#<- still feels like night its like 630am | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

nothowonenightstandswork · 4 years

Text

One Shot - Shape of You

Bucky x OC

Warnings: Language, Implied Intimacy

Notes: First time posting anything. I’m sure a million things are wrong about it. Cliche title is the song currently stuck in my head.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“You’re back early!” Sam replied from his seat in Bucky and Sam’s common area. He was on monitor duty tonight.

“Sam, it’s almost 4 in the morning. It’s not exactly early,” Bucky replied. Bucky’s suite of rooms are on the other side of the common space from where Sam is watching the monitors, lounging on the couch, and eating ice cream. He hadn’t really intended on staying out so late, but this time he didn’t let Sam’s needling get to him.

“You’re still the first one back... Well?” Sam pushed, “How’d it go? You check out that place I told you about?” The place Sam is referring to is, for lack of a better name, a bar for people with powers. The owner is apparently from Asgard. As a result, it’s one of the only places in town where the alcohol is strong enough to be effective.

“Yeah, we did. You were right, it’s…” Bucky smiles, thinking about his evening. “It’s more my speed.”

“Nah, man, I see that look! Give me the details! Desk duty is boring, let me live vicariously through you!”

“A gentleman never tells,” Bucky evades with a smile. “Night, Sam.” He continues on through the common room to his suite in the tower.

“Come on, I told you about the place, you owe me! Are you humming? What song is that! Share, man!”

“Good night, Sam.” With a backward wave, he shuts the door behind him.

---

The soft click of the front doors being pulled gently closed, is loud as a shot, slicing through Val’s light doze. Instead of opening her eyes, she instead opens up the shields she uses to keep other people’s thoughts out and feels the space around her. The nearest awake mind is in the hall and moving away. He seems to be happy and is humming.

Oh! She thinks as she sits up in her now empty bed. The other side is still faintly warm from its recent occupant. The rest of the studio apartment is easily visible from her bed and the only clothes scattered around the floor are her own. Guess he had places to be, she chuckles to herself, as she stretches to turn on the bedside lamp. The clock says 3:15 am. She pulls the blankets back up onto the mattress and snuggles down underneath, waiting for sleep to arrive once more. Sleep returns reluctantly, indignant at being startled, and Val has just enough time to decide to be pleased with the evening’s outcome

Morning still arrived way too early. The sunlight glaring in through the top down shades. I purposely chose this apartment so that the sun would help me wake up, but it doesn’t mean I have to like it. She thinks as she kicks the covers off petulantly. The motion awakens a few sore areas that make her smile quietly in remembrance. The phone ringing cuts quickly through her reverie. She darts from the bed to the bar separating the kitchenette from her bedroom/living area.

“Hello?” she answers. There can only be a few options as to caller, so she’s a little shocked to hear an unfamiliar voice.

“Hello, Ms Bracca, this is Darlene calling from the Westside Veteran’s Center. I’m calling to inquire if you received our correspondence and to remind you that your appointment is at 9 this morning. Please bring your letter of introduction and a form of current ID. Thank you very much and we hope to see you soon.” The line abruptly goes dead.

“Uh, yes, Darlene. I did, Darlene. I will, Darlene. Good bye.” Val mutters to the phone. She checks the clock, it’s only 630am. Fuck you, Darlene. She adds mentally. No reason to call so early. Bullshit. If I didn’t need this contract, I’d… she grumbles to herself and she walks to the only separate room in the apartment; the bathroom.

---

“Rise and shine, Sam! The sun is up! We got work to do!” Bucky shakes Sam awake from where he has fallen asleep on the couch.

“I will kill you, if you don’t let me sleep,” Sam mumbles from underneath his arm. He peeks blearly at his phone. “7am! The B Widow herself didn’t get back in to relieve me until 5, man. Two hours is not enough.”

“Suit yourself. I’m going to go workout. You stay here and sleep off your boring, non-vicarious night.” Bucky knew the one thing Sam liked more than sleep was gossip and was pretty confidant the goad would work.

“You know,” Sam says sitting up and tossing a cushion in Bucky’s direction. “You are pretty Up this morning. Do I detect a hint of… happiness?”

“Bucky hooked up last night,” Natasha interjects as she saunters into the room. “Why are you still sleeping, Sam? The sun is up.”

“Na-ta-sha.” Sam enunciates each syllable snarkily. “How the hell are you so cheery? You rolled in even later than he did.” Natasha doesn’t answer, just starts rummaging in the common kitchen’s cabinets. “Hey, lady, get your own coffee. That stuffs ours.”

“These aren’t,” Nat says, holding up a bag she’d pulled out from under the sink. “Later, fellas.”

“If you’re coming with me, get changed, Sam,” Bucky adds.

“Are we not going to talk about her hiding stuff in OUR rooms.”

“If you don’t hurry, we aren’t gonna talk about anything.” Instead of waiting, Bucky heads for the rec area.

Stark might not have been overly pleased that he was living here, but he wasn’t stingy with space. This floor housed a rec area and 3 sets of suites. Sam and Bucky shared one. Nat and Wanda shared the second. Steve and Clint shared the third. Clint had his own apartment in Bed-Stuy so Steve usually had his to himself. And Natasha tended to treat all common spaces as her own; squirreling away supplies in whatever area made the most sense at the time.

Today, the rec area was quiet. Steve liked to be up early and was finished with his morning workout before Bucky was dressed most mornings. Nat was on monitor duty, Clint was probably at his own place and Wanda has been out on assignment with Vision since last week. “Assignment.” Bucky thinks to himself.

He has barely started his warm-ups before Sam rushes in, hastily pulling a t-shirt on.

“So, you gonna tell me their name?” he picks up, as if no time has passed.

“No.” Bucky grunts while stretching.

“Are you going to see them again?” Sam pushes.

“No.”

“ A one night stand, huh? You surprise me, Barnes. You gonna tell me how you met?” Sam pries.

“No.” Bucky replies. The look on Sam’s face makes all the monosyllable answers worthwhile.

“OH COME ON!” Sam explodes. “Why the hell are you teasing me if you aren’t gonna tell me anything!”

“It got you to come work out, didn’t it?” Bucky grins at Sam’s visible irritation.

“I hate you,” Sam say flatly, “you know that right?”

Bucky had a great comeback ready, but was interrupted by Steve’s arrival.

“Sam! Suit up! Wanda called and she needs some back-up.”

“I’ll get my stuff,” Sam responds, suddenly all business. Steve turns to face Bucky.

“Buck--”

“Yeah, I know. I’ll hold the fort. Be careful out there.”

“We want you out there with us, we do, but-” Steve reaches out to put a comforting had on Bucky’s shoulder.

“Steve. I know. Go help Wanda.” Steve gives his shoulder a squeeze before nodding and heading for the elevator.

The Winter Soldier’s visibility in the intelligence agencies has been an open issue for awhile now. Stark, or more accurately, Maria Hill courtesy of Stark Industries has been working on it, but traction has been slow.

“Hey, man,” Sam says as he looks around the door; suit on, gear on his shoulder. “If you aren’t busy, I was supposed to interview a new therapist at the VA today. Why don’t you take that?”

“Sam, what do I know about therapists? Or interviews?”

“Look, man, trust your gut. And if you can’t, stall and I can take care of it when I get back.” Sam taps the door jamb once with his hand before walking off toward the elevator.

“Sam, what… time… is… the interview….” Bucky trails off as he hears the elevator doors close. He sighs.

---

Where the FUCK is that letter of introduction? Val knows it was on the counter. Did it get knocked onto the ground in the moment last night? She’s checked the couch, under the couch, on top of the stools at thebar. Where could it… she eyes the note her guest had left last night before leaving.

Thank you, I had a wonderful evening. I thought it best not to wake you. -J

“Did he…,” Val flips over the paper and there it is, her letter of introduction from Sanctuary. She flips the letter back over to look at the note. It’s written in pen. “Of course it is!” she shouts. Letter in hand, she looks at the clock 8:30. She can make it if she runs. She grabs her coat, phone and keys, pulls the door shut behind her, goes back to lift up on the handle so it actually latches, and runs to the elevator and her appointment.

Sam’s office is even more boring than Bucky expected. Since moving here from DC, Sam had been put in charge of managing the outreach programs for the Westside Veteran’s Center. Part-time. Gratis, of course. “I’m hardly here,” he had said previously, “didn’t seem right to ask for money too.” The office, shared office, Bucky corrected himself, looked just as part-time as the position. Bare walls, no photos, two chairs and a desk. Even the small window looked out at a brick wall. Charming.

Sam’s secretary, Darlene had given him a thrice over and a gimlet stare when he’d arrived claiming to be performing Sam’s interview today. After a full two minutes of scrutiny, she’d finally shrugged and let him into the office. She wordlessly handed him a folder before going back to her desk. Inside was his information about his interviewee. He’d gotten through the first paragraph when he heard a woman’s voice outside.

