Hi all,
I'm strongly considering a simple 2-card cash-back strategy because I favor simplicity, and I don't enjoy balancing rotating rewards or travel portals.
Current cards: Citi Double Cash $10,500 limit, ~2014 American Express Delta Platinum $12,300 limit, ~2021
FICO Score: 800 Oldest account age: 9 years Chase 5/24 status: none Income: $80,000
Average monthly spend (can be pretty variable, but looking at my last 2 years, probably about: dining $600 groceries: $500 gas: $<20 travel: $300 (including planes, hotels/airbnb, rental car, local transit, tolls, parking) other: $1000
Open to Business Cards: e.g. No
Other pertinent details: Amazon Prime (NOT a member), no regular streaming services, don't shop at Costco, travel internationally 1-2x/year, domestically 3-4x/year
What's the purpose of your next card? Simplifying cash back strategy
Are you OK with category spending or do you want a general spending card? Prefer general spending
Do you have any cards you've been looking at?
Considering getting the US Bank AR card + one other card for non-Apple Pay and travel spend (looked at PayPal MC, Fidelity Visa, Alliant Visa, WF Active Cash). Figured the DC is a bit more convoluted w/ the 1%/1% structure + it has a 3% FTF and no real benefits, so it would be nice to get a different catch-all 2% card that offers something else (3% PayPal CB, purchase protections/insurance, SUB, etc.). I do think it would be nice to get something with purchase protections/warranty/insurance if possible which I think leads me towards the Fidelity or Alliant. I don't think the PayPal card includes any of that, though the 3% at PayPal is nice. Not an Alliant customer already and don't think it would be worth it to set up over there just for their card. WF SUB is nice, but afterwards, doesn't really offer much in terms of signature benefits aside from the cell phone protection (already have this through Renter's insurance rider). Am I missing something like another card or benefits? Does the PayPal MC offer something I don't know about? I know Fidelity has the 1% FTF but it seems aside from that and their terrible UI, it might be the best card choice for me to pair with the USBAR? I do have my 403b with them.

I may be posting this in the wrong sub but hopefully can be pointed in the right direction
Our company was contracted to do some low voltage cabling (cat6) with permits for a commercial space. We are trying to get a rough inspection scheduled with the city but they will not approve anything until we send them our own shop plans.
We’ve submitted plans for other jobs in the past and never came across this. I called a few architects and none are able to assist.
If anyone can point me in the right direction and/or send me to the right person it would be greatly appreciated.

Good day, I am adding to the sea of endless "teenager with unrealistic expectations of the inner-workings of automobile purchasing" posts.
I am going into my last year of high-school, and am intending of moving out of state for college (Mn/Ny/Me/Vt). I am privileged enough to have a 19k budget, but fuel efficiency is recommended. I reckon I'll bash the shit out of my car, so an older car is preferred. I am open to suggestions outside of the list below, though the dream is cloth seats and a CD player. I will be daily driving (11 mile commute to school), and will probably have to do some long hauls for college. I will have to transport instruments (keyboard and bass) but I don't think I will need an SUV to do that. I will not buy a German car due to familial reasons, and don't trust the perceived reliability of American Cars. The cut off dates are pretty lenient, as I don't know if the lack of a CD player is really a good enough excuse to shy away from a vehicle.
On my list would be

• Toyota Camry (1998- until the budget cuts off) -I understand their reliability but mpg is shoddy
• Toyota Corolla (skeptical about the 10th generation)- Reliable and classic, don't know about snow
• Toyota Prius (pre-2015, for that generation is hideous)- Not certain about the electrical care.
• Honda Civic (Any year, but the 2016-onwards lack CD players.) Good, Hard to find old ones clean.
• Honda Accord (1998- until budget cuts off)- again with mpg, but willing to think otherwise.
• Mazda mazda3 (2015-2018) Don't know how practical, but supposedly good in snow.
• Subaru Impreza (2015-onwards)- Don't know about boxer reliability in actuality, good in snow.
• Honda Fit would be perfect, but I've heard they don't much like snow.

Maybe too big

• Toyota Rav-4 (3rd gen has good familial history)- Maybe maybe.
• Honda Crv- Can get a bit pricey, it seems.

Sorry to have such a long post.
Is it fair to discount Nissans/Infinitis for their transmissions liking to brick? Is the reliability good enough to overcome their social stigma?
Should more [blank] be on this list? Are any of my statements just plain wrong?
How do the plastics on the older models hold up over the years?
Any glaring issues in certain years that I should be aware about. I have done a fair bit of research, but don't know if what they are telling me is true, thus I am asking those who may own them.
Besides general worship, is the gas mileage of the pre-2003 V6 Camry's worth it? I am sorry if that is an ambiguous statement, I just don't know how affordable long term it is.
Are there any prominent electrical concerns in the mid-2000s Toyota hybrids (prius and camry)?
How much do they salt the roads in Minnesota? Up-state New York? Maine?
Are the Takata airbags to be trusted? Should I discount the earlier Toyotas because of it?
Should I entertain more Korean cars? All I know is that they are rather hard to get insured due to the recent thefts.
In car shopping, how acceptable is haggling (respectfully) over dents/rust?
Thank you to any of those who read this or care, please forgive me for anything that I should have known, either from common sense or observation of this sub. I understand this whole thing is trite, and I have probably beaten a dead horse.

I haven’t even flirted for such a long time, and lately, during those boring lunches where people just talk about heiresses’ dogs’ illnesses (a Pomeranian dog shares all her illnesses with her owner) or gossip about some technocrat who has a limp and who may be cheating on his partner, and while rice with cod is served, I am asked “darling, are you dating yet?”. No, I am not, and here I am, mostly because dating apps are too dull – unfortunately the odds of being flashed by a Jewish 19 year-old from Manchester is smaller on these things, though sometimes you might have some luck and end up being insulted randomly by a Portuguese girl, who is visiting her uncle.
I do have names, and surnames, and I was born in a big city in Brazil. My sister used to describe our childhood address as “a building with cars and trees and buildings”, which is a rather good description of much of the city. For a while I wanted to join the seminary but after having to face the fact that this was an inadequate career choice considering I didn’t believe in God and had always found masses to be awfully boring (though fascinating at times – the priest at my childhood church used to go on long rants about things, of which there are many) often turning my back to see the watch, and so I chose the next best thing: I am studying sociology, which involves, in many ways, taking a vow of poverty. I also work at a small online newspaper so I am well informed on sub celebrities and local occurrences such as babies heroically rescued by policemen after choking on the thing babies eat. And yes, I write poetry sometimes.
I am fascinated fairly often by everything, or many things, at least so you won’t be bored. These last days I ended up reading a lot of things about Egypt after reading about Ottoman chief eunuchs being exiled to Cairo after their tenure. In general, I really enjoy the humanities. I follow politics keenly – in fact, there is some chance I might have some thoughts on your country’s politics – and I’d say I am on the centre-left – pro-choice, in favour of a robust welfare state, LGBTQ+ rights, affirmative action. If you know about Brazilian politics, I voted for Marina and Haddad in 2018 (the voting age here is 16), and Lula last year.
As you can imagine, I also really enjoy reading and writing. Besides poetry, I have often thought about writing a novel, but this seems like too much work – and it seems that it would be arrogant of me to write a novel having lived this little, though it wouldn't be uncommon. I really enjoy learning about other languages and cultures and I know a bit of French, German, Spanish, and Russian, besides English and Portuguese. I’d really like to learn Arabic and/or Mandarin. I am really into genealogy, and I know quite a bit about it. I often cry while watching dumb movies (I cried during Minions!) or listening to beautiful music; my music taste has been described as “fairly gay” and in movies as “slightly gay”.
I guess I am pretty introverted, polite, and timid (well, I am on here after all). I am affectionate and I can be really passionate as well. And I am fairly funny, or rather, I have made a few people laugh over the years. I asked a close friend to describe myself, and that is what he said:

I think you’re very communicative. Shrewd, funny, a good companion. Kind of withdrawn but not necessarily shy. You avoid conflict and unnecessary arguments, but love to participate in good conversations. I think you’re very kind too, besides being polite.

As for what I want to do with my life, I am unsure though I am inclined to go into academia. I have been considering applying to a PhD program in the U.S. after finishing my undergrad here in Brazil. My family does want me to go into their business, which is related to politics. I have also considered going into diplomacy.
Who am I looking for? I’d like someone curious about the world around her, and open-minded. The rest? Cultural differences can be interesting and I am open to converting (nominally?) to most world religions.
Some poems I really like:

• Litany for our lord Don Quixote by Ruben Dario
  
• Tobacco Shop by Fernando Pessoa
  
• Ash Wednesday by T. S. Eliot
  

Some songs I have been listening to:

• Ariana Grande - 7 Rings
  
• Rosalía - Delirio de Grandeza
  
• Pescado Rabioso - Cantata de Puentes Amarillos
  

TLDR: Terminated at will after two months when I mentionted abusive behavior, illegal water dumping, city permit bs, not using my own credit card and wouldn't stay until 11pm and theft occurred on my car ‐-----------------------------------------------------------------
Long story: I worked for a GC and was at will terminated. The VP stated it was due poor performance and some miscommunication about my work hours. Please note I cut out a lot to not make this a novel
I had expressed concerns both face to face and via email about illegal activities and several other concerns listed below
1) They(super and PM) illegally dumpedbwater into the sewer during rain events to hide it.
I applied for a discharge permit with the city and the city helped me fill it out. 3 weeks later they say it was wrong and I need to resubmit with water district approval and a discharge plan. I was not told this when i originally submitted
I go to the water district and fill out the permit with them. Only thing from the application missing was the sewer number. It's not on the plans and the civil eng asks the city in a meeting about it. They say schedule appointment with public works.
During the appointment pw says no storm water can go into the sewer and refuse to give me a number. I submit the imcompete water district permit to the water district. The water district gets back to me and days I submitted the wrong form. I fill out the correct form and resubmit it. We need water testing and after calling aroind find a lab drown the street that isn't listed in their site. Due to an adjacent lot having a leaking underwater well we had to test for additional contaminants. I submitted the testing results to the water district and they went me an approval via mail. I had an appointment scheduled for this upcoming week but I was fired Friday.
2)RFIs. My super bombard me with RFIs. Like 5 a day that were for work we wernt preforming. I asked him to email me the rfis and he said he preferred telling me in person. He wouldn't give a proposed solution as he didn't want to be liable. Would Hand draw things that I would need to mark up in bluebeam. I would go over what we talked about and show my super and he would say it was okay. when I sent him the final version he would be like that's not right change this and that. We would repeat this cycle at least twice. I would sent the final version to my super and PM and once approved by them I would submit it.
I asked if we should be involving the responsible sub and he said he was the super and they would build it the way he told them to. I told him they were the subject matter experts. When I brought it up to my PM he said he didn't want to tell the super how to run his job. But he had Ran into this on different jobs with the super
I went back to my job description and highlighted where it says all rfis should have a proposed solution and I should be reviewing RFIs submitted by subs and my PM emailed back that basically oh well we're gonna do it this way.
There were a several times me PM would say to put in an RFI and i would say wait this was addressed in a previous RFI or the upcoming bulletin and he would say no its not put it in. The design team would get annoyed and say this was already addressed and when I would show my PM he would be like okay well just void it
There were other times when the design team would come back with an answer my super didn't like so I would have to create a follow up. I would tell my super this is why we need to give a proposed solution ans he would yell he didn't want to be liable.
3) forms of payments . The company used checks for payments it would take up to a day to get them. If they're hot maybe a few hours. The company card was only to be used for emergencies and could not have the available credit left to use. My super expected me to use my credit card for expenses that came up last minute and he Was annoyed I wouldn't use my cc. I asked both my super,PM and project executive if they would use their cc and only the project executive told me he would as an last resort . My super would tell me at 2pm telling me he needed a payment for an inspection when the office for inspections closed at 230 and my options were pay In person or online. My PM ans super did not want me to use an echeck they wanted me to go to the main office get a check them go to the city and pay. That couldn't be done in 30 mins or even an hour.
4) My super was rude. He would yell and tell me he couldn't believe I didn't know something. I Walked into a convo where he was talking shit about me and my PM just said i know. When I addressed this with my super,PM and project executive they said well he's old school and you need to grow a thick skin and not take things personally. I talked to the super directly every time it happened. I emailed and talked to HR about this. He would tell our capenters he didn't care how they got shit done just do it and talk down to them. He was rude to subs
5) Internet was non existent the first month I was there. The company only had bluebeam on a vm program. I need that every day using the program was painfully slow due to the internet. To the point it would take 5 mins to load a page. After discussing with my PM I reached out to IT. I followed up after no reply and my PM let me know it would be expensive to upgrade the Internet and they were annoyed I was making a big deal of it. I asked if I could come into the office until it was fixed and was told I needed to be on-site. During this time I was hot spotting my work phone for a better connection but it was still slow. Finally it was I was told I could come in two days a week and they would get me a desk. However I never got a desk and was only allowed to come in one day. If u wanted to come in two days my PM would say no or say he wasn't above the super and needed to ask him.
6) submittals I replaced another PE that got moved off the project to replace another PE that quit. For 3 months the PM did nothing with submittals and waited until my second day during orientation to send me 10 submittals he wanted submitted by EOD. My PM didn't know the system we used to submit Submittals and had the previous PE give me a quick training. I used Google and figured it out on my own. I found some issues with some submittals and marked them up. My PM disregarded my comments and instructed me to submit them as they were minor and the design team rejected them and was annoyed with me. I was having trouble getting in contact with the subs. They wouldn't answer my calls but they would for my super and PM. My project executive said well My expectation is that you work until the work is done. He stayed he stayed until 8 or 11pm some nights. I informed him I was doing 10 hour days but under no circumstance would I be working until 8
7)Note taking my super would not follow the agenda and would skip around. When asked if we could follow the agenda he would start yelling and storm off. I asked if he would like the agenda moved around he would say no.
He gave me an agenda for our sub meetings and then he didn't follow it. It just made it so hard to take accurate notes. Both myself and my PM brought it up to him but he did not care.
8) during all of this my catalytic converter and O2 sensor were stolen at work. I drove the car back on the highway but man was it loud and the fumes were terrible. I called my boss on the way to a shop and he was sympathetic but the next day he was like well why don't you buy a new car? And my super was like can you rent one. I informed them I was too young to rent a car and I would was handling it via insurance. I also reminded them new cars have catalytic converters and this wasnt a like oh my transmission blew, my car was vandlized. I informed them Until I got my car back I would be taking public transportation so I couldn't stay too late as I didn't wanna walk by myself as I didn't feel safe. I could however work on public transportation so I would continue 10 hour days. I was able to use a family members car on some days but they would make me late so I stuck to Public transportation. my PM said I could park the car in the project gates when i got it back. The super lost his shit bcg car would be infront of his blocking him as he left before me. My super kept asking when I would get my car back. I was telling him I needed a police report to make a claim and then I needed the shop to send their estimate and parts were delayed due to supply chain issues.
I feel defeated and am unsure what to do next. I have applied for unemployment and am applying for jobs, working with recruiters and am reaching out to my network. I am trying to not let this sour me about construction but idk if I wamma work in this industry anymore

