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thorinlandscaping · 3 years

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why did it have to be me?

my @batfamsecretsanta gift for @peppersonironi. Hope you like it!

The soft knock on Bruce’s office door alerted him to two things. First, that the person knocking was Dick. Second, that Dick had something important to talk to him about. Dick never knocked unless he needed Bruce’s help with something important, or he’d done something stupid like that time he’d somehow ‘accidentally’ convinced the entirety of Gotham (and the rest of the world) that Bruce Wayne and Batman were dating.

Bruce wasn’t looking forward to this conversation.

“Come in,” Bruce said, mentally preparing himself to either help with some insane problem, or to begin damage control immediately. Dick shuffled into the room, eyes on the floor. This inspired no confidence in Bruce whatsoever.

“So. Bruce,” Dick said, as he looked up and made rather intense eye contact with him and oh no, is Dick going to tell him that he’d accidentally revealed Batman’s identity to the press, “I have something to tell you.”

Oh god, Dick had revealed Batman’s identity to the press. He was going to have to deal with every single person knowing Bruce Wayne is the Batman. Bruce had prepared for this, but he didn’t think he’d ever really have to face this reality. He was going to have to fake his death. He really didn’t want to fake his death. But, if he had to-

“I have a crush on Wally,” Dick said.

-he would, wait. What? Did Dick just say he had a crush on Wally?

“Wally West? Kid Flash? You have a crush on him? You didn’t reveal my identity as Batman to the press by accident?” Bruce asked, deeply relieved and very shocked.

“Uh. Yes, yes, yes and no? Has someone revealed your identity to the press?” Dick asked, slightly concerned.

“No,” Bruce said.

“Okay… Well, I was wondering if you could give me some advice on how to ask him out. You know. On a date,” Dick said, his nervousness shining through in his voice.

Bruce sort of wanted to cry. His kid was asking him for romantic advice. He was so proud, Dick was growing up. Oh god, Dick was growing up. It seemed like only yesterday Dick had found out Bruce’s identity as Batman and had managed to bully Bruce into letting him become Robin. Now he was out there asking people on dates. The next thing Bruce knew, he’d be dating his arch-nemesis and going on a journey to become a ninja.

Wait. “You’re asking me for romantic advice?” Bruce asked. Bruce’s romantic prospects since Dick had been in his custody had been Talia Al Ghul (Dick had laughed at him, then asked if she could teach him some ‘assassin ninja tricks’), Selina Kyle (Dick had laughed at him, then asked if Selina could steal him the Rosetta Stone for ‘superhero detective purposes’), and Hal Jordan (Dick had laughed at him, then reluctantly admitted that, despite his flaws, Hal was alright). Why Dick was asking him for advice after his general disapproval of Bruce’s taste, Bruce couldn’t fathom.

Dick sighed. “Despite your lack of good taste, you generally manage to end up with the people you set your sights on. So I’m asking you to help me figure out how to ask Wally out successfully. I’m not asking you who you think would be a good boyfriend for me.”

Bruce supposed that made sense. Sort of. Unfortunately for Dick, Talia and Selina had been the instigators in his relationships with them. And with Hal, well. Neither of them can quite remember exactly how they got together, what they do know is that Clark couldn’t look them in the eye for a good month afterwards. Weird things happen on space missions, okay?

This, of course, meant he had no idea what advice to offer to the fifteen-year-old boy staring at him as if all his dreams for the future would come true if he did exactly what Bruce told him. It was honestly terrifying. Bruce was going to ruin Dick’s life. Or at least destroy all the trust that Dick placed in him. This was too much pressure.

Maybe he should give advice based on how he asked out people as Brucie Wayne? But then again, those ploys only work because he’s a known rich and famous playboy and nobody would say no to a few days as a billionaires sugar baby. Except Lois Lane, who would instead just steal his credit cards whenever he’d try. Clark had truly found a woman that complimented him perfectly.

“Well,” Bruce began, looking around the office for inspiration, or perhaps divine intervention, “Get him a gift, something he likes.” He’d given Selina an expensive painting once and that night she made out with him on a roof. Romantic bribery through materialism works.

Dick nodded, jotting down his words on his phone. Dick was taking this as seriously as he took breaking into villains' lairs, which helped Bruce relax not at all. Dick was counting on him.

“Maybe bring him to a romantic spot, or a place that has a lot of meaning to the two of you,” Bruce continued, thinking of how Thalia had propositioned him in the middle of a fight against some guy on a yacht. That had been so romantic.

“And then make sure you ask him out to a place that he likes,” Bruce closed off with. Like when he’d taken Hal to see the inside of NASA and Hal had nearly broken a multi-million dollar spacecraft. Or when Hal had taken him to an escape room and they’d uncovered a drug trafficking ring operating out of the escape room’s back room. Hal and Bruce didn’t go out much these days.

Bruce had become so enraptured in his own thoughts of his and Hal’s dates, he’d forgotten that he was meant to be giving Dick advice until Dick threw a stress ball at his face. Bruce focused back in on Dick, ready to face scorn for the very basic advice he’d given, only for Dick to look at him gratefully.

“Thanks Bruce, I think this’ll really help me,” Dick said.

It would? Okay. Bruce would take it.

“Anytime, Dick. I wish you the best of luck,” Bruce said, doing his best to keep his utter bewilderment out of his voice. His advice could have been read off of a wikihow article.

Nonetheless, Dick left the office in higher spirits than when he came in. Bruce hoped he’d never have to do that again. He also hoped that the advice he’d given would work.

Three days later Dick burst into his office, informing Bruce (who was busy sexting Hal) that he had a date with Wally that evening and could Bruce please, please let him borrow the Batmobile to pick Wally up. Bruce had kindly told him, absolutely not, and to get out of his office. Internally, he was celebrating that his half-assed romantic advice had worked.

Dick left the room pouting, leaving Bruce to disrupt his and Hal’s sexting with updates on how his child was growing up too fast, and asking if he should adopt another one (or seven). Hal, used to this, told Bruce that he should only adopt another kid if the kid could steal the tyres off the Batmobile.

Later, when Bruce would enter the Batcave, ready to start patrol only to find the Batmobile missing, with an ‘IOU’ note in Dick’s handwriting left in its place.

Dick was so getting grounded later.

#batfamsecretsanta2020 #dick grayson #bruce wayne #batlantern #birdflash #batman #my writing #ratspeaks

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fuckheadwitha · 3 years

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Listening to Rolling Stone's Top 500 Albums of All Time

Rolling Stone released an updated list of their top 500 albums of all time and being trapped in the purgatory of covid quarantine this seems like the perfect moment to tackle what an almost completely irrelevant former counter-culture institution has to say about music (we can’t actually blame Rolling Stone for this list, a huge number of musicians and critics voted to make it). I am going to listen to every single one of these, all the way through, with a level of attention that's not super intense but I'm definitely not having them on in the background as simple aural wallpaper. Two caveats though: I can make an executive decision to skip any album if I feel the experience is sufficiently miserable, and I'm also going to be skipping the compilation albums that I feel aren't really worth slots (best ofs, etc.). In addition, I will be ordering them as I go, creating a top 500 of the top 500 (it will be less than 500 since we've already established I'm skipping some of these).