---

She made excellent time on her way here. It would have been faster if she was willing to just vault cars in public, but as it was she had ten full minutes to spare before the appointed time. The door to Sam Wilson’s office was closed when she’d arrived and a battleship of a woman was waiting impatiently, so Val spent a few minutes in the ladies’ room to neaten up. She didn’t have to LOOK like she’d ran here, after all.

I don’t know why I’m nervous, she thought. Just business as usual.

The door to the office was open when she exited the ladies’ room. The woman, Darlene, according to her nameplate, expressionlessly watched her approach.

“You must be Ms. Bracca,” she said before Val had even stopped. “Your assistant recommended that I call early this morning, in case you overslept. May I see your ID?” Val wordlessly fishes out her driver’s license and hands it over. A quick check and Darlene hands it back, before waving her toward the office just down the hall. “He’s in his office. Go ahead.”

“Uh. Thanks.” Val says before slipping her ID back into her jacket pocket. She pulls the letter of introduction out on the inside pocket of her coat. Folded in thirds, the note from last night’s anonymous paramour “J” is easily visible, so she unfolds the paper, and prays Sam Wilson doesn’t see it.

---

Eight steps are all the warning he gets before a voice says from the doorway.

“Sam Wilson, I’m Valeria Bracca, from Sanctuary,” she says to his back.

Bucky turns as she extends her arm to hand him a piece of paper and freezes. Heat rushes to his face as he recognizes the woman from last night.

“You’re Sam Wilson?,” the woman asks, doubtfully. She either hasn’t recognized him or has a better poker face than he does. She’s prettier in the daylight, he thinks before snapping back to reality.

“Uh, no,” he stammers out. She takes two steps backward and glances at the nameplate beside the door.

“I’m going to assume you’re also not Jenna Cary, co-director of Veteran Outreach.” She continues.

“I’m also not her. Here, please, have a seat.” Manners that had been drilled into him kicking in. He walks around behind the desk, a much less potentially embarrassing place to be. “I’m James Barnes, Mr. Wilson had a… an unexpected event crop up and asked me to do this interview in his place.”

Ms. Bracca, Val according to the file Darlene handed him, hesitates for a few seconds before walking to the only other chair in the room. They both sit down at the same time.

“Mr. Barnes.” She says.

---

The moment he turned around, Val knew this was not the man Netta, her assistant, had described. As soon as his face turned red, she recognized him as the man she’d taken home from Alastaar’s. Sheer force of will has kept her from blushing and leaving. Now, sitting, she realizes she’s still holding the paper.

“This is my letter of introduction,” he reaches over the desk to accept the paper. He looks curious and briefly flips it over before impossibly flushing an even brighter shade of red. Val raises an eyebrow and waits for him to speak. It quickly becomes evident he isn’t ready to start this interview, so Val begins.

“Mr… Barnes. I’m here as a representative of Sanctuary. We’ve been offered-”

“I’m sorry. Sanctuary?” he interrupts. The flush slowly draining from his face as they switch gears to business. She schools her face to hide her irritation.

“Right. You’re standing in for Mr. Wilson. Sanctuary is a non-profit organization focused on serving the housing and mental health needs of veteran and veteran adjacent individuals.” He leans forward and waits a beat before speaking.

“You help homeless people.” At her nod, he continues. “Why are you here then?”

“We recently secured a contract from the federal government to aid in the VA’s efforts in the same areas. I’m here as an introduction and to help smooth the way for cooperation between our two organizations.” He nods as he thinks that through.

“So, this is a done deal, and this interview is…”

“A formality, yes.” His shoulders visibly relax. Val smiles slightly at his obvious relief. “I assume Mr. Wilson didn’t brief you on any of this.”

“No, he did not.” The crack her little tiny smile left in her professional veneer elicits a grin of his own. “He was in a hurry, but I suspect he also didn’t tell me as revenge. Ah, Sam is my roommate,” he volunteers. She grins back.

“Revenge for what?” He turns red again and shifts uncomfortable in his seat. “You know, I think that is a topic for a different place. Uh,” he levers himself up out of the chair. Val stands as well. “You’re hired. Your people will talk to my people.” They shake hands professionally, although the grip softens slightly and lingers. He takes a quick breath before continuing. “Would you like to get lunch sometime? Well, today. I mean. Now?” Val can feel the warmth she’d been throttling back rush up to her cheeks.

“It’s still morning-”

“Breakfast then?” He gives her that same smile he’d had last night. That charming one that hits her right in the knees. “On me.”

“It’s a deal.”

---

Darlene had, unexpectedly, recommended this diner without prompting as they had exited Sam’s office. Apparently the acoustics in the hall are perfect for eavesdropping.

“Is there… any way… I can convince you to not tell Sam about this?” he had asked the smug woman.

“Oh, honey, no chance in hell,” she had replied wickedly. “You two have a nice time.”

“I think I’m gonna pay for this,” he had said before glancing back at Val. “Shall we?”

---

“This isn’t my area of expertise,” Val says over coffee from across the table, “but this isn’t typically how one night stands are supposed to go.” Bucky finishes chewing and swallowing a bit of toast before replying.

“Well, I don’t think fate typically makes people bump into each other again hours later.”

“Is that what this is?’ she asks. “Fate?” He shrugs.

“Maybe on my part. Plans change last minute…” a thought occurs to him and he pulls her letter of introduction out of his pocket and hands it back. “I, ah, didn’t think you’d want my note in an official file.” She grins and accepts the paper.

“That’s probably for the best. I’ll have another copy sent over.” She tucked the paper back into her jacket pocket. “You know, my assistant usually does these interviews. She’s doing the interview in Albany this morning and sent me here in her stead.”

“See. Fate.” He gestured with his last piece of toast to emphasize his point. Val shakes her head.

“Alright, I concede,” she sets her empty mug aside. She grins mischievously and leans toward him. “So, what does Fate have in store for you the rest of the morning?” Bucky stretches his arms over his head and smiles widely.

“Well, I’ve seen your place. Want to come see mine?”

#bucky barnes x oc #bucky barnes #first fanfic #be gentle #not smut

1 note · View note

gogohedgehoglegs · 5 years

Text

Colorado 13er

June 2, 2019

So I almost don't know how to tell the story of the half marathon. Because its not JUST a half marathon. This was a big weekend adventure for me. I told some of the story in an earlier blog post, so the short version of it is that this race was the crown jewel of the weekend long Skirt Sports Ambassador retreat. I flew in on Friday, got to visit what all of us ambassadors refer to as “The Mothership,” AKA the Skirt Sports store, and finally meet so many of the wonderful women ive known through facebook and some other meetups all these years. I of course spent too much at the story(how do you not when yore flying southwest, so you can check a bag of all the goodies?!?!?!), and had the most amazing Pie and Bubbly courtesy of another ambassador Erin, who owns a pie shop in TX. Yep, you read that right- she flew from TX to CO with so many lemon pies and peanut butter pies. And man oh man am I so glad she did, they were just amazing!

The official retreat kicked off that night with a bunch of speakers, happy hour, beers, and more friends. Yours truly was given the award of Miss Skirt 2019, for my overall contribution as an ambassador, which I was most humbled by- to me I wasn't doing anything out of the ordinary, I was just sharing my love of the brand.

Saturday started with an early morning hike, which brought some of the most beautiful views I have seen in a very long time, mostly because its been 20 years since ive been to Colorado. Breakfast was awesome- a huge old plate of home fries, my kind of breakfast! The second day was jam packed- speaks through the morning, with some short moving sessions to keep us all from getting squirrelly. Dinner was great with a friend Amy(local), and another friend of hers, and then the vintage fashion show to end the evening.

Morning dawned quickly- the race starts at 630am, but that's mountain time, so really that's 830 for this East Coaster, so no big deal. Nuun, decaf coffee, and the leftover pizza was breakfast, and the carb loading was complete. I wondered how I would do, my diet this weekend left something to be desired- it was really just potatoes, beer, more potatoes, a veggie hummus wrap, more beer, pizza, and more beer. I think there were some veggies on the pizza! Met up with some other ambassadors to snag a ride, helped Amy get her bike in the car(she was doing a bike race that morning), and then over to the start we went.

The race went off, with me pretty in the middle of the pack. This used to be a women's only race, so lots of women, and only a few men in the crowd. The race is primarily on all of the womderful crushed gravel trails/paths that wind all around Boulder and Louisville- I want to call them railtrails because that's what we have, but these are all bike/run/walk paths that are just all around. This is a 2 loop course- you run out, run along the trails(watch out for the geese, they're not friendly!), almost back down to the startline, loop around and cone, and do it all over again. I must say I just loved this course- you go uphill, its flat, then you go downhill. The crushed gravel was such pleasant footing- that perfect cushy, without kicking up stones, and have I mentioned the Rockies all around you?? And the big sky?? And the fact that I can breath for the first time in 20 years?