Top 5 Updates of the Week:

• Instagram shared how their algorithm works. Spoiler: It’s 90% their 2021 blogpost with minor changes.
• Snapchat My Snap AI: Users now have ability to send & receive AI generated images.
• Reddit’s new usage based API pricing will impact many third-party apps.
• Meta tests removal of news content in Canada in response to Online news act.
• Pinterest first platform to share their calendar for pride month & latest events.

Google:

• June 2023 Google Webmasters Report.
• Google rolling out multiple featured snippets feature on Desktop search.
• Google now treats .ai domains as generic Top-domains.
• Google search console insights adds your growing content report.
• Google modifies shopping ads policies to enhance transparency.
• Google Search console performance report was delayed by 65+ hours this week due to an error.
• Google Bard can now provide more precise local results.

Tiktok:

• Mexico city signs up a deal with TikTok to support small business marketing.
• Tiktok launches #ForYourPride for content creation around Pride month.
• Tiktok’s 10-minute recording option within the app is back for many users.
• TikTok accused of storing sensitive Creator Data in China.

Instagram

• Instagram tests new user control for recommended posts & transparency tool.
• The logo for Instagram’s Twitter rival App is now revealed in a leak.
• Instagram announces video scrubbing feature for IG reels.
• Instagram shares a format guide for all Meta Ads Platform.

Meta :

• Meta never gave up on metaverse, Meta Quest 3 coming this fall and price decrease for Quest 2.
• Meta found liable as court blocks firing of moderators.
• WhatsApp launches a security hub to showcase user control options.

Twitter:

• Twitter loses two executives in-charge of Safety & Trust on the platform.
• Twitter leaves EU voluntary code of practice against disinformation.
• Ben & Jerry’s leave Twitter Advertising over Hate speech.
• Twitter’s working on hide your likes tab option.
• Twitter ignoring hate speech created by Twitter Blue subscribers.

YouTube:

• Youtube reverses misinformation policy to allow US election denialism.
• MrBeast tags big streaming services and pitches his idea of new Game Show.
• Viral Nation’s new product to protect companies from copyright issues.
• Youtube adds 5.1 Surround Sound & announces new YPP terms.

Agency News:

• Dentsu sees 2023 Ad spending up 3.3%.
• WPP partners with Nvidia to build an AI content engine.
• Zoom apps marketing chief Janine Pelosi exists.
• Ogilvy Africa introduces InfluenceO, an Influencer marketing solution for Africa.

LinkedIn:

• LinkedIn launched a new playbook for SaaS companies marketing on the platform.

Snapchat:

• Snapchat launches AR Learning hub for individuals with growing interest in AR world.
• Snapchat launches sheen camera filter to Encourage LGBTQ+ creators to share their story.

Reddit:

• Reddit’s main share holder cuts down its valuation in the platform by 41%.
• Many Sub-reddits are protesting on 12th June against new API pricing changes.

Advertising:

• Heinz Debuts First Global Campaign in 150 Years.
• Unilever pledges over 70% of Ads will have disabled representatives behind the scenes.
• Fentiman creates world’s longest Advert with an 168-hour film, woah.
• New Created Campaign from Wendy with T-pain is blasting.

Microsoft

• Bing chat increases chat turns, adds visuals to travel queries and expands Bing Image creator.
• Microsoft teams on Windows 11 gets discord-like communities and AI tools.
• Bing Chat adds Anchor text hyperlinks within answers.
• Microsoft introduces insights for Universal Event tracking Tags.

AI:

• Brands are asking Influencers to utilise AI tools to improve their content practices.
• Search Engine Land launched their own AI Chatbot based on 20,000+ previous blogs.

Pinterest:

• Julia Brau Donnelly to join Pinterest as Chef Financial Officer.
• Pinterest publishes new research on how positivity drives actions at event stage of the shopping journey.

Marketing:

• BeReal is testing BeRealChat for direct messaging options.
• Peloton goes through a rebrand, trying to recapture its audience.
• Verizon owned Visible Brand launches a new show with creator group “Old Gays”.
• Oracle removes social sharing tool “Add this”.

What are your thoughts on these recent updates? You can subscribe to the weekly newsletter to receive these updates every week.

Top 5 Updates of the Week:

• Instagram shared how their algorithm works. Spoiler: It’s 90% their 2021 blogpost with minor changes.
• Snapchat My Snap AI: Users now have ability to send & receive AI generated images.
• Reddit’s new usage based API pricing will impact many third-party apps.
• Meta tests removal of news content in Canada in response to Online news act.
• Pinterest first platform to share their calendar for pride month & latest events.

Google:

• June 2023 Google Webmasters Report.
• Google rolling out multiple featured snippets feature on Desktop search.
• Google now treats .ai domains as generic Top-domains.
• Google search console insights adds your growing content report.
• Google modifies shopping ads policies to enhance transparency.
• Google Search console performance report was delayed by 65+ hours this week due to an error.
• Google Bard can now provide more precise local results.

Tiktok:

• Mexico city signs up a deal with TikTok to support small business marketing.
• Tiktok launches #ForYourPride for content creation around Pride month.
• Tiktok’s 10-minute recording option within the app is back for many users.
• TikTok accused of storing sensitive Creator Data in China.

Instagram

• Instagram tests new user control for recommended posts & transparency tool.
• The logo for Instagram’s Twitter rival App is now revealed in a leak.
• Instagram announces video scrubbing feature for IG reels.
• Instagram shares a format guide for all Meta Ads Platform.

Meta :

• Meta never gave up on metaverse, Meta Quest 3 coming this fall and price decrease for Quest 2.
• Meta found liable as court blocks firing of moderators.
• WhatsApp launches a security hub to showcase user control options.

Twitter:

• Twitter loses two executives in-charge of Safety & Trust on the platform.
• Twitter leaves EU voluntary code of practice against disinformation.
• Ben & Jerry’s leave Twitter Advertising over Hate speech.
• Twitter’s working on hide your likes tab option.
• Twitter ignoring hate speech created by Twitter Blue subscribers.

YouTube:

• Youtube reverses misinformation policy to allow US election denialism.
• MrBeast tags big streaming services and pitches his idea of new Game Show.
• Viral Nation’s new product to protect companies from copyright issues.
• Youtube adds 5.1 Surround Sound & announces new YPP terms.

Agency News:

• Dentsu sees 2023 Ad spending up 3.3%.
• WPP partners with Nvidia to build an AI content engine.
• Zoom apps marketing chief Janine Pelosi exists.
• Ogilvy Africa introduces InfluenceO, an Influencer marketing solution for Africa.

LinkedIn:

• LinkedIn launched a new playbook for SaaS companies marketing on the platform.

Snapchat:

• Snapchat launches AR Learning hub for individuals with growing interest in AR world.
• Snapchat launches sheen camera filter to Encourage LGBTQ+ creators to share their story.

Reddit:

• Reddit’s main share holder cuts down its valuation in the platform by 41%.
• Many Sub-reddits are protesting on 12th June against new API pricing changes.

Advertising:

• Heinz Debuts First Global Campaign in 150 Years.
• Unilever pledges over 70% of Ads will have disabled representatives behind the scenes.
• Fentiman creates world’s longest Advert with an 168-hour film, woah.
• New Created Campaign from Wendy with T-pain is blasting.

Microsoft

• Bing chat increases chat turns, adds visuals to travel queries and expands Bing Image creator.
• Microsoft teams on Windows 11 gets discord-like communities and AI tools.
• Bing Chat adds Anchor text hyperlinks within answers.
• Microsoft introduces insights for Universal Event tracking Tags.

AI:

• Brands are asking Influencers to utilise AI tools to improve their content practices.
• Search Engine Land launched their own AI Chatbot based on 20,000+ previous blogs.

Pinterest:

• Julia Brau Donnelly to join Pinterest as Chef Financial Officer.
• Pinterest publishes new research on how positivity drives actions at event stage of the shopping journey.

Marketing:

• BeReal is testing BeRealChat for direct messaging options.
• Peloton goes through a rebrand, trying to recapture its audience.
• Verizon owned Visible Brand launches a new show with creator group “Old Gays”.
• Oracle removes social sharing tool “Add this”.

What are your thoughts on these recent updates? You can subscribe to the weekly newsletter (link in bio) to receive these updates every week.