Here are 500-490:

#500 Arcade Fire - Funeral

I can already tell I'm going to be at odds with this list if one of the most important albums of my high school years is at the bottom. That being said, I haven't actually given this whole thing a listen since probably the early 2010s, before Arcade Fire fatigue set in and the hipsterati appointed band of a generation just kinda seemed to fade from popular consciousness. I actually dreaded re-experiencing it, since the synthesis of anthemic rock and quirky folk instrumentation which Arcade Fire brought mainstream has now become the common shorthand of insufferable spotify friendly folk pop. Blessedly, the first half of the album easily holds up, largely propelled by dirty fast rhythm guitar, orchestration that's tuneful rather than obnoxious, and lyrics which come off as earnest rather than pretentious. The middle gets a little sappy and “Crown of Love”, a song I definitely used to like, really starts the grate. And then we get to “Wake Up”, whose cultural saturation spawned thousands of dorky indie rock outfits that confused layered strings and horns with power and meaning. This song definitely hasn't survived the film trailers and commercials which it so ubiquitously overlayed, but the line about "a million little gods causing rainstorms, turning every good thing to rust" still attacks the part of my brain capable of sincere emotion. This album is probably going to hold the top spot for a while, because although so many elements of Funeral that made it feel so meaningful, that made it stand out so much in 2004, have been seamlessly assimilated into an intellectually and emotionally bankrupt indie pop industrial complex, the album itself still has a genuine vulnerability and bangers that still manage to rip.

#499

Rufus, Chaka Khan - Ask Rufus

Before she became a name in her own right, Chaka Khan was the voice of the band Rufus, and it’s definitely her voice that shines amongst some spritely vibey funk. That’s not to say that these aren’t some jams on their own. “At Midnight” is a banging opener with a sprint to the finish, and although the explicitly named but kinda boring “Slow Screw Against the Wall” feels weak, this wasn’t really supposed to be an album of barn burners. This was something people put on their vinyl record players while they chilled on vinyl furniture after a night of doing cocaine. “Everlasting Love” is a bop with a bassline like a Sega Genesis game, and the twinkling piano on “Hollywood” adds a playful levity to lyrics that are supposed to be both tackily optimistic about making it big out in LA and subtly realistic about the kind of nightmare world showbiz can be. “Better Days” is another track that manages to be a bittersweet jam with a catchy sour saxophone and playful synths under Chaka Khan’s vamping. This album definitely belongs on a ‘chill funk to study and relax to’ playlist.

#498

Suicide - Suicide

We’ve hit the first album that could be rightly called a progenitor for multiple genres that followed it. Someone could say there’s a self-serving element of this being on a Rolling Stone list (the band was one of the first to adopt the label ‘Punk’ after seeing it in a Lester Bangs article) but the album’s legacy is basically indisputable. EBM, industrial, punk, post-punk, new wave, new whatever all have a genealogy that connects to Suicide, and it’s easy to hear the band in everything that followed. But what the band actually is is two guys, one with an electric organ and one with a spooky voice, doing spooky simple riffs and saying spooky simple things. Simplicity is definitely not a dis here. The opener “Ghost Rider” makes a banger out of four notes and one instrument, and the refrain ‘America America is killing its youth’ is really all the lyrical complexity you need to fucking get it. “Cheree” and “Girl” have almost identical lyrics (‘oh baby’ vs ‘oh girl’) but “Cheree” is more like a fairy tale and “Girl” is more like a sonic handjob. “Frankie Teardrop” has the audacity to tell a ten minute story with its lyrics, but of course there is intermittent, actually way too loud screaming breaking up the narrative of a guy who loses everything then kills his family and himself. The song is basically a novelty, and I think you can probably say the whole album is a novelty between its brevity and character. But for a bite sized snack this album casts a huge shadow.

#497

Various Artists - The Indestructible Beat of Soweto

The fact that this particular compilation always ends up in the canon has a lot to do with the cultural context it existed in, being America’s first encounter with South African contemporary music during the decline of apartheid (it wouldn’t end until a decade later in 1994 with the country’s first multi-racial elections). Music journos often bring up the fact Ladysmith Black Mambazo, the all male choir singing on the album ender “Nansi Imali”, sang on Paul Simon’s Graceland like their virtue is they helped Paul Simon get over his depression and not, like, the actual music. But also like, how is the actual music? Jams. Ubiquitous, hooky guitars propel the songs along with bright choruses over low lead vocals, but I didn’t expect the synthesizer on the bop “Qhude Manikiniki”, nor the discordant hoedown violin on “Sobabamba”. “Holotelani” is a groove to walk into the sunset to.

#496

Shakira - Donde Estan los Ladrones

So this is the first head scratcher on the list. It’s not like it sucks. And I think I prefer this 90s guitar pop driven spanish language Shakira to modern superstar Shakira. But I mean, it’s an album of late nineties latin pop minivan music, with a thick syrupy middle that doesn’t do anything for me. The opener and closer stand out though. ‘Ciega, Sordomuda’, one of the biggest pop songs of the 90s (it was #1 on the charts of literally every country in Latin America), has a galloping acoustic guitar and horn hits with Shakira’s vocals at their most percussive.

#495

Boyz II Men - II

So, if you were alive in the 90s you know Boyz II Men were fucking huge, and the worst song on the album is the second track “All Around the World”, basically a love song to their own success, and also the women they’ve banged. You can tell it was written specifically so that the crowd could go fucking wild when they heard their state/city/country mentioned in the song, and I’m not gonna double check but I’m sure they hit all fifty states. Once you’re over that hump though you basically have an hour of songs to fuck to. “U Know” keeps it catchy with propulsive midi guitar and synth horns, “Jezzebel” starts with a skit and ends with a richly layered jazz tune about falling in love on a train, and “On Bended Knee” has a Ragnarok Online type beat. Honestly this album can drag, but you’re not supposed to be listening to it alone in a state of analysis, you’re supposed to have it on during a date that’s going really, really well.

#494

The Ronettes - Presenting the Fabulous Ronettes

A singles compilation of the Ronettes, the only ones I immediately recognized were ‘Be My Baby’ and ‘Going to the Chapel of Love’, the latter of which I didn’t know existed since the version of the song I knew was by the Dixie Cups, which was apparently a source of drama since the Ronettes did it first but producer Phil Spector refused to release it. I feel like as a retro trip to sixties girl groups it’s full of enough songs about breaking up (for example “Breaking Up”) getting back together (for example “Breaking Up”) and wanting to get married but you can’t, because you’re a teenager (“So Young”).

#493

Marvin Gaye - Here, My Dear

This album only exists because Marvin was required by his divorce settlement to make it and provide all of the royalties to his ex-wife and motown executive Anna Gordy Gaye. It’s absolutely bizarre, phoned in mid tempo funk whose lyrics range from the passive aggressive (“This is what you wanted right?”) to the petulant (“Why do I have to pay attorney’s fees?”). There is a seething realness here that crosses well past the border of uncomfortable. I don’t think it’s an amazing album to listen to, but it’s an amazing album to exist: Marvin Gaye is legally obligated to throw his own divorce pity party, and everyone's invited.

#492

Bonnie Raitt - Nick of Time

I have never heard of Bonnie Raitt before but apparently this album won several grammys including album of the year in 1989 and sold 5 million copies, which I guess goes to show that no award provides less long term relevance than the grammys. The story around the album is pretty heartwarming, it was her first massive hit after a career of whiffs, and Bonnie Raitt herself is apparently a social activist and neat human being. I say all this because this sort of 80s country blues rock doesn't really connect with me, but the artist obviously deserves more than that. I unequivocally like the title track though, a hand-clap backed winding electric piano groove about literally finding love before your eggs dry up.

#491

Harry Styles - Fine Line

I do not think I have ever heard a one direction song because I am an adult who only listens to public radio. I’m totally open to pop bands or boy bands or boy band refugee solo artists, but I don’t like anything here. It’s like a mixtape of the worst pop trends of the decade, from glam rock that sounds like it belongs in a car commercial to folky bullshit that sounds like it belongs in a more family focused car commercial. This gets my first DNP (Does Not Place).

#490

Linda Ronstadt - Heart Like a Wheel

Another soft-rock blues and country album which just doesn’t land with me. But the opener “You’re No Good” is like a soul/country hybrid which still goes hard and the title track hits with the lyrics “And it's only love and it's only love / That can wreck a human being and turn him inside out”.