Yes, yes, I know I'm at altitude. A lot of it. Yes, yes, I know I'm technically a flat-lander, and that doesn't make any sense. But that's the truth of it. I love being at altitude, I liken living in the northeast to feeling like you're drowning all the time. I don't know why. Maybe its just the fresh air, maybe that its not as polluted, I have no idea, I just know it was glorious. For the first rae in a long time- it was easy to breath, I wasn't sucking wind, and I wasn't in pain. I could have run a marathon today, and it would have been awesome.

I have to also say it was fun running with so many Skirt Sisters. I don't think ive ever been at a race when I knew so many people. As much as it wasn't local for me, I knew more people through this- this extrovert doesn't belong to any local running clubs, so this race was much more with my tribe. Its such an encourgaging atmosphere- with the figure 8 course, and multiple distances, there was a ton of people out there. When I came off the second loop and back down the hill toward the finish, it felt great to head down that hill. I'd set no expectations for this race- between the traveling, the retreat, the recovery from training(Lake Waramaugh was only a month earlier, and Rhinebeck Marathon only 2 weeks after that), and the fun and games eating wise, I knew the stars were not quite going to be in alignment. I have to admit, after running a race that felt that good, I contemplated if it was a sign we really should move out West, whether I should just eat potatoes all day every day, or whether just letting all the pressures go meant that much. I will say I still technically ran a new personal worst, but if I'm going to have that much fun, it was worth every second.

I crossed the finish line, and then spent the next 1.5 hours with my Sisters, doing zumba, eating cake, and cheering in runner after runner. I must say, I can't wait for next time!

Final stats:

2:00:29

36/224 overall, 20/177 women, 5/59 women 35-39

#skirtsports #skirtambassador #half marathon #colorado #louisville co #colorado13er #2019in2019 #runningforrescues #HSHive #honeystinger #stingorbeestung #sweetentheburn #nuunlife #nuunbassador #nuunlove #teamnuun #13.1

2 notes · View notes

rhettsooo · 7 years

Text

Sunday January 8th, 2017 - Ubud, Bali to Amed, Bali The struggle was real closing up my bag this time. A guest those souvenirs were starting to put me over... When I got through the struggle caught some breaky, and met our prompt driver out front. First stop was Goa Gajah, also known as the elephant cave. This was probably the most impressive stop of the day, not because of the magnificent outside of the elephant cave itself, but the complex as a whole. It had many levels and many buildings; some were whole and some weathered. One mini temple for Buddha actually had Buddha stolen and they had a photo in its place. There was certainly history here and it was amazing to experience it. Next up was Mt. Batur and its hotsprings. At that elevation, it was the coldest I've been in awhile. It was quite refreshing, actually, which made the hotsprings even more rewarding. Although the springs themselves were nice, with 3 pools of varied heat and bamboo pouring water at places for a back massage, the place seemed more like a community bath tub. It cost about 20 bucks but that didn't stop the locals. There were tons of kids and extended family making the place feel like a public pool at a park, rather than the spa it was depicted as. All things considered, it wasn't as relaxing as I hoped, but was still very soothing, especially because it sat on a lake in the volcano crater. From there we went back up for lunch on the crater. We had an amazing view of the lake and hotsprings where we just were, as well as the peak in the center of the crater. The clouds were clearing just for us. After lunch we went to an UNESCO protected rice terrace called Telagalang rice terrace. It wasn't the same scale as Sapa in Vietnam, but still really beautiful. Since we're in the rainy season, crops had started to grow and formed levels of various shades of 'fresh green'. Amongst the terraces were locals in huts asking for donations. Who knew what the donations were for because they were hardly donations since they wouldn't let you pass without contributing. The terraces are supposed to be free, so who knows... As we neared the end of our stops, the last visit we had planned was Pura Tirta Empul, the water temple. What makes this place unique is that is has, for lack of better words, a community bath, with low-pressure water cannons shooting water out from one side. People believe that the water cleanses you. I did not go in. It was cold and rainy and there was a huge line of people in the bath waiting to be cleansed by the cannons. Haha. Now it was off to Amed, which was practically the other side of the island. What drew us to Amid was the snorkeling/diving, the fact it's on the water, and less tourists would be there. We were right on a counts. Our villa, when we arrived, was located on the beach and we had a nice terrace in the front. Definitely a steal for 25 bucks a night. I had coordinated diving a nearby wreck, and I wanted to see the sunrise, so it was time for bed ahead of a 630am wakeup.

1 note · View note

chiefbeck · 4 years

Text

Chapter 19: A Ride to the Smoke Out

Note to the faint hearted: if you don’t dig these biker stories, feel free to jump a couple of chapters. I am going to tell them as I saw them from my perspective and then catch up to you later.

The Smoke Out is a huge event with half a million motorcycles put on once a year by The Horse, an old school chopper magazine. This is a typical ride that I was part of back in the mid two-thousands and the wording and type of writing style is from when I was called “caveman.” The style of writing is choppy and full of jargon; if you don’t dig it, then skip the chapter and miss out on the story that you will never live. Up to you; I’m still sitting here at the fire telling stories.

OoO

Cast of characters for this ride are as follows:

*Caveman, known as Kristin many years and a “life” later, grew up on a motorcycle. He actually left home in high school to live in the woods to keep a bike against his mother’s wishes. He was the old school biker, big beard and always the one who knew what was up with what – building his motorcycles from the ground up, balancing the flywheels with 2x4s and a hammer, checking the lapping of the valves with a can of beer; yup, this is how it’s done. Growing up a biker is different than going to a Harley shop and just buying one.

*Sanchez, was number two and just starting to ride in this group of roughnecks. He has been riding for years, and was one of the only bikers that could ride with caveman at 80mph a foot away, high fiving or passing the whiskey flask.

*Bear, his name says it all. His first bike was a frame that Caveman gave him to start building a bike. That frame is still engineless in the back yard. But that’s another story.

*Trapper, was the quiet dude. Not sure if he said 8 words in 3 days.

*Wrencher, he was a Wildman, born biker and kind of crazy. His name, well if you are of female persuasion then you can ask. I am not...

*Speedster was only with us for the ride south then went off with some chicks never to be seen again.

The rest of the crew you will figure. Any terminology that is out of whack you can look up on a fancy adding machine, Google or some such contraption. Dang, I still like to kick-start my bike... not going to look up words.

THE RIDE TO SMOKE OUT was back in 2006. It was a couple of states ride for us; no problem.

The Ride was planned to start at 5pm, not the best time to start a 7- hour ride, especially with dumping rain and hurricane warnings playing on the news. We delay even more and order 36 pounds of Chinese food. Bear eats 12 pounds of it in about 8 minutes. Caveman gets the shits and takes 2 Imodium; his guts are still messed up from the gulf war. Not always the best way to start a ride, but we are off at 930pm, its dark and cloudy and only drizzling.

Caveman’s Panhead won’t start. After about 40 kicks, he’s sweating buckets. Freaking old school bikers don’t believe in electric starters. Bull pulls the air cleaner cover off and shows the black K&N air filter. Seems the air filter was clogged worse than a grease trap at the all night diner. Caveman stated “Hell, haven’t needed to clean it; the Pan always starts.”

Add a shiny bright air cleaner and the old bike starts on two kicks.

Now we are rolling.

Caveman on the PAN was leading, Wrencher to his right up front, then Bull, Sanchez and Trapper taking up the last of the pack. We keep the pack tight about five feet, sometimes closer, between the bikes riding side by side. That’s how we rolled to North Carolina.

Five minutes into the trip... hitting an S turn onramp Caveman rides his kickstand on the left part of the S sliding 20 feet with sparks flying, then flips his bike over to turn in the other direction and rides his pipes for the rest of the turn. Sanchez who keeps his three-foot spread directly on Caveman’s tail rides both floorboards up the onramp and onto the

highway. YEAH! The ride started like the 4th of JULY with sparks flying and crazy bikers yelling at the world to stay the fuck out of our way!

The four rode all night through wind, rain and cold to Salisbury, North Carolina; at one point, the rain was coming in sideways and we had to slow to 30MPH and ride by brail. We also had a good time telling Sanchez we were going to kick his ass for telling us, “Don’t worry, it’s not gonna rain.” His retort was about not being a weatherman or some shit.

We couldn’t stop! Caveman had a plan and we were not going to fail. At the last fuel stop, Caveman said “Suck it up; we are riding all night. If I have to push this bike the rest of the way, I am gonna make it to the Smoke Out.”

