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tsams-and-co-memes · 2 months

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LAES Lunar Canon Info

Updated - 5/9/24

Lunar's likes:

Sour skittles, Smarty’s, and chewy chips ahoy

Beanbags

Things that glow in the dark

Metal music, as long as it’s still intelligible

Peaches and bananas

Comic books

Spider lily flowers

Space and astrology related things

Making an entrance

Spigot

Uncrustables

Kingdom Hearts

Anything sugary

Chainsaw Man

Sushi

Making himself smaller for other people

Coffee (it's implied that he rarely, if ever, gets it though)

Tekken 8

Penguins

Friday Night Funkin

Bowser

Lunar's dislikes:

The ocean

Putting ice in his drinks

The color red

History. In his words, history sucks and is like the worst subject in school

The color yellow

Football

Eclipse

Bloodmoon

The creator

Jack (subject to change)

Miscellaneous:

If Lunar gets too scared, he WILL cry

Unlike his brothers, he can eat food

When he is upset, anxious, tense, or getting scared, he makes a high pitched squeak sound that’s almost the equivalent of a whimper, but it sounds like a creaky door

His voice box has a concert hall sort of effect, in which a lot of reverb is added to whatever he says. There’s also another special function that lets him sound like he’s talking on an old radio station

He’s very sassy

He was originally made of nanomachines, before he was blown up by Eclipse

His birthday is August 11th

If he could have a pet, it’d be a chinchilla

He prefers showers over baths

He likes to act more childlike, although he himself is actually an adult

He has a habit of saying things that are very out of pocket

Lunar is slightly colorblind

He has weather based powers– namely wind and lightning

One of Lunar’s favorite games is Bloons TD6

His memory isn’t very good

Lunar doesn't wake up immediately and is groggy for a bit in the morning. He also screams every morning to help himself wake up more. His "wake up scream" also helps motivate him, too

It's implied that he watches Phineas and Ferb

He cleans himself via taking a sponge and scrubbing the metal parts of himself

Monty did design Lunar with the capability to change his clothes

Lunar's a sleep talker

Lunar can't read cursive, while Earth can

Lunar gets into a lot of trouble with small animals

When Lunar gets angry enough, he sounds more like Moon

Lunar can control wind, lightning, and heat (weather in general)

He's good at math

He occasionally eavesdrops on Earth’s therapy sessions with people if he finds the person attending interesting at all

Lunar doesn't know how to read Morse code

Lunar's comfort food is chips, and he eats them when stressed

When Lunar had a tail, his tail apparently was sensitive

Lunar's not good at rhythm games

Lunar has a stomach hatch that opens sideways like a cabinet door

Lunar sometimes makes the kids dance in the daycare. He even dances with them

Lunar thinks Bowser "can get it"

Lunar could eat an entire crate of Nutella in 3 days, and his body would convert it into star power

#laes #tlaes #the lunar and earth show #tlaes lunar #lunar and earth show lunar #lunar and earth show #laes lunar #canon info

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pheemuru · 5 months

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I want to get a little personal for a sec

Below the cut I'm going to talk about my struggle with art, energy, time management, and trying to be an artist in the current social media climate while having a full time job in an unrelated field

In august 2023, i moved out of my parents home for the first time--I moved out of state and got a full time job. this is a good thing and a super positive life event for me! I'm now living with my partner of nearly 7 years and my best friend of 5.

However my relationship with art since before I even moved out... has been really rocky. My job now occupies my time for 6 hours a day 5 days a week. I work from 6:45 am - 10 am (im including travel time here because its still my time thats occupied by work...) and then I have a break until 2 pm. Then I work 2 - 6 pm, and depending on where I'm working at, I get home anywhere from 6-7 pm. I go to bed at 11 pm (This is a very big struggle mentally for me since my jobs schedule is very much opposite of how my body functions. I'm a night owl and not at all an early bird.) This is my monday thru friday.

By the time the weekend comes, I have other household chores to keep up with before I feel like I'm "allowed" to waste my time basically. I also use my time just... recovering for the next week. Every night I get home from work I take a couple edibles to wind down and relax, which is possibly the best part of my day when I finally get to turn my brain off from having to mask and wrangle 30 something kids throughout the day. (daycare aide moment)

How this relates to my art is that I really have zero drive to do any kind of art. I have no ideas. I see stuff online and think "wow I want to do that, I wish I thought of it". Creativity doesn't come naturally to me if it isn't the result of a college assignment or a commission. I struggle a LOT with concepting and sketching. I genuinely don't know how to doodle anymore either

In 2024 I want to focus a lot more on what's going to make me feel satisfied in a career, and so far the only option I have for that is making art my full time gig. However, anyone that is trying that or has tried that knows how difficult that is and how unrealistic it is to just be able to do that with no build up.

Here's where my struggle comes in; I have no fucking energy for anything anymore. I got diagnosed with adhd and autism last year, or just about last year. My job is insanely socially heavy (I'm around 30+ kids and have to manage them) so by the time that I get home, I just want to get stoned and watch movies. I don't want to create. I don't want to do anything. not even shit i like to do.

drawing has become so fucking hard for me. it takes me so goddamn long to finish a piece, I get overwhelmed by current trends, and it doesnt help that the fact of the matter is, social media has moved onto video formats. This means I will have to keep up with video trends to get any kind of eyes on my work. But how do you keep up with video trends when you don't even have any art to show to begin with, nonetheless ones that fit with the theme of the trends going around?

So now I need to make supplementary/filler recordings to fill out content if I want to be serious about my social media presence. On top of the fact I actually have to create art. On top of the fact that there's dishes in my sink every day and laundry that has to be done every week and groceries that have to be shopped for and a job that has to be attended to five days a week. I know 30 hours a week truly is not as much as others work to be full time but my god is it exhausting? All this shit on top of itself makes me feel like I regret moving out a little bit. Overall I don't, because I don't have to live with my parents and I can relax around my partner, but like. oh my god?

literally how does anyone live like this and not want to kill themselves. I had to get a zoloft script because i kept having mental breakdowns every sunday because I have to go back to fucking work and I never feel like I have enough time to do anything meaningful. by the time my brain is like, "ready" to work, its 9 pm and i have to get ready for bed in 2 hours.

I've contemplated getting my masters in teaching to be an art teacher, but I really wouldn't.. want to do that for the rest of my life? you don't really get days off if you need it, youre obligated to work outside of work hours just to get anything done, parents right now kind of suck, school admins also suck, curriculums are cutting art programs, and kids are also becoming so much more disengaged with art at younger ages.

with the state of everything I find it really hard not to just spiral into a depressive episode. I don't know what my future holds. Sure, I have my parents as a safety net now, but theyre approaching their 70s and arent going to be around for the majority of the rest of my life. what happens then? what happens when theyre gone and i have literally no other support beyond the little life i made for myself right now? i already feel like im not allowed to prioritize myself at the moment given my position in the household (full time consistent job that pays somewhat decent ((Decent being $16.75/hour lol)) for the area im in, im the one that can drive, im the one with the largest paycheck and most consistent hours). I can't really get days off at work if I wake up having a panic attack or even physical sickness. I'm supposed to just deal with it and clock in because we dont have enough people to cover last minute like that. And I'm someone with (honestly) debilitating stomach issues. I had to have an upper endoscopy and tests done which only yield so much if you don't follow up with an allergist, which I still have yet to do...

Currently I'm supposed to set up appointments for my dentist, an allergist, a cardiologist, and I need to contact my psych because my pharmacy told me my zoloft cant be refilled (second month on it btw lol).

so like. when the fuck am i supposed to have any kind of every to dedicate to a second part time job, my own fucking art business? the thing i want to be the most passionate about, i have no energy left for. I feel so wildly unsatisfied in my life right now because of this. I'm struggling. I'm struggling a lot and I wish i didn't have to work at all. I wish I could just have my art be my full time thing, but I dont have the audience nor the social media prowess to make that happen so quickly.

