt the spray of the river against his cheek, ice cold, and he almost shivered, blinking at the mist. The shaded trees seemed to shift and blur, trunks twisting. Another step.
‘Hey!’ Trin shouted behind him. Ren started, but did not turn back. ‘Where are you going?’
Ren ignored him.
‘Ren!’ Trin called. ‘Come back!’
This time he looked back. Trin had dismounted, red-faced and breathing hard, waving at him franticly from the bank. He was standing as close to the bridge as he could, without touching the stones, and Ren knew he wouldn’t follow him.
‘Just having a look!’ he called back, turning away from his friend again. The spray parted around him as he stepped forward, peeling back the grey blur from the faces of the trees. They seemed stark and black in the sudden clarity, and shadows moved through the branches, twisting and turning in the breeze. He was past halfway, now. Just a few more steps.
‘Ren!’
Ren barely heard him. The word was swept away in the rumble of the river, the soft sigh of the wind over the trees, creaking. His feet were still moving, gliding, floating over the stone. The wind was picking up, and the shadows quickened, whirling through webbed branches.
‘Ren!’
His feet touched the grass, and he drew up short, suddenly still. Frozen beyond the spray, staring into the boughs. It seemed to him that the shadows were taking shape, black faces leering back at him from the dark, grins flashing in the dappled sunlight. A black mask. Silver flames. Gold eyes. The fortuneteller’s tent closed in around him, pressing at his shoulders, and he almost fled, but realised he couldn’t move. The shadows drew closer, grinning as they came, reaching out to him, and something knotted in his belly, something cold as ice. The nightglass pendant was heavy around his neck. His head ached. Eyes blurred. Were those lights, in the trees?
‘Boy?’
There was a hand on his shoulder, pulling him back. He flinched away from it, frowning. But something caught his heel, sending him sprawling, tumbling. Back into the dirt. He hit the ground hard, and the breath went out of him in a gasp. Faces in the trees. He shook his head, blinking. He was on his back, half-blind from the sudden gleam of sun, and there was a dark figure leaning over him, light flooding over his shoulders. He squinted, half-dazed, at the axe-head gleaming in the man’s hand, and froze. Then he spotted the stack of firewood under his other arm, and exhaled hard, rocking back on his elbows.
‘Temur's teeth boy!’ the man exclaimed. He was wearing a thick, worn tunic, stained brown from use, and his boots were caked with wet grass. ‘Jumpier than a rabbit in a wolf den.’
Ren took a deep breath. His heart was slowing. He looked up at the trees again, but the sun seemed a little brighter now, and the shadows were nowhere to be seen. He exhaled hard, hesitating, then squinted up at the newcomer, blinking into the sun.
‘Ted?’
‘Well, fuck me.’ the miller grumbled, laying the firewood down at his side and running a gloved hand through his red hair. A face of deep lines, belly more than a little rounded, hair shot through with grey. The scar across the side of his neck had always made Ren shiver; long and puckered, tugging at the corner of his throat like a fishing line. ‘Derin's boy. What you doing out here?’
‘I… We’re just out for a ride.’
‘Your Grandda know you’re so far from home, then?’ the old miller asked him, raising an eyebrow. ‘Come on, let's get you up.’
Ted held out a hand, and Ren took it, letting the older man help him to his feet.
‘When d’you get so big, boy.’ the miller told him, grunting with effort. ‘Still running off, then?’
'Sometimes.' Ren admitted, more than a little bashfully.
‘Sometimes, he says.’ Ted mumbled through his grin, scar tugging at his throat. ‘You eaten? Werla’s got some stew on the boil.’
Ren hesitated, glancing at the trees again, then back at the miller. ‘I could eat.’
Ted chuckled. ‘Come on, then. Wouldn’t take no for an answer, anyways.’
Ren nodded politely, looking back over the bridge. Trin was almost hopping with anxious energy on the far bank, but he hadn’t yet worked up the courage to set foot on the stones. Ted frowned at the red-faced youth as he reached down to pick up his bundle of firewood.
‘What's got him so excited?’
Ren shook his head. ‘No idea.’
Ted raised an eyebrow at Trin. ‘South Realmers.’ he muttered, in an accent thick as farmer’s milk, tucking the wood underneath his arm and setting off over the bridge. Ren shot one last nervous look back towards the trees behind them, then followed close behind.

I am 24 (born in Nov 1998) and I'm considering joining the Italian Navy NCO School in Taranto, which would grant me a bachelor's in Engineering.
Background: I've lived inside military facilities all of my life, as my dad is NCO. I've earned a bachelor's in International Languages and Business (Russian and German) and in July 2024 I'll have my current Master's in Business Economics from an Italian ivy league.
I have very good options in my current field and I am working as a third-in-command manager in a big German firm while finishing my Master's.
Problem is... I've always felt the call to serve my Country and its friends around the globe, and I just have no idea why I haven't acted on that before. The fact is, the call is getting stronger and stronger to the point that I struggle to focus on studying for my current exams because I keep thinking about the Italian Armed Forces. I think I have avoided it for a long time purely because of wanting a higher-paying career and because I wasn't mature enough to realize my call.
As for engineering, I've always wanted to be an engineer and one day open up my own factory in my 40s, but I've avoided it because I thought I wasn't cut out for math. After developing a studying method, I've realized that, no, I am actually good at math if I study it properly.
I'm considering applying to the next Taranto NCO School admissions, which is in February 2024.If I get in, I start around September 2024 and will graduate as Engineer and Maresciallo in spring 2027 at the age of 28 (almost 29).
There are two possible paths ahead of me:

1. Finish my Master's, stay on this track, study engineering working student degree, make a lot of money in the meantime and save it to get into entrepreneurship in my 30s (and forever regret never serving in the Armed Forces)
2. Finish my Master's and get into NCO school with people 10 years younger than me, to realize a dream I had suppressed and start a path full of new experiences and endless possibilities thanks to our vast NATO job opportunities, as well as becoming an engineer. I am even in time for the special forces until the age of 35. At the same time I'd be a 28-year-old with no wife, no children, not a lot of money, and being 10 years late in this career.

