#taxi near me in San Diego

[usafphantom2]

The Top-Secret Warplanes of Area 51

Bill SweetmanPublished Oct 1, 2006 10:00 AM EDT

Aviation photo

On a trip to las vegas in 2004, observing from my east-facing hotel room in the pyramidal Luxor Hotel at daybreak, I watched a fleet of six unmarked 737s make commuter flights to nowhere. These aircraft depart every weekday morning from a tidy, anonymous terminal on the western side of McCarran International Airport. A long line of cars pours into a 1,600-spot parking lot as the jets pull away from the terminal, taxi to the runways, and head out into the desert sky. At the end of the day, the shuttle flights return and the lot empties. The passengers go home and tell their families nothing about what happened at work that day.

Cut to April 4 this year. San Diego is hit by a rumbling shock that isn’t an earthquake. It is ruled out by the media as a sonic boom after military operators claim it is not one of their aircraft. San Diego Union-Tribune reporter Alex Roth does some digging and comes up with six puzzlingly similar incidents around the country since 2003.

Fast-forward to July, at the Farnborough International Airshow in southeastern England. Frank Cappuccio, the avuncular vice president of Lockheed Martin’s secretive Skunk Works division, opens a press conference by introducing what he calls a promotional video, “something to show the kids and families about what we do.” Two minutes into the show, a gray, cockpit-less airplane that nobody has seen before-it looks like a B-2 bomber’s chick-soars over a backdrop of stony, barren hills and mountains.

All these events are linked. They are the visible signs of an invisible, parallel world within the universe of aerospace and defense: the classified, or “black,” world of secret military programs. Those unmarked 737s were ferrying employees to the flight-test center near Groom Lake, Nevada, known to the public as Area 51. The gray airplane is Polecat, a next-generation stealth unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)-Cappuccio’s video was his sly way of unveiling the program. Those earthquakes? Quite possibly sonic booms from a long-suspected hypersonic attack vehicle, a sleek aircraft that has consumed the imaginations of black-project enthusiasts and military analysts, including me, for two decades. Though seemingly dormant in recent years, the program appears to be on the move again, and with a renewed vigor that has me feeling, somewhat unsettlingly, a bit like the aerospace industry’s own Ahab.

Invisible Fighter

The Vehicle: Stealthy, unmanned combat aerial vehicle The Technology: Visual stealth, including active fuselage lighting that blends into background The Evidence: Patent filing, development of key technology, obvious gap in current arsenal

The black airplane world has, without question, produced the most significant advances in aviation technology. In the 1950s, it spawned the U-2 spyplane, which flew higher and farther than anyone had thought possible. It gave birth a decade later to the SR-71 Blackbird, the exotic, revered speed king. It also produced the slow but stealthy, origami-like F-117 fighter.

But for aerospace sleuths, there’s been little activity recently in the form of declassified vehicles that might hint at current efforts. (Classified programs can be unveiled to aid in broad combat deployment or when the technology appears in other programs.) The F-117 came out of the black world during the first Iraq war 15 years ago, and only three aircraft have been introduced since. One was Polecat. Another was Northrop Grumman’s ungainly reconnaissance aircraft Tacit Blue, nicknamed “the Whale.” The third was Boeing’s Bird of Prey, which tested visual stealth strategies, including shaping that minimizes shadows and contrast and, rumor has it, body illumination that allows it to blend into its background.

This dearth of unveiled prototypes does not mean, however, that the black-aircraft community is dormant. In fact, all signs point to steadily increasing activity. Google Earth reveals a newly constructed additional runway and multiple new hangars and buildings at the base. The usual vague, untraceable allocations in congressional budgets that often signal classified programs are on the rise, and modern technological innovations are now enabling aircraft designs that might have floundered in the black world for years. Further, there are significant gaps in the military’s known aviation arsenal-gaps that the Pentagon can reasonably be assumed to be actively, if quietly, trying to fill.

The need for such secrecy is simple: It is essential to preserving technological surprise. The Pentagon wishes to prevent enemies from developing strategies to counter the technology. The challenge is to figure out what precisely is happening-without betraying national security-because the bigger the black world gets, the better it conceals its activities. What follows is inescapably an educated guess, arrived at by analysis of the available evidence, at the tantalizing designs being cooked up on the sly at Area 51, including a radical special-forces transport, a stealthy UAV, an agile new bomber, and my own white whale-the mythical, hypersonic dragster and presumed source of those faux earthquakes: Aurora.

Recon Platform

The Vehicle: Unmanned flying-wing capable of long-duration surveillance flights, measured in days and weeks instead of hours The Technology: Autonomous flight controls and ultra-efficient electric motors powered by solar panels or fuel cells The Evidence: Patent filing, clear current need, recent development of key technology

Delivering Special Forces Behind Enemy Lines

One of the best pointers to a secret program is an obvious gap in the “white world” force, and one of these gaps is a stealthy, short-runway transport airplane. The U.S. Air Force’s special

operations community has talked for many years about stealthy transports that could take off and land vertically or on a few hundred feet of level ground (a soccer field is the classic example).

The new V-22 Osprey tilt-rotor transport is a partial answer to that problem, but the military would really like something faster, so it can fly farther into and out of enemy territory, and the Osprey’s big rotors quickly betray it to radar. So far, there is no sign of unclassified, white-world money developing such a vehicle. In 1992, however, Skunk Works engineers filed a patent application for such an aircraft. (New aircraft can take years to develop. A 14-year-old patent filing could easily represent a current program.)

Tailless, with a blended wing and body, the aircraft is powered by six jet engines driving rotor-like lifting fans ensconced in wide, round bays in the wings. For takeoff and landing, doors and Venetian-blind vanes cascade open, and the fans lift the airplane vertically. While cruising, the engines drive smaller, forward-thrusting fans. Why six engines? The engines and fans are interconnected by an elaborate system of cross-shafts so that any engine can deliver power to either side of the airplane. With six engines, the airplane can complete a mission if one fails.

Is something like that out there today? The job of a vertical-takeoff-and-landing aircraft still needs doing, perhaps now more than ever before, and, barring antigravity solutions from the friendly aliens at Area 51, an aircraft like this is one of the few ways to get it done. Technologically, it is probably benefiting from the innovations behind the Osprey’s power-sharing engines-in that aircraft, if one engine fails, the second still drives both propellers-and the development of the shaft-driven vertical-lift fan in the new F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, or JSF.

Special-Ops Infiltrator

** The Vehicle:** Vertical-takeoff-and-landing aircraft for transporting special-ops forces to hostile areas The Technology: Blended-wing-body design with six jet engines powering lift fans and providing forward thrust The Evidence: Patent filings, obvious gap in current arsenal, recent development of key technology

New UAVs: Unmanned, Invisible, Unlimited

Although manned fighter jets and bombers have long dominated classified programs, unmanned vehicles are rising as quickly in the black as in the white world, particularly because the Air Force lacks any kind of stealth-reconnaissance aircraft. It plans to replace the U-2 spyplane with the Global Hawk UAV, but even though the Global Hawk has the advantage of being robotic-that is, capable of longer flights and expendable, since there’s no human on board-it doesn’t fly as high and can’t carry the same hefty high-performance cameras as the U-2. Nor does it carry a jammer to spoof enemy missiles.

Polecat, just outed from the black world, is part of the answer. Lockheed Martin representatives talk about an operational version with U-2-like altitude and payload, along with technology to avoid visual detection (including features seen on the Bird of Prey) and, perhaps, an automated system that detects a contrail behind the airplane and tells the flight-control system to change altitude.

Other stealthy UAVs have probably been tested-among them, possibly, armed UAVs. It is known, for example, that engine maker Williams International delivered the first dozen or so of its new FJ33 small jet engines to the U.S. government four or five years ago, but no known project uses that engine. A recent report in Jane’s International Defence Review described another, larger vehicle that uses different engines from Polecat, apparently recycled from a 1960s UAV program. The article speculated that the engines are probably General Electric J97s, built for a UAV called Compass Arrow.

Why reuse old jet engines? There is only one good reason. The J97 was unusual in that it was designed to operate at up to 80,000 feet, an altitude at which most jet engines cough, stall, and quit. The Air Force does not send the stealthy B-2 and F-117 over hostile territory in daylight, because those planes could be easily spotted. But at 80,000 feet, six miles above a fighter’s cruising altitude, the sky is almost as black as night, and a UAV could survive at high noon. I suspect that both Polecat and the second, larger stealth UAV are currently undergoing high-altitude flight-testing at Area 51.

Some UAV projects may be much slower than even the stealth birds. A Boeing patent filed in 2004 describes a vehicle that is a cross between an airship and an airplane-employing both buoyant lift from helium gas and wing lift generated by forward speed, and capitalizing on recent developments in on-board solar power generation and autonomous flight control.

What would be the advantage of such a vehicle? For one thing, it would have long flight endurance, measured in days or weeks rather than hours. For another, airships can easily be made to accommodate very large and sensitive antennas. If you want to locate weak or sporadic radio transmissions-such as cellphones or scattered satellite phones used by insurgent groups-the airship is an ideal platform.

On-Time Delivery

The Vehicle: Aurora Mach 6-plus attack aircraft The Technology: Ramjet-powered delta wing The Evidence: Telltale sonic booms; unconfirmed sightings; unresolved history of long-rumored program; recent development of key technology; large, unexplained current budget allocation Is speculating on top-secret military technology a national security risk? Tell us what you think on the PopSci Blog).

Revived Avenger Offers Stealthy Ground Attacks

Another surprising gap in U.S. capabilities is the lack of an all-weather, stealthy ground-attack aircraft. The Joint Strike Fighter is supposed to do that, but not until 2014. The new F-22 Raptor, mostly an air-to-air fighter, will be able to do some of it eventually, but that jet carries a relatively modest 2,000-pound bomb load. The F-117 Stealth fighter can be flown only in clear nighttime weather-it has no radar to bomb accurately through clouds, and its black coating easily betrays it to ground spotters.

Fellow black-project sleuth Jeffrey Richelson, author of the 2001 book The Wizards of Langley and one of the leading historians of U.S. intelligence efforts, guessed in a recent conversation that a behind-the-scenes tour of Groom Lake might reveal a revived program to plug that gap sooner than 2014, when the JSF flies.

A hint about possible all-weather attack vehicles now in testing-ones available sooner than 2014 and capable of carrying significant bomb loads-could reside, aerospace historian Peter Merlin pointed out, in a test pilot’s unclassified biography. Daniel Vanderhorst, who flew Northrop’s Whale and six other secret aircraft in a 20-year career, evidently “tested modified landing gear and conducted initial tests of internal weapons bays and weapon separation tests.” What’s unusual about this is that most prototypes are simple aircraft without weapon bays, which suggests that this airplane was closer to an operational type. Specifically, I’m guessing, it could be an extension of the heavy-payload, all-weather attack jet A-12 Avenger II, which then”Secretary of Defense Dick Cheney canceled in 1991 because it was overbudget and not meeting its technological goals.

The flying-wing, carrier-based stealth-strike airplane was being developed under a tightly classified but not-quite-black program. The jet was only 11 months from first flight, and nobody has ever disclosed what happened to the partly built prototypes. If one of them had been completed and tested in a revived black program, most likely in the early 1990s, it could have pointed the way toward the F-117 replacement that Richelson suspects is flying now. Unlike the other stealth aircraft, an operational A-12 descendant would combine stealth ground-attack capability with the ability to shoot back at enemy fighters, packing a pair of anti-radar missiles and two AIM-120 air-to-air missiles.

Providing On-Demand Worldwide Attack

Lastly, there’s Aurora. The name itself is mysterious, evoking something you may or may not have seen. This code name leaked out of an unclassified budget document back in 1985. Such a vehicle-a ramjet-powered reconaissance and strike aircraft capable of flying at least five times the speed of sound and deploying anywhere in the world in a matter of hours-has been high on the government’s wish list. Aurora is certainly possible. The basic propulsion unit, the ramjet, is no more than a tapered tube with a fuel injector and burner in the middle and a thrust nozzle at the end. Basic ramjet-powered missiles have topped Mach 6. A wealth of aerodynamic data and test flights suggest that a wedge-shaped aircraft would work at these speeds.

I first heard about this kind of program in the mid-1980s, and the first public hint of the project popped up in 1988, when the New York Times reported that the Air Force was developing a spyplane capable of better than Mach 5-nearly twice as fast as the SR-71, then the world’s fastest airplane.

Two years later, the Blackbird was retired. In June 1991, the first in a series of unexplained shock waves rolled across the Los Angeles basin, rattling doors and windows and making people think of earthquakes. But they were not earthquakes, and the military adamantly denied that any of its vehicles caused the booms. In May of this year, I consulted with Dom Maglieri, an ex-NASA sonic-boom expert who has played a key role in the development of low-sonic-boom aircraft. We studied 15-year-old seismograph data from the California Institute of Technology, whose uniquely sensitive sensors could actually track the booms. “The data showed something at 90,000 feet, Mach 4 to Mach 5,” Maglieri says now. The booms did not look like refracted, “over the top” booms, as other reports had indicated-booms from aircraft miles away that had traveled up through the atmosphere and bent down toward Los Angeles. The booms looked like direct overflights by a supersonic airplane that no one admitted to owning. “The signatures are awfully different,” Maglieri says.

Shortly after the first set of waves appeared, Chris Gibson, an oil engineer and well-known aircraft-recognition expert, contacted me. In August 1989, Gibson said, he had been working on a North Sea rig when a colleague called him outside to see a formation of airplanes overhead. Clearly silhouetted against the sky were two F-111 bombers, a KC-135 tanker and-in refueling position behind the tanker-an unidentifiable delta-shaped airplane, about 90 feet long, a near-perfect match for unclassified studies of high-supersonic cruise airplanes.