I'm tired. I'm fucking tired. everyone keeps saying "take care of yourself" or "self care" but jesus christ how am i supposed to when i cant even just work 4 days a week consistently because for whatever reason I'm the only person at my job that can do what i do? how am i supposed to practice self care when that self care would mean i quit my fucking job lol. i'm at such a loss and i feel like im just letting the time pass by like grains of sand in an hourglass. being torn between wanting to die and wanting to push through is a fucking insane feeling. all we do in life is struggle until we die and I'm finding it harder and harder to get over that kind of mental hurdle. every time i drive i have to fight the genuine intrusive thoughts of yanking the steering wheel to put myself in a ditch with my car just to give myself a couple weeks of a break.

I'm tired. And there's nothing i can do about it. how long can one weather a storm before getting lost at sea

#vent post #anyone else. anyone else at all #burnout #like i dont even know how to job hunt anymore #everything on linkedin is either shitty or not real #same with indeed #how does anyone find a work from home job like seriously #all i want is some stupid wfh job #i want a job behind the scenes. i dont want to talk to people all day #i have zero applicable skills for any modern job

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aidendh · 6 months

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RAU! Amelia/Adrik Harris

2 years after the Persona Arc, Adrik and his brothers would spend another year in Japan

This gets them involved in Bungou Stray Dogs

Adrik decides to lay low and slowly infiltrate the Decay of Angles

Despite this, Adrik is simply monitoring the show, not planning to help any side

During the Dragon's Breath Incident he and Abel do their own little get together, being one with their Abilities after all

Unfortunately, Akira believes he's the one doing Fyodor's acts

Adrik asked Suke to make his Dead Apple outfit, he also made him a kimono

The skirt is detachable and has Fyodor's jacket design, the cape with the kimono is just Adrik's emotional support blanket

Adrik Harris (19)

An Incarnate who dreams of opening a Café someday

Ability: Crime and Punishment

Diagnosed with Schizophrenia

Death: Killed by K!Mori

Adrik Harris (Dead Apple/Formal)(19)

An Incarnate who dreams of opening a Café someday

Ability: Crime and Punishment

Diagnosed with Schizophrenia

Death: Killed by K!Mori

-:Miraculous:-

Redesigned his Mouse Miraculous outfit

Krysa is rat in Russian

Prefers to ride upon his teammates, guiding them through his plans

His clones can be easily described as a daycare

Claimed He/They despite the dress, he just likes the swoosh swoosh

Often trips up opponents and is quite unhinged, even trying to strangle them with his jump-rope

Krysa

A Temporary Strategist who's clones act like a daycare

Power: Multitude* Shrinks him into multiple clones

Miraculous: Coin Pendant (bow)

If given the Butterfly Miraculous, he'd respect Nooroo's wishes to only use it for good and spoil the h*ll out of him

He names himself Babochka, Butterfly in Russian

His brother Suke loves saying 'Baboshka' to wind Adrik up and because he finds it fun to say

Adrik hadn't realized how much he missed Nooroo until he ended up crying with him

Babochka

A Miraculous Vigilante who takes good care of Nooroo

Power: Metamorphosis* Gives his target superpowers

Miraculous: Brooch (under shirt)

At the age of 18, Adrik and his siblings are moved out of their Mother's and given to the Twins' Father

Though when he's 19, Suke moves out and back to Lingfield

Adrik spends a week each month over at his Twin's place until he eventually moves in with him in August

He also has another outfit he sometimes wears

He starts wearing this hair style when out

Adrik Harris (19)

An Incarnate who dreams of opening a Café someday

Ability: Crime and Punishment

Diagnosed with Schizophrenia

Death: Killed by K!Mori

Adrik uses a White Messenger bag, whereas his

Brother uses a Black one

#aiden's aus #oc #rau #adrik harris #bungou stray dogs #ml #miraculous ladybug #mouse miraculous #butterfly miraculous #krysa #babochka

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momi1816 · 2 years

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pt.13:

in the posts of being broken hopefully this is the last one. first of all thank you for reading.

so about 2 years ago I had met my ex Kyler. (yes I'm putting his name because that douche does not deserve respect or privacy). but we met may 2020 on a dating app. right when everything was basically shut down but not. we hit it off so great right off the bat. called each other basically right when we matched. his profile showed he had a alt look, lots of tattoo, said he was a dad and a tattoo artist. immediately intrigued. but we had talked and decided to meet right away so meeting up with him everything just felt so comfortable and easy. ill admit we moved fast but everything just felt right. I knew his past, he knew mine and still didn't judge each other. I had an incident where one of my aunt's friends boyfriends was in relapse and tried moving my hand to a certain place. forcefully grabbing my hand. when telling Kyler it was an immediate reaction of protection so that just sealed the deed in a way. I wasn't until a couple months in dating and living together and playing house things switched. but I didn't see the flags at that point. there was a lot of instances of him driving my van and being out late at night. didn't think anything of it because of being head over heels. and then days he would drop me off at work or surprise me at work with different gifts. so I was tickled pink. he'd drive up and id have "that's him" written all over my face and expressed in my body language. but also him telling me he was a tattoo artist and said he was going to use my daughters iPad for work and buy her the newest and bigger one. yeah never happened. don't come for me.

things didn't start coming in clear till about august 2020. we had what was called a derecho, basically a land hurricane. I live in Iowa you can look it up, but I believe the winds got as high as 140mph. it was very pretty and cool to watch while in the salon. he was at home. I had a client in my chair and the electricity started to flicker. the midwest in me was like "ooooo do it again!". as well as I wanted to be at the front doors to watch if not go outside to play in the rain. but I had just finished the clipper part of the guys haircut and boom. electricity was gone. so him basically with a bowl cut, I used the pop socket of my phone with the flashlight on to finish the cut. and so it was done. the storm went on for about 45 mins. cars were being lifted up in the parking lot. people drove up closer to the building to seek shelter. you couldn't but see 6-8 ft out in front of you. it was nuts but beautiful. I called him to see how he was including the animals. he said our home was rocking and he didn't feel safe so he was going to drive to me. which my home to the salon is like 10 mins but the storm wasn't slowing down. there was a moment I opened the door to see everything. again midwest in me. the door flung open so hard I'm surprised in stayed on the hinges including the glass didn't break. all of us pulled the door shut and just watched. and not long I could see in coming. he parked like a complete dick. using 3 spots parking slanted. he got out the passenger door and explained he caused a dent in the driver door. my OCD was going nuts. so I ran out and fixed the parking as well as showed him I could get the driver door open. he then told me the story of how the giant dent happened which is not all that important. but going home like I said was pretty much a 10 mins drive. going to go get my daughter from daycare and going home took about 2 hours. the whole city and nearby cities lost power. power lines were down and broken. half of our tree population is gone. it was divesting and they city was about to go nuts. getting home Kyler had came to me telling me a tree had fell on his mom's house and he needed to go help so of course I told him to go. he got picked up somewhere I just remember him walking down the street. my place had no power for 5 days. some of the city was out for 2 weeks. but all my friends had came to my house because I was the only one with a gas stove so that entire week I fed everyone. we ate my fridge and their own. it was a fun time.

on day 5, my friends boyfriend and I were on the porch just talking about our relationships. I don't remember where she was but Kyler had walked up and I was so happy to see him. he had came to me with a proposition. he said one of his buddies had a generator and he seemed excited so then we could have power. the only thing was the guy wanted to do a trade for a TV supposedly. *** this relationship mad me very blind and I was groomed to follow orders and if I didn't I was the bad guy. he was a domestic abuser narcissistic douche who was also an addict on a cocktail of pills*** I had a tv in the living room which we were rarely in, so I had agreed and not even minute later the power turned on. and I guarantee that was a sign to be like nope back out, but I didn't listen and gave him the TV. I shouldn't have but I did no changing it. as time went on, he still didn't come back. he was very distant but I tried keeping my mind clear and happy. not over thinking until it was September and telling one of my coworkers the situation and she gave me the "oh hunny look" and of course I made excuses so she went on his Facebook and he was in a relationship... this one just one instance of him leaving and making a whole new life. he came back and asked to come home a month later he's done that every time. lying about the reason of leaving and it was another girl.