I am thrilled at the idea of joining the school because I can change my whole life in just three years, at the same time I do realize this is a heavy decision to make therefore I am posting this in search of some additional perspective, given that there are a lot of experienced people in this reddit and I'd appreciate immensely your mentorship on this subject.
In your experience, would you see it as worth it?
PS. For common questions on this matter:
" Can't you become an Officer with your Master's? "Unfortunately, I'm too old to apply for the Academy. For the Italian Armed Forces, with my degree in Economics, I can only apply for a Technical Role Officer as an Accountant for a Battalion/Regiment/Division either in the Carabinieri, Financial Military Police, or Air Force (the Navy and the Army open this kind of position extremely rarely). I will apply for all of them next February, but I will be extremely unlikely to be selected, as there are only like 3 spots each year.
"It's all on you and what you want to do"I am thinking about this with a critical mind, I know the decision ultimately relies on myself only, but I am looking for some older brother type of perspective because it is certainly a challenging decision to make.

TWBS Previous Next First
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---Oskar’s perspective---
---Sunday, 19th of November, 2682 Terran Calendar---
---Southern England---
Sands was wrong…
‘Physical’ and ‘training’ are currently my third and second least favourite words in the English language!
My least favourite word is ‘endurance’!
The fact that I’m faring so much better than my fellow draftees is cold comfort when, every time she sees me doing a little too well for myself, she loops me to the back of the company and makes me run to the front again!
Forest was showing off, for the first 5km, or so but, being a half Neanderthal, his endurance is lower than most of the rest of us… even if hybrid vigour brings him closer to us than he is Cliff and Branch (the two full Neanderthals in the group).
As I lap him for the hundredth time I wonder if he’ll remember how sweaty and exhausted he is and pace himself next time.
I doubt it.
“You at the back! Don’t fall behind! I’d prefer not to have to explain you were picked off by a pack of cave lions when I get back to base!” shouts Sands, not a drop of sweat visible on her.
I know better than to look at who she’s admonishing. I’d be next if I did.
As I pass Reid, the skinny, pale Scot with her hair like fire and eyes an emerald sheen, she glares up at me.
She’s not alone in making known her resentment of how much better suited to this I seem than most… but she is alone in the intensity of her displeasure!
Even Forest doesn’t have the energy to spare on shooting me deathglares anymore but, it doesn’t seem to matter how tired she looks, she always seems to have just enough to spare me a scowl.
Did I do something to offend her? I can’t think what… but that seems like the only explanation!
I pretend not to notice the glare as I overtake her.
---Tuesday, 21st of November, 2682 Terran Calendar---
“And who can tell me what this species is called?” says the Lecturer, bringing up a holograph of a 3m tall xeno that looks like the head, forelimbs and torso of a shaved lesser anteater, on top of twelve long, rigid tentacles.
Mine is the only hand that goes up.
“Pvt Taylor, please…”
“They’re called the Thlinac, Sir.”
“Very good… and are the Thlinac generally considered a threat to Humans on the battlefield?”
“Not generally, Sir, no… However, they do have a venomous barb on the backs of two of their tentacles. Being stung is usually no more than an annoyance but can induce anaphylaxis in those who have an allergy to shellfish, Sir.”
“Top marks, Taylor!” beams the xenobiology lecturer.
The praise earns me another scowl from Reid.
“Yes, as Taylor says, the Thlinac can induce anaphylactic shock in Humans with seafood allergies but, other than that, are considered to be no great threat to us in terms of their bodily capabilities. So far there are only a handful of species known to pose any credible threat to Terrans without relying on technology to do so. Can anyone name any such species?”
My hand is, again, the only one in the air.
---Friday, 24th of November, 2682 Terran Calendar---
“Pvt Taylor, report!” shouts Sands.
I run to where she stands, next to Reid and a very poorly taken apart rifle.
“Reporting as ordered, Ma’am.” I say, looking straight ahead and pretending I don’t see Reid sneering up at me.
“Reid seems to be having a little trouble stripping her gun… show her how it’s done.” orders Sands, already walking away.
“Yes, Ma’am.” I say, turning to sit with the girl who hates my guts for some reason.
“Err… so… this part shouldn’t be like that… you need to unscrew this part first…” I explain, acting like I think she’s listening to me at all and that I haven’t even noticed her glower.
I’m tempted to take one of my leave days, just to get away from this girl’s hateful glaring for a bit!
---Sunday, 26th of November, 2682 Terran Calendar---
A shovelfull of dirt hits me in the chest.
I look up to see Reid standing with her back to me, in the direction it came from.
I stare at her for a few seconds to see if she’ll acknowledge it… I could have believed it was an accident except for a) who it is and b) the way she’s now scrupulously ignoring me.
I sigh and resume digging the obstacle ditch.
It could easily be done by machine, of course, but building it ourselves is also part of the training… I can’t look like I’m slacking off.
Not thirty seconds pass before I’m showered with another shovelfull of frozen muck.
Angry now, I shout “Would you please watch where you’re throwing that dirt!”
The only answer I get is more dirt thrown at me.
“Hey!”
More dirt.
“HEY!!!”
I begin walking towards her but…
“What’s goin’ on here?!” comes Sands’ voice as she appears to my right.
“Pvt Reid seems to have some sort of grievance with me, Ma’am.” I say, gesturing to my dirtied fatigues, stonily.
She looks at me and then to Reid who still has her back turned “Pvt Reid! You got a problem with Pvt Taylor here?”
Reid turns around, clearly working hard to contain her mirth as she says “A problem? No, Ma’am! I was just so enthusiastic about the work that I got in the zone and it looks like Taylor caught some strays… I won’t let it happen again, Ma’am.”
Sands looks as unconvinced as I feel, turning to me and asks “Who is your current trainin’ partner, Private?”
“Private Locke, Ma’am.” I answer, not liking where this is going.
“And where are you and Locke slated to go for your first survival excursion, Private?”
“Interior Sahul, Ma’am…”
She turns to Reid “Who is your current trainin’ partner and where are you scheduled to go with them, Private?”