This evidence helps establish the program’s initial existence. My investigations continue to turn up evidence that suggests current activity. For example, having spent years sifting through military budgets, tracking untraceable dollars and code names, I learned how to sort out where money was going. This year, when I looked at the Air Force operations budget in detail, I found a $9-billion black hole that seems a perfect fit for a project like Aurora.

Over the years, I’ve learned that few people investigate budget holes seriously. Analysts such as Steven Kosiak of the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments, a Washington, D.C.”based think tank that pushes innovation in defense, doubt that Congress even knows what’s going on. “A fair amount of classified spending goes through in supplemental requests,” he told me. “It’s seen as must-pass legislation, and people don’t look at it closely.” This $9-billion gap and the most recent booms felt in San Diego and elsewhere are the most compelling evidence for the program’s resurgence. (We can’t analyze the new booms because seismic sensors of the same type were not present.)

But if Aurora has been active for years, why would it be surging forward now? The main hold-up has probably been fuel. The way to make a hypersonic cruiser work is to use circulating fuel to soak up the engine’s heat, but conventional jet fuel can’t absorb enough heat to do the job. In the 1980s, Aurora would have been designed to use fuels such as hydrogen or methane, which are gaseous at normal temperatures and had to be supercooled and densified to fuel the aircraft. Although that strategy is possible, it’s not operationally easy, and complicated refueling would be counterproductive for a jet intended to provide prompt overflight when the military needed it. Better fuels and engine technologies exist now.

The question, finally, is does Aurora exist? Years of pursuit have led me to believe that, yes, Aurora is most likely in active development, spurred on by recent advances that have allowed technology to catch up with the ambition that launched the program a generation ago.

Bill Sweetman is a PopSci_ contributing editor and author of more than 30 books on aerospace technology._

[customerwint]

Airport shuttle service near me to san diego

#Airport shuttle service near me to san diego free

The Airport Shuttle runs from 5 am to Midnight, 7 days a week. We make it easy for you to travel on the cheap with blue van shuttles, that are spacious enough to accommodate large groups and families. If you need a ride from your hotel, home, office, or airport, they can take you safely to your destination. Our shuttle goes to and from the airport daily, every 15 minutes from 5:00 am - 9:00 am, then every half hour from 9:00 am - 12 midnight. cities that you have to visit, San Diego always ranks highly. The Holiday Inn Express San Diego Airport Old Town is pleased to offer complimentary Airport Shuttle to and from the San Diego International Airport (SAN) located less than 10 minutes from the hotel. The accommodation is set in the historic part of San Diego, a few minutes away from the iron - hulled sailing Star of India Ship. The price is $119 per night from Apr 24 to Apr 25. Fully refundable Reserve now, pay when you stay. Call [phone] Another form of transport that can be used is the Metropolitan Transit System which has bus and trolley routes. SeaWorld, Seaport Village Shopping Center, and San Diego Convention Center are within six miles. The price will depend on the type of car that is being rented. Read and compare over 15119 reviews, book your dream hotel & save with us! per night.

#Airport shuttle service near me to san diego free

1.Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites San Diego Airport - Old Town is located 3 miles from San Diego International Airport, this hotel offers free shuttles to the airport, SeaWorld, San Diego Zoo, Amtrak station and more. #21 Best Value of 1,110 places to stay in San Diego. You'll also get to enjoy quick access to the Gaslamp Quarter, SeaWorld San Diego, San Diego Zoo, Petco Park, SDCCU Stadium, San Diego. There are 6 ways to get from San Diego Airport (SAN) to Hotel Del Coronado by tram, bus, taxi, shuttle, towncar or foot. SAN Park Here Fly There Hotel Packages with Parking and Shuttle. Petco Park Ballpark is 0.7 km from the venue, while the primary San Diego. Rates for San Diego Airport transfers to downtown hotels start at $9 per passenger. When it comes to San Diego Airport hotels, the new waterfront Courtyard by Marriott San Diego Airport Liberty Station is unmatched. We are San Diego's most reliable airport car service. #21 Best Value of 1,112 places to stay in San Diego. Just off of I-5 and I-8, the Holiday Inn Express Hotel and Suites San Diego Airport places guests in a position to experience all that San Diego has to offer.

#Airport shuttle service near me to san diego

[pearfamily0]

Three Causes Abraham Lincoln Would Be Nice At Limo

Whether you’re riding from the airport, going out for a night on the town or celebrating your marriage ceremony day, renting a limo is the best method to experience. Driving by limousine is driving fashion and design and our motor vehicles are stored clear, each collectively in and out. Jemmy Chavaria was able to get his spouse and two-yr-outdated son out of the way in which before he was struck by a light-coloured gray or gold sedan - probably a Nissan Altima. After the Explorer hit me, my automotive careened all of the option to the left side of the freeway, banging into the guardrails, but hitting no different car. Megabus, Vamoose, and Bolt Bus might be requesting a price of $12.00 for each method and drop them off at A or E to 34th St. Those who will likely be coming from Boston could take Fung wah Bus and pay a $15.00 fee every approach and they are going to be dropped at 139 Canal Road. https://www.youtube.com/embed/79whYo1nB9k?color=white

Glendale Basic Car Wash is located at 725 E Colorado Avenue. How Much For Mobile Car Wash Detailing. I used to be on the hunt for a fantastic month-to-month cellular car wash. Talk To Luxury car service is cleansing up the automotive wash business by displaying prices from native auto detailers. Steam Wash 888 92 Element Name us immediately. Spokane Mobile Element is an superior auto detailing service in Spokane Washington. Ad Up to 33 Off Mobile Element from Lee s Auto Detailing. Advert Mobile Detailing Close to Me - See Scores Numbers. Ad Automotive Detailing Near Me - See Scores Numbers. Examine The The top 10 Car Detailing Companies Get The Job Achieved Right For Less At the moment. These Limousine Providers provide non-stop, proper door-to-door space transportation companies to or from the properties, places of work, or customers' hotels. The inexperienced line runs counterclockwise to all terminals, also stopping at Federal Circle, the place the automotive rental heart is located, and Lefferts Boulevard, where Long run Parking Lot 9/Kiss & Fly drop-off space is positioned, earlier than persevering with to Howard Seaside Station. Examine Automated Automotive rental in Galway - City, Eire with more than 800 automobile rental companies in Eire. At Jims Cellular Automotive Detailing we take a look at your car to see the quantity of labor that is needed.

There are lots of choices, lets have a look at tips on how to get from the Airports to downtown. Its simply 87 miles south of Los Angeles and 35 miles north of downtown San Diego it is usually referred. Carlsbad is a city in North County San Diego County California. Instead, it was the USS The Sullivans Navy ship, which was docked near the port city of Aden, Yemen. They take you to the place you need for you and your customers, resembling airports, city visits, hospitals, and special services. New York City will make sure you get pleasure from your night! Our on time limo service will guarantee that you arrive to your destination on time and in style, each time. A taxi service is a dependable pick-up and drop-off service which is able to transport you to any vacation spot not simply airport. The vacation spot is always extra necessary than the fee. For a simple detailing it can cost you much less say from sixty five or so but for extra extensive clean it prices. However to provide you with an concept on how a lot a specific auto detailing service value right here is an inventory of the value ranges. Nationwide Average Value for Automobile Detailing. Our automotive service helps our valued clients enjoy a trouble free and nice transport service.

Afterward, you may wander by the Austin Museum of Art (823 Congress Ave) to view a few of the best American artwork made since 1900, then get pleasure from a glass of wine at Cork & Company (308 Congress Ave), the place fairly priced and humorously-named wine flights like "Cab Trip to Manhattan" that includes prime Cabernet Sauvignon wines and nice cheese plates are worth the visit. If you're undecided where to start along with your Austin sightseeing, an organized tour is perhaps simply the factor. Name us and start planning your social gathering at the moment! Schedule your appointment today. We Did The Research For You - Uncover Our Prime Ranked Decisions At the moment. III.2; a description which, however, suffices to grasp the CECs and bands measured by ARPES and shown in respectively FIG.s 9 and 10. The LDA low-energy TB bands shown in FIG. 7(a) have rather more detail and their surprisingly good agreement with the bands measured with ARPES for the occupied bands (grey circles and black dots) proves this detail to be real.

#suv car service

[northcountytaxicab]

Taxi Near Me in San Marcos

Whenever you are searching for a taxi near me at whatever point, a North Country Taxi Cab is always there for you to provide the best taxi service in San Diego .we always providing you comfortable and safe journey at an affordable price. Visit our website to enjoy our best service  http://www.northcountytaxicab.co/

#taxi near me in San Marcos #airport taxi service in San Marcos #taxi near me in San Diego #yellow cab in San Diego #airport taxi service in San Diego

[96harmony96]

Chapter one.

“We should head to a bar and celebrate.”

I wasn’t surprised by my roommate’s emphatic pronouncement. Cary Taylor found excuses to celebrate, no matter how small and inconsequential. I’d always considered it part of his charm. “I’m sure drinking the night before starting a new job is a bad idea.”

“Come on, camila.” Cary sat on our new living room floor amid a half-dozen moving boxes and flashed his winning smile. We’d been unpacking for days, yet he still looked amazing. Leanly built, dark-haired, and green-eyed, Cary was a man who rarely looked anything less than absolutely gorgeous on any day of his life. I might have resented that if he hadn’t been the dearest person on earth to me.

“I’m not talking about a bender,” he insisted. “Just a glass of wine or two. We can hit a happy hour and be in by eight.”

“I don’t know if I’ll make it back in time.” I gestured at my yoga pants and fitted workout tank. “After I time the walk to work, I’m going to hit the gym.”

“Walk fast, work out faster.” Cary’s perfectly executed arched brow made me laugh. I fully expected his million-dollar face to appear on billboards and fashion magazines all over the world one day. No matter his expression, he was a knockout.

“How about tomorrow after work?” I offered as a substitute. “If I make it through the day, that’ll be worth celebrating.”

“Deal. I’m breaking in the new kitchen for dinner.”

“Uh…” Cooking was one of Cary’s joys, but it wasn’t one of his talents. “Great.”

Blowing a wayward strand of hair off his face, he grinned at me. “We’ve got a kitchen most restaurants would kill for. There’s no way to screw up a meal in there.”

Dubious, I headed out with a wave, choosing to avoid a conversation about cooking. Taking the elevator down to the first floor, I smiled at the doorman when he let me out to the street with a flourish.

The moment I stepped outside, the smells and sounds of Manhattan embraced me and invited me to explore. I was not merely across the country from my former home in San Diego, but seemingly worlds away. Two major metropolises—one endlessly temperate and sensually lazy, the other teeming with life and frenetic energy. In my dreams, I’d imagining living in a walkup in Brooklyn, but being a dutiful daughter, I found myself on the Upper West Side instead. If not for Cary living with me, I would’ve been miserably lonely in the sprawling apartment that cost more per month than most people made in a year.

The doorman tipped his hat to me. “Good evening, Miss Cabello. Will you need a cab this evening?”

“No thanks, Paul.” I rocked onto the rounded heels of my fitness shoes. “I’ll be walking.”

He smiled. “It’s cooled down from this afternoon. Should be nice.”

“I’ve been told I should enjoy the June weather before it gets wicked hot.”

“Very good advice, Miss Cabello.”

Stepping out from under the modern glass entrance overhang that somehow meshed with the age of the building and its neighbors, I enjoyed the relative quiet of my tree-lined street before I reached the bustle and flow of traffic on Broadway. One day soon, I hoped to blend right in, but for now I still felt like a fraudulent New Yorker. I had the address and the job, but I was still wary of the subway and had trouble hailing cabs. I tried not to walk around wide-eyed and distracted, but it was hard. There was just so much to see and experience.

The sensory input was astonishing—the smell of vehicle exhaust mixed with food from vendor carts, the shouts of hawkers blended with music from street entertainers, the awe-inspiring range of

faces and styles and accents, the gorgeous architectural wonders…And the cars. Jesus Christ. The frenetic flow of tightly packed cars was unlike anything I’d ever seen anywhere.

There was always an ambulance, patrol car, or fire engine trying to part the flood of yellow taxis with the electronic wail of ear-splitting sirens. I was in awe of the lumbering garbage trucks that navigated tiny one-way streets and the package delivery drivers who braved the bumper-to-bumper traffic while facing rigid deadlines.

Real New Yorkers cruised right through it all, their love for the city as comfortable and familiar as a favorite pair of shoes. They didn’t view the steam billowing from potholes and vents in the sidewalks with romantic delight and they didn’t blink an eye when the ground vibrated beneath their feet as the subway roared by below, while I grinned like an idiot and flexed my toes. New York was a brand new love affair for me. I was starry-eyed and it showed.

So I had to really work at playing it cool as I made my way over to the building where I would be working. As far as my job went, at least, I’d gotten my way. I wanted to make a living based on my own merits and that meant an entry-level position. Starting the next morning, I would be the assistant to Mark Garrity at Waters Field & Leaman, one of the preeminent advertising agencies in the US. My stepfather, mega-financier Richard Stanton, had been annoyed when I took the job, pointing out that if I’d been less prideful I could’ve worked for a friend of his instead and reaped the benefits of that connection.

“You’re as stubborn as your father,” he’d said. “It’ll take him forever to pay off your student loans on a cop’s salary.”

That had been a major fight, with my dad unwilling to back down. “Hell if another man’s gonna pay for my daughter’s education,” Alejandro Cabello had said when Stanton made the offer. I respected that. I suspected Stanton did, too, although he would never admit it. I understood both men’s sides, because I’d fought to pay off the loans myself…and lost. It was a point of pride for my father.

My mother had refused to marry him, but he’d never wavered from his determination to be my dad in every way possible.

Knowing it was pointless to get riled up over old frustrations, I focused on getting to work as quickly as possible. I’d deliberately chosen to clock the short trip during a busy time on a Monday, so I was pleased when I reached the Crossfire Building, which housed Waters Field & Leaman, in less than thirty minutes.