Arrived at the campgrounds at around 0330, we ride on into town looking for the campsite and the thousands of crazy bikers partying till the sun comes up. Tired and cold we arrived at the Rock Harley Saloon campsite about 0430. The Rock Harley Saloon is a good biker bar with beer cans and broken bottles littering every corner, but everyone’s passed out, damn. The Campground was wet and muddy and with no apparent place to park the bikes or catch some shut eye. We pulled the bikes up into the parking lot out front. Making a square like old west wagons and bedded down and made camp. Bull, Sanchez and Trapper all slept in the middle of the square on the asphalt with Caveman sleeping just outside the square but next to his bike on a small strip of grass. Something about him being the smart one. We all thought so until caveman says “You guys smell Dog shit?”.... “I smell dog shit.” ... “Dang, its right here under my poncho.” Too tired to move everything. Fuck-it, it’s not touching me, it’s under my poncho. “ga-nite Bro’s”. Sanchez says “Damn, I thought I was done sleeping in ‘the shit’ when I left Iraq,” and starting laughing.

I Awoke when the alarm went off, the sun. Some RUBS (rich urban bikers) are amused at our asphalt campsite, but on this night even a few bikers realize what living on the edge is and pay respect to the four bedded down in the parking lot. We are dreaming of the party that lay only a few hours of sleep away.

We awaken and are packing out for the ride to the show; then some fucking inconsiderate rich dude parks right on top of our makeshift campsite while he lets his bike sit there and idle, it’s around 630am. Not

thinking that no one wants to hear a baffled Honda idle first thing in the morning, finally after 10 minutes they ride away toward the show.

We break camp at 0730 and pack up our wet gear. On the road riding to the show, Caveman is so fired up he stands up on his seat as we’re rolling down the road at 50 mph. Sanchez lets out a war whoop; Bull is pumping his fist, and the mellow Trapper is just smiling. Good ole Wrencher is still in a warm bed at some girlfriend’s house down the road.

Pulling up to the Smoke Out, we noticed no other bikes around just some venders and some folks working the gate...wtf, we’re early ...well at least first in line.

Sitting around until the gate opens, Caveman thinks he has not touched his Pan in at least 6 hours and feels the need to mess with it now, checks for parts that are loose or fell off on the ride. Looking the Pan over, he notices that he needs to readjust his pipe that got a good scrapping sliding through the on ramp a half a day ago. It is the old spigot clamp that never stays on anyway. It’s bent at a funny angle and not lining up. We pull his pipe off and have to bend it back in shape. What better way to do this than to have two guys stand on his bike as counter weight while Caveman puts the pipe under his bike and using the bike as leverage he straightens the pipe to the surprise of all the onlookers passing by.

Putting it back together Caveman says we can all ride into the event.

It takes about 12 kicks to get the pan going.

We all Notice how many bikers there were pulling their bikes off trailers to enter the chop-off. They have it all wrong. “If you can’t ride it to the Smoke-Out, keep your chrome bucket at home”.

We are all inside, and Caveman is busy registering his Harley for the bike competition for the best bike of the show called “the Chop-off.” Everyone else was buying water and coffee.

We run into a friend who is the Master of Ceremony for the event. He has the gift of gab and got that gig; He asks for our help for some of the events. Events like the naked anvil toss, backstage security for the band, personal security for the horse maiden (very beautiful girl that was in the

magazine), personal security for this month’s cover girl and then, finally, the hospitality RV packed with food and air-conditioning that was supposed to be for the rock band.

This was cool, because all of us are young bucks in the military and have barely any money, so the food and a few beers for standing around as security were a great deal. In the process we met tons of cool people, kicked a few wanna-be’s from behind the stage and ate and drank most of the bands food and wine. We even got a few t-shirts and did a few other things that will never get written down.

Bull even got a picture and a book signed by Billy Lane before Billy was “detained” later that evening by the local fuzz. We were rock and rollers cruising around looking at bikes and drinking beer.

The Smoke Out event started closing around 11pm.

We rode out to the after hour’s party expecting to see a few rooms with some bikers and a few beers. Damn if that was a wrong picture to paint.

The cops set up barricades and patrols around the entire Holiday Inn to keep the public away... we had free reign in that place. There were campers; hundreds of bikes, two burn-out pits and a hole shot area, naked girls and debauchery, everything a biker could ask for. It was like Disneyland.

The cops were patrolling around just enough to keep anyone from killing each other or doing anything extra stupid.

Billy Lane was the only one to get arrested; He was riding up on one of his chops with no helmet; the cops pulled him over; Billy says some shit the cops didn’t like; Billy has his hands on the hood and his legs spread; they put him in cuffs in the paddy wagon and haul him downtown. He was the only one in the pen. The saying is sometimes true, “If you’re going to be stupid, you better be tough.” We need to add being rich on that saying for dumb asses like Billy.

Meanwhile at the Holiday Inn, Caveman was making new friends. The infamous Painter George pulls up on his beater bike that he rides around the country. He paints motorcycles or baked potatoes to make

money to fix his bike so he can ride some more. His saying should be “Paint to ride, Paint to ride, Paint to ride.” Caveman says to George, “The coolest thing I ever saw was when you had the bozos at Orange County Choppers sign that piece of rotten bologna. That was some good lampoon. OCC are dumbasses.”

Painter George as we found out later from other builders was sick of hearing about the damn bologna and wanted people to know about his paint jobs not the damn bologna.

Around 0430 right in the parking lot, Caveman pulls out his poncho, hooks it onto the Panhead’s spokes making a makeshift biker tent. Gotta sleep and get ready for another day of partying and riding.

He does this with people still partying 10 feet away; they look on and wonder what the fuck? They see him crawl in beside his leaking old Panhead; a few of them are still wondering, a few others are looking on, knowing. There isn’t anything like sleeping on asphalt after a good night of partying... The others party for a couple more hours and finally make their tents near Caveman and crash out.

We wake at 0700 getting ready for the trip back home and the grind of ordinary life.

Caveman’s seat was not so comfy; it has a rigid frame and no shocks that was chopped in 1973 by a SEAL team guy returning from the War. This Harley, a 1960 old school bike is a hand me down from three other SEALs who spent time in Viet fuckin’ Nam. It was chopped up in Rocky’s living room, and then welded together with coat hangers and a torch. It had many other nice little additions only done in the 60s and 70s. Caveman learned all the tricks from these guys and could build a heck of a bike himself. The seat is hurting bad so Caveman takes a few biker magazines and a towel and wraps it up with electrical tape making a bigger seat, a bit more comfy for the 7 hour ride.

The seat fixed we head to the IHOP for breakfast.

We were sittin’ there talkin’ about all the bikes being loaded up on trailers going to and from the Smoke Out. Shit man you can’t trailer a bike to the smoke out that is the uncoolest thing ever. That’s when we had to resort to the Wookie Defense, which makes all of us start laughing our guts

out. Anyone that doesn’t know the Wookie Defense, here is a snippet. You see, Chewbacca is from Endor and he’s a 9 foot tall Wookie. The rest of the planet is a bunch of 2 foot tall Ewoks. Now that just does not make any sense. Why would a 9 foot tall Wookie be living with a bunch of Ewoks? Fuckin’ poser fake bikers with bikes on trailers down to the smoke out? That does not make sense. It was funny to us in our half-drunk IHOP delusion, maybe not so much now?

We finish the breakfast and get riding; the pan magically starts in 3 kicks. It’s going to be a good ride home.

Meanwhile 50 minutes later as Stan Lee would say... ahhh, never mind.

Riding home on the 85 within view of another huge RV that was towing a trailer with 10 bikes on it; Yeah we gave them the finger riding by their huge RV.

...shit giving them the finger was the wrong thing to do! Dang karma.

About 5 minutes later, Caveman’s rear fender bolt fails, and the fender digs a deep gash in his tire, spewing rubber and smoke down the highway.

Caveman starts grabbing gears, brakes or whatever was humanly possible, sliding sideways for a bit then straight, then sliding sideways again, slowing from 80mph to 30mph in mere seconds, smoking and throwing rubber. The rest of the pack around Caveman react and slow and pull over, luckily without mishap. Thanks to the Biker gods.

After everyone gets to the side of the road and Caveman is looking pissed at having his bike down hard and kicks the guardrail, smoke is still rolling off his bike, almost on fire. Sanchez is standing there smiling and almost laughing; the others don’t know how to act. Caveman asks in a bewildered and kind of pissed way, “What the fuck is so funny?”

Sanchez says, “Dude that was some bad ass riding, your bike fucking blows up, smoking and throwing shit all over the place. We all just rode to hell with you, and somehow make it to the side of the road.”