Hi everyone!
My husband and I recently came back from a 15-day trip to Japan and overall it was an epic, life-changing adventure. Most of the tips shared in this sub are absolutely true (I don't think there was a single day where we didn't hit the 20K step mark and SO glad we had some cash and a coin purse handy.)
We covered all the "greatest hits" of Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka, so reporting on those areas would be redundant as this sub already has great info. However, I haven't seen too many recent posts about Kiso Valley, so I wanted to share our experience since it was a personal highlight for me!
Between our stops from Tokyo to Kyoto, stayed in Kiso-Fukushima for 2 nights:
KISO VALLEY / NAKASENDO PHOTOS
Travel from Tokyo
We took the Shinkansen from Tokyo to Nagano and then a rail train to Kiso-Fukushima. The whole trip took just under 3 hours. Since were were only making a 2-day stop in Kiso, we forwarded our main luggage from Tokyo to the following stop in Kyoto and only took our backpacks with us with a change of clothes. The luggage forwarding system is amazing.
To get to Kyoto afterwards, we took a train to Nagoya and then transferred to Tokyo. That leg took about 2.5 hours.
Lodging
We stayed at this traditional ryokan which was a 10-min walk from the station. We splurged on a room that had a private bathroom and an open air bath (hot tub) overlooking the river. Let me tell you, with all the walking we had done, it was HEAVEN. It allowed for a few moments of downtime (and a little romance) amidst all the running around. Breakfast and dinner were included in our package, which is recommended as the town is small and dining options close early. The food was amazing. Worth every penny.
In Town Highlights

• Hoshakuzan Kozenji Temple & Garden
• Restaurant with amazing soba noodles
• Lovely shop with lacquered goods
• Public foot bath with stone reflexology path
• Simply walking around!

Walking the Nakasendo Trail from Magome to Tsumago
We took the limited express from Kiso-Fukushima to Nakatsuaga, and then a bus to the Magome which drops you off at the start of the trail.
This portion of the trail is about 8km and I would consider it an easy to moderate hike (there were some uphill portions and forest paths). More information about it here.
IT WAS ABSOLUTELY BREATHTAKING. I loved every moment. A beautiful combination of walking through small towns and forest. The weather was beautiful, there were definitely other people, but it wasn't crowded by any means. I'm still looking at the photos and just sighing over how beautiful it all was.
When we got to Tsumago we explored the shops a bit. Then took the bus to Nagiso and the train back to Kiso, with just enough time for a hot tub soak, shower, and then to the dining room for dinner (donning the provided yukata robes).
Things We Didn't Get to Do in Kiso-Fukushima
I would have loved to spend another day or two in Kiso-Fukushima because there were a number of things we didn't get to. Also, it's just a lovely place to just walk around and experience.

• The Narai - Yukahabara portion of the Nakasendo Trail
• Akasawa Natural Recreational Forest
• Atera Gorge and Kakizore Gorge
• Sacred Mt. Ontake hike (difficult)
• Momosuke Bridge
• Gongen Waterfall (difficult - I found the negative reviews were all from people not realizing how difficult of a hike this was to get to)

OTHER RANDOM HIGHLIGHTS
Tokyo

• Hacienda de Cielo - This Mexican restaurant in Daikanyama (outside of Shibuya) has terrace seating with beautiful views of the city. Having lived in Arizona, I'm going to say this wasn't the most authentic Mexican food, but it was fine.
• The SG Club - Super fun swanky bar in Shibuya with great drinks.
• If you like record shops and vintage clothing, exploring Shimokitazawa was really fun.

Kyoto

• While the Arashiyama Bamboo Grove tends to get most of the attention, walking around Kameyama Park Kameyama Region was so lovely.

Osaka

• Dotonbori gets all the love, but I absolutely loved the retro, gritty vibe of Shinsekai. We played some Tetris and Tekken at the retro arcade. We even found a sex shop that had Real Dolls (I've never seen one in person before!)
• We easily spent over an hour in the 8-story Edion Namba electronics store.
• If you're into craft beer, Craft Beer Works Kamikaze was pretty awesome (but pricey).

We've been back exactly a week now and I'm still feeling blue about it - would have absolutely loved to stay a whole month or more.
Happy travels!

Hi guys, so unfortunately it has come to me making this thread after I've seen the last news article I can handle of another Asian person being dehumanized in the west especially crowded cities like NYC and LA. So I've made this guide, I'm sure some of you already know/ and or follow these rules already but this is really the only solution we have to this kinda problem that we somewhat have any control over.
Plan A PERMANENT SOLUTION : (Move out of you can, its not worth it to live in a country that doesnt value your lives little as much as they do value your existence, what is the point in living in a country where they actively deprive you of your human right to live?)
-I've come to the conclusion that even if I wanted to move out of the west especially NYC which I will when I have the money I would think of places I needed to live those including -Sinagpore, Malaysa, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, safe areas where those people actually look like you with technology on par with the west to make a decent living there. (For those of you who want to live in a western society here are some countries I can name of that are a LITTLE nicer to asian people a.k.a Australia, New Zealand, etc.
PLAN B ALSO PERMANENT SOLUTION: PSA DO YOUR DILIGENCE DO NOT MORE THAN WHAT IS NEEDED THATS HOW YOU LEAD TO EXCESSIVE STUFF WHICH RUIN YOUR LIFESTYLE YOUR HERE FOR BUSINESS TO MAKE MONEY NOT FRIENDS REMEMBER THAT THOSE ACTIONS INCLUDE (WHEN YOU HAVE A GOOD JOB OR ANY JOB ONLY GO OUT FROM HOME WHEN NEEDED STAY INDOORS FOR AS LONG AS YOU CAN AS LONG AS YOU LIVE HERE IN THE WEST ITS UNFORTUNATE BUT I KNOW ITS ALL WE CAN DO. TO BEGIN: IMPROVE YOUR LIVING SITUATION IF YOU PLAN TO LIVE HERE IN THE WEST A.K.A Your housing situation, get wealthy so you can stay at home in the comfort of your own home in a luxurious 5 star mansion home its unfortunate but for as long we live here in the west this is all we can do, to improve our situations here to live as comfortable lives as we can here (if you do plan to stay here atleast) by getting good jobs and high paying degrees we actually have some power to help ourselves out we can move away from these ghetto communities and into places where we dont belong such as conservative states say what you want it might be racist a lot less however infact it is safer than living among democrat run NYC with crime running rampant everywhere, so money situation does increase your standard of living to get away from these hoodlums that dehumanize us for their own personal liking. I'm sure as you know the realistic reality of China improving its living standard to compete with those on the global atmosphere, I want you to think of the world around you as if its a chess game if China can do that on a greater scale how can we the CHINESE and or ASIAN COMMUNITY cant do that on a smaller scale IN THE WEST? WE CAN WE CAN TURN THE LIVING SITUATION AROUND OUR COMMUNITIES BETTER through the means of MONEY. All those NPC's are just a digit in the system and they're just pawns (its dehumanizing I know but its the only way we can achieve higher in this life) we need to think of the greater good. We cant control the people around us dehumanizing us as asian people such as hoodlums in the black community or racist bigots in the white community latinos suprisingly leave us alone as long as we dont fuck with them which i really like. HOWEVER THATS BESIDES THE POINT im sure if you're aware if you live in the NYC area that modern day chinatown is far comparibaly better than it was 10 years ago, everything is updated, modernized we have boba tea shops that look like they came straight out of Taiwan. That right there is an example of chess pieces moving in real time compare how China brought 800 million people out of poverty in a single lifetime and how Chinese in NYC raised their living conditions due to work and community. Thats an extreme example of how we can change the situation around us, we cant control the hoodlums in the black community chasing us out or dehumanizing us or the white community dehumanizing us also however we can raise the living conditions to such an extent where its necessarily MORE safe, theres no such thing such as perfection but it certainly is MORE safe than what it already is. Lift the situation around to a modern state so it is transparent about the crimes commited to us by other POC/ and or white people. such as the Italians in NYC living next to the Chinese in CHINATOWN NYC. Truth be told we cant stop these people from doing what they do I do suggest if your life is in imminent threat to fight for survival like all natural human should carry whatever weapon you can, I know in the state of NY it is hard to carry anything because the democrat run libtards dont let you do shit. However its for our survivial fuck the rules.
- Now to achieve this result i states above^ if you're still reading I've thought of the following solutions
-The chinese community anywhere abroad always stick together thats how we even created these chinatowns in nyc, boston, sanfranciso, canada, etc, so the workforce is there. It is quite progressive to work for your own community thats the only way to improvise your own community. But our talents are solified within our own community now we need to expand outwards and bring the chinese economy further through our own actions and those of whoever want to help us. The plans I thought of are listed below
-If you are relatively young college aged student like me try to look for jobs outside our own community that pay well we can basically leech off those jobs and fuel the money back into the Chinese economy in the West. Those job's including jobs we can naturally do with our talents, Including (Tech, information technology, coding, accounting, business, finance, etc) get jobs outside of our already existing degree of influence and fuel the money back into the chinese/ and or asian economy help asian communities out however you can i suggest you only do this for asian businesses because we all know what its like to go through dehumanization in the west and no i am not racist i am a realist, thats alll there is to it.) And if you can save up enough money to leave, once again i suggest places like singapore hong kong and south korea and or japan give or take but australia seems like a very nice place also still apparently racist but atleast less than the USA.
Brief Summary: For those living in the west
-Make your money improve your standard of living in your home so you can stay at home all day in the comfort of your own home also if you have enough money to move to get away from these hoodrats that dehumanize us and dont work for them if you dont have to (sometimes you have to kiss ass to get what you want so play your cards right) <--- this really only applies to jobs etc.
-Funnel the Asian economy such as give good tips and support local asian businesses however you can so they can lift their living standards as well, this goes into PAN-ASIANISM after all we know what its like to go through the same things here in the west, filthy dehumanization.(fuck them if they're assholes though not every asian person is a good person).
-Create communites with one another to exchange details for survival and goods and services we have alot of power on our own thats why everybody wants to be apart of ASIAN culture now cuz we are strong on our own. Just help each other out however you can. And remember all we have is ourselves so we gotta look out for one another and pls pls pls, stop self hating I want all non self hating asians to recognize the self haters aka boba liberals and such who just bash on asian people and asian stuff for no reason as if they're not asian theirselves, you/ or them are just insecure about who you are just be yourself fucktards.
Brief Summary for those who move out of the west to such locations as - Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia,Hong Kong, Indonesia, Philippines, Japan, South korea those are a list of options to look bullish for good places to live and you can help us out by making these countries stronger after all they're asian after all if you dedicate your talents towards your own people/ asian countries you'll attract after all this is the most progressive thing you can do to support asian people in this world. help out however you can. Anyways since you decided to move out of the west you should be gucci after all you're in a relatively safe space for asian people, you're asian after all. Not much to say here.
But in summary This is my guide on how to save asian people in the west. I hope you enjoyed it.

With my update after latest reads...
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https://fanfiaddict.com/benders-top-litrpg-gamelit-progression-cultivation-reads/
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With not much “standard” sub-genres in this genre, I’ve went with my own! If you are new to the genre, here’s something that may help you make sense and pick up books to your liking.
What the heck do these sub-genres indicate?
GameLit is in general books which have elements which you might have seen or played in a game e.g skill trees, stat sheets etc. These elements may feature to varying extents, but present they will be! Now there are various permutations and combinations on how this will occur in a game and I’ll try to elaborate on some here
LitRPG is a sub-genre of GamLit and probably the catch all. Technically it is to capture books which feature the Role Playing (RPG) elements, but in practical use, LitRPG and GameLit are being used interchangeably.
But then, genres and titles are what we deem it to be. So pay less attention to the classifications and let’s get down to the books themselves.
Post/Apocalyptic Earth
Now, this is my favourite sub-genre! As the name indicates, books in this sub-genre takes place in relatively modern Earth. In most books, Earth has been assimilated into a bigger multi-planet universe is ruled by a “system” that implements game elements on all acquired worlds. Now this assimilation is mostly a forced takeover which usually results in death of vast swaths of humanity with the rest forced to adapt and fight for survival. Though the books start off with a ‘apocalypse’, being end of earth as we know now, the stories are post-apocalyptic survival in new Earth.
These are sweeping books which span over multiple geographies of current Earth and often venture out to space and include alien planets and species as Earth-people come to grasp with the macro “System”. It’s closest to epic fantasy and one which would include multiple game genres. You get the RPG elements of MC being forced into a leader of survivors leading them to salvation, RTS elements of MC forced to re-build towns/cities which were destroyed by the apocalypse and First Person Action elements where MC leads the fight against the ‘minions’ one vs one!