in October , him being back at my house, just friends. he was talking to another girl. I was hurt but didn't show it. I tried moving on. and one night I worked near where the girl lived and I had asked him if he needed a ride back to the house to get clothes since I was over there and he said no that he'd come soon. and he did. he grabbed clothes gave me a hug goodbye. grabbed his 1/2oz of weed and left. not but a 30 mins later he called saying they got pulled over and of course his dumbass put the weed in the same compartment as the registration and insurance info. and he had a warrant for his arrest. I never knew about that. apparently he left the halfway house a month early. but the phone call was just a lot of apologies and I love you. very much a call to get me wrapped around again and it worked. when I'm with someone I am very much a ride or die and will go to the ends of this god forsaken planet to make sure my man is happy. and him being in jail especially during covid I tried my best to do what I could. I called every bondsman to see about getting him out. I contact news stations on how the jail were not taking precautions or anything. I picked up hours so I could make more in tips so any cash tips I would go down to the jail to put them on his commissary. I was making sure he was definitely doing and eating good while in there. on days I could, three times, my daughter and I went around the building to whatever block he was on so he could see us just so it would make his day. I wrote a letter everyday so he had something to read and printed out pictures for him also. calling the prison he could have possibly went to get the status and calling his appointed lawyer. again, putting him on a pedestal. but he was in there until January. and he had purposed while being in there also.

but I'm just gonna sum up so there's not so much. he completely broke me and there were so many flags its unreal how long I stayed around. putting him on phone plans, buying phones apple watches shoes outfits anything and everything while finding out repeatedly other girls, more drugs, cheating, lying and so much distrust. money just given or taken without asking. opening and closing bank accounts. damage to my home, my car and my heart. until April 2021 I moved on to a new guy. great guy, fantastic even. Kyler had found out and he vowed to ruin any relationship I got into and so far he's made that happen. so breaking it off with the guy. because he had asked me to wait for him till he was ready and again still under his spell. then one day a girl showed up to my house asking where he was and I told her the truth. I told her who I was. the cat was entirely out of the bag and she was ready to fight him. he never came home that night till 4am. to which she had gone home. but he came home, now he's not a touchy person unless he did something wrong or wants something. and that morning he crawled in bed. spooning me very close, nestling his head in my neck. saying I love u and miss u. and all I said was Alyssa was very pretty and he asked who Alyssa was and all I said was anamosa.

he got out of that bed so quickly to call her and he was screaming calling me an obsessive ex and psycho and not to believe a word I said. I was tired of hearing it so I went out to confront him. not sure who hung on who but coming out he said I needed to fix it. I said no. to which he kicked a hole in the island and hit the lamp on the island so hard unfortunately i was in the line of fire. he did get in my face before going to the room withholding my car keys. I still have the recordings of that day just to be safe... but to speed forward. that day because of the situation I lost my job =, my car broke down and I became a broken purse even bigger than when I was 15 dealing with everything. not long after that day he went back with Alyssa and I didn't hear from him until July. again him coming back and with that my son was made...

I tried to include him, telling him everything when times were everything and he only went to the very last appointment. in January we tried to be together for about 2 weeks and with the love triangle we were in he had to go back to her because she was threatening her life and so taking him there we got in a bad tone car crash. guy ran a red light hitting his and my daughters side of the car spinning my car into another car. he got out of the car due to him being a felon with a gun and he had perks on him. when calling to check to see if he was okay, he did not ask how I was ,our son, or my daughter. all he asked is why I did that. blaming me for the crash... that along with other points should have been my final straw.... but coming to the last two weeks of the pregnancy, trying again, things see to rekindle he had repurposed and I told him not right now due to our past. but the day my waterbroke he wouldn't wake up until hitting his back to wake him up for us to go. he was rarely at the hospital. was not there for birth he was too worried about who knows what. he used my debit card and ebt card while being laid up. he brought I assume Alyssa into my house. I have a video doorbell. and telling him I know and him just calling me a psycho bitch for everything and it getting to the point my nurse heard our phone argument telling the day nurse what happened and making excuses to make sure he wouldn't physically hurt me. after that day he went ghost again till 6 weeks after birth to do a "checkup" which basically was to see if I had money. and since the hospital he has met my son 3 times.. I told him the last time hearing from him that I was not going to have an in and out father and haven't heard from him sense....

to contine on with my mom, because of Kyler, my mom wanted to put a conservationship over me, call DHS on me, degrades me still, wanted to get a rape kit done and to this day throws in my face how stupid I was when she will never get it. everything Is a competition to her. she will bring up her dad and be like "well least your dad didn't hit you" or with the Kyler situation tell me her relationship with my dad was a domestic violence relationship and that she gets it. she doesn't if she did she would judge so harshly. I have been in therapy a year now and its helped a little. finding new people through social media has helped. getting back into my art has also helped. and now this... so thank you for reading my story... all I ask is that please understand who I am and how I work but do not let this change your thinking of me. that girl 13 on to 6 months ago is dead and I'm in my villain stage... I'm back... from the dead my original self and boy it is freeing... far as with my mom once I pay off my place to her I will have the option to cut her out if need to be so she can stop throwing in my face that shell evict me just because she didn't get her way that day..

thank you for being here for my ted talk...

xoxo

momi <3

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hajimariwaquartet · 3 years

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August HCs!!

since it's his month, here's some hcs i have of him bc he's my fav month man!! (bc he's not dead and he's just in hiding and

August has the gaudiest fashion sense out of Gekka. If he's not wearing his usual work outfit or a disguise, he'll be wearing clothes that are so mismatched. He also has a collection of patterned shirts that makes him look like a dad. Chikage and Hisoka got him a "government agents want me, fish fear me" shirt as a joke, and August began wearing it around the hideout unironically (July raised an eyebrow at his shirt but didn't say anything else).

He hates being called dad by Chikage and Hisoka since they barely have a 5 year gap (or even less, who knows). But when they were younger and the two were attached to his hip, they'd call him big brother. In the present time, they only call him dad to annoy him.

If he wasn't in the organization, he'd probably be a pharmacist or a teacher! In an AU where he survives, I love to think that he works together with Sakuya at Veludo Daycare! Other than framing himself as an innocent person, I also like to think that he's friends with Sakuya because he can get info about Chikage and Hisoka from him (and Sakuya reminds him of the two when they were younger).

Insomaniac. He's as worse as Chikage sometimes, but he actually remembers that being a secret agent doesn't grant you immunity from basic human needs. August takes care of himself for Chikage and Hisoka. He's also wrestled Chikage into bed more than Hisoka can count.

His inability to cook is affected by his expertise in chemistry. He forgets that chemistry =/= cooking so it isn't uncommon to hear him muttering formulas while cooking. He tried making (read: experimenting) marshmallows and Hisoka wouldn't even dare touch them.

August adores music, but he can't sing at all. Yes, he can imitate a voice, but singing is out of his range.

His favorite genre of books are fantasy and fairytales. Though he knows its impossible to get out of the Organization safely, he has wishful thinking and loves imagining him and his family as normal people. He also loves reading myths and other things that Chikage and July may deem useless for an agent. He also believes in reincarnation.

Despite his awful sense of fashion, he does know how to put together a good disguise, complete with accessories and a story, and regardless of gender.

He used to have long hair that he usually ties back, but after a mission, he began getting regular haircuts (courtesy of Chikage).

August is the only one who knows July's true name.

He thinks of himself as a monster and an awful person sometimes, and it's up to Chikage and Hisoka to remind him that he's not. They're also aware that he has nightmares (August refuses to let them know) and they'll try to do what they can to cheer up August if he's feeling down.

When August caught wind of July's plan, he began compiling all their pictures together (since he had no plan of letting Chikage and Hisoka know about it). Chikage finds the album later.

#a3!#a3! actor training game #a3! act! addict! actors!#a3! august #a3! chikage #a3! hisoka #chikage utsuki #a3! headcanons #gekkagumi #gekkabros

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myeternalsin · 4 years

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PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT!

Hello everyone! 2020… WOW. Can I just say that it has been a complete and utter rollercoaster! IT’S BEEN AWFUL! I am making this post to explain multiple things about myself, my stories, my accounts, etc, so grab a cup of your favorite drink and finger snacks because this is gonna be one long a*$ post! (Excuse my French, but considering everything I’m about to explain I felt like I needed to write that!)