“Private Everard, Ma’am. The Amazon basin.” answers the redhead.
“Pvt Locke, Pvt Everard, report!” shouts the mauve eyed woman.
My partner, James Locke, and a curly haired blonde with brown eyes that I guess to be Pvt Everard appear.
“Effective immediately, you four are switchin’ partners… Pvts Locke and Everard together, Pvts Taylor and Reid together…”
“But Ma’am…!” objects Reid as my stomach sinks.
“Yes Private?… Got somethin’ to say?” growls Sands in a way that makes quite clear how likely she is to reverse herself.
“…N…nothing… Ma’am…”
“Good!… Startin’ now, you and your new partners are gonna do everythin’ together except sleep… You will train together, take watches together and I expect to see you sat together at meals… you are gonna be around eachother from dawn to dusk until you’ve gotten over this petty rivalry, Privates! Am I clear!?”
“Yes, Ma’am.” respond Reid and I in unison.
“Pvt Locke, you’ll be goin’ to the Amazon with Pvt Everard… Pvts Taylor and Reid, you’ll be goin’ to Australia…”
---Esme’s perspective---
“Well… that was some display you put on earlier, Esme!” says Saba, stripping off her headscarf as the five of us cross back into room 1512.
“Yeah, what were you playing at, girl?!” giggles Charlotte, sitting down on Kimberley’s bottom bunk bed, facing her own, below mine.
“Like I said, Taylor just caught a few strays… Seems he’s not the perfect soldier he acts like if he took it so personal!”
“You’re fooling no one!” chuckles Kimberley, sitting down next to Charlotte “I saw you throw the dirt at him, that was not an accident!”
“I think Esme might have a little cruuush…(!)” teases Saba as she sits down beside me on Charlotte’s bunk.
Christina (the groups resident kuudere) sits down on her other side, the only one not grinning.
“I do NOT have a crush on that twat!” I say, disgusted.
“Really?” smirks Kimberley “You told us you liked muscly guys… Taylor certainly fits the bill!”
“I told you that as the first part of a sentence explaining that personality is also a key component in my attraction to a guy!” I say exasperatedly “A solid gold 10 like Forest can rocket himself back down to an untouchable 0 with a vile personality!”
“You think Taylor has a vile personality?” asks Saba, sceptically “He doesn’t really seem to have any personality at all to me!… I think today was the first time I’ve seen him express an emotion or say anything that wasn’t a simple statement of fact!”
“Oh… just the swatty little, holier than thou act! Gets under my skin!… Shows up here before he’s even been conscripted, gets a room to himself, tallest and second muscliest in the regiment, does everything perfectly, first try, all while maintaining this social distance between himself and everyone else like he thinks he’s too good for us!” I say, leaving out the offputtingness of his prim and proper speech given that I’m the only one in the room who doesn’t speak the same way!
“Oh you definitely have a crush, girl!” smirks Charlotte.
“I. do. not!” I insist, truthfully.
Play acting as me and doing a not bad Scottish accent (though definitely Edinburger and not Galloway) she affects a starry eyed demeanour to say “Och… he’s just sooo handsome and perrfect, that mysterious Doggerrlanderr! I need to hate him or I’ll fall heed over heels ferr him!”
I role my eyes.
“If you do hate him, Esme… antagonising him to the point where he blew up at you is about the worst thing you could have done…” observes Kimberley “…Now, you’re going to be stuck with him 24/7!”
I gesture around to the Taylorless room “12/7, thank you very much! He’s not allowed in here, is he!”
“Still, if you had just ignored him you would have been far less exposed to him than you are going to be now…” says Christina, her tone flatter than a pancake.
“Yeah… you’re right… never good at thinking things through.”
“You’re going to be stuck out in the arid part of Australia with him for 5 days over New Year!” smirks Charlotte “Just you and him… alone… Anything could happen!”
“He tries shit and I’ll press the emergency recall beacon so fast it’ll make his head spin!” I assert.
“He really doesn’t seem the type to ‘try shit’… I think he might be ace.” muses Saba.
“Oh he just would be, wouldn’t he!” I sneer before doing a deep, robotic voice “Sex is a mere distraction from my true goal of serving my planet and becoming the perfect soldier. Titties are ephemeral, the Glory of Terra lives eternal.”
This elicits giggles from the other four followed by a short lull in the conversation.
“I think I might try and work my wiles on Locke, when we’re in the Amazon together… He’s just my type… as far as boys go at least… cute face… good manners… slim but not too slim…” muses Charlotte.
Kimberley, on the bed next to her, looks wounded.
Her crush on the girl she’s sat next to is obvious to everyone except, seemingly, Charlotte herself!
Charlotte looks around, confused, and says “Why’s it gone so quiet? Have I said something wrong? I was just…”
“It’s gone quiet because Kimberley likes you, Charlotte. You’re upsetting her by talking about being attracted to Locke…” states Christina, her tone blunt and factual.
Me and Saba silently look at the skinny gothgirl sitting to our right, our mouths agape.
Kimberly blushes so hard that it clearly shows even through the dark skin of her chubby cheeks and begins a flustered stammer as Charlotte looks at her disbelievingly.
“Is that true, Kim?!” asks the blonde, incredulously.
“I… err… it’s… uhm…” stammers Kimberley.
“Wait!” interrupts Saba before looking to me and Christina, picking her scarf up and wrapping it back around her head “…we should go back down to the Mess… I hear they’re playing Inglorious Basterds tonight! It should be fun!”
“Yeah, sounds good.” I lie.
We bundle Christina along with us as we leave the room to give them some privacy.
The moment we are in the hall, I give her a smack to the back of her head.
“Ow.” she says, emotionlessly.
“The hell were you thinking!?” I demand.
“I was thinking that Kimberley either needed to either act or give up on Charlotte.” she answers, like a semitrue AI attempting to comprehend Human emotions “She wasn’t acting… so I precipitated things.”
“You don’t just air out people’s dirty laundry like that! What if Charlotte doesn’t reciprocate?! Things’ll get real fucking awkward, won’t they!?”
“OK, OK… It’s out of our hands now… let’s just go and enjoy the movie, shall we?” mediates Saba.
Grumpily, I allow her to shepherd us down the corridor.
---
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Race Information

• Name: Steamboat Half Marathon
• Date: 6/4/2023
• Distance: 13.1 miles
• Location: Steamboat Springs, CO
• Time: 1:42:55

Goals

Goal	Description	Completed?
A	Sub 1:40	No
B	Sub 1:45	Yes
C	No catastrophic toe failure	Yes