I tipped my head back and followed the line of the building all the way up to the slender ribbon of sky. The Crossfire was seriously impressive, a sleek spire of gleaming sapphire that pierced the clouds. I knew from my previous interviews that the interior on the other side of the ornate copper-framed revolving doors was just as awe-inspiring, with golden-veined marble floors and walls, and brushed aluminum security desk and turnstiles.

I pulled my new ID card out of the inner pocket of my pants and held it up for the two guards in black business suits at the desk. They stopped me anyway, no doubt because I was majorly underdressed, but then they cleared me through. After I completed an elevator ride up to the twentieth floor, I’d have a general time frame for the whole route from door to door. Score.

I was walking toward the bank of elevators when a svelte, beautifully groomed brunette caught her purse on a turnstile and upended it, spilling a deluge of change. Coins rained onto the marble and rolled merrily away, and I watched people dodge the chaos and keep going as if they didn’t see it. I winced in sympathy and crouched to help the woman collect her money, as did one of the guards.

“Thank you,” she said, shooting me a quick harried smile.

I smiled back. “No problem. I’ve been there.”

I’d just squatted to reach a nickel lying near the entrance when I ran into a pair of luxurious black oxfords draped in tailored black slacks. I waited for a beat for the person to move out of my way and when they didn’t, I arched my neck back to allow my line of sight to rise. The custom three-piece suit hit more than a few of my hot buttons, but it was the tall, powerfully lean body inside it that made it sensational. Still, as hot as all that magnificent maleness was, it wasn’t until I reached the person's face that I went down for the count.

Wow. Just…wow. She sank into an elegant crouch directly in front of me. Hit with all that exquisite femininity at eye-level, I could only stare. Stunned.

Then something shifted in the air between us.

As she stared back, she altered…as if a shield slid away from her eyes, revealing a scorching force of will that sucked the air from my lungs. The intense magnetism she exuded grew in strength, becoming a near tangible impression of vibrant and unrelenting power.

Reacting purely on instinct, I shifted backward. And sprawled flat on my ass.

My elbows throbbed from the violent contact with the marble floor, but I scarcely registered the pain. I was too preoccupied with staring, riveted by the woman in front of me. Inky black hair shoulder length framed a breathtaking face. Her bone structure would make a sculptor weep with joy, while a firmly etched mouth, a blade of a nose, and intensely Emerald green eyes made her savagely gorgeous. Those eyes narrowed slightly, her features otherwise schooled into impassivity.

Her dress shirt and suit were both black, but her tie perfectly matched those brilliant irises. Her eyes were shrewd and assessing, and they bored into me. My heartbeat quickened; my lips parted to accommodate faster breaths. she smelled sinfully good. Not cologne. Body wash, maybe. Or shampoo. Whatever it was, it was mouthwatering, as was she.

she held out a hand to me, exposing onyx cufflinks and a very expensive-looking watch.

With a shaky inhalation, I placed my hand in hers. My pulse leaped when her grip tightened. Her touch was electric, sending a shock up my arm that raised the hairs on my nape. she didn’t move for a moment, a frown line marrying the space between arrogantly slashed brows.

“Are you all right?”

Her voice was cultured and smooth, with a rasp that made my stomach flutter. It brought sex to mind. Extraordinary sex. I thought for a moment that she might be able to make me orgasm just by talking long enough.

My lips were dry, so I licked them before answering. “I’m fine.”

she stood with economical grace, pulling me up with her. We maintained eye contact because I was unable to look away. she was younger than I’d assumed at first. Younger than thirty would be my guess, but her eyes were much worldlier. Hard and sharply intelligent.

I felt drawn to her, as if a rope bound my waist and she was slowly, inexorably pulling it.

Blinking out of my semi-daze, I released her. she wasn’t just beautiful; she was…enthralling. she was the kind of woman that made a person want to rip her shirt open and watch the buttons scatter along with her inhibitions. I looked at her in her civilized, urbane, outrageously expensive suit and thought of raw, primal, sheet-clawing fucking.

she bent down and retrieved the ID card I hadn’t realized I’d dropped, freeing me from that provocative gaze. My brain stuttered back into gear.

I was irritated with myself for feeling so awkward while she was so completely self-possessed. And why? Because I was dazzled, damn it.

she glanced up at me and the pose—she's nearly kneeling before me—skewed my equilibrium again. she held my gaze as she rose. “Are you sure you’re alright? You should sit down for a minute.”

My face heated. How lovely to appear awkward and clumsy in front of the most self-assured and graceful woman I’d ever met. “I just lost my balance. I’m okay.”

Looking away, I caught sight of the woman who’d dumped the contents of her purse. She thanked the guard who’d helped her; then turned to approach me, apologizing profusely. I faced her and held out the handful of coins I’d collected, but her gaze snagged on the god in the suit and she promptly forgot me altogether. After a beat, I just reached over and dumped the change into the woman’s bag. Then I risked a glance at the woman again, finding her watching me even as the brunette gushed thank-yous. To her. Not to me, of course, the one who’d actually helped.

I talked over her. “May I have my badge, please?”

she offered it back to me. Although I made an effort to retrieve it without touching her, her fingers brushed mine, sending that charge of awareness into me all over again.

“Thank you,” I muttered before skirting her and pushing out to the street through the revolving door. I paused on the sidewalk, gulping in a breath of New York air redolent with a million different things, some good and some toxic.

There was a sleek black Bentley SUV in front of the building and I saw my reflection in the spotless limo tinted windows. I was flushed and my brown eyes were overly bright. I’d seen that look on my face before—in the bathroom mirror just before I went to bed with a man. It was my I’m-ready-to-fuck look and it had absolutely no business being on my face now.

Christ. Get a grip.

Five minutes with Miss. Dark and Dangerous, and I was filled with an edgy, restless energy. I could still feel the pull of her, the inexplicable urge to go back inside where she was. I could make the argument that I hadn’t finished what I’d come to the Crossfire to do, but I knew I’d kick myself for it later. How many times was I going to make an ass of myself in one day?

“Enough,” I scolded myself under my breath. “Moving on.”

Horns blared as one cab darted in front of another with only inches to spare and then slammed on the brakes as daring pedestrians stepped into the intersection seconds before the light changed. Shouting ensued, a barrage of expletives and hand gestures that didn’t carry real anger behind them. In seconds all the parties would forget the exchange, which was just one beat in the natural tempo of the city.

As I melded into the flow of foot traffic and set off toward the gym, a smile teased my mouth. Ah, New York, I thought, feeling settled again. You rock.

I’d planned on warming up on a treadmill, then capping off the hour with a few of the machines, but when I saw that a beginners’ kickboxing class was about to start, I followed the mass of waiting students into that instead. By the time it was over, I felt more like myself. My muscles quivered with the perfect amount of fatigue and I knew I’d sleep hard when I crashed later.

“You did really well.”

I wiped the sweat off my face with a towel and looked at the young man who spoke to me. Lanky and sleekly muscular, he had keen brown eyes and flawless café au lait skin. His lashes were enviably thick and long, while his head was shaved bald.

“Thank you.” My mouth twisted ruefully. “Pretty obvious it was my first time, huh?”

He grinned and held out his hand. “Parker Smith.”

“Camila Cabello.”

“You have a natural grace, camila. With a little training you could be a literal knockout. In a city like New York, knowing self-defense is imperative.” He gestured over to a corkboard hung on the wall. It was covered in thumbtacked business cards and fliers. Tearing off a flag from the bottom of a fluorescent sheet of paper, he held it out to me. “Ever heard of Krav Maga?”

“In a Jennifer Lopez movie.”

“I teach it, and I’d love to teach you. That’s my website and the number to the studio.”

I admired his approach. It was direct, like his gaze, and his smile was genuine. I’d wondered if he was angling toward a pickup, but he was cool enough about it that I couldn’t be sure.

Parker crossed his arms, which showed off cut biceps. He wore a black sleeveless shirt and long shorts. His Converse sneakers looked comfortably beat up and tribal tattoos peeked up from his collar. “My website has the hours. You should come by and watch, see if it’s for you.”

“I’ll definitely think about it.”

“Do that.” He extended his hand again, and his grip was solid and confident. “I hope to see you.”

The apartment smelled fabulous when I got back home and Adele was crooning soulfully through the surround sound speakers about chasing pavements. I looked across the open floor plan into the kitchen and saw Cary swaying to the music while stirring something on the range. There was an open bottle of wine on the counter and two goblets, one of which was half-filled with red wine.

“Hey,” I called out as I got closer. “Whatcha cooking? And do I have time for a shower first?”

He poured wine into the other goblet and slid it across the breakfast bar to me, his movements practiced and elegant. No one would know from looking at him that he’d spent his childhood bouncing between his drug-addicted mother and foster homes, followed by adolescence in juvenile detention facilities and state-run rehabs. “Pasta with meat sauce. And hold the shower, dinner’s ready. Have fun?”

“Once I got to the gym, yeah.” I pulled out one of the teakwood barstools and sat. I told him about the kickboxing class and Parker Smith. “Wanna go with me?”

“Krav Maga?” Cary shook his head. “That’s hardcore. I’d get all bruised up and that would cost me jobs. But I’ll go with you to check it out, just in case this guy’s a wack.”

I watched him dump the pasta into a waiting colander. “A wack, huh?”

My dad had taught me to read guys pretty well, which was how I’d known the god in the suit was trouble. Regular people offered token smiles when they helped someone, just to make a momentary connection that smoothed the way.

Then again, I hadn’t smiled at him either.

“Baby girl,” Cary said, pulling bowls out of the cupboard, “you’re a sexy, stunning woman. I question any man who doesn’t have the balls to ask you outright for a date.”

I wrinkled my nose at him.

He set a bowl in front of me. It contained tiny tubes of salad noodles covered in a skimpy tomato sauce with lumps of ground beef and peas. “You’ve got something on your mind. What is it?”

Hmm…I caught the handle of the spoon sticking out of the bowl and decided not to comment on the food. “I think I ran into the hottest person on the planet today. Maybe the hottest woman in the history of the world.”

“Oh? I thought that was me. Do tell me more.” Cary stayed on the other side of the counter, preferring to stand and eat.

I watched him take a couple bites of his own concoction before I felt brave enough to try it myself. “Not much to tell, really. I ended up sprawled on my ass in the lobby of the Crossfire and she gave me a hand up.”

“Tall or short? Blond or dark? Built or lean? Eye color?”

I washed down my second bite with some wine. “Tall. Dark. Lean and built. green eyes. Filthy rich, judging by her clothes and accessories. And she was insanely sexy. You know how it is—some hot people don’t make your hormones go crazy, while some unattractive people have massive sex appeal. This woman had it all.”

My belly fluttered as it had when Dark and Dangerous touched me. In my mind, I remembered her breathtaking face with crystal clarity. It should be illegal for a woman to be that mind-blowing. I was still recovering from the frying of my brain cells.

Cary set his elbow on the counter and leaned in, his long bangs covering one vibrant green eye. “So what happened after she helped you up?”

I shrugged. “Nothing.”

“Nothing?”

“I left.”

“What? You didn’t flirt with her?”

I took another bite. Really, the meal wasn’t bad. Or else I was just starving. “she wasn’t the kind of girl you flirt with, Cary.”

“There is no such thing as a girl you can’t flirt with. Even the happily married ones enjoy a little harmless flirtation now and then.”

“There was nothing harmless about this girl,” I said dryly.

“Ah, one of those.” Cary nodded sagely. “Bad boys and girls can be fun, if you don’t get too close.”

Of course he would know; men and women of all ages fell at his feet. Still, he somehow managed to pick the wrong partner every time. He’d dated stalkers, and cheaters, and lovers who threatened to kill themselves over him, and lovers with significant others they didn’t tell him about…Name it, he’d been through it.

“I can’t see this woman ever being fun,” I said. “she was way too intense. Still, I bet she'd be awesome in the sack with all that intensity.”

“Now you’re talking. Forget the real person. Just use ther face in your fantasies and make them perfect there.”

Preferring to get the girl out of my head altogether, I changed the subject. “You have any go-sees tomorrow?”

“Of course.” Cary launched into the details of his schedule, mentioning a jeans advertisement, self-tanner, underwear, and cologne.

I shoved everything else out of my mind and focused on him and his growing success. The demand for Cary Taylor was increasing by the day, and he was building a reputation with photographers and accounts for being both professional and prompt. I was thrilled for him and so proud. He’d come a long way and been through so much.

It wasn’t until after dinner that I noticed the two large gift boxes propped against the side of the sectional sofa.

“What are those?”

“Those,” Cary said, joining me in the living room, “are the ultimate.”

I knew immediately they were from Stanton and my mom. Money was something my mother needed to be happy and I was glad Stanton, husband #3, was not only able to fill that need for her but all her many others as well. I often wished that could be the end of it, but my mom had a difficult time accepting that I didn’t view money the same way she did. “What now?”

He threw his arm around my shoulders, easy enough for him to do because he was taller by five inches. “Don’t be ungrateful. He loves your mom. He loves spoiling your mom, and your mom loves spoiling you. As much as you don’t like it, he doesn’t do it for you. He does it for her.”

Sighing, I conceded his point. “What are they?”

“Glam threads for the advocacy center’s fundraiser dinner on Saturday. A bombshell dress for you and a Brioni tux for me, because buying gifts for me is what he does for you. You’re more tolerant if you have me around to listen to you bitch.”

“Damn straight. Thank God he knows that.”

“Of course he knows. Stanton wouldn’t be a bazillionaire if he didn’t know everything.” Cary caught my hand and tugged me over. “Come on. Take a look.”

I pushed through the revolving door of the Crossfire into the lobby ten minutes before nine the next morning. Wanting to make the best impression on my first day, I’d gone with a simple sheath dress paired with black pumps that I slid on in replacement of my walking shoes on the elevator ride up. My brown hair was twisted up in an artful chignon that resembled a figure eight, courtesy of Cary. I was hair-inept, but he could create styles that were glamorous masterpieces. I wore the small pearl studs my dad had given me as a graduation gift and the Rolex from Stanton and my mother.