• Defiance of the Fall by Thefirstdefier – 9.5/10
• Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman – 9.5/10
• System Apocalypse by Tao Wong – 8.0/10
• Shadow Sun by Dave Willmarth – 8.0/10
• Phase Shift by Kyle Johnson – 8.0/10
• The Legend of Randidly Ghosthound – 7.5/10
• Primal Hunter by Zogarth – 7.5/10
• Advent Red Mage by Xander Boyce – 7.0/10

Set in Game World
These are books where
– Much of the plot happens in a world that has game elements, and/or– Where the MC is from Earth but are transported to the above said magical world having game elements where they have their adventures, trials and tribunals.
Now, these are a [very] close second favourite of mine as they might have many of the features listed in earlier sub-genre, i.e. having RPG elements of MC being forced into a leader leading them to safety, RTS elements of MC forced to re-build towns/cities and First Person Action elements of MC leads the fight against the ‘minions’ one vs one!
Fantasy:

• He who Fights with Monsters by Shirtaloon – 9.5/10
• Azarinth Healer by Rhaegar – 8.5/10
• How to Defeat a Demon King in Ten Easy Steps by Andrew Rowe – 8.0/10
• Dragon Mage Saga by Rohan Vider – 8.0/10
• This Trilogy is Broken by J.P. Valentine – 7.5/10
• Portal to Nova Roma by J.R. Mathews – 7.5/10
• Ten Realms by Michael Chatfield – 7.5/10
  • [Books 1-4 are a must read and 9/10 brilliant]
• Crystal Shards Online by Rick Scott – 7.5/10
  • [All books are unique and different. Last book is nowhere in sight]

Science Fiction:

• Drone Ensign by Kyle Johnson – 7.0/10

Other notable series:
Chaos Seeds by Aleron Kong
Virtual Reality Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games [VRMMORPG]
This is a set ins current/post-modern earth Earth where MC has access to ‘Total Immersion’ Virtual reality modules which connect directly to MC body/brain and provide a fully real life experience but in-game.I love this because this not only has full fantasy world experience, but may also include a side story of the game AI trying to gain sentience through in-game experiences, which adds a whole new dimension to the story.

• Awaken Online by Travis Bagwell – 8.0/10
• Ascend Online by Luke Chmilenko – 8.0/10
• Way of the Shaman by Vasily Mahanenko – 8.0/10
• The Completionist Chronicles by Dakota Krout – 7.0/10

Other Notable series:
Good Guys by Eric UglandThe Gam3 by Cosimo YapLimitless Lands by Dean HengarNew Era Online by Shemer KuznitsRipple System by Kyle Kirrin
Progression & Cultivation Fantasy
Straight from the words of Andrew Rowe:“Progression Fantasy is a fantasy subgenre term for the purpose of describing a category of fiction that focuses on characters increasing in power and skill over time. These are stories where characters are often seen training to learn new techniques, finding ways to improve their existing skills, analyzing the skills of opponents, and/or gaining literal or figurative “levels” of power.
Progression in the subgenre title specifically refers to character power progression, not other types of progression (e.g. increasing wealth, noble rank, etc.) that occur in stories.”
You’d ideally see defined power levels that a character will have to progress as he travels to his objective.
Fantasy:

• Cradle by Will Wight – 9.5/10
• Mark of the Fool by J M Clarke – 9.25/10
• Warformed Stormweaver by Luke Chmilenko and Bryce O’connor – 9.0/10
• Immortal Great Souls by Phil Tucker – 8.0/10
• Arcane Ascension by Andrew Rowe – 8.0/10
• Mage Errant by John Bierce – 8.0/10 *
• The Weirkey Chronicles by Sarah Lin – 7.0/10

\ Mage Errant in my humble opinion is more of mainstream fantasy rather than Progression, but is often listed in here.*
Science Fiction:

• The Way of Etherforging by R.J. Shoke – 9.5/10

Cultivation:
Cultivation Books is very similar to Progression, but we see higher degree of influence of Martial Arts where characters progressively get stronger by “cultivating” their own body. Most books are based on or have inspirations from concepts from Wuxia, Xianxia etc, though there are good books which port the same into a western Setting.

• Desolate Era by Wo Chi Xi Hong Shi – 9.0/10 *
• A Will Eternal by Er Gen – 9.0/10 *
• Coiling Dragon by Wo Chi Xi Hong Shi – 8.5/10 *
• I Shall Seal The Heavens by Er Gen – 8.5/10 *
• A Thousand Li by Tao Wong – 8.0/10
• Street Cultivation by Sarah Lin – 8.0/10
• Forge of Destiny by Yrsillar – 8.0/10
• Quantum Cultivation by Jace Kang – 7.5/10
• The Weirkey Chronicles by Sarah Lin – 7/10

\ The books are translated from Chinese and available for free at freewebnovel.com. It certainly is a good translation, but there may be slight awkwardness to the prose, dialogue and naming conventions which takes some getting used to. But give it time and get past it and you’ll get treated to a the ultimate OP MC + epic battles progression fantasy of all time!*
Slice of Life Fantasy
Books in this genre are set in a fantasy world and may have added elements of fantasy, GameLit, Progression or Cultivation but the focus is on a contemporary skill/job. e.g. the MC is a farmer or a cook and the plot focus is one day-to-day aspects of the job spiced up with game/fantasy elements. It’s a loveable niche genre that is the epitome of comfort reads guaranteed to put you in a blissful state of mind!

• Morcster Chef by Actus – 8.5/10
• Beware of Chicken by casualfarmer – 8.5/10
• Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree – 8.0/10
• Battle Mage Farmer by Seth Ring – 8.0/10

GameLit – Time Travel / Tower Ascension
I’m actually clubbing two distinct sub-genres in here. Most of these books involve either time travel and/or climbing a tower with levels of different difficulty to achieve a objective. Each level features varying challenges and difficulty, making this close the game but very interesting nevertheless!

• Reborn Apocalypse by LM Kerr – 8.0/10
• Towers of Heaven by Cameron Milan – 8.0/10

GameLit – Dungeon Core
This sub-genre has books where the MC has become/reincarnated as a core controlling a dungeon and has to protect it’s inhabitants against people who want to invade/clear it. Fascinating sub-genre as we have a MC who’s a Dungeon Core and can’t interact with his subjects through normal means and provides a completely different perspective to people-management.

• God of Gnomes by Demi Harper – 8.0/10
• Divine Dungeon by Dakota Krout – 8.0/10

Other Notable Series

• Derelict by Dean Hengar

Special shout-out to God of Gnomes to it’s scintillating prose making it one of the best in genre!
GameLit – Crafting Based
Now these are books purely focused on rafting elements. These are people who create stuff and not directly involved in fights like most other genres. This is a niche genre as these elements are usually included partly in other genres described above, but for enthusiasts, below are books which concentrate purely on crafting and intrigue associated with that (believe me, they are interesting!)

• Fair Quest by Kit Falbo – 8.0/10
  • [Book 2 goes on a tangent, but Book 1 is a class self contained read]

I'm in NY right now and it checks a lot of the boxes I want but the real estate is unsustainable and I'm sick of the vibe. I just want a space big enough for a bedroom, office, and small outdoor space without having to spend $4500 in rent or $800k to own. I have good steady income so mid to HCOL is fine, but NY just seems like it's on a completely different level of expensive now. I know it's impossible to do "New York but better" in the states, but I wonder if there's anything that checks these boxes:
Must have

• In or near mid-to-large city: I'm fully remote so I don't need to be near any HQ city, but being close to a some vibrance is good for me. I need people, shops, boutiques, performance and sports venues, or I'll go crazy. Bonus for robust transit system, baseball and basketball teams.
• Diversity/culture: I like seeing different faces, experiencing different micro-cultures, eating different foods. One of my problems with being in the north eastern cities is that often the default activity is drinking. I like a drink, but I don't want that to be the identifying culture of the place I live.
• Walkability / neighborhood vibe: Nothing is as walkable as NY in the states. But at least having neighborhoods that I can explore, even if there's a distance between them. Bonus if I can walk or bike through different residential areas without getting dirty looks or harassed.
• Cycling infrastructure: Cycling would be my main form of transportation. Would like to avoid owning a car, or owning one and driving it infrequently. Being able to bike from A to B for social events or errands is a major W. There's no place in the states that has a cycling culture, but if there was I'd be there in an instant.

Nice to have

• Near nature / water: I like a good hike or a contemplative moment overlooking a body of water, not necessarily a beach. Being a short bike ride to a river or lakefront park is huge.
• Industrial loft inventory: I have a weird thing for lofts. I would like to live in one without breaking the bank. And I don't mean those newly build loft style condos, but a converted factory type thing.
• Near a good airport: I like to travel. I do a handful of domestic trips and an international trip every year. Being near a far reaching and reliable airport is an excellent nice to have.
• Weather: I generally prefer mild weather. I think a lot of people will tell me Chicago is where I should be based on my preferences, but straight up I'm not built for Chicago winters.

My ideal cities are something like Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Paris, Copenhagen. I would probably try relocating to Netherlands to if I didn't have to be in the states to work.
After writing all this out I feel like it's an incredibly short list that includes Chicago, parts of California, and maybe Atlanta but maybe there's a city I haven't considered that checks some of these boxes.

I haven’t even flirted for such a long time, and lately, during those boring lunches where people just talk about heiresses’ dogs’ illnesses (a Pomeranian dog shares all her illnesses with her owner) or gossip about some technocrat who has a limp and who may be cheating on his partner, and while rice with cod is served, I am asked “darling, are you dating yet?”. No, I am not, and here I am, mostly because dating apps are too dull – unfortunately the odds of being flashed by a Jewish 19 year-old from Manchester is smaller on these things, though sometimes you might have some luck and end up being insulted randomly by a Portuguese girl, who is visiting her uncle.
I do have names, and surnames, and I was born in a big city in Brazil. My sister used to describe our childhood address as “a building with cars and trees and buildings”, which is a rather good description of much of the city. For a while I wanted to join the seminary but after having to face the fact that this was an inadequate career choice considering I didn’t believe in God and had always found masses to be awfully boring (though fascinating at times – the priest at my childhood church used to go on long rants about things, of which there are many) often turning my back to see the watch, and so I chose the next best thing: I am studying sociology, which involves, in many ways, taking a vow of poverty. I also work at a small online newspaper so I am well informed on sub celebrities and local occurrences such as babies heroically rescued by policemen after choking on the thing babies eat. And yes, I write poetry sometimes.
I am fascinated fairly often by everything, or many things, at least so you won’t be bored. These last days I ended up reading a lot of things about Egypt after reading about Ottoman chief eunuchs being exiled to Cairo after their tenure. In general, I really enjoy the humanities. I follow politics keenly – in fact, there is some chance I might have some thoughts on your country’s politics – and I’d say I am on the centre-left – pro-choice, in favour of a robust welfare state, LGBTQ+ rights, affirmative action. If you know about Brazilian politics, I voted for Marina and Haddad in 2018 (the voting age here is 16), and Lula last year.
As you can imagine, I also really enjoy reading and writing. Besides poetry, I have often thought about writing a novel, but this seems like too much work – and it seems that it would be arrogant of me to write a novel having lived this little, though it wouldn't be uncommon. I really enjoy learning about other languages and cultures and I know a bit of French, German, Spanish, and Russian, besides English and Portuguese. I’d really like to learn Arabic and/or Mandarin. I am really into genealogy, and I know quite a bit about it. I often cry while watching dumb movies (I cried during Minions!) or listening to beautiful music; my music taste has been described as “fairly gay” and in movies as “slightly gay”.
I guess I am pretty introverted, polite, and timid (well, I am on here after all). I am affectionate and I can be really passionate as well. And I am fairly funny, or rather, I have made a few people laugh over the years. I asked a close friend to describe myself, and that is what he said:

I think you’re very communicative. Shrewd, funny, a good companion. Kind of withdrawn but not necessarily shy. You avoid conflict and unnecessary arguments, but love to participate in good conversations. I think you’re very kind too, besides being polite.