Splits

Mile	Time
1	8:01
2	7:54
3	7:47
4	7:40
5	7:51
6	7:47
7	7:43
8	8:06
9	8:21
10	8:00
11	7:09
12	7:44
13	7:50
14	7:41 (not accurate, didn't stop watch for a bit)

Training

Sorry this ended up being a lot longer than I thought it’d be, but it feels good to get all these things down on paper for me.
I started van lifing about a year ago, hitting the whole west coast and a lot of other south western states. I was never a runner, but I’ve lifted and rock climbed for years. Last July, I thought it’d be fun to sign up for a Spartan 5k obstacle race, since I’m pretty comfortable with the type of upper body movements, I just figured I needed to get some running experience under me. I didn’t take it super seriously, but by race time in the end of September, I could (barely) run a 5k. At some point during the race I tore a ligament in my shoulder, so that put lifting and climbing on hold for a while. After a few weeks of feeling restless I decided it would be a good time to start actually learning to run, so in November I started training more seriously, not with any program, but I would consistently run 2-3x a week. It synergized well with van lifing because it got me out on all sorts of cool trails that I wouldn’t have been able to hike before, and I discovered I actually really liked trail running, at least more than just normal street running.
In January I ran my first 10k in San Bernardino, CA, and the rush I got from the spectators and general energy of the event was electrifying, even though it was a pretty small event. That night, I looked on this subreddit for people’s favorite half marathons, even though in terms of distance and stamina I was nowhere near able to complete one at the time. An answer that kept coming up was the Steamboat half marathon, which was perfect because it was 5 months away, giving me plenty of time to bump up my mileage to the next level, and better yet, it’s where my dad lives, that I had been planning on going and seeing anyway since I’ve been away from home for a year. So I signed up, and got my ass in high gear, really taking training more seriously than I ever had, by reading up and following Hal Higdon’s HM Intermediate 2. To be honest, even then I was pretty loose with the program, because some of the hiking trails that I came across on my journeys were shorter than the run I was supposed to do that day, some were longer, and a lot were really hilly so I just kind of ran by instinct and feeling. Also, about 3 months before the race, while I was in northern Arizona/Utah, I got into mountain biking, and started really loving doing that, so instead of running 5-6x a week like I was supposed to, it was more like I was running 2-3x a week and biking 3-4x a week.
So in the month leading up to the race, I got back to Colorado to visit other family and friends, and I started doing a lot of research into Z2 training, which I’d heard of before but misunderstood the benefits as only helping prevent injuries. I ordered a chest strap HRM and my last ~3 long runs and all the short runs in between were at zone 2, which was painfully hard to stay in the first couple times. I went from doing my long runs at 8:30-9 min/mile paces to 12+ min/mile paces, and it was killing me from boredom and taking kind of forever. It didn’t help that at this point because I was back in cities visiting fam, I was doing road running and running on treadmills, both of which are terribly boring for me. But anyway I made it through, and I’m really curious how much that positively impacted my final results in the race yesterday.
The last few days leading up to the race were a bit chaotic, since my sister decided to visit my dad in Steamboat at the same time as me, which is a rare occurrence, so I was beholden to a lot of activities I might have declined otherwise. Including a 6 mile round trip hike to some hot springs the day before the race, where at the end right as we were leaving the hot springs I accidentally smashed my fucking middle toe right onto a rock, immediately causing it to bleed, bruise, and swell up. I wrapped it in some paper towels and managed to hike back down the mountain without major slowdowns, but at the back of my mind the entire time I was real scared that it was going to affect my time, or potentially keep me from racing at all. After the hike, we did a bike ride to a local river festival in Steamboat, which was about 2 miles of easyish riding. But combined with the sort of steep hike earlier, and tennis that I played with my dad the day before, my legs were really not feeling as rested as I wanted them to be. Luckily the night before the race I managed to get 7.5 hours of sleep, which was surprising since usually I’m too nervous to sleep the night before things like this.

Race

The Steamboat half starts on a local hill called Moon Hill at 6,990’ elevation, and ends in downtown Steamboat at 6,728’. So a net downhill, with some solid hills, the worst of them being around mile 9. The course takes you past some beautiful pastures, with a nice running river next to you in portions and great mountain views throughout. The area was especially green this year from all the rain.
The day of the race I had a solid bowl of oatmeal with protein powder, peanut butter, and an apple. Overnight, my toe had swollen up even more and it really hurt to walk around the house barefoot, so I was getting even more worried, but as soon as I put my shoes on the pain went away, I’m not sure if it’s the padding or what but I was super relieved. I managed to go to the bathroom at my dad’s once, and then again in a porta potty at the top of the hill, which I got to via a really long (~35-40 mins) shuttle ride.
The weather was great, about 42 degrees at the start of the race, and only got slightly warmer for the rest of it. There were lots of bends and curves throughout the course so I did my best to keep good racing lines. My plan was to do negative splits for the race, so the first several miles were pretty easy, and I followed my plan of eating one caffeine gummy every 2 miles. Halfway through the race I realized I wouldn’t make my stretch goal time of 1:40, but I was right on pace to make my real goal time of 1:45. I kept trying to speed up, but every time I did it felt like I was going to burn myself out by increasing the speed too much. At mile 9, the uphill portion really got to me and was giving me a major side stitch and my calves started cramping up, which slowed me down significantly, but immediately after that hill was the longest, steepest downhill portion of the whole race, which let me catch back up to where I was and mostly calmed my heart and lungs down. The calves cramping never really went away. The last couple miles were pretty rough as we turned into the town, the smell from cars driving around got to me and was making me feel a bit sick. In the last quarter mile with the goal in sight I realized I had more in the tank, so I had what felt like an all-out sprint for that last little bit of the race, and immediately collapsed onto the floor after crossing the finish line. A nice volunteer got me a cup of water since I was too gassed to stand for a few minutes.

Post-race

Post race I got my free beer and burrito, but those were way too heavy on my stomach immediately after running, so I passed the beer on to my dad and saved the burrito for later, but I did get an amazing donut which made everything I’d done that day feel worth it. My legs are still real damn sore 24 hours later.
Final thoughts: Everything I’d read leading up to the race implied that my quads would get super tired on a downhill race like this, but I didn’t feel that at all, and I’m wondering if it was because of all the mountain biking I did. I really wonder what my time would’ve been had I not hiked and biked the day before, and had a rather strenuous ‘taper’ week. Either way, I’m real stoked about my time for my first half marathon, and I’m gonna start looking up locations for the next one. I’m thinking California redwoods area.
Made with a new race report generator created by herumph.