I had begun to think I’d put too much care into my appearance, but as I stepped into the lobby I remembered being sprawled across the floor in my workout clothes and I was grateful I didn’t look anything like that graceless girl. The two security guards didn’t seem to put two and two together when I flashed them my ID card on the way to the turnstiles.

Twenty floors later, I was exiting into the vestibule of Waters Field & Leaman. Before me was a wall of bulletproof glass that framed the double-door entrance to the reception area. The receptionist at the crescent-shaped desk saw the badge I held up to the glass. She hit the button that unlocked the doors as I put my ID away.

“Hi, Megumi,” I greeted her when I stepped inside, admiring her cranberry-colored blouse. She was mixed race, a little bit Asian for sure, and very pretty. Her hair was dark and thick, and cut into a sleek bob that was shorter in the back and razor sharp in the front. Her sloe eyes were brown and warm, and her lips were full and naturally pink.

“camila, hi. Mark’s not in yet, but you know where you’re going, right?”

“Absolutely.” With a wave, I took the hallway to the left of the reception desk all the way to the end, where I made another left turn and ended up in a formerly open space now partitioned into cubicles. One was mine and I went straight to it.

I dropped my purse and the bag holding my walking flats into the bottom drawer of my utilitarian metal desk; then booted up my computer. I’d brought a couple of things to personalize my space and I pulled them out. One was a framed collage of three photos—me and Cary on Coronado beach, my mom and Stanton on his yacht in the French Riviera, and my dad on duty in his City of Oceanside, California, police cruiser. The other item was a colorful arrangement of glass flowers that Cary had given me just that morning as a “first day” gift. I tucked it beside the small grouping of photos, and sat back to take in the effect.

“Good morning, Camila.���

I pushed to my feet to face my boss. “Good morning, Mr. Garrity.”

“Call me Mark, please. Come on over to my office.”

I followed him across the strip of hallway, once again thinking that my new boss was very easy to look at with his gleaming dark skin, trim goatee, and laughing brown eyes. Mark had a square jaw and a charmingly crooked smile. He was trim and fit, and he carried himself with a confident poise that inspired trust and respect.

He gestured at one of the two seats in front of his glass and chrome desk, and waited until I sat to settle into his Aeron chair. Against the backdrop of sky and skyscrapers, Mark looked accomplished and powerful. He was, in fact, just a junior account manager and his office was a closet compared to the ones occupied by the directors and executives, but no one could fault the view.

He leaned back and smiled. “Did you get settled into your new apartment?”

I was surprised he remembered, but I appreciated it, too. I’d met him during my second interview and liked him right away.

“For the most part,” I answered. “Still a few stray boxes here and there.”

“You moved from San Diego, right? Nice city, but very different from New York. Do you miss the palm trees?”

“I miss the dry air. The humidity here is taking some getting used to.”

“Wait ’til summer hits.” He smiled. “So…it’s your first day and you’re my first assistant, so we’ll have to figure this out as we go. I’m not used to delegating, but I’m sure I’ll pick it up quick.”

I was instantly at ease. “I’m eager to be delegated to.”

“Having you around is a big step up for me, Camila. I’d like you to be happy working here. Do you drink coffee?”

“Coffee is one of my major food groups.”

“Ah, an assistant after my own heart.” His smile widened. “I’m not going to ask you to fetch coffee for me, but I wouldn’t mind if you helped me figure out how to use the new one-cup coffee brewers they just put in the break rooms.”

I grinned. “No problem.”

“How sad is it that I don’t have anything else for you?” He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. “Why don’t I show you the accounts I’m working on and we’ll go from there?”

The rest of the day passed in a blur. Mark touched bases with two clients and had a long meeting with the creative team working on concept ideas for a trade school. It was a fascinating process seeing firsthand how the various departments picked up the baton from each other to carry a campaign from proposition to fruition. I might’ve stayed late just to get a better feel of the layout of the offices, but my phone rang at ten minutes to five.

“Mark Garrity’s office. Camila Cabello speaking.”

“Get your ass home so we can go out for the drink you rain-checked on yesterday.”

Cary’s mock sternness made me smile. “All right, all right. I’m coming.”

Shutting down my computer, I cleared out. When I reached the bank of elevators, I pulled out my cell to text a quick “on my way” note to Cary. A ding alerted me to which car was stopping on my floor and I moved over to stand in front of it, briefly returning my attention to hitting the send button. When the doors opened, I took a step forward. I glanced up to watch where I was going and green eyes met mine. My breath caught.

The sex god was the lone occupant.

#camren #lauren jauregay #lauren jauregui #fantasy #fanfic #camila coelho

[berniesrevolution]

THE NEW REPUBLIC

Vanessa Bain was less than a year into her gig as an Instacart shopper when the company announced it would no longer allow tipping on its app. Instacart instead began imposing a 10 percent “service fee” that replaced the previous default tip of 10 percent. The change had no impact on customers, who could be forgiven for assuming that the new fee would still go to the workers who shopped for their groceries and delivered them to their homes. “It was deceptive to customers,” Bain said. “They thought they were still tipping us, when instead it went to the company. It wasn’t being passed to us at all.”

When Bain, who lives in Palo Alto, California, became a shopper in 2016, she believed that gig work would provide her with both financial stability and schedule flexibility to take care of her young daughter. However, as independent contractors, Bain and her husband, a fellow shopper, don’t receive sick leave or holidays. And in practice, the “be your own boss” promise of the gig economy instantly vanishes the moment you take on a gig job: It is, instead, a system that relentlessly dictates your schedule. “We are controlled. We are treated like employees but without the perks,” Jennifer Cotten, a Los Angeles area–based shopper, told me. “We’re told what order to deliver in and when to go.”

The indignities of the gig economy are well established at this point, as the laissez-faire labor practices of companies like Uber, Instacart, Door Dash, and Lyft draw more critical scrutiny. Bain, Cotton, and their fellow shoppers are among the millions of precariously employed workers who rely on part-time jobs or side gigs to scrape together a living, all without the safety net of employer-based insurance.  

But what is less widely acknowledged is how the gig economy interacts with other trends in California and forces unleashed by Silicon Valley—rising housing costs, choked infrastructure—to make life hell for those who live at or near the epicenter of America’s technology industry. Together, they constitute a nightmare vision of what the world would look like if it were run by our digital overlords, as they sit atop a growing underclass that does their shopping and drives their cars—all while barely able to make ends meet.

By most official measures, California’s economy is humming. 

Its unemployment rate, at 3.9 percent, is at a record low. It is home to some of the world’s most valuable companies: Google, Apple, Facebook. As The New York Times noted in December, “Its median household income has grown about 17 percent since 2011, compared with about 10 percent nationally, adjusted for inflation.”

But the state’s affluence is spread unevenly, resulting in an increasingly bifurcated economy that privileges the wealthy at the expense of the middle class. This is particularly apparent in cities like San Francisco and San Diego, where the gig economy is most prevalent. Costs of living there are higher than elsewhere in the country, exacerbated by a housing market that, thanks to an influx of cash from the tech sector, has become prohibitively expensive for many people (and has also helped drive a spike in homelessness).

In October, San Francisco Supervisor Gordon Mar released the inaugural “Jobs-Housing Fit Report,” which analyzed job creation in the city from 2010 to 2018 and sought to establish whether there was enough affordable housing to lodge those new workers. Unsurprisingly, the report found that there was plenty of housing for high earners (defined as those making 120 percent or more of the area median income) but less for low- and middle-income earners, with a gap of about 15,000 units between what the city would need to build to accommodate them all and what is actually in the pipeline.

California’s bleak housing market is a case study in how income inequality can affect even those who seem to be making a decent living.

Many of those new low- and middle-income earners appear to be gig workers. Projections from the state Employment Development Department found that the fastest-growing occupations in San Francisco were taxi drivers, chauffeurs, couriers, messengers, and personal care aides. Exact numbers are hard to come by, because gig workers are often considered self-employed—and that very opacity plays into the hands of tech companies that aren’t particularly keen to shine a light on whether these new jobs meet fair labor practices. 

(Continue Reading)

#politics #the left #the new republic #silicon valley #late capitalism #neoliberalism #neoliberal capitalism #capitalism #gig economy #new economy #economic inequality

[tvfanatic]

Caramel and Cheddar

She hates O’Hare. She hates landing at a gate in Concourse L and having her connecting flight leave out of Concourse G when she only has a 20-minute layover without delays from her first flight. She hates being stuck there for three-hour layovers, and after sitting at a gate in Concourse K for that entire time, looking up to find the flight boarding at this gate is headed to Atlanta and her flight is now leaving out of Concourse H, causing her to sprint to the other area of the terminal and nearly miss her flight because no one bothered to announce the gate change since she was there three hours early.

You would think it’d be easier to get a direct flight from New York to California. But the holiday prices to fly from JFK to LAX round trip? Not worth it. Flying into San Diego is so much closer to home too. Until she ends up at a layover in O’Hare right before Christmas and she curses at herself for not booking a direct to LA earlier and just driving a rental car the nearly two hours down to Neptune.

Something else she hates about O’Hare? About Chicago? Snowstorms. Blizzards. Yeah they happen in New York, and her California born-and-raised self does not fare well in them there either. But the New York blizzards have yet to leave her stranded in an airport on the 23rd of December. She hadn’t left right after finals because she was determined to get ahead at her internship and get her foot in the door at this law firm after graduation next spring. She’d managed to impress one of the partners, but at what cost? Potentially spending Christmas Eve, and even Christmas if they can’t get the ice off the runways fast enough, at the airport? Or alone in some airport hotel?

Why was leaving sunny, summery California such a good idea again?

Veronica groans inwardly at the thought, standing up to throw away her now empty coffee cup. Her hand brushes against someone else’s at the trash can and she looks up to apologize, not expecting to see him standing there. Let alone him standing there dressed in pristine military whites. The Navy, that’s right, that’s what she’d heard.

Of all the snowed in airports in all of the world, of all the stupid concourses in this damn airport, and he ends up at hers.

“Logan,” she breathes.

He looks good. Damn good. He should wear that uniform and only that forever. Although she wouldn’t complain if he was shirtless.

Stop, Veronica. Don’t go there. Not again.

“Veronica Mars,” he whistles. “As I live and breathe.”

She hasn’t seen him since he was punching out the son of a very prominent mob member in the Hearst cafeteria for her. She hasn’t spoken to him since. But she’s thought about him plenty.

“Are you on the flight to San Diego?” she asks. “The one that I’m 99% sure is about to be cancelled.”

He nods. “Dick and I had plans to avoid the holidays together. I’m assuming you’re going back to spend them with your dad?”

It’s her turn to nod. “Where are you stationed right now?”

“Right here in Chicago. Hence the uniform. Came to the airport straight from a work function and didn’t have time to change. Although now, I guess I could have made time for it. You’re in New York now, right?”

She nods again. “Yeah, at Columbia.”

“Veronica Mars as a lawyer,” he smirks. “I should have seen that one coming.”

“Logan Echolls as a military man,” she parrots back his phrasing. “Not something I saw coming.”

He laughs at that, gestures back toward their gate. “Want to wait out this inevitable flight cancellation together?”

“Sure,” she smiles. “Let me grab my stuff.”

Veronica brings her carry-on over to where Logan has positioned himself at a seat near the window. The snow is coming down in big, fat flakes and the infamous Chicago wind is whipping it around creating white-out conditions. She’s afraid to even flag down a taxi in this.

“It always fascinates me that the weather can manage to do this here and yet California is stuck in a perpetual drought for most of the year,” he says when she sits down next to him.

“I’d barely seen snow until I moved to New York. I’m not sure that I like it.”

He laughs again and she realizes just how much she’s missed that sound.

“A true California girl at heart, huh?”

“Apparently so.”

“Think you’ll move back after you graduate?” he asks, looking over at her.

She takes her eyes off of the swirling storm outside and meets his gaze. She sees their past etched into his familiar features. It hurts. Maybe her feelings for him never truly managed to go away.  

“I don’t know. I’ve been busting my ass at this internship trying to get a job offer from the partners. That’s why I’m traveling so close to Christmas. But if that doesn’t work out, who knows where I’ll end up.”

“What kind of law firm is it?”

“They’re defense attorneys.”

“Huh. Always thought you’d end up at the other table. The prosecution taking the criminals down.”

“How quickly they forget,” she teases. “After everything I’ve done to help clear your name in the past? To clear Weevil’s? Hell, Abel Koontz?”

“You think Weevil and Koontz could afford someone as high-powered as you?”

“Who said I was high-powered? I’m just a lowly law student kissing ass to get a job.”

He laughs again, turning away to look back out at the snowfall. “You look good, Veronica. You seem good.”

Is she though? Good? Is she happy with the way her life has turned out in their years apart?

“I’m okay, I guess. School and work are pretty much all I have time for anymore. I ran into Piz last week, I guess he lives out in New York now too. He asked if I wanted to get coffee after the holidays were over to catch up. I’m not sure that I want to.”

She doesn’t know why she just did that, why she brought Piz up. Is she trying to subtly hint that she’s single? Why would he care? Why does she?

“How long did you two last?” Logan asks softly.

“The summer,” she shrugs. “I broke up with him before I moved to Stanford. I should have done it sooner though. We were never compatible to begin with.”

“Less compatible than the two of us?”

She looks back over at him and he’s still not looking at her. “Compatibility was never our problem.”

He turns his head back to meet her gaze. They stare at each other for what feels like an eternity, trying to read each other in the old way they used to be able to do.

“Right,” he finally sighs, turning away first.

She doesn’t know what he means by that. She also in no way wants to start a fight with him right now.