As for what I want to do with my life, I am unsure though I am inclined to go into academia. I have been considering applying to a PhD program in the U.S. after finishing my undergrad here in Brazil. My family does want me to go into their business, which is related to politics. I have also considered going into diplomacy.
Who am I looking for? I’d like someone curious about the world around her, and open-minded. The rest? Cultural differences can be interesting and I am open to converting (nominally?) to most world religions.
Some poems I really like:

• Litany for our lord Don Quixote by Ruben Dario
  
• Tobacco Shop by Fernando Pessoa
  
• Ash Wednesday by T. S. Eliot
  

Some songs I have been listening to:

• Ariana Grande - 7 Rings
  
• Rosalía - Delirio de Grandeza
  
• Pescado Rabioso - Cantata de Puentes Amarillos
  

I haven’t even flirted for such a long time, and lately, during those boring lunches where people just talk about heiresses’ dogs’ illnesses (a Pomeranian dog shares all her illnesses with her owner) or gossip about some technocrat who has a limp and who may be cheating on his partner, and while rice with cod is served, I am asked “darling, are you dating yet?”. No, I am not, and here I am, mostly because dating apps are too dull – unfortunately the odds of being flashed by a Jewish 19 year-old from Manchester is smaller on these things, though sometimes you might have some luck and end up being insulted randomly by a Portuguese girl, who is visiting her uncle.
I do have names, and surnames, and I was born in a big city in Brazil. My sister used to describe our childhood address as “a building with cars and trees and buildings”, which is a rather good description of much of the city. For a while I wanted to join the seminary but after having to face the fact that this was an inadequate career choice considering I didn’t believe in God and had always found masses to be awfully boring (though fascinating at times – the priest at my childhood church used to go on long rants about things, of which there are many) often turning my back to see the watch, and so I chose the next best thing: I am studying sociology, which involves, in many ways, taking a vow of poverty. I also work at a small online newspaper so I am well informed on sub celebrities and local occurrences such as babies heroically rescued by policemen after choking on the thing babies eat. And yes, I write poetry sometimes.
I am fascinated fairly often by everything, or many things, at least so you won’t be bored. These last days I ended up reading a lot of things about Egypt after reading about Ottoman chief eunuchs being exiled to Cairo after their tenure. In general, I really enjoy the humanities. I follow politics keenly – in fact, there is some chance I might have some thoughts on your country’s politics – and I’d say I am on the centre-left – pro-choice, in favour of a robust welfare state, LGBTQ+ rights, affirmative action. If you know about Brazilian politics, I voted for Marina and Haddad in 2018 (the voting age here is 16), and Lula last year.
As you can imagine, I also really enjoy reading and writing. Besides poetry, I have often thought about writing a novel, but this seems like too much work – and it seems that it would be arrogant of me to write a novel having lived this little, though it wouldn't be uncommon. I really enjoy learning about other languages and cultures and I know a bit of French, German, Spanish, and Russian, besides English and Portuguese. I’d really like to learn Arabic and/or Mandarin. I am really into genealogy, and I know quite a bit about it. I often cry while watching dumb movies (I cried during Minions!) or listening to beautiful music; my music taste has been described as “fairly gay” and in movies as “slightly gay”.
I guess I am pretty introverted, polite, and timid (well, I am on here after all). I am affectionate and I can be really passionate as well. And I am fairly funny, or rather, I have made a few people laugh over the years. I asked a close friend to describe myself, and that is what he said:

I think you’re very communicative. Shrewd, funny, a good companion. Kind of withdrawn but not necessarily shy. You avoid conflict and unnecessary arguments, but love to participate in good conversations. I think you’re very kind too, besides being polite.

As for what I want to do with my life, I am unsure though I am inclined to go into academia. I have been considering applying to a PhD program in the U.S. after finishing my undergrad here in Brazil. My family does want me to go into their business, which is related to politics. I have also considered going into diplomacy.
Who am I looking for? I’d like someone curious about the world around her, and open-minded.
Some poems I really like:

• Litany for our lord Don Quixote by Ruben Dario
  
• Tobacco Shop by Fernando Pessoa
  
• Ash Wednesday by T. S. Eliot
  

Some songs I have been listening to:

• Ariana Grande - 7 Rings
  
• Rosalía - Delirio de Grandeza
  
• Pescado Rabioso - Cantata de Puentes Amarillos
  

Top 5 Updates of the Week:

• Instagram shared how their algorithm works. Spoiler: It’s 90% their 2021 blogpost with minor changes.
• Snapchat My Snap AI: Users now have ability to send & receive AI generated images.
• Reddit’s new usage based API pricing will impact many third-party apps.
• Meta tests removal of news content in Canada in response to Online news act.
• Pinterest first platform to share their calendar for pride month & latest events.

Google:

• June 2023 Google Webmasters Report.
• Google rolling out multiple featured snippets feature on Desktop search.
• Google now treats .ai domains as generic Top-domains.
• Google search console insights adds your growing content report.
• Google modifies shopping ads policies to enhance transparency.
• Google Search console performance report was delayed by 65+ hours this week due to an error.
• Google Bard can now provide more precise local results.

Tiktok:

• Mexico city signs up a deal with TikTok to support small business marketing.
• Tiktok launches #ForYourPride for content creation around Pride month.
• Tiktok’s 10-minute recording option within the app is back for many users.
• TikTok accused of storing sensitive Creator Data in China.

Instagram

• Instagram tests new user control for recommended posts & transparency tool.
• The logo for Instagram’s Twitter rival App is now revealed in a leak.
• Instagram announces video scrubbing feature for IG reels.
• Instagram shares a format guide for all Meta Ads Platform.

Meta :

• Meta never gave up on metaverse, Meta Quest 3 coming this fall and price decrease for Quest 2.
• Meta found liable as court blocks firing of moderators.
• WhatsApp launches a security hub to showcase user control options.

Twitter:

• Twitter loses two executives in-charge of Safety & Trust on the platform.
• Twitter leaves EU voluntary code of practice against disinformation.
• Ben & Jerry’s leave Twitter Advertising over Hate speech.
• Twitter’s working on hide your likes tab option.
• Twitter ignoring hate speech created by Twitter Blue subscribers.

YouTube:

• Youtube reverses misinformation policy to allow US election denialism.
• MrBeast tags big streaming services and pitches his idea of new Game Show.
• Viral Nation’s new product to protect companies from copyright issues.
• Youtube adds 5.1 Surround Sound & announces new YPP terms.

Agency News:

• Dentsu sees 2023 Ad spending up 3.3%.
• WPP partners with Nvidia to build an AI content engine.
• Zoom apps marketing chief Janine Pelosi exists.
• Ogilvy Africa introduces InfluenceO, an Influencer marketing solution for Africa.

LinkedIn:

• LinkedIn launched a new playbook for SaaS companies marketing on the platform.

Snapchat:

• Snapchat launches AR Learning hub for individuals with growing interest in AR world.
• Snapchat launches sheen camera filter to Encourage LGBTQ+ creators to share their story.

Reddit:

• Reddit’s main share holder cuts down its valuation in the platform by 41%.
• Many Sub-reddits are protesting on 12th June against new API pricing changes.

Advertising:

• Heinz Debuts First Global Campaign in 150 Years.
• Unilever pledges over 70% of Ads will have disabled representatives behind the scenes.
• Fentiman creates world’s longest Advert with an 168-hour film, woah.
• New Created Campaign from Wendy with T-pain is blasting.

Microsoft

• Bing chat increases chat turns, adds visuals to travel queries and expands Bing Image creator.
• Microsoft teams on Windows 11 gets discord-like communities and AI tools.
• Bing Chat adds Anchor text hyperlinks within answers.
• Microsoft introduces insights for Universal Event tracking Tags.

AI:

• Brands are asking Influencers to utilise AI tools to improve their content practices.
• Search Engine Land launched their own AI Chatbot based on 20,000+ previous blogs.

Pinterest:

• Julia Brau Donnelly to join Pinterest as Chef Financial Officer.
• Pinterest publishes new research on how positivity drives actions at event stage of the shopping journey.

Marketing:

• BeReal is testing BeRealChat for direct messaging options.
• Peloton goes through a rebrand, trying to recapture its audience.
• Verizon owned Visible Brand launches a new show with creator group “Old Gays”.
• Oracle removes social sharing tool “Add this”.