Current Ranking, which is weirdly almost like an inverse of the rolling stones list so far;

#rolling stone #500 greatest albums of all time

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withasideofeggsy · 6 years

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Promises :: Park Jimin :: 3

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4,

Word count: 1.7K

Warning: ANGST, a little bit of self loathing, coarse language, car accident, death of family (click continue reading for potentially triggering subject)

This is shit and extremely short. I’m so sorry LOL. I haven’t updated in so long I’m so crusty and rusty.

I finally was at peace.

I was bundled up in fluffy blankets with the fuzziest pair of socks I owned as I lean lazily against Jungkook on his bed. I yawn tossing the controller to the feet of the mattress, “Ah Jungkook you keep losing I don’t wanna play against you anymore.”

He groans tossing his controller near mine as well, “I don’t understand how you got better than me considering that I taught you how to play.”

I contort my face to flash him an unflattering expression before flopping onto my back, “This is one thing that I am better at than you, just let me have this won’t you?”

Jungkook scoffs flopping down beside me, “I’m exhausted, I’m gonna take a nap,” he announces.

I hum in understanding, “Of course you will need to rest after I practically creamed you in the game!” I laughed causing him to let out an adorable whine.

As I lay in the soft mattress all warm and snuggled up beside the younger male I started to drift off as well.

SLAM

“Hey Jungkook, can I borrow-”

I jolt awake partially delirious as I squint towards the creak in the door. Jimin.

“Oh…you’re here too.”

“Yeah…” I mumble rubbing the sleep from my eyes.

Jungkook yawns as he pushes himself up on his elbows, “What is it hyung?”

Jimin shakes his head causing his fluffy blush coloured hair to sway, “Never mind that, why are you two sleeping together?”

“Huh? We’re just taking a nap,” Jungkook says with a cocked brow.

I wasn’t expecting this reaction from the usually happy-go-lucky Jimin but he clicks his tongue with a disgusted scoff. I knit my brows together at his reaction.

Jimin laughs without a single strand of humour in his tone, “Are you seriously that low? Hitting on a kid because I dumped you?”

My heart dropped to my stomach at his harsh words, something that was completely new to me. I swallow thickly as I feel my hands start to cramp up, “E-Excuse me?”

“Hyung!” Jungkook shouts jumping up from the bed to approach the shorter male, “You do not talk to (Y/N) noona like that. Also I’m not a kid nor was she ‘hitting’ on me.”

Jimin combs his hair back with his fingers. I could feel the irritation rolling off his shoulders as I watch his exposed eyebrows fuse together. “I take that back, I can’t believe you are hitting on her. You always have to copy me huh?”

Jungkook sighs evidently trying to hold back his growing irritation from the same insult he never can go a day without hearing. I roll my eyes at Jimin’s childish behaviour, “What do you want Jimin?”

“For you to move out,” he flatly answers, “I can’t watch you pursue my brothers,” he adds as he crosses his arms over his chest.

Even though I was annoyed at Jimin I couldn’t help the little giggle that escapes, “I’m not.”

Jimin sighs, “Jungkook and you, it’s so obvious. You probably always liked him even when you were dating me.”

I laugh shaking my head, “I see Jungkook nothing more than a little brother and you know that Jimin.”

Jungkook nods, “I think you are blinded by anger hyung. You know I love noona but not like that.”

A little giggle rips through Jimin’s throat making him look utterly hysterical. He throws his head back with a hand cupped over his face, “Go on! Explain! Because I don’t know!”

“Okay fine, I’m miserable and I still love you. Does that satisfy you now?” I lock my gaze onto Jimin’s unwavering ice-cold eyes.

He doesn’t say anything but immediately all the anger washes away and his features grow soft again. The sudden out of character hostility vanishes as fast as it came. If I wasn’t so hurt by his words and the way he looked at me with complete disgust I would’ve thought it never happened. But the dull ache in my chest was too real. Jimin doesn’t love me the way I love him anymore.

“I’ll move out by tomorrow okay?” I softly explain, tired, so tired to fight for my right to stay. I wouldn’t consider it defeat, I just didn’t see the point in trying to stay in his life when I clearly didn’t belong in it.

Jimin swallows thickly. I watch him carefully as his hand clenches and his eyes dart about the floor as if he’s looking for words to say. “I…” his voice cracks, “Soo Young actually wants to stay the night here…it’s going to thunderstorm tonight and she doesn’t like them. I – I don’t want her to be scared alone or feel uncomfortable with you here.” His large brown doe eyes locks onto mine before he lowers his gaze to his feet once again, “Sorry…”

“It’s okay!” I smile.

It’s not.

“I’ll pack up right now. Don’t worry I’ll be fast just give me ten minutes.” Words are spewing out like my brain is on autopilot. I couldn’t hear Jungkook’s protests as the deafening ringing sound echoes in my head. My body moves on its own accord as I stumble past Jimin to his room to throw in whatever article of clothing my hand snatches into my duffle bag. Out of haste with the race against my rising anxiety I bump into the last person I wanted to see as I exit the room.

“(Y/N),” Jimin softly speaks, “I’m sorry about what I said. And I’m sorry about all this…it’s just that it makes me so angry that when I saw you with Jungkook. I don’t know what gotten into me.”

I close my eyes and counted to five before I could look at him in the eye, but I couldn’t muster up any words to reassure him that his words didn’t hurt. I wanted to tell him that I was scared of the storm tonight too. I wanted to tell him that this storm between us scares me the most and I just need him to hold me tight and say that this was all some cruel payback joke for eating his leftovers last week. But I knew all too well that it’s over. Any false hope that the feelings he harbours for me went out the door the moment he looked at me with those eyes that were filled to the brim with hatred.

I couldn’t find a reply for Jimin in my jumbled brain before Jungkook rushes down the hallway with his own haphazardly zipped duffle bag swinging by his side with a shirt still hanging out the flap. The wide panic in his eyes from the thought of me leaving the apartment for good was clear as day in his innocent eyes.

I hold up my hand to stop him in his tracks, “Jungkook, I need you to stay here.”

“But…you’re scared of thunderstorms too,” he answers simply.

“There’s scarier things out there than thunderstorms, Jungkook. I’ll be okay.”

Like your entire world falling apart at your feet.

“It’s dark out. It isn’t safe,” he argues on.

“I’ll be okay.”

I think I’m saying that phrase too much. I’ll be okay. Maybe my brain subconsciously thinks that if I keep reciting those words I would actually believe it.

I cast a final look at Jimin. I muster up a small smile as I wave my hand, “Good night.”

I feel a pang of guilt in my heart as I take a final look at Jungkook. I didn’t want to be alone, I wanted to be with my little brother. But for some reason I didn’t want Jimin to be upset over the fact that I find comfort in Jungkook. It was stupid that I still cared about Jimin’s immature act of jealousy when all he does was cause my heart to ache. I guess he had me wrapped around his finger more than I ever realized.

“She’s right,” a quite meek voice broke the silence as I slipped on my boots, “thunder isn’t so scary…I can go home Jiminnie. She can stay.”

“Don’t speak nonsense Soo Young, you told me how terrified you were earlier today! I’ll protect you don’t worry.”

I look up from my partially laced shoes to see the lucky woman who swept Jimin off his feet. Her face shined bright at his words and she gave him a smile that was as beautiful as his own. He was right, they were perfect for each other. She nestled perfectly in his chest as he pulls her tight. I stood there watching them like an idiot until they pull apart to awkwardly look back at me. I open my mouth but my throat was too dry. I felt like I was suffocating on sand. I look at her to Jimin’s bashful pink dusted face. An embarrassing strangled noise surfaced in my throat causing my cheeks to flush with warmth, dipping my head in apology I fumble with the doorknob in a haste to escape with the little dignity I had left.