“You look good too, Logan,” she tells him instead, her voice quiet. “The uniform suits you.”

“Thank you.”

His mood has already shifted. Why did she bring up Piz? Stupid, stupid, stupid.

“I’m sorry,” she says, staring straight ahead at the never-ending blanket of whiteness outside the window. “For everything.”

He doesn’t say anything, but instead slips her hand into his and squeezes before letting go and pushing himself to his feet.

“I’m going to go talk to the gate agent. See if they know how long this storm is supposed to last.”

“Okay,” is all she manages to say before he’s walking away.

It’s not like she expects anything to happen from this encounter. Eventually they’ll both get on a plane to San Diego. He’ll be in first class; she’ll be in coach. Her dad will pick her up at the airport. Dick might give him a ride, or he’ll just take some car service to take him wherever it is he’s meeting Dick. Their paths might across again while they’re in Neptune. But after New Year’s, she’ll go back to her life in New York and he’ll go back to his life in Chicago. Nothing is supposed to come from this chance airport encounter.

But the way she wishes he was the ex running into her in New York and asking her out to coffee sometime instead of Piz – the ways she’s wished on more than one occasion that she hadn’t left Neptune without saying goodbye or without cutting him completely out of her life. They were friends once. They were in love once. And she’s never felt that way about anybody since.

Logan shuffles back over. “So, surprise, our flight is cancelled. They’re just about to announce it. They’re waiting to rebook until the storm passes.”

“So, we’re stuck here for an indeterminant amount of time?”

“Looks that way,” he sighs. “I don’t think anyone’s going to be out driving during this. Or at least they shouldn’t be. At least they’re leaving all the restaurants open. It’s not like the employees can get home any easier than we can.”

Did she mention that she hates O’Hare?

“You hungry?” he asks. “Nuts on Clark has got the best caramel cheddar popcorn.”

“Caramel cheddar?” she asks back.

“Hey, don’t knock it until you’ve tried it. It’s a delicious combination. I think you’ll like it.”

“If we’re stuck here for hours on end, I’m going to need more than popcorn.”

“We’ll do a food tour of the concourse, then.”

He extends an arm to her and she accepts it, looping her arm through his.

“It’s probably not the right time or place for this, but uh, I’ve missed you,” he says, guiding her down the hallway of the concourse.

She looks up at him, the cut of his jawline, thinks about the way she used to tease him by kissing her way around his jaw before he’d grab her face and pulls her lips to his.

“I’ve missed you too.”

Maybe she hates O’Hare. But maybe Chicago and blizzards aren’t so bad after all.

#veronica mars #logan echolls #vmfanfic #VMTAP20 #veronica mars fanfic #veronica mars fanfiction #mine #oliviet #prompt #trapped by weather

[getfastride]

Taxi Near Me

Looking for a Taxi? We are one of the best Taxi service providers in San Diego. Our goal is to provide safe, reliable, and courteous taxi service at affordable prices. Book a taxi with a competitive fare at http://www.getfastride.com/

#taxi near me #taxi cab #yellow cab #airport shuttle #vista taxi

[sugar-booger]

One More Adventure Ch.2

An Endless Summer fanfiction ( Jake x MC)

Hey guys! I didn't expect such a good batch of reviews for the first chapter in fanfiction.net! Thank you so much! I do hope you'll like my take on this post-ending fanfiction. Shoutout to the wonderful person who put my fic as a recommended read on Reddit. Sending so much love to you, and everyone who's reading.

Anyhow, enjoy! Critiques and reviews are always welcome. I would love to know what I can improve on!

"I said maybe, you're gonna be the one that saves me… you're gonna be the one that saves me, you're gonna be the one that saves me…"

Jake strums the last of the chords until the echoes fade, and he sighs. He sets aside his guitar on the floor, himself sprawled across the messy comfort of his bed. He closes his eyes. Another night goes by. Los Angeles was a little too noisy for his taste, but it is what it is. Rebecca's here, LAX pays well and gives him the flexibility to choose his routes and schedules, and it was busy and loud enough sometimes to keep him distracted. Good number of bars too, a number of places to get the kind of whiskey he liked.

But their reunion at La Huerta was now a turning point; no whiskey or noise could erase such thoughts in his mind— it was Taylor. Taylor. Taylor all over again, for five months.

Behind closed eyes, Jake tries to remember every detail about her—her blue eyes, her goddamn smile, the curve of her lips and how soft they were every time he kissed them, her voice, her hands, her waist, her body, the way she talked, the way she handled things—everything, he tries to keep all the small things that make her in his mind, memorizing them.

He wouldn't forget her. He doesn't want to.

Vibrating beneath tangled sheets, his phone rings. He opens his eyes lazily, greeted by the slightly grimy ceiling with a lone, dim light bulb. Large windows at the west side of his room filled mostly the illumination, casting faint colorful lights from the city streets and buildings outside.

He yanks the phone from under the blanket, near his leg. Eyes widened at the caller ID.

"Malfoy?"

"I know it's late there already. Sorry to interrupt your sleep," Aleister answers from the other line.

Jake sits up, pulling down his scrunched shirt. He could hear the indistinct traffic from Aleister's end. "Nah, it's fine. Wasn't sleepin' yet… You got something for me?"

It takes a few seconds of noise and screeches, and then Grace's voice takes over. Jake swears he heard swerving and some honks. "Jake, sorry… Aleister's driving. We just came back from London, and, er, we may need to regroup as soon as possible. How long do you think you could fly to Craig and Zahra's apartment in Hartfeld?"

"What?" Jake blinks. "LA to Massachusetts?"

"Yes. It's the safest place that we could discuss things. We… The PI finally located the Prism Gate and is ready to hand us some encrypted data we're giving to Zahra. It's still in Northbridge, and we've been given directions to its site but Silas Prescott completely rebuilt and fortified his security, so we may need to— Hello?"

The phone was on loud speaker, perched atop his cabinet. A notification pops up—a reply from a fellow pilot to Jake's message a few seconds ago if he would be able to pull some strings and get Jake to hop on the next flight to Boston.

"Five hours."

"What?" Grace asks.

Jake pulls out a duffel bag beneath his bed, quickly stuffing it with some clothes and his wallet. He starts getting dressed. "I'll get on a plane right now. Be there in five hours. Everyone's comin'?"

"I still need to call up Quinn, Michelle and Sean, but the rest are headed there. We'll be there in an hour."

"Countin' on it. Thanks. See ya." The pilot hangs up, his eyes lingering on the screen of his wallpaper, before nodding to himself and getting a move on. This was a risk that he'd take if it meant a chance to get to see her again.

He darts out behind the apartment they lived in, towards a figure hidden under a black cloth. Beneath the oil-tainted fabric was a sleek, custom-built street motorcycle with a lustrous combo of green and black. Jake unchains it and slips on the helmet, securing his duffel bag behind, and speeds off into the blaring scenario that is the busy, gaudy night life of LA.

The pilot slips neatly into the traffic, through narrow spaces between cars and limousines that pollute the hectic roads. People in their glitzy and swanky clothes line up in front of the biggest clubs and bars, the lot of them arguing with bouncers. He shakes his head.

The colors and lights blur into the hazy background of buildings and establishments, and Jake skids to a stop at a red traffic light. 90 seconds. For the period he waited, there were flashing colors of red, blue and white from a shop, and Jake is reminded of Taylor again. Up at the control tower, the day they landed on La Huerta. It was the moment he really looked at her up-close—this woman he learned to appreciate, admire, and love over the next few weeks.

Taylor was a tough, resilient woman who balanced wit, compassion and fairness. Beauty and humor was just a bonus. She was someone who exhibited courage and bravery, putting on the armor for others when trouble was coming.

In the recording, she told him that it's because of him she had the strength and confidence to make that final decision. But Jake knew otherwise. He knew Taylor would be ready to give up everything for the good of everyone.

But that was what made things more painful. In exchange for the world's fate, for everyone's future, Taylor had to not be a part of it anymore. She never did belong to this world, but she fit perfectly in their lives. In his life, his heart. But he wanted to believe she made the right decision.

What would life be if they had chosen to stay in La Huerta together? If they had gone with Rourke's offer, would he be able to find her and fall in love again, in a world where they would never have met?

12 seconds. Jake clutches the throttle of his bike. He then sees Rebecca out patrolling, coming out from the corner of the street. Jake winks at her and does a finger gun gesture.

"Where—"

But he never gets to hear whatever she was about to say; he hustles further into the road to the airport as the light switched to green. In a matter of minutes, he reached his destination and boarded the plane smoothly, although he may have bribed some security personnel and fellow workmates for it.

In four and a half hours, Jake rouses awake as the plane descends into a calmer landscape. He quickly hops in a taxi that breezes by the quieter streets of Boston in the early morning, brown trees with crisp orange and yellow leaves peppered along the road and a serene view of the seaside just beyond. Right now, his body is screaming for coffee.

He checks his phone, the screen lined up with Rebecca's messages. Jake chuckles.

'Sorry, I'll be gone for a few days. Kinda needed to fly. Take care.'

The golden rays of the sun paint the pale sky as he goes further, and the scene melts into an array of smaller establishments and commercial spaces as they enter the town of Hartfeld. Hartfeld University covers almost the entirety of his journey. They stop in front of a sleek apartment complex, an intimidating building with six storeys and a polished black, white and grey façade.

He smoothens his sandy blonde hair and makes his way to Zahra and Craig's apartment, up on the fourth floor. He waits. A series of clicks could be heard from the other side.

"Yo, 'bout time." Craig greets him upon opening the door. He clears his throat. "Er, I mean, welcome to the… party! So nice of you to join us Jake, and we're totally just doing some happy reunion, yeah?"

Jake raises his brow at this attempt of concealing their meeting. Craig grins nervously, darting eyes looking for anyone behind Jake, or maybe some bugged device, a tracker, anything—and then Aleister calls from inside the room.

"Just please get him inside."

Craig ushers the pilot in and shuts the door, securing it with a number of locks. Jake meets seven other faces gathered around the living room area—Raj, Grace, Aleister, Diego, Varyyn, Sean, and Quinn. On the center table was a tray of freshly brewed coffee, and Raj offers him a cup. "Creamer and sugar are just here in case."

Jake graciously takes the black coffee. "Sweet Jesus, this is all I need. Thanks."

Grace leans forward. "Now that we're here, we will just wait for Estela to arrive. Zahra's in her office, and she'll call for us when she's laid out what we have. She's um, she said better not to disturb her."

He keeps his bag away and sits down beside Diego, sipping from the mug. "Is Sarah Connor fighting off Terminator?"

"She'll be arriving anytime soon." Aleister replies, putting away his phone after a seemingly stressed reading from his e-mails. "Her flight from San Trobida takes about three hours. It's the fastest I could get for my… er, her."

A slightly uncomfortable silence hangs in the air, until—

"So, like… She's your sister, right?" Craig asks.

"I… suppose so," the blond answers, his head low. "Besides Reginald and my father, she's the only relative I have. I'd want to have a good relationship with my own... sister. It's been five years, but we've… not quite bonded as siblings should."

"I'm sure it'll be okay," Grace assures him with a warm smile. "Estela would naturally choose to stay in San Trobida instead of here in the US, so you really don't get much time together. Maybe we can go out someday soon as a family?"

Aleister's pale cheeks flush a faint pink, but a grateful smile replaces his frown. "Yes, that's… That would be lovely."

Jake scans the gang again. "Doc Maybelline?"

Sean sighs, leaning against the recliner. Raj offers him a bowl of nachos garnished with bacon and cheese, to which the football star declines politely. "She hasn't exactly left the hospital since yesterday. Northbridge citizens have been in and out lately with the superheroes versus super villains casualties."

"She said she'll try to come as soon as she can after her shift." Quinn says with a smile. On her lap was Furball, munching on a nacho and leaving crumbs on the redhead's shorts. "It's been really hectic for her."

"Yeah man, Northbridge is always on the news! That Talos guy sure is a cool hero," Craig says with a grin. "Then there's Minuet and Diamante, and they're really kickin' some ass lately too!"

"These heroes you mention, they are the ones with bronze for a body, a masked woman in gray, and another woman with a red cape?" Varyyn inquires, a curious gleam in his bright yellow eyes. Diego had him dressed in a comfortable hoodie and sweat pants for the season.

"Yes, my man, yes." Craig says proudly, fishing out his phone and showing some digitally made artworks, albeit seeming like drafts, for the Elyyshar. "Our team is planning to make a video game out of the Northbridge heroes and I am so pumped!"

"But the more superheroes come forward, the more villains pop out too." Diego says, putting three teaspoons of sugar into his cream-colored coffee. "Northbridge's reconstruction of buildings is non-stop, and a survey from their Mayor's office says that half of the city wants to evacuate if this keeps up."

"Man, that sucks." Sean shakes his head. "But heroes always win, right? Maybe it's tough now, but eventually the good guys will find a way to restore peace and order. Hopefully that kind of problem with super villains don't spread out to other places."

A knock comes from the door, and almost everyone jumps at the sudden noise. It takes a moment for them to look at each other, and Craig strides to the door nervously and presses his face to the peep hole. "Yo, she's here!"

It takes another series of unlocking and clicks before Craig pulls the door open to welcome Estela, who steps in with her usual wary look. "…Good morning."

"Mornin' Estela! Coffee?" Raj bounds to her cheerfully with a mug, which Estela takes with a grateful nod.

"Er, I hope your flight proved to be alright…? Did you have any problem?" Aleister stands up, trying not to show the worry and uncertainty in his smile. He's failing.

Estela simply shakes her head and stands at the side of the sofa, mug in hand. "It went alright. Thanks." She pauses, avoiding Aleister's eyes, and finally mutters, "How's… Reggie?"

"He's chipper and healthy. You should visit him soon." Aleister answers briefly with a smile. Estela nods with small smile, although warm and eager.