First off, 2020. I believe everyone thought that 2020 was going to be their year. Everyone had their hopes and spirits high to the skies. I was one of those many people. I celebrated New Years Eve with my boyfriend of 3 and a half years and thought this year would be perfect. Valentines day on a Friday, my 21st birthday on Easter, 4th of July on a Saturday, etc. COVID-19 happened. I live in Cedar Rapids Iowa where honestly, my governor had and still has done sh*t about COVID-19.

Around the end of March I was hit with some very hard information.

The daycare I worked at, 8-5, as a full time job during the week of spring break had it’s numbers DROP. I went from a class of 12 children to a minimum of 4 a day to a maximum of 7 children. I was even given Wednesday off along with my teacher assistant as we were TOO overstaffed at the center. Usually when I leave work at 5 o'clock, there’s about 20 to 25 children left by the end of the day since we close at 6. I should have known that Monday that the week was going to get worse. There were only 6 CHILDREN at the center when I left EARLY at 4:30. The next day I came home at 10 since we were overstaffed again, and was called at noon that our daycare was shut down. I’m laid off. Start filing for unemployment.

I was completely HEARTBROKEN. I was truly hoping to stay open, not for the pay or to “get the virus so I can stay home” as some of my co workers joked-but to stay open for the CHILDREN. I was praying that they could get through this and that this whole COVID-19 would blow ALLLLLLLLLLLLLL over soon… boy, was I WRONG!

I celebrated my 21st birthday at the apartment with my boyfriend instead of bar hopping since everything was shut down. I was completely and utterly BOARD. I had no clue what to do with myself! During this time, my boyfriend was also stuck in the apartment instead of at the office. While we were at the apartment, there was this trend on TikTok called the “towel drop challenge”. I was honestly thinking that since were both cooped up in this tiny apartment that was could, ya know, get it on~

Three and a half years. I was with this boy for three and a half years without ever losing my V-card! I mean, we’d tried on multiple occasions but I just never got my cherry popped. I was told by my mom that any boy would have taken my virginity by now and not waited this long. I even asked him a year after we were together if he was possibly gay or asexual. Which wouldn't have been a problem AT ALL! I have no hate against him however he identified sexually, I just wished that he would have told me or he would have done something about it.

That fateful day, I let him know that I wanted his time and attention. He could have walked away from his computer. There were times where he’d either be on his phone with his head down while “working”, or he’d come out into the living room to play a video game for half an hour while still “logged in and working”. I was hoping to just get ten minutes of his time. I was lying in my bed, naked and waiting for him. I know he saw me too, yet he didn’t do anything. It was the end of his work work shift, and I was waiting with anticipation for him to just POUNCE on me.

He gave me a kiss on the forehead and said, “I’m going downstairs to do laundry.”

My whole entire being shattered. I was completely DEVASTATED. I always asked myself after every time we tried having sex if something was wrong with me. Was I not pretty enough? Is it because I got bigger throughout the years we were together? Was it because I was inexperienced? Was I performing wrong on him when we would do stuff? I was pretty sure I was attracted to him both physically and personality wise. So what was wrong?

I got so upset and started screaming and yelling at him while crying everything out about not only what he just did, but about everything. In the end, I just collapsed on the bed and said “I want to go home.” I was like a broken record, uttering that saying over and over again.

So, I moved out. I am still living with my parents, and honestly it was rough and still is. I became so depressed. This boy was my best and sadly only friend I ever had. I had pushed away all of the friends I used to have because of him. I tried contacting some old friends, but they had all moved on with their lives. Everyone’s getting married, engaged, having kids, having pets, graduating college. I had nothing, or at least it felt like it at the time.

No friends, no boyfriend, moved in with my parents, and no job.

That’s right. The owner of the daycare never hired me back on, along with six other staff members. Around the beginning of July, I was wondering why I hadn’t been contacted to come back to work. I was willing to travel even though I didn’t live in that city anymore because of the breakup. I was notified by a coworker that they were back to work already a month ago and she was wondering where I was! I called the daycare and never went through to anyone about why I wasn't back.

I felt so useless. A failure. Disappointment. I wanted to not exist.

I knew that I shouldn’t have had these thoughts, and it scared the shit out of me that my mind was not only thinking it-but the feeling and urge to actually follow through with it.

So, I contacted my doctor. Got some antidepressants, and am trying to get a therapist at the moment. My doctors building with their therapist are practically booked with everything going on. It’ll still be a little bit before I can talk to someone. I was told by my doctor to try to find something to do that peaks my interest. I thought of my work and you guys. I’m proud of the writing I have and can’t believe I left you guys hanging, both on request and stories. I found something I could do to lift my spirits up yet again!...

PHSYIC!

August 10th 2020, I woke up at 10 in the morning. I made a hearty breakfast and an iced coffee for the first time in FOREVER! I was pumping myself up to get on here and to start writing again! After I was done eating, the city sirens went off.

“Is there a tornado?” I asked my parents. They themselves didn’t know either because both cable and the electricity went out as soon as I asked. We all hurried downstairs with all three and a half dogs as the wind picked up and the rain became more heavy. (I said a half because M,W,F we babysit my sister's little beagle dog.)

We sat and waited for the storm to be over and we were wondering what was going on. My dad was about to get up when BOOM! The house shook and vibrated all around us.

My mom started crying hysterically, my dad tried to comfort the dogs and create a barrier for them not to go upstairs, and I just kinda sat there. It was like I wasn’t really registering what was going on. Maybe it was because I was trying to stay positive? Maybe a couple branches just smashed the siding of the house or window? Were the antidepressants not allowing me to cry and freak out? I wasn’t sure what was going on with me at the time.

The rain stopped and my parents went upstairs to check everything out while I stayed downstairs with the dogs.

“Drip!”

“Argh! What the!?” I exclaimed as I showed my flashlight on my phone to the ceiling. It was dripping from the heating and cooling vent. I saw other droplets of water along the Styrofoam tile ceiling, and followed the trail towards the small kitchen area where there was water IN the ceiling light!

“Uhhhh, guys?” I yelled to my mom and dad upstairs.

“Wait a couple minutes sweetie!” My mom responded back as I started to hear their hurried feet running around upstairs.

“We got water coming downstairs!” I hollered as I grabbed a couple of empty solo cups I had downstairs since I was living down there to start collecting the water.

“Yeah? That’s ’cause we got a hole in the house!” My dad yelled.

The big tree in the backyard that was planted from the previous owner back in the 1950’s crashed into the living room from this storm we later learned 3 days later called Derecho. We’ve been recovering for about a month now. Almost everything is back to normal.

We got power and water back 2 weeks ago from today, the internet back a week ago, and cable has been kind of wonky. We’ve been wanting nothing but the news and were able to have cable for ONE DAY. It crashed and we still don’t have cable. We’ve tried antennas but they just aren’t working in our location.

The downstairs floor is ruined. We had to rip out the carpet and the floors now have asbestos. I live upstairs now in the guest room and we’re pretty much confined to the entry way since we still have a huge hole in the living room. No comfortable seating either. We’re hoping to hear back from the insurance claim sometime this week… but there's a possibility that we might just have to move if the damage is too much.

To put the good old fashioned cherry on top, one of our dogs may no longer be with us this week. She hasn’t eaten in the past couple of days and is only drinking water. We’re taking her to the vet tomorrow to see what’s going on, or if she’s suffering too much.

Honestly… 2020 can F#@! OFF! It’s been such an awful year! But! I am ready to get back into the swing of things and get back to writing and writing for you guys again!

I was going to explain some things about my accounts and rules but I feel a tad bit drained after writing this all out, and I haven't typed on a keyboard in so long! My wrists HURT! Give me a couple of hours and I'll be back with a PSA part 2! I will be posting this to all of my accounts so no one is left out of the loop. Be back soon!

~MyEternalSin

#author update #update #psa #public service announcement #x reader #oneshots #my hero academia #mha #my hero acadamy #boku no hero x reader #my hero academia x reader #bnha #fanfiction #part 1 psa

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bird-was-here · 5 years

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Home Base - Self Para 004 (pt. 1/?)

Oz did a lot of staring at nothing now. A lot of checking his phone. The anger he felt, at one point hot, explosive, had simmered into something dark. His two pillars were gone. He didn’t know how to feel about Nathaniel. The apartment felt so

empty.