That night I huddled in a little ball of blankets in a run down motel that I settled for to escape the pouring rain. With hands clamped over my ears I rock myself as tears streamed down my cheek to the dampened pillow.

I really hated the thunder.

I screamed.

Jimin shot awake beside me.

“What’s wrong?!”

I shake my head as hot tears bubble over.

The heart monitor erratically spiking at the sudden panic that washed over my body due to the distant rumble. Jimin slips from the plastic chair and into the small reclined hospital bed. He pulls me tightly into his chest as I continued to sob.

“You don’t have to be afraid! I promise to protect you, (Y/N).”

That was seven years ago.

Seven years has past since I lost my parents in a car crash due to an extremely bad storm. I remember loud rumbles before a louder blaring sounded and I watched from the back seat as a bright light blinded me in the eyes. I found myself laying on my side as warmth trickled down my temple. Darkness consumed me and the last thing I heard before slipping into unconsciousness was the rumble of thunder.

“I promise to hold you tight during every storm so you know that you aren’t alone.”

Thank you for those seven years of comfort.

I cried myself to sleep just like that night at the hospital. The only difference being that Jimin wasn’t by my side to hold me tight.

#park jimin #bts #bts imagine #bts x reader #bts angst #jimin angst #jimin x reader #jimin imagine

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adtwixt · 5 years

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Adtwixt - News: August Diary: Promises I'm Making Myself