Furball jumps off Quinn's lap and nuzzles against the Colombian's leg, to which she would give a small, gentle pat on its head. She tries to conceal a smile as her fingers brush against its soft fur. Everyone resumes talking as they waited for Zahra.

Jake savors the warm taste of rich black coffee. He turns to Grace from across the table, who was watching some videos of their kid on her phone.

"Missing him, eh?" He smiles.

Grace's head snaps to him, her expression surprised, but she relaxes and nods proudly. "Mom's taking care of him while we're here… It's something of an apology from her, but she's actually really fond of her grandchild. Reginald's been a handful, but that's okay. He's happy, we're happy, and I think that all that matters."

"Good to hear that," Jake says briefly, sipping from his mug. He takes a few seconds before sucking in air sharply. "You… mentioned about the Prism Gate being in Northbridge. How far is that place from here?"

"It's an hour drive to the west of Hartfeld. It's a pretty big city, and as you may hear…" She looks at the rest of the gang, with Craig surveying who was their favorite hero. "It's been unsafe and alarming. Over the course of five months, a lot of casualties and superhero conflicts had happened. It was tough for the PI to investigate."

"Yeah, that… Anything you might wanna share? Brief us or something."

The group falls silent as Grace takes a minute to organize her thoughts. "The PI shared some interesting matters over the last five months. When Craig asked last time if the Prism Gate is any way connected to the superheroes, I said yes. The initial discovery was that all the super humans so far had a trace of the crystal's particles in their bloodstream."

Craig whistled. "Daaaaaaamn."

"Additionally, Silas produced a liquified version of the crystals which he called the Liquid Prism. The news says these things have been stolen and passed on from criminal to criminal, and with the rising rates of supervillains, the conclusion is that these Liquid Prism have been consumed to produce such an army."

Varyyn appears surprised. "This is… the potential of Vaanu's crystals have more to offer than what we know. Such power was not discovered by anyone in the Vaanti."

"We don't know for sure if these crystals have been harnessed differently by the Prescott Industries to have this kind of effect on humans." Grace says. "They've been studying these for 25 years. Maybe we'll get some answers once Zahra gets access on the files."

"This is why Silas Prescott has likely increased security in his properties." Aleister continues. His hand intertwines with Grace's, thumb gently grazing over her skin. "The rampant rate of super villains grows day by day, and stronger. Who knows which mastermind would get their hands on the Liquid Prism next if he would not secure them."

The discussion is interrupted as a disheveled Zahra throws open the door of her office. She doesn't say anything. Her eyes are wide, looking at everyone gathered.

Craig jogs to her side. "Z? You okay?"

"God, and I thought we were doing something illegal." Zahra shakes her head. "Guys, you have to see this."

#fanfiction #fanfic #fan fiction #fan fic #choices #choices stories you play #choices stories we play #choices endless summer #endless summer #es #endless summer fanfic #endless summer fanfiction #endless summer finale #endless summer choices #playchoices #play choices #endless summer mc #endless summer taylor #endless summer jake #jake mckenzie #jake x mc #jake x taylor #endless summer jake x mc #endless summer jake x taylor #one more adventure #one more adventure chapter 2 #one more adventure ch 2 #writing #one more adventure ch. 2 #onemoreadventure

[glorifiedgpjfic]

Glorified G- Chapter 14

A/N just another quickie- I’ve kinda done a lot of stuff in this chapter a week has passed in total, and I didn’t go into much detail about Joanne’s ‘trip’ as I didn’t want it to get boring. Enjoy!

The following morning Joanne woke up feeling a little bit dead. She walked to the kitchen sluggishly and made herself some coffee, she had woken up an hour earlier than normal so she decided to go to the diner for breakfast in the hopes it would cure her hangover in time for work. She had a shower to wash away the stink of vomit and stale bars, she felt although alcohol was seeping out of her pores.

She arrived at the diner half an hour later, she ordered some pancakes with strawberries and a glass of fresh orange juice mixed with lemonade. After her food had arrived she had to eat it quickly as she needed to be at work in ten minutes and it was little under a ten-minute drive from the diner. She managed to make it to work just on time, she was greeted by Eleanor asking for all the details about yesterday,

“It was great El, they took me to this amazing record shop and then we spent the full day drinking, I feel like death now though. I don’t know what I’m gonna do for the next month with them being off on tour- you’d love them, they’re fuckin hilarious.”

The director called Joanne into his office for a briefing, Joanne knew what he was going to say ‘the case is cold give it up.’ She knew she was wasting her time, but there was this tiny bit of hope that she could solve the case and get the sicko off the streets.

“Morning Taylor, did you have a good day yesterday?” He asked politely, Joanne nodded,

“It was really great, what did you want to see me about?” She took a seat opposite him and looked down at her hands, there was something about him that was really intimidating, he was a really nice guy but she always felt on edge around him.

“Two things really, the first is the case you are working- I’m afraid I have to stop you from pursuing it, the Director of the Washington FBI branches is calling it a waste of agent time, so, unfortunately, I’m going to have to ask you to archive it with the unsolved cases. I’m sorry you have wasted your time on this.” He stated, Joanne nodded- She knew that she was wasting her time, there simply wasn’t enough evidence for them to get any new leads. She was pulled from her train of thought when he began talking again, “However I do have some good news, an opportunity has arisen to go to some universities and explain the roles of both the FBI and Interpol, I was asked to choose an agent from each agency if you will, and I thought who better to choose than you- as you’ve worked for both! I understand this is quite a sudden decision to make, however, you will get to travel a little bit, and you will be guest lecturing with John E Douglas.” Joanne broke into a grin,

“I’d love to take this opportunity, I’ve always wanted to meet Mr Douglas, when does it start and where do I go?”

“It starts as soon as I give the word that you are in. And you will fly to; Portland, San Francisco, LA, and San Diego. Of course if Douglas thinks you are a good fit you could be invited to visit all of the states he is attending, however, I don’t expect you to want to do that as it is a long tour and it would probably get quite tedious after five universities.” Joanne nodded,

“So do I need to go and pack now? Do I need to pay for flights?” Joanne immediately began trying to think where Pearl Jam would be playing so she could surprise them one night, she could surprise them in San Diego and maybe get the chance to meet Beth.

“I would advise you to pack, and no you don’t have to pay for flights or accommodation- think of it as a working holiday.” Joanne grinned and thanked him before heading home to pack, she said her goodbyes to Eleanor and the team she had been working with- she couldn’t believe she was going to meet the John Douglas! She needed to control herself and not freak out when she meets him, don’t make a tit of yourself Jo.

Joanne was packed and on a plane by lunchtime, she couldn’t believe it! She was incredibly thankful to have such an incredible opportunity, and she would get to see Pearl Jam at the end of it all.

At each university, the duo visited they spent two days lecturing then the flew on to the next place, after a week the two had flown to San Diego. Lecturing with John Douglas was incredible, the man was so wise and he had lots of advice for Joanne. He had told her how to ‘detach’ from work and how to keep the nightmares at bay, he told her to see the FBI’s therapist once a week, it was free and it helped to vent to someone who understands. He had told her all about his revolutionary work creating terminology such as ‘serial killer’ and defining the types of crimes, he was such an inspiration to her. He was the guy Jack Crawford from the Thomas Harris novels was based on, a living legend. He had told Joanne that she has great potential and they had a great chemistry which kept the students interested in what they were saying. However, Joanne did notice that it was a very dull process after a few lectures.

The two arrived in San Diego and made their way to the hotel near the university they would be staying at,

“After all this is done I’d love you to come to Quantico, I know it’s a long flight but you’d be able to see where it all began and meet with some of the best of the best - the ones I trained.” He said with a small smirk, Joanne studied the man for a few moments. He was in his forties and he was already greying, his eyes looked dull and he seemed much older, but he had seen the worst of the worst- he had seen the things from nightmares, interviewed cannibals, rapist and murderers all to help create a way to differentiate between crimes and types of criminals.

“I’d love to visit Quantico sometime, thank you for the offer, sir.”

When the two arrived at the hotel it was the late afternoon and when Joanne had checked when Pearl Jam were playing she saw that tonight was the only night they were playing while she was there, so she checked with John if it was okay, and called a cab to take her to the Bacchanal where they were playing with Alice in Chains.  As the taxi pulled up outside the bar she gave herself the once over and re-fastened her docs and retying her flannel shirt around her waist, she was there quite early so they were probably just sound checking. She decided to go in and hang with them for a little bit, as she walked in they were in the middle of a soundcheck so she managed to sneak in undetected, she bought herself a beer and sat at the bar waiting to see how long it would take for them to notice her. Eddie stood at the mic, his hair completely shielding his face as he began to sing Breath he shook it back and mid verse he stopped singing,

“No fuckin way!” He exclaimed, the guys stopped playing when they spotted her, she gave them an awkward wave,

“Surprise!”  They rushed to finish the soundcheck so they could chat with Joanne, while they were soundchecking the Alice in Chains guys introduced themselves to her,

“So how’d you know the guys?” Layne asked her as he took a swig of his beer,

“Oh well I’m from the FBI, and I actually had to question them about a case, and because I’m new to the states they kinda um- took me under their wing.” Layne let out a laugh,

“Where are ya from?” Jerry asked, another thing she couldn’t get over was how fucking amazing Jerry’s hair was, it was just rude- all of the men she had met in Seattle had better hair than her.

“I’m from London, well originally I’m from the north of the UK, but when I started working for Interpol I was moved to London.” The guys nodded and they all chatted for a while until Pearl Jam were done.

Soon enough the guys were finished and joined Joanne, the Alice guys went off to soundcheck. Joanne lead them over to a booth before she initiated a group hug,

“I’m surprised, but I’ve actually missed you.” Stone smirked, she gently hit him in the shoulder,

“Rude!” she laughed, “But seriously, I’ve missed you guys too. How’s the tour going?” They filled her in on the tour and she noticed how excited they all were, it made her so happy to see them so eager,

“So what brings you here? Did you really travel all this way just to see us?” Mike asked she shook her head,

“Nope, I’m not here just to see you. I’m lecturing at the university tomorrow morning.” As they all spoke Joanne noticed the Eddie seemed really withdrawn, she wanted to discreetly get him alone to ask what was up, “hey, the next round is on me. Eddie, will you give me a hand?” He nodded and followed her, once they were out of earshot of the guys she turned to him, “are you okay Ed? Did you go and see Beth?” She noticed him tense up at the mention of Beth, he paused for a moment before taking a deep breath.

“When I got to her house I let myself in with my key, and turns out that she had found someone else- I’m not surprised I mean what did I fucking expect.” Joanne pulled him into a hug and just stayed like that for a few moments,

“Ed, you trusted her which is what relationships are about. You want me to kick her ass?” That managed to get a small chuckle out of Eddie, “I’m really sorry Ed, I can’t believe she would do that to you, you’re such a great guy and anyone would be lucky to have you.” She gave him a final squeeze which he returned before ending the hug and ordering the round of beers, while they waited for the drinks she noticed Eddie staring at her, “What? Have I got something on my face?” She asked he grinned at her,

“No you haven’t, just-” He sighed, “thank you.” She smiled at him,

“Any time.”

They chatted for a few hours until they had to go backstage and get ready to perform,

“Do you guys have any plans tomorrow?” They shook their heads,

“We are here for the day tomorrow then we head to Arizona.” Joanne nodded,

“Well we should do something tomorrow, should go for a meal or something?” Joanne suggested, “Or a picnic on the beach! With beer!” She added, they agreed that they would meet at mission beach, Jo would bring the food and they would bring the booze,

“Well, we should probably get ready to go on.” Jeff said they all finished their beers before heading off to the stage,

“Break a leg!”

Joanne, being the first person in there made it right to the front to watch the gig. The guys were incredible, better than the first time she saw them- Eddie was clearly venting his emotions through singing, when they played Black it almost broke Joanne’s heart just the raw power and emotion in his voice, she was amazed. She paid attention to the other guys too, smirking at Stone pouting and mouthing the songs as he played, and just laughing to herself at some of the faces they all pulled when they were in the zone.

They really were a fucking legendary band and this was only the start.

#eddie vedder #eddie vedder fanfic #eddie vedder fanfiction #pearl jam #pearl jam fanfiction #pearl jam fanfic #grunge fanfiction #grunge fanfic #jeff ament #mike mccready #stone gossard #dave abbruzzese #fanfic

[pearfamily0]

Nine Reasons Abraham Lincoln Could Be Great At Limo

Whether you’re riding from the airport, going out for a night on the town or celebrating your marriage ceremony day, renting a limo is the best method to experience. Driving by limousine is driving fashion and design and our motor vehicles are stored clear, each collectively in and out. Jemmy Chavaria was able to get his spouse and two-yr-outdated son out of the way in which before he was struck by a light-coloured gray or gold sedan - probably a Nissan Altima. After the Explorer hit me, my automotive careened all of the option to the left side of the freeway, banging into the guardrails, but hitting no different car. Megabus, Vamoose, and Bolt Bus might be requesting a price of $12.00 for each method and drop them off at A or E to 34th St. Those who will likely be coming from Boston could take Fung wah Bus and pay a $15.00 fee every approach and they are going to be dropped at 139 Canal Road. https://www.youtube.com/embed/79whYo1nB9k?color=white

Glendale Basic Car Wash is located at 725 E Colorado Avenue. How Much For Mobile Car Wash Detailing. I used to be on the hunt for a fantastic month-to-month cellular car wash. Talk To Luxury car service is cleansing up the automotive wash business by displaying prices from native auto detailers. Steam Wash 888 92 Element Name us immediately. Spokane Mobile Element is an superior auto detailing service in Spokane Washington. Ad Up to 33 Off Mobile Element from Lee s Auto Detailing. Advert Mobile Detailing Close to Me - See Scores Numbers. Ad Automotive Detailing Near Me - See Scores Numbers. Examine The The top 10 Car Detailing Companies Get The Job Achieved Right For Less At the moment. These Limousine Providers provide non-stop, proper door-to-door space transportation companies to or from the properties, places of work, or customers' hotels. The inexperienced line runs counterclockwise to all terminals, also stopping at Federal Circle, the place the automotive rental heart is located, and Lefferts Boulevard, where Long run Parking Lot 9/Kiss & Fly drop-off space is positioned, earlier than persevering with to Howard Seaside Station. Examine Automated Automotive rental in Galway - City, Eire with more than 800 automobile rental companies in Eire. At Jims Cellular Automotive Detailing we take a look at your car to see the quantity of labor that is needed.