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** Fri 6/9 *\*
Fri 4 - 7:30 PM Food Truck Friday Rio Rancho Regional Chamber of Commerce, 4201 Crestview Dr. SE, Rio Rancho We welcome attendees of all ages to gather together and enjoy great food and music
Fri 5 - 7 PM Exhibit Opening: Colors That Speak Words Indian Pueblo Cultural Center, 2401 12th St. NW Join us in celebration of the visual arts, poetry, and calligraphy. "Colors That Speak Words" is a collaborative installation between two writers and two visual artists with words, poetry, and visual arts and speaks to how this combination of mediums can be done in a cyclical way. The artists, Dr. Anthony Fleg, Mallery Quetawki (Zuni), Blythe Mariano (Diné), and Chilán Mustain, worked together to create an installation in motion, and the vision they bring to this space is from a contemporary perspective on how Native art is presented. This is an innovative view for visitors to see that Native art is changing and adjusting to the times. The artists will be present at the exhibit opening to read poetry and talk about this installation. Admission is free; please enter through South Entrance. Light refreshments will be served. This exhibit will be on display through October 15
Fri 5 - 10 PM Car Show & Concert! EXPO NM Home of the New Mexico State Fair, 300 San Pedro Dr. NE Friday night fever Vol 2! CAR SHOW & AWARDs, RAP CONCERT, VENDORS, FOOD TRUCKS, GAMES, ROCK CLIMBING WALL. All Makes and Models welcome. FREE GENERAL ADMISSION. $7 Parking, $10 Car Show judging and awards (only if you want to register and compete) Event brought to you by Expo NM and Desert Sun Event Productions. Car show brought to you by Sins events and NM Lowrider Arte
Fri 6 PM Rugby is a Drag (Show)! Sidewinders Bar and Grill, 4200 Central Ave SE Get out your dancing cleats and trade in that eye black for eye liner! The very popular Rugby is a Drag (show!) and fundraiser, normally held earlier in the year, has moved to June 9th and Pride weekend in 2023! This year's event will be hosted by Miss Sidewinders 2023 Seliah Deleon and Le Femme Magnifique 2017 and fellow rugger SCRUMtious Cox! This year's show is returning to Sidewinders and, as in year's past, will benefit our friends at Casa Q, which provides safe living for LGBTQ+ youth through housing, services and advocacy. This year's event will also feature participation from members of Elevated Roller Derby, NM United and more! (tickets)
Fri 7 PM Movies in the Park - Puss in Boots: The Last Wish Athena Park, 778 Athena Ave, Bernalillo MOVIES IN THE PARK is back this SUMMER! We will feature a different movie at our local parks every FRIDAY night in June. Movies will begin at sundown and we will serve popcorn for free! Bring your lawn chairs, blankets, and beverages. All movies are FREE! In the case of inclement weather, movies will be cancelled
Fri 8 PM - 12 AM Pride Dance Party 505 Spirits, 105 Harvard Dr. SE DANCE WITH US TO CELEBRATE PRIDE UNDER THE STARS @ PRIDE ON THE PATIO! DJ Baby D & DJ Rebel (Rori the Rebel) will drop your favorite hits - Get your dance on and show of your Pride with your best Pride outfit &/or Pride colors! Try our special cocktail: Prickly Pear Pride Punch, plus other great drinks and delicious food! Come early for dinner before you dance, daNCE, DANCE!!! Delicious Value Menu Items: $2.95 - NEW Sliders! (beef & veg) $1.95 - local blue corn dog pops (minis) $5.95 waffle fries & full sized blue corn dogs (veg or beef) Plus our flaky meat & veg hand pies, chunky chicken salad, mushroom pate & more! 21 & over Free Entry!
Fri 9 PM Albuquerque Pride Afterparty Historic Lobo Theater, 3013 Central Ave NE Starring Headliner: Malaysia Babydoll Foxx, DJ: Justin Cristofer, HOST: Vanessa Patricks, MEET THE QUEENS! Avery Martini, Imani Martini, Nova Martini, Kardio Karbdashian, Divyne Intervention. Private Early Entrance Meet N Greet begins at 8:15 p.m. entrance with Meet N Greet starting 8:30 p.m. Champagne Provided (tickets)
Fri 9 PM Fierce Pride: Kandy Muse Effex, 420 Central Ave SW Special guest from RPDR All Stars S13 and AS8, LA, CA, Meet and Greet 10:30 PM, doors 9p, show 11:30p Lounge: DJ Chris de Jesus Patio: DJ Aquattro Side Effex: DJ Mitch
Fri 9:30 PM Salsa under the Stars After Party JUNO, 1501 1st St. NW DJ Pedro, one of Albuquerque’s most loved DJ’s (DJ Pedro, DJ Tony, SoloVino, DJ Louie, DJ Darly + Eli Mix) mixing your favorite dance mix of Salsa, Bachata, Merengue and more! This is one of Albuquerque’s favorite after party summer outdoor events and will begin June 9th following the opening of Son Como Son kicking off the Salsa under the Stars at the Albuquerque Museum followed by the after party at Juno. Free entry to Juno with your stamp from the museum
Fri 10:30 PM Twilight Zone: The Movie - 40th Anniversary Screening! One Night Only! The Guild Cinema, 3405 Central Ave NE Check out the trailer. Dir. Joe Dante, Steven Spielberg, John Landis & George Miller - 1983 - 102m - NO MATINEES. DOOR PRIZES COURTESY OF BUBONICON 54! Based on the popular television series, this film is a collection of four frightening tales of the supernatural, each by a different director--Joe Dante, Steven Spielberg, John Landis, and George Miller! The film opens with Dan Aykroyd and Albert Brooks as two hapless road-trippers who tell scary stories to pass the time. The four segments that follow include some updated re-creations of classic Twilight Zone episodes. In the first, racist Bill Connor (Vic Morrow) is transformed into a Jew in World War II. Next, Mr. Bloom (Scatman Crothers) comes to a retirement home to teach the residents that they are only as young as they feel. In the third, teacher Helen Foley (Kathleen Quinlan) meets Antony (Jeremy Licht), a boy who is not what he seems. In the final segment, panicky plane passenger John Valentine (John Lithgow) sees gremlins attacking his flight
** Sat 6/10 *\*
Sat 8 AM - 2 PM NMHRS Garage Sale 7903 Robin Ave NE Hosted by the New Mexico House Rabbit Society. All sales go into our vet fund so that we can continue to provide medical care to rabbits in need. This is a multi-family garage sale so there will be lots to browse through
Sat 8 AM - 10 PM All The Things: Craft Cocktail & Mixer Launch Tractor Brewing Company, 118 Tulane Dr. SE The next evolution in the craft cocktail experience is here and officially launch in Nob Hill for Pride! What is All The Things? Well, let me tell you. Imagine 100% fresh cold pressed juice, pure cane sugar, and Troubled Minds spirits all in one 1L bottle ready to pour over ice! That's right you can purchase these ready made bottle cocktails now at ANY of our locations! We have: Margarita with Tequila, Paloma with Tequila, Kentucky Mule with Bourbon, Ginger Lemonade with Vodka, Limeade with Vodka & Bloody Mary with Vodka! Grab you one to go for $16! We will be using mixers of these behind our bars so you can get a first hand taste! And offering non alcoholic lavender, ginger, and classic lemonades for you to sip on! These truly are All The Things in one bottle!
Sat 9 AM - 12 PM Family, Fit, Fun Fest Tiguex Park, 1800 Mountain Rd. NW Join us for the Girl Scouts of New Mexico Trails 2nd annual Family, Fit, Fun Fest. Bring your whole family to this free, all-ages event to learn about keeping fit and healthy - mentally, physically, and emotionally. Learn new skills and discover ways to keep your mind and body healthy and active, as you visit interactive booths led by community partners. Booths will include hands-on activities like games, puzzles, and brain teasers, as well as interactive lessons in martial arts, dance, mindfulness, and more. Booths will also include information on youth classes, clubs, and teams, as well as opportunities to meet local healthcare providers and learn more about mental health, nutrition, eye care, and dental care for your whole family. Climb to the top of a rock wall, make your way through an obstacle course, try the football toss or the baseball toss, shoot a hockey puck, or score a goal at interactive stations around the event! Meet and take photos with local sports teams and/or mascots and stop by Menchie's Froyo Mobile for a sweet treat. Girl Scout Members can participate in a special event scavenger hunt when they pre-purchase the 2023 GSNMT Family, Fit, Fun Fest patch
Sat 10 AM SOCH PRIDE '23 Albuquerque Social Club, 4021 Central Ave NE Come show your PRIDE at the ONLY place to be SOCHial! We are taking over the parking lot for a FREE ALL AGES event. We have multile bands, musicians and perfromers ready to give a PRIDE you wont forget. Food Truck, Vendors, Face Painting, Car Show, Games, Country Dancing and many other fun events!
Sat 10 - 11 AM Yoga with Kelsi Poulin Marketplace mezzanine, 8600 Pan American Fwy NE Enjoy guided yoga, from local yoga instructor, Kelsi! This will be a fun flow for all levels of yoga practice. $10 per person
Sat 10 AM - 12 PM Play Day For A Cause Kiddie Academy of Paradise Hills, 4590 Paradise Blvd. NW Join us for Play Day for a Cause! This free event has great games and fun activities for your kids while supporting Family Promise, the leading national nonprofit addressing family homelessness. Family Promise started in 1986 as local outreach in a single community and now has more than 200 Affiliates in 43 states. Since their founding, volunteers have helped more than a million family members in need. With a focus on empowering families and children, Kiddie Academy Educational Child Care and Family Promise are working together to give every child what they deserve: a chance to succeed. The event is free and open to the public. Donations are appreciated, but not required to attend
Sat 10 AM - 4 PM Foundational Wellness Grand Opening Party Los Ranchos Bakery, 6920 4th St. NW, Los Ranchos Celebrate our grand opening event by stopping by the B Side of Los Ranchos Bakery! Herbal tea blends, door prizes, free raffle, information on classes and events, and more! Win a free reiki session, teas, discounts on classes, or discounts on nutritional therapy! I will be teaching numerous classes at the bakery this summer. Some topics: How to make Herbal Vinegar Tinctures (aceta), Hormone Health, Healthy Habits for Life, Improve Your Digestion, Prioritizing Meal Prep, Blood Sugar Regulation, and my RESTART Program! You don’t want to miss out! Some of these classes will be free! So come on down and get some coffee and goodies from the bakery, then visit me next door and see what we’ve been up to
Sat 10 AM - 5 PM Pride Day Celebration! Quirky Used Books and More, 120 Jefferson NE Book sales, vendor pop ups, food truck, art, music, and more!
Sat 10:30 AM - 12 PM Wellness Schedule Casa Rondeña Winery, 733 Chavez Rd. NW, Los Ranchos Open to people of all skill levels, Wellness + Wine is a one-hour, outdoor practice, followed by a glass of wine or Sangria, and an invitation to stay and relax on the grounds of the beautiful Casa Rondeña Winery. This experience is $25, and includes glass of wine. Discounts apply for winery members. Reservations are required to participate
Sat 11 AM - 4 PM Papa Bear Market Boxing Bear Brewing, 10200 Corrales Rd. NW We couldn’t forget about our PAPA BEARS! Dads deserve some love and appreciation too! Spend the day celebrating Papa at our taproom. As always this FREE event will include local vendors, food trucks, photo booth, live music, paint your own pint, and, of course, BEER! (click link for full list of vendors)
Sat 11 AM - 5 PM June Used Book Sale Main Library, 501 Copper Ave NW Join us for the monthly book sale. There will be a variety of fiction, non-fiction, children and adults books, videos, DVDs, CDs, comic books, maps, and more available. Free for Members - $2 for Non-Members Free to all after noon. All Sales are held in the Lower Level, Main Library, Validated parking is available on 5th and Copper, kitty-corner to the library. The Friends of the Public Library is a non-profit organization. All proceeds go to supporting the Public Library of Albuquerque & Bernalillo County library programs
Sat 12 - 5 PM Summer Luau - Adoptables, Swag, Brews, and more! Lizard Tail Brewing Industrial, 3351 Columbia Dr. NE Hosted by Pitties and Kitties of New Mexico. We will have some PKR Tees, some PKR Pride gear, and best of all - our adoptabulls! Our booth will have a small auction set up… the prize being Tattoo Certificates with an ABQ tattoo artist! There will be a car show, other vendors, as well as water activities. Hope to see y’all there!
Sat 1 - 3 PM Family Field Day! Montgomery Park, Hosted by ABQ Family Chiropractic. A celebration of all the families who trust us with their care, and an opportunity for families who are considering our office to get to know our team in a fun, low-stakes environment. Food and family-friendly activities will be provided
Sat 1 - 4 PM Zouk with Jaime Arôxa! Alley Kats Tap Company, 222 Truman St. NE We will continue building on, and reviewing everything we have learned with Jamie Arôxa and Kiri Chapman thus far. We will continue to work on Zouk basics and building on the basics including connection and timing, musicality, lateral with variations, Yo-yo, viradinha, cambre, body, rolls, body, isolations, weight transfers, counterbalance, elástico, convergence & divergence, Wi-Fi, head, movement, styling, head movement, varying turns, and Chicote. Classes will be progressive and will be adjusted to the level of each class. Drop in anytime * All levels welcome * No partner needed * Cash preferred - can also accept Venmo and Cash App to $UWDstudios
Sat 1:30 - 4 PM Father's Day Tee Cabezon Park, 2307 Cabezon Blvd. SE, Rio Rancho Celebrate Father's Day with a round of miniature golf or two! Tee-off with dad at our Annual Father's Day "Tee". Enjoy some snacks, and an Arnold Palmer while making a craft with dad. Prizes awarded for the top 3 teams in miniature golf! Each child and parent must register individually. NO DROP-INS. Please contact the Cabezon Community Center at 505-892-4499 for more info
Sat 4 - 5 PM East Coast Swing Group Class Enchantment Dancing, 337 San Pedro Dr. NE Welcome to our Bronze American East Coast Swing Class! Whether you are a newbie stepping on to the dance floor for the first time or a seasoned professional wanting to brush up on basics, as well as anyone in-between, this class is for you! East Coast Swing is an exciting, up-beat dance that is endlessly versatile! No partner necessary, and dropping in is fine! Class cost is only $10, and a punch card for 6 classes is $50
Sat 6 - 10 PM Baddie Fest OT Circus, 709 Central Ave NW let's all have a fun summer night. Fairy Julz (crystals and more to raise your energy) will be at @ otcircus. Market, Music, Dance Performers, Crystal Pop Up Booth, Henna, Woman Vendors. Tag and invite your favorite baddies
Sat 6 - 11 PM Heights Summerfest North Domingo Baca Park, Celebrate warm weather and outdoor fun at a free community gathering during an Albuquerque Summerfest. This free concert series features local businesses with handcrafted products in The Shops, food trucks with freshly made cuisine in the Food Court, libations created by breweries, wineries and distilleries in The Cantina, entertainment by local talent, and a production by a national headliner all at a City park (click here for more info: live music, food trucks, kids' activities, drinks, vendors, parking)
Sat 7 PM Dancing Queens Sunshine Theater, 120 Central Ave SW Throw out your calendar! Buy a new calendar! Mark June 10th as the first and ONLY date in your calendar! Pride weekend, all the dancing queens are descending on the Sunshine Theater for the night of all nights. Juicee Früt presents Dancing Queens! Featuring performances by Red Light Cameras, ABBAquerque, Galaxy, Juicee Früt, Drag Performances from CoCo Caliente & Mr. Rusty Nutz, Forbidden Früt Market, & more! (tickets)
Sat 7 PM Death On The Beach: A Metalcore Beach Party Launchpad, 618 Central Ave SW Join us for a night filled with beach-going shenanigans and some of the best metalcore bands Albuquerque has to offer. Swimwear, flip flops, sunscreen and lais ENCOURAGED! Come out and rage with us, and let's make this a night to remember! Presale tickets are $10 and are available through any band. Just send them a message! Online tickets through Holdmyticket will be available soon. Inhuman Hands, EYE, Secure The Void, One Last Summer
Sat 9 PM Temple of Sound Presents Starry Night Juno, 1501 1st St. NW This event will feature our guest DJ Chris Losack! He's a longtime DJ who primarily spins house and techno but also has roots in industrial and dark music. He will be showing his dark side this time out! Join us for another spectacular event! Sparkly or night sky attire encouraged but not required! 21+ / No cover
Sat 9 PM Pride 2023 Effex, 420 Central Ave SW Spunjy Hicks Lounge: Malik Patio: DJ Chris de Jesus Side Effex: Xblyssid
Sat 10:30 PM Late Nite Comedy Jam The Guild Cinema, 3405 Central Ave NE Ristra Comedy and Chuck Parker Comedy present a stellar lineup of standup comedians! This month's headliner: Josh Fournier Featuring Chuck Parker & Sara Anne Myers and your host Alex Benton
** Sun 6/11 *\*
Sun 8 AM - 2 PM Hot Rods for Hunger Car Show and Poker Run 2801 Eubank Blvd NE Yes, our amazing car show fundraiser is happening again, thanks to Bell’s Brewery and the Mopar Most Wanted car club. This year, for early registration, we are having a Kickstart happy hour with Bells Brewery at O’Niell’s Heights location on Juan Tabo. Join us and register your car. All makes and models are welcome. Come out and see some of the coolest cars in Albuquerque. There will be raffles, food trucks, lots of awards for the cars, and a food drive for the Storehouse food pantry. Enter the Poker Run, the Car Show, or both today!
Sun 10 AM Rocketman Historic Lobo Theater, 3013 Central Ave NE THE HISTORIC LOBO THEATER along with Albuquerque Film & Music Experience is excited to bring Rocketman to the big screen! Showing Starts at 11:30 am Tickets are ONLY $10 for General Admission Come Early Brunch Starts at 10 am Full Buffet Available for only $21 The ticket price is for entry to the movie only. Pajama brunch and a movie. Exclusive Brunch Menu! Made to order pancakes, mimosas and more. 10% off if you come in your pajamas
Sun 10 AM - 2 PM STEAM DAY Rail Yards Market, 777 1st St. SW Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math (STEAM) all put New Mexico on the Map as a unique place. Standing for over one hundred years, the historic Rail Yards of Albuquerque stand as an ode to a period of extreme innovation for the Rio Grande basin area. Albuquerque literally rose and became what it is around the Rail Yards, and railroad era that brought so much innovation. In these industrial cathedrals, we hum with innovation again.. Activating the space for community use, the Rail Yards Market is non-profit (certified 501c3), bringing together small businesses in agriculture, food, and artisan manufacturing on a local scale. Our STEAM stands for Sustainable, Traditional, Educational and Artistic Modalities. In this area we host interactive demonstrations. Mini-Makers Unite! Learn about what makes a laser light up, a 3D printer build, and so much more! Bring out your tech, geek, and inquisitive minds to the Rail Yards Market and visit makers from Quelab. Free for all! Everyone is welcome! EBT doubled with Double-Up-Food-Bucks, ADA Accessible, Senior and WIC programs welcome, Fresh & local produce, Breakfast & lunch prepared food options, 120+ local food, healing, and art businesses, Parking & restrooms, FREE :: LOCAL :: FAMILY FRIENDLY :: PET FRIENDLY
Sun 10:30 - 11:30 AM Mindful Movement - Yoga in the Park Academy Hills Park, 9709 Layton Ave NE Meet us on the southwest side of the park, just southwest of the playground, under the large trees. Looks for the Aumies sign! Bring your mat, block, strap and water!
Sun 2 - 4 PM Lumberyard Jazz Trio Sawmill Market, 1909 Bellamah Ave NW The Lumberyard Jazz Trio is back to bring exciting jazz melodies to Sawmill Market. They use an interchanging group of New Mexican instrumentalists who have traveled nationwide to perform, lead by saxophonist Sean Johnson
Sun 3 PM Pride Tea Dance on the Patio Effex, 420 Central Ave SW 3 - 6 PM: DJ Mike Demarco 6 - 9 PM: DJ Spunjy Hicks Featuring performances by Avery Martini, Jessica K. Daniels, Imani Martini
Sun 4 - 7 PM Music on the Patio: Squash Blossom Boys Canteen Brewhouse, 2381 Aztec Rd NE Based in Albuquerque, The Squash Blossom Boys have played southwestern stages for over ten years. With beginnings as a garage band, they have explored a variety of musical genres including rock, jazz, reggae and more to find the hard driving, high lonesome sound of Bluegrass music. The current central players include Dustin Orbesen (Dobro, Mandolin, Vocals), Kit Murray (Banjo, Vocals), Kyle Malone (Guitar), Peter Lisignoli (Bass)
Sun 5 - 8 PM Mack 'n Cheese Sunday Variety Show Juno, 1501 1st St. NW Variety show with Mack 'n Cheese (Indy Hip Hop), Cali Shaw (Americana), Basilaris Trio (Jazz), Sol de la Noche, Melissa Prada (spoken word) Monthly variety show with Mack 'n Cheese (Indy Hip Hop), Cali Shaw (Americana), Basilaris Trio (Jazz), Sol de la Noche, Melissa Prada (spoken word), vendors. Family-friendly (if your kids already know the F-word). Food available for purchase. On the patio, weather permitting, or in the Gallery
Sun 7 - 10 PM S.O.S - Salsa On Sunday Dance Social 505 Spirits, 105 Harvard Dr. SE Salsa On Sunday Dance Social *With guest DJ's *Latin Dance Performances *The Occasional LIVE Music Performance *And Always... Social Dancing! salsa timba bachata merengue *What is it about a Social* The essence of a Social is for the dance community to get together and dance. Socials offer a relaxed night of dancing. Socials continue to draw dance enthusiasts who get lost in their salsa “addiction” by dancing and enjoying the music. Socials offer something for every level of dancer at any age. Bands and DJs have more freedom to play sets which appeal to the dance-centric crowd. It's about the music. It's about the dance. If you want to have an alternative to the club, are underage, or simply want to get in some good dancing - check out a Social, you might be surprised at how much fun you have
Sun 7:30 PM Brit Floyd Revel ABQ, 4720 Alexander Blvd. NE Brit Floyd returns to the stage in 2023 to perform a brand-new production celebrating 50 years of the ground-breaking and iconic musical masterpiece The Dark Side of the Moon. The show will feature classic tracks from the album such as Time, Money, Us and Them and The Great Gig in the Sky. The 2 and a half hours plus set list will also include other highlights from Pink Floyd’s magnificent catalogue of albums, including tracks from The Wall, Wish You Were Here, Animals, The Division Bell, Medal and much more (tickets)