For anyone interested, I bit the bullet and got some reasonably priced Chinese fork tubes from ebay. The seller is highly rated and has parts for loads of different bikes. The OEM ones on my '04 wee-strom were badly pitted and were eating fork seals. I tried sanding and polishing but couldn't get them right so took the gamble on some aftermarket ones.
Price: $171 + tax for the pair (incl. shipping). Shipping time from China: 5 days total (!!!!!)
Side-by-side comparison pics here.
Been running them for a few weeks now with no issues at all. A couple of things I found though.

1. The tubes are basically identical to OEM (10-34 on the linked schematic). You use all the other parts from your existing install without modification.
2. New ones seem very well made and nearly identical to OEM. The weight was 50gr / 3% lighter.
3. I did have 1 small issue installing which was that the damper rod holder piece (9-33) got wedged in the bottom of the tube as I was assembling and had to be knocked out with a piece of doweling rod that I had lying around. The bottom end of the tube therefore could have been machined a bit better. In practice though this won't matter as the holder piece only comes this far up the tube during assembly. Once the spring is in there the tube is held higher up.
4. The extra 1mm length and maybe some slight variation in the internal dimensions changes the amount of fork oil needed. I kept pre-load adjusters at notch 3 as per OEM but lowered the oil volume by 50ml. Now it feels the same as before.
5. For new seals I used the HONDA 51490-MCF-000 set which is only $24 on amazon and comes with both the oil seal and dust seal so quite a bit cheaper than Suzuki OEM. They are identical in size and quality though.

So all in all I'm quite happy. OEM tubes are $400 each from Partzilla which is just insane and I didn't want to roll the dice with parted out used ones. Quite the savings...
Any questions just ask!