Regular news updates from Adtwixt Saturday: It's late in Shabat, just two hours more to have the full extent of the day of rest. Today began early. I stepped out on the porch to feed the pets and looked at the sun rising and sang "Shema". That I remember the Hebrew after all these years away from synagogue, that these words come easily still at the sight of daybreak, astounds me: Shema, Israel, Adonai Eloheinu, Adonai echad. Hear O Israel, the Lord is our G-d, the Lord is One... It was a hurry up sort of morning, but the wonder of God was there on the front porch this morning. I felt reverent as I went about the rest of my morning preparations. Katie and I went to pick up Taylor. Over the hills and through the woods and past meadows shining in the golden morning light and alongside fields of freshly mown hay with bales scattered here and there. Over creeks flowing over rocks and rivers slowly moving along sandy beds. And everywhere the golden rod standing high, the mallow stems heavy with buds, foxtail grass dancing in the air currents, and trees with autumn hues already tinging the leaves scattered amongst the pines. My heart ached and swelled as each new sight came into view, singing a song of both joy and grief, as I see the signs of one season passing into another. I have learned to find something lovely and beautiful in every season of the year rather than claim just one as my favorite. And so I must grieve the loss of one and rejoice in the other. Bonus of this road trip today was being in near proximity to a well known peach shed which blissfully was packed with traffic, a sure sign they had peaches still. I passed a little tent with a table laden with little yellow squash and red ripe tomatoes. My mouth watered. On our way back to the house, when time was not quite the premium thing it was on the trip up, I stopped and bought a big basket of peaches. I didn't even ask the price. I got heavy red ripe tomatoes big enough to fill my hand. I filled a sack with tender little yellow summer squash. I didn't care about my financial state just at that moment. I cared about savoring the remaining days of summer and it's lovely fruitful state. And in the end, it's all part and parcel of the grocery budget which renews on Monday anyway. I'll borrow now and cut back later. I asked how much longer they might have peaches. "We hope we can stay open until next weekend." One week...Just one week more and then we're done with peaches for the next 10 months. I haven't eaten nearly enough of them. I've made just one cobbler all summer long. I promise that next year I shall eat my fill, I shall make cobblers galore, I will.... We came home and I cut up the squash with one of the last Vidalia onions into a frying pan and then added 1/4 cup of water, covered them and let them steam gently. I made a salad with half a tomato diced finely over it. "I've not even had a single fresh tomato sandwich..." I said, as I sprinkled those lovely red bits over the green lettuce. "I promise I shall have at least one this week and next year..." Oh, next year! We had a lovely visit after dinner with Taylor and Katie. Taylor wanted purple nails "with glitter...which we do NOT eat!" Sometimes a child does hint at some corrected behavior don't they? I imagined her with a mouth sparkled with glitter at her nursery school and a sparkling tongue and giggles before the teacher noticed... So I did her nails and then on a whim, I used the glittery polish to coat my own nails. I'm too old for glitter...but I think it looks magical in the light. Didn't I promise myself to do my fingernails more often? Oh! one more promise I really need to keep! Taylor asked about the little cats on the bookshelf. "One day," I told her, "they shall be yours...because my grandmother gave them to me and I would like to give them to you, my granddaughter." Not that Taylor's my only granddaughter, I have four more but somehow I know that Taylor is the one these cats belong to. It feels odd to be thinking of little legacies such as this, but I told Katie and John, "Listen to me. Be my witnesses. This is my promise: these cats will be Taylor's and if I die before I gift them to her, be sure that she gets them...and the little girl with a book will be Hailey's." Taylor crawled into my lap and leaned on my shoulder. "I love you..." Oh my heart! How blessed I am to know the very genuine love of these children of my children. How very blessed! John took Katie and Taylor home to Katie's a little later. I sat here in the quiet, with my thoughts whispering all about me. Tired and happy and mindful of things I want to hold tight to and mindful that none of these endless days of housework, no matter how satisfying the work may be, will be the things I remember most. It will indeed be the taste of a sun ripened peach grown in Georgia soil, the feel of a little girl's head on my shoulder, the way a good ripe tomato smells and summer squash tastes, and how lovely a meadow is in sunlight of a dewy morning. It will be those things which I shall remember and it makes keeping these promises to myself imperative. John has stepped out on the 'verandah' as he chooses to call the front porch and the wind is blowing hot and heavy and ringing the old iron chimes. Ting, ting, ting, ting...Deeper than most windchimes. I confess I'm more fond of middle and deeper tones than the tinkly sorts of chimes. These please me. It takes a real wind to stir those bells to life. In the distance, coming ever nearer, thunder rumbles. Summer's music...Please Lord, make me mindful of my promises to keep! Sunday: There are sheets and towels on the line and peach cobbler cooling atop the stove. Not for us that cobbler but for Taylor's daddy. The house about me is clean and quiet just now. Here in a little bit I shall head over to Katie's to visit with them for a little while before Taylor begins her journey home. I sent John off to work this morning and tackled housework right away though I was tired and thought longingly of going back to my bed. But not today. Today there are sheets to blow in the sunlight and a house to put to order and a child to spend time loving. I think John is feeling the pull of the seasonal change. He's asked me to make a turkey pot pie this week and I've promised I shall. He wants Roast beef hash, too...and he'll have that as well, but it amuses me that he's wanting these comforting cooler weather sorts of foods. I've told you before that summer salads do pall for us after a bit. We'll have a few more despite these longings of ours for cozy meals. A chef salad will be a quick and easy meal after grocery shopping this week...and I find myself suddenly making up menus for the week ahead, something I'd let drop for a bit because I was just flat tired of planning. However, between leftovers and requests I guess I've got this week pretty much covered...Now let's see how many of these meals I actually get to make. The roast beef meal we had on Saturday and the enchiladas were thawed on Friday when John had said we'd skip the date then got that second wind in his sails and wanted to go out after all. The roast beef is in the fridge... Everything else is frozen at present or is fresh and ready to prepare. Roast Beef, Summer Squash and Onions, Tossed Salad, Matzoh Cracker Candy Chicken Verde Enchiladas, Yellow Rice and Peach Salsa Roast Beef Hash, Wedge Salads with Thousand Island Dressing on my own out with Mama Chef's Salad, Homemade Croutons, Peach Cobbler (for us) Turkey Pot Pie, Cranberry Sauce, Pear Salads And there's my menu plan! Speaking of food: one of the frugal articles I read last week dealt with grocery spending. She cited the USDA government site where you can see what food costs were for the prior month and how much one following the thrifty or low cost plans might be spending. And then she suggested that financial advisors suggest 6% of our annual income is what we ought to spend. As nearly as I recall how to figure percentages our spending should be something like $61 a week for the two of us. Now that's only for food. It does not include pet supplies, paper or cleaning products etc. It is also a good deal less than the government's food plan figures for a thrifty diet. According to their figures in June we would have been spending about $84/per week. I actually think I came in right around there with a few paper products and one or two pet items tossed in but those would not account for more than $11 so I'm still nowhere near the 6% mark. It does give me food for thought. I was so proud of trimming my budget to $300 a month...But could I possibly hit closer to $244? I'm pretty sure my husband would rebel hard at that but I'm tempted to try it just the same. And of course, once we do retire, our 6% would also be a good bit less than $244...so I feel I owe it to myself to try and trim things back a bit more. I'll let you know! Now off I go to unload the dishwasher and finish my bit of housework. Monday: More tired and weary than I'd thought I'd be today...I didn't plan a day of mostly rest, but there you are. I realized this morning that I basically did the equivalent of a drive to Kingsland and back with a brief stay to visit...but 8 hours of driving! I felt it this morning. Thankfully only light housework was needed and dinner was pretty much ready. I am reheating Chicken Enchiladas and have a salad made. I'd meant to have peach salsa with this meal but it's more effort than I want to go to today. John and I have been watching an interesting series of videos where the YouTubers go to visit old graveyards along back roads here in Georgia, some of them which are severely neglected. I think it's made us both aware of the graveyard back of our house. It is not on my property but just over the fence line. Granny and Granddaddy always maintained the graveyard and when my cousin bought the land, so did he. However, when it fell into my brother's hands it was no longer kept up. I'd asked to take it on with his permission and he agreed but then he wired all the entrances shut with barbed wire so that I couldn't get into the area. Now that Sam owns the land, I think I can get to it once more, but ten years of neglect means that it's now snaky and heavily overgrown. It is my hope that we can reclaim the space and maintain it once more but both Sam and John feel the graveyard is just too far gone. However, come cold weather I shall go there and begin to do what I might. Another of my 'small bites' projects. I feel sure if I start it Sam and John will eventually have pity on me and join in... The graveyard was not a family ground. It belonged to a huge old Federal house that sat on the hill before ours. This land was likely part of that original land grant but I haven't yet researched it out to prove that fact. Still, I do know the people buried near my home were once residents there. I would like to do my part in preserving a little bit of history, especially since the house burned down 30 odd years ago. Another promise I shall make this week: reclaim the graveyard and give it it's proper care. Tuesday: We didn't do much of anything at all yesterday. I was just worn out. Some days are just so. John did a load of laundry and hung a few things to dry. I made meals and kept those simple and easy. Today we played catch up. Typically we'd drive down on payday to pick up John's check if he's not working the Tuesday following. Well he wasn't working today, but we didn't go down yesterday afternoon. He wanted to cut Sam's grass since Sam's busy with renovations inside the house. John went over yesterday afternoon, though why he waited until afternoon to do so is beyond me. It was so terribly hot, with a heat index of 107f. It's been that way all week long. It's meant to end here this weekend, though. I lived without AC for years and years. We had only window units we used occasionally. The year Sam was born was one year when we used AC all summer long because it was miserably hot from May to September that year. Real temperatures that year were near 110F. Between the summer heat and the winter cold we spent much of the year living in just one or two rooms. That's all we could heat or cool in those years. It was very expensive to run AC in the 1980's and '90s. When John and I got together and were struggling so we simply could not afford to run the window units though they were brand new. We ended up compromising. We turned them on Friday evening when we came in from work and turned them off Sunday night when we went to bed (11pm). It cost us over $300 a month to run it 8 days. We've never paid that much a month here in the worst of our summers. We came near it this past autumn when it was freezing and we had to run the emergency heat after our motor went out on the unit. But all in all, AC is much more affordable than it was 25 years ago and I am so grateful for that! Today we did the payday errands: banking, bills, and groceries. Not as much work as it sounds because I have the bills ready to go out days ahead and then I just take them to the mailbox as soon as we do the banking. John had warned we'd have a shorter check. We didn't. It wasn't quite enough to meet all our needs this time around but I'd already planned ahead for that, so it was easy enough to proceed as planned. I'll be sure to tell him we're on a no spend from now until next pay period which should see us through this small slump. I did well enough on groceries. I didn't buy any meat this time around. I'd looked at chuck roasts but they were very fatty and the one I thought worth purchasing was over $20...Wowza! I decided I'd just skip it. I know we've plenty of meat on hand at present. As I put groceries away in the pantry, I suggested to John that we might skip a big grocery shop next pay period and get just dairy and produce as needed. We have quite a deep pantry at the moment and I saw only two or three items that I wished to stock more heavily, like flour, cereal and coffee. Again, good sales will fill those needs. I was thinking this morning that over the years I've found lots of ways to save money. Our mobile phone service is quite reasonable. We pay roughly the same for two phones that we once paid for one landline and one prepaid phone. At one point our mobile phone company bought out our satellite