Is going on. Dumbledore seemingly knows everything that goes on, like some super spymaster, but never bothers to do anything. The grown ass man's plan is to use some 12 year old kids as child soldiers (who have NO soldier training at all btw, this is not Durmstrang) to do his dirty work. Or to die trying I guess. He is in fact encouraging Harry's gang to play their little "I'm 12 year old invincible detective, nothing can ever kill me or go wrong" game. Any reasonable adult would understand that 12 year old kids ain't shit, and they are dumb as hell.
To make this even somewhat believable, big DD could at least provide them with the best training available to try to make them super soldiers. But he won't give them shit. Except super dangerous toys, like the invisibility cloak, hats and phoenixes, but no training or advice ever how to use anything. Exactly how you would give a AK-47 to some child soldier, and just point him at the general direction of your enemies. Good luck I guess. Or at least make them 15 or 16 year olds. Do you remember what 12 year old kid looks like? That is right, its similar to totally useless (and smelly) turd.
Now otherwise it has been surprisingly good time, considering it's a book for children. Except at the end the stuff goes really unhinged and wild. And I'm already being veery generous, and ignoring 99% of the hogwash.

Ok, I am in the education area, for a while it was teens and adults
Now im retraining to teach kindergarten kids
And I hear often in the medias or social platforms on how things like finances, mental health etc. should be taught in school, as in middle or high school (grades 6-12/13)
And while I do 100% agree with this ideology that these skills are important, I just don‘t see it happening in regular schools and therefore I don‘t think this should be attempted as it is just a waste of time
Because, lets say taxes and finances are taught in regular schools. Its no easy topic, this would eat up so much classtime for other topics. And I don‘t think, the way schools are run now, that they are ready/built for that
Instead, I believe there should be an extra school building/type called something about life skills that includes these many vital topics
I think this kinda school should be open for all above like 15 years old maybe? Not sure on the exact min. Age yet but defintely no max age limit
And I think regular schools should make time for this. So what I mean is students should actually have time after school to attend this different kind of school. Imo its already insane how much homework some students get where they don’t even have time to live life, but thats a different topic
Also, because putting this in regular schools opens them up to a ton of critical opinions, especially when touchy subjects like mental health are brought into play, because there are many different ways at going about it. And sure by making learning these topics be a choice, some may not go, those would also probably not listen in regular schools.
And Unlike subjects like math where the amount of correct answers/thinking styles is limited, for these touchy subjects not everyone will be ok with just learning how to manage it using one or two methods
I also don‘t see many students actually being enthusiastic about these topics, even if its important because the stress of grades will tank it all
But if a separate entity where to offer these lessons (free of charge like regular school) with no tests just optional work for input from teachers, it creates a more positive atmosphere where people are willingly going there and they don‘t have to stress about tests and grades. They can fully focus on just learning for their own benefit. Because thats what so important about these skills, students should want to learn this and not be forced into a cold environment.
I also believe this is more feasible to try, cause its easier to just create a new school type system for these subjects, rather than force regular schools to conform to these new subjects
Btw by regular schools I mean grades pre-k to 12 or 13th grade, I don‘t mean college/Uni because I think these skills should be taught as soon as students are the mental development stage where they can understand these topics and when it becomes relevant, which is younger than college age
And for me life skills are finances, mental health, home ed (so like cooking,repairing etc), sex ed (the more in depth kind, so not just basic sexual education where ppl learn where babies come from). I do know regular schools in some countries have managed to implement some of these subjects, but due to the stress of also having to teach math, science etc. not much funding or time is given for these topics. And I don‘t think sex ed for instance should be removed from regular schools (if they have it), I just think there should be the opportunity to delve into it more
Another reason why I stand by this is bc some do argue that family/friends or even the internet should teach this. The problem is, we tend to ( not always) but tend to surround ourselves with like minded people, and the beauty abt schools, especially public city schools, is you are in a room with diverse people, you are confronted with different thought patterns and beliefs. And also, parents can only teach what they know which usually comes from their own childhood. I just saw a sad documentary abt a woman with over 25k euros in debt in Germany bc in her childhood debt was a normal thing, and her mother knew nothing about finances so she couldnt teach her kid that. And its just a pattern that, while breakable, is much harder. And researching anything alone on the internet is so hard ad tiresome. Its so easy to be lied to misinformed, and while schools can‘t 100% avoid this, they do provide a room for debate and discussions (sensible schools ofc).
I do hope my ideas are understandable, and I like forward to hearing other viewpoints or ideas or even clear counter arguments :)
Also btw, while I do live in Germany now, I grew up in the US (ny) so I subconsciously probably only brought up these kinda school systems, feel free to bring up other ones^{^}

I was out for a run this morning and saw a Jensen Interceptor drive by, which reminded me of a client I had a few years ago who had one as more or less his only car. He was a middle aged physician and it was his daily driver, his wife had a minivan for the kids.
He showed it to me and admitted that he wasn't a car guy, but he bought the Jensen during medical school as he was broke and it was really cheap. He happened to live close to an old mechanic that specialized in British cars and was happy to work on it for him, so as he finished medical school and started a family, it was his only for a decade or so until his kids got too big for the back seat. His mechanic retired a few years ago and offered to do a big service on it so he could keep driving it as long as possible - it ended up being about $70,000 but he thought it would be good for another 10 years, and he would sell it if anything major went wrong as without "his guy" it was hard to get it fixed...
A friend of a friend lived next door an elderly lady with a Maserati Mexico as her only car - her husband bought it almost new, passed away and she had a family friend who serviced it, so she just never bought another car. Apparently she grew up on a farm and preferred manual transmissions, and liked that the Mexico had plenty of headroom so she didn't have to take off her hat...

I have a flight in DL1 on the plane with tail number N186DN and wanted to see if it was a newer version or the old style of seat. Can’t find any info anywhere about this plane. Can anyone advise?

Hi,
I’ve gone thru 2 Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro 250ohm. They were good headphones but they both kinda fell apart over time. I’m currently using my old pair of Sennheiser PC 373D headset which is comfortable but is not of the style I’d like. I also own Sennheiser HD 280 pro which are way too tight. I tried the Sennheiser 560S and didn’t like them. I tried AirPods Max and the fit was wonderful but wasn’t great sound quality with my pc.
I want them for gaming and I listen to music while I do so. I like being immersed in sound. But I’m looking for something very comfortable. I wear glasses and have nerve damage in my neck so I’m more sensitive to tighter headphones.
Budget max $500 but preferably close to $300 if possible.
Thank you for your assistance

It is our great pleasure to announce that u/Blindtomusic is our Photographer of the Week. This accolade has been awarded based upon the number of votes during week 18, with this post having received the most when searching by top submission: https://www.reddit.com/analog/comments/1chonc3/pentax_67_e100/

Thank you for choosing to feature my photograph, I am honored!

• How long have you been taking photographs?

I started taking photos in 2011, I was working as a company grip on George Lucas’ “Red Tails” and met Philip Bloom. Philip was working as a cinematographer specializing in DSLR videography. While I was having a conversation on set with him, he mentioned that the canon t2i had the same sensor as the 7d that we were using for principal photography and that they only cost $699. I went and bought one that weekend. I still have it. My 3 year old son uses it with the 18-200 kit lens as his learner now.

• Why do you take photographs? What are you looking to get out of it?

I take photographs as an attempt to tell a story in a single frame. Working on motion pictures has trained me in the complexity of telling stories at 24 frames per second. I am focused on learning composition as a single frame storyteller so that when I decide to shoot a motion picture film, I will be able to draw on that understanding. Though, admittedly, most of my photography these days is focused on documenting my two young children.

• What inspired you to take this (group of) photo(s)?

This photo was a spur of the moment decision. It was during a commercial we were shooting for Siggi’s Yogurt. I was watching a set dresser skim the duckweed off the pond with the paddle of the canoe and I realized that if I ran down to the edge of the water and got my placement right on his next paddle back, I might be able to get him centered in the pond with the atmosphere from the smoke machine playing behind him. This was the first frame on a roll of Kodak Gold 200.

• Do you self develop or get a lab to process your film?

I have a lab do all of my film these days. When I was starting out, I would tank develop my 4x5 B&W, but after I ruined a batch that were photos of my cousin by using developer that was fully saturated, I haven’t trusted myself to do it since. I’ve had the good fortune to use Underdog Film Lab in Oakland, California, primarily for the last couple of months and I highly recommend them.

• What first interested you in analog photography?

My friend who I have known for twenty years dragged me to the local camera shop and twisted my arm into buying a 4x5 technika and enough equipment to sink develop at home using rodinal with 320TXP and developing to completion. Using that process, we got low contrast negatives that had a very high latitude and could be shot at 800iso allowing for some creative choices not often associated with large format, such as higher shutter speeds and more candid photography. I was hooked. I have since picked up two pentax 67 SLRs and a Deardorff v8 8x10.

• What is your favourite piece of equipment (camera, film, or other) and why?

It’s hard to choose just one piece of equipment, but my favorite combination would be the Deardorff v8 8x10 camera combined with E100 or Provia 100F and one of the focal combinations of my Cooke XVa set. I’m particularly fond of the two rear elements. In combination, they produce a 273mm lens which is slightly wider than normal for that format. Some of the images I’ve made using this kit are truly stunning. The other piece of my kit that I can’t forget to mention are my two Pentax 67s and 90mm f2.8. I love the focal length and quality of that lens. I have a 75mm f2.8 that I use seldomly but it’s also a nice one. I no longer care for the 105mm f2.4 since the slightly telephoto optical group is a little masculine for my style of portraiture and slightly too tight for the landscapes I find myself shooting on that format.

• Do you have a tip or technique that other film photographers should try?

I think everyone who shoots film or who wants to be serious about their digital photography should get comfortable and confident using a spot meter. The way I use mine is to decide in the moment exactly what in my frame I would like to be represented as neutral grey. Then spot that object and set my camera to that reading. If I am using it to spot meter a person, it’s very important to realize that the meter doesn’t care what skin tone you are attempting to represent, it will give you a reading to make that skin tone neutral grey. So it is important to decide what zone that person should represent and then compensate accordingly. Alternatively, carrying an actual grey card to spot meter in place of the subject will help you achieve an exposure reflecting reality.

• Do you have a link to more of your work or an online portfolio you would like to share?

I have an Instagram account that is mostly populated with images of my family, but it’s all film. I post my work there primarily. Eventually I will put up a portfolio, but my 3 year old and 9 month old sons keep me busy.

• Do you have a favourite analog photographer or analog photography web site you would like to recommend?

I am a huge fan of both Natalie Oberg and Alex Burke with the former representing a talented B&W landscape photographer and the latter representing a talented color landscape photographer.

• Is there anything else you would like to add about yourself or your photography?

I am a Filmmaker by trade. I see my photography as a way to become better at the job that I have devoted my professional life to mastering.

N.B. u/Blindtomusic asked if we could change the post title since they found out after referring to the negatives that the film stock was Kodak Gold 200 not Kodak E100 as originally though. Sadly, it's not possible to chage the post title after submission, but I thought it worth noting the new detail here.

Hi, i really don't know where to ask and sorry if it shouldn't be here. i'm desperately looking for an old christmas movie i watched long ago. I'm from France but i don't think the movie was french tbh. It was about a girl whose name was Polly i think and the night before christmas her gift get stolen. So her pet hamster team up with a bunny and encounter a living snowman to go and retrieve her present. the moment i remember the most is the animals and snowman getting chased by others animals down a tall metal slide, i'd say by racoons but maybe dogs, i don't know exatcly it's really really far in my memory. It had the style of the old disney movies, animated by hand. Anyway i did my best to explain the plot and style. Thanks for reading.

Victorian mansions are very evocative of creepy adventure. How would you justify the occasional Victorian-style mansion in a medieval setting?
I'm thinking of saying that the Old Empire was relatively stable, so castles weren't needed. Mansions were their version of Roman villas. Now they're old and haunted or occupied by an eccentric noble family. Castles are the newer style, the realm having been invaded by monsters after the collapse of the Old Empire.
Or maybe mansions are the newer style, with a wall around them to protect from the occasional raid. And castles are still used on the borderlands but are mostly relics of the barbaric past. However, a recent plague left some mansions abandoned.
Any other ideas?

The majority of Eminem's rap feuds have been against Z-list celebrities, middle-aged contemporary R&B/pop singers, and washed-up rappers. Mariah Carey, Nick Cannon, Benzino (his second diss song was well-written, but there are rumors that it was ghostwritten), Melle Mel (he's an aging old school rap artist from a bygone era), Ja Rule (admittedly, he had few scathing lines on Loose Change), Machine Gun Kelly, Insane Clown Posse, Moby (he's not even a rap artist), Christina Aguilera, Charlamagne tha God, Will Smith, Lord Jamar, and Jermaine Dupri.
There's this revisionist idea that artists "don't or didn't want smoke" with Eminem. Artists just don't go after one another unprovoked because that's generally not how rap beefs start. In order for a rapper to diss another rapper (especially elite ones), there would need to be some sort of pre-existing animosity in the air. There have been a few instances where Eminem has gone head-to-head with a skilled opponent, namely Cage, Canibus, and arguably Everlast. With Cage, it was accusations of "style biting." With Everlast, it was over a perceived disrespectful interaction with Eminem. With Canibus, there were rumors that Eminem ghostwrote LL Cool J's The Ripper Strikes Back.
Eminem, however, never bothered to respond to the diss songs written by Evidence, Esham, K-Rino, Pacewon, or the Game.
I think what's more interesting is that, outside of written diss records, if you look at Eminem's freestyle battle rap record, he's lost to rappers with sharp penmanship, notably Rhymefest, MC Juice, Otherwize, and Doseone (it's important to point out that Eminem had been rapping for almost a decade before participating in Scribble Jam and the Rap Olympics, so he wasn't some fresh-faced beginner in the rap battle circuit).
​

Hi gamers! I've been looking at some games on sale in the Nintendo store for the Switch, but I'm kind of on the fence about them and wanted to see if if people had opinions on them. Also open to recommendations apart from these 3 games but these are 3 that stuck out to me!
The 3 games on sale are Cris Tales , FUGA Melodies of Cold Steel , and FUGA Melodies of Cold Steel 2.
Some information about me and games I've enjoyed (both old and more recent):
I'm 34y/o male and been playing JRPGs since I could read (no literally, I basically learned to read watching my older brother play final fantasy 2 (IV) on the SNES). My all time favorite JRPGs are Chrono Cross, Chrono Trigger, and Final Fantasy VI.
More recent games I've played and enjoyed (well ok, more recent like the past decade as an adult lol):

• Triangle Strategy
• Unicorn Overlord
• Octopath Traveler 2
• Harvestella
• Omori
• Xenoblade Chronicles 1 & 3
• Live A Live
• Fire Emblem 3 Houses
• Super Mario RPG
• Baten Kaitos
• Tales of Berseria

More recent games I played and either didn't finish, or didn't enjoy as much as the other list:

• Sea of Stars
• The Diofield Chronicles
• Tactics Ogre Reborn
• Octopath Traveler 1
• Chained Echoes
• Xenoblade Chronicles 2
• I Am Setsuna
• Final Fantasies 12 - 15
• Tales of Arise

Other random information about likes and dislikes:
I like all kinds of RPGs--CRPG, SRPG, JRPG, etc. Put about 500+ hours into Divinity Original Sin 2 and Baldur's Gate 3, for example...
The only games I see recommended a lot that I never could bring myself to try are the Persona games; the art style and high school setting are turn offs. FUGA games look intriguing but I am nervous about children main characters; child characters usually don't appeal to me but there are exceptions if there is a strong mature story (I liked Omori for example). I also prefer games with good music / story more so than gameplay, with Unicorn Overlord being the only recent example I can think of where I didn't care much for the story but still absolutely loved the game because the gameplay loop was so damn fun.
Thanks in advance for any recommendations on games or opinions about the 3 games I listed that are on sale currently! This community has helped me expand my circle of games I've tried and I've found some I've really enjoyed that I would have certainly missed otherwise! So I trust a lot of you in your good tastes of games (or at least knowledge of what maybe someone will like or dislike based on past gaming experiences).

I (16m) have one brother (13m) and one sister (11f). It all started a couple weeks ago when we were hanging out with some family friends and we decided to watch fences. Now I’ve watched fences before- and I absolutely love the film. HOWEVER- When you come from a family like mines it’s not really the type of movie you wanna watch around your parents. throughout the entire film it was pretty clear everyone in the room had vastly different opinions surrounding the topics discussed and things shown in the movie. My dad seemed to like the Troy character very much, and would say stuff like “damn right” when he’d be abusive of the Cory character (verbally, not physically). So on and so forth, you get the picture. So he basically completely missed the point of the entire film. I didn’t care that much until he talked with us after the film and told us he’d be “changing his parenting style” and said that we are gonna have more responsibilities around the house and won’t be as babied as we apparently were. Basically what I’ve been seeing is really just him trying to be as mean and as cold as possible without it actually coming off as mean and cold. He’ll make us do things he could’ve easily done himself (such as carry something like a singular pizza box, get him a drink from the fridge) or he’ll sometimes ask for reasonable stuff but in the most mean condescending way possible, such as in a aggressive tone, or he’ll ask normally and then say something afterwards or before it like “You’re 16 years old” as if he’s implying that means I have to be his house servant now. he also accused me of having an attitude when we were doing grocery shopping because I wasn’t bright and smiling. I have a serious face, I can’t help that, blame your sperm for shaping me. Having my whole life and routine changed because of some Denzel Washington movie is making me go insane, and now I completely dread seeing or even hearing about the masterpiece I once loved. Please help me get through this.

The ending of TWOC gives us much clearer hints at where the story will go next than the end of LAOK did. I’d go as far as to say the hints at future conflicts are more like outright promises, especially Rikke’s visions.
The easiest storyline to predict is the one that’s basically summarized through Rikke’s vision in the last chapter. I’ll give my interpretation of the imagery we’re given, but there’s really not that much up for debate:
The bald weaver’s loom is in ruins, but he’s patiently stitching things back together. This is Bayaz, rebuilding after the damage Rikke and Glokta caused to his schemes.
At Bayaz’s side is a black-haired boy and a blond-haired girl. The girl is Hindi, and the boy is Calder’s secret son who we were officially introduced to at the end of TWOC. I will be referring to him as Skarling Jr. In the future, they’ll work as a Two-Man Con to destroy the North and Rikke along with it.
Hildi grows up and the top hat she wears belches smoke. When she blows a kiss, coins fall and turn to chains. When she offers her hand, its fingers become iron rails. These rails stretch forth across the sea to imprison the North. From this vision, we can interpret that Hildi will become an even more powerful and merciless version of what Savine was before the Great Change. I believe she will take her revenge on Rikke for selling out Orso, and she will do this by gentrifying, polluting, and strangling the North to death through industry, novelties, and countless debts. Everything unique and beautiful about the land will be melted away, leaving it a dejected shell of itself.
Skarling Jr sits atop a flaming hill of bones with the Maker’s sword. In the future, he has become the conqueror Stour failed to be, and it can also be implied that he killed Caul Shivers. When he speaks, blood flows out of his mouth which crashes upon the shores of the North and drowns the country. He will cause almost or just as much damage to Rikke’s home that Hildi will through her more insidious attacks on it.
The Crinna will be polluted by Hildi. Rikke’s home, Uffrith, will be once again burned, this time by Skarling Jr. Hildi is softening the country so Skarling Jr can more easily take it, but it’s also the other way around. Skarling Jr is playing the part of the relentless monster biting at Rikke’s heels, which will pressure her to take Hildi’s offers to advance the North’s tech out of desperation. Shivers’ death could serve as the push that leads her to make this choice.
I think Skarling Jr will operate from the shadows for a long time, striking small but impossible not to notice slights against Rikke’s authority. The presence of a faceless enemy will drive Rikke into paranoia, and this will allow little miss oil baron Hildi to step in and sell her snake oil.
Rikke is now aware of them, though. She might not know their names, but she does know vaguely who they are and what they’re going to do. Whether or not Rikke will prepare I don’t know.
Given his role in the story now, I think Jonas Clover will act as the head caretaker of the Northern Library whenever Bayaz is away. He will also act as a father figure to both Skarling Jr and Hildi, planting doubts in their head as to whether or not Bayaz is a man they want to take orders from.
Compared to the previous visions that were much more overt in their symbolism, the last vision of the weaver (Bayaz) is harder to pin down. One of his eyes holds a stone on fire. On the stone is a circle of runes, and in the center of those runes is a black door. From the black door, a white figure emerges from an ocean. Could this burning stone be The Seed? The black door could be the gate to the Other Side, which, when opened, will bring back Euz. I don’t know who else the white figure could be, let alone how events will lead Bayaz to this.
Other predictions are harder to make, but I’ll take a shot in the dark.
Savine and Leo’s bickering will evolve into outright hostility toward each other. The Union now essentially has two gov’t bodies, each trying to pull the country in opposing directions. The Closed Council is split between the two. Half of it stands with Savine, the other half with Leo. By the start of the next trilogy, I think the Union will be inching toward civil war. The only reason the two bother with each other now is, as Savine said, for the sake of their children.
By the next trilogy, I think Savine’s children will be somewhere in their mid-teens. How they end up by that time is anyone’s guess, but we can make assumptions based on how they’re loosely characterized in TWOC. Ardee is described by Savine as fierce and overbearing, whereas Harod is meek and submissive. Leo, being the petty jealous bitch he is, resents his infant son. We can already tell that Harod is going to have a strained and difficult relationship with his father. I think over the years, Harod will attempt to mold himself into a mini Leo to gain his father’s approval. This will only remind Leo of what he lost all those years ago, however, so he will grow even more hostile and distant toward his son. Savine will dote on him, but he will show veiled resentment toward her because he believes that’s what Leo would expect of him. Ardee will grow up to be something of a paradox between old Savine and new Savine. Leo doesn’t even try to hide his favoritism toward her, but she doesn’t reciprocate that affection. Leo believes Savine has poisoned Ardee against him, which only increases Leo’s hatred for his wife. Ardee instead tries to impress her mother, but because of her personality Savine can only see her as a bad reminder of her past. Savine becomes just as distant toward her daughter as her own mother was toward her. If a civil war does break out later in the trilogy, I think Harod will eventually side with his mother whereas Savine will shift her affection toward her father.
Gunnar Broad will become a general in the Angland’s army. If - or when - war breaks out in Styria, he will be sent back to the frontlines. Thankfully for him, not as a bridgeman this time. In the event of a civil war, he will side with Leo instead of Savine.
I don’t believe we’re ever going to see Vick again. At least not in any substantial way. Maybe she’ll momentarily return as in Friendly-style cameo, but other than that I like the way her story ended in TWOC.
After she revealed herself as an Eater, Zuri will no longer work as Savine’s companion. May Broad has assumed this role in her place. This doesn’t mean Savine has entirely cut off Zuri, though. She’s still in Savine’s circle, but she now works as an emissary and informant. And occasional assassin, when the need arises. Considering her dreams for peace and progress between the Union and Gurkhul, I believe she will be sent South as an emissary to make friends with a terrifying new Gurkish emperor.
May Broad will be sent North to tend to Savine’s business ventures there, where she will unknowingly aid in Hildi’s plan to corrupt the country. When she does realize Hildi’s intentions, she will serve as one of the few obstacles between the woman and utter annihilation of the North. I don’t believe May will succeed in this.
Jurand and Leo are now open lovers, meaning Leo and Savine are spouses in name only. Lord Marshall Glaward has been sent to Styria to maintain a foothold in the country should things get ugly.
Caul Shivers has hung up his sword, and now controls Ollensand (or Carleon) in Rikke’s name. In his place as an advisor is The Nail, alongside Isern. The two of them clash far more than Isern and Shivers did.
After having been made an informant, Corleth proved her worth and was made master of an organization that functions similarly to Styria’s spies.
The two characters I’m most interested in at this point besides Hildi and Skarling Jr are Carlot and Cathil. How are they going to respond to their brother’s death? Where is that grief going to take them? Leo will of course want to tie up loose ends, placing both sisters near the top of his hit list. If either Carlot or Cathil took after their mother in any way, I doubt they’ll take such a huge blow to their family sitting down.
We know a little about Carlot dan Luthar from her appearance in TTWP. She’s similar to her brother in personality, and seems to have a more strained relationship with her mother. We know absolutely nothing about Cathil other than that she’s married to Lord Governor Skald of Starikland. If I had to guess, I think Carlot will react in a more visceral way to Oreo’s death than Cathil will. She will crave vengeance, as will her mother, but her mother will prioritize her relationship with Shalere more. This woman has been uprooted from her home twice now. She lost it once when Monza killed her father, and again when the Peoples’ Army took Adua. Should she go to war with Leo, she will risk losing her home again. This inaction on Terez’ part will drive a wedge between her and her daughter, which will only sink Carlot deeper into her whirlwind of emotions. To spite her mother, Carlot will turn to a person in Styria who knows all about revenge. Monza Murcatto. I think Monza will groom Carlot to take her place as Styria’s brutal protector. Although Carlot can’t strike a blow against Leo directly, she can emotionally wound him via targeting Lord Marshall Glaward. If we get a standalone, I think it will revolve around an assassination plot against Glaward and other members of the Closed Council (Isher, maybe). If the plot succeeds, Carlot will incite a fourth war between the Union and Styria. That, or she will cause a civil war between Leo and Savine because they can’t agree on whether to go to war.
How Cathil dan Luthar’s story will unravel is anyone’s guess, but I have a feeling the Old Empire is going to take Starikland. The last time they were prevalent in the story was BTAH, and it would be great to see them make a big return.

My husband, my teenage son and I moved to my husband‘s hometown fairly recently. Prior to this we would visit once a year for 10 days by the end of our trip I was exhausted from the dynamic in my in-laws household. Now that we live here and has gotten even worse. Our electricity went out for an entire week during the spring, and my husband was off on a trip. My teenage son and I had to stay at my in law house. She treated me like I was five years old, telling me what I needed to do, exactly how I needed to go about doing it, and what I wasn’t doing right. she is a clean freak and everything has to be done just right. every dish put away on the spot, every towel folded just right ect… you get the picture. she even told me that if I lost weight, I would get rid of most of my health problems. I had just had back surgery and I total knee replacement six months prior and waiting on another new replacement. I may have been 30 to 40 pounds overweight at the time. It’s hard to lose weight when you’re in so much pain! I also was diagnosed with an immune disorder about three years ago . When we first moved, they wanted us to meet them out for dinner 3 to 4 times a week at eighty to $100 each time. I told my husband that we had to put the brakes on going out to dinner so much unfortunately that was the only thing that brought us together. They hardly ever come over to our place and when they do they want to leave within half an hour unless it’s for a holiday dinner. They don’t have us to their house very much unless it’s to watch hockey, which I don’t like. My husband and son usually go. She waited till we were alone in the kitchen a few months ago and scolded me for not working full-time while I was raising my son. I couldn’t take it any longer, and I firmly told her that I wanted to be there for my son when he was growing up. He wouldn’t be the kid he is if I wasn’t there for him. I got married late in life and have my son when I was 40. after college I worked a corporate career all the way up until I had my son. Almost 2O years! I Had a 401(k) saved up. 2008 my husband poorly managed our finances and we lost our house and our cars and our credit and all of MY money and then had his parents help us out. It was a horrible time. My husband became very verbally abusive with me and started acting and treating me just like his mom. When his mom started in on me, I realized that my husband learned all of his mean tactics from her!!!!! the lightbulb went off, the mean and cruel and constant judging I endured from my husband throughout our marriage, was exactly how his mother was to him. This made me resent her that much more. She told me that SHE herself worked, why couldn’t I? she didn’t go to college, she didn’t work while the kids were small. after the kids were grown she worked as a receptionist at an old folks home for a couple of years. she’s never had to earn her own money and they live in a beautiful home because of my father-in-law and she spends money like it’s going out of style. when I’m around her, I feel like I’m being judged sometime. She’ll even look me up and down, and I can feel her judging eyes thinking I look fat or my outfit is not what she would wear. She’s very quick to tell me what I need to do. I’ve lost a lot of weight since my surgeries and got a real estate license. We are selling our home and I am doing the majority of the work. She told me a couple of days ago that it’s very important that the house is spotless, clean and that make sure the beds are made and the dishes and the sink are put away. Really really!!!

Just got back from two weeks in Costa Rica. Very hot and humid; quick-dry clothing is a must. Basically all I wore were Mountain Hardware Dynama shorts and REI/Patagonia tees. But I just cannot wear synthetic "quick dry" panties under synthetic "quick dry" shorts. Cotton has to be in there somewhere. But my usual Jockey cotton briefs would take days to dry in that climate. Out of desperation, I ordered a pack of Amazon Essentials cotton high-leg briefs. (Amazon Essentials Women's Cotton High Leg Brief Underwear -- https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08R9DC9CF). Tried them at home; extremely light weight, dried almost as fast as the quick-dry stuff. I'm under no illusion that these will last as long as my Jockeys (some of which are so old that it's almost embarrassing), but they did the job for this trip. 7 is my normal size in Jockey briefs; I bought the large size here. (An extremely wide range of sizes is available, and there are other styles as well.)

I purchased a $20 Pleasant Company Bitty Baby with silver eye, I felt so bad for her that I had to take her home! I know that Mattel offers replacement for free on silver eye because it's considered a manufacturer's defect. However I wasn't sure if it was still possible to request the old style of eyes with the soft eyelashes for a blue-eyed Bitty Baby.