Spent from May 28th -June 3rd in Iceland doing the Ring Road with another family member.
Lodging- Booking.com and Airbnb were the two primary sources used for securing lodging.
Car rental - Renault Captur drove 1314 miles and cost $1000 for full protection , prepaid fuel, and roadside assistant. I hold top tier status with National so this was a cheaper route renting from them.
Clothing - Base layer thermals, 5.11 pants, layered fleece, and a outside Columbia jacket that acted as a wind and rain protection layer. Wore a Icelandic wool hat that I purchased from a previous trip. Wore sneaker Oboz trail shoes. No need for hiking poles, gloves, etc.
Planning - Most reservations were made in October and November 2022. Restaurant reservations were made as they came available.
Pace - We did not have an extended time so we did do some “jumps” on the Ring Road in the more wildnerness areas by driving 2-3 hrs to lodging or early morning. For some people this sounds horrible, but we both really enjoy the lowering sunlight casting it rays on the mountians along with the solitude. We had a lot of buffer times built in and actually was stuck with a lot of free time.
Driving - Driving is rather easy with mostly paved roads and some gravel. Be mindful of your driving capabilities, exhaustion, and weather ahead. Always check the apps, weather reports, and general reddit post every morning.
Gas - Go to N1 and walk inside to the attendant and ask for the pump to be turned on. They may ask for an ID. Or purchase N1 gift cards to use at the remote pumps if your feeling bold. Never go below half a tank and if you plan your trip right that won’t be a big concern. No need for credit card pin unless using remote pumps.
Weather - Rain and wind on day one arriving with cold temperatures. Weather broke with sunny and mid 50’s the rest of the trip around the Ring Road. Highest temperature we saw was 60 degrees.
Sunday, May 28th
Arrived at Baltimore Airport and stayed in the airport lounge before departure at 7pm. Priority boarding was purchased along with seat selection.Plane ride was fine, but was stuck next to an oversize passenger who invaded my seat preventing me from sleeping. We arrived at 5:00 am after a 30 minute delay on take off. Weather was chilly 40 with a drizzle rain. Heavy rolling fog and overcast sky.
Walked through customs with almost no wait. They are under remodel so big changes will be coming here. Got on the sky blue rental car shuttle that was empty and dropped us off at our stop. We picked up the car with National at a schedule pick up 6:30 am with an actual pick up at 6 am. Got upgraded due to status with a vehicle with a higher clearance. First thing we did was the bridge between continents as we waited for the bakery to open. Got breakfast at Kökulist bakery near the airport which opened at 7 am. Blue Lagoon Reservation at 8:00 am - Upgraded to premium - not really worth it in my opinion. Drinks were good. Attempted to stop at the grocery stores or Costco at 10: 30 am, but things were closed. Parked at Laugavegur parking garage, napped for 30 mins in car, and ate breakfast at Grillhusio and walked downtown to kill time.
We pressed onward and drove to Golden circle with random stops for scenery. Stopped at the Oxarafoss waterfall top parking lot first and hiked it. Then drove by the Geysir Geothermal area, but due to miserable weathecrowds we passed by. Went to Gulfoss and it was - windy/rainy. rainy, parked at top and only did top observation deck. Observed many people unprepared for weather and the winds.
We did not do Faxafoss as paid access was required and it wasn’t worth it to us.
Had Reservations at Friðheimar 3:30 pm - 5:00 pm. Excellent food and we did the unlimited soup and bread for about $20 a person. Had the apple pie dessert which was fabalous. To pay just go to the bar and tell them your table number that is on the twig piece on your table.
Finally stop was our lodging at the Blue View Hotel - Cabin 7A right by the restaurant which was a clean, new two bedroom cottage. Well worth the value and was easy to access with self checkin using an email from them with codes.
Notes: Drive Time Between Airport and Lodging = 2 hours We stayed up for a day and half to overcome the time difference. We arrived at our lodging at 5pm and were in bed by 6:30 pm to take advantage of the 24/7 light.
Monday, May 29th
Breakfast was items left from the bakery the previous day we purchased.
Did Seljalandfoss/Gljurabui (early arrival the better due to crowds/pay parking) - arrived 6 am after 3:30 am wake up. We actually circled back to Gluggafoss which was completely empty around 7:30 am. Drove Fjotshiloavegur rd back to the N1 in Hvolsvollur for gas and breakfast proper.
Then get to horse back riding at Skalalot Manor Hotel - 9:30 am arrival required. Arrived at 8:30 am actual time. Place was well kept and they treated their horses with a lot of love and respect. Did an all day ride with the morning spent on the glacier and the evening ride on the black sand beaches. I actually had a difficult horse that was having a bad day in the morning and she successful threw me/I controlled bailed out off the horse to avoid getting implaed on a fence post. Lunch provided at the hotel was excellent and a lot of high end options.
Went to Skogsfoss around 6:30 pm. Then drove through Vik, but did not stop as it was extremely crowded with buses and the gas station looked mobbed.
Arrived at Hotel Laki around 7:45 pm and found that the rooms were clean, simple, and under remodel in the hallways. Excellent simple buffet with hot and cold choices with two protein choices. Staff were attentive and the weather started to break with sun peeking though.
Note: Drive time from Blue View to Horseback Riding = 1 hour and 30 minutes- finished at 6 pm Drive time from Horseback Riding to Hotel Laki = 1 hour and 30 mins Dinner at Hotel Laki (anytime between 7-9 pm )
Tuesday, May 30th
Woke up at 8 am and ate breakfast buffet at Hotel Laki. Left hotel at 10 am. Also, we woke up to a road closure by Diamond Beach due to high winds causing a motor vehicle accident per the Iceland news site and the road safety app. We hiked Fjaðrárgljúfur Canyon for about an hour with moderate crowds. Beware of parking in the lot as people can trap you in blocking with a camper van. Finally around 11 am the Road closure on ring road due to wind was reopen so we decided to immediately start that way after a quick stop at the N1 by Hotel Laki. Drive time from Canyon to Diamond beach - 1 hr and 45 minutes. Stopped and did first overlook at the Mulagljufur Canyon. Narrow parking lot with limited options. The Fjallsarlon Iceberg tour site has an on-site restaurant . Ate here about 30 mins before a 2:30 pm boat tour. Excellent food with a choice of buffet, soup, and sandwiches. Tour lasted an hour. Tour Diamond Beach and Glacial Lake (about 12 mins btw the two glacier lakes) Drive time from Diamond Beach to Hofn for dinner at Pakkhús Restaurant - 1 hr. Got gas at the N1 here. Then 2 hr 45 min to Egilsstadir - arrived at cottage at about 10 pm. We LOVED this drive with the Ring Road turning into gravel with steep cliffs, sweeping views, and beautiful dramatic landscapes. The sun was really hitting everything making it even more special. Stay near Egilsstadir at Abot Cottage. Cute and practical place with one bedroom and a loft.
Wednesday, May 31st
Big driving day for us - FYI Woke up around 6 am and left immediately to seize early morning opportunity. Stopped off at the Stuolafoss Canyon but nesting birds prevented hike. Did 100 ish stairs down to overlook. Noticed a few people violating the posted signage of closure till June 10th for nesting birds on the cliff. Drove to Selfoss/Dettifsoss. One road is gravel and more adventurous and the other side of the canyon is completely paved now for tour buses. Was about a 2 hr drive herre from cottage this morning. Arriving at Dettifoss there was no one on the adventure side which was amazing experience. We didn’t see another human or car for almost 3 hrs! We decided to do the gravel road side up and stop off at the Asbury Cliffs for gas at the N1 and see the little museum. Ate lunch right at 11 am on the paved road side back to the Ring Road. Excellent little burger place. Did geothermal area (parking $10) and also the John snow grotto. Stopped at gas station/grocery store for snacks and drinks. Stopped at Godafoss - got here at 1:45 pm Drove into Akureyri/Piddle around shops - spent 35 mins here and left at 4:30 pm. I mostly wanted to go to one knitted sweatershop and talk to the older lady who knits there. Always super kind! Pay your toll for the tunnel within 24 hours! 2 hr drive to Stay in Northwest Guesthouse and Restaurant in Víðigerði, 531 Hvammstangi, Iceland. Looked dumpy from the outside but they had excellent lamb chops - room was small but had a common sitting area outside rooms. Breakfast was lacking. Did waterfall right by hotel that was a favorite. Do not let this place fool you!
Thursday, June 1st
Goal -Hvammstangi to outside Reykjavik. We had a lot of buffer time built in and decided to redo some things from first day that was rained out. First, we stopped at the KIDKA Wool Factory Shop in Hofoabraut at 8 am. Then stopped at the Alafoss Wool Factory Shop near Reykjavik to finish shopping. Then drove to the Secret Lagoon for 2 pm access. Did the geysers we drove past and got lunch here at the cafe. Drove to Reykjavik downtown to walk around, relax , bread bowl soup, ice cream and some beers till 10:30 pm. Stayed at Airbnb. Note - I left my headphones at the cottage on night one so we picked those up as well.
Friday, June 2nd
Penis museum at opening and hotdogs for breakfast at the famous hot dog place nearby . Got coffee at famous cat place, was mobbed for food and a really small place. Hike into the Volcano Tour - 12 pm takes six hours. Easy drive to parking lot for tour. Highlight of trip. They provide food, harnesses, and helmet. Not strenuous walk, just a tad long hike over a gravel path in the lave field. Walked downtown after volcano tour, swapped police patches, and other random items. Our big dinner was at Matur og Drykkur at 8:30 pm and was beyond amazing with a good wine pairing. Stayed at the Airbnb night 2.
Saturday, June 3rd
Walked downtown and went to Brauo & Co Bakery for cinnamon rolls at 9:30. Returned car at 11:30 am with a boarding at 2 pm. I value not waiting in security or lines so a 30 minute early arrival meant no lines for car return, bus, or security. Sat down in airport and ate lunch in preparation for long flight home. Flight back 3:00 pm