Just as Sanchez finishes what he is saying, that fucking RV with all the bikes on the trailer rode right past; they were flipping us off, heads sticking out of the windows yelling at us.” Damn this is kind of funny.

Bull and Trapper are laughing now; finally, Caveman starts laughing. “Yeah, I guess that was some good humor; let’s see if we can ride this thing home.”

Looking over the pan we see a deep gash down the middle of the rear tire. The gash is bad but it’s still holding air, let’s see how far we can go... So the fender gets fixed with a hanger from the bag of tools and other stuff caveman always has hanging off his bike, and then the ride starts again.

We have great weather with rain for only 50 miles...It’s a kick ass ride home, fast and good spirits. The Bear was close and keeping an eye on the Pan’s rear tire.

By the time we hit Portsmouth, Virginia we are all literally hallucinating from lack of sleep, food and water... what a ride!

OoO

Yup, those were the ridding days. We would ride 400 miles sometimes just to get into Georgia to eat some peaches. Any excuse to jump on the Harley and go for a ride, wind in the hair and flying down the highway. I miss my old 1960 Panhead Harley.

Ok, one more biker story... I miss these days and thinking about building another Harley from scratch. This time without the grenade launcher for a tail pipe. That bike was in Easy Rider, I can do better...

#harley davidson #Kristin Beck

0 notes

talesofgrace · 5 years

Text

12 months ago today I went to see my granddad. We sat and chatted, I told him about work and the dogs and other bits and bobs. When I was leaving I gave him a hug, told him I loved him and started to cry. He told me not to worry and he’d be ok. He smiled a big beaming smile and gave me the double thumbs up like he always did to say he was ok. I told him to take care and said goodbye and went home.

That was our goodbye. I had a feeling it was which is why I said what I did. Granddad died the next day on my nans 80th birthday. I’m convinced he waited for then so he could be there for it.

Jimbo was the best. I’m slightly bias I know, but he was. Ask anyone in the family. His only fault that I knew of was that he was a daily mail reader…. he used to save the papers and clippings of stories if they had any relevance to you or if he thought you’d be interested in them. There was never a shortage of stuff for me because of my job. One of the best things about Granddad was genuinely interested in knowing stuff about you, He’d sit and listen to you and take in all the detail and then worry about it for you too. He was a worrier. He worried over everything. We couldn’t tell him in advance of things like my sister showjumping because he’d worry about that.

I find myself doing stuff now and thinking “if granddad could see me now he’d go mad” like when I decided to cut the grass in my garden with a strimmer (I had no lawn mower, in my bikini with my converse on and no eye protection. I used 3 extension leads piggybacked onto each other. When I got hit by a stone and the dogs tried to join in and attack the strimmer to “save me” I remember thinking granddad wouldn’t like this its something I wouldn’t of told him all the detail of.

Or the time I was painting my landing. I used his old step ladders, fashioned a platform and climbed up. I remember looking down thinking I’m pretty sure granddad wouldn’t approve of this…

Or the time where I put up my Ikea wardrobe doors on my own. Note to people doing this alone. Don’t. They’re ducking heavy and hard work. I had to use a stack of books to help me keep them at the right height as I climbed up and down my office swivel chair trying to use a drill to screw the hinges in. As I pressed onto screws the chair kept twisting around. That was hard work and I got dizzy. I did it all though. And I’d like to point out They’re still up!! I remember thinking after that I wish I could tell granddad what I’d done. He’d be really impressed.

When I got my permanent job as much as I was happy I was sad too because I couldn’t go round and tell him. The fact I’m back doing my masters too I can’t let him know about that either. I forget sometimes and I think “ooo I can’t wait to tell him” and then I realise he’s not here. But I tell him anyway. Just in case he’s listening.

The last Christmas we all had together was at nan and granddads. Granddad couldn’t come down stairs and we didn’t want him to feel left out so we got and iPad and he used his to FaceTime us from his bed. We passed it around the room all chatting as we ate and then put him on the mantelpiece so he could see everyone. He was like our very own Holly watching us from the screen (red dwarf fans will know what I mean by that). That memory will aways make me smile. Us all together enjoying ourselves with him there too. It was perfect.

As head grandchild I wrote a eulogy for his funeral. It took my ages to get it right and this what I said about our wonderful Jimbo…

Granddad

As head grandchild I have been asked to say a few things about granddad.

I have so many wonderful memories of him and I just wanted to share a few of them with you all.

I use to go to Ireland with Nannie and granddad from the age of about 6ish. Each summer and easter holiday we use to get the ferry over. Now one thing you will all know about Jimbo is that he was a cautious man, health and safety executive of the family and eternal worrier. Which meant that the car was always packed up at least one night prior to leaving and that if the boat was due to sail at 9am we had to be there an hour earlier for boarding. This mean we left Ridley drive at about 400am. Holyhead is 2 hours away. we would be there for 630am for a 9 sailing. Now I’m not sure how many of you have ever said from Holyhead but 20 years ago there wasn’t that much to do there! one year we arrived at Dublin nice and early as usual and parked up and watched the boats sailing out. However granddad had got his times wrong, the boat we watched leave was the one we should have been on. needless to say that never happened again!

I drove there once and only once. granddad was so nervous for me getting there I got a full debrief when I arrived to make suer i had followed his instructions to the letter. I daren’t tell him i took the wrong turn out of the docks and drove around in circles until i accidentally ended up on the correct road!

Now as a crane driver all of his life granddad was never a fast driver, slow and steady was his pace. So imagine our shock when he received a speeding fine and points on his licence! When asked what happened Granddad said ‘well he was slowing down and i just over took him’

Grandad loved to read the paper. The daily Mail especially. If it wasn’t in there it wasn’t newsworthy or correct according to granddad. He use to save pages to show me anything to to with health related stories when I went round. And in the daily mail there were always a few of those!

We use to share what we called ‘Jimbo quotes’ with each other. These were little bits of wisdom only granddad would say. on his wood burner fire in Ireland and he was heard saying ‘you know i don’t really like it that much because you cant turn it down’ on large chain store ‘let me tell you now – stay away from Tesco, bloody rubbish’ And as for one way systems and directions don’t even get him started on those!

Before he got ill granddad always use to be pottering in the garage or fixing something when I came to see him. He us to wear a blue coverall when he was pottering always reminded me of a train driver for some reason

Granddad loved all of his grandchildren so much and he was so proud of all of us. He told me a few weeks ago that he was so lucky to have a family like us, he told me he was blessed and that he’d lived a good life and that he couldn’t ask for anything more. And he’s right, he got to 82 without his GP even knowing his name!

My wonderful kind Grandad Jim, with those grey eyes, kind smile and white curly hair. He was the first to praise you and let you know how proud he was of you.

As you all know granddad was very risk adverse and was very vocal about letting you know his concerns so we all knew we could only tell him selected information as not to worry him. Madeline and Jimbo shared a love for horses and they chatted for hours about everything about them except the part that included Maddi riding or jumping them. When I was younger I drove and old car to Ireland and although I got lost on the way I never mentioned it to Grandad, just told him we’d had a wonderful drive down and all was ok. I got the bus from then onwards because I never wanted him to know I’d got lost or worry like that again!

one thing that always remind me of granddad and I know the cousins share this too is the symbol of a Harp, not just because of him being Irish but because of the tattoo on his forearm. For someone so risk adverse to have a tattoo on his arm where everyone could see it makes me smile, he mustn’t of always been so cautious!

Granddad was one of those wonderful people that when you spoke to him for hours he would actually listen to you and also remember all of it and then pick it up next time. He often kept cuttings from papers on subjects you’d previously shared and loved to go through them with you

A few weeks before he died he told me he felt lucky to have a family like us, he was blessed and he had had a good life and couldn’t have had a better one. Especially as he’d got to 80 before the GP got familiar with his name.

We love you so much granddad and you will be missed by all. But how lucky am I to have had something that makes saying goodbye so hard

#gallery-0-3 { margin: auto; } #gallery-0-3 .gallery-item { float: left; margin-top: 10px; text-align: center; width: 50%; } #gallery-0-3 img { border: 2px solid #cfcfcf; } #gallery-0-3 .gallery-caption { margin-left: 0; } /* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes/media.php */

The hardest goodbye 12 months ago today I went to see my granddad. We sat and chatted, I told him about work and the dogs and other bits and bobs.

#family #granddad #grief #independent #life #love #remember

0 notes

my-shanti-journal · 5 years

Text

Day 2 part 2

I kinda fell asleep last night before I could do the book meditation so I decided to do it this morning instead. Since I meditated differently yesterday but still meditated, I’m still on a routine so just continuing. The goal is to meditate every day for 10 day so as long as that is accomplished then I’m still on the right track. One thing I have read and still need to really learn is that just because you didn’t do something exactly as you would have liked but still did it, its still progress and you still succeeded.