For years images of his father would wake him in the middle of the night like war flashbacks. It had gotten better. It was getting better. Until now. For the first time, in a long time, his night terrors aggravated his insomnia. Too many memories. Too many bad memories.

His recollection of childhood was fragmentary, most likely due to his brain trying to protect him from the pain of his trauma. Had he ever not been afraid of his father? Was there ever a moment in time where Oz looked at Judge Lamar and saw something other than red? Just red.

Sometimes, he wondered if Nate heard him talking in his sleep — how violently he’d wake up, sweating... it was something that happened often enough to be a secret he’s kept from everyone but Daisey who knew them well. Oz was one of the lucky ones, one of the few that had the privilege of knowing what her hand on their forehead felt like. The quiet, shhh. As children, she was the first person he went to when something happened — again, all too often; She stood by him through the literal terror that was his adolescence; As young adults, she stayed up with him when he couldn’t sleep. Daisey knew the dark recesses of Oz’s mind better than anyone. And now she was gone.

And spread across the asphalt.

When did it end?

tw: ptsd, domestic/child abuse, blood

August 2011

The pot was threatening to boil over.

Not that times were ever tepid, hidden behind the heavy curtains of the Lamar household — always drawn tightly closed, house of horrors it was. And yet, when his mother had offhandedly commented that she was considering a position at UCSF, he should have known.

He should have known.

When there was so much red in your life — so much anger, so many nosebleeds, so many bruised wrists — all the red flags just look like flags.

Oz was stupid to have missed the signs.

“San Fransico?”

“Yes. San Fransico.”

In the security of what had been his joint daycare, playroom, classroom and occasional bedroom, otherwise known as his mother’s office at Ashmont General Hospital, he sat quietly. Hands pinched at the fabric of his jeans. He was fifteen.

And he didn’t want to move to San Fransico.

“You and I,” his mother continued, back to her son, long fingers filing paperwork that needn’t be bothered, “Will go to San Fransico and your father…” She closed a drawer, quietly, but absolute. “— Your father will stay here. We’d visit.”

Oz didn’t reply.

They didn’t look at each other enough. They didn’t look at each other now. They couldn’t see the shared look of uncertainty painted on both of their faces.

“Baby.” it was a pet name he hadn’t been called since he was a literal infant, as unprecedented as the look she gave him when she turned, how her hands found the sides of his face, “Don’t,” she held his gaze, “Tell your father.” His mother nodded her head, as if to convince herself just as much as to convince Oz that everything was fine, that she was holding the strings together, that she was handling it, “OK?”

Too taken aback to verbally respond, all Oz could do was mirror her, nodding his head, “OK.”

He was meant to be on a bus to a cross country meet thirty minutes away that had abruptly been canceled. Instead, he found his way home early. Daisey had asked him to come over, but Oz declined. It was out of character, but he was sure she would get over his absence, would find Alice or Parker or any of her other myriad of girlfriends to pass the time smoking with.

The familiar creak of their large front door and the inconspicuous beep of the alarm system greeted him. It was routine, how he lazily moving to toss his keys in the bowl on the side table in the corridor before he paused. His hand hovered over the dish.

Oz had been deaf in his left ear since he was three years old, but knew the sounds of his house (big and empty and hollow); he knew the walls well enough to know when something was wrong.

The keys were placed carefully, silently, down.

He poked his head around the corner to the sitting room, expecting his father to be there, seated on his throne with a bottle of something hard. Empty. The kitchen next, in search of his mother or a note on the island giving him instructions for the dinner that was in the freezer. Empty. The stairs, winding, and grand, loomed in front of him.

Oz skipped the first step. It always creaked.

As he climbed to the second floor of the estate it became uncomfortably evident that the discord was coming from his parent’s suite, one of the many rooms in the grandiose house he never bothered to consider.

“— You barely take the kid to see her and now, suddenly you need to see your mother?”

The taut voice of his mother came next,

“Langston, please.”

“Let me ask you something -- Do you think I’m an idiot? Do you think I’m dumb?”

“No!”

“Your mother?”

“Langston.”

“Who are you seeing?”

“Langston we’ve talked about this! I’m not seeing anyone —”

“I tell you where you go, and when you go. Do you understand?”

“Let go of me!”

Enough.

“What’s going on?”

Oz stood in the doorway, he hadn’t even taken off his jacket — typical of a varsity sports captain, repping the windbreaker of his high school — backpack still slung over one shoulder.

His father held a firm grip on his mother’s wrist, “Walk away.”

“Oz, it’s fine,” She pulled at her arm, teeth-gritting, “It’s fine —“

His father looked at him, still standing there in the doorway. “...Now, I know you’re hard of hearing.” Oz had gotten tall. “-- So I’m going to tell you one more time. Walk. Away.” Almost as tall as his father now. “This doesn’t concern you.”

This doesn’t concern you.

“Yeah, I think it fucking does.”

He hadn’t taken much notice of the taxi outside, he had assumed it was some of his father’s business colleagues from out of state, visiting. He now understood who it was for. His mother would be back. Sometimes, she needed to get away from this place. He understood.

It would have been easy to go to his room or to leave the house entirely. It would have been easy to ignore the scuffle. Too easy to let his mother ‘handle it’ like she ‘handled’ everything before. He needed to make a choice: to hold his ground, or walk away. He chose to step forward.

His mother looked at him, then at his father, then back at Oz. Their eyes met. If there was one thing, among the many, that the Honorable Judge Langston Lamar detested, one thing that infuriated him above no other, it was insolence. And it seemed that as Oz grew, the more he disrespected the King.

His father’s hand slipped from his mother’s wrist, leaving the impressions of his fingers on her skin. It gave her skilled fingers enough time to finish packing, zipping the suitcase with speed, a precision only a neurosurgeon could possess.

Oz was giving her an out.

“You want to make this your business?” It was the slow turn that was the most terrifying, the calm before the storm, “I see. So you think that you're grown now?” his father took a step forward; Oz took a step back, “Did you forget? Did you forget this is my house?” He slapped his chest, “My fucking HOUSE?” His mother hauled the travel bag off of the bed, escaping with it around the perimeter of the room and through the second door leading into the hallway. One step forward, another step back, “You must have lost your goddamn mind.”

The front door opened, then closed.

And Oz’s father laughed.

Hands placed on his hips, the judge raised one to run over his chin, “You want to play ball?”

And laughed.

It was rich. He stared at the ceiling, catching his breath. Rich.

“OK.” Returning his gaze to his son now in the hallway, “Let’s play ball.”

Run.

There was nothing else to do but run. And run fast and hope that he could outrun his father who had been a track star in his day. Oz had followed in his footsteps in that regard.

The judge’s movement was so swift, long legs starting after Oz who dropped his book bag where he stood. He didn’t need that extra weight.

The sound of their feet slamming down against the floorboards boomed through the house, ricocheting off the walls in the hallway where Oz tripped over the rug. How many times had he fallen like this, skinning his forearms on the old floor and immediately pushing himself up off the ground and to his feet again? He didn’t have time to register the sting. When did he ever have time to think about how much this hurt?

If Oz hadn’t been in his running shoes he might not have made it; he practically skidded into his bedroom, slamming the door in enough time to keep his father at bay.

‘Just give me enough time to get out the window’ was all he could remember thinking, hands fumbling for the safety locks. Safety locks. It was safer outside.

Who he was pleading to he didn’t know. Maybe a god he hardly believed was there.

“Oz!”

He heard his father try the locked door, then try again as he slipped out the window and into the closet tree, down its trunk, and onto the grass, hand swiping against the ground and pushing him forward to gather enough momentum to hop the gate. He was running bases, he was almost home.

And Oz fucking ran.

He ran till he was at Daisey’s.

He didn’t breath until she opened her window. Didn’t breath until she opened her window for him to fall, literally, onto her floor.

“Breathe.”

She crouched beside him; His chest burned.

“Breathe.”

A long exhale.

“Do you need to stay the night?”

She placed a hand on his back. The answer was always yes.

Safe.