Race Information
Name: Newport Oregon Marathon
Date: June 3, 2023
Distance: 26.2 miles
Location: Newport, OR
TIME: 3:28:xx
Goals/ Description/ Completed?
A: Pace the first half of the 3:30 group to a 1:44 half. YES
B: Hang with the group until 18 or 20 miles. YES
C: Have a ton of fun and help people run their best marathon! YES.
D: Smile and be positive for everyone around me. YES.
Training: I didn't really train to run this race. I volunteered to pace the first half about 3 weeks before race day. My HM PR from earlier this year is 1:31'ish, so pacing a 1:44 half seemed totally reasonable for my existing triathlon training. I had a triathlon to finish, then switched to only running to figure out my pace and get ready. I hit 50+ miles for two weeks with an 18 mile long run at my 8:00/mile goal pace. It all went well. I tossed in a taper week with only 20 miles and a bunch of easy'ish swimming to stay active.
Pre Race: I didn't volunteer until the last minute so by the time I looked for a cheap hotel for the night they were all gone. I wasn't in the mood to spend $400 for a night to volunteer to run, so I decided to stay in my camper in some random parking lot and hope for the best. I drove the 2.5 hours from my house to the race location Friday afternoon. Got my packet. Scouted the course. Found a covert 'camp site' near the finish line. Went for a walk. Had dinner. Put my feet up and rested. Saturday morning I was up at 5am to eat my standard oatmeal and donut prerace meal. Caught the bus to the starting line at 5:50am and was ready! Meet the other pacers at the starting line, got our pacer shirts and pace signs. Chatted a bit. Froze for a while, it was maybe 45F, then started to line up.
Race: Race started right on time at 7am. I had only talked with a few people who were going for 3:30 - so I had no idea what size group I'd be leading. First mile went too fast at 7:45, but we settled in by 2 miles with a group of about 12 people. Mile 2 was on pace. Mile 3 had a steep down hill section and we ran that one at 7:30. There is a slight uphill at 4 miles, then a slight down hill, but then flat from 5-25. By mile 6 we were back on pace at 7:56-7:59 miles. My goal was to get everyone to the 13.1 aid station for the trade to the next pacer with a 1 minute buffer. The miles went by easy and the group stayed together pretty well through 10 miles.
We started to drop a few people around 10 miles, but hit 13.1 with maybe 10 people. We hit the mid point at 1:43:45, so pretty close to my plan. I had not calculated in a full 30 second drop from the big downhill, but it wasn't hard running, so I kept it as buffer and didn't slow up. I passed the pacer sign to another guy at 13.1 but planned to stay with the group past the turn around at 15 miles and probably drop at the 18 or 20 mile aid station. But at some point I decided to stick on the hip of a couple guys that I thought could really make it to 3:30 with some help. We lost a few more from the group at 18'ish. And by 20 we were down to 5 people. When we past the 20 mile mark I told the guys I'd see them to the finish and committed to running it all the way. So much for an easy workout...
We were holding our pace almost perfectly at 7:56-7:59 from 15-20 and the second half pacer for our group was killing it. He was super positive, coaching, cheering, talking, distracting, tour guiding, etc. He was great.
We lost a few more around 20 miles and I decided to stick to one guy and help him make it. I started talking and motivating more. Encouraging more. Trying to get him to stay hydrated as best as possible at each aid station. But he was starting to get to his limit. Another guy dropped from the group at 21'ish/ But we gained person around this time.
My guy started to struggle at mile 22 and we started to drop off the pace, I stayed with him as the main pacer was doing his work at the front of the group. We lost some time each mile. But still were running strong. We came into the last aid station and he got some water, but couldn't get going again. He was really struggling, but I thought he could make. I stopped and cheered him on and got him to run up to me. We kept going for a little while longer, but his pace turned really slow and BOOM! he hit the wall at 25.25. Like instant walking, not talking, struggling hard. In the moment I made the wrong decision and just encouraged and tried to get him going. I should have grabbed him and started walking with him. But I didn't... I waited and waited and then kept running. Uffhhh. Tough to even type two days later. I then put down a quick sprint to catch the other 3:30 pacer (my best mile of the race) and we finished together. 90 seconds under our goal time with an almost perfect 1:45 second half.
My guy walked in about 7 minutes later and was helped start to the med tent. Ugghhh. On me for pushing him? On me for not staying with him? Anyway - he ended up OK in the end and finished and can say that he really did push himself beyond his limits! I saw a bunch of the other original group finish and we took pictures and smiled and enjoyed the moment.
It was super fun, super rewarding to help other people push hard and finish, kind of weird to cross the finish line of a race and not need to sit down in fear of falling over. My personal hydration and nutrition plan worked great. I was feeling good at the end and was still able to cheer and encourage the whole way. I'd volunteer to do it again. The race was super well organized, weather was amazing, support was good, pacer group was a bunch of great guys and far more talented runners than myself.
Post Race: All the pacer took some group photos, then we went over to the after party and had snacks, clam chowder, some drank beers, chatted and enjoyed the amazing weather. I made the drive home and stopped for a burrito the size of one of my shoes and ate the whole thing with zero guilt. I am sore and stiff today, but far better than yesterday morning. I figure an easy run on Wednesday and I'll start getting back after it.
Summary: If you have the time and energy consider being a pacer! It was way more fun than I thought it might be. I didn't plan to run the whole thing, but I got caught up in the moment and really wanted to see 'my guys' finish! I ended up running a marathon smiling and happy and cheering, and not 100% trashed at the end. Crazy times!

Since the original Austin thread is a ways down now, I thought it might be better to start a new one.
Austin blew up inside a rapidly growing, low-tax red state. While Austin was booming, so were all the other large Texas metro areas (Dallas-Ft Worth, Houston, and San Antonio -- even El Paso, I think), so there really doesn't seem to be an Austin special sauce as opposed to Texas in general. Michigan is nothing like Texas and so I think Austin doesn't really work.
Wouldn't it be better to look toward a successful blue state that's more similar to Michigan? To me, the obvious choice seems to be Washington State. We've spent a fair amount of time out there and there seem to be a number of echos with Michigan, including the lattitude, gray winter weather, Canada adjacency, ports, coastline, bays and islands. There are also the spectacular National Park beaches, and the fruit growing. Both are big boating/sailing states. Both states have a legacy industry that's still big but has seem more prosperous days (autos here, aircraft there). Toronto is kind of our Vancouver and Chicago is our Portland. The University of Washington will soon be a Big 10 rival while the UW's medical center is comparable in size and rating to UM's. Both states are middle-of-the pack in overall tax burden, though they are structured quite differently (there's no income tax in WA). The states are similar in size (Washington is still a couple of million people smaller, but has been gaining steadily). In the Washington analogy, if Detroit corresponds to Seattle, then Ann Arbor would be something like, say, Bellevue.
Anyway -- so what are the critical differences that have resulted in Michigan stagnating in recent decades while Washington has been growing?