TV service. We were able to combine bills and make a small savings. However, I soon discovered the days of renegotiating our satellite service contract was an exercise in futility with the phone company as boss. So much for twenty five years of good customer status! Our local phone service internet was abysmal. It had gotten so that we had no internet service from Friday afternoon at 4pm until Monday morning at 9am. No we didn't get any discounts for the lack of service. The company denied there was any problem! So we moved to a satellite service. We paid a LOT for that service. Double what we'd paid for the local service. However, it was reliable and we had service we could count on. When our current mobile phone service offered an unlimited data pan we hopped right on, changed phone plans and got the newly available hot spot. We dropped internet satellite and saved on new smart phones, buying older models that were heavily discounted, paying cash up front. That kept our phone bills low. Smart phones for the same price as a mobile/text service? Please and thank you! When lightning ran in on our television last August, we bought a Fire TV and in January I finally convinced John to quit satellite. We dropped the satellite TV service which meant we paid still less out of pocket. I was already paying for Amazon Prime membership each month, well worth the savings in shipping alone. We aren't big shoppers, but I guarantee I order something from Amazon every month that is cheaper than I can find it elsewhere and that is covered under the prime free shipping. We watch pretty much all the television we want to watch with our hot spot. We did subscribe to Netflix' basic plan. I am still paying far less for the phone service with unlimited data, Amazon and Netflix than I previously paid for phones, internet and satellite tv services. But for all that some things change, others pretty much stay the same. We've paid basically the same amount for gasoline each month for the past 20 years. Some years we drive more and some we drive less. Our average is always right around the same amount each month for costs though. Groceries is another area that remained fairly stable for a long number of years. I stopped buying certain items and made more from scratch and yet it's only been in these past two years I've begun to see a significant savings in the grocery spending. I might add that during this two year period of time I've fed more people and spent less, while previously we spent a good deal more and fed only two. Now that we're basically feeding just the two of us once more, I've watched my budget amount drop to what is an all time low for us. Still...I could perhaps save more and I am working on it! Being frugal is never a stagnant and finite thing. As time goes on, some of those ways I saved are no longer valid. Eating habits change, income changes, products and promotions leave the market or come on the market. Our needs change. What is needed in this stage of life is not the same as what was needed previously and won't be the same in five years. For every new thing that comes along there are new ways to save and manage. Being frugal has never been boring! And for me, that's what keeps it fun. Thursday: I had every intent of sharing with you all yesterday but by the time I was done with Mama, I was really and most sincerely done in every sense of the word. Once Bess and the boys left (and what good medicine they were!), I hadn't even the energy to eat. I drank a V8 and showered and went off to bed with a book on prayer and fell asleep and slept the bulk of all night long. Wailing and gnashing of teeth might have occurred in moderation in between that V8 and the shower but it was in extreme moderation. Today is better. Today I am mindful of my many blessings and mindful of my own ways and words. As well I ought to be. Difficult relationships sometimes never cease to be difficult. But more on that another day and time, perhaps. This morning I greeted John with a proper big breakfast. Funny thing, we are eating less these days. I suppose it's partly due to the heat and partly due to the fact that so much of what we choose to eat is just good fresh foods and they fill us amply even when eaten in moderation. Our 'big' breakfast consisted of Fried egg, grits, toast and turkey sausage. It is a big breakfast but certainly not one of those mammoth restaurant 'big' sorts of breakfasts. After breakfast I started a loaf of bread. I'd really meant to get one going yesterday morning when John left as I was sure it would be done by the time I was ready to leave for Mama's, but time slipped away from me as I got all out of routine and did things in far different time frames than usual...which all worked lovely as I was practically dressed and fully made up by the time Bess and Isaac stopped in to start their laundry. Quick prayers, everyone, that work on their utility room goes through this weekend and their washer and dryer are up and running once more. It's hard work lugging loads and loads of clothes from there to here and back again... Mama, as I expected, wanted to go to the big peach packing shed just 20 minutes north of me. It is a good hour or so from her house...But go we did and I bought a half peck of peaches. For one thing I meant to share with Bess, and I did. I will put some in the freezer. And I want to savor the last of this seasonal fruit because I do love peaches! For some reason the morning flew past. Quicker than usual. I'm not real sure why. Well I do too know why. John and I had a lot to talk over this morning and to think about and come back to talk over one more time. I was still finishing up Bible study while our dinner cooked today. It was one of those lovely Bible study sessions in which each passage of scripture I read today was pertinent to my own thoughts about matters that we'd discussed. Friday: The end of another week...They do fly by these days, don't they? John and I have a lot to consider these days. There's a possibility that our plans for retirement will be pushed forward from next June to end of this year. All my plans to save money and stash away all I might as far as non-perishable things will be more modest than I'd been shooting for. I'm not worried, but it is a little disconcerting. Still, nothing is yet set in stone and we are at the point where now is as good as later and we'll trust God's timing. In the end, we must always let go of our plans and rely on Him anyway, as I've discovered more than once. My house is very nearly Shabat ready. We've no plans for this weekend aside from going to church. I will have turkey pot pie for tomorrow's dinner which I'll do my best to prep ahead. I'm debating dessert options. On the one hand, I think gelatin or pudding would be a nice counter to the hot pot pie, don't you? I'd love to make a lemon meringue pie but not sure I really want to go to that much work this afternoon when the kitchen is pretty much cleaned for the weekend. I'll have to think on this. I have a Chef Salad for our main meal today. It was on my menu plan and I find between cheese, a few slivers of turkey and some hard boiled egg we've plenty of protein and fat to satisfy us all afternoon long. And there's a lovely bit of leftover peach cobbler, though I did make a smaller one yesterday. And that is my week, full of the expected, and the unexpected, full of the lovely and the difficult, full of promises to keep. Frugal things: The true economy of housekeeping is simply the art of gathering up all the fragments, so nothing be lost I mean fragments of time as well as materials...every member of a household should be employed either in earning or saving money. The American Frugal Housewife ~ Lydia Maria Francis Child It's quite hot and the AC is pretty much running non-stop until 10 pm every night and then coming on periodically all through the night and early mornings. I turned the AC up to 78, not my favorite point as it tends to feel a bit more stuffy, but it at least is one way to save. I've noted the AC cuts off earlier and stays off a wee bit longer. (This should end as of Tuesday evening this week...Milder temperatures are coming our way. Hooray!) I'm also being very mindful of running water unnecessarily at present. This is finally getting to be more and more a habit with me as I have always tended to be the sort who let the water run and run as I rinsed dishes for the dishwasher or brushed my teeth or washed my face. However, electricity is money and so I am doing my best to be mindful that the pump must run if I must run water. Happily, all the heat keeps generating pop up rain showers so watering plants is not a chore I must attend to. As for porch and house plants, it's easy enough to 'save' water from bits left in bottles or glasses or that is running while it's cold and I'm needing hot to catch up and use for those. And if I'm quick, I can often pop a porch planter under the run off from the roof and water plants with rain water. I may be just longing to shop but I know my current season isn't going to be any less tight if I run up a credit card bill, so I'm deleting tempting emails full of sales and waiting a few days before even considering those few purchases that make it into a cart. So far, nothing has made it from the cart to 'order' because I either forget it or I discover something I can use that I already have or I just make up my mind to go without. I ordered a new phone case and accessory ring from eBay. I bought the last case two years ago and it's falling apart. I tried to remove the ring from the old case but it's a no go. I even went to YouTube and I discovered that they don't re-stick once removed. The new ring was pennies on the dollar on eBay for the exact same one I bought for bigger bucks at the phone store last year. I literally saved enough on the ring to cover the cost of the new case and keep change in my pocket. In case you're wondering what a phone ring is, it's a ring that you stick to the back of your phone or phone case and can slide a finger through and allows you to hold the phone without dropping it. Dropping my phone is an issue for me, so the ring isn't a vanity thing, it's purely a necessity. Ditto for the phone case. I get the shock absorbing sort of case. Both items will be paid from my allowance. Sunday morning I did a full load of dishes right away after John left for work and then I ran a full load of laundry (sheets and towels). Everything air dried. John and I combined errands when we went out to shop for groceries. I checked with John about how he liked the bread machine bread I've been making. He thinks it's great...and so I suggested I make a couple loaves a week, and we supplement with the occasional loaf that we'll keep in the freezer. Once at the store I decided to buy smaller sized loaves. Same number of slices per loaf but just a smaller piece of bread overall. The smaller sized loafs were about $1 cheaper. With the homemade machine bread we've been eating half slices. I've given in to buying cookies for John this summer. It's not worth heating up the kitchen for any period of time to make them...but I told him as soon as it starts to cool off I mean to make more homemade cookies and forgo the bought ones until the Spekulaas cookies are in market once more. In the meantime, Tammy has inspired me to make a batch of those yummy stovetop chocolate oatmeal cookies. I'd forgotten those as an oven free option. John loves those cookies. No meat purchased today, but only because I thought better of it when I priced the nicest chuck roast in the counter. I had a fair idea of how much meat I had in the freezer at home (not to mention how much is in the fridge at present) and I felt we could by pass that purchase. I'll watch for good sales on meat in the next few weeks and try to stock up then. I suggested to John it would be worthwhile to return to purchasing chicken breasts and ground beef on special at the organic market we used to visit. I've noted that the price at the organic market is nearly $2/pound less so it's well worth driving there for the savings. Made a loaf of bread, a small peach cobbler and used up leftover roast beef and gravy to make hash. John hung most of a load of clothes to dry. I washed a full load of dishes in the dishwasher. I've downloaded a few free books for my Kindle. Most are Christian non-fiction but one was a children's book (never know when that might come in handy!) and Mansfield Park by Jane Austen was free the other day. I am not going nuts adding books. I am trying to be thoughtful about what I might truly read and most will be deleted once I'm done but in time I will add books I really want to buy that are cheaper via Kindle and won't take up space on my filled bookcases...Not to say I am done buying hard cover books. Some friends just deserve a full time home where I can hold them and love them as I read! I've started a 'stock up list'. So far I've got tissues (for cold and flu season) and cold medicine (ditto from previous), pineapple juice (same), matches, toilet paper, flour, coffee (regular and decaf) and boxed cereal. I may add more as time goes on but these are items I am very well aware we're very low or empty on. Oh and candles! We use them for our Shabats and typically two candles last us a couple or three months but they are awfully handy when power goes out as well so I like to stock up. I've started adding tissues and paper towels to our compost. And this morning, I decided it was worth while to shred our weekly newspapers as well. I've been adding shredded mail for quite a while but these are extra items I know I can compost. I plan to 'grow my compost' so to speak, as I get more and more serious about my need for flowers and perhaps a few vegetables here and there. Meals: So I made my plans...how did that go? Here's what we really ate this week Roast Beef, Squash, Tossed Salad McDonalds with Katie and Taylor Chicken Verde Enchiladas, Green Salad with Tomatoes and Green Onions Chicken Salad Sandwiches with fresh fruit (take out) Chicken Livers and Fries with Mama Roast Beef Hash, Sliced Tomato Salad with Basil, Peach Cobbler Chef's Salad, Oyster Crackers (something we often sub for croutons), Peach Cobbler (C) Terri Cheney For more information please click here