#lil' oz things #self para 004 #missing daisey #robo apartment #tw: blood #tw: ptsd #tw: domestic abuse

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goodwin-racing · 2 years

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The Best Miata Exhausts: Cheap As Well As Complete

The exhaust system on your Miata is far more than an afterthought; it's an essential aspect of the roadster's personality. It has a significant impact on performance and efficiency, but keep in mind that your exhaust note is also the voice of your car.

The Mazda Miata is a fantastic car, capable of handling a winding mountain road, a hot track in August, or a Tuesday daycare dropoff run.

Its standard components are workhorses that have outgrown their projected usefulness in many cases. However, the designers had to make concessions when they discovered they had a potentially popular and flexible roadster on their hands.

Nobody wanted their MX5 to roll off the lot with that throaty, athletic rumbling you like. As a result, they were able to tame it. The OEM exhaust is adequate, but there are a plethora of excellent aftermarket Miata exhaust systems available.

Without a turbo, the best Miata exhaust diameter

With a 2.25" diameter exhaust added, the Miata's inline-four works best in a naturally aspirated state (without a turbocharger).

A larger diameter exhaust won't necessarily damage performance (unless you go for 2.5′′ or greater), but it won't give you an increase in horsepower or torque. In other words, your MX5 will be louder but not faster.

For a turbocharged or supercharged Miata, the best exhaust diameter

When you add a supercharger to your Miata, you don't always need a larger diameter exhaust.

Adding a turbo, on the other hand, is likely to do so. Turbos are powered by exhaust gas pressure and push more air into the cylinders, increasing the compression ratio of your engine. To keep the airflow moving and maintain the pressure-balanced, a bigger bore exhaust is required.

Should I get a tune-up, a new exhaust, or both?

Changing out your exhaust has a big impact on the way your automobile runs.

It's a bit stupid to expect a 20-year-old Miata's engine control computer to handle this change without a current tune. You should definitely include an ECU tune-in with your exhaust modification, especially if you're seeking a performance bump.

Many MX5 owners use the opportunity to upgrade their ECU while they're at it. Fortunately, there are a plethora of low-cost and simple-to-install solutions.

If you're on a budget, though, it's recommended to reset your ECU after installing your new exhaust by unplugging the battery and letting your car learn from scratch.

Personal Preferences are a factor to consider

If you modify your exhaust, it may or may not affect the way your car moves on the road, but it will almost certainly alter the way it sounds. We have strong feelings about which exhausts sound the best for Miata drivers, but you may disagree.

Replacing the ND Miata Exhaust, MX5 Exhaust is more difficult than performing other MX5 modifications. In most circumstances, it's safer to focus on locating a part that fits your Miata's generation — because NA (Mk1) exhausts, as well as NC (Mk3) and ND (Mk4) exhausts, are incompatible with NB (Mk2) Miatas (Mk4).

#ND Miata Exhaust #MX5 Exhaust

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flyinghighpetresort · 3 years

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Dog Poem 🐶💙 My Best Friend Black and white Thick and furry Fast as the wind Always in a hurry Couple of spots Rub my ears Always comes when his name he hears Loves his ball; it's his favorite thing What's most fun for him? Everything! Great big tongue that licks my face Has a crate, his very own space Big brown eyes like moon pies He's my friend till the very end! Happy Sunday @flyinghighpetresort 🐶💙🐶💗 More August 2021 pics 💯🥰 Thank you to all of our Pet Pawrents for Bringing your doggies and Kitties to play with us Flying High Pet Resort]] 🐕🐶🥰❤️ 🐈 . . . We’re so grateful for you choosing us 👏🏻 . . . . Doggy Disneyland! We do what we love!! Dogs & Cats are Loving life! It’s A #dogslife #doggydaycare #dogboarding #catboarding #flyinghighpetresort 🐶🎉#welovewhatwedo . . . Happy Day Woof Woof!! . . . August 2021 . . Camarillo’s Family Owned and Operated 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 ❤️ www.flyinghighpetresort.com . . . Inside doggy daycare and Dog & Cat Boarding Flying High Pet Resort]] 🐶 🐾 . . . #camarillofamilyownedandoperatedpetresort #yourdoghouse #yourpetsresort #grooming & check out our training studio #dogtraining with #doggenie 💗We all love our furry kids and take pride in the care we provide for them #weloveourcustomers in #camarillo near #missionoaks #villageatthepark #somis #santarosavalley #newburypark #westlake #thousandoaks #oxnard #ventura #venturacounty #805 #805pets #petfamily #805dogs #805cats #camarillofamilyownedpetresort at ♥️ Flying High Pet Resort in Camarillo 😃 (at Camarillo, California) https://www.instagram.com/p/CSnMbHipk_M/?utm_medium=tumblr

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keekosun · 2 years

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We got some angst in this house tonight! :]

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naturecoaster · 5 years

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Improving Lives with The Arc of the Nature Coast

In 1973, a small group of Hernando County residents sought a better way to care for the Intellectually and Developmentally Disabled citizens of the area. Many of these families had children or relatives who had been labelled “retarded” and were living in dark institutions away from their loved ones. These families created a local chapter of The Arc, a national organization that advocates for those with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) to receive the same basic legal, civil, and human rights as other citizens. “Most of our first clients were previously kept in institutions, given basic medical care and a roof over their heads, but little more,” Mark W. Barry, Executive Director, tells me on a recent tour of their Neff Lake Campus. Mark graduated from Saint Leo University and worked for The Arc of Pasco County for 18 years before coming to The Arc Nature Coast. Now the two organizations are merging to better serve the population. “I went to an institution in 1980 and the population was on feeding tubes in stainless steel beds. I was convicted,” he shared with me. “There has been a silent civil rights movement for this population.”

Institutional life was pretty much all that was available for Intellectually and Developmentally Disabled citizens in early Florida. Image from of The Florida Farm Colony courtesy of Florida Memory. The Florida Farm Colony began in 1915 with the establishment of a legislative commission to study the needs of persons who were "feeble-minded" and epileptic. This resulted in November 1921 with the opening of the Florida Farm Colony for the Feeble-Minded and Epileptic in Gainesville, Florida on a 3000-acre tract. This was the first state-funded program for residents with developmental challenges. It began with three buildings and 240 residents. What is Intellectually and Developmentally Disabled We are walking through a very old building that was once a chicken coop. Inside this 501c(3) nonprofit organization, clients are enjoying painting, drawing, making puzzles, reading the news, and learning how to be safe around lightning.

Nicole Tyrell teaches The Arc Nature Coast clients important life skills. While their outer features may not be the ones we admire in magazines, their joyful spirits create an energy of happiness throughout the renovated class, rest, and resource rooms. Caring for Intellectually and Developmentally Disabled people is quite different from mental health care, but the two are commonly confused. (A strong NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) chapter in Hernando County works to provide help to those with psychiatric disorders.) “Intellectually and Developmentally Disabled people tend to be steady and stable,” Mark explains, “They have intellectual instead of psychiatric challenges.”

Mark Graves, an expert equestrian and artists, works at Publix. Today, he is painting flowers at The Arc of the Nature Coast Neff Lake Campus. The Arc’s Neff Lake Campus is Beautiful... and Aged The Neff Lake campus of The Arc Nature Coast is approximately 30-acres of heavily wooded, rolling countryside. It is a beautiful, peaceful place with paths, a playground, and plenty of history. “The owner of the property, a chicken farm from the 1950s, gave the entirety to The Arc of the Nature Coast nearly 50 years ago for the purpose of providing a stable location for local citizens with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities to come for day care,” Nancy Stubbs, Development Director of the organization explains. “We want to provide a quality of life for our clients that allows them to contribute to society and feel valued, moving toward independence, as well as take care of their physical needs.”

The Arc of the Nature Coast's current Learning & Enrichment Center. Nancy continues, “These buildings were renovated by prison laborers in the 1970s.” It is obvious that the former chicken coop and farm buildings are reaching the end of their useful life, and she explains that there is a fundraising campaign underway to redesign this amazing piece of property to meet the area’s growing need for The Arc’s services. A dedicated team works tirelessly to improve life for their clients, which include over 200 daycare and full-time residents in more than 12 locations throughout Pasco and Hernando Counties. It is headed up by Mark, who is one of only two Executive Directors of the organization since its inception and has been with The Arc for 39 years.