It was a fine day in May and we pulled up and talked about some books. We covered Blitz by Daniel O'Malley and, because it was recently Mother's Day, I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy. And we spent way more time on them than we usually do, so we must have liked them. Quite a few people read the Blitz. Incorrigible_muffin had previously covered it, but was disappointed in the a payoff, and said the two story lines didn't really resolve. Aurora_the_Off-White said that she liked it, but agreed that it wasn't on the same level as the first two.
She said that Blitz could have a strong philosophical payoff even if the storylines didn't have an strong resolution. If someone read Blitz by itself without the first two novels, they might enjoy it more. Carbonjen thought there was a lot to like about the writer, saying he writes women well. Muffin said there were a lot of interesting possibilities in the world he created. The author covers the British and American versions of supernatural bureaus, but there were many of these throughout the world.
We talked about the story's structure. The main character's lost memory lets the author explain the supernatural elements in detail and do the worldbuilding without any distracting exposition. Munsontime had a thought, asking if it was technically the same person in the body or a completely new personality that developed after the wiped memory. If a personality is a product of the experiences and memories the person accumulates, then it's probably a different person.
Munson blitzed through the first two and is currently on the third. He was surprised at the spelling of the main character's name, Myfanwy Thomas, having listened to the audiobook. I was surprised and a little disappointed that the pronunciation is just "Miffany". Princess_MoNaanKay stopped by to return the first book int the The Checquy Files, The Rook that I had lent out. I thought she was returning it specifically because we were reading The Blitz, but she said she's decided to see other bookclubs. So we just need to move on and live our best bookclub life and hope she finds happiness.
Jennette McCurdy was apparently in a show called iCarly. I had never seen it or heard of it, so I think I missed a lot of context from the book. Everyone else in our group really liked the book - finding it insightful and funny. Most people agreed that the things the author's mom did stood out, and so did the actions of Dan Schneider, who was the creator of iCarly. But she didn't go into that in depth. Muffin said the system that pipelines kids into the entertainment business is fundamentally responsible for many of these abusive situations, and the actions of the mom are a product of that. Aurora thought that the author used humor to cope with loss and grief.
We talked about long wait times for getting books from the library. Carbonjen actually bought Tender Is the Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica because she was not optimistic about it becoming available through the library. She didn't have as many spicy romance recommendations as last time, but did have a couple. She thought Pestilence by Laura Thalassa was good and a fun concept. It's the first of The Four Horsemen series; a romance involving the four horseman of the apocalypse.
She liked The Siren a lot less. I think this was the one by Kiera Cass. Apparently the characters said the word "fishcunt" too many times and it became grating. She also didn't like how a lot of the characters in A Court of Thorns and Roses were developed in the story. She mentioned Brutal Prince only to say it was brutally bad, and is reading Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo and liking. And that makes Muffin happy.
Sassypapaya recently read Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr, which is very popular around these parts. I think she said she read The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller, and may have had good things to say about Lightlark by Alex Aster, or that may have been someone else. She was too far away from me for me to follow the conversation from that side of the circle very well. She asked about Verity by Colleen Hoover and Muffin said that Colleen Hoover was a step up from Stephanie Meyer.
Munson and his friends have a rule for their bookclub: you can't use the term "Beautiful Prose". But if he was forced to provide an example of beautiful prose, then he might use it when talking about Another Country by James Baldwin. He described it as "Kerouacky" - intimate and sexual especially for 1961. It's about the Jazz scene in NY in the 60s, with themes of race, gender, and sexual orientation in its cultural context. A slice of life story in the gay, black, jazz scene in New York. The Trial of Henry Kissinger by Christopher Hitchens is next for his other bookclub, Apparently Hank is bumping up against age 100. It was estimated that his cold-blooded policy directives are responsible for 4 or 5 million deaths. We talked briefly about Red Rising by Pierce Brown, which was the biggest book in the world for a minute. Munson said that, as a sci fi guy, he had already read many similar stories before and it just wasn't a big deal for him.
Assaulty recently read American War by Omar Al Akkad, and talked about how people end up on different sides of a conflict. Many times people don't have a choice about which side they end up on, and American War addresses some of these themes. She asked for more like this book. Asterion7 suggested Paolo Bacigulupi works such as The Water Knife and Shipbreaker, which are near future works with major themes of climate catastrophe. For this kind of thing I always recommend Afterwar by Lilith Saintcrow. Saintcrow a romance writer and I was really surprised by this book. It's gritty and hard, and a little spicy but not romantic.
Assaulty also read Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin and likes reading about creative partnerships like this. She told us about Nevada by Imogen Binnie, which is one of the inspirations for Detransition Baby by Torrey Peters; This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone; and The Way of Shadows by Brent Weeks, the first book of the Night Angel trilogy.
Muffin told us about The House of Eve by Sadeqa Johnson, the next book after the The Yellow Wife, which features Lumpkin's Jail. The House of Eve takes place in DC and Philly and ties in with the events of the first boo., The author will be giving a talk on June 8th at the Library of Virginia, and Muffin wanted to read this before seeing the author.