There are lots of choices, lets have a look at tips on how to get from the Airports to downtown. Its simply 87 miles south of Los Angeles and 35 miles north of downtown San Diego it is usually referred. Carlsbad is a city in North County San Diego County California. Instead, it was the USS The Sullivans Navy ship, which was docked near the port city of Aden, Yemen. They take you to the place you need for you and your customers, resembling airports, city visits, hospitals, and special services. New York City will make sure you get pleasure from your night! Our on time limo service will guarantee that you arrive to your destination on time and in style, each time. A taxi service is a dependable pick-up and drop-off service which is able to transport you to any vacation spot not simply airport. The vacation spot is always extra necessary than the fee. For a simple detailing it can cost you much less say from sixty five or so but for extra extensive clean it prices. However to provide you with an concept on how a lot a specific auto detailing service value right here is an inventory of the value ranges. Nationwide Average Value for Automobile Detailing. Our automotive service helps our valued clients enjoy a trouble free and nice transport service.

Afterward, you may wander by the Austin Museum of Art (823 Congress Ave) to view a few of the best American artwork made since 1900, then get pleasure from a glass of wine at Cork & Company (308 Congress Ave), the place fairly priced and humorously-named wine flights like "Cab Trip to Manhattan" that includes prime Cabernet Sauvignon wines and nice cheese plates are worth the visit. If you're undecided where to start along with your Austin sightseeing, an organized tour is perhaps simply the factor. Name us and start planning your social gathering at the moment! Schedule your appointment today. We Did The Research For You - Uncover Our Prime Ranked Decisions At the moment. III.2; a description which, however, suffices to grasp the CECs and bands measured by ARPES and shown in respectively FIG.s 9 and 10. The LDA low-energy TB bands shown in FIG. 7(a) have rather more detail and their surprisingly good agreement with the bands measured with ARPES for the occupied bands (grey circles and black dots) proves this detail to be real.

#suv car service

[cabranchobernado]

Cab Rancho Bernardo is one of the biggest taxi company in the San Diego that has covered the highest number of cities in USA.Whenever you think to search  a taxi near me service, our best assist bunch with willing hit you up. For details visit us http://taxiranchobernardo.net/

#taxi rancho bernardo #yellow cab in Rancho Bernado #taxi near me in Rancho Bernado #airport shuttle service in Rancho Bernado

[aonecab55]

Taxi Near Me

We provide prearrangement pick up and drop off services throughout San Diego, Riverside, and LA County and make sure all our clients are transported, safely, comfortably, and in style. We provide fast, reliable, and quality service for your budget. Book a 24/7 Friendly, Hassle-Free Door to Door Transportation Services at http://aonecab.com/

#taxi near me in Escondido #cab service in escondido #Escondido Taxi

[getfastride]

Taxi Near Me- Get Fast Ride

Get fast ride has exceeded customer expectations for transportation of Car Service in San Diego CA's North County. With a creative business strategy and attention to quality service, get more details kindly visit us at http://getfastride.com/

#car service #taxi cab #taxi near me #vista taxi #airport shuttle

[goodlawdmaude]

Southeast Asia 2018

I honestly thought I would give up on detailing my travel adventures by blog, but revisiting the indelible record of my old posts about previous adventures has inspired me to write a cursory summary of our more recent (... a relative term) trips. 

SO, respecting chronology, let’s start with our Southeast Asia trip of 2020. Jarod and I left for Bangkok, Thailand on 2/7/2018 and returned to San Diego, CA on 2/28/2018. A lot of the notes below were taken throughout the trip and are arguably a bit too circuitous and detailed. Regardless, here it is: 

DEPARTURE: 2/7

Our travel day was roughly 30 hours, involving layovers at SFO and Tokyo/Narita. It was pretty torturous, but we did technically eat ramen (airport ramen) in Japan (and admired the fun KitKat flavors). We arrived late on 2/8, exhausted from the travel. After landing, we took a taxi to the hostel, showered in the shared restroom, and went to sleep. 

BANGKOK: 2/8 (late) - 2/10

2/9 (Day 1)

We woke up tired and had breakfast at the hostel with our dear friend Ben before setting out to explore old town. We grabbed some BOMB street food (40baht per plate), then wandered into a small wat (thinking it was the Grand Palace) and eventually into the Grand Palace --  brimming with the craziest swarm of tourists imaginable. From the palace, we walked to Khaosan--where we met our college friend, Alison, and her sister--for local food and beers. The street was lively and vibrant - full of henna stalls, carts pedaling fried scorpion, and vendors with brightly colored clothes and jewelry. After finding a taxi driver who would use a meter, we drove home and rallied for dinner at a local seafood spot (the menu was extensive and almost overwhelming). From there, we stopped at a cozy bar and drank grapefruit Sculpins before walking home and crashing.

CHIANG MAI: 2/10 - 2/13

2/10 (Day 2)

Jarod, Ben, and I flew in uneventfully and took taxi to our room - a little loft above a local bar. We grabbed lunch two doors down, then went for a run/work out at a nearby flower-filled park. When we returned to shower, we found it impossible due to low water pressure. We had to ask the staff to turn on the pump 3x to get through our showers. Clean, we headed to a nearby square for the Saturday night market. We purchased potstickers (40b), spring rolls and kebabs (50b), and soups (40b each), and feasted family style. From there, we took a tuk tuk to The North End jazz bar and coop, where we watched two jazz bands playing while the crowd overflowing into the street. We met Allison and her sister, Jess, back at the night market for 11pm crepes and divised a plan to hike Monk's trail the next day.

2/11 (Day 3)

After waking up around 7, we met Alison at her hotel and then drove off to the Monk’s trail. The trail was clear and hot and peaceful--clearly demarcated by orange ties of fabric. We arrived at a (pretty low key) temple buried in the hillside with a stream running through it. From there, the trail got quite steep and the hike became reasonably vigorous. We eventually arrived at our summit - another temple. It was grand and gold and gorgeous, but also pretty packed with visitors who had driven up. We bought some fresh orange juice and snacked in the shade, overlooking a valley/neighboring hillside. We spent some time exploring, then headed back. We got a delicious lunch at a restaurant near Alison’s, then returned to our Airbnb, went through another saga of showers, and took naps. We went to scope out the Sunday night market, which was huge and overwhelming - packed with people and hand-made goods. We met Alison at Dash! for dinner, shared a carafe of wine, and ate the best khao soi ever while enjoying live music. From Dash! Alison and I went back to the night market, where we saw a group of men playing exotic instruments. We headed home and called it a night. 

2/12 (Day 4)

In celebration of Ben's birthday, we had a gluttonous breakfast at German bierhaus. Ben had to take some work calls, during which J and I met Alison and drove to Mae Sa waterfall. Swam in the 10th fall - deserted - hiked back, and lunched on the ground in a little hut. That evening, we were picked up at 4 for a cooking class. We toured an amazing local market, then to cooking school where we made 6 courses, but had to leave before dessert to avoid being late to a lady boy show. Took red truck to Warmup and got cocktails and a beer tower. Took a "taxi" to another club but it was closing so we went home. 

LUANG PRABANG: 2/13 - 2/16

2/13 (Day 5)

We took a tuk tuk to the airport, got through security without an issue, and were on the ground in LP around 4 in the afternoon. We got a ride from the airport (courtesy of our guest house), checked in, then hit the town for a run. We joined a public Zumba class (led by a random person in the park), then ran back and showered. We dined at the restaurant on our block - including amazing chocolate fondue for dessert. Luang Prabang was breathtakingly beautiful; I was already obsessed. 

2/14 (Day 6)

We woke up early to see the monks’ almsgiving and to exercise. After a large group passed through, we did a circuit in the open yard of our guest house, then showered and got breakfast.  From breakfast, Ben went to do some work, and Jarod and I went to find our way to Kuang si falls. We took a bus from the lobby of our guest house. The aquamarine falls were gorgeous, but busy. After a short but steep climb, we arrived at the top. We opted to extend our trek (2km) to "spring water cave.” We jogged there, sweating profusely, and found an oasis of quiet as well as the cave. After exploring a bit, we headed back and descended the way we'd come, stopping half way down for a quiet dip in the freezing water. We dried off and hurried down, grabbing a mango shake and egg crepe before hustling into the van in the nick of time. When we returned, we showered, rested briefly, then headed out to grab a sunset drink with a view of the Mekong before hitting the night market for dinner. We grabbed mini potstickers, spring rolls, pork bun, and delicious wholesome soups, then crowded around a crooked table to eat. After dinner, we got dessert at a neighboring pastry stand, then went for drinks - a free shot and 20k 2 for 1 cocktails. "Drink like a fish for the price of water," they said.

2/15 (Day 7)

We woke up around 730, got breakfast at our place, then got ready to hike Chompet! We took a boat across the river (loaded with locals, motorbikes, and a couple cars). There was a small strip of town by the port point on the other side, but it was much different than the side from which we'd come. There were chickens everywhere, locals on dirt bikes and front porches, and very few tourists. The hike took us down a remote dirt road with gorgeous views of the Lao country side. The people we walked past stared (and often smiled) at us. At one point, we encountered a herd of water buffalo roaming the trail. They also stared at us. We forked off the road onto a footpath, continuing to weave through the jungle. We passed several temples, paying entry to see one of them (Chompet), and admiring others from a distance. The Buddha there was flanked by a sign for donations for "water, electricity, and education. We went back to grab lunch and to recoup before heading out for evening massages. Afterward, we wandered into a family-owned restaurant - run straight out of their house and had delicious "bo bun" and spring roll lettuce wrap style appetizer with greens and noodles. From there, we went to the night market for some shopping, where I had my first taste of Lao coconut pancakes (OMG!!)

HANOI-->CATBA-->SAPA: 2/16 - 2/23

2/16 (Day 8) Lao --> Hanoi

We woke up around 6 and tried to get ready quietly. We made it to Hanoi uneventfully, dropped our bags at the hotel, and went to walk around. There were lots of families out and about for Tet, wandering around the lake, dressed nicely, taking photos, and getting very annoyed if you walked through their photo. There were balloons and street vendors everywhere as well as people praying and burning incense at temples. We stopped for lunch on our way back, splitting a bahn mi and a tofu rice in tomato sauce as well as crepes. For dinner, we went to a place recommended by our hotel. We sat in children's plastic seats on the sidewalk, waiting for service. There was no menu; the waitstaff brought their one dish to us immediately. We went to bed around 10pm and got the best sleep ever. The room was cozy and clean and we (thought we) were all set with our 11am ride to CatBa the next morning. 

2/17 (Day 9) Hanoi --> Cat Ba Island

We slept great and got up around 7am. We ate breakfast at the hotel, then went up to the room to get packed and ready for our bus pickup at 1030. Our bus never came. Around 1115 Jarod whatsapped them to ask if someone was coming. They replied that there was an issue with the bus and asked if we could take the 2pm. Our concierge called them for us, ultimately only to confirm that we would take the 2pm bus. With that, we left our bags and walked to west lake. Most places were still closed for Tet, so the city felt a bit unwelcoming. On the way, we got a 25k dong banh mi to share for lunch. We got back to the hotel around 130, to be informed that a bus had come for us at 1.... but would be back at 2. We sat patiently. At 3, there was still no bus. Jarod whatsapped once again, and was told the bus WAS on its way. Around 315, a sweaty, stressed out guide burst in and ushered us to the bus. The bus was crowded, and we had to sit in he back with our knees smushed into the seats in front of us, but the ride was beautiful - flanked by rice patties (with ornate graves in them) and fields of green and lakes. When we finally got dropped off at our hotel, we were met with a surprise. "Did you book through booking.com?" A ~12 year old girl asked on behalf of her family. Yes, yes we did. She said the electricity was out but that they would put us somewhere else for $10/day. They then walked us across the street to a hotel with a Vietnamese name and non English speaking staff. We went out for dinner at one of the few open restaurants, then watched a little tv and went to bed, sandwiched between two fuzzy red blankets.

2/18 (Day 10) Cat Ba Island

We woke up around 7, went down for breakfast, then hurried over to Asia Outdoors to book a kayak tour on the bay. We were loaded onto a big boat with a dining area and an upstairs deck. We sat on the deck, admiring the incredible views of the bays... floating villages with dogs running around... green water... giant limestone cliffs... We continued for about an hour before we stopped and were loaded into our kayaks. We rode around to seahorse lagoon where we sat quietly in hopes of seeing a langur. We continued paddling around and talked to our guide some about his background, learning that he makes $6/day kayak guiding. We headed back to the big boat, jumped quickly into the ABSOLUTELY FREEZING BUT AMAZING water and had a delicious lunch of tofu, chicken, fried fish, rice, steamed cabbage, potatoes... etc.. After lunch we got on a separate small boat back. Jarod tipped the guy 200k dong (<$10) and he exclaimed "bloody hell!!!" In excitement. He also warned us that our taxi back "might be a bit inconspicuous.... but I'll phone them"... luckily, it ended up being pretty conspicuous. We made it back to our hotel and showered in our weird (but amazingly warm) bath/shower combo. From there we went to an "early dinner." We failed to be served at two different restaurants (did manage beers at the second one), went to a third restaurant, starving now and a bit drunk on our empty stomachs. This restaurant was also a mess, but we managed to get dinner here. We went back to our room, dropped off laundry for $2/kg at our hotel, (told it would be done in 5h), and went to bed. 