Mark Barry, Executive Director, and Nancy Stubbs, Development Director at The Arc of the Nature Coast's Neff Lake Campus. Nancy has a brother, Gary, who is a client of the program. “Gary is the nicest, happiest person I know,” Nancy shares with me, “He enriches my life, as do all of our clients.” Modern Buildings Ease Client Care In 2014, new group residential homes were added to the Neff Lake Campus. These 100% accessible buildings provide a much-improved environment for The Arc’s residential clients. A portico is part of the design, providing shelter for wheelchairs exiting vehicles during rainstorms. There are no steps. The wide-open floor plan provides a communal living, dining and kitchen area where caregivers can interact with residents and counters are set at wheelchair height, allowing residents to help in the kitchen.

Modern residential homes make care management better for residents and their caregivers. Each modern residential home has six individual bedrooms, a laundry room, a nursing/supervisor station and a guest room (in case someone needs to stay at the last-minute), besides modern restrooms with roll-in showers and many accessibility features that ease the strain of care.

Nikki Kostjukoff is a Home Manager for The Arc. She is seen here talking with Nancy in one of the group residential homes. “These features may not look like a big deal to most people, but when a resident needs help with bathing and toileting, these features make their lives better and their caregiver’s job much more manageable,” Mark explains, showing me the features of these custom designed homes by Palmwood Builders. Our Roots are Strong, and our Future is Bright.. “We are seeking funds to put five more of these homes on our campus, as well as a new Life Enrichment Center,” Mark shares with me. There is a beautiful mural on the side of the current building, but the building itself is showing its age.

The Giving Tree is part of The Arc's current Capital Campaign. The Arc Nature Coast started a Capital Campaign to build an Enrichment and Training Center to replace the old farm buildings and renovated chicken coop. There is a long-term goal to renovate the entire property, which can be found here. Serving all Levels of Need - for Life At The Arc, each of their clients is served for life. “We take clients from age 21, and we will continue to care for them throughout their entire life. One of our challenges is when a client outlives his or her family. Disabilities run in families of all income brackets and socio-economic groups,” Nancy explains.

Some clients have been with The Arc for 40+ years. Each client has an individual plan which is evaluated and revised regularly. The need is great. Some clients have been with The Arc for 40+ years. Each client has an individual plan which is evaluated and revised regularly. The need is great. “Florida has a huge backlog of Intellectually and Developmentally Disabled citizens in need of care. There was 24,000 on the backlist last time I looked,” Nancy continues. “Funding is our greatest challenge,” Mark agrees, “whether from the legislature, private donors, or grants.” Life Enrichment for Arc Clients looks like FUN

In August of 2019, they were treated to a “Gone with the Wind” Prom 2019 and it was wonderful. As you may guess, most of the clients at The Arc Nature Coast did not attend a Senior Prom. In July, they were treated to “Gone with the Wind” Prom 2019 and it was wonderful! Cosmetology students from Bene’s Career Academy came out and gave the girls hairstyle up-dos and makeup, as well as manicures.

Cosmetology students from Bene’s Career Academy came out and gave the girls' hairstyle up-dos and makeup, as well as manicures. Limousine transportation was provided by Spring Hill Limo and the prom guests were dressed up with their dancing shoes on. PJ the DJ Services spun the tunes and the Spring Hill Enrichment Center was turned into an event venue for all.

Limousine transportation was provided by Spring Hill Limo and the prom guests were dressed up with their dancing shoes on. It took a village, but the memories made for these Nature Coasters makes it all worthwhile. The Arc Nature Coast hosts five dances per year. They are open to the public and held at the Education Center in Spring Hill. The cost is $5.00 per person. All dances are from 7:00 PM - 10:00 PM. Three are left in the 2019 schedule, including Summer Sizzler Dance August 23, Halloween Costume Dance October 25, and the Christmas Dance-with Santa December 20. The Arc Clients Love to Give Back The goal of The Arc is to help their clients achieve independence through comprehensive services, including personal and social skills development. They are also supported in their household management, budgeting, and community interaction skills. On Wednesdays and Thursdays, Arc clients go out on community outings and volunteer. In fact, Arc clients have volunteered over 2,500 hours in the community.

Those clients who are able like to work. Publix is one of the local employers who utilizes The Arc clients. Those who are able, like to work. Small groups of 5-10 workers go out to six different locations on a daily basis. We enjoy an excellent working relationship with local business in our area (including Publix, Wal-Mart, Accuform, Micro-Matic, Alumi-Guard, Carrabba's and more) while their clients enjoy their jobs. You can Help Financially, there is a huge need. The annual operating budget is $3.3 million. Then there’s the Capital Campaign. The Life Skills Center is really needed, as the 1950s buildings are pretty worn out.

I learned a lot during my tour of The Arc Nature Coast and even received a beautifully colored card from one of their clients. Call and take a tour. Meet the clients, teachers, nurses and staff that make this place so very special. Maybe attend a dance. You are sure to be glad you did. When you see funding bills for these types of organizations, take a minute to contact your legislators and tell them that you support these services and hope they will. How else are we going to take care of the need? If you want to donate today, click here. And make sure you look any intellectually or developmentally disabled person in the eye and give them a smile next time you see them in public. Take a minute to say Hi and enjoy their unencumbered friendliness. We all have value, lots of value, so take the time to see it in yourself and others. Image and text from FloridaMemory.com, an online reference tool for the Florida State Archives. Read the full article

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kristablogs · 4 years

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Long-distance learning could help us democratize education

Kids with all different skin colors need to see teachers from underrepresented groups. (August de Richelieu from Pexels/)

This story originally featured on Working Mother.

“We moved here for the schools.” It’s a popular refrain of suburban families wealthy enough to afford the high real-estate taxes that go toward funding well-rated public schools but not wealthy enough, or not interested, to send their kids to private school. The result: Because Black parents earn 40 percent less than non-Hispanic white parents, and Black and Latinx dual-income households have half the wealth of white single parents, neighborhoods with properly funded public schools wind up being predominantly white. Even the teachers in those districts’ schools are predominantly white.

There are adverse consequences to this. White parents are more likely to make white friends in their neighborhoods. Then white kids make white friends. They don’t see people who don’t look like them for years. And when they do, they might fear them or be unkind to them. Families from underrepresented groups in these “good school districts” can be ostracized. Kids as young as two-and-a-half prefer playing with children of their same race, and kids of parents who don’t talk about race might associate differences with negativity, says Wanjiku Njoroge, M.D., assistant professor at the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine and program director of the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

This has been happening all over the US for decades. I grew up in the overwhelmingly white South Shore of Staten Island, a highly segregated borough of New York City. I didn’t have a Black teacher until high school; she was only in her position for a couple of months. Similarly, there was only one Black student out of more than 100 in our academically rigorous program for high-performing students. She has written about her numerous disturbing encounters with racism in school.

The pandemic is time to break this pattern.

Very few parents had extremely positive experiences with the distance learning that COVID-19 forced upon families in March. But that's because teachers didn't have time to train on the best practices. Parents didn't have enough support from their workplaces to integrate their children's learning into their schedules. Not everyone had the technology necessary to be successful, and everyone was feeling anxious about a deadly virus that had upended families' sense of safety and normality.

While there is still much about which to be anxious, the health risk of schools reopening should be viewed as an opportunity to improve remote learning in a way that makes it preferable, at least for some families.

What if a good education weren't determined by where you live and how much in taxes parents can afford? What if classes weren't determined by age but instead by common ability and interests, but differing backgrounds?

Here’s what I propose: small, but nationally sourced, remote classes. Families from anywhere in the US sign up to take part in the pilot. The country’s best remote educators—who would be judged on different criteria than being great in-person instructors—teach children grouped together after students’ strengths, weaknesses and areas of interest are evaluated. The teachers are matched with groups based on the same. Everyone’s preferred schedules are considered, too; because it’s not based on small districts, there’s a larger pool of instructors who truly can be paired with the kids who will learn best from them and at the most convenient times. Students receive devices they can operate themselves instead of relying on parents for help, one of the many barriers to working parents’ ability to get their jobs done. And the classes are intentionally racially, ethnically and socioeconomically diverse to increase understanding among children of different backgrounds. There would still be opportunities for socialization, using technology for kids to have one-on-one conversations and play games in small groups, like recess. And like recess, there would be movement activities; students would just do them from their remote learning locations.