Please join us for a talk by award-winning author Sadeqa Johnson on her new novel, The House of Eve, the follow-up to her book Yellow Wife, which won the Library’s 2022 People’s Choice Award for Fiction. In this moving work of historical fiction set in 1950s Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., the stories of two women collide in unexpected ways as they both make decisions that shape the trajectory of their lives. The House of Eve was an instant New York Times best seller and was selected by Reese’s Book Club as the February 2023 pick. A book signing will follow the talk.
The Carole Weinstein Author Series supports the literary arts by bringing both new and well-known authors to the Library of Virginia through online or in-person events. Free and open to the public, the series focuses on Virginia.

Coconut read the second book in the Great Cities series by N.K. Jemisin called the The World We Make. Asterion7 picked up Trust by Herman Diaz, a Pulitzer prize winner. He also read We Are All the Same in the Dark by Julia Heaberlin and liked it enough to finish it, but not much more than that.
assaulty is looking for a gateway to Sci Fi, and asked about the distinction between Sci Fi and Fantasy. However many people there are in the room, that's the number of different opinions you're likely to hear at any given time. Some say it's magic versus technology. If Sci Fi doesn't have magic, what about Star Wars and force lightning from those Sith guys? So maybe Star Wars is actually Fantasy and Star Trek is Sci Fi. But what about wormholes and different dimensions and the super annoying character Q? It's a subject worth exploring, but there might not be an answer. To me those are just two different themes with strong aesthetic styling.
Assaulty may have read Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler or it might have just been recommended to her because she is interested in Sci Fi and liked The American War. Skyvrbyvr loved Octavia Butler's Kindred giving it 5 stars. She says it's not just beautiful prose: she respects that Butler is not afraid to create gruff and real people - characters that are somewhat unlikable but somehow still relatable.
Aurora had a huge list of completions and I have no idea if these are all hers or not. But this month she read a bunch of first books across several series. I think heard Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo; Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn by Tad Williams the first of the The Dragonbone Chair series (I think she deemed it meh); Elantris by Brandon Sanderson also caught a meh; and Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch, the first of the Gentleman Bastards series.
The last one generated a lot of interest as a lot of us have read it and really liked it. Like The Checquy Files, the first book is fantastic and there are diminishing returns after that, though I haven't read the last two: The Republic of Thieves and The Thorn of Emberlain. Munson says that if you read Sanderson, then The Stormlight Archive series is the way to go. Aurora also has Circe by Madeline Miller on hold at the library.
We talked about a few books about music, I think all of these are from Munson, including Meet Me in the Bathroom by Lizzy Goodman: Rebirth and Rock and Roll in New York City 2001-2011; Please Kill Me: The Uncensored Oral History of Punk by Legs McNeil and Gillian McCain; and Sing Backwards and Weep, a memoir by the singer Mark Lanegan. We also talked a little about Nardwuar, a music interviewer who is amazingly in-depth but often described as offputting.
Munson says he can sometimes be invasive and not enjoyable but agrees that he is talented. Nardwuar is likely autistic and we were informed that "neurospicy" is no longer acceptable. Obviously, I'm cool with someone else deciding what they find offensive and following their recommendations, but I wish we had something to pivot to. We talked about how the line between normies and nerurodivergents can be pretty thin and while gatekeeping mental health can be frustrating, it's also infuriating that people resist any accommodation for neurodivergent people.
I knocked off a few books, including On a Night of A Thousand Stars by Andrea Yaryura Clark; Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata, and Gold Fame Citrus by Claire Vaye Watkins. The last was comparable to Station Eleven in terms of quality and themes. The story wasn't as good, but the prose was pretty exceptional. The author was able to do some things I hadn't seen before. I'm reading The City of Brass by S.A. Chakraborty, The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin, and listening to a couple courses about Human Pre History, First Civilizations, and pre-Alexandrian Empires.
Apparently George RR Martin joined the writer's strike and is not writing anything, not that you could really tell. We talked about the 8th season of Game of Thrones, and how those two producers just ruined at least hundreds of millions of dollars in sales of DVDs, downloads, books, and comics. One of the most disastrous effects of incompetence on a brand I've ever seen.
We talked about Patrick Rothfus's Name of the Wind and how the main character was a bit of a Mary Sue, but the narrator might have intentionally been portrayed as unreliable. Someone brought up Hope and Other Dangerous Pursuits by Laila Lalami, and we added The Moor's Account as August's non-dorky read. Some of the guys don't want to me call it a Muggle book anymore, and would rather call it a regular book. Maybe we need to keep looking for the right term.
We talked about books with actual paper pages versus reading on a device or listening to audiobooks. Carbonjen says she prefers the Kindle Paperweight because her dogs chews up actual books. I read paper, epub, and listen in about equal proportions. I was listening to Dodge, or Fall in Hell and was not liking it, but started liking it better when I flipped to the epub version. Munson says he uses safari reader on his laptop and will set it to autoscroll. We also compared strategies for downsizing our libraries. Very few people keep every book they buy anymore, especially if you have moved your collection a couple times.
We talked about the St. James Muse, trails on the James, the resurgence in skating, and art classes at the VMFA and Visual Arts Studio. We also talked about all the pedestrians being hit by cars and how squaring street corners can slow cars down. Right now corners are rounded, encouraging cars to take them at speed. And how dash cams are an essential equipment for cars now. Chop Suey is now Shelf Life and Wonton is now "Wonny". But has retired and been replaced by two new cats, presumably who are earning much lower, entry-level wages.
Someone brought up BookTalk.org, saying they mostly got ass recommendations out of it. I've used https://www.whatshouldireadnext.com and it isn't so bad, but really isn't any better than Goodreads. I've used Shepherd a couple of times, which can be really good if you're looking for exactly the type of book that has been covered in one of their lists, but it seems to only accept general categories.
Coming Up on June 18

• Fall; Or, Dodge in Hell
• or some other Neal Stephenson book

Coming Up on July 23

• Just pick a book in your To Be Read pile and tell us about it. We were lamenting the large backlog that each of each is carrying around and decided to just knock some of them out.

Coming Up on August 20

• The God of Endings by Jacqueline Holland
• The Moor's Account by Laila Lalami

Hello everyone and thank you for your advice without judgment! I put a similar Q in another sub, but I think it was too wordy or something, and would love some tangible stuff outside of what I normally do, and would love your thoughts!
I do not get much time to spend away from the city and truly in nature, and will be spending 7 days in a remote upstate NY location. I did not get a lot of time last year to meditate a lot with the land, and will be at a retreat where I would like to do an honoring over Lammas, a ritual, either solitary or with a small group, a nature altar- something. I may be only like 1 of 3 pagans, out of like 70, so its not like a focus of the entire group.
anyone use certain meditations, pendulum, spell work, anything that you do over Lammas that would be fun to include, or any land honoring, spirit seeking things that work particularly well for you that you would like to share? Anything you like to do out in the wild woods that has good results with you? This place is home to loons, bats, and owls if that also helps. I’m open to anything, just looking to freshen up my rituals/routines/mindset, always growing on the path and wanting to make the most of my week with nature, magically! Thank you all!

Hello All, Happy Wednesday evening!
My husband and I have been debating where to move for a while now and I think we finally have it narrowed down to two options: Grand Rapids-ish, MI, or Finger Lakes area (Farmington-ish), NY (we would likely be living in the general area of each city in the surrounding areas because we want a home on a larger lot - preferably at least half an acre).
We have been to Farmington/Victor and around the Finger Lakes and really liked that area. We have not been to Grand Rapids yet, but we have family a few hours away who think we would like it.
I need help identifying the differences between the two areas and which would suit us better.
Here is a little about us and what we are looking for:

• Mid-to-late 30s couple, no kids (and don’t plan on having any)
• Lean left politically
• Non-religious
• We love hiking, paddle boarding, and generally just getting outdoors, so access to nature is a huge necessity for us.
• We love farmers' markets, and coffee shops to chill at on the weekend.
• We love good restaurants, especially those with outdoor seating (for the summer, of course).
• We are not huge into nightlife or drinking, so that is not a necessity - but we do appreciate a brewery/winery with a good ambiance from time to time.
• Looking for a 3 bed, 2 bath house on a little land for <$500k
• We both have remote jobs, so we don’t need a robust job market

Thank you all so much! I really appreciate any help and input.

Everyday In lockdown I deeply regretted wasting and messing up my early 20s and my life in general only in lockdown I realised how good I truly had it. I admit seeing all doctors and nurses in their 20s on the news working on the front line in the pandemic I felt like a failure because these people are saving lives and I am here stuck at home with no major achievements in life. In lockdown I had no real responsibilities. My mum was WFH, my sister still had wake up everyday to do online school and my mum didn't want me working during the lockdowns. Every day in lockdown it was helping sister with online school, watching Netflix, writing journal entries and uploading to this sub. When I did go outside I was taking pictures of covid19 signs and the shopping centre because it was a ghost town. My family criticised me a lot for going outside and my sister even questioned the importance of the items I will be buying from the shops.
When 3rd lockdown ended in England I decided to start to going out more and spending less time indoors because I realised I can't waste anymore of my remaining 20s because after 30 life gets boring and you can't fun anymore. 30 is the age you are supposed to have everything together ie career, marriage etc that is what society told me. Post lockdown I have been visting museums, watching movies in 4D at cineworld, travelling around the world and have had many amazing experiences. I plan to go climbing and abseiling at national attractions in my city later this year. Since then I can't stop craving adventure and fun.
Physically I have the body of an adult woman but mentally my maturity doesn't match my age in anyway and it is my biggest insecurity. So many ways I am immature. I know nothing about the world and all the adult things you are supposed to know.
Post lockdown I have struggled to navigate the world of work. The company I had been working for kept its WFH policy after lockdown ended and overwhelming majority of its workers WFH. One of the reasons why my mother and my grandmother loved me WFH because they didn't want me using the city's public transport to go in to office because its "not safe." Being unemployed in lockdown I never got the chance to develop my skills and grow the natural way a graduate in their 20s entering the workplace does. Its been so diffcult navatigating the virtual workplace. Its been difficult at times keeping up with training on miscrosoft teams because my workplace IT systems are so slow and prone to crashing. WFH its hard to know how your line manager and colleagues feel about your progress as an employee due to lack of human contact everyone is pretty much away in another teams meeting. WFH a lot of the time I just felt like a stupid kid who knew nothing and being humiliated by older work colleagues who should know better than to be playing games has worsened my insecurities over my maturity. I wanted to be a good employee but I just didn't know how.
The way I see the world people my age don't see what I see. I know i am an outsider.
Does anyone else feel the lockdown has altered thier maturity in some way.

What’s up from the south y’all!?
I will be in town this weekend for the Tulsa Tough bicycle races. Unfortunately, I broke my collarbone and had surgery 2 weeks ago, so I will only be supporting my team. (If you’re at the races come say what’s up, I’ll be at/around the Grind City Racing tent)
I’m looking to hear your opinions on the best local breweries. Perhaps a great bottle shop as well since your distribution is so much different than ours! I did search this sub but the best posts were at least 1-2yrs old - so I’m looking for the freshest takes!!
American Solera is the only “must stop by” brewery that I found VIA Google. As far as my taste is concerned I really prefer IPAs and Lagers. It seems like Marshall’s should be on my list for German styles!?
Anyways, thanks in advance for any advice and insight on the local beer scene! If you’re ever headed to Memphis message me for any suggestions in return!

First off, i know that one of the main posts on this sub is for what i’m about to ask but still i need more specifics.
I’ve been following the NFL from belgium (not an american) since SB50 on and off. i’ve never really had a team to support because i obviously have no connection to any of the teams or cities etc. being a non-american. back when i first started following it i kinda liked the giants but only because honestly back then if anything was from NY, i loved it hahah.
i’m starting to really get into it again and i just love the rivalry that the cowboys and the 49ers have had over the last few of decades and the thing is, both teams have huge sympathies from me. i like both of their history, i like their past players and current players etc.
now, if anyone here is also a football (soccer) fan, which one would you say is most like arsenal ? it’s my favourite team and i might as well support them. i don’t care that the 49ers jersey is red that’s not the reason i want to support a team.
can you guys just help me with which team has the better fans, the better history, is more liked in general and are also underdogs in most circumstances because i love a good underdog team in any sport.
thanks for the help:)