So this is Day 3ish

So this morning, I got up about 630am and made some herbal loose leaf tea, walked the dog, fed him and the cat, and then set up for meditation. I decided that today I was going to sit on the couch with a build up of a blankets for the butt cushion. I have a L shaped couch so sitting in the corner worked out perfect. I think this will be my spot until I can get a meditation cushion. Since I write on here for my notes, I got my computer turned on and turned on a spotify playlist to help me focus and remember my breath. Tibetan Bowls (link below) was what I choose today.

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/37i9dQZF1DX3JNwc30ddaO?si=HWYSeLwbRI2DJSfNhFiLHQ

I liked the playlist but felt that maybe wasnt the best playlist for this morning after the meditation was over. Probably a good playlist for Yoga though.

Today’s Meditation was about Open Awareness Meditation. He talked about yin and yang and every person has qualities of both and that this each practice contains elements of both while often emphasizing one quality more than the other.

The Attention is yin and Concentration is yang.

Also that we are not our thoughts, we are the thinker of the thoughts. We dont act on every thought and shouldnt believe every thought since we allow negative thoughts as well as positive ones. So mindfulness meditation should help one discern which thoughts support my goals and well-being and which thoughts are destructive and unhealthy and should be discarded.

There were a few questions that he asked in the chapter to answer after mediation: Any particular thoughts or memories? Sensations that surprised you or sound that was unexpected? and How was the experience of today compared to yesterday?

I thought about my dog and my cat but no memories really. I thought I heard all the sounds on my right but the fridge was running and I couldn’t tell till it stopped; thought it was the air conditioner. I felt more distracted today compared to yesterday. Didn’t seem to breathe as well and it felt very short.

----Notes from Meditation-- 09-23-2019 at 7am-740am Meditation time 5 mins, Quarter Lotus, Chin mudra-- Today was difficult to focus. I was supposed to allow myself to bring my awareness to the space around me and I found that I didn’t seem relaxed. I was too focused. I need to have longer than 5 min meditations. My back feels tight today but not painfully so. ------

Thats all for now. I may come back and continue some thoughts later.

#journal entry #day 2part2 #day 3 #meditation #beginner meditation

0 notes

defunctblogtobedeleted · 7 years

Text

9/1/17, 1:04am - Girls, Fertility, Etc

Ok, computer’s tryna brick out on me so that’s a pain in the ass but I really wanted to write about this week before I got too far away from it because it was fucking incredible lol.

That date with Sally that I left off on ended up going absolutely phenomenally. It almost crashed and burned though. Right when I got off work and we were supposed to meet up she stopped responding to me. I thought she pulled the dirtiest flakeout I’ve ever seen when I got around waiting for 45 minutes, but eventually she told me where to meet up with her lol. At her apartment complex I stood out in the lawn, waving at this cat that was on its hind legs staring at me through a glass door. As I’d wave it’d shimmy around. Such a cuuutey. She finally came outside after a bit, and she said she kind of wanted sushi which I was just going to suck up. But as we walked across the parking lot her dog freakkkkked out whining, it was so loud and tragic sounding that we decided to just stay in and get food delivered if we wanted it later. (We didn’t, probably should’ve, I hadn’t eaten all day lol) First I got to know her pets a bit. Her dog was rambunctious as fuck, and her cat was the calmest friendliest cat I’ve seen in a fucking minute. Like snuggling up on my hand licking me to pieces friendly. I fixed her dog’s collar, and she was kind of impressed immediately by how well I got along with both of them. I made us some coke and rum, we sat down and watched the tick and cuddled with her pupper in the dark for a while. After three episodes and three more coke and rums we were both pretty fucking tipsy and started to ignore the show in favor of just talking about shit. We were talking about chinese food (she loved that I’d tried all her favorites at Gourmet Kingdom), and religion and a whole bunch of stuff, tried to restart the show a few times, but got distracted making out instead lmao. We fucked on her couch. We both wanted to smoke one of her cigarettes but she didn’t have a lighter, so she dared me to run naked across her apartment complex parking lot to get one from my car. I popped outside and was immmeeddddiately almost spotted by this family of like 5 or 6 people that walked out at the same time. Hid behind a tree and tweeted about it lmfao. So when I got back we sat outside on the porch, her on my lap, both of us naked smoking cigarettes and chatting about whatever. It was a beautiful fucking night. Then she invited me back to her bedroom and we had sex some more and passed out.

I woke up throwing up with a terrible hangover. Probably should’ve eaten something. She didn’t remember much, but we talked about how she had a good time and we want to see each other again. It’s just hard with my schedule taking up all my weekends. I guess we’ll see.

So Sunday I came back home, ate some wendy’s and nursed my hangover by finishing watching the tick (pretty solid, actually. Definitely enjoyed it). When I felt better I hit up Becky to see if she still wanted to hang out. She said she still wanted to, I went into the bathroom to wash up and found out Sally fucking chomppped my neck, gave me one of the biggest hickeys of my life lmfao.

Hanging out with Becky was awesome, too. We watched the new Death Note movie, and she’s really into horror movies so we watched Children of the Corn since neither of us had seen it. Went down on each other and went out to chipotle lol. While we were eating she told me that she does the same finger gun-point thing I do, and that apparently it’s a stereotypical bi thing. That’s fuckin neat/weird lmao. We went back to my place, watched the first episode of stranger things and then fucked a bunch, cuddled and talked about anime for a long time. Bonus self esteem points for a girl wanting to fuck the shit out of me totally sober lol. I’m supposed to see her again tomorrow before I head out to work. Gonna go to her club meeting where she’s gonna teach me some japanese! Pretty fucking cool. Both of them are awesome. There’s no way this could backfire on me, right?!

lol anyway, Monday I went out to hang out with smith and dan all day. Smoked and played melee for hours. Got bodied in tournament, probably shouldn’t have entered lol it’s too hard to play high. I was like napping under a table. Hung out at smith’s that night playing rivals of aether and smoking, got caught up on Dragonball Super with him, was super cash. But the reason I stayed there was for my fertility test on tuesday! Almost fucking overslept and missed it lmao, but made it there late enough that they’d still see me (called ahead thank god lab appointments aren’t so strict). Got the results just a couple hours later and I’m sterile! Fucking made it, fam. No more pregnancy scares, nothin. So pumped actually lol. Hung out with Karn for a sec before heading back home to gboro. Was going to skip entering the tournament because I felt really off, but did anyway and managed to get fourth. Pretty neat, but missed making some money by thiiiis much lol.

Went out to karaoke and smoked with some people out back again. People fucking love me there, I love greensboro so much. It’s like living in easy mode where everyone just thinks you’re great. Actually for the first time someone hated me instantly it was this fat chick who was making these 4 bear pun jokes and I was reallllly stoned and just didn’t get it so I was like “why? Is it because you’re a bear?” and I snorted and she fucking gives me these Daggers and says “no it’s because my name is Panda, you fucking asshole.” lmao I guess my fat shaming comes out a little too easy.

There was also this suppppper plastered dude there who saw that me and this girl knew all the words to this song that someone was singing (I mean it’s karaoke people pick fucking popular songs), so he claps us both on the shoulders and he was like “HEY. Have you (points to girl) met him?” so we like semiawkwardly shake hands lol. Then he claps his arm around my shoulder and gives me this sly look and says “eh? I’m pretty good, huh?” I about laughed my ass off hahahah. She was fairly cute. Had some acne, but a nice body. I thought she was going to have to hate me bc she was friends with that panda girl (which occurred afterwards) but then when she saw me sing she actually wanted to talk to me a bit. Complimented me a bunch, said I did great. I said I’m glad to hear it because i’m never really sure. And she said “well it doesn’t really take much to please this crowd.” I asked her what she did and she said wait tables, and I say yeah but what about for fun I think. She said Well I hate myself so I’m here most of the time. I Actually laughed my ass off that time. Was just like “same, tbh. Too me for me.” I’ve been getting drunk and saying ‘t.b.h.’ a lot like it’s a better word lmfao. Idk. her name’s mary though. I had hit up my gay queen friend Josh to see what he was up to, and he encouraged me to hit up the bar near my house to hang out with him and his friends. Is like referring to his friends as the queen’s guard and shit it’s all way too tryhard for me. We were gonna go party at someone’s house so he had me pick up a bunch of beer. Instead we went back to his place and had a really long heart to heart and made out for a while. He was a much better kisser than most guys and his lips were nice, but godddd fucking damn do I hate the roughness of dudes’ faces. I warned him a bunch of times that I was just teasing him and that we weren’t going to hook up, but he wanted me to stay and cuddle with him, so I did. He was talking shit saying he could beat me at smash bros, so I had to lmfao. We played a bunch and made out some more and he wanted me to give him a massage or some shit because I had been rubbing his shoulders earlier, but I wasn’t really having it. We ended up hanging out until like 7am so I was just like “alright nah I’ve gotta go to sleep now.” Then in the morning I said I had to go throw up and was going home even though he wanted me to stick around. It was honestly a pretty weird experience, not in that it was awkward that he wanted to hook up with me so bad, but moreso in that a lot of the things he said or did to try to get me to stay or hook up with him were like... literally the exact same kind of moves I had pulled with girls in the past. Like I heard my own words coming out of his mouth and that was very amusing. Like I literally laughed in his face when he was talking about some positive characteristic of my personality. I mean we did have a nice heart to heart about a lot of shit, but He kept saying shit like “i know we had a connection the moment I met you” and shit, and it made me think he was just trying too hard to see shit that wasn’t there. Acting like that other dude who wanted to hook up with me while I was stoned as balls. Maybe all dudes really are pigs? bahahaha. w.e. Actually, nah. Like Josh’s friend Prevo or whatever was actually a super respectable dude, seems like he really cares about his daughter and everything. But at least most are. At least I am lmfao.