It’s unclear whether school systems, such as New York City and Los Angeles, that are continuing distance learning in the fall will purposefully diversify classes, taking white students from, say, Staten Island, and grouping them with Black children from, say, the Bronx, being taught by a, say, Latinx teacher. It would behoove society if they did. But what about the kids who can’t learn from home because their guardians have to report to work?

How about those kids go to a designated center, a single, large, well-ventilated room with a smaller group of children than a traditional school would have in a class. There would be one adult, compensated similarly to a daycare worker, whose job would be more that of a caregiver/technology support–giver than of a teacher. The goal would be to give kids a safe place to learn until parents return from work, but without the large groups of children and adults that mix in traditional school buildings and increase the likelihood of spreading the virus. And these children would still be educated by the national remote system in distinct learning groups, despite their shared physical location.

Perhaps the dollars that currently go toward educating these children in their local school districts—or toward childcare, as in New York City—can be pooled to fund this national program. Families in higher-performing school districts might need additional incentive to join, given that they'd no longer receive the benefits their locale affords them. Maybe they could receive a federal tax break; maybe the boons of diversity and customized education will be enough.

Another benefit: The teachers who are leaving the profession because they don't feel safe in school buildings—or can't get childcare for their own kids—can still participate. With alternative schedules, based on when different children learn best or when their parents prefer because of their own work schedules, outcomes can be optimized.

There’s obviously a lot more thinking that needs to be done for a proposal such as this to work. Given that I’m a writer/editor with just a couple of years of early education experience, there are loads more-qualified folks to do this thinking, though I’m indebted to actual New York City public-school teacher Cristina Bolusi Zawacki for vetting this proposal. But what’s clear to me and other parents is that the old way just doesn’t work anymore, not until there’s significant containment of, cures and prevention for the virus. So why not try something that protects families from illness while fighting other ills, such as racism and the idea that a couple dozen kids who share nothing but a birth year and a zip code should be taught the same things in the same way?

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scootoaster · 4 years

Text

Long-distance learning could help us democratize education

Kids with all different skin colors need to see teachers from underrepresented groups. (August de Richelieu from Pexels/)

This story originally featured on Working Mother.

The pandemic is time to break this pattern.

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foulengineerzombie · 5 years

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Demonstrators opposed to the building of a telescope on Mauna Kea, the state’s highest peak, have forged a communityThe actor Jason Momoa exchanges a traditional greeting with an elder while visiting protesters last month. Photograph: Hollyn Johnson/APOn Hawaii’s Big Island, a protest against a $1.4bn observatory on Mauna Kea, a mountain considered sacred by many Native Hawaiians, is entering a second month. In that time, the protest site has swelled from a few hundred to several thousands, attracted celebrity visitors, and built a community of Native Hawaiians who see it as a pivotal moment.The protest site sits at an elevation of 6,632ft, where the cold wind whips across hardened lava fields. But amid this inhospitable environment, weeks of demonstration have given rise to a sense of permanence.The site stretches across a two-lane highway, where trucks flying a Native Hawaiian flag and the upside-down state flag line both sides of the road. A “Kūpuna tent”, where the elders of the community gather, is strategically placed to block an access road up the mountain in order to stop construction vehicles from reaching the summit.New arrivals are encouraged to sign in at an orientation station. There is a tented cafeteria providing free meals, and a community-run medic station, daycare and school. Along the barren roadside, tropical flowers have been casually stuck in traffic cones. People pound taro, a Hawaiian crop, in the traditional way on wooden boards to make poi, a local dish.The protest stems from controversy over the fate of Mauna Kea, the tallest peak in Hawaii and the proposed site of an enormous observatory known as the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT). The summit, 13,796ft above sea level, is said to be an ideal location to look into deep space. TMT is expected to capture images ‘that look back to the beginning of the universe. Protesters, who call themselves kia‘i, or “protectors”, argue the construction will further desecrate Mauna Kea, which is already home to about a dozen telescopes.The sun sets behind telescopes at the summit of Mauna Kea in Hawaii. Photograph: Caleb Jones/APKealoha Pisciotta, one of the protest leaders and a spokesperson for Mauna Kea Anaina Hou, a Native Hawaiian group, says the movement is “pushing back on corporate culture” through Hawaiian concepts of “Kapu Aloha”, which emphasizes compassionate responses, especially towards opponents, and “Aloha ʻĀina”, a saying that translates to “love of the land”.“We are just joining the world’s indigenous movements,” Pisciotta says. “We need Kapu Aloha ... to bring back the balance from the insanity and destruction of our earth.”Pisciotta said that the protesters were showing the world a way “to really live differently” while protecting the land.“For Native Hawaiians, there is a question of our right to self-determination as defined by international law, but I think it’s so much bigger than that,” said Pisciotta. “It’s about us learning to live and be interdependent.” Why are the protests happening?Protesters continue their vigil, on 19 July. Photograph: Bruce Asato/APHawaiians consider Mauna Kea sacred for numerous reasons. The mountain is known as the home to Wākea, the sky god, who partnered with Papahānaumoku, the earth goddess. Protesters hope to protect and help restore the native ecosystem on Mauna Kea.But the protests are also part of a legacy for Native Hawaiians that goes back to 1893, when the Hawaiian Kingdom was overthrown. Hawaiians lost their land as well as their culture, as the latter was suppressed through law and religion. It wasn’t until the 1970s, during a period of cultural flourishing known as the Hawaiian Renaissance, that the Hawaiian language was allowed to be spoken in school and that the hula was revived.The period was defined by its own resistance movement, as activists focused on stopping the US military from using Kahoʻolawe, one of the eight main Hawaiian Islands, as a target for bombing practice. After more than a decade of peaceful protests and occupations of the island, the US government ended the live-fire training in the 1990s.Some see the latest protest action as a new Hawaiian Renaissance. Days are punctuated by the blowing of the conch shell to announce ceremonies that include chanting, hula, and hoʻokupu (offerings). Several celebrities with Hawaii ties have travelled here to participate, including Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Jason Momoa, and Jack Johnson.Hawaii’s governor, David Ige, right, watches a performance during a visit to the ninth day of protests against the Thirty Meter Telescope, on 23 July. Photograph: Jamm Aquino/AP“The atmosphere here is incredible. We’re all here protecting our ʻāina [land]”, said Kamuela Park, a protester at the site. He added that it had been “awesome to see people from all spectrums coming here in support”.Peaceful demonstrators have faced one major confrontation with police. Three days into the protest, 38 kūpuna (revered elders) were arrested for blocking the road that leads to the construction site. That same day, Hawaii’s governor, David Ige, signed an emergency proclamation giving law enforcement more control over the area and allowed them to bring in National Guard troops. Images of the elderly being arrested quickly spread, garnering sympathy for the movement and attracting more people to the site. What comes next?Demonstrators block a road at the base of Hawaii’s tallest mountain, on 15 July. Photograph: Caleb Jones/APNegotiations between government officials and protesters have slowed since the arrests. On 30 July, the governor rescinded his emergency proclamation. He also extended the window during which construction could begin from 60 days to two years, meaning the protesters would theoretically need to block the road until September 2021.“I want to assure everyone that we are committed. Our law enforcement officers will remain at the site to ensure the safety of all of those involved,” said Ige at a press conference. “We continue to seek and find a peaceful solution to move this project forward.”While tensions may have eased, protesters have said they will stay until they stop TMT from being built. Demonstrators proved their endurance in early August as many of them stayed at the protest site while two consecutive storms passed by the islands.Pisciotta, who used to work at the Mauna Kea observatories as a telescope systems specialist, says the movement has been especially “huge” for young people.“Some of the elders, they lived through the time it was prohibited to speak the language,” she says. Now younger Hawaiians grow up speaking it in school and with strong cultural affiliations. Hawaiian youth who are camping out are helping to organize donations, teaching some of the courses at the community-led school, and spreading the word on social media.“In our philosophy, the land and the people are one,” said Pisciotta, about Aloha ʻĀina. “So it was a rallying point for the renaissance and now this is a kind of new renaissance.”

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