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23 of the Best Personal Websites to Inspire Your Own

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23 of the Best Personal Websites to Inspire Your Own

Some refer to it as a full-time job in itself. Others compare it to dating. And several cats over at BuzzFeed think it just plain stinks.

But it doesn’t have to be that way.

When you’re applying for a task, you’re typically asked to submit a resume and covering letter, or perhaps your LinkedIn profile. But there are better ways to stand out from your rivalry, and build a personal website is one of them.

Why You Need a Personal Website

Here’s the thing about resumes and cover letters: No matter how unique you try to attain your own, for the best part, they tend to read dry. And there’s a good reason for it: It’s supposed to be a single , no-frills page that documents your work experience. And while being concise is good, there’s very little opportunity to convey your uniqueness, or for your personality to glisten through at all for that matter.

While a resume is a sole, largely unchanging document, a personal website can be customized and updated according to what you’re working on, or what you want to emphasize. It’s both fluid and current.

Did you know 70% of employers say they’ve rejected a task nominee because they learned something undesirable about them online? This doesn’t mean you should scrub the internet of everything about you — in fact, this statistic underscores the importance of polishing your online presence. Recruiters are looking you up online, and a personal website that tells the story you want to tell can make all the difference between you and a vying candidate.

If you’re thinking about creating a personal website of your very own, check out the examples below that make the fingernail on the head. Inspired by a particular type of website? Click one of the following links to jump to that segment of this article :P TAGEND

Personal Resume Websites

Personal Portfolios

Personal Blogs

Personal Demo Websites

Best Personal Websites

Gary Sheng

Raf Derolez

Pascal van Gemert

Brandon Johnson

Quinton Harris

Sean Halpin

Tony D’Orio

Verena Michelitsch

Gari Cruze

Melanie Daveid

The Beast Is Back

Daniel Grindrod

The Everywhereist

Side Hustle Nation

fifty coffees

Smart Passive Income

Minimalist Baker

Kendra Schaefer

Mr. Money Mustache

Albino Tonnina

Robby Leonardi

Samuel Reed

Devon Stank

Personal Resume Websites

Whether you create a single-page site or a larger portfolio, the web resume serves as a more personalized option for sharing information and demonstrating your technological abilities — and it can be used by all types of job seekers.

Even if you have very little work experience, you can leverage a website to build a better picture of your capabilities and yourself as a candidate, while leaning on your traditional resume to provide the basic background information.

1. Gary Sheng

Unlike a standard resume document, Sheng’s website builds it easy for him to include logos and clickable links that allow his software engineering and web developing skills to shine.

We love that visitors can choose to scroll down his page to view all of the website’s categories( “About Me, ” “My Passion, ” etc .), or jump to a specific page utilizing the top navigation.

The “My System” section reads like a company mission statement, and this personal touch assistances humanize his work and attain him more memorable.

2. Raf Derolez

Derolez’s web resume is modern, cool, and informative. It proves off his personality, branding, and developing abilities in a way that’s still very simple and clear. Not to mention, his use of unique typefaces and geometric overlays ascribes personality to his name in an eye-catching way.

Want to get in touch with Derolez? Simply click the CTA located at the bottom of the page to open up an email that’s pre-addressed directly to him. Or select one of the social media links to connect with him on platforms like Twitter — where the look and feel of the visual assets happens to seamlessly align with the branding of his website. Well played, Derolez.

3. Pascal van Gemert

Pascal van Gemert is a web developer from the Netherlands, and his personal resume website demonstrates you can include a lot of information on a single webpage if it’s coordinated properly.

The more experience you get, the more of it you’ll have to share with employers. Pascal’s resume, shown above, employs an extended scroll bar to keep visitors from having to navigate to a different page when learning about him. He also visualizes his career in different ways between “Profile, ” “Experiences, ” “Skills, ” and “Projects, ” while utilizing a consistent teal colour to unite all of his resume contents under one brand.

4. Brandon Johnson

Johnson’s incredible resume must be seen to be believed. Beautiful images of planets help to complement his planetary science background, and animations induce his resume more of an experience than a document.

In words of design, the textured, multi-layered background adds greater depth to the two-dimensional page in a way that provokes feelings of space and the planetary systems, which Johnson’s run focuses on.

5. Quinton Harris

Harris’ resume utilizes photos to tell his personal story — and it reads kind of like a cool, digital scrapbook. It covers all the bases of a resume — and then some — by discussing his educational background, work experience, and abilities in a highly visual way.

Not to mention, the copy is fantastic. It’s clear that Harris took the time to carefully choose the right words to describe each step of his personal and professional journey. For instance, the section on storytelling reads :P TAGEND

NYC, my new home, is filled with the necessary secrets to not only propel my craft forward, but my identity as an artist. With every lens snapped and every pixel laid, I am becoming me.

Finally, at the final navigational point( note the scrolling circles on the left-hand side of the page ), users are redirected to quintonharris.com, where he goes on to tell his narrative in more detail.

6. Sean Halpin

Halpin’s resume is short, sweet, and to the point, which is authentic to his voice and personal branding outlined on the site. The white space permits his designs and copy to pop and command the reader’s attention, which helps to improve readability — especially on mobile devices :P TAGEND Best Practices for Resume Website

Code your resume so it can be crawled by search engines.

Offer a button to download your resume in PDF so the hire director can add it to your file.

Keep branding consistent between the website and document versions: Use similar typefaces, colours, and images so you’re easy to recognize.

Be creative and authentic to yourself. Think about the colourings, images, and media you want to be a part of your tale that you couldn’t include in a document resume.

Personal Portfolios

Building an online portfolio is a highly useful personal branding and marketing tool if your work experience and skill set call for content creation. In fact, photographers, graphic designers, illustrators, novelists, and content marketers can all use web portfolios to show off their skills in a more user-friendly way than a resume or hard copy portfolio.

7. Tony D’Orio

It’s important to keep the design of your visual portfolio simple to let images capture visitors’ attention, and D’Orio achieves this by featuring bold photographs front-and-center on his website. His logo and navigation menu are clear and don’t distract from his work. And he makes it easy for potential customers to download his work free of charge.

Want to give it a try? Click on the hamburger menu in the top left corner, then select+ Create a PDF to select as many images as you’d are ready to download.

Once you open the PDF, you’ll notice that it comes fully equipped with D’Orio’s business card as the covering … just in case you need it.

8. Verena Michelitsch

When you’re a designer , not one pixel on your personal website should go unused. Verena Michelitsch’s portfolio, shown above, is covered end to end in artwork. From her extensive library of run, she chose to exhibit multiple colourings, styles, and dimensions so guests can see just how much range she has as a designer. It’s a perfect example of the classic proverb, “show, don’t tell.”