I remember I got some great hot dogs from this woman on the curb named cherl. Ball park franks. Delicious. I spent way too much fucking money celebrating my infertility that night hahahaha.

So the next day I took it easy. I really didn’t feel all that great, it wasn’t totally a lie to dip from Josh’s. So I sat around watching hearthstone and shit until I got motivated to watch Becky’s favorite anime. Kyoukai no Kanata (beyond the boundary) had me fucking hooked instantly. Was really good, binge watched it until like 630am. Then slept most of today.

And at work earlier I finally beat that hearthstone challenge thing I was working on the past two weeks too. Fucking luckedddd out it was super satisfying because I was like actually hating it intensely hahaha.

So this week was fucking prime. Always feels cool to be getting up to story worthy shenanigans. Excited to see Becky again tomorrow.

Something something motivational signoff. <3

0 notes

travelinghermit · 7 years

Text

Trek to Choquequirao

Its Saturday morning June 24, 2017. I am sitting in my favorite cafe once again JC’s cafe on my second cappuccino which is probably a bad idea as im still recovering from a cold thats been plaguing me for the past week. I returned to Cusco Thursday night after a long, challenging, yet ultimatley very rewarding trek into the Apurimac mountains to reach the hidden stone city of Choquequirao. Forgive me for not updating sooner but after what was definitely the most challenging trek I have ever done under the influence of a slight cold, once I returned to the city the sickness finally sunk its fangs into me hard and ive been bed ridden ever since. Yet this morning I feel 98% better and enjoying the beautiful Cusco weather once again.

I left Cusco early Tuesday morning around 630am. I locked my small bags at the hotel, leaving only with my large napsack. I had packed everything the night before preparing ham and avocado sandwiches out of an entire loaf, a big bag of cashew and almonds, cookies, slimjims, chocolate, canned tuna, and two 2 litre waters, plus all my gear that was necessary. Looking back now I packed everything to perfection all my food lasted the entire 3 day duration and all my clothing was required for both the chilly mountain mornings and the hot afternoons.

I picked up my moto shortly before 630am at the garage which I had arranged for an early pickup with the lot guy the day before and then I was off on my way 170k East towards the small mountain town of Cochara being the launching point on the Choquequirao trek.

To book a guided tour in Cusco for the trek would have costed me 815 Soles or $250 American. Thats a bit absurd I thought as I began the initial planning for this trip. I knew I could do it on my own ever since the Salkantay trek to Machu Picchu which while on the trail thought there was absolutely no use for a guide except for info on the site itself. I wanted a challenge, I wanted to be out there on my own with nothing but what I had packed on my back to supply myself for 3, 4, maybe 5 days. It didnt matter. Looking toward Machu Picchu I tried so hard envisioning what it was that Hiram Bingham saw that day he discovered that one of a kind site. Trekking weeks in the jungles of Peru to finally discover what was to make him famous. I have said before since Colombia I felt like I was Indiana Jones and a 3 day trek to the top of a mountain where a 500 year old stone city lay was right up my alley. So to hell with spending $250 dollars on a guide. I spent $25 on my food and another $25 on my entrance fee to Choquequirao itself and that was it!! I pocketed my savings and acquired a hell of a lot of pride.

I reached the village of Cochara around 1030am/11. I was lucky to park my bike behind some car at the little tienda market right at the entrance to the trek. I tore off all my warm clothes that served me on the ride over and got on my shorts and tshirt, swung my backpack on my back and was on my way. Instantly the views were breathtaking. Snowcapped mountains to the far right of me and a wide open gorge with a white rapid river flowing inbetween two huge mountains to the left. Little did I know at the time that was exactly where I was heading. The trail itself was easy peasy as there really was only one trail to tread but just as I feared it wasnt the trail I was afraid of it was the terrain and Oh! How treacherous it was! Especially with my pack carrying 2 litres of water. The first half of the trail on the first day was nothing just trekking straight down the mountain. It was hard not to think through that entire time though that I would have to return at some point back up. At around 3pm I reached the bottom of the gorge where a large green bridge lay connecting the two mountains from the river. This was the point where the challenge begun as instantly after crossing this pretty cool bridge the trail headed directly up the second mountain.

I think I broke up my time across the 3 possible campsites perfectly over the course of 3 days. The guided tour does the trek in 4 days while I completed it in 3. Im pretty proud of that yet looking back on that last day which was honestly hell on my legs and body I can only shudder. Yet im here again at my favorite cafe sipping a coffee which was exactly what kept me going so im very happy about that. Yet my legs are still in bits.

I ended the first day at camp Playa Rosalina about ¼ of the way up the second mountain. I set up my tent overlooking the Apurimac mountains and was so exhausted I was asleep by 530pm. I woke up maybe twice very shortly but for the most part I was out of it until 630am the next morning. Day 2 I had my tent and pack all packed up by 730am and was on my way right back scaling the incredibly large mountain straight up again. Three hours of this hell, my pack wearing me down, sliding on the scattered debris of rock along the way. This wasnt fun. At 1030 I reached camp 3 where I thought the hell was over but it had truely just begun. From here the trail lead straight to Choquequirao. I paid the guards my entrance fee and as I was beginning my way towards the site I looked up the mountain and I could barely make out what looked like stone structures on the very top. I sat down on a rock, my clothes covered in sweat, and I seriously said to myself I dont know if I can make it up there. I used all my energy just to get to this point thinking this was where the site was but I had atleast another hour and change to go. Aah this was rhe point I wanted. Not quite a breaking point but the point where you honestly dont know what the outcome will be. The serious that that I might not make it to the ruins ran through my mind. Through this entire journey my ethos is that whatever I am truely seeking, to get to the heart of it, ill only reach it through activity. I truelly believe that through pushing myself to the brink ill find some kind of spiritual truth. I dont know where I got that from or if thats true in anyway but I did push through despite my quivering legs and finally did reach Choquequirao, and what a sight it was to make the journey truelly worth the struggle.

Not as impressive as Machu Picchu but just as awe inspiring. There it was a stone complex impossibly built ontop of this lone mountain and best yet there might have been five other people up there with me for the entire four hours or so I was there. An epic 2 day journey, sleeping in my tent, up hard terrain to reach a forgotten stone city. Yup this is what I do ALL of this for. I just sat up there, eating my sandwiches, roaming the complex, gazing in awe for hours and never did it bore me. Peru is now my favorite country I have ever visited. Hands down. The fact that there is this kind of ruins to visit on top of mountains just isnt real. It cant be. It goes against all reality. Why is a stone city up ontop of a mountain? Why? And how? And I can just visit it all by myself if I so chose to brave the hard terrain? Peru challenges the imagination more than any other country in this world. More than Egypt, more than India, Japan, what have you, Peru is more real than any imagination, thats what makes it the best.

After spending the day in Choquequirao I walked back down to Camp 3 where I set up my tent by a jaw dropping view of the mountains just as the sun was about to set. That night I slept good knowing the next day would be hell. And thats what it was. I was all packed up by 730am and was on my way back down the mountain. Then for the next six hours I put my legs and back through a nightmare. I reached camp 1 at the bottom of the second mountain and about 1/5 up the first by 1030am which far exceeded all expectations so I had no choice but to keep going. It took me till 2pm to get all the way back up that first mountain which the trail just zigzagged straight up. My legs were quivering all the way through but I perceviered. Again I have never done a more challenging trek in my life but the reward of doing it completely solo truelly makes me proud. Ohoh and how cool was it when I strolled back to the initial start of the trek where all the other people were waiting for the bus and I just came through, grabbed my bike, packed up, ate my final can of tuna and then rode on out of there within minutes. Haha! I will never be that cool ever again in my life.