I am 18+ and all participants and characters must be 18+
Good afternoon ladies,
I hope you all had a wonderful day and are enjoying the fall weather if you are experiencing that time of year. I am currently in the search of a new roleplay partner who adores romantic roleplays and maybe throw in a bit of nsfw themes as well as much as I do. I have been roleplaying for over 10 years now and consider myself quite literate. I am more than ok with doing a slice of life story or a fandom story (ideally Harry Potter, DC, Marvel, or Percy Jackson), or a sci-fi, or even perhaps a historical plot. I am in search of a partner who can provide detailed responses and keep the story going for a while. I am not a fan of short term roleplays hence the need for a long term partner. I understand that real life comes first very well since I am finishing graduate school. So if these elements appeal to you and your interests please shoot me a direct message or a chat requests please. So if you would like a partner who respect you, your emotions, and life as an individual please message me. Let me know your favorite type of fruit and your favorite summer tradition.
Yours truly, Romance_RP

Information Cat Name : Pasha Age : 4,5 years old Sex : Male Weight : 8.2 kilograms Breed : Maine coon Colour : Red Tabby Picture : https://ibb.co/tD30DTr
His first symptoms started last December. His fur was very itchy and he had wounds/crusts on his back (close to his tail), neck and above the eyes (between eyes and ears). He was grooming constantly, also between his paws. I went to the vet and she told me he had a severe allergic reaction to something. She gave him an injection of cortisone and it all went better within the week.
Now in April I noticed a big wound between his ears and eyes again at one side. Same story, went to the vet, allergic reaction to something, cortisone injection and the wound healed.
Now 3 days ago I noticed something new. His underlip is completely swollen and he has a new wound between the ears and eyes (itchy). https://ibb.co/ChtHJ7w
He clearly is allergic to something, but what? It’s not seasonal because he had it in winter and now in spring/summer. My vet asked me if I made some severe changes the last months. The only severe change that happened was my girlfriend living here since September. She took a female cat with her, plants, dry flowers and 3 carpets. Things like this can’t make THIS big of a trigger right? My cat doesn’t bite/eat the dried flowers or plants and he can’t be allergic to a other cat?
The vet said that he might be allergic to his food but he never has diarrhoea or vomits. The “only” symptoms are a lot of scratching and now the swollen lip. If it’s really a food allergy he should have stomach problems no? Below this post you can find the food he eats.
Some other thing to mention is that he can’t “meow”. When he was a kitten he was was able meow but within becoming 1 year it suddenly stopped and his “voice” went completely hoarse. Time to time he suddenly makes a small meow but after that the hoarse sound is back.
I think he also suffers from Asthma. He coughs time to time. See clip : https://streamable.com/ic5x99
Maybe this is all correlated with each other? Maybe he is allergic to something since the start and that’s why he sounds hoarse and coughs sometimes? Maybe it’s not Asthma but just all allergic reactions?
Do you guys think this is a food allergy? Or what might trigger all this? There are no lice in the house and he doesn't go outside.
Thank you and I’m sorry if I made some English mistakes! 😊
​
Food
Wet food Brand : Everyday (home brand of big supermarket chain) 100 grams of wet food in the morning. 50 grams of wet food in the evening
Composition : Complete feed for adult cats : terrine with salmon – meat and animal derivatives, fish and fish derivatives (4% salmon), minerals and sugars.
Analytical constituents : Crude protein (9%), Crude fibres (0,4%), Crude fat (5%), Crude ash (2%), moisture (82%).
Additives : nutritional additives/kg : vitamin D3 : 100UI* ;vitamin E : 30mg, vitamin B1 : 8mg; zinc 14mg ; manganese 1mg ; copper 0,5mg ; iod 0,5mg ; taurine 300mg ; biotine 0,06mg
Dry food/kibbles Brand 1 : Royal Canin maine coon adult All day/night access to kibbles
Composition: Dehydrated poultry protein, rice, maize, animal fats, maize gluten, vegetable protein isolate*, vegetable fibres, hydrolysed animal proteins, beet pulp, minerals, fish oil, soya oil, psyllium husks and seeds, yeasts and parts thereof, fructo-oligo-saccharides, hydrolysed yeast (source of manno-oligo-saccharides), borage oil, hydrolysed crustaceans (source of glucosamine), marigold extract (source of lutein), hydrolysed
Analytical constituents: Protein: 31% - Fat content: 20% - Crude ash: 7.4% - Crude fibres: 5% - Per kg: Omega 6 fatty acids: 48.7g- Omega 3 fatty acids: 10.1g including EPA & DHA: 3.5g.
Additives (per kg): Nutritional additives: Vitamin A: 30500IU, Vitamin D3: 800IU, E1 (Iron): 40mg, E2 (Iodine): 4mg, E4 (Copper): 12mg, E5 (Manganese): 51mg, E6 (Zinc): 154mg, E8 (Selenium): 0.08mg, Taurine: 2.58g-Technological additives: Clinoptilolite of sedimentary origin: 10g-Sensory additives: Tea extract (source of polyphenols): 0.6g-Preservatives-Antioxidants.
Brand 2 : Whiskas chicken +1 years old All day/night access to kibbles
Composition : Cereals, Meat and Animal Derivatives (including 4% Chicken in the Brown Kibbles), Oils and Fats, Derivatives of Vegetable Origin, Minerals, Vegetable Protein Extracts, Various Sugars, Vegetables (including 0.5% Dried Carrots (equivalent to 4% Carrots) in the Orange Kibbles and 1% Dried Peas (equivalent to 4% Peas) in the Green Kibbles), Yeasts, *Brown Kibble typically 70% of product, Orange Kibble and Green Kibble both typically 8% of product each.
Analytical constituents : protein 30% ; fat content 12% ; inorganic matter 8,1% ; Crude fibre 2% ; Calcium 1,3% ; phosphorus 0,93%.
Additives (per kg) : Antioxidants, Colourants ; Nutritional additives : vitamin A, vitamin D ; Vitamin E 261mg ; Taurine 1000mg ; copper 4,9mg ; iodine 1,2mg ; manganese 11,2mg ; selenium 0,08mg ; zinc 31,9mg.