9. Gari Cruze

Cruze is a copywriter. But by turning his website into a portfolio featuring images from different campaigns he’s worked on, he makes visitors want to keep clicking to gain a better understanding of him. Also, there’s a great CTA at the top of the page that results visitors to his latest blog post.

His site’s humorous transcript — specifically in the “1 7 Random Things” and “Oh Yes, They’re Talking” segments — serves to show off his skills, while constructing himself more memorable as well. These pages also include his contact information on the right-hand side, building it easy to reach out and connect at any point :P TAGEND 10. Melanie Daveid

Daveid’s website is a great example of “less is more.”

This developer’s portfolio features clear, well-branded imagery of campaigns and apps that Daveid worked on, and she demonstrates off her coding abilities when you click through to see the specifics of her work.

While it might seem too minimal to only include three examples of her run, Daveid did her portfolio a service by including her best, most noteworthy campaigns. At the end of the working day, it’s better to have fewer examples of excellence in your portfolio than many examples of mediocrity.

11. The Beast Is Back

Christopher Lee’s portfolio is busy and colorful in a way that works. When you read more about Lee on his easily navigable site, you “ve realized that” such a fun and vibrant homepage is perfect for an illustrator and toy designer.

Known by his brand name, “The Beast Is Back, ” Lee’s web portfolio highlights eye-catching designs with recognizable brands, such as Target and Mario, along with links to purchase his work. This is another gallery-style portfolio with pops of colouring that make it fun and devote it personality, thus making it more memorable.

12. Daniel Grindrod

This freelance videographer is another example of a simple but sleek portfolio, organizing the many types of media Daniel’s done into the categories by which his potential clients would likely want to browse. The opening video spot on the homepage — labeled “Daniel Grindrod 2018, ” as shown on the still image — also ensures his site visitors that he’s actively creating beautiful work.

Best Practice for Portfolio Website

Use chiefly visuals. Even if you’re showcasing your written work, utilizing logos or other branding is more eye-catching for your guests.

Don’t be afraid to be yourself. Your personality, style, and sense of humor could be what decides you apart from other sites!

Organization is key. If your portfolio is full of photos, logos, and other images, make sure it’s easy for visitors to navigate to where they can contact you.

Brand yourself. Choose a logo or icon to induce your information easily identifiable.

Personal Blogs

Consistently publishing on a blog is a great way to attract attention on social media and search engines — and drive traffic to your site. Blogging is a smart way to give your work a personality, chronicle your experiences, and stretch your write muscles. You might write a personal blog if you’re a writer by trade, but virtually anyone can benefit from adding a blog to their site and providing useful content for their audience.

13. The Everywhereist

This blog looks a bit busier, but its consistent branding assists guests easily navigate the site. The travelling blog utilizes globe iconography to move visitors around the site, constructing it easy to explore segments beyond the blog.

Owned by novelist Geraldine DeRuiter, this blog also features a “Best Of” section that allows new visitors to learn about what the blog covers to get acclimated. The color scheme is warm, neutral, and free of excess clutter that could confuse from the content.

14. Side Hustle Nation

Side Hustle Nation is the business blog of Nick Loper, an advisor whose website offers tons of valuable fiscal advice for individual business owners. His homepage, shown above, sets a lighthearted yet passionate tone for his readers. It indicates you’ll get friendly content all committed to a single aim: financial liberty. The green call to action, “Start Here, ” assistances first-time guests know what it is to navigate his website.

On Nick’s blog page, shown above, you’ll notice two unique types of content: “My Podcast Production Process, ” the top post; and “Quarterly Progress Report, ” the third post down. The top post presents readers how Nick, himself, generates content that helps his business grow, while the third post down holds his readers up to date on his blog’s growth over time. These content kinds give people a peek behind the curtain of your operation, indicating them you practice what you preach and that your insight is tried and true.

15. fifty coffees

The website fifty coffees chronicles the author’s series of coffee meetings in search of her next chore possibility, and it does a great job of using photography and visuals to assist in the telling of her lengthy stories.

The best part? Each post ends with numbered takeaways from her meetings for ease of reading comprehension. The high-quality photography used to complement the tales is like icing on the cake.

16. Smart Passive Income

This is Pat Flynn’s personal blog, a hub for financial advice for people who want to start their own business. His homepage, shown above, lets you know exactly who’s behind the content and what his mission is for the content he’s offering readers.

His blog page also comes with a unique navigational tool, shown above, that isn’t simply categorized by subject matter. Rather, it’s organized by what the reader wants to accomplish. From “Let’s Start Something New” to “Let’s Optimize Your Work, ” this site structure assistances customize the reader’s experience so you’re not forcing them to merely guess at which blog posts are going to solve their problem. This helps to keep people on your website for longer and increase your blog’s traffic in the long term.

17. Minimalist Baker

I’m not highlighting Dana’s food blog just because the food appears delicious and I’m hungry. Her blog uses a simple white background to let her food photography pop, unique branding to stimulate her memorable, and mini-bio to personalize her website.

18. Kendra Schaefer

Kendra’s blog is chock-full of information about her life, background, and professional experience, but she avoids overwhelming visitors by using a light background and coordinating her blog’s modules to minimize clutter. She also shares links to additional writing samples, which bolsters her writing authority and credibility.

19. Mr. Money Mustache

Mr. Money Mustache might take over an old-school, Gangs of New York-style facade, but his blog design — and the advice the blog offers — couldn’t be more fresh( he also doesn’t really look like that ).

This fiscal blog is a funny, browsable website that offers sound insight into money management for the layperson. While his personal stories help support the legitimacy of his advice, the navigation connects surrounding his logo make it easy to jump right into his content without any prior context around his brand.

Best Practices for Blogs

Keep your site simple and clutter-free to avoid additional distractions beyond blog posts.

Publish often. Company blogs that publish more than 16 posts per months get nearly 3.5 X the web traffic of blogs that published less than four posts per month.

Experiment with different blog styles, such as listings, interviews, graphics, and bullets.

Employ visuals to break up text and add context to your discussion.

Personal Demo Websites

Another cool way to promote yourself and your abilities is to create a personal website that doublings as a demonstration of your coding, design, illustration, or developer skills. These sites can be interactive and animated in a way that provides information about you and also demonstrates hiring directors why they should work with you. This is a great website option for technological and artistic content creators such as developers, animators, UX decorators, website content managers, and illustrators.

20. Albino Tonnina

Tonnina is showcasing advanced and complicated web developing abilities, but the images and icons he utilizes are still clear and easy to understand. He also offers a simple option to view his resume at the beginning of his site, for those who don’t want to scroll through the animation.

21. Robby Leonardi

Leonardi’s incredible demo website utilizes animation and web development abilities to turn his portfolio and resume into a video game for site visitors. The whimsical branding and unique route of sharing information ensure that his site is memorable to visitors.

22. Samuel Reed

Reed utilizes his page as a start-to-finish demo of how to code a website. His website starts as a blank white page and objectives as a fully interactive site that guests can watch him code themselves. The cool factor attains this website memorable, and it stimulates his skills exceedingly marketable.

23. Devon Stank

Stank’s demo site does a great job of showing that he has the web design chops and it takes it a step further by telling guests all about him, his agency, and his passions. It’s the perfect balance of a demo and a mini-resume.

Plus, we love the video summary. It’s a consumable summing-up that at once captures Stank’s personality and credentials.

iframe> Best Practices for Demo Website

Brand yourself and use consistent logos and colourings to identify your name and your skills amongst the bevy of visuals.

Don’t overwhelm your guests with too many visuals at once — especially if your demo is animated. Be sure to keep imagery easy to understand so visitors aren’t bombarded when they visit your site.