That was my trek and then I raced all 170k back to Cusco that same day and made it to the hotel right as it got dark. I rocked it perfectly I have to say but thats also when my cough and sinuses got real bad. That night I was up til 330am. I took my antibiotics and for all day yesterday I lay in my bed resting. I feel so much better now. I plan on staying the week in Cusco to get back to 100% and get myself truelly ready for the second phase of the journey as I head for Bolivia. Expect spontaneous posts until then because im just gonna be chilling.

0 notes

mclovinnnnnn · 7 years

Text

May 29, 2017

May for me is always a rollercoaster of emotions month. Really great and really bad things always happen to me during the month of may. Mother’s Day is always in may as well so I have a huge weight on my chest watching everyone celebrate their moms while I kind of just sit away in the corner. Anyways, as many mays before this one, it was one hell of a roller coaster.

Let’s start from the beginning of the first may I’ve remember. I was in middle school, super excited about ending my first year. The vibes were rad, I remember loving my life, my friends, my year was awesome. I got my first ever boyfriend in may. May 21st, 2006 to be exact. He was awesome and I liked him a lot. We grew up to be good friends and now ya know, there’s a hi or bye every now and then.

Fast forward a few years and my very first, extremely committed relationship of somewhat 2 years is funny enough, the exact same date as my first boyfriend. May 21, 2015. Crazy lol so as we all know, may is an unforgettable month for myself. I’ve met and lost a lost of great people.

My most recent event of may is this silly little guy I fully met last week. Let my crazy ass go into full detail about this event in my life that I still can’t fully believe or begin to comprehend to whether or not it’s still true.

So let’s rewind back a couple months ago. I know every single person that walks through the doors of Starbucks. I’ve had the same customer base for the last 3 years I have been working there. There are always new faces and I always get to know who they are. This random union worker that I’ve never seen before comes in and it catches my eye, obviously. New faces, especially at work, is always enlightening to see. Also, I’ve been hitting on the same guys forever and if I haven’t gotten it in with them, then move on to the next, right? So this cute little guy comes in and I find him to be so cute and attractive. He orders a double espresso and I call out his drink. He comes by to pick it up and doesn’t even acknowledge me and barely says thank you. Red flag. I move on from even thinking about making moves with that one.

Fast forward a couple months and it’s may. He’s been a regular in my store, every morning, same time, everyday. When it gets to that point, you’re fully aware of who they are, how they like to be talked to, treated, all that good stuff. Working in customer service serving the same people every single day, you kind of mold yourself to how the person is. You basically treat them the way they want to be treated. Odd enough, it’s actually true. For him, I’ve become flirty as fuck because that’s how he likes to be treated. Construction workers love when baristas are just sweet little angels towards them. It’s just how the game is and they are always flirting back (I gotta get my tip money up, don’t judge me. It’s all part of the game)

A couple of weeks ago, I’ve slowly just have become more attracted to this guy, like I’m in love with the cold shoulder and he has this cute little smile and slicked back hair. So my flirtatious attitude is real. At first it was my customer service skills, but now I’m showing some real emotions towards him. My coworkers all know I have a crush on him and everyone sees me blush when I’m around him or when he even just comes into the store. He sits in this perfect corner of my store where it overlooks its entirety. I’ve caught him plenty of times staring in my direction and have even made complete and awkward eye contact with one another. That’s obviously game over for me and I’m in full “hey, I’m gonna try my hardest to get this guy” mode.

So I work two kinds of shifts at work, barista or shift. Last Monday, and most Monday’s I work a barista shift, where I get to play around and be a barista and not responsible for whether or not the store is on fire. I hardly ever get to make drinks and my shift in charge usually puts me there on my barista days, which is really cool because I really get to interact with the customers there. So as I’m there slaying drinks and what not, look who comes through the door and decides to switch up his old sitting spot. At this point into the story, I should probably tell you his name. So joesph comes in, grabs a coffee, and sits at the bar seating. Bar seating overlooks how the entire front of house staff is working. He sits and hangs out with me while I work and we talk about our weekend and what not. It’s a pretty awesome start to my Monday if I do say so myself. He leaves to hang out in his usual spot with his coworkers and we’re just back and forth flirting until literally every one of my coworkers and his coworkers literally can cut our tension with a knife. I typically take my lunches at 730 and he typically leaves for work at 750. Don’t ask me how I know, I just know my customers and their normal routines, can’t say that I can’t read these people like the back of my hand. I totally can. I’m sitting on the bar area on my break, more so to be near this guy I have a huge crush on. I’ve already talked to everyone at work about how I like him so everyone is fully aware. He’s on his way out for work and he just screams back at me “bye Karen! Have a great day at work!” MY FUCKING HEART. I LOVE LITTLE TINY CUTE DETAILS SO IM OVER HERE BEING FUELED BY LITTLE BUTTERFLIES hahahaha don’t forget, I am a child.

Disclaimer: I can’t remember much of these events but I was definitely live tweeting everything because I have been in so much awe so I’m basing it off my live tweets haha

So Tuesday rolls around, I’m definitely excited to talk to this boy again. I take my lunch around 630am (barista life) and he typically gets in around the same time so we’re both kind of just hanging around at the same time. I take my lunch, put my hair down (obviously) and go sit at my typical bar area. From what he told me, he took that as the first move he needed to make. He came up to my coworker and asked if he could get a refill of coffee and I jokingly said “no” and he smiled and sat down next to me as he waited for his coffee. We talked about your typical like first talk topics. Not really getting to know each other but talking about surroundings and what you see in that moment. He told me I looked good that day and I had a cool jacket on. He put his hand on my shoulder to “feel the jacket” haha so my typical routine consists of the same thing everyday. I usually smoke a cigarette ten minutes into my lunch and I told him I was heading out for a smoke. He asked if he could join me and I told him of course he could. He was obviously nervous and didn’t know whether or not he should hold the door open for me or let me walk ahead of him. He let me walk ahead of him and tried to hold the door open from behind haha nervous little kid he is. We had your typical first smoke conversation. How long have you been smoking? I’m trying to quit. All that good stuff. After our smoke break, we get back inside and he sits with me back on bar. I told him I had a few minutes to get back to work and he asked me what time I got off work. I told him noon and he told me that’s when he has his lunch and he asked me out for a lunch date. I told him I’d try to make it work, mainly because I actually got off at 1230 and not 12 haha he said he should probably take down my number and that’s how that boy has won my heart lol I was in awe all day. I ran to the back after my lunch and just screamed from how happy I was? I’ve had a crush on him for a while but I never really thought he liked me enough. It was an amazing feeling and I’ve never had a guy that I met in person and not from like tinder or some shit, ever ask me out. It was really something else.

So of course, I tell everyone. My best friend works across the street and I texted her and she comes darting into the store like 20 minutes later lol it was a whole ordeal. I got literally everything I needed to do done before noon so that I could go on this date. Once it hit noon, my best friend literally tried to run to Starbucks to make it before joe which, she didn’t lol. He waited for me to get off work and she interrogated him of course. Typical Christina. I get off work and we get lunch. It was nice. I liked spending time with him for the most part. He could be too much sometimes but that opens up my shy bubble so I’m not complaining. Christina mentioned that she was going to the bar after work and inviting us along so we were on for another date. 3 dates in one day fuck I don’t know how I’m still surviving and how my heart hasn’t exploded yet. We meet up for our third date and he tried to teach my how to play pool and it’s all bad because I can’t hold a pool stick to save my life lol the 3 of us got to know each other a bit, of course, he’s also dating Christina if he’s dating me. He kept mentioning how pretty and beautiful and how much he liked me. Like it was so cute. He made my heart flutter all mother fucking day.

After that ordeal, I spent most of my night at his house. We watched movies and got to know each other a little more. I literally had an amazing time with him and I still couldn’t believe that he asked me out.

We’ve been hanging out and seeing each other pretty much every day since then. He’s taken me out on dates, he brought me to the beach and paraded me around in front of a bunch of people. Like it was amazing. My favorite thing ever is when someone refers to me as “their girl” because they just makes me feel like I’m wanted. I’ve met his parents already, not sure if that means anything in this time and age, but they seem to like me so far even if I’m not 100% sure if we’re truly a thing.

He’s slept over my house, we’ve spent countless of hours together, I think so far we’re doing pretty good. I don’t wanna rush things and get bored of him easily cuz one day we did spend 26 hours straight together and it was a bit much but you know, were both still around and we’re both still keeping up with each other haha let’s see how far I can take this one though. I’ve had an amazing week with him and I have pretty good vibes about him so I’m hoping we can make things work. I’ve been so happy though. Like extremely happy. I still can’t believe that this is how my love life is going. It awesome

#365 #relationships #joe #personal

0 notes