2/19 (Day 11) Catba-->Hanoi-->Sapa

We woke up around 7 to pack, eat, and be ready for the bus at 9. When I went to get the laundry, the woman tried to give me someone else's laundry and had a hard time understanding that it wasn't mine. She finally showed me to the laundry line, where our clothes were hanging- still quite damp. I collected them and blow dried what I could, but it was a mess. The bus came for us around 915 and was much less crowded. In Hanoi, We walked to Lilly's travel agency, dropped our bags, double checked the details for our trek, got cash&paid. We then got a 3 course lunch (~$20) and met up with Ben. For dinner, we went to a restaurant down the street where I had my best meal of Vietnam ("dry noodles" with lots of peanuts and mint). Lilly’s called us a taxi, which took us on a short drive to the train station, where we had to meet someone to get our tickets. The ticket holder was sitting inconspicuously in a corner texting, but we found her. We had to wait a bit, then boarded the train which had really awesome 4 person compartments. We pretty quickly went to bed, leaving the light on the bunk above Jarod on, for our 4th member. He came in shortly thereafter, got into bed, left his light on, and started snoring. He left it on all night. The beds were hard and the train was noisy, but it was definitely a great travel option. 

2/20 (Day 12)

We woke up to a knock on our cabin door. We got ourselves together and got off the train, expecting to find someone with a "Jarod backens" sign who would drive us from lo kai to sapa (~1h). We had to wait awhile, but finally some young punky looking guy showed up. He walked us around a variety of vans before gesturing for us to climb in one. Once inside, a woman solicited "money?" For the ride. We had paid for our agency, so we refused. The ride up was beautiful but very windy and I felt quite car sick. When we got to sapa, the driver said "three people" and pointed out to a hotel/restaurant. We uncertainly got out and headed in and sat down. Luckily, our guides found us. There was a table of 4 other women who were a part of our group. We got breakfast (eggs, pancake to share, and tea), paid for the extra pancake and drinks, then embarked on our trek with a group of 5 women (French mother and daughter, 23yo Swiss best friends, and a Canadian girl with heavy black makeup) led by a group of wiley guides, dressed in black home made cloaks, long shorts, and fabric wrapped around their legs between their ankles and knees. Some wore simple sandals for the trek; all of them were tan, wrinkled, spunky, and dirty. The climb up was steep, and the views were incredible. On the way up, we climbed above the clouds, finding baby puppies, piglets, horses, etc. We stopped several times to breathe and once for lunch, where we were served heaping piles of fried rice or fried noodles. From there we hiked a while longer, our entire trek taking approximately 6h. When we arrived at the home stay--which was a newly built building with quite nice amenities--we sat outside and were served tea. We showered and got dressed and dinner was served around 7pm. The whole day, the tribeswomen had been talking a lot about "happy water" (rice whiskey) and how much we would drink. They weren't lying, but they DIDNT mention how much we would EAT! They served us (a table of 8-joined by a bohemian 37yo woman from Oakland) pork, chicken/duck on the bone, pork with lemon and mint, mushrooms, green beans, spring rolls, and white rice. They had a large family gathering of 15 or so at the table behind us. Different women kept coming to our table and urging us to eat more, often times plopping rice into our bowls. Later in the evening, the happy water came out in a jug with an angry birds logo on it. Mama Sho insisted we all drink, so we did. Jarod, the bohemian, Erin from Canada, Ben, and I sat around drinking a good long while. At one point, concerned I may be sick if I went on, I proclaimed THIS IS THE LAST ONE, took a shot, then went to the bathroom. When I returned, another one had been poured for me, but Jarod took it for me. We were spilling everywhere and it was a festive amazing mess.

2/21 (Day 13)

We woke up to Ben's knock around 850am, letting us know breakfast was happening. I felt horribly nauseous and hungover, but went down and managed to eat one pancake before going back upstairs and collapsing in bed. Eventually, I managed to get dressed and out the door for our hike. It was a warm and sunny day. We hiked to a waterfall where I put my feet in. We hiked to lunch--at which point I was feeling significantly better but not great--then hiked home. We laid on the ground for a bit and decided to have a push up contest instead. While we were doing our silly contest and rolling on the dirt, a new, large group of guests came in. We felt like idiots but continued our work out. After, we sat outside with some tea and met the 3 new guests - very nice German policemen. We talked about politics and gun control, then excused ourselves to shower. Dinner was served a little later that evening. Many of the same dishes were served, but our group was much larger, the family did not eat with us, and the pressure to eat and drink was greatly diminished. (Everyone admitted at one point or another that we drank too much the night before.) After dinner, we went to sit outside with the German boys and were joined by the Swiss girls. We went to bed around 930. I thought a lot about how close I was to the animals on the farm that were composing our dinners

2/22 (Day 14)

We woke up around 8, after sleeping quite hard for quite a long time. We went and sat outside and drank some tea/coffee with the German boys. Ben came and joined us - he had been up a while walking and playing with the friendly dog that was tied up. One tribeswoman came to peddle her goods, finding willing buyers in the Germans. We had a big breakfast of eggs and pancakes with honey, then got dressed, said farewell to the Germans, and embarked as a group of 5 on our last hike. It was a bit challenging-we had to walk on some narrow edges and I was worried about falling into mud pits. We walked to lunch and got soups, agreeing as a group to walk the 9k back to town rather than be shuttled there. It was a steep climb - our most physically difficult day by far. We made it back to the coffee shop we had started at. Mai showed up and gave us bracelets and hurried away -"Um Mao, so what about the bus??" Ben asked as she tried to get back in her car. She told us it would come at 5. We said goodbye to MamaSho and went inside to get something warm to drink. We wiped down with baby wipes and changed, then waited. Our shuttle came, and we quickly learned our driver was an absolute maniac, driving super aggressively and honking an insane amount as we picked up other travelers. We finally started driving down - during which he was much more careful. On the way down, we inexplicably stopped at a vegetable market and some people bought goods. We continued the slow descent and got in around 7pm. "Oh, you can get your tickets in that restaurant," the driver mentioned as an afterthought. We went to the restaurant, got the tickets, and ate dinner. We boarded the train and (once again with an awkward 4th-man interloper) went to bed.

KOH LANTA: 2/23 - 2/27

2/23 (Day 15)

We woke up on the train,  walked briskly to Lillys with Ben, and said quick goodbyes before taking a taxi 40 minutes to the airport. At the airport, we got Burger King breakfasts for the perfect amount of dong we had left (the cashier actually asked for 2800... to which Jarod responded "I have 2700?" which was accepted.) We had a layover at DMK, and eventually made it to Krabi. With some trouble, we found our driver, got in a big ass luxurious van and hit traffic immediately. We arrived at our hotel on Koh Lanta around 8pm, showered, and then got dinner at the hotel restaurant. I got salmon, Jarod got pineapple fried rice, and we had chicken satay and a fabulous brownie with ice cream. We went to bed, planning to wake up early and exercise.

2/24 (Day 16)

We woke up around 7 and went down for breakfast. They had an assortment of delicious Thai food (leftovers?) as well as eggs bacon pancakes toast yogurt fruit etc. We ate our fill, then went on a little run. It was so hot I felt like dying, and our stomachs were a little upset. After, we spent some time by the beach/pool, then headed out to walk to lunch. We got lunch at Greenland - the owner turned on the fan when we arrived and was very nice to us. Really good massaman curry. For dinner, we walked to ShantiShanti down the road where we ate curries and crepes with cinnamon and toffee ice cream. 

2/25 (Day 17)

We woke up around 7 and went down to breakfast before our work out. We did a circuit followed by a short run, then went straight to the beach. We hung and read for much of the afternoon, taking a break in the afternoon for a light lunch. After several hours in the sun, we walked to The Salty fish for sunset drinks. After sunset, we walked to Coconut grove for dinner.  After finishing a carafe of wine and our meal, we went to our hotel bar to catch their happy hour. We got mai thais and sipped them on the day beds. We went to bed early.

2/26 (Day 18)

We woke up around 630 and went straight into our workout--starting with a jog after seeing there was someone in the gym. We did our most intense circuit while the other girl (still in the gym) did some VERY lame exercises with zero intensity... while pointing the only fan directly at herself. We finished our work out and went down for breakfast. We sipped coffee by the ocean and read for a while before going up to get serious about sunscreen and water. Around 1130, we walked into town to book our ride to the airport and get our nails done. I got the worst gel manicure ever and Jarod got his first pedicure. All in all, very fun and worth the small expense. We got lunch at a Rastafarian place on the beach, then walked our way on the beach back to our place. We sunscreened up and went to sit by the water. Around 6 we showered, changed for dinner, and drank some beers on the porch while checking in on 2018 goals. We walked across the street to get a taxi to klong khong beach (kwans), and accidentally haggled up the price of a crazy motor bike cart ride. There was live music at dinner and good khao soi. We walked home and went to bed.

2/27 (Day 19) --> Back to Bangkok

We woke up around 630, ran, stretched, got breakfast, and packed up. Our shared van to the airport came early (?!), arriving just as we were checking out. We went to pick up several more people, often making incorrect stops (to ask for directions?) and struggling to find the correct passengers. We arrived at the airport around 230, and though no monitors showed our flight, we found our correct terminal. We snacked on wafers, dried mango, and peanut M&Ms, then boarded with our bags ;). Upon arriving, we spent a low key evening in our hotel, getting mentally ready to end our glorious vacation. 

[gogetitjim]

Baja Bash 2019 aboard La Sirena

Kept updating this log on the phone.  The people in Turtle Bay were very nice. The elderly locals made a light joke comment about one of their neighbors at a market and then looked at us. Picture Walmart in wild pajamas.  We all started giggling. 

Wednesday 11/20 Afternoon. Saw green turtle about 100 ft port side. Ten minutes later saw another green turtle 6 ft off port side.

Saw a flying fish flying away from port side.

Steve saw a long silverfish fish jump water far off to starboard. When I looked we saw two more same large jumpers.

Wednesday night armada of boat traffic around us on chart plotter with AIS (automatic identification system) heading south, including princess cruise lines "Coral Princess".

Wednesday night with flashlights we heard and saw a bunch of tropical looking fish behind boat after anchoring at Santa Maria bay.

Thursday 11/21

Morning I saw a small squid behind the boat  while pulling anchor. Afternoon green sea turtle about 20 feet off port side of boat. While trying to get phone camera started lost turtle behind boat but had sea lions at turtles location start to jump surface trying to catch up to the boat.

Hour later had another green turtle  passed 6 feet off port side, gave up on camera. Turtle raised head to look right at me.

2300 shooting star heading west

Friday 11/22

0130 could see southern hemisphere constellations Pictor, Puppis, Rectilium in the south. The Andromeda galaxy overhead towards the west. The Crab Nebula directly overhead. Of course the Pleades and Orion's sword with nebula. Had a 35 mm binoculars.

0500 started sailing with main and genoa sails. Wind from 45 deg. mag.  15 to 20 knots.  Approx speed over ground 5 to 6 knots.

0745 passed a sailboat heading south with spinnaker.  We are about 40 nm (nautical miles) off the coast heading for turtle 130 nm (of 240) to go. Still sailing

1030. Wind changed direction against us and calmed. Took down jib sail and now motor sailing with main.

Still morning. Steve saw another jumping silverish large fish with a bill like the other day close up.  Believe them now to be swordfish. Found out later not swordfish. Okay I’m new to Baja.

1500. Dolphins swam and jumped along side while we refueled on the go, a lot of them. They jumped fully out and back into the water many times both sides of the boat. Steve was laughing as they only started doing it while I was up front with the fuel cans and didn't notice them at first.

2100 a small 10 inch plump fish jumped into the cockpit next to the helm where I was standing. I thought it was some gear that had fallen between my legs. It made it's way bouncing off toward the swim platform. Cockpit smells like fish now:-)

Saturday 11/23

0245 heard sounds like six gunshots from direction of a vessel at 5 o'clock position 3 miles range traveling in our direction. Turned out to be a sailboat heading home from the Baja Ha Ha. Too much tequila?

Afternoon. Pulled in to bahia tortugas, there until Friday due to weather reports.  Beautiful days. While there Ernesto, Jesus, Pedro water taxi, guide, and diesel. Large dolphins cruise close by the boat circling for hours. Lots of sea lions also. Wednesday rained all day.  Thursday storm hit. Swells breaking over the bow, rain, strong winds, 35 to 38 knot winds while anchored overnight. Was up most of the night, Steve got a ditch bag ready.

Friday left Turtle Bay into heavy seas and wind. Used a quarter tank of fuel, went twelve nautical miles. After turning Point Eugenia things were back to normal.

1500 see a large whale close by traveling southbound at Punta Eugenia. Spouting big air.

1700. Steve saw a large pod of dolphin directly under the bow of the boat.

Saturday 11/30

2040 watched the red crescent moon set on the ocean horizon under clear skies.  As I watched the moon set could see bright sparkling photo luminescence in the waves breaking on the side of the boat.

The Milky Way is bright tonight. You can see individual star light reflections on the water.

2059. Saw a bright green meteor slowly descend overhead toward the northwest, then exploded in bright white light which lit up the sky. The same event was reported off of Washington State coast.

Monday 12/2. Went to the Hotel Coral Marina, nice. The Marina Grill was closed on Mondays, so we left after processing immigration, and a nap.

Tuesday 0600. Crossed into US.

0900 dealt with US Customs and new phone app.  Worked well. Didn't even have to go into San Diego, note for future.

Traveling San Diego toward Catalina Island, US warships throughout,  military aircraft throughout,  US Coast Guard several places, Navy Seals practicing near San Diego entrance.  Appears to be a busy military exercise. Give channel 16 a break:-)

Arrived home port 0230 Wednesday December 4th

#baja bash #la sirena