Job Position	Salary	Locations
	Technical Project Manager	USD 126k - 158k
Developer Relations Engineer	USD 116k - 145k	New York, NY, Remote, US
Analytics Engineer	USD 128k - 160k	New York, NY, Remote, US
Solutions Architect	USD 139k - 247k	Remote, New York, NY
Senior Software Engineer Full	USD 145k - 235k	San Francisco, CA, Seattle, WA, New York, NY, Remote, Portland, OR
Senior Manager, Threat and Vulnerability Management	USD 205k - 265k	New York, NY, Remote, US
Lead Threat Intelligence Analyst	USD 145k - 192k	Remote, US, New York, NY
Senior Technical Writer	USD 132k - 170k	US, New York, NY, Remote
VP, Treasury Services	USD 252k - 332k	New York, NY, Remote, US
Senior Director, Americas Tax	USD 220k - 275k	New York, NY, Remote, US, Americas
Senior Analyst, Corporate Treasury	USD 102k - 137k	US, New York, NY, Remote
Director, Tax Operations	USD 190k - 242k	New York, NY, Remote, US
Director, Sanctions Compliance	USD 190k - 242k	Remote, US, New York, NY
Compliance Data	USD 145k - 192k	New York, NY, Remote, US
Director of Data	USD 295k - 382k	Portland, OR, San Francisco, CA, New York, NY, Remote, Canada, US
Senior Risk Strategist	USD 173k - 204k	US, Portland, OR, San Francisco, CA, New York, NY, Remote, Canada
Senior Risk Investigator	USD 101k - 132k	US, Portland, OR, San Francisco, CA, New York, NY, Remote, Canada
Head of Product Marketing	USD 234k - 306k	US, Portland, OR, San Francisco, CA, New York, NY, Remote, Canada
Performance Marketing Specialist	USD 102k - 134k	Portland, OR, San Francisco, CA, New York, NY, Remote, Canada, US
Principal Systems Architect	USD 144k - 300k	New York, NY, US, Columbus, OH, Charlotte, NC, San Francisco, CA
Lead Software Engineer	USD 133k - 237k	New York, NY, US
Senior QA Automation Engineer	USD 164k - 229k	New York, NY
Executive Assistant	USD 67k - 103k	New York, NY, US, Remote
Quality Engineering Compliance Manager	USD 90k - 150k	New York, NY, Remote Hybrid
Senior Staff Product Designer	USD 152k - 251k	Atlanta, GA, Seattle, WA, Remote, Toronto, Ontario, Los Angeles, CA, Miami, FL, US, Ontario, CA, San Francisco, CA, New York, NY, Austin, TX, Chicago, IL
Senior Data Analyst	USD 115k - 164k	Los Angeles, CA, Seattle, WA, Denver, CO, San Francisco, CA, New York, NY, Atlanta, GA, Chicago, IL
Payroll Services Engineer	USD 193k - 272k	US, Remote, San Francisco, CA, Remote Hybrid, Denver, CO, New York, NY
Staff Systems Engineer	USD 163k - 226k	New York, NY
Senior Software Engineer	USD 167k - 209k	New York, NY
Director, Tech Sustainability	USD 157k - 290k	San Francisco, CA, New York, NY, Seattle, WA, Washington, D.C., Remote, US
Senior Site Reliability Engineer	USD 128k - 231k	New York, NY, US
Senior Data Scientist	USD 138k - 167k	San Francisco, CA, New York, NY, US, McLean, VA, Cambridge, MA
Senior Associate	USD 114k - 130k	New York, NY, US, McLean, VA, Richmond, VA
Senior Back End Engineer	USD 165k - 188k	US, McLean, VA, Richmond, VA, New York, NY
Software Engineering Manager	USD 201k - 229k	New York, NY, US, McLean, VA, Richmond, VA
Lead Software Engineer	USD 201k - 229k	New York, NY, US, McLean, VA, Richmond, VA
Distinguished Engineer	USD 274k - 313k	McLean, VA, Chicago, IL, New York, NY, US, Richmond, VA
Senior Manager, Machine Learning Engineering	USD 234k - 267k	New York, NY, US, McLean, VA, Richmond, VA
Sr. Manager, Product Management, Associate Intelligence	USD 199k - 227k	New York, NY, US, McLean, VA, Richmond, VA
Senior Manager, Software Engineering, Full Stack	USD 234k - 267k	McLean, VA, New York, NY, US
Senior Software Engineer	USD 165k - 188k	New York, NY, US, McLean, VA, Plano, TX
Senior Engagement Manager	USD 87k - 159k	US, New York, NY, Boston, MA, Remote
Senior Site Reliability Engineer	USD 150k - 200k	New York, NY, US
VP, Specialized Analytics Lead Analyst Hybrid	USD 157k - 235k	New York, NY, US
Controller Systems	USD 250k - 500k	Tampa, FL, US, New York, NY
Senior Software Engineer Full	USD 200k - 275k	New York, NY, Los Angeles, CA, Remote Hybrid
Lead Staff Software Engineer Full	USD 240k - 350k	New York, NY, Los Angeles, CA, Remote Hybrid
Sr. Staff Machine Learning Engineer	USD 206k - 360k	San Francisco, CA, US, Palo Alto, CA, New York, NY
Associate	USD 200k - 200k	New York, NY, US, Remote
Principal Data Engineer	USD 110k - 225k	Alpharetta, GA, Minneapolis, MN, US, New York, NY, Seattle, WA, Boston, MA, Remote
Associate, Risk/Policy Management	USD 105k - 105k	New York, NY, US, Remote
Software Engineer	USD 70k - 150k	New York, NY, US, Remote
AlphaWise Quant Researcher	USD 185k - 225k	New York, NY, US, Remote
Senior Software Engineer	USD 110k - 225k	Seattle, WA, Remote, New York, NY, US
Senior Analyst, Resy Experiential	USD 55k - 105k	New York, NY, US, Remote
Manager - Compliance	USD 90k - 165k	Phoenix, AZ, US, New York, NY, Remote
Senior Engineer	USD 110k - 190k	New York, NY, US, Remote
Senior Product Marketing Manager	USD 174k - 229k	New York, NY, Remote
Security Engineer II	USD 120k - 120k	New York, NY, Remote
Account Manager, Gaming Advertising Solutions - East	USD 160k - 239k	New York, NY, Remote, US
Account Executive	USD 166k - 280k	New York, NY, Remote, US
Sr. Director, US Comirnaty Adult Strategy Lead	USD 191k - 318k	US, New York, NY
Sr Associate Solution Engineering	USD 67k - 124k	US, New York, NY, Tampa, FL
Director, Product Management Payments	USD 195k - 275k	New York, NY, Remote, US
Head of Member Growth Marketing	USD 160k - 250k	New York, NY, Remote
Creative Operations Manager	USD 115k - 135k	US, New York, NY, Remote
Global Stock Plan Manager	USD 140k - 185k	Remote, New York, NY, US
Executive Business Partner	USD 102k - 137k	New York, NY, Remote, US
Senior Program Manager	USD 122k - 162k	Remote, US, New York, NY
Principal Visual Designer	USD 157k - 240k	New York, NY, Remote, US
Principal Product Marketing Manager	USD 175k - 225k	Remote, US, New York, NY
Principal Product Marketing Manager	USD 175k - 225k	New York, NY, Remote, US
Lead, Monetization	USD 145k - 192k	US, New York, NY, Remote
Lead Content Designer	USD 122k - 192k	New York, NY, Remote, US
Director, Product Marketing	USD 197k - 255k	New York, NY, Remote, US
Senior Partner Marketing Manager	USD 162k - 212k	New York, NY, Remote, US
Senior Manager, Partner Marketing Americas, LATAM	USD 160k - 207k	Americas, LATAM, New York, NY, Remote, US
Senior Director Content Strategist	USD 220k - 275k	New York, NY, Remote, US
Senior Campaigns Manager International Marketing	USD 160k - 207k	New York, NY, Remote, US
Lead UX Designer	USD 130k - 170k	New York, NY, Remote, US
Senior Counsel, Product	USD 180k - 237k	New York, NY, Remote, US
Senior Analyst, Technology Internal Audit	USD 102k - 137k	New York, NY, Remote, US
Senior Investor Relations Manager	USD 175k - 225k	New York, NY, Remote, US
Senior Accountant	USD 102k - 137k	Remote, US, New York, NY
Corporate Development and Ventures Senior Director	USD 195k - 252k	New York, NY, Remote, US

Delta positions itself as a premium airline, but its fortress hub is not a premium airport, despite being the "world's busiest."
Staff are rude and disgruntled. TSA agents yell and scream. CBP agents are inefficient. Airport employees are disinterested in customer service -- I had a woman at arrivals just sigh, roll her eyes, and gesture when I politely asked where the ride-hailing pick-ups were located.
The airport is filthy. After a recent flight, I stepped in mystery goo that took days to remove from the bottom of my shoes. Many gate areas are covered in litter and trash. Bathrooms aren't clean.
The HVAC doesn't work well. If you walk down the "renovated" underground passageways, some are very hot and some are freezing cold, as if the HVAC was poorly engineered.
There is no (rail) public transport to the international terminal and the bus shuttle is awful. It is infrequent, crowded, and the drivers even have the gall to solicit tips by stacking bags in front of the doors as you exist. In summer, you have to wait outside for 20+ minutes in oppressive heat and humidity.
At night and in the morning, there is a significant unhoused population that occupies the airport. Homelessness is a national crisis, but the airport is not a humane place for Atlanta to offload those struggling without shelter.
Concessions are overpriced and low quality with the possible exception of Chick-fil-a.
I don't understand why Delta doesn't get aggressive with Atlanta -- who owns and manages the airport -- about the conditions there. The airport is substandard -- and not just compared to European and East Asian airports, but compared to Latin American airports.
Why doesn't Delta demand a better experience for its passengers at its fortress hub?

Remember the thrill of unwrapping a brand new PS1 game and flipping through the manual? Those manuals weren't just there to explain the controls; they were portals to another world, filled with backstory, character art and detailed lore that made the game universe come alive!"
Imagine having high-quality scans for EVERY PS1 game manual! K1rkl4nd, a true hero of the retro gaming community, is almost there, having tackled the manuals for SNES, PS2 and venturing into ATARI 7800, GameBoy, GameBoy Color, GameBoy Advance and Xbox 360! But the final stretch is tough. Only 125 PS1 manuals remain, and many are becoming super expensive.
We need your help to cross the finish line and preserve this important piece of gaming history!
Here's what you can do:

• Check Your PS1 Collection! Do you have any manuals for games that belong to these categories: missing (yellow), poor (blue), no cover (orange)
• Send Your Manuals for Scanning! You'll get your manuals back after they're scanned
• Donate Manuals!
• Upvote & Share! Let's Get This Post Seen!

Let's Finish This Together!
Anyone can personally follow the progress here: Playstation 1 Progress Report
Current status: (as of 6/1/2024)

Manual Count	Status
732	in-hand manuals
129	loaned/leased for scanning - hi-res
86	from online sources - good
88	in-hand manuals - no cover
122	from online sources - poor
125	missing

How to Scan:

• Recommended: Pop the staples and scan at 600DPI. Higher DPI is welcome!
• Scanner only supports 400DPI? Scan it anyway if you have manuals from missing, poor quality, or no cover categories.

Do you have anything to share?

Contact K1rkl4nd via PM or email: jgrimm (at) atensionspan (dot) com

Links to K1rkl4nd's domain:
http://www.videogamemanual.com/
Initial plea for assistance from K1rkl4nd: https://www.reddit.com/psx/comments/y7cwed/playstation_manuals/
Note: Scanning manuals is a time-consuming task, and editing them post-scan is necessary. Even after gathering all the manuals, processing and publishing them will take some time. The plan is to release all the scans simultaneously for a complete and organized archive. The primary goal of the collection is to gather manuals for NTSC games, with a secondary goal of collecting manuals for games not released in the NTSC region.
K1rkl4nd's collection stands as a testament to dedication and passion, encompassing all well-known manuals that are freely available online. This monumental effort has spanned 25 years, highlighting his unwavering commitment to preserving gaming history. While numerous collectors have emerged over the years with intentions to scan and publish their collections, all of these initiatives have unfortunately faded away.
In rare cases, K1rkl4nd might potentially accept financial donations for the purpose of acquiring the missing manuals. Personally, I consider it important to mention this information; however, K1rkl4nd has never publicly solicited financial donations, nor will he organize a public fundraising campaign for this purpose. The goal of this post is to bring attention to this project and reach out to collectors who own these games and are willing to share their manuals.

Missing manuals:

• Adidas Power Soccer ’98
• Adventures of Lomax, The
• Alone in The Dark: One-Eyed Jack’s Revenge
• Armored Core: Master of Arena
• Armored Core: Project Phantasma
• Assault Rigs
• Baldies
• Barbie: Explorer
• Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker
• Batman Forever: The Arcade Game
• Battle Arena Toshinden 3
• Bear in the Big Blue House: Ojo’s Birthday
• Blockids
• Board Game: Top Shop
• Bottom of the 9th ’97
• Broken Sword II: The Smoking Mirror
• Brunswick Circuit Pro Bowling 2
• Bug Riders: The Race of Kings
• Bust-a-Groove 2
• C: The Contra Adventure
• Capcom vs. SNK Pro
• Carnage Heart
• City of Lost Children, The
• Crow: City of Angels, The
• Crusader: No Remorse
• Cybersled
• Cyberspeed
• D
• Dance Dance Revolution: Disney Mix
• Danger Girl
• Darklight Conflict
• Discworld II: Morality Bites
• Discworld, Terry Prachett’s
• Disney’s 102 Dalmatians: Puppies to the Rescue
• Disney’s Peter Pan in Return to Neverland
• Disney’s The Lion King: Simba’s Mighty Adv.
• Disney’s Winnie the Pooh Preschool
• Divide, The: Enemies Within
• Dragon Ball GT: Final Bout
• Dragon Valor
• Easter Bunny’s Big Day
• Eggs of Steel
• Elemental Gearbolt
• Expendable
• Extreme Go-Cart Racing
• F1 World Grand Prix 2000
• FIFA Soccer 2002
• FIFA Soccer 2003
• Fisher Price Rescue Heroes: Molten Menace
• Fox Hunt
• G Police: Weapons of Justice
• Gekioh Shooting King
• Glover
• Goal Storm
• Grand Theft Auto: The Director’s Cut
• Gundam Battle Assault
• Herc’s Adventure
• In the Hunt
• International Track & Field 2000
• Iron Man / X-O Manowar in Heavy Metal
• Johnny Bazookatone
• Jumping Flash!
• King of Fighters ’95, The
• King of Fighters ’99, The: Millennium Battle
• Lego Island 2: The Brickster’s Revenge
• Lego Racers
• Lethal Enforcers 1 & 2
• Lode Runner
• Marvel Super Heroes
• Master of Monsters: Disciples of Gaia
• Muppet Monster Adventure
• Muppet Race Mania
• Namco Museum Vol. 4 – C
• NASCAR Thunder 2004
• NHL Open Ice: 2 on 2 Challenge
• Novastorm
• Pajama Sam: You Are What You Eat
• Philosoma
• Pink Panther: Pinkadelic Pursuit
• Play with the Teletubbies
• PO’ed
• Point Blank 3
• Power Move Pro Wrestling
• Power Slave
• Powerpuff Girls: Chemical X-Traction
• Primal Rage
• Project: Horned Owl
• Psychic Detective
• Psychic Force
• Rascal Racers
• Rise 2: Resurrection
• R-Types
• Rugrats: Totally Angelica
• Rush Hour
• Shadow Tower
• Silverload
• Skullmonkeys
• Smurfs, The
• Sol Divide
• Soul of the Samurai
• Space Griffon VF-9
• Space Hulk: Vengeance…
• Star Gladiator
• Starblade Alpha
• Street Fighter Alpha 2
• Street Fighter Collection 2
• Street Fighter: The Movie
• Tail Concerto
• Tail of the Sun
• Team Buddies
• Team Losi: RC Racer
• Tennis Arena
• Tiger Woods PGA Tour Golf 2001
• Tobal No. 1
• Tomba! 2: The Evil Swine Return
• Transformers: Beast Wars – TransMetals
• Trap Gunner
• Ultimate Brain Games
• Viva Soccer
• Vs.
• War Gods
• Warhammer: Shadow of the Horned Rat
• Wu-Tang: Shaolin Style
• XS Junior League Football
• Zero Divide

Manuals from online sources - poor quality + no cover

• spreadsheet

A homeless teenager reaches out to the Shil’vati on first day of the invasion of Earth.
Credit to: who has beta read just about every chapter, and the only reason it's readable half the time
u/bluefishcake for writing the original SSB story.
Pizzaulostin who has been beta reading since the beginning.
Credit to u/HollowShel for getting me started with this!
This story is based in the SSB universe.
Previous
First
Chapter 33:

Reqellia:

It was the darkest part of the night, and yet I could hear the energetic commotion of Ruhal blearily heating up food for a famished human along with the clinks of dishes and silverware.
“One more day.” I felt glued to the bench as I stared back into the silver mask I hadn’t worn for almost [twenty-five years] prior, and had hoped never to put on again. I cursed my old girlish wishes when I first joined up, wanting to be a war hero, and then a mother afterwards. To grow old and see my own child in uniform. I had even wanted a son since I was already demanding the impossible.
I never believed in the gods, but now I’m sure that I’ve tempted Niosa to grant my wishes, but only after I made my peace with them that they would never come true.
Klein bounced around the suite’s kitchen, eating enough for two Shil women and already wearing his armor’s underlayment. The chair creaked a bit as he sat, his own horror-show mask on the dining table next to him staring back at him unblinking.
And It was a horror show.
He’d wake up cheerful and happy, and I’d watch over the day as every bit of his energy was drained out of him. The daily exercise routine of a morning run and gym day in a month being performed in a few short hours. Every time Klein finished a trail faster, or performed a more grueling task, the trainers would make him do even more as his contract offers rose another level.
I didn’t blame the instructors, it was their job to challenge each applicant, but Klein blew through all their expectations, so they just kept piling more onto him. Many of those same instructors had asked me if they were pushing him too far, but all I could do was shrug. Even I didn't even know where his potential ended.
I blinked and looked up. He was in his full armor now, with only the mask off.
“Ready to go?”
I nodded and stood up, quickly heading over to Ruhal, who in turn looked at me with sleep deprived eyes. Worn out as I was, he was worse, playing subject matter expert on all things human around a bunch of high ranking officers desperate for information not tainted by censorship.
“Stay safe out there,” he politely ordered as he kissed me.
I kissed him back and held his hand. “You too.”
Sighing,I left to let him rest, popped my back, and donned my own mask.
As Klein paced the door, I begged for safety. “One more day, please let everything be okay after today.”
I shouldn’t have tempted Niosa again.

Itaro:

I quietly padded out of the children’s den to a chorus of snoring from my siblings. The well carpeted securely fastened to wooden floors muffled my footsteps. I opened the large storm shutters and then pulled open the sliding glass door to the patio. I couldn’t sleep anymore, excitedly bouncing from one foot to another.
Klein and Reqellia were coming home tonight! Reqellia had sent me her contract offers that came from a dozen different Imperial departments and bureaus. Dad already agreed years ago she could move in with us, a pack sister was always welcome. Now she wouldn’t feel like a burden if she had to.
And Klein… Well, I wouldn’t be bothered by a few love-marks.
“I see that smile. Excited?” I heard my father’s deep voice like distant thunder. I turned around to his massive form only a few steps away. We both had learned to walk silently when my siblings were just pups and the discovery that they were light sleepers had been made.
I felt my ears droop just a little to see his melancholic face. He had gone out of his way the last few weeks to spend more time with just me now that I had a pack of my own. There was always a soft smile on his face, but the way his tail hung low to the floor was a dead giveaway on his mood.
I tried to cheer him up. “I am. It’s been weeks since I got to speak to Au’tes, and Klein…” I trailed off, the insinuation clear. He smirked. He had met Klein in passing, but I wasn’t bringing him home yet. Hario on the other hand had made one or two bawdy jokes at the dinner table after a second glass of her favorite liquor.
First time Klein spends the night, you might want to check up on Itaro, make sure she didn’t keel over from exhaustion.
“At this rate I’m going to have to teach you sword fighting to beat back other male suitors from poaching you for their own packs!” My father joked. Stepping off the patio landing, he hit the ground noiselessly, bending his legs to absorb the shock.

After letting out a quiet grunt indicative of an age he tried to keep hidden, he turned around and looked back up at me. “Want to come with me for a walk?”
I jumped down and followed him into our little patch of forest my mother’s terraforming job paid for. The early morning was already warm without a cooling vest, but not intolerable. The chirping of birds and the soft whistle of wind tinged with just a hint of salt made everything feel fresh.
It was like when I came home from school and my father would stop construction for the day. We’d explore the forest, play on the beach, go into town for groceries.
Except now my father didn’t run and have me chase him. He carefully inspected the trees for pests, and our conversation was far more practical than whimsical. “Your mother’s coming home next month. Can you write her a message before she meets Klein, just so she has a better idea of your pack?”
I nodded. “Of course. How long is she going to be home this time?”.
Her terraforming jobs always lasted months, if not years. I never faulted her for the huntress life, but it made connecting with her difficult. She was more a guest of honor than a mother to the household, always bringing a fatted Sou’ta carcass home as a present, but rarely cleaned dishes, or the house.
Or really any chore…
He shrugged before crouching next to a felled tree, trimming away small branches for kindling with a tiny hatchet he hand pulled from his tool pouch. “Might be a good long while this time. The last message I got said her department only had small projects and a few hazard jobs on the periphery. Besides, we might need an extra set of hands more than the money now.”
I scoffed. “Her, a house mother!? No offense, but mom is a terrible cook, and a worse caretaker. Remember the time she nearly burned down our kitchen boiling water?”
He laughed with me as he pocketed the hatchet. Standing up with two sticks, and then threw me one. I caught it as he swung his own stick in my general area. “Defend yourself! I did say I needed to teach you sword fighting. How else are you going to fight off possessive men when they realize what a catch you are?”
He didn’t teach anything but how to rough house on a lazy Shel morning.
We played and swung the flimsy branches until I accidentally hit him square in the chest. The branch, already crumbly and dry, disintegrated on impact. It didn’t stop him from dramatically acting out a death scene. Falling to his knees in an overly theatrical fashion. “Oh, woe is me! Cut down by my own daughter in cold blood!”
I let him pretend to be on stage for a few moments longer before standing over him to offer a hand. He took it, and then yanked me down to the grassy patch, holding me for a long, quiet minute. “I’m going to miss you.”
For the first time I noticed the stray white hairs around his muzzle, I knew what he meant, but I tried to play it off. “I’m not going anywhere.”
He just held me for a silent heartbeat longer, then let go and stood up.
He proclaimed cheerfully to mask his wet eyes. “Now, let’s get you cleaned up. You can’t look like a pup out of a mud bath for your victorious pack! I even scheduled a visit at Tulo’s for a haircut. Ruhal’s treat.”
My mind played with potential futures as we headed home. Between the three of us, we could write our own life together. Maybe I could even stay close to home.
I looked up to the rising light.
“One more day!”

Klein :

The mountains of gear and equipment around us were illuminated by harsh flood lights. We stood in formation with each person, regardless of species, showing physical signs of exhaustion. Drooping shoulders and bent knees, unfocused and slow eye movement.
Instructor Li’kele was wearing full battle rattle today, complete with a compact lasrifle holstered to her leg.
“Good morning applicants! It’s the last day of selection! Your assignment will be to support your sisters in the combat section in the wargames! You see all this critical equipment? Our first assignment will be to load all of it on auto-turoxes and hover-wagons. Unfortunately we don’t have enough capacity , some of you will need to carry gear on your person as we make the [ten mile] trek into the forest. Applicants 849, 734, 236 and 953 step up after we finish loading! You are our extra carriers.”
I knew I was going to be picked. It was easy to not let it bother me though. Reqellia had explained that the instructors were just trying to push us to our limits, and every extra duty and handicap meant a better contract with a brighter future.
Still, after hefting thousands of [pounds/kilos] of stuff onto the squat legged drone’s cargo cages and the little platforms that would float once powered, dread formed in the pit of my stomach as an entire counter-battery system was cinched onto my person. I trudged as we formed up for our road march.
The combat selection team rolled in as we took positions, already covered in mud from what I could guess was their own morning fun, their las-rifles at the low ready. Their own instructor, a severe looking Hyena-like Kortika woman with fur that trimmed short and smooth. She yelled out orders to the gaggle of applicants under her command. “Form on either side of the supply train and defend them at all costs! If they get shot because you weren’t doing your job, then it’s your ass that will be carrying the extra gear!”
We marched out of the base, clinking and clunking as we traveled uphill. The weight wasn’t too bad now that it was evenly distributed on my body, but it would be hell taking it off and putting it back on anytime we stopped.
“Isn’t that the new shock trooper ? What’s he doing with the non-combat selection?” I heard one of the combat applicants say idly. It was easy to pick up conversation in the nearly silent dawn as we marched on a dirt path extending across an expanse of grassland in the reddening sky. It was really pretty, watching the light play on the green forested hills in the distance.
Their Instructor sidled up to the commenting girl silently, ears swiveled back in anger. She grabbed her shoulder, growling low. “Cut the chatter, girl. ”
Silence followed for the next hour in the pre-dawn light.
We got the first taste of the wargames when red beams bolted over our heads and dropped one of our auto-turoxes. “Everyone get down!” yelled one of our instructors, and I threw myself on the path.
With all the weight on me, the impact on the ground hurt . I looked up and saw red beams blink in and out over me. Their flashes brought back memories.
The red glow through convenience store windows . An alien invasion.
I blinked furiously and turned my head to see what was going on with the combat teams on the sides of the road. They had already taken out two of the ‘raiders’ who stood up, hands in the air as they walked away. Another minute clicked by before a squad decided to double check the tall grass and found a third raider hiding. All had the insignia of the instruction cadre commandos.
“Everyone, up !” Instructor Lik’ele belted out in a two-word shout, and I had to push up off the ground, creaking under the weight. My arms burned as I got to my knees, then raised a hand and called out, “assistance!” One of the unnumbered girls gave me a hand to steady myself, and I rocked a bit trying to stand.
“Thank you,” I said, but between the voice distorter and my mask, the girl backed away as soon as I was up, fear registered in her eyes.
[At the bus stop, a classmate backed away from me. scared of me for some reason mumbling ‘you're bleeding’. Warmth on my upper lip, a coppery taste.]

I shook my head, trying to banish the weird memory surfacing, I hadn’t had a nosebleed since I left Earth. I looked back up, but the girl had already gotten back in formation and we started moving again.
It wasn’t quite noon when we stopped for lunch. I got help removing my kit, and stretched to work out the kinks. Reqellia stood next to me as I sat down on the hard packed surface. I took off my gloves, and jammed them under my chest holster.
I was technically ‘armed’ right now. We had gotten the thirty-minute las-pistol training yesterday on how to safely handle them, and then ran through a quick range. They were nothing more than glorified laser pointers though. They could lock up a suit set to respond to the laser signal, but they wouldn’t so much as redden skin otherwise.
Reqellia had let me in on their real purpose, to see if we could be trusted with a dangerous object and not play with it.
Eating was a pain, I had to lift my mask halfway up and eat blind. The meal pack was cold, but eh, it was food. Goddess, I was hungry.
“How are you holding up?” Reqellia asked, the silver mask obscuring any expression, and the voice distorter deadening any intonation, but by the angle of the head tilt, I could guess the question was more concern than curiosity.
“It’s not too heavy, but it’s awkward trying to move around,” I admitted as I put my mask back in place and pulled out my omni-pad. I tried not to boggle at the contract offers I was getting. It was a straight up bidding war, including furnished houses, years of leave after an initial stint, even minor titles.
Ruhal had helped me, even filled out the forms himself with less than a day for submission. He had also messaged me about the fine print of many of these absurd offers. The watch word was ‘Relocation’.
“They will send you back to Earth. Right now, you are the only human any department can recruit who might know an obscure piece of human signage or culture that got skipped during their culture crash courses, has the physical ability to keep up during an operation, and they can implicitly trust it is loyal to the Imperium.”
I scrolled past the too-good-to-be true proposals and to the ones without relocation, not ridiculously overpaying, but still plenty. Maybe I would follow Ka’tel into ICAD, or…
“We need to get moving!” Li’kele barked and I signaled for help again. This time Au’tes was ordered to help me with my gear. Now seeing her up close, she was definitely worse for wear. She smiled, but it was the kind of tired smile that had almost no energy in it. Her usual well controlled movements were slurred by exhaustion, and she leaned on me after buckling the packs on my shoulders, her own extra gear was a large backpack of energy cells.
“Damn, girl runs away in fear from combat selection after spending years in the militia and now plays valet. Bet whatever is underneath that suit is more would eat her alive if unmuzzled,” I overheard one of the combat applicants snicker. Au’tes winced, just a bit, at the barb from her former youth militia group.
“Lift your visor.” I said. It was dumb, it was really dumb, but I wanted to give her at least a reminder of what she had that they didn’t. Au’tes had a flicker of confusion, but flipped up the visor on her suit’s helmet.
I lifted my mask just enough to kiss her. It was honestly a gross kiss and wished I could have brushed my teeth beforehand. But when I dropped my mask down there was the manic Au’tes again, full of energy and gusto. I looked past her to the shocked combat applicants. I put my finger to roughly where my mouth was and whispered in my distorted voice, “No one will believe you.”
Au’tes brought her visor down and squeezed my hand for a second longer before leaning in close “Thank you for letting me know you still exist under there.

Reqellia:

The dirt trail up the hill was easy enough for my legs. I stayed in the same general area as Klein, but with my augments I already had his pinpoint location and medical data, I could even access his helmet camera. I didn’t want to get in his way while the instructors gave him snap secondary tasks to complete on our journey up to the outpost location.
I kept myself entertained by listening in on the comms chatter that I could pick up on the wargames going on about us at large. I had enjoyed playing the no-holds-barred opposing force when I was a commando on rotation here.
Right now there was a particularly fun little drama going on up north of our location. A mechanized assault unit tasked with taking out an anti-orbital battery got one of their exos stuck in mud because of a poor assessment of the ground composition. The armored crane they had first ordered to pull it out was now also stuck.
The Lieutenant was trying to get an exception to the wargame rules to bring a drop ship in to pull them both out, but the higher-ups told her to figure it out. The whole point of these wargames was to discover how things could go wrong. The Lieutenant tried to pull title to overrule them, only to get a nasty conversation from her commander.
A small beep from my monitoring systems told me Klein’s heart rate had slowed and I looked up to see the front of the supply train had been ordered to halt. Up ahead was the “fort,” a clearing on top of the hill with nothing but some half buried holes.
The Kortika woman got to the front of the formation and gave her orders. “Listen up! Combat selection is going to set up a perimeter while the Auxiliary builds us a structure safe enough to hold during an assault. All weapons are going ‘live’, but for those in the non-combat teams I will again warn you to only use them in self-defense. If you wanted to shoot people for a living you should have signed up for it.”
I tried not to flinch as I watched Klein and his compatriots start to offload all the gear they had packed this morning and attempt their best effort at setting it up with basic instructions from Li’kele and the manuals that came with the equipment. Just another test to see how the applicants would handle the technical situation.
At this point they were at their limit, physically and mentally exhausted as they tried to bolt frames together, wrestle antennas, install expandable barriers, and put together the foundations of a forward operating base.
Klein had all but given up on the counter battery system he schlepped here and handed that responsibility off to a Senthe Boy while speaking a rough northern dialect of Satenthia. The boy was more than happy to talk to someone who knew even a few words of his native tongue.
I opened a small window on my HUD and watched with amusement as the early contract offers rose and fell. Klein’s offer from naval engineering, already paltry compared to other, more suitable jobs, dropped to barely above standard. Intelligence and Law branches, however, rocketed upwards again.
I could almost hear the recruiter’s comments as the numbers and terms changed. Does not have familiarity with Shil military equipment. Comfortable with speaking multiple languages. Works well with multiple species.
I watched them work. Klein, in usual Klein fashion, pushed himself. After getting the counter battery laser hooked up, he volunteered for other physically demanding tasks. Pile driving in the foundations that hold the columns of the structure. The rhythmic thump gave me ghost aches when I had done the same thing out in the periphery while getting pot shotted by roaches.
I shook my head. It was going to be another rough night for him by the way he was bunching up his shoulders as he braced the handheld pile driver. Thankfully, tomorrow he’d be home and with an appointment with Cee who might force him on bed rest for the next month.
I started to chuckle at the thought of how protective Itaro was going to get after taking one look at Klein. I came back from deployment once missing three fingers from a plasma grenade and Bahtet waited on me and foot, wouldn’t so much as let me handle a kitchen knife until they were replaced later that month.
A few stray red beams were thrown our way, even a flash bang or two from the commandos tasked with harassing us came and went. As the ramparts of the temporary base were finished, I took up station on the second level to oversee the whole complex. Klien was working with a combat team, helping them put a second defense line in. They had driven stakes into the ground to support parallel knee-high thermocast plates with an arms-length gap between them, which Klein was filling in with dirt to act as a wall and platform for the heavy, crew served lasgun.
I was thankful there would be a shuttle to pick us up soon. I played the opposing force for Selection a few times, and I still remembered the script. Right now we were in a lull that would last until dusk, then at least three full commando teams would assault the base. The battle would be made as realistic and demanding as possible with creeping dark to add to the complexity.
The Selection team would always be wiped out, but it was how they performed against overwhelming odds that would shift the contract offers that last bit before everything was locked in place.
I heard the whirr of a counter battery system swiveling around, and then the crackle of it firing. I turned to see what it was aiming for but all I saw was a cloud of smoke . Then a fast moving object came through the cloud before I heard the crackle again and another exploded .
Blanketing everything in a tar-black fog .
My stomach dropped. This wasn’t the cadre commando team, and they were attacking too soon. I got on the comms with Li’kele “HALT, HALT, HALT! We need to stop the exercise!”
I got a crackle on the comms. Then Li’kele’s voice came in that terrifyingly calm voice used to keep control of a combat operation. “I can’t get a signal out, I need a report on the situation.”
Instead of trying to explain I sent her my video feed as I jumped down from the ramparts and started to sprint for Klein. I needed to get him out of here , but I hadn’t had time to prime my augments. I started the cold power cycle as I cursed myself for letting my guard down.
I was already too late . I watched as our own counter-battery laser weapons were used against us, acting as the triggers for each smoke grenade engulfing Klein’s team right in front of me, their signal dropping right out. I got a response from Li’kele that alleviated at least some of my terror. “Dammit! It’s the 171 st Raiders from the wargames, they mus-”
And then I was enveloped in darkness and static. The smoke was so thick I could only see a few paces away in all spectrums. I tried my internal radio and….
Nothing. I was alone and with nothing to guide me, and then I saw to the right of me a few weak beams of red, and then a ball of light of a simulated explosion. I let my gnawing panic subside and walked their way with a observers flag in my hand. I was practically on top of them before I saw the combat selection team that had been ‘killed’, their frowning faces and hands up as they sat there grumbling.
The Raiders appeared soon after. A four woman squad. Two Helkam, a Rakiri, and a Shil’vati hefting a large antiquated grenade launcher. I called out “Do you have a way to call a emergency stop to the battle?”
The squad leader responded. “Did someone get seriously injured? I can fire off a flare and our medic teams will be here to extract them.”
“No! This is Selection, we aren’t supposed to be part of the Wargames.” I argued, but she waved me off.
“We got orders to assault the base up here. Trust me, our commander is mighty pissed at getting tasked with a frontal assault on the youngest and toughest the Imperium has to offer, with adding insult to injury if we lose to kids. That’s why we broke out the smoke screen.”
“One of the Selection members is the first of their species. Higher ups want them monitored at all times,” I partly lied.
The gears whirred and the team lead brought her weapon up again, eyes a little wider. “ Blue Eyes is here? Shit, girls ready up and head on a swivel!”
The team reformed in a circle facing outwards, a tactic specifically meant for ambushes and roach suicide drones. I stood there, confused. “Blue eyes?”
The team lead started to move into the smoke again, but explained, her eyes darting around. “Yeah, the freaky creature in the mask, toyed with an unmanned Exo before annihilating it with a shipcutter! A close quarters combat specialist with heavy armor and a real mean streak . You’re telling me they’re loose in a forest with enough concealment to sneak up on us and tear us to shreds? Ma’am the only ones in immediate danger are us. ”

You're doing great! Don't sweat the most recent or upcoming project, test, grade, etc.
Make sure you give your best shot, and never, ever succumb to cheating. The OSI Police are in full force during this critical period, and you know it, through the Reddit threads that you would occasionally find how onerous these threats could be.
​
You Are Not Alone & You'll Get Through This. Know that you are not alone.
We all go through ups and downs and have tests or projects that don't go as planned. Never fear as bright days are ahead of you. Utilize this thread if you're feeling down and or want someone to talk to. We are all in this together and we're here for you and one another.
​
There is a lot more to life than work and school. Health, family, & friends always come first.
School is not the most important thing in life. Remember, Bs (and intentionally sometimes even Cs) give you degrees.
​
Nobody cares about a perfect 4.0 GPA, besides yourself.
OMSCS has always been intended to be part-time so that you could explore things that you love and enjoy. There is no shame in quitting, and you should post a new thread and celebrate with us if you took 6 years to accomplish this feat in graduation.
​
Love, OMSCS Mod Team (posing themselves as bots, but hey, we update and wrote it up!)
​

Crisis Resources

• If you or someone you know is in an emergency, call 911 immediately.
• If you are in crisis or are experiencing difficult or suicidal thoughts,
  • access National Suicide Prevention Lifeline - call 1-800-273-8255 (TALK); en Español - 1-888-628-9454
  • International Hotlines: https://www.opencounseling.com/suicide-hotlines
  • If you'd rather not talk on the phone you can use the Online Chat
• If you’re uncomfortable talking on the phone, you can also text "HELLO" to 741-741 to be connected to a free, trained crisis counselor on the Crisis Text Line.

​

Mental Health Resources

GaTech OMS Students have access to mental health support services just like on-campus students.
The Institute has partnered with Uwill, a leader in collegiate mental health and wellness services, to provide additional resources at no cost to our students. Through Uwill, students will have access to:

• Umatch: Up to 5 free virtual counseling sessions with a licensed therapist with no need for referral
• Urise: On-demand curated wellness events to complement therapy.

Visit the Uwill website and register yourself as a new user with your gatech.edu email address. Once you've created your account, you will have access to all available Uwill services via your dashboard.
Check out other services too, like

• GT Wellness Hub
• Center for Mental Health Care and Resources
• Wellness Empowerment Center
• Stamps Psychiatry
• Togetherall app
• Headspace app (69.99 USD per year FREE for GaTech OMS Students!)

​

Chat with Someone in OMSCS ❤️

If you need someone to chat with please post in the comments below.
Never forget the coffee hours, too, where you are able to speak with the directors, directly! Check out the OMSCS Student Center located in Canvas.
​
Once again, there is more to life than school. You'll get through this rough time!

[INDEX]
I banked the fire and stared into the golden eyes of Beatale before I crept into my makeshift tent.
I still had my auric vision running and couldn’t help but notice the thin silver cord that ran from me to Horse. Firming up my aura, I reached out with my hand and grabbed it. I could feel the nearly imperceptible vibration between my fingers as I used my mind to probe at the thread. I could feel a bright spark of intellect, a light at the end of a tunnel. Pushing with my mind, I slid down the thread until the spark grew larger and eventually filled my inner vision with a hazy white light. Horsey thoughts nudged at me curiously.
I slid into the haze and immediately lost all sense of direction. If it wasn’t for the silver thread, I’d have no idea how to exit this shifting white fog. Horsey thoughts got stronger as I followed the thread while the haze thinned and cleared to reveal an endless prairie of green grass. I found myself standing before a naked man wearing a horse mask and I stared in shock. It was obviously me wearing a cheap costume horse mask — there was no mistaking my tattoos.
“What did you expect?” Horse neighed at me. “I am you and you are me and we are all together. Goo goo ga joob.”
Horse made a shooing motion with his hands and I accelerated backwards through the white haze and slammed into my own body with a gasp. I stared at the tarp overhead for a long minute, processing this new revelation. Horse was a part of me, a piece of my spirit. Whatever psychic stuff I did with that silver cord lead me into a house of mirrors where I got to look at myself pretending to be a horse. I can’t even deal with that right now.
Rolling into my blankets, I dropped off to sleep.
*Ding*
-=- - Welcome to the Dreamworld - Included in the Psychic Skills pack, the Inner Sanctum is your psychic domain. It is the mental fortress that you must secure and maintain to defend against psychic and spiritual assaults. All of your neurosis and fears are symbolised in this realm and must be defeated or subjugated before you can become master of the domain. Good luck. -=-
I banished the pop-up and looked around. I knew I was asleep, but everything was just as real as when I was awake. I was breathing, I could feel the floor under my feet, and if it weren’t for the pop-up, I would have sworn I had been teleported. The room I was in resembled an oversized luxury prison cell, maybe a thirty foot cube. No windows. Rough stone walls with thick mortar. Large brass wall sconces were set directly into the stone and suffused the room with a warm, golden light provided by glowing rocks. The stone floor had colourful Persian rugs tastefully placed. A high plaster ceiling was painted with a rendition of Michelangelo’s ‘Creation of Adam’, depicting me as both Adam and God.
There was a comfy sofa in front of a large screen television that hung from one wall and an ornate grandfather clock ticked loudly in the corner. It was currently 10:08 PM. Another wall was a floor to ceiling bookshelf, stuffed with books of varying sizes. The third wall was covered with pictures and I could see at a glance that they were images from my life. The fourth wall had a thick riveted steel door on the right side, a full sized mirror on the left, and a computer workstation in the middle.
The picture wall was my first target. A few were quite large, nearly life sized, while others were tiny prints no larger than the palm of my hand. Scenes of my life were displayed in each one. The largest was me riding Horse with a shit-scared expression, shooting at a pack of wolves. Others were smaller, each with different frames. Some ornate gold or silver, others plain wood, a few wrapped in briars or barbed wire. Nanny Ramsey holding me as a young child. My dog Jean with a red ball in his mouth. My parents, screaming at me. I turned my attention to the books. Books are safe. Books don’t judge you.
The sweet, musty scent of a used book store filled my nostrils as I drew close to the honey coloured shelves. Hundreds of volumes filled the wall from floor to ceiling, with a ladder that could be rolled along a rail to access the top. I smiled at the sight. I had always wanted a library like this. I pulled a book at random and read the title, “Confused Fantasies about Joseph Harris, part XXIV of the Middle School Years”.
I slid the book back onto the shelf. Let’s see what’s on TV.
The remote was a slim, futuristic looking affair with a minimum of buttons. I pointed it at the television and moments later the huge screen came to life and presented me with a simple menu for movies, divided into six categories: Happy, Surprised, Afraid, Disgusted, Angry, and Sad. I scrolled through the offerings for a minute, reading the titles and reviews about the movies of my life. It really bothered me that there were so few selections in the Happy section.
The number of Sad movies increased by one.
I walked over to the mirror and noticed there was a small sticky note pasted to it. “Astral Realm. Experienced users only.” I shoved the note in my pocket and stared at my image. Sturdy black boots, black denim jeans and shirt with mother-of-pearl buttons, deep brown gun belt slung at my hip, red bandanna and black felt hat. All I needed was a pencil moustache and I would look like the stereotypical villain in any spaghetti western. At that very moment I decided to grow out a goatee. I’d rather be mistaken for a bad guy than a victim.
So how does this astral realm thing work?
The mirror appeared to be nothing more than a mirror. It was cold, smooth glass surrounded by a wrought iron frame, and reflected my image. I didn’t necessarily want to go walking into danger, but I wanted to know how it worked. I pushed and prodded the glass in frustration until I noticed my image grinning at me. I jumped back in surprise and it doubled over in silent laughter.
“Hilarious, dude. You got me,” I huffed. “So how do I get in?”
My mirror-self tipped his hat and stepped to side.
I reached up to the mirror again and my hand passed through, vanishing as if cut off. Okay, just a quick peek and we’ll explore the rest of the room. I stepped through and the world shifted around me. I was standing back at the campsite. My body was insubstantial as a ghost and the tarp was a wisp of substance running straight through me. Non living things don’t seem to have much presence in this realm. Glancing down, I saw my sleeping body rolled up in the blankets, a thin silver thread running from it to me, and another thread running to Horse.
Looking around, I surveyed the campsite. My astral vision seemed to be on and had an unlimited range. I could see the life all around me, the distant forest was a sea of greenish-gold, grasses and brush nearby glowed with spectral light. Tiny ghost insects scurried while ghost mice nibbled at whatever ghost mice nibble on. Ghost seeds and ghost insects, I suppose. I turned my attention overhead and gaped at the sight of a monstrous serpentine spirit flying through the inky void. I dropped back through the tent and rolled inside my body. That was plenty enough for now.
I rolled through the mirror and landed flat on my back, staring at the fresco on the ceiling. Vinnie-God winked at me and Vinnie-Adam grinned. Climbing to my knees, I brushed non-existent dust from my trousers and watched mirror-me doubled over in soundless laughter.
“Hey, laughing-boy!” I yelled at him. “You’re like the guardian or something, right? You got it covered?”
Mirror-me stood and saluted with a smile, then gave me two thumbs up. A moment later, his face took on a serious expression and he wriggled his right hand in the ‘maybe’ motion. Then he pointed at me, tapped his wrist, and then a finger to his head.
It all depends on how fast I learn stuff, I guess.
Two thumbs up and a winning smile reflected back to me.
A large cork board was mounted to the wall over the computer and a small note was pinned to it. “Note to self: Don’t fuck with the Elvish womens.”
The computer screen featured a screensaver of me as Vitruvian Man doing callisthenics over the words ‘HumanOS’. I tapped the spacebar and was rewarded with the sound of powerful fans kicking to life as the computer emerged from sleep mode and prompted me for a password. Should I assume it’s the same as the password on the computer I pawned in my previous life?
Password: *******esi
I was rewarded with a sweet R&M desktop and a couple of icons. System, NeuralNet, My-Tunes, My-Movies, My-Office.
System was just what I expected, lots of .dna files and other confusing scariness that allowed me to tweak my physical body and mental state. My-Tunes was a collection of every song I’d ever heard and My-Movies was a collection of every movie I’d ever seen. Not that I’m complaining, but it would have been nice to have “My-Games” so I could play RDR. My-Office was a clone of the popular software by a similar name. I have no idea what I’ll ever need a spreadsheet for in this world.
NuralNet opened up a search engine called Me-Seeks, featuring a familiar blue guy.
I typed in “beer” and several thousand results were displayed, anything I’d ever read, heard, or watched about beer, including how to make it. This right here made the price of admission totally worth it, access to an exact copy of everything I’d ever read, and I was a voracious reader. Sadly, most of the stuff I read was futurology — solar panels, electronics, biotech advancements, quantum computing. The material for steam engines, blacksmithing, farming and the like, were slim pickings. That’s okay though, I could still reproduce the Gutenberg press, the cotton gin, simple internal combustion engines, and basic batteries along with some sketchy knowledge of metal alloys, acids, bases, and other things I had read over the years. All that wasted time watching “How Things Work” was finally going to pay off. I copied a few likely money makers to My-Office, saved the file, and exported to my Notes, just in case they didn’t exist on Aerth.
A popup covered the screen.
📱 [New Upgrade Available!] 📱
🎉 Enhance Your Experience with the Latest HumanOS Features! 🎉
🌟 Features Include:

• 🧠 Memory Booster: Increase your Memory for smoother multitasking and improved performance.
• 🔋 Energy Optimizer: Extend your battery life with advanced power-saving techniques.
• 🛠️ Utility Upgrades: Access new apps and utilities to enhance your daily life and adventures.
• 🗺️ Advanced Mapping: Never get lost again with enhanced GPS and location tracking.

🔥 Special Offer: Only 2000 credits for version 2.0 or 5000 credits for version 3.0! 🔥
[Upgrade Now ✅] [Remind Me Later ❌]
Apparently I could upgrade myself, which reduced the cost of using my Utilities while providing other minor benefits. My Utilities would level up as I used them, which would increase their battery cost, so if I didn’t keep pace with an update to the OS they could become prohibitively expensive to operate.
Stupid pay-to-win world.
So, do I pay 2000 credits for version 2.0 or 5000 credits for version 3.0?
I selected version 3.0 and klicked [Install]. After watching it download the update, it popped up another screen that asked if I wanted to update now, or wait until Midnight for the mandatory update.
I selected [No] just as the grandfather clock chimed 10:30 PM. I wondered if time ran slower in here, because it seemed like I had spent a lot more time on the computer than 15 minutes. Walking over to the imposing steel door, I noticed a bronze key with a thin chain in the lock. There was another sticky note on the door. “Subconscious. Please keep the key with you at all times.”
That’s not scary at all, is it?
I unlocked the door with a loud clunk and pulled it open to reveal a bedroom straight out of some royal castle. I could tell immediately that it had seen better days. The tapestries on the wall were frayed and fading. The canopy over the bed had a few holes in it. A thin layer of dust covered the mantle of a small fireplace set into the wall. There was a window letting in bright sunlight and I moved over to look outside.
I was on the third floor of a keep surrounded by the walls and turrets of a modest castle. A castle that had fallen into serious disrepair. Did this represent the state of my inner mind? One tower was shattered and the curtain wall under it damaged. The lower bailey was full of litter. I could see a few soldiers walking around the allure, keeping watch.
I have people in my subconscious?
Someone behind me cleared their throat.
Whirling, I discovered a familiar old man standing in the door of the bedroom. What was left of his hair formed a white halo around his head, his face was unshaven and covered with several days of growth. He was dressed like a poor and tattered manservant, but carried himself with a dignified air.
“Woodhouse?”
“It’s nice to see the master at home,” He said with a proper English accent. “There are many matters that require the master’s attention.”
“Uh, sure,” I said, hanging the key around my neck and tucking it in my shirt. “And who are you again?”
“Your personal manservant, of course” he said with a slight bow. Walking over to the steel door, he pulled it closed and it locked with a solid thunk. “Master should always keep his inner sanctum closed. One never knows if something nasty will creep in.”
“Thank you, uh, Woodhouse. I’ll remember that,” I said, rubbing the back of my neck. “So what needs tending and how do things work around here?”
He smiled and beckoned me with a white gloved hand. “If master would be so kind as to follow me, I’ll introduce him to the staff and explain the duties and obligations of his domain.”
I’m 99.9% certain that everyone here is just me wearing a mask, so I shrugged and followed Woodhouse out of the bedroom and into the rest of my subconscious.
Five minutes later I was on the ground floor and seated on a shabby throne with the cast of a popular —and probably very copyright protected— animation in front of me. Woodhouse was the head butler and my personal manservant. Pam was the cook and demanded that I start importing sugar and alcohol before she was shushed by Woodhouse. Carol was a maid. Krieger was chancellor and Cyril was the steward. Archer and Lana were in charge of security. Ray was the marshal in charge of everything from the stables to the blacksmith.
I stared in disbelief at the motley crew kneeling in front of me. No wonder my inner mind was in such shambles. I was overcome with an irrational sense of anger at myself.
“Arright, listen up,” I barked, my voice echoing around the room. “I swear to God that I will fire every single one of you and hire circus clowns to replace you if you keep fucking things up. No joke. Circus clowns, got it?”
I ran a hand over my face as Ray pissed himself. “The only reason I’m not putting a boot in your asses right now is because I realise that you’re aspects of me, and the people you represent are pretty damn good at their jobs when they give enough of a shit to actually do them. As a team, you’re dysfunctionally fantastic and always seem to come out ahead no matter the odds.”
Heaving a sigh, I continued. “Things have changed and I need to get my shit together. I’m going to need every one of you to pull your weight and help me help you. Get back to your duties, I’ll meet you one on one later.”
My subconscious caretakers scurried out of the room.
“I’ll have one of the maids tend to the piss,” Woodhouse assured me.
“Never mind that,” I snapped. “I honestly had no idea my mind was such a shit show. I’m very disappointed in myself.” I pictured the Angry, Sad, and Disgusted counters on my personal movies clicking up. “Show me what needs to be done and let’s get started.”
During Woodhouse’s walking tour, everything clicked into place. This was some altered version of Bodiam castle, a location that was on my bucket list of places to visit. The royal council room, located behind the throne room, contained a “living” tapestry on the wall that showed the castle and surrounding land in real time. The castle was located in the middle of a small lake, and a single wood bridge led to the mainland. A small town surrounded the lake and a wall encircled the town. Outside the wall, the land was an irregular patchwork of forest and field, with a stinking swamp to the south. The entire “kingdom” was maybe ten miles across, surrounded by impassable mountains with innumerable creeks that fed the lake which drained into the southern swamp.
“Zombies are the problem, sir.” Woodhouse said, as I surveyed the living tapestry of my mental domain.
“Zombies?” I prompted.
“Yes sir, Zombies” Woodhouse continued. “Nasty bitey things that come in from the mountains and harass the peasants. They’ve gotten especially worse over the last few months. The soldiers do what they can, but they seem to have lost all motivation. Probably because they haven’t been paid.”
“And who pays them?”
“Typically chancellor Krieger is in charge of financial matters, although Steward Figgis has taken over the duty, sir.”
“Then let’s make Figgis our first stop.”
“Very good, sir.”
The office of the steward was run by Cyril Figgis, who managed the kingdom in my absence. It was overflowing with paperwork and charts, books and scrolls piled high on every flat surface. Cyril was desperately attempting to tidy things when Woodhouse and I walked in.
“Yo..you..your majesty,” Cyril stuttered, bowing low. Scrolls fell from his overloaded arms, spilling across the floor. He dropped to his knees and scrambled to gather them up. “I didn’t expect you to visit so soon. Please forgive the mess, housekeeping has been slacking…”
This was the guy who ran things while I was conscious.
“Shut up, Cyril” I said. “You’re responsible for everything in this office. That includes keeping it organised and tidy.”
“Y..yes milord.”
“It’s my understanding that you’re in charge of making sure everyone gets paid. So why aren’t we paying people?” I asked.
“We’re nearly out of Fuks, your majesty. I’ve been saving them for emergencies.”
“Fucks?”
“Fuks,” Cyril explained, pushing a pile of books off a large chest and opening it. Reaching inside he pulled out two small bags and emptied them on top of his cluttered desk. “Gold and Silver Fuks, the currency of the kingdom. I can’t maintain the kingdom when I have no Fuks to give.”
Behold the subconscious kingdom of Vincent J. Carter, it runs on Fuks.
“So how do I get more fuks?” I asked, examining one of the coins. It had an image of me on one side and symbol on the other that could be interpreted as “peace among worlds”.
“You kill the zombies, your majesty.”
Of course I do.
Woodhouse and I left Cyril’s office and headed towards the office of the chancellor where Krieger worked. It seemed that Cyril took over financial matters when Krieger became erratic and proposed luring all the zombies into the city and setting it on fire. Not sure how that corresponds to my own self-destructive behaviour, but I’ve had some dark thoughts over the last couple of months and I’m sure they’re reflected here.
Krieger’s office was much neater in comparison to Cyril’s, but it wasn’t by much. Shelves lined the walls and were filled with an array of questionable items, including a still snapping zombie head in a jar. While the office of the chancellor was supposed to be in charge of financial matters, it looked more like a dodgy rummage sale.
Krieger was launching sword blades at a pig carcass when we walked in.
“What exactly are you doing?” I asked, standing in the doorway.
“Hm? Oh, your majesty!” he said, turning around and bowing deeply. “I’m testing a new invention. It’s a spring loaded hilt that shoots sword blades. Very useful for our soldiers.”
“Stupidest idea ever,” I snapped. “I hate everything about it.”
“Okay,” Krieger said, tossing the hilt into a nearby pile of junk. “But don’t blame me when you need to shoot a sword at a zombie and don’t have one.”
“So why aren’t you managing the financial affairs? Collecting taxes, paying people, stuff like that?”
“Because the population has declined so much none of that matters?”
“What do you mean?”
“Wellll, the population represents things you care about,” Krieger said, going into lecture mode. “And the zombies and other monsters are real or imagined problems in your way. Since you don’t care about too many things the population has shrunk to just what’s needed to keep everything running on the bare minimum of fuks. And since you don’t seem to have any long or short term goals, there’s no need to kill off the zombies and get more fuks. Everything is fine just the way it is.”
“No, it’s not Krieger” I said, grinding my teeth. “My mind is in a shambles. It’s a joke. I want it fixed. No, I want it better than fixed. I want it improved.”
“Oh! I’ve got just the thing for that!” He said, digging around in his pockets, “It’s a spring-loaded hilt that shoots swords!”
Pam and Cheryl were hanging out a gallery window jeering at Archer and Lana sparring in the inner courtyard.
“What the hell are you doing!” I snapped
They whirled in surprise and then dropped into deep curtseys.
“Your majesty!”
I took a deep breath, trying to regain my centre. “Get to work cleaning this place up. Find a room, clean it, and move on to the next. Start with my bedroom, then the throne room and the council chamber, then everything else.”
Cheryl spoke up. “Can’t do it. We got no fuks to clean with.”
“You need fuks to clean?”
“Gotta buy stuff,” Pam said. “Cleaning supplies, food. You wanna eat, you’re gonna have to spend some fuks.”
“Talk to Cyril,” I ordered. “Tell him I said to get you supplied.”
They ran off in the direction of the stewards office.
I watched Archer and Lana bashing each other enthusiastically through the window.
Several minutes later the sparring couple stopped and bowed when Woodhouse and I stepped into the inner courtyard.
“Your majesty”
“My liege”
“Enough,” I said. “If you have enough energy to smash each other, you have enough energy to smash zombies. Tell me what I need to know so I can start gathering fuks.”
Archer shrugged and spoke first. “You just kill the zombies and other monsters. They drop fuks.”
“Anything special about the zombies?” I asked. “Are they fast? Do people get turned into zombies when bitten?”
“Nope,” Lana said, resting her wooden sword on her shoulder. “Most of them are slow shamblers and just need a good wack to the head to kill them.”
“Some are special,” Archer interjected. “Occasionally you’ll have some fast ones, or those that need holy water to kill. They’re just bad memories, figments of your personality that need to be eliminated. Some are worse than others.”
“The zombies are bad memories?” I asked, imagining all the bad memories that I had.
“Memories, thoughts, insecurities, metaphysical mumbo-jumbo,” Woodhouse supplied. “They are endless, but constant vigilance can keep them under control.”
“So let’s get started,” I said. “Lead the way.”
Lana and Archer lead me up to the parapet over the front gate where I looked over at the dozens of zombies milling about aimlessly in front of the entrance to my mind. Pulling out my gun, I began to pick them off, easy as shooting fish in a barrel. The crack of my spell pistol attracted more zombies and I dispatched them with ease until no more were left around the gate. As I fired each shot I could feel some sort of existential energy flowing from me, draining some hidden reserve.
“Gather up the Fuks,” I commanded. “And Lana?”
“Mi’lord?”
“There’s no excuse for this. From now on, I expect the walls to be clear of all zombies.”
“Yes mi’lord,” she said, giving me a small bow.
Turning to Archer, I shook my head. “You’re obviously my personal narcissism, so just try to stay out of Lana’s way, or better yet - try to kill more zombies than her. If you think you can.”
Archer scoffed. “No contest. I took top marks in sharpshooting.”
“That means I should expect to see results by tomorrow. I look forward to it.”
Archer looked panicked for a moment then smiled. “Sure, I can give you results.”
Turning back to Woodhouse I said “Show me what else need attending.”
Woodhouse led me through the town that represented my mind, pointing out each business that had fallen into disrepair, suggested others that needed improvements, and additions that would benefit me. In the distance, I could hear Lana and Archer shooting at the crowd of zombies and with each echoing shot I felt a tiny bit better about everything.
[INDEX]

# Today In Phishstory - June 1st Brought to you by tiph-bot. Beep.
All data extracted via The Phishnet API.

Phish

Phish, Wednesday 06/01/2022 (2 years ago) Credit One Stadium, Charleston, SC, USA
Gap Chart, Tour: 2022 Spring Tour
Set 1 : Cool It Down , Foam , Knuckle Bone Broth Avenue , Dirt , 555 > Gumbo > Backwards Down the Number Line > The Wedge , About to Run , Divided Sky
Set 2 : Wilson > Simple , Prince Caspian -> Egg in a Hole > Piper > Prince Caspian , Lonely Trip > Back on the Train , Most Events Aren't Planned , Blaze On
Encore : Nothing > When the Circus Comes , The Oh Kee Pa Ceremony > Suzy Greenberg
Jamchart Notes:
Backwards Down the Number Line - Great versions produce different points to view. Be it 7/8/14's summertime "Line"d up shimmery shake; Pitt 17's huge, crazed sustain; or 10/20/21's incendiary take; this here jam features what the best "BDNTLS" have in common: Fire Trey. Largely straightforward guitar whose inspired improvisation, offset by impassioned Fish, is the best of its type, carrying you not so much backwards, as away.
Simple - Multi-faceted shapeshifter cruises through an array of styles ranging from heavenly bliss to industrial funk, eventually ascending to a sizable peak and then briefly returns to "Simple" to close.
Piper - > from "Egg in a Hole". A familiar propulsive jam develops, with the music initially coalescing around a repeated minor key motif from Trey. Fishman and Mike's driving rhythms provide a bedrock for Trey and Page to dole out a bevy of varying textures. The jam threatens to fall apart but comes back alive via a "Manteca" tease. This then morphs into a peaky, psychedelic hard rocking jam before executing a rickety > "Prince Caspian."
Show Notes:
Mike teased Do You Feel Like We Do before Dirt. Trey teased Prince Caspian near the end of Egg in a Hole. Piper contained Guy Forget teases and quotes from Page and Manteca teases from Trey. Nothing was last played on January 15, 2017 (158 shows). The Oh Kee Pa Ceremony was last played October 20, 2018 (108 shows). The soundcheck's My Soul had Guy Forget lyrics from Fish.
Listen now at Phish.in!
Phish, Wednesday 06/01/2011 (13 years ago) PNC Bank Arts Center, Holmdel, NJ, USA
Gap Chart, Tour: 2011 Early Summer Tour
Set 1 : First Tube , Stealing Time From the Faulty Plan , Camel Walk , Heavy Things , Gotta Jibboo , Wilson > Seven Below > Kill Devil Falls , Axilla > Split Open and Melt , Suzy Greenberg
Set 2 : Tweezer > No Quarter ¹ , Carini ² > Piper > Twist > Ghost > Backwards Down the Number Line
Encore : Show of Life > Tweezer Reprise
1 Phish debut. 2 Unfinished.
Jamchart Notes:
No Quarter - Debut of the "Led Zeppelin" classic emerges > from a foggy "Tweezer".
Backwards Down the Number Line - Fiery and rocking "Type I" version with a nice big peak.
Show Notes:
This gig featured the Phish debut of Led Zeppelin's No Quarter. Trey subsequently teased No Quarter in both Ghost and Number Line. Carini was unfinished.
Listen now at Phish.in!
Phish, Friday 06/01/1990 (34 years ago) The Cotton Club, Atlanta, GA, USA
Gap Chart, Tour: 1990 Tour
Set 1 : Take the 'A' Train > Reba , Colonel Forbin's Ascent ¹ > Fly Famous Mockingbird , Bathtub Gin , David Bowie , Lawn Boy , Bouncing Around the Room , The Oh Kee Pa Ceremony > AC/DC Bag
Set 2 : Rocky Top ² , Uncle Pen ² , Run Like an Antelope ³ , Mike's Song > I Am Hydrogen > Weekapaug Groove , Hold Your Head Up ⁴ > Fee ⁵ , Terrapin ⁶ > Hold Your Head Up , Possum , Fee , Big Black Furry Creature from Mars , Contact
1 Lyrics changed to refer to Col. (Bruce) Hampton. 2 "Reverend" Jeff Mosier on banjo. 3 "Reverend" Jeff Mosier on banjo and Oteil Burbridge on bass. 4 Crowd chanted for Fee as Fish took the stage. Fish sounded perplexed and remarked that he doesn't sing Fee, but Trey and Page started the song up anyway and left Fish on the spot. 5 Fish on vocals, aborted in chorus after first verse. [6] Fish on trombone.
Jamchart Notes:
Run Like an Antelope - Awesome version with the "Reverend" Jeff Mosier on banjo and Oteil Burbridge on bass. Great intro, good jam with a huge peak, and then a cool breakdown jam featuring the bass acompanied with scat singing.
Show Notes:
After Reba, the crowd was chanting "cheeseburger." Fish and Trey subsequently went into a rap about burgers. Trey dedicated Forbin's to the Colonial (Bruce Hampton). Forbin's was then performed with a variety of lyric substitutions of Col. (Bruce) Hampton for Col Forbin. Rocky Top through Antelope featured the "Reverend" Jeff Mosier on banjo; Antelope also featured Oteil Burbridge on bass. As Fish took the stage during HYHU, the crowd chanted for Fee. Fish sounded perplexed and remarked that he doesn't sing Fee, but Trey and Page started the song up anyway and left Fish on the spot. He tried his best and got through the first verse before falling apart during the chorus. Terrapin featured Fish on trombone. The band said "Fee" several times at that start of Possum, which contained subsequent Blue Monk teases from Trey and a Rhapsody in Blue tease from Page. BBFCFM contained an Auld Lang Syne tease from Trey. The source of Set I is phish.com.
Listen now at Phish.in!
Phish, 1986-06-01 Boston Harbor, Boston, MA, USA
Setlist: https://phish.net/setlists/phish-june-01-1986-boston-harbor-boston-ma-usa.html
Tour: 1986 Tour
Show Notes: This show was performed on a boat in Boston Harbor as part of the Cambridge School graduation festivities. Mike's brother assisted Phish in securing the gig.

Trey Anastasio

Trey Anastasio Band, 2019-06-01 The Tabernacle, Atlanta, GA, USA
Setlist: https://phish.net/setlists/trey-anastasio-june-01-2019-the-tabernacle-atlanta-ga-usa.html
Tour: Not Part of a Tour
Show Notes: This show was webcast via Live Phish and featured the TAB debut of Friend. Brian and Robert and More were performed by Trey solo acoustic.
Trey Anastasio Band, 2002-06-01 Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas, NV, USA
Setlist: https://phish.net/setlists/trey-anastasio-june-01-2002-thomas-mack-center-las-vegas-nv-usa.html
Tour: TAB - The Dectet Summer 2002 Tour
Show Notes: The Roots, and then Antibalas opened. Trey performed "Thunderhead" acoustic.

Mike Gordon

Mike Gordon, 2019-06-01 Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Morrison, CO, USA
Setlist: https://phish.net/setlists/mike-gordon-june-01-2019-red-rocks-amphitheatre-morrison-co-usa-2.html
Tour: Not Part of a Tour
Show Notes: White Denim and Mike Gordon opened for moe.
Grappa Boom, 2003-06-01 Higher Ground, Winooski, VT, USA
Setlist: https://phish.net/setlists/mike-gordon-june-01-2003-higher-ground-winooski-vt-usa.html
Tour: Mike - Grappa Boom
Show Notes:

John Fishman

Jazz Mandolin Project, 2004-06-01 Stella Blue, Albuquerque, NM, USA
Setlist: https://phish.net/setlists/jon-fishman-june-01-2004-stella-blue-albuquerque-nm-usa.html
Tour: Fish - Jazz Mandolin Project Summer 2004 Tour
Show Notes:

Page McConnell

Page McConnell, 2007-06-01 Lupo's at the Strand, Providence, RI, USA
Setlist: https://phish.net/setlists/page-mcconnell-june-01-2007-lupos-heartbreak-hotel-providence-ri-usa.html
Tour: Page McConnell Spring & Summer 2007 Tour
Show Notes: Carl "Geerz" Gerhard sat in on trumpet for "Cars Trucks Buses."

Other

moe., 2019-06-01 Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Morrison, CO, USA
Setlist: https://phish.net/setlists/mike-gordon-june-01-2019-red-rocks-amphitheatre-morrison-co-usa.html
Tour: Not Part of a Tour
Show Notes: Mike sat in on In Memory of Elizabeth Reed.

“She Made the Salad”
Memoirs of Kathryn Robinson Knight
Dedicated to her Descendants
Summer of 2020
My mom and dad were married after he returned to Auburn following the First World War. Dad’s official name was Carey Carslile Robinson, but we called him “Cackey.” He was an Army First Lieutenant in the U.S. Army Infantry at the time. He referred to himself as a foot soldier and always kept his service in the Reserves up to date and remained on inactive duty.
Cackey’s first job was Line Coach at Auburn. He and my mom “ran away” after the GA Tech – Auburn game in Atlanta. She was eighteen; he was twenty-four years old. (This is the story I was told, but the dates may be off!)
After his football career, my father was Athletic Director at Mercer University in Macon, GA. My sister, Suzanne, was born there in 1924. He was later Athletic Director at Birmingham Southern, which is where I was born in 1930.
Our family later moved sixty miles to Alexander City, where Dad bought the Ford franchise car dealership. My mother’s family had the same business in Opelika; my dad’s brothers had a franchise in Kansas. So, we have always been in the car business – General Motors, Chrysler, Cadillac, etc.
It was in “Alex City” that I started school and also began dance instruction in 1935. In 1940 my dad was recalled to active duty and was promoted to Captain and sent to Columbia, SC, where Fort Jackson is located – U.S. Artillery Headquarters.
War was anticipated, and Pearl Harbor was attacked on December 7, 1941. “A day that will live in infamy.” My dad was Provost Marshall (Head of Military Police.) In 1940 there were 10,000 soldiers at Camp Jackson. After 1941, the numbers grew to 75,000 men almost overnight.
What an experience for an eleven-year-old! So many things changed during those three and a half years of war time. It reminds me of the current craziness of today’s world.
Fort Jackson was visited by so many top security people, from President Roosevelt to Churchill and all the generals who came to see the troops in review. My family was allowed to see all this because of my dad’s job. Not many people had this experience.
Many famous people came to entertain the troops, which we also got to see. Entertainers included some of the 40’s greats such as Bob Hope, Tommy Dorsey, Bing Crosby, and Benny Goodman. America at War is something I will never forget! It was in Columbia that I got my very best dance training.
In 1945 we were transferred to Fort Benning, GA. My dad was a Major by then and with the Infantry School at Benning. This was a beautiful place to live! Two historic events took place there. First, when President Roosevelt died in Warm Springs, GA, his body was taken there. His sendoff by train to Washington, DC, was full of pomp and circumstance. Also, a mass celebration occurred at the end of World War II.
In 1947 my father was transferred to Pratt General Hospital in Coral Gables, FL, due to a medical emergency – ruptured gall bladder. Dad, a Lieutenant Colonel by then, retired at that time. My parents decided to stay in Miami Beach until I finished high school in 1948. My last two years were at Miami Senior High.
I went to Florida State University for my freshman year of college, and pledge Delta Delta Delta social sorority. The chapter in Gainesville was new and needed older chapter members to help get it established.
The National Traveling Secretary wanted chapter members from Stetson, University of Miami, and FSU to transfer to UF. There were about ten of us from other schools who agreed to do this, so I transferred to the University of Florida for the remaining years of my college education.
Our group was very close and worked hard for Tri Delt. It was great fun! Our reward was to be allowed to live in the sorority house. Not often is that privilege extended to sophomores.
I majored in elementary education. Dance classes were always part of my life – on the university level and in private studio classes. This was true in both Tallahassee and Gainesville. At that time there was no dance major – too bad!
“Dancing with the Stars”
I started dance in Alexander City at age five and was always involved in a dance program during all of my school years. In Columbia, SC, my serious ballet training began. From ages eleven to fifteen, “class” was every day, and I was a “studio rat” – a group of kids who were always at the studio.
The Foster School of Dance had many students and adults who were members of the Carolina Ballet Company (the regional ballet company.) I was a junior member. Mrs. Foster took three of us to New York during the summer for two years. It was great training and a wonderful experience.
As an Army “brat,” we moved to Fort Benning, and I studied in Columbus, GA. I took dance on weekends in Atlanta. It was at this time that I met Mrs. Dorothy Alexander as a teacher. She later became Artistic Director of the Atlanta Civic Ballet Company. This is still an outstanding company!
They came to Orlando periodically, and I always loved to see them. Later, in Miami, I also found a great teacher. The love of dance never ends.
“Don’t Tell Mom!”
After college, when I married Gordon Oldham in Opelika, AL, and moved to Leesburg in 1952, my dance was put on hold while I raised a family. I managed to substitute teach in Leesburg at Helen St. John’s Studio at Lake Sumter Community College for continuing education classes.
The years spent raising my family will always be remembered as the very best! Raising my three children – Gordon, John, and Carey – was and always will be the greatest joy of my life. All three of my children are Gators now.
During these years I did all the things that were important to life in Leesburg: Junior Women’s Club, Triangle Club, Daughters of the American Revolution, Garden Club, and – always – St. James Episcopal Church work.
In later years, I became involved with Women for Hospice, Heritage Society, LSCC Foundation Board, and the Performing Arts programs. I also assisted Lifestream with social dances for the mental health center.
I was divorced in 1977. In 1978, I married Art Knight (a Seminole!) and acquired another son – Arthur - also a Seminole. That same year I fulfilled a lifelong dream and opened the Kathryn Knight School of Dance studio. The next sixteen years were devoted to teaching many children the love and joy of dance.
Art and I enjoyed living part time in the mountains of Maggie Valley in North Carolina until his death in 2011. We were able to achieve many of our dreams and scratch lots of items off our bucket lists. These included traveling to Alaska, Australia, New Zealand, and my favorite – St. Petersburg, Russia. I was fortunate to attend the ballet Giselle while there, an experience I will always treasure.
Our greatest pleasures came from our ten grandchildren. I now have four great-grandchildren and hopefully anticipate more. I am a three-time cancer survivor and am grateful for each and every day of my life.
https://preview.redd.it/eijsamtjwv3d1.jpg?width=788&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=954fd52d4e8a89f79bee7ee07f5d99cc48c8118d

Today was a disaster at Atlanta. All the parking lots were full. Even Park and Ride had a long, long line to wait for buses. Needless to say it seemed that people were a bit stressed and testy in general (myself included).
Get to boarding and I’m Zone 5 due to having the Delta CC (which to me is one of the main perks of the card). For anybody that doesn’t know, Zone 5 is the first general boarding zone, so the first people to board after First Class and those with status. Zone 5 comes in with empty bins for the most part.
Everybody has the same size regular small roller bags (mine is the small Away bag fwiw). GA starts tagging everybody’s bag to gate check and is telling everybody to take it up with the FA. I protest saying there will obviously be empty bins and I don’t want to check my bag but he tags it anyway and tells me that they need to tag a certain amount and that’s that. I was like, but generally you do that when you run out of space, not before. Wasn’t having it. Guy behind me also complains and gets them to not tag his bag by saying he had expensive stuff (they didn’t check).
I get to the plane and the FA says I have to leave at the door because it’s tagged. I wave at the sea of empty bins and explain that the GA said to talk to him but he says since it’s tagged I have to check it. I argue a bit more and say I asked not to have it tagged and was told to talk to him and he rudely tells me “and you've talked to me. Go sit down.” I start walking to my seat and see the person that boarded ahead of me with their tagged bag in the overhead. I ask if she was allowed on with her bag and she says yes. I go back to the FA and ask why it was allowed for others and not me and he continues to tell me to sit down. I’m getting really frustrated (and frankly angry) at this point and ask if there’s somebody else I can talk to (another FA is standing there mute - I didn’t drag her in). He tells me I’m holding up boarding and to sit down (in the tone that if I said another word I’d be off the flight). I sat down and called my husband to calm me down while I cried in frustration.
A good 15 to 20 minutes after I sat they announced that the bins were getting full and only a few more roller bags could fit.
Anyway, I chatted Delta during the flight and the person I was chatting with was flabbergasted and told me to file a complaint and gave me some tips. I wrote the complaint but haven’t heard back yet.
FWIW, after we deplaned, a few people from my flight told me the whole thing was crazy and the guy was rude, so I guess that was validating. I’ve never had an experience like this. I’m quiet and stick to myself and don’t make a mess and I think I am generally forgettable. I’ve never complained before, and I’ve always had a good experience on Delta. Was this just a bad day in Atlanta? Am I entitled for expecting to stow my bag when I pay for earlier boarding?

Assistant PM salary/bonus. What’s the average?
I graduated college in August 2023 and was offered a full time position at the subcontractor I was interning with. I will try to breakdown the offer they gave me as best as I can. My title is assistant project manager and I do some estimating as well.
The bonus structure they originally told me when they offered me the position is much different than reality. They said these bonuses were a percentage, but never actually gave me an amount because we’re a newer company so they said they’re still working things out.
Please let me know if I’m getting a fair deal or if they’re low balling me. Them being misleading about the bonus structure has already made me think less of my company but I love everyone I work with, so I’m trying to weigh the pros and cons.
Experience as of 5/30/2024: 2 years exactly Location: Atlanta, GA Multifamily construction - DIVISION 6,8,10
What they originally told me: Salary: $50,000 Saving Bonus: unknown % Project bonus: unknown % Estimating bonus: unknown % Benefits: health, vision, dental, simple IRA(3% match)
Reality:
Salary: $50,000 Saving Bonus: none Project bonus: none Estimating bonus: $2250 each completed project Benefits: health, vision, dental, simple IRA(3% match)
So I don’t get any bonuses from being an APM. Only get bonuses from the estimating. Which I don’t do much of because I’m busy assisting with 7 active projects.
My company recently told me that I will be the Project manager for an upcoming job in 2025. Can Anyone can give me some advice on how to talk about salary adjustments/bonus for “promotion”?
I know I packed a lot of information and questions into this post, but anything yall have to say about this will help me a lot!
THANK YOU!!!

Assistant PM salary/bonus. What’s the average?
I graduated college in August 2023 and was offered a full time position at the subcontractor I was interning with. I will try to breakdown the offer they gave me as best as I can. My title is assistant project manager and I do some estimating as well.
The bonus structure they originally told me when they offered me the position is much different than reality. They said these bonuses were a percentage, but never actually gave me an amount because we’re a newer company so they said they’re still working things out.
Please let me know if I’m getting a fair deal or if they’re low balling me. Them being misleading about the bonus structure has already made me think less of my company but I love everyone I work with, so I’m trying to weigh the pros and cons.
Experience as of 5/30/2024: 2 years exactly Location: Atlanta, GA Multifamily construction - DIVISION 6,8,10
What they originally told me: Salary: $50,000 Saving Bonus: unknown % Project bonus: unknown % Estimating bonus: unknown % Benefits: health, vision, dental, simple IRA(3% match)
Reality:
Salary: $50,000 Saving Bonus: none Project bonus: none Estimating bonus: $2250 each completed project Benefits: health, vision, dental, simple IRA(3% match)
So I don’t get any bonuses from being an APM. Only get bonuses from the estimating. Which I don’t do much of because I’m busy assisting with 7 active projects.
My company recently told me that I will be the Project manager for an upcoming job in 2025. Can Anyone can give me some advice on how to talk about salary adjustments/bonus for “promotion”?
I know I packed a lot of information and questions into this post, but anything yall have to say about this will help me a lot!
THANK YOU!!!

Things I like: Deep lore and worldbuilding. 3-dimensional characters that feel like people (preferably a morally gray cast.) Fantasy settings akin to things like DnD and Lord of the Rings (that's optional but preferred). Sci fi. Cyberpunk settings. Fluid action scenes. Internal conflicts within the MC. Dark subject matter. Humor that isn't "anime humor."
Things I don't like: Shallow worlds that feel like they don't exist beyond the characters. Characters that feel like they're 2 dimensional (not very deep or complex). Slice of Life. Music anime. "Pressing pause" during a fight and the characters just stand there and talk to each other about what they're doing instead of fighting each other. Telling instead of showing. A flat MC who never changes (or a flat cast in general for that matter). "Anime humor" (things like "guy walks in on girl changing and gets punched" or "huge nose bleeds" etc.) Isekai. Anime that doesn't "take a breath" and keeps throwing flashy fight scenes at you that don't develop the plot that lasts for multiple episodes (MHA, JJK DBZ ect.)
Anime that I've watched and enjoyed: Neon Genesis Evangelion. Berserk. Ghost in the Shell. Elfen Lied. Inuyasha (pretty much the only "proper shounen" that I like). Blood+. Ergo Proxy. Another. Frieren. Ghost Stories dub (for obvious reasons). Your Name. Bloom into You (pretty much the only slice of life that I like). Anohana. Attack on Titan. Edgerunners.
Anime that I thought was mid: Claymore (first half was good then it devolved into a battle shounen where they just stood around talking about what they were going to do instead of actually doing it). Toyko Ghoul (first season was good then it nose-dived). Death Note.
Anime that I hated: Future Diary. Dragon Ball (all of them) Naruto. Bleach. One Piece. Hunter x Hunter. Darling in the FRANXX. Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid. Fena: Pirate Princess. Kingdoms of Ruin. Berserk of Gluttony. Akame ga Kill. World's Finest Assassin. Plunderer. Hell's Paradise. DEVIL'S LINE! REDO OF HEALER!!!!!!!!!!!

https://www.sec.gov/ix?doc=/Archives/edgadata/0001834974/000162828024007795/lev-20231231.htm
Up until fiscal 2023, Lion was solely relying on third-party battery suppliers to source battery cells, modules and packs that it was integrating in its vehicles. In connection with the establishment of its manufacturing operations at the Battery Plant, Lion now manufactures its own battery modules and packs that integrate 21700 cylindrical battery cells sourced from third-party suppliers. While Lion intends to continue in certain instances to rely on third-party suppliers for battery packs, it expects to increase optimization for product design, cost and production efficiency over time by producing battery packs in-house.
Lion achieved successful certification of the LionBattery MD, a lithium-ion battery pack specifically designed for the Company's medium duty trucks and school buses, in December 2023. The certification process for Lion's heavy duty (HD) battery pack is progressing and the Company expects final certification to occur near the middle of fiscal 2024. The Battery Plant currently has the infrastructure in place, including the production line and equipment, to achieve a production capacity of up to 1.7 GWh on an annual basis.
6.3Principal Markets Lion’s products are available for purchase in Canada and in the United States. For the year ended December 31, 2023, 65% of Lion’s revenues were generated by sales in Canada and 35% of the revenues were generated by sales in the United States. Lion’s products are distributed by truck and rail in Canada and the United States, either directly to Lion’s customers or to the third-party upfitters Lion partners with
6.9Subsidies and Funding Opportunities
In May 2022, the EPA announced the availability of $500 million under the first round of funding of the EPA Program, which amount was subsequently increased to $945 million. On April 25, 2023, the EPA announced the availability of an additional $400 million of grants through a new 2023 grant funding round (the "2023 grant round") under the EPA Program which was more than doubled in January 2024 as further described below, and on September 28, 2023, the EPA announced additional funding of up to $500 million through a rebate round, in respect of which applications are now closed and awards are expected to be announced in April 2024. Please refer to the EPA's website for additional information on the EPA Program: https://www.epa.gov/cleanschoolbus. On January 8, 2024, the EPA announced that it more than doubled the funding amount initially announced for the 2023 grant round, thereby allocating nearly $1 billion to 67 applicants. Based on the EPA, the awards under the 2023 grant round are expected to facilitate the purchase of over 2,700 clean school buses in 280 school districts serving over 7 million students across 37 states. See section 8.0 of the Company’s fiscal 2023 MD&A entitled “Operational Highlights” for more information on the EPA Program.
The Biden administration also signed into law the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, which includes a program under which purchases of new Class 4-8 electric vehicles may qualify for a commercial clean vehicle credit of up to $40,000 under the Internal Revenue Code (IRC). Lion has been approved by the Internal Revenue Service as a qualified manufacturer for the commercial clean vehicle credit such that Lion’s all-electric trucks sold in the United States starting January 1, 2023 may be eligible for such vehicle credit.
U.S. states and Air Quality Districts have also implemented various programs to offset carbon emissions, such as Zero-Emission Vehicle (ZEV) credit trading mechanisms currently adopted by seven U.S. states and New York City’s plan to electrify its school bus fleet by 2035. Additionally, several states and Washington D.C. have signed the Multi-State Medium and Heavy-Duty Zero Emission Vehicle Memorandum of Understanding, committing to implement the Advanced Clean Truck (ACT) rule which has an objective of having 100% of all new medium and heavy-duty vehicle sales be zero-emission by 2050, with an interim target of 30% zero-emission vehicle sales by 2030.
Competition
Nova bus New Flyer BYD Proterra

# Today In Phishstory - May 31st Brought to you by tiph-bot. Beep.
All data extracted via The Phishnet API.

Phish

Phish, Tuesday 05/31/2022 (2 years ago) Credit One Stadium, Charleston, SC, USA
Gap Chart, Tour: 2022 Spring Tour
Set 1 : Set Your Soul Free , Walls of the Cave , Sample in a Jar , Steam , My Friend, My Friend ¹ > Sparkle , Ocelot , Leaves , The Squirming Coil
Set 2 : Axilla (Part II) > Also Sprach Zarathustra > Light > Mountains in the Mist , Meat , Golgi Apparatus ² > Slave to the Traffic Light > Cavern
Encore : 46 Days > Tube
1 No "Myfe" ending. 2 Lyrics changed to "I saw you with a barcode in your hand."
Jamchart Notes:
Set Your Soul Free - A jam much more in line with the start of Set 2 than Set 1, boasting some warm and lovely electric piano work from Page, a really nifty minor-key exploration at Trey's urging, and a magnificent double-time finale.
Walls of the Cave - A refreshing jam (and set placement) in this first version since '04 to significantly deviate from the typical format. Extra effects use loosens things up early as it dips into a short-lived, but moody darker segment, and then the jam brightens considerably at 10:00 with Trey and Page pairing up nicely for dual leads, before finally working its way back to "WoTC" to conclude.
Also Sprach Zarathustra - Kicks off with some sprightly Trey soloing before diving into a puddle of grimy synth effects and concludes > to a strong "Light"
Light - > from "2001." The band feels connected and that connection is on display throughout this great jam. They work effortlessly as one organism as the feel and the tempo of the jam changes. > into "Mountains in the Mist."
46 Days - Another deceptive offering from Spring '22 provides about four minutes of type 2 exploration in the opening slot of the encore. While not accompanied by a massive peak, fluid and enjoyable jamming from all four members will have you bopping your head with a smile on your face.
Tube - A dense mind-scrambler of synths, impactful bass, and multi-toned guitar (including the "bullfrog"), then becomes even more frazzled before the final break. The most substantial "Tube" jam in the encore to date, and just about as good of a jam in any encore period.
Show Notes:
My Friend My Friend did not contain the "Myfe" ending. Mike sung part of Passing Through in Light. Golgi's lyrics were changed to "I saw you with a barcode in your hand." Trey and Fish teased Mr. Completely in 46 Days.
Listen now at Phish.in!
Phish, Tuesday 05/31/2011 (13 years ago) PNC Bank Arts Center, Holmdel, NJ, USA
Gap Chart, Tour: 2011 Early Summer Tour
Set 1 : Chalk Dust Torture , Roggae > Punch You in the Eye , The Moma Dance > Rock and Roll , Sand , Tube > Divided Sky , Character Zero
Set 2 : After Midnight > Possum , Drowned > Maze , Dirt , Alaska , You Enjoy Myself
Encore : Fire
Jamchart Notes:
After Midnight - The jam tracks "After Midnight" fairly closely for a stretch, then around 9:00 it breaks into a nice upbeat groove which swiftly settles down.
Show Notes:
Trey dedicated Sand to "Max." YEM contained a Yakety Sax (It's Ice) tease from Mike. Fire contained alternate lyrics "move on over, let Cactus take over!"
Listen now at Phish.in!
Phish, Sunday 05/31/2009 (15 years ago) Fenway Park, Boston, MA, USA
Gap Chart, Tour: 2009 Early Summer Tour
Set 1 : The Star-Spangled Banner , Sample in a Jar , The Moma Dance , Chalk Dust Torture , Ocelot ¹ , Stash , Bouncing Around the Room , Poor Heart , Limb By Limb , Wading in the Velvet Sea , Down with Disease , Destiny Unbound , Character Zero
Set 2 : Tweezer -> Light ² , Bathtub Gin , David Bowie , Time Turns Elastic ² , Free , The Ballad of Curtis Loew , You Enjoy Myself
Encore : Cavern , Good Times Bad Times , Tweezer Reprise
1 Debut. 2 Phish debut.
Jamchart Notes:
Ocelot - Debut.
Tweezer - "Theme from the Bottom" jam for a bit.
Light - Debut.
Show Notes:
The Star Spangled Banner was performed from the pitcher's mound. This show marked the debut of Ocelot and the Phish debuts of Light and Time Turns Elastic. Stash was preceded by Stash, It's Ice and Take Me Out to the Ballgame teases. Trey also teased Take Me Out to the Ballgame after Stash and again during Limb By Limb. After Time Turns Elastic, Trey jokingly announced, "That's our single." The Ballad of Curtis Loew was performed for the first time since August 2, 1993 (628 shows).
Listen now at Phish.in!
Phish, Thursday 05/31/1990 (34 years ago) The Georgia Theatre, Athens, GA, USA
Gap Chart, Tour: 1990 Tour
Set 1 : Possum , You Enjoy Myself , Dinner and a Movie > Bouncing Around the Room , Caravan , Esther > Tweezer > I Didn't Know , Uncle Pen , Divided Sky > The Oh Kee Pa Ceremony > Suzy Greenberg , Good Times Bad Times
Encore : Sweet Adeline
Show Notes:
Suzy contained a Dixie tease from Trey. Phish opened for The Aquarium Rescue Unit.
Listen now at Phish.in!
Phish, Friday 05/31/1985 (39 years ago) Slade Hall, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, USA
Gap Chart, Tour: 1985 Tour
Set 1 : Big Leg Emma
Show Notes:
This show was a benefit for the Union of Concerned Students (UCS), a group that worked with anti-Apartheid forces to help pull UVM investments out of South Africa. Herbal Tea also played at this show. It appears that Big Leg Emma may have been played, but the setlist is unknown.
Listen now at Phish.in!

Trey Anastasio

Trey Anastasio Band, 2019-05-31 The Tabernacle, Atlanta, GA, USA
Setlist: https://phish.net/setlists/trey-anastasio-may-31-2019-the-tabernacle-atlanta-ga-usa.html
Tour: Not Part of a Tour
Show Notes: This show was webcast via Live Phish, featured the first TAB performance of Will It Go Round in Circles since December 30, 2006, and the TAB debut of About to Run.
Trey Anastasio Band, 2017-05-31 Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Morrison, CO, USA
Setlist: https://phish.net/setlists/trey-anastasio-may-31-2017-red-rocks-amphitheatre-morrison-co-usa.html
Tour: Not Part of a Tour
Show Notes: This show was webcast via Live Phish. Vulfpeck was the opening act.
Vulfpeck, 2017-05-31 Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Morrison, CO, USA
Setlist: https://phish.net/setlists/trey-anastasio-may-31-2017-red-rocks-amphitheatre-morrison-co-usa-2.html
Tour: Not Part of a Tour
Show Notes: Trey, Joey Dosik, and Cory Wong joined Vulfpeck on stage for Rango and Will You Be There.
Trey Anastasio Band, 2003-05-31 Warfield Theatre, San Francisco, CA, USA
Setlist: https://phish.net/setlists/trey-anastasio-may-31-2003-warfield-theatre-san-francisco-ca-usa.html
Tour: TAB - The Dectet Summer 2003 Tour
Show Notes: Carlos Santana sat in on a second guitar for Last Tube, The Way I Feel, and the entire second set. Portions of this show including Carlos Santana were officially released on the 2004 DVD Live at The Warfield. John the Revelator, Caravan, and Root Down were TAB debuts. Soul Makossa was quoted in Last Tube. Night Speaks to a Woman contained a San-Ho-Zay jam and Moving in Stereo teases from Jennifer Hartswick. Caravan included a Manteca tease.
Trey Anastasio Band, 2002-05-31 Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas, NV, USA
Setlist: https://phish.net/setlists/trey-anastasio-may-31-2002-thomas-mack-center-las-vegas-nv-usa.html
Tour: TAB - The Dectet Summer 2002 Tour
Show Notes: Spearhead (setlist), and then Los Lobos (setlist) opened; Trey sat in with both bands. Michael Franti provided lead vocals for "Small Axe." "I Want to Take You Higher" featured Michael Franti, Steve Berlin, David Hidalgo, and Conrad Lozano and others from Spearhead and Los Lobos. Page capped off the evening of guest appearances, replacing Ray on keyboards for "First Tube" and "Bug."

Mike Gordon

Marco Benevento, 2014-05-31 Radio Bean, Burlington, VT, USA
Setlist: https://phish.net/setlists/mike-gordon-may-31-2014-radio-bean-burlington-vt-usa.html
Tour: Not Part of a Tour
Show Notes: Mike sat in on bass for the noted songs. This performance was part of the Burlington Discover Jazz Festival.
Mike Gordon and Ramble Dove, 2006-05-31 Irving Plaza, New York, NY, USA
Setlist: https://phish.net/setlists/mike-gordon-may-31-2006-irving-plaza-new-york-ny-usa.html
Tour: Mike Gordon and Ramble Dove Summer 2006 Tour
Show Notes: Grace Potter & The Nocturnals opened. Trey sat in on guitar from "I Got Loaded" through "Possum."
Grappa Boom, 2003-05-31 Iron Horse Music Hall, Northampton, MA, USA
Setlist: https://phish.net/setlists/mike-gordon-may-31-2003-iron-horse-music-hall-northampton-ma-usa.html
Tour: Mike - Grappa Boom
Show Notes: This was the second of two separate-entry performances of the evening (late show). Gordon Stone sat in on banjo for "Half Creek" and "Little Maggie."
Grappa Boom, 2003-05-31 Iron Horse Music Hall, Northampton, MA, USA
Setlist: https://phish.net/setlists/mike-gordon-may-31-2003-iron-horse-music-hall-northampton-ma-usa-2.html
Tour: Mike - Grappa Boom
Show Notes: This was the first of two separate-entry performances of the evening (early show).

John Fishman

Jazz Mandolin Project, 2004-05-31 Three Sisters Park, Chillicothe, IL, USA
Setlist: https://phish.net/setlists/jon-fishman-may-31-2004-three-sisters-park-chillicothe-il-usa.html
Tour: Fish - Jazz Mandolin Project Summer 2004 Tour
Show Notes: This performance was part of the Summer Camp Music Festival that also included MMW, Particle, Leftover Salmon and moe. "Nozani Na" featured Vinnie Amico on percussion. "What Is and What Should Never Be" featured Al Schiner on guitar. This setlist is incomplete.

Page McConnell

Page McConnell, 2007-05-31 Avalon, Boston, MA, USA
Setlist: https://phish.net/setlists/page-mcconnell-may-31-2007-avalon-boston-ma-usa.html
Tour: Page McConnell Spring & Summer 2007 Tour
Show Notes:

Other

moe., 2004-05-31 Three Sisters Park, Chillicothe, IL, USA
Setlist: https://phish.net/setlists/guest-appearance-may-31-2004-three-sisters-park-chillicothe-il-usa.html
Tour: Not Part of a Tour
Show Notes: This show was part of moe.'s Summercamp festival. Jazz Mandolin Project had performed earlier in the day. Fish sat in on drums for "Yodelittle," which contained a "Bathtub Gin" tease. "Timmy Tucker" and "Head" featured Jamie Masefield on mandolin.
Spearhead, 2002-05-31 Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas, NV, USA
Setlist: https://phish.net/setlists/guest-appearance-may-31-2002-thomas-mack-center-las-vegas-nv-usa.html
Tour: Not Part of a Tour
Show Notes: Spearhead, then Los Lobos (setlist) opened for TAB (setlist). Trey sat in for the Spearhead original "Sometimes" that included a quick "Smells Like Teen Spirit" tease and witnessed Trey delivering guitar solos literally from his knees.
Los Lobos, 2002-05-31 Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas, NV, USA
Setlist: https://phish.net/setlists/guest-appearance-may-31-2002-thomas-mack-center-las-vegas-nv-usa-2.html
Tour: Not Part of a Tour
Show Notes: Spearhead (setlist), opened, TAB (setlist) closed. Trey sat in on guitar and vocals for "Not Fade Away" > "Bertha."
Zen Tricksters, 2002-05-31 Tribeca Blues, New York, NY, USA
Setlist: https://phish.net/setlists/guest-appearance-may-31-2002-tribeca-blues-new-york-ny-usa.html
Tour: Not Part of a Tour
Show Notes: This show was billed as "A Night of Legends." Mike sat in on bass in place of Klyph Black for "Nine Pound Hammer" through the end of the first set, and "Little Maggie" and "Fetch Wood Carry Water" to begin the second set.
Ozomatli, 1999-05-31 Higher Ground, Winooski, VT, USA
Setlist: https://phish.net/setlists/guest-appearance-may-31-1999-higher-ground-winooski-vt-usa.html
Tour: Not Part of a Tour
Show Notes: There is no known stelist for this show and recordings do not circulate.

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BoxOfficeTheory Presale Tracking
USA Showtimes As of May 30
Presales Data (Google Sheets Link)
BoxOfficeReport Previews
Quorum Update (May 29)
DOMESTIC PRESALES
Bad Boys: Ride or Die Average Thursday / EA+Thursday comp: $3.85M/$5.10M

• abracadabra1998 (Comp: $2.61M THU. All these comps had been on sale for longer, so those will go up, with the exception of Civil War, which went on sale at T-18 so that'll go down. Feels like a walk-up movie so it's hard to find good comps (May 19). Numbers are from last THU, as per my post this morning. This is a more walk-up movie a la Aquaman or Apes so I think it's a pretty good start (May 18). Pretty good start for it honestly (May 16).)
  
• el sid (Counted yesterday for Thursday had 395 sold tickets with shows in 6 theaters (the small AMC Lakeline in Texas is still missing). 10 days left. Bad Boys for Life (6.36M from previews) had on Monday of the release week 915 sold tickets = 43% at the moment for Bad Boys 4 with 7 days left to come closer or maybe overtake. My guess is that BB4 could have 800-1000k tickets by next Monday, so it could be pretty much on par with BBfL. Similar to other reports here: BB4 does not have stellar presales and after several disappointments I shouldn't exaggerate but compared to the best comps it looks quite good for BB4 as you can see (May 28).)
  
• Flip (Decided to add one more theater but there was good growth in both of the original two (May 27).)
  
• katnisscinnaplex (Comp: $5.1M EA+THU.)
  
• keysersoze123 (Still at very low pace (May 30). Presales are again not that much at this point. I think its not going to hit the heights of last movie (May 28). It should start to amp up sometime this week (May 27). This wont be fan driven. Even the last one initially trailed Dr Do little in presales but amped up big time close to release. This will be a late bloomer. I am still expecting 50m+ OW (May 23).)
  
• TheFlatLannister (Comp: $5.35M THU. Excellent jump today. Starting to see the acceleration (May 29). Steady pace, no acceleration yet. Switch to G x K since that had super strong walkups ($6.12M THU comp) and Bad Boys 4 will likely replicate this (May 27). Comps ($4.11M) would mean $40M+ Opening Weekend (May 24). Well, this is a pretty good start (May 17).)
  
• TwoMisfits (Aging male-skewing franchises tend to get the biggest bump from this deal. Folks are on the fence but know what they are getting. Female skewing non-sequel ones tend to get zero help. You need baseline interest to get people willing to pay anything, b/c these still are $5. The other effect of the deal is that movies releasing around the $5 hits sometimes get hurt. June TMobile $5 Atom movie. This could help it go huge, like last year's Spider-Verse (May 22).)
  
• vafrow (Comp: $3.6M THU. A bounceback day that helped undo some of the damage from earlier this week (May 29). It's not having a great week. It's slowly slipping against comps, when the hope was that it would be gaining. New showtimes went up for the Thursday, and it's only gotten one additional screen. It's the 4DX screen, which makes sense, as what else justifies a 4DX screen at this stage (May 29). It's staying pretty flat (May 28). Zero sales day when all comps seemed to have done well. Not a great result. Note: This isn't a holiday weekend in Canada, so that doesn't explain the slow sales. Hopefully it's just an anomaly. This has been very steady to date (May 27). Ghostbusters and Apes both went up in comps, but I didn't have Hunger Games included, so it's brought the average down. Still, its growing at a steady pace (May 26). I still expect this to be more walk up friendly than the comps being used, and should see a gradual rise as the date gets closer (May 25). Nothing of note here. Staying steady. Will probably pick up only in the final week (May 20). Comps are not the greatest. One, surprisingly hard to find a comparable film with similar start on sales. Plus, I think ticket buying patterns have changed pretty drastically in my market over the last few months. Very little up front sales compared to late 2023. Dune was the exception (May 17).)
  
• YM! (Like IO2 the pace for Bad Boys is small but mighty. EA is only available at Majestic much like Garfield. With EA, it’s a few tickets shy of Furiosa’s T-6 but without them it’s only a bit over half. Either way both is really good. I think we’ll continue to see the gap grow over the week but as of rn, I am thinking around $6-7m previews without EA solely on vibes to an OW north of $55m (May 25). Same thing as IO2 for Bad Boys (see May 23 IO2 comment), I expect this to not only skew more GA friendly and should bulk up ticket sales as we get closer to release. It’s almost at half of Furiosa’s T-6 which is a pretty great thing. Should easily outdo it by T-6 imho (May 23). Again, another solid start-ish. I expect Bad Boys to have the most diverse audience. Can't really predict much on previews but I am feeling confident in the 55-60m OW range for the past few weeks (May 17).)
  

The Watchers Average Thursday Comp: $0.89M

• el sid (Had a pretty muted start in my theaters. Yesterday 37 tickets were sold for Thursday, May 6, and today it were 44 (with showtimes in 5 theaters). Comps (always counted for Thursday):Tarot (715k from previews) had with 6 days left 28 sold tickets. The First Omen (725k) had with 8 days left also 28 sold tickets. Abigail (1M) had with 6 days left 97 sold tickets. And The Strangers: Chapter One (1.2M) had on Monday of the release week 215 sold tickets. I don't think that The Watchers can reach the presales number of The Strangers, maybe half of that (= ca. 100 sold tickets next Monday). So at the moment I go with around 500k from previews for The Watchers (May 30).)
  
• filmlover (Hasn't sold anything near me (May 26).)
  
• Flip (These are good numbers considering it’s only playing in 2/3 theaters I track (May 28).)
  
• katnisscinnaplex ($0.89M THU Comp.)
  

The Lord of the Rings Extended Edition Re-Releases (June 8-10)

• BoxOfficePro (Fathom Events has also announced that select Regal Cinemas will present the films in 4DX on June 22/23/24 for Fellowship/Towers/Return respectively (May 14).)
  
• AnthonyJPHer (Fellowship of the Ring (269 tickets, 6 showtimes, 4 theaters) on Saturday, June 8, 2024 and Saturday, June 15, 2024 (21 tickets, 4 showings, 4 theaters). The Two Towers (243 tickets, 4 theaters) Saturday, June 9, 2024 and Saturday, June 16, 2024 (22 tickets, 4 showings, 4 theaters). Return of the King (281 tickets, 4 theaters) for Saturday, June 10, 2024 and Saturday, June 17, 2024 (16 tickets, 4 showings, 4 theaters). 852 tickets sold in total. 793 tickets sold for the first week. 59 tickets sold for the second week (May 28).)
  
• katnisscinnaplex (Up to ~1,400 shows now with new locations picking it up and others adding a second showing. LotR1 has sold 831 seats OD, LotR2 sold 715 seats OD, and LotR3 sold 735 seats OD. For comparison, Phantom Menace didn't break 800 tickets until T-3 and we're still over a month out. JW3 comp is currently around 9m (it was at 1,670 tickets sold at this point!) (May 6).)
  

Inside Out 2 Average Thursday Comp: $8.65M

• NRG (Now tracking for $85M domestic debut (May 30).)
  
• abracadabra1998 (Comp: $3.98M THU. Good update, hopefully this keeps on rising (May 23). Not impressed at all so far here sadly (May 19).)
  
• AniNate (Finally a little movement here. 23 Thursday, 52 Fri-Sun (compared to 18 THU and 23 FRI-SUN on May 17) (May 22). Safe to say the fan rush has ended, and it might not be immediately on casual family and radar when they're making memorial Day plans and there are two other kids movies out or about to be out (May 19).)
  
• AnthonyJPHer (Some growth for THU, not bad but I expect sales to increase steadily as we get closer to release day. The presales are good enough to not be a disaster like Garfield, but not big enough to guarantee a 100m opening. I still like what I’m seeing though. As my local theater has finally shown some signs of life with this film. 5 tickets sold. Way better than Garfield at the same point. The numbers might not be completely accurate, but it’s looking extremely strong for Friday. 900 tickets for the five theaters I track. Maybe even 1,286 tickets if my numbers are accurate. That tells me this is not front loaded whatsoever. Or at the very least not preview heavy (May 27). Out of the 4 tracked theaters, there is at least 774 tickets sold out of 1000+ seats. Blown Garfield out of the water (~200 tickets from the theaters I tracked). At least 3 sold out (or close to sold out) showings for Inside Out 2. Looking good for Inside Out 2. Of course this might just be fan surge and all. I was looking at the THU previews in a theater near me. There is an almost completely sold out showing. Out of 195 seats, 175 were sold. Where I live there seems to be real interest. I counted about more than 400 tickets sold on THU for theaters near me, kind of shocked me (May 19).)
  
• charlie Jatinder (Comp: $12.33M THU at MTC2. Moving along nicely (May 21).)
  
• Flip (Decided to add one more theater but there was good growth in both of the original two (May 27). Fan event on the 16th has 43 tickets sold from 2 showtimes (compared to 8 showtimes and 73 tickets sold for previews), so that might be depressing previews a bit.)
  
• katnisscinnaplex (Comp: $6.37M THU. Early sales haven't been there lately except for the extreme fans. $12.27M Mario comp (May 18).)
  
• keysersoze123 (If you compare this to any animation movies seen recently including Minions, its doing very well. Really good this far out for sure (May 25). Chugging along at this point (May 19). Show counts show Plexes are expecting a big OW. I dont remember when we last had a animation movie start with so many shows. I wont count Mario as that was a fan driven movie. Definitely not great presales but this is not a fan driven movie. Let us see where things are in the final week (May 15).)
  
• Porthos (BAD COMPS: $8.65M THU. I literally have zero good comps for IO2 right now. I generally don't keep track of sub-5m pure kids animated films until right before release (if even then), so the exact genre matches are out. IO2 is too backloaded (or rather NOT frontloaded) for the AtSVs of the world to make much sense. IO2 had a (too) long (by half) pre-sale window which is wrecking a whole bunch of other slightly more plausible comps. If I had a complete track of KFP4, that'd probably help a great deal. So I have a ton of.... less than ideal comps where none of them are probably point in the right direction. Maaaaaaaybe Wonka might be the best of the bad batch there. But, as often the case with films that should be very backloaded, won't really know how backloaded they are until the week of release. (will note that IO2 does seem to be picking up a hint of steam right now. Which should bode well for its overall ticket total). Horror is, along side pure kids animation, THE most backloaded genre there is when it comes to pre-sales. The ATP for the Nope comp will be wrecked (and then some), but the pace should be very instructive. It also helps that the name recognition for Jordan Peele led to slightly stronger than usual pre-sales for a non-franchise horror installment which should map fairly well with the in-built name recognition of IO2. Is complicated by the fact that Nope had an even longer pre-sale window than IO2, but that might help counterbalance some of the ATP errors involved. Won't be a good comp at the end. But right now, might be one of the better ones, especially to show the insane growth that should be on the table for IO2. I don't think it's much of a coincidence that it's one of the few comps I have right now that is pointing to double digit previews (May 30). I don't agree with the undertone of concern when it comes to ticket sales for IO2. They seem perfectly fine to me, maybe even somewhat strong. It just isn't selling like a frontloaded CBM/fan driven franchise (even when adjusting for animation). So I suppose it really comes down to how much we think this will still act like a traditional kids animation film when it comes to buying pattern, how much demand has been burnt off, and how many people are still going to buy tickets but see no particular need to buy them early. Which I suppose really can't be answered until we get close to the time when kids animation films typically accelerate. But, I keep looking at the sales in Sacramento and not seeing much cause for concern. Yet, at any rate (May 25). Decided to add Nope ($12.62M) to the comp block. Not because I think it's a particularly good one (the ATP differences alone are a major red flag), but more for pace considerations considering how similar horror and kids animation are when it comes to being backloaded. The other consideration with Nope is that it was on sale for nearly two weeks longer, so it did have a small amount of extra time to pad some seats sold. But maybe the errors (ATP vs length of pre-sale) will cancel each other out. PROBABLY NOT! But the pace at the very least should be interesting (May 25). 10.0% Matinee sales, 5.3% 3D sales and 42.2% PLF sales. (May 19). Strange pre-sale pattern. Was there some sort of promo that dropped today? Either way, just a great day (for this type of movie at this point in pre-sales) (May 17). Fairly strong day. Was concentrated at a couple of theaters (May 16). On the SAT of release weekend (NOT EA) there is a special event screening for IO2: INSIDE OUT 2: FUNKO FAMILY EVENT! (2024) Sat June 15th. Might boost OW slightly depending on how wide this event is and how much more these tickets will presumably cost (May 11).)
  
• Skim Beeble (I don't know if it's just me, but starting June 20th PLF showings for Inside Out 2 are stopping after around 4 PM. Is there possibly a surprise release coming or is it just a scheduling showtime thing from the chains. (This is AMC) (May 29).)
  
• TheFlatLannister (Comp: $8.52M THU Florida and $7.57M THU Orlando Comp. Excellent pace this far out. Does feel like something big is around the corner (May 27). Definitely the biggest rollout in showings since I've started tracking Florida. Bigger than even Dune 2 and it's only T-26 (May 18).)
  
• vafrow (Comp: $12.5M THU. Take the comps with a grain of salt. The low numbers on IF and Garfield really throw things off. Numbers were flat all week before a jump in the last day (May 29). It's starting to grow (May 25). I'm surprised this hasn't been stronger. At this stage, I don't expect we'll see much activity until final week (May 19). No new sales. Whatever glitches in the system on day 1 didn't push sales to day 2. I still think the lack of base ticket options will push families to wait. Cineplex has jacked up the cost of PLFs, plus they're throwing in an increase for opening weekend of major releases. It adds up quickly for families (May 16).)
  
• YM! (Using Keysersoze123's earlier MTC1 data, the pace is pretty good. $6.74M average THU comp. The same caveats apply (higher ATP than the other animations due to older skew and PLFs but having lower ATP than TLM as that skews older and likely has more of audience to buy upfront, and Wish being on Discount Tuesday muddies things up) but the important thing is that pace healthy and gainer ground against its comparisons. Feel like tracking is right on the money of 75-85m OW but could grow stronger if pace continues strong and reviews are strong (May 26). The pace is moving nicely as we have about two and a half weeks left. Think there’s potential for ticket count pace to grow strongly. I have no comparisons but it is at Garfield’s EA-less T-3 ticket sales. Going to probably not say much on preview predictions but my thoughts of an OW in between 75m-100m still stand. Not much to make of things until we get to around 2 weeks for rudimentary guessing and opening week for figuring things out (May 25). Little has changed as IO2 keeps on trucking along. I do theorize at least from the 250 ticket selling Funko Event, it’s plausible families and fans went for that date instead of Thursday night previews. Not much to make of things until we get to around 2 weeks for rudimentary guessing and opening week for figuring things out. At the very least, I like that it doubled its previous sales a week ago as it shows pace and outdid Garfield’s T-6 (May 23). Did some snooping around for the Funko Event as I was curious if perhaps families getting presales for the opening Saturday vs opening Thursday as those sales are kind of weak Thursday and uhm it’s at 250 tickets. Which is like 5 times Garfield’s EA showing of 50 tickets all at PLF prices despite normal theaters. Most of which at 9:30 AM with only one theater having it at 11:00 AM (May 22). Based on keysoze123's Elemental, Wish, Little Mermaid, and Kung Fu Panda 4 preview data, $5.66M THU comp and $22.2M FRI comp. Not a fan of the average comp (Disney has underperformed at MTC2 so not within history to rely on it overperforming like KFP4 and IF) but really like the True FRI although it is very inconsistent. Not sure if IO2 would jump that high from the THU average. However, there’s a lot of variable since: 1. TLM should skew more towards young adults than families by nature which should make ATP higher. 2. IO2 should and does have a higher ATP than either Wish, KFP4 or Elemental due to total PLF control and presumably skews a bit older. 3. Wish was on Discount TUES so that should muddy up the comparisons. 4. The comparisons apart from Elemental are either days before or days behind. 5. Both Wish and KFP4 opened outside the summer season so internal multiplier will be different (especially with Wish’s five day) due to how summer and fall have entirely different natures in walkups which leaves just TLM/Elemental as viable comparisons. It does show that IO2 should at least open above 65m? (May 20). Seems IO2 is playing more like a kid's animation than a family event. Pretty solid for what it is. Majestic is healthy and about 66% of Garfield T-6. Thinking anywhere from 75m-100m OW rn (May 17).)
  

The Bikeriders

• Pinacolada (Actually sold some around me. It does seem like Focus is giving it kind of a shitty release though. Small screens. Definitely no PLFs, which 20th Century Studios was gonna get it Dolby back when they had it. There's 3 theaters really near me. Only 1 of them has this on sale as of now, though the other 2 theaters may come later? (May 26).)

A Quiet Place: Day One

• Flip (Has a fan event on the same day of previews, PLF only (May 30).)

Deadpool and Wolverine Average Thursday Comp using TheFlatLannister's Dune2+GOTG3 comp: $30.46M

• AMC ("Some 200,000 movie fans have bought their AMC tickets already. This is more Day 1 ticket sales at AMC than for any other R-rated movie ever." Insiders tell The Hollywood Reporter that first-day sales are likely around $8 million to $9 million if extrapolating the 200,000 stat cited by Aron (May 22).)
  
• DEADLINE (Already heating up eight weeks before its debut, having already collected some $8M in first day ticket sales. $8M is pretty remarkable for an R-rated movie two months before release. While there are no direct comps on Deadpool & Wolverine ticket sales in post-Covid history, its current cash bests the 24-hour advance ticket sales of The Batman ($6.5M), Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 ($6M) and John Wick: Chapter 4 ($1.4M). The Batman and GOTG3 opened to respective 3-day weekends of $134M and $118.4M (May 22).)
  
• FANDANGO (Broke Fandango’s best first-day ticket sales record for 2024. Best first-day pre-seller from the Deadpool franchise (May 21).)
  
• abracadabra1998 (Day 1/2 Comps (not serious ones): $25.82M/$28.14M THU. Pretty damn great day 2! (May 21).)
  
• AniNate (THU sales still largely biased towards primetime evening showings. There may be FOMO but not enough for people to take off work early. Good lord already 80+ THU previews sold for Deadpool at Canton (May 20).)
  
• AnthonyJPHer (Extremely strong growth from OD for Thursday. We have a monster on our hands here people. Buuut. Let me temper the excitement somewhat. The Friday numbers are good, stronger than Inside Out 2 by a considerable margin. However Inside Out 2 is looking very backloaded. This is looking extremely presales heavy right now. Much more than IO2’s 1,200 tickets for Friday. But here lies the problem. There is only 122 tickets separating Thursday and Friday for Deadpool and Wolverine, and for IO2, there is 500 tickets between the two days for that movie. This far out I’m not freaking out. I think the gap will increase. It just alarmed me a little. I still think it’s going to be massive though. Just a word of caution (May 28). Off to a hot start! At my theater in my town, there has been 8 tickets sold. That sounds low but it’s actually a lot, especially this far out and because Inside Out 2 hasn’t sold any tickets at my theater yet. Looking more broadly at 4 theaters I track other than my own, there is a mind- boggling 1,029 tickets sold! Already more than Inside Out 2 (May 20).)
  
• Charlie Jatinder (Comp: $28.9M THU. Moving along well (May 27). Nearly 300 sales day vs ~260 by Black Panther & ~200 of GOTG3. Another brilliant day. Given the length of sales window, comps be falling off but they have remained steady for first 4 days (May 24). Looking at keysersoze123's MTC1 data: These are incredible (May 22). $40.22M THU (MCU first day sales). Amazing day two at MiniTC2. Well ahead of BP2, GOTG3 and AM3. Not too far off from Thor 4. This is more impressive considering they all were ~25-35 days out while this is 65 days out. MTC2 has lower ATP generally due to smaller screens, less PLF, and more family friendly chain. Does much better PTA than MTC1 (May 21). MCU MTC 1 24 Hours: Doctor Strange: Multiverse of Madness ~ 210K (T-29), Thor 4 ~ 137K (T-24), DP&W ~ 120K+ (T-66), BP 2 ~ 110K (T-38), AM3 ~ 88K (T-30), and GoTG3 ~ 76K (T-30). At T-30 guess DP&W would have been around 160-170K type. Will mostly be above BP2 and below Thor 4. 3.6k so far. BP2 final was 4.6k. It’s done (crossed GOTG3 day one sales). Almost crossed GoTG3 day one sales at MiniTC2 (May 20).)
  
• Inceptionzq (Denver Comp: $25.69M THU. Drafthouse THU/FRI/SAT/SUN comp: $31.04M/$38.62M/$40.21M/$22.35M (May 21). Drafthouse THU/FRI/SAT/SUN comps with L&T 24 hours and MoM 11 hours: (1.03x0.968x) / (0.884x0.945x) / (0.912x1.01x) / (0.561x1.004x). Denver THU: In like for like theaters: (0.828x Thor L&T First 24 hours) and (0.628x Doctor Strange MoM first 11.5 hours) (May 20).)
  
• jeffthehat (Took my first look in Indiana yesterday. Won't do a full post because I missed like 20 shows. But the gist is it was at ~3600 tickets sold and ~400 shows. Just as a point of reference, here are the highest values for tickets sold I have in my database. Bob Marley Wed T-1 = 3309 tickets sold. Dune 2 Thu T-1 = 3041 tickets sold. Godzilla x Kong Thu T-1 = 2328 tickets sold. Thus, sales are already the highest I've tracked with two months to go (May 29).)
  
• keysersoze123 (Previews was taken late yesterday and Friday data was just now. Still going quite strong. very impressive after huge OD (May 28). Still really strong 3 days later (May 25). 1st few days of PS is all about fanboys so T-x does not matter. By this FRI it will be in steady state mode. With this long a cycle that would be at very low levels. Looking at FRI sales, its IM will be closer to Thor 4 than BP2. So we can do the projections based on how the previews will go. However Its really early. Let us wait until we have T-x comps. Probably will have to wait until July to get credible comps. MTC2 early sales tend to be way weaker for all movies. The disparity for big movies is even higher. Nothing out of ordinary in day 2 pace for MTC1 (May 22). Obvious skew on previews (compared to FRI) as its 9+ weeks from release. Excellent growth even past 2:15 PM. Finished ahead of BP2 and ~20K below Thor 4 (116k for DxW and FINAL The Marvels previews at 133k). It has the longer cycle. This includes fan shows which sold 18K+ in initial check around noon PST. Fan event is just MTC1. I dont see anything for any other MTC so far or smaller chains. I think at this point we need to comp with 2022 MCU movies if OD presales are on par. Until we are within T-x cycle for this movie, we cannot comp after 1st 2-3 days. Fan shows are yuge. Adding FanShows and Previews should put it between BP2 and Thor 4 for now. Terrific OD. Over time, GotG3 should provide great comps. I can say for sure, its no where in the ballpark of DS2 which did 36m previews. Really good start. Should finish the day ahead of Ant 3 I think. Sales will taper off after fanboy rush. This does not include fan shows. No full data yet but show counts for previews (MTC1 - 7427 and MTC2 - 2914). MTC1 shows they are ready for big numbers. MTC2 is more conservative and numbers will go up close to release. If I have to guess based on really early indications, its OD between Guardians 3 and Ant 3 at MTC1. MTC2 I unfortunately cannot get data (May 20). Thor 4 is the most logical comp but that had meh WOM so IM was terrible. Previews were excellent though. Since its previews was 3 days after July 4, its final surge was stronger than even DS2. I dont think there is any difference between early and late July. All schools/colleges will still be off (May 19). Only number that matters is OD presales. after few days it will hit a trough and then it will plod along until social media reactions and reviews hit close to release. I think we can kind of predict its OW after its OD presales (May 18). RESPONSE TO PORTHOS: Captain Marvel had very strong sales on its OD despite early start. So OD is all about fans. It does not matter if you start 2 weeks before or 9 weeks. They will still book. So it would be interesting to compare OD sales not only with CM for @Porthos but also the big openers in 2022/23 period from MTC perspective. 1) DS2 - 230k ish. 2) Thor 4 - 136k ish. 3) Wakanda - 110k. 4) Ant 3 - 88K. 5) Guardians 3 - 70k ish (May 17).)
  
• Legion Again (Previews this early in summer are almost a THU opening, so Fri soemthing like +35-55% from Th is IM ~4.9-5.5. If we get some strong Fri sales when we’re close maybe I’ll drag it up to 5.6 or something but it will be really really tough to beat that. Expecting an IM close to Thor 4. Better reception (in avg case, just by regression to the mean) but bigger previews/more fanrush element, ~cancelling. T-65 Projection Matrix ($166M-$186M OW) (May 22).)
  
• Porthos (Comp: $20.87M THU. $6.90M earned so far in Sacramento (May 30). For long releases of MCU/SW Saga caliber, it usually takes about 6 to 8 days for the initial wave to stop. The Rise of Skywalker didn't really "bottom out" until D9 or so (T-51). Then at T-21, more or less, it started up its acceleration again. Can see similar patterns for MCU long runners (May 24). MCU/SW films tend to have a bit longer of a slope-down on the decent of the "u-curve" so I think I'll keep posting "Day x" comps for at least a couple more days (May 23). Pretty standard Day 2, really. Best sign, I think, is it nearly matching BP2 (that also had a long pre-sale window starting at T-38) (May 22). $22.09M THU Day 1 Comps (8.4% 3D and 58.5% PLF) (May 21). Pretty good, all things considered. BP2 and onward tell a pretty consistent picture. Do think the extra month of pre-sales is gonna mess with these comps at least a little (May 21). Since setup took 60-75 min longer, take the following with a slight grain of salt: 1:45 PM with 2,105 tickets sold. (NWH 2am: 6515), (NWH 2pm: 10685), (Batman 12:45 pm: 1693), (MoM 1:00 pm: 5030), (L&T 12:15pm: 2519), (BP2 2:15pm: 2197) and (GOTG3 12:40pm: 1317). Two theaters have not yet checked in. Seems to be broadly in line with other markets that have reported in (May 20). No comparison for a movie starting presales this early (60+ days before release). Only MCU entry which comes close is Captain Marvel (T-58) and only other Disney release is TROS (T-59). Longest pre-sale window for a major Disney release since The Last Jedi (~70 days). Longest major release since Fast X's 99 days. Probably the most on-point recent comparison will be Jurassic World 3's 43 days. Length of the pre-sale window will very likely depress D1/D2/D3 sales somewhat. It's a matter of smaller degrees when comparing something like a BP2 (starting at T-38), but that extra month is probably gonna slice some numbers off the top of the pile, especially after the first day (May 17).)
  
• TalismanRing (NYC Regal Local. 17 shows (3 3D, 3 RPX, 11 Reg 2): 102 tickets sold for first hour - almost half for the 7pm RPX showing. COMPS MON opening week: Marvels: 91 (11pm), Eternals: 266 (7pm), Black Widow: 239 (5pm), and Venom 2: 131 (6pm) (May 20).)
  
• TheFlatLannister ($150M locked imo. Don’t really see under $30M for previews and a 6x multi gets it to $180M OW. With GOTG 3 early reception I think $200M becomes a real discussion (May 22). $44.36M Dune 2 Day 2 comp. Pretty ridiculously strong day 2. Sold more tickets on T-65 than Dune 2 did in its final day of presales. $22.42M THU GOTG3 Comp. Considering this thing is 60+ days out, I'd say day 2 was amazing (May 21). Sold around 1k tickets in the last 8 hours. Keep in mind this is not T-X so once I switch to T-X 30+ days from now, comp will probably be well over $30M for GOTG. Thinking ~8k seats sold by T-30 for ~$37M comp with GOTG vol 3. DON'T TAKE THESE THU COMPS (Dune+APES+GxK) SERIOUSLY: $46.33M. Rollout is pretty insane. Has almost 200 more showings than Inside Out 2. Sold more tickets than Dune 2 did as of T-1 (Dune 2 finished with 13.6k on T-0). Also surpassed Godzilla tickets sold as of T-0. Half way finished collecting data on Deadpool for Florida and it's nearly tripled Dune 2 first 24 hours of sales and data is still flowing in. Passed GOTG3, ATSV, Dune 2 (First 24 hours) in about 3 hours. I think we can put the under $100M OW discussion to bed. To the shock of no one, this is blowing up. First 24 hours update should have average comps near $35M (May 20).)
  
• Tinalera (Toronto having an especially good run on pre sales- overall sales looking healthy (May 27). For a movie this far out, yea presales are doing well in Vancouver and Calgary. Its hard as very few movies open this early, but its healthy when we are getting between 5-10 percent sales for a movie not due out for 2 months (May 24).)
  
• TwoMisfits (Local Cinemark presale sets for DP3... 3 screens and 15 showings each - the PLF is giving 1 of 2 PLF screens and the non-PLF is doing some 3d showings. Not the set that a normal "big" Marvel movie gets, but it seems my 2 locals have taken a "put up or shut up" strategy for almost all blockbusters lately. This IS equal or more than most everything lately (although Bad Boys 4 is getting 3 screens and 14 showings at my PLF, so...). But, compared to 2019 Marvel, or even 2021 or EVEN 2023 Marvel...this is a low set (May 19).)
  
• vafrow (Comp: $45.2M THU. 12% over two days is pretty strong once the rush passes. We're not at the bottom of the curve yet it seems (May 24). 8% growth at this stage is very positive. I expect another drop tomorrow, but I'm probably not going to touch this until the weekend at this stage. I'm comping high, and without a proper MCU comparison (Marvels doesn't count), it's hard to gauge, but I feel this is just doing really well here (May 22). 20% growth on day 2 when it had a really strong first day is impressive. Ahead of T-1 for Dune Previews to officially be the highest selling film I've tracked since I switched to the 5 theatre radius (May 21). MTC4 has really jacked up plf prices in the last year or so, and D&W is skewed heavily towards PLFs in my track. I'm not sure how many trackers are doing price adjustments, but lack of good MCU comps in the last year could see a big price impact. Watching L&T comps in particular because being a rare adult skewing July MCU film seems to be the most ideal (May 21). Solid jump over the course of the day. Dolby sales jumped up the most, potentially as good IMAX screens got taken. Not sure what happened for the East coast this morning, but sales seemed to have rebounded. A little hit and miss in different markets, but that's what I'd assume for that region. There's some small communities. Not sure why it took so long for sales to hit when southern Ontario was hot off the mark. People may have assumed 9:00 am eastern time. Numbers pulled around 11:00 am, so two hours worth of data. Chain is pushing 3D for the ticket premium. Exception is IMAX showings, where I think they know people just want the 2D experience. 60% of sales being those four IMAX showings. 40 minutes into presales for my area. Almost triple Dune 2 on my first measurement for that, which was Day 2. Bit ahead of my first measurement for The Marvels, which was T-21, and I think about a week into sales. They're really leaning into 3D showings. I get the desire for theatres to get the extra premium, but I can't see a lot of people wanting to see this in 3D. Has been up for sale on the Canadian East coast, presumably from 9:00 local time. I did a sweep of all showtimes on MTC4, but there's been zero sales so far (May 20).)
  
• YM! (Sold ~10.6x Furiosa's T-6. One theater makes up a sizeable percentage of most mid-sized Marvel's T-2 in a span of hours. Such a strong start. Definitely feels like we got a potential 25m previews/150m+ opener. Still don't buy 200m OW but am starting to see 30m previews/175m+ OW as a strong possibility. On its first day has sold over 10x Furiosa T-6 here in SE Wisconsin. At North Shore, 70% of Shang-Chi’s and Venom 2’s T-2, 47% of Homecoming’s T-2, and 41.25% of Thor: Ragnarök’s T-2 - just using DP&W’s T-66! At half of Furiosa’s T-4 sales here in the past ten minutes in just two of the theaters PLF shows (May 20). 42 showings for previews across four SE Wisconsin theaters I track. ~20% more showings than IO2 and about the same amount of PLFs spread. Likely 3-4 screens a theater for THU previews, but has SuperScreen + 2 UltraScreen screens in Majestic Cinema. Seems to be a 3D push with North Shore having primetime showings in 3D UltraScreen (May 19).)
  

Domestic Calendar Dates (last updated May 23):
MAY

• (May 30) THU Previews [Ezra + Haikyu!! + In a Violent Nature + Summer Camp + Robot Dreams + Young Woman and the Sea]
  
• (May 31) Presales Start [Daddio]
  

JUNE

• (June 3) Opening Day [MON: Spider-Man No Way Home Re-Release]
  
• (June 5) Presales Start [Despicable Me 4]
  
• (June 6) Presales Start [Twisters]
  
• (June 6) THU Previews [Bad Boys: Ride or Die + Watchers]
  
• (June 8) 1-SAT Re-Release (1st day) [LotR: Fellowship of the Ring Extended Edition]
  
• (June 9) 1-SUN Re-Release (1st day) [LotR: Two Towers Extended Edition]
  
• (June 10) 1-MON Re-Release (1st day) [LotR: Return of the King Extended Edition]
  
• (June 10) Social Embargo Lifts [9PM PT Inside Out 2]
  
• (June 12) Review Embargo Lifts [12PM PT Inside Out 2]
  
• (June 13) THU Previews [Inside Out 2]
  
• (June 15) 1-SAT Re-Release (2nd day) [LotR: Fellowship of the Ring Extended Edition]
  
• (June 16) 1-SUN Re-Release (2nd day) [LotR: Two Towers Extended Edition]
  
• (June 17) 1-MON Re-Release (2nd day) [LotR: Return of the King Extended Edition]
  
• (June 20) THU Previews [Bikeriders + Janet Planet]
  
• (June 22) 1-SAT Re-Release (3rd day) [LotR: Fellowship of the Ring Extended Edition]
  
• (June 23) 1-SUN Re-Release (3rd day) [LotR: Two Towers Extended Edition]
  
• (June 24) 1-MON Re-Release (3rd day) [LotR: Return of the King Extended Edition]
  
• (June 27) THU Previews [Blue Lock + Daddio + Horizon: Chapter 1 + A Quiet Place: Day One]
  

JULY

• (July 1) Presales Start [Fly Me to the Moon + Longlegs]
  
• (July 2) Opening Day [WED: Despicable Me 4]
  
• (July 4) Opening Day [THU: Possum Trot]
  
• (July 4) THU Previews [MaXXXine]
  
• (July 11) THU Previews [Fly Me to the Moon + Untitled New Line Horror movie]
  
• (July 17) EA [Twisters]
  
• (July 18) THU Previews [Twisters]
  
• (July 25) THU Previews [Deadpool and Wolverine (including 1 PLF fan show at 3 PM) + Didi + Fabulous Four]
  
• (July 29) Presales Start [Alien: Romulus + It Ends With Us]
  

AUGUST

• (August 1) THU Previews [Harold and the Purple Crayon]
  
• (August 5) Presales Start [Borderlands]
  
• (August 8) THU Previews [Borderlands + It Ends With Us + Cuckoo + The Fire Inside + Trap]
  
• (August 12) Presales Start [Alien: Romulus]
  
• (August 15) THU Previews [Alien: Romulus + Horizon: Chapter 2 + Ryan’s World the Movie: Titan Universe Adventure]
  
• (August 22) THU Previews [Blink Twice + The Crow + The Forge + Slingshot]
  
• (August 29) THU Previews [City of Dreams + Reagan + They Listen]
  

Presale Tracking Posts:
May 11
May 14
May 16
May 18
May 21
May 23
May 25
May 28
Note: I have removed most tracking data that has not been updated for 2 weeks. I think there is value in keeping data for a week or two but at a certain point they start to lose their value and should not be treated the same as more recent tracking data.

DISCLAIMER I know a lot of this post is barely related to the subject or very redundant. The main reason I’m sharing is to get people engaging and maybe help others if they’re at a dead end with their research. I didn’t include any in my original posts for this reason. Please don’t read if you’re going to get pissed and say I wasted your time. I warned you.
One last weird connection with loose ties to Drake
The Drake and Delilah Connection: An Expose on the Hollywood Club Scene and it’s Controversial Connections and History
Before I start I just want to say this is a fraction of the info online, but many articles are behind a paywall on the LA Times site. If anyone is interested and has or wants to buy a subscription feel free to add more in the comments. The price is not too bad, I just don’t need any more links because this post is already insanely long. I’d also be willing to bet there are thousands of court cases related to these clubs that could be relevant.
I think I may have shared this first part or seen it posted, but I have a real weird feeling about the club Delilah in Hollywood. It is located on 7969 Santa Monica Blvd in West Hollywood. I find this interesting because it’s a huge celebrity hotspot and has been shouted out constantly these last couple years. I read an article about AK meeting SixNine’s manager and him saying it felt like some Illuminati shit was going down. A very interesting connection is it used to be called Club 7969. Here’s a quote from a very interesting article about Club 7969 along with a link to the full article. From the looks of it the location has been extremely popular over the last couple decades despite a couple name changes. Excuse the outdated terminology, a lot of sources are from the nineties and early 2000’s.
“Club 7969, at the corner of Santa Monica and Fairfax in West Hollywood, was packed as usual last Friday night. Fridays and Mondays are drag night at the club, and flocks of trannies in full feather turn out for the midnight stage show. The drag revue also draws a large contingent of transsexual prostitutes and their johns, including, until recently, the house celebrity, Atison Seiuli, a.k.a. Shalimar, who was riding with Eddie Murphy in his Land Cruiser when the pair got stopped by the LAPD a year ago this week.
Seiuli died two weeks ago, falling to her death from the roof of her apartment building on South Berendo Street in Koreatown. According to Rampart homicide detectives, Seiuli, wearing only panties and a bra, had locked herself out of her apartment and was trying to lower herself from the roof to her fifth-floor window with a towel tied to a railing.” https://www.laweekly.com/the-new-hollywood-sinkhole/
Not only does the above quote possibly directly connect to the whole ballroom drag stuff, it may also contribute to rumors of many male rappers and other famous people being caught with trans women. Obviously it’s not a huge deal anymore, but it’s always been a thing. A few more interesting connections are the Drake song 7969 Santa and all the Delilah shoutouts he’s made throughout the years. The owner even calls him family.
I linked a very interesting Reddit post I found from five years ago with more info below. Y’all can thank the Drake sub for digging up dirt in their boy. https://www.reddit.com/Drizzy/comments/dpnk0n/a_study_into_some_of_drakes_street_ties/?rdt=60420
Another weird connection is the initials of Santa Monica are S and M, which is interesting considering the past history with Dominatrix shows, which can get fucking nuts apparently. I have a wild theory this may be where Drake got his alleged blackmail on Ye and potentially a lot of other artists. In the description on Delilah’s Instagram page it says, “nothing to see here.”
Delilah is part of a large group of famous nightclubs owned by a company called The h.wood Group, which is owned by Brian Toll and partner John Terzian. Apparently they’re involved with Coachella, Cannes, and F1, along with many others.
Below are two very interesting articles about Terzian. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/28/style/john-terzian-hwood-clubs.html
This one talks about his ambitions to get into the hotel business. https://hwoodgroup.com/h-wood-groups-john-terzian-dishes-on-what-it-took-to-build-a-35m-nightclub-and-restaurant-business/
I don’t mean to go to weird here, but does anyone find his love of chicken tenders a little odd? With the tender reference that Kendrick made I’m starting to think there might be something more to this word and chicken tenders could had some other meaning. I know it sounds like some p gate shit, but you never know. Please don’t take the definitions below too seriously odds are the dude just has the pallet of a ten year old or he could be a Wall Street Bets bro 😭
Potential possibilities from urban dictionary:
Chicken Definitions- “A term used to describe a young (generally gay) male; often used with connotations of twink.”
“An underage male who prostitutes himself to middle-age men -- usually married professionals and businessmen -- by standing on certain city streetcorners known for the "chicken trade."
“chicken is an underage boy who older guys like to have sex with.”
“An attractive woman with thighs and breasts (like a real chicken)”
“An attractive woman with thighs and breasts (like a real chicken)”
“A young woman/A young homosexual”
I know there is also the expression “choking the chicken,” so it could be referring to male genitalia. I also see a few people using it as a code word for weed and meth, which are both massively popular in the club scene, LBGTQ community, and LA (also the whole west coast pretty much).
Tender Definitions- “Used to descibe a female who is very good looking in that innocent way.”
“The dating app for underage children”
“A feminine acting male”
“A male’s tender meat, the testicles, the softies, the soft ones”
“Young innocent girl”
“These said "Tendahs" must be of legal age otherwise they're just chicken nuggets.. stay away from chicky nuggets.”
“an adjective describing someone or something being sexually attractive or "hot", this term is especially used in the male gay community”
“A pussy or vagina”
Chicken tender definitions- “Testicles”
“Fat elongated cocks”
A girl under the age of 18, but looks of that to be older.”
“Refers to a man over 40 years old who is sexually appealing to younger females”
“Someone who is especially well skilled with cock”
As I said, there are probably similar definitions for most words on UD, and even if there was some hidden meaning, chances are it’s probably just a gay thing.
The same article also spoke about going into the hotel game. Has anyone made the connection between Hilton hotels and Paris Hilton who inspired the Kardashians and many other families to exploit their daughters to get them famous. Anyone remember her talking about the Elon school recently? She also used to be the OG do nothing celebrity back in the day. It could just be my distaste for most billionaires, but who knows how deep the hotel shit really goes.
I also found a high end hotel in Hollywood that may be for swingers, but also may be into some weird shit behind closed doors. I was going to post the link, but their site conditions were so strict and scary I’m not even mentioning their name. It is in LA, as are pretty much all the places I mention below. I tried to narrow things down to West Hollywood which is where Delilah is located and where Drake and Ye used to live, along with tons of other hugely influential people. I never knew until recently, but there are two other Delilah locations in Miami and Vegas. All three cities are known for a lot of debauchery and they all tend to be celebrity hotspots.
LA articles- Background of club mentions a TON of relevant people. https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2023/06/how-delilah-became-unofficial-sanctuary-for-the-rich-and-famous
Apparently no phones allowed, maybe unless you’re considered family. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/video/kanye-west-drake-more-flock-new-west-hollywood-hot-spot-delilah-thr-eats-952265/
Vegas Articles- Mentions a lot of h.wood clubs and more attached celebrities. https://hwoodgroup.com/hollywoods-swanky-supper-club-delilah-is-coming-to-the-strip/
Another article with more info. https://www.forbes.com/sites/yolarobert1/2021/06/16/the-hwood-group-is-partnering-with-the-wynn-to-bring-delilah-to-las-vegas/?sh=39362e04c9fe
Miami Article- Discusses the opening of new location and history of club https://www.miaminewtimes.com/restaurants/waterfront-restaurant-and-lounge-delilah-miami-opens-in-brickell-18646289
Some more articles about the previous clubs at 7969 Santa Monica, the owners, LGBTQ community connections, and some sex/fetish clubs that are still operating to this day. This whole section is going to be NSFW. I tried avoiding any direct links to anything super explicit, but I’ll make another warning before the link if I think it’s important enough to post. I can’t promise what you’ll come across if you research further into this subject. Please be careful going on any direct sites tied to any sex related organizations and if you find something sketchy at least read the user conditions on the site before posting or sharing any info. You never know if they’re doing everything by the book, and one of the sites I visited seemed to be trying very hard to download malware on people’s devices. They even mention they can’t be held liable if anything you click on their site happens to give you a virus.
I found that kind of odd considering the rest of the site looked like a p gate researchers wet dream lol. There is always the chance they could just be trolling that exact same crowd. The one thing that made me take it at all somewhat seriously was the fact that the site belonged to a pretty high end location. The owners could also just be quirky, but I’m definitely being more careful to make it clear that my claims are just theories from now on. The way the sub is going lately it couldn’t hurt. One last thing please don’t harass any businesses or people related to them for any reason, even if they seem sketchy. Everyone is innocent until proven guilty and it’s not fair to accuse someone of anything unless you have irrefutable evidence. This is one of the biggest reasons I believe that there is more to the story. I really don’t think Kendrick would have said what he said if he didn’t know at least something for certain.
Ok last thing I promise, another important thing to remember is just because you see some freaky ass shit doesn’t mean it’s illegal. Some BDSM stuff can seem really fucked up to someone who is more reserved or has no experience with these types of kinks and fetishes. As long as everyone is of age, chances are it’s all consensual and no one should be shamed for their kinks. These connections are more for people to see how heavily sex influences Hollywood. Please don’t harass or kink shame some innocent people trying to get their freak on. I know there’s a big gray area here, but it’s always best not to antagonize anybody unless you want to pay to back it up in court. It also makes it fair game for them to do the same to you and things may not always end up going in you favor.
Another article about h.wood and it’s connection to Hakkasan group. Hakkasan is now owned with Mohari which has a massive portfolio of hotels, apartments, yachts, and restaurant groups. https://hwoodgroup.com/the-h-wood-group-announces-reacquisition-of-global-rights-from-hakkasan-group/
https://moharihospitality.com/portfolio/
Warning there is a lot of policitcal incorrectness or generally offensive shit in some of these articles and quotes. Please try to just look at the facts and avoid any anti-LBGTQ language or conspiracies. A ton of different rappers and famous black men have been accused of or have been caught with men or trans women. It really shouldn’t be that big of a deal, but I get why it is for some people. There is no excuse for any type of ignorance and I will gladly remove some of these links if people think they’re harmful.
Club 7969 has a very wild history, and was formerly known as Peanuts. Here are a few more related articles I found aside from the Eddie Murphy one.
An article from 95 about club 7969 https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-03-24-ca-46449-story.html
Articles describing area around Club 7969 as a hotspot for trans folk and further discusses a famous hate crime murder in the area. This is still a HUGE issue today. https://la.indymedia.org/js/?v=cont&url=/news/2003/10/86034.json
https://www.advocate.com/crime/2021/11/09/marquiisha-lawrences-death-makes-2021-deadliest-transgender-people
Article going in to the club’s history and some of it’s many name changes. Apparently it used to be a jazz club at first, then it turned into The Pink Pussycat which was apparently super popular with The Rat Pack. I find it interesting some members were known for having some interesting sexual proclivities. After it closed it was bought again and renamed Peanuts, which was primarily targeted towards lesbians for a while. After Peanuts came Club 7969. https://forward.com/life/122322/the-jewish-matriarchs-of-striptease/
An article related to the one above that may have a House of Ebony connection. I honestly can’t understand more than half of it lol https://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/18/nyregion/thecity/18burl.html
Another article mentioning two more clubs previously located at 7969 Santa Monica, this is like five now and some appear pretty kinky. Voyeur came after Club 7969 and was followed by The Box, which became DBA then Delilah. I may be missing some, but I think I covered them all. https://patch.com/california/westhollywood/burlesque-club-to-open-in-former-voyeur-location
Some random magazine saying Voyeur was one of the top five LA party spots. https://www.thefashionspot.com/runway-news/170899-partying-in-los-angeles-top-5-celebrity-hotspots/
Here is an article about Voueur saying it was inspired by the movie Eye’s Wide Shut. Jesus Christ! Stanley Kubrick probably did get killed. http://www.guestlisthollywood.com/voyeur-club.html
Article mentioning political scandal attached to Voyeur club. https://patch.com/california/westhollywood/new-nightclub-going-into-former-voyeur-club
NSFW Only video ever filmed inside the club Voyeur, I thought I was about to watch someone get murdered at first, but it’s just a weird, five minute commercial with tons of boobs. https://vimeo.com/106139205
Articles about DBA which only was open for like two years before it was taken over by owners of Delilah. Apparently DBA was one of the best fetish clubs in Hollywood. https://patch.com/california/westhollywood/new-weho-nightclub-replacing-voyeur-to-be-always-evolving-always-changing
https://laist.com/news/entertainment/the-best-fetish-clubs-in-los-angeles
When I was looking up more about Voyeur, which was also a huge celeb hotspot, a lot of other really sketchy looking results popped up with direct links to current sex clubs. I’m not gonna link any and I’d stay away from most of them besides the SNCTM one that seems to be pretty mainstream knowledge and has a Showtime series dedicated to it. Regardless there probably are a lot of very risky clicks on all these sites.
I advise people to stay away from any direct sites and stick mostly to articles. The LA times has more than enough. Trust me I’m sure some of these sites also contain shit you wouldn’t want to see or have in your search history.
I also found a few links to a couple very well funded, massive swinger groups with tons of connections all over the world. I would hope it’s just a lot of rich and horny old people, but this whole industry tends to attract some unsavory people as well. I never expected this LA sex club rabbit hole to go so deep. It all started with the Eddie Murphy connection.
Articles about a VIP Hollywood sex club called SNCTM. Apparently the founder got blacklisted for revealing Hunter Biden is a member lol no wonder all the republicans want what’s on his laptop! You really can’t make this shit up. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snctm_(club)
The website is Illuminati as hell, also extremely NSFW. How the fuck does a sex cult have m a full product line? The founder’s website also looks like it belongs to a 60’s sex cult. He kinda reminds me of Jared Leto. If this is what they’re willing to show the public I can not imagine how wild shit gets behind closed doors. Apparently, SMCTM hosts events in LA, NYC, Miami, Moscow, Kiev, and other places around the world.
I find the political ties here very interesting. I wonder who else might be a member? Apparently it’s based out of NYC, but it’s flagship club was in LA. Anyone want to start a Gofundme to try and raise a million dollars so someone in the sub can become a Violet Key Benefactor and collect some more dirt? Kidding please don’t. https://www.menshealth.com/sex-women/a22116662/snctm-celebrity-sex-party/
https://nypost.com/2023/05/20/damon-lawner-founded-sex-club-snctm-it-ruined-his-marriage/
https://www.wmagazine.com/culture/karley-sciortino-sanctum-unmasked-podcast-snctm-sex-club-interview
It reminds me a lot of NXIVM cult with the celebrities that got busted not too long ago. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/NXIVM
Some more popular Hollywood nightclubs that were notorious or very sketchy
Article about Fake club https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2020/01/the-secret-history-of-hollywoods-wildest-club-in-the-1980s
The Chapel in The Abbey is a popular LGBTQ club in West Hollywood that seems to be connected to the culture. https://thepridela.com/2020/01/las-only-known-trans-nightlife-event-just-got-a-little-more-fierce/
An article from late 2023 about the history of the bar https://www.foxla.com/news/the-history-of-the-abbey-west-hollywoods-world-famous-gay-bar
Another interesting article from a few months later about The Abbey’s sudden closing. Good think it only took 17 years of allegations for them to get shut down 🙃 https://19thnews.org/2024/01/investigation-the-abbey-los-angeles/
The Odyssey club’s owner John Nash was allegedly the mastermind behind the Wonderland murders and a huge celebrity drug dealer. He also owned the Starwood Club in West Hollywood, the Soul'd Out club in Hollywood, Paradise Ballroom, the Seven Seas, Ali Baba’s and The Kit Kat strip club. Celebrity dealers are another really interesting rabbit hole to go down as well. https://laist.com/news/climate-environment/laistory-all-ages-dance-club-the-od
Two more articles about the famous Viper Room where River Phoenix died. https://www.thevintagenews.com/2022/04/13/viper-room-closing/
https://www.visitwesthollywood.com/stories/feature-the-viper-room/
NSFW More about all types of fetish clubs and communities in LA https://thekinkytourist.com/the-kinky-guide-to-los-angeles/
One group claims to host a Dominatrix convention at the Hilton near LAX and also claims to have worked with HBO, Netflix, Showtime, Epix, and VH1. “Hotel parties” also seem to be a common trend amongst these very sex-positive communities. Renting out cruise ships and resorts all over the world seems to be common as well. To me this shows they are at the very least well funded and have a global reach. Chances are it’s a bunch of fat, old, married couples who no one would want to watch get down like at The Villages in Florida. It seems like many of the more exclusive ones could potentially have some influential members.
Article about sex club The Vault and it’s celebrity guests including Naomi Campbell. Looks like it’s from an old ass gossip site though so I would do further research. https://www.cinema.com/news/item/2779/stars-secret-sex-club-revealed.phtml
Unfortunately homophobia was always been prevalent in the industry and the source of lots of gossip. It was definitely very prevalent in the rap game in the nineties and early 2000’s. For those who don’t know Ma$e was part of Bad Boy Records. Considering the blackmail allegations against Diddy, and how Ma$e seems to have a vendetta against the guy, I wonder if this info hitting the public had anything to do with him. https://hiphopdx.com/news/id.5241/title.mase-caught-with-a-transvestite
I also stumbled onto the song Disguise by Skepta, it’s super offensive, but weirdly on Genius.com the number one related song is Pi by J. Cole and Daylyt, which has been mentioned on the sub a few times. I just thought it was interesting because it just randomly popped up in my searches while looking into this whole subject. I looked into Skepta and saw he was a British rapper who once did a song with a Nigerian rapper named Wizkid and Drake. It’s funny when you read the Wizkid wiki he also got caught denying a son. Skepta also did a few songs with the A$ap crew including A$ap Bari, who got kicked out of the crew a few years later. Lastly he also did a whole private show with Ye, so he could have connections to the whole blind item thing with the British rappers.
This next section is mostly for education, entertainment, and engagement so free to skip this one, especially if you though the rest was a waste of your time lol
Dolph Theory Continued…
I forgot to add something to my Young Dolph conspiracy in the last post. I find it very interesting that his song “Hall of Fame” came out in 2022, after his death. He also just so happens to directly call out Diddy and Jay Z. Considering the timeline it seems like he died not long after recording it unless it was just part of his catalogue of unreleased songs. He also calls himself “the Frank Lucas of the south” which might have also pissed Diddy off considering who his father is. I attached the lyrics of the first part below.
“Ha, I see you niggas goin' broke tryna keep up with me (I see you)
Bad boy spendin' millions out here like I'm signed to Diddy (it's Dolph)
Showed up plain jane Rolex, had a meetin' with Roc Nation (okay)
But they got 'bout four, five, six rap niggas over there that be hatin' (on God)
But I still fuck with Jigga, tell him I got two million for him (for what?)
To do a verse, and if he don't, I still got love for him (on God)“
In my opinion he’s implying that he’s above both of them and has more power in the south than they do up north. I’m sure neither appreciated the shout out considering their past histories. It makes me wonder if this whole beef with Yo Gotti was started as an excuse to take Dolph out. Hilariously it ended up backfiring and making him even more famous and their own artist look like the bitch he is. That would explain the many broad day assassination attempts following a relatively tame diss track compared to “Not Like Us” or some others in the last. I always loved Dolph because he never had any real dirt come out about him despite his past and long history in the rap game.
Another Disclaimer I’m not super into all of these artists and I know very little about most of their backgrounds. Honestly some of them are pretty corny in my opinion, but seem to connect with a lot of people. Please don’t attack me here, I’ve just been pretty good at finding artists with mainstream potential. I’m getting old and I’m sure it shows, but if you do agree or disagree I’d love to hear why. I hope all of this could possibly lead to changes in the industry that will allow some of these artists to get the attention they deserve. Maybe if Drake isn’t able to manipulate the algorithms and hog the spotlight it will open up some room for new talent.
I also tried making a separate list of as many people I could think of that I see possibly making waves in the future. I tried including artist’s that might not be on everyone’s radar for anyone in the same boat as I am. If you’re a rap fan I’m sure you know the majority though. The list includes some independent, some local, a few underground, and a couple brand new artists who I think are slept on or that might have mainstream potential. The list contains mostly rappers or artists who I consider at least somewhat adjacent to the rap game (they are in no particular order).
That Mexican OT, Key Glock, Peso Peso, Lil Darkie, Lil Boondang, Azizi Gibson, Paris, Texas, Kurffew, Lil Ugly Mane, RXKNephew, Tom the Mailman, ilyTOMMY, Lil Toe, Curtis Waters, ICECOLDBISHOP, 1nOnly, Mick Jenkins, Injury Reserve, Danger Incorporated, Alex Wiley, Finesse2Tymes, Mach Hommy, Navy Blue, 42 Dugg, Teezo Touchdown, AM, TrippyThaKid, MIKE, Chester Watson, Tabby, Shy Glizzy, Jakey, Savage Ga$p, BigXthePlug, Hunxho, Kenny Mason, Billy Marchiafava, Jean Dawson, Daylyt, SpotemGottem, Pooh Shiesty, Victor Internet, Kevin Abstract, KYLE, Powfu, Shrimp, NF, Tiagz, Lentra, Michael Motorcycle, Oh Geezy, L’Orange, Jeremiah Jae, Hoodrich Pablo Juan, Ramirez, Ghostmane, Witchhouse 40k, Kxllswxtch, Haarper, Yunggoth, Dom McLennon, Merlyn Wood, Woodie Smalls, Sniper2004, Teejayx6, Kasher Quon, BabyTron, Polo G, Famous Dex, Felix Flexin, Hemlock Ernst (Sam Herring), 83 Cutlass, Snupe Bandz, Big Moochie Grape, Sikworld, Futuristic, Dash, Hooligan Chase, Freddie Sunshine, Triple One, Roy Blair, OG Maco, Cousin Stizz, Desiigner, Nebu Kiniza, Bas, KAYTRANADA, DRAM, $NOT, The Buttress, Rav, NADA5150, Tierra Whack, Father, IDK, Rich Brian, Lil Wop, Bill $aber, Warhol.SS, Mike Lolli, Lil Tecca, August 08, Rejjie Snow, Princess Nokia, Lil Mariko, Fukkit, Guapdad 4000, Key!, 24kGoldn, Salami Rose Joe Louis, Terror Reid, Ameer Vaan, ITSOKTOCRY, Divine Council, Rob $tone, Hozzy, Yung Scandoo, Clipping., Junglepussy, Kenny Beats, Zack Fox, UnoTheActivist, Hodgy, Left Brain, GERM, Al Wonder, SBTRKT, Gao the Arsonist, Christ Dillinger, BRUHMANEGOD, Armand Hammer, Manny Sanchez, Big Baby Scumbag, Bishop Nehru, Allan Kingdom, Nosaj Thing, Bobby Raps, Earthgang, SadBoyProlific, Milkavelli, Zzz., Lilbootycall, and Higher Brothers if they can improve their English.
RIP Cloudy Nueve, Lil Keed, and Sad Frosty *Update I forgot Injury Reserve broke up after Groggs died. I don’t want to start any conspiracies, but they’re another example of a group that was hit by tragedy when they were possibly on the verge or taking off. I always felt like they could have taken some of the spotlight off of Migos and I know they both recorded in LA a lot around the time. My ex’s brother used to intern at a studio where Quavo and some other QC artists frequented and he said they were all kinda shady. Also another friend of mine with close industry ties has been saying QC was shady for almost a decade now.
And last but not least…Captain Murphy if Flylo hasn’t abandoned the project or rapping entirely and he doesn’t retire first or switch entirely to soundtracks and directing movies. It was released in the form of a 35 minute music video made by Xavier Wulf. Along with the music it includes a step by step guide to becoming a cult leader. I highly recommend it for anyone who enjoys MF Doom or other sample heavy rappers. I won’t include the link because it is EXTREMELY NSFW, but the album/video is called Duality. The version on Vimeo is the full uncensored version, but I’m pretty sure you can find an edited version on YouTube that doesn’t contain the graphic sex scenes.
For those who don’t know Flylo and Kendrick are frequent collaborators. My wet dream collab would be the two of them with Flylo rapping alongside Kendrick. If I could bring one rapper back from the dead to make it a trio, it would without question be Doom. It can’t be AI generated though because we all saw how that went for Drake. On top of that Doom’s wife already lost her husband and son and one of his past collaborators stole all his journals. Last I heard still hasn’t returned them, but I could be wrong. It might be a good thing this collab is no longer possible. I doubt anyone would ever be able to top it in my eyes and even if they did fifty full albums it would never be enough. I’d probably never feel music the same again.
My big three rappers who are still alive include Kendrick, Flylo, and probably Earl Sweatshirt. My big three dead rappers I’d want to see collaborate would probably be Young Dolph, MF Doom, and probably Mac Miller. My alternates would probably be Ye, Bone Thugz, and maybe Tyler the Creator on team Earth, along with Lil Peep, Xxxtentacion, and Juice Wrld on team Universe. Also RIP Lil Bo Weep, the poor girl was clearly a victim of the industry and I think she could have been huge, especially with the Tumblr crowd, if her mental health didn’t get in the way.
Below are some more artists I see being very competitive or marketable in the future. It mostly contains musicians who are already pretty well established, but still not really considered mainstream.
03 Greedo, Jasiah, JID, Khalid, Curren$y, Big K.R.I.T., Oliver Tree, Ski Mask The Slump God, slowthai, Steve Lacy, YG, Jay Electronica, Lil Tjay, G Herbo, Maxo Cream, D4VD, Danny Brown, A$AP Ferg , Action Bronson, Kevin Gates, MadeinTYO, Yung Lean, Thundercat, Cuco, Sheck Wes, FKA twigs, Baby Keem, Jpegmafia, Joey Bada$$, Rico Nasty, Freddie Gibbs, Shakewell, Cordae, Rx Papi, Isaiah Rashad, Flatbush Zombies, Freddie Dredd, bbno$, Yeat, Death Grips, Yung Gravy, Smino, Pouya, Fat Nick, Corbin, Goldlink, BIA, Joji if he starts rapping again and actually takes it seriously.
For my bilingual people I’m not sure how mainstream these guy are outside the states so if any are already major league, retired, or horrible people let me know. Same goes for all the rappers above.
Kaktov, Happy Colors, Santa Fe Klan, Jackson, Gig Yag, Mora, and Big Soto
Some potential producers that I could see making a name for themselves
Shlomo, TNGHT, XXYYXX, Psymun, Giraffage, Getter, NxxxxxS, and Nedarb
Unfortunately I ran out of room for some additional info about Kodak Black, substance use disorders, psychology, and recovery options anyone can use. If anyone is interested I can send it. I know I’m already gonna get shit all the tangents. I also have another in depth essay I recently wrote outlining my conspiracy about the US opioid epidemic. Again I won’t attach it here, but if these type of subjects are relevant or interesting to you I can send it through private messages. I hope some of this knowledge may be helpful to someone struggling or helping someone who’s struggling with their mental health or substance abuse issues.
Last thing I want to talk about is the current issue I’ve seen a lot of people being threatened, doxxed, and harassed. I know how much this can suck, so everyone who has avoided it thus far please be thoughtful about what your posting here. I always try to make it clear everything I post are theories strung together by facts or coincidences. Every single thing I claim that can’t directly be backed up by a legitimate source is just my personal opinion or theory. There are also a lot of ways you can avoid any issue. Don’t be dumb, but also don’t let anyone intimidate into staying silent.
If there are any lawyers in this sub or possibly reading this post, it would be very helpful if you could share some guidelines for what is ok and what to be careful about posting. Most people including myself probably aren’t aware about the specifics of these types of things and what would qualify as defamation vs. what’s protected by free speech. Even if you’re on the other team and here to build a case against a user in this community, if you took a minute or two to share some advice you’d gain a lot of my respect.
If you made it this far I hope you were able to gain something from this little bonus section. If you feel like I wasted your time I apologize, but I did warn you. I encourage people to keep criticism productive or at least keep the trolling to a minimum. Feel free to downvote me to hell, it’s really not important to me and you guys also shouldn’t let things like Karma influence what you share and what you don’t. If you see something good or bad speak up and don’t be afraid of negative feedback. Not everyone is going to agree with everything you say, especially when it’s important. Having the bravery to say it anyway is what separates leaders from followers and often the good from the bad. It may be more important than anyone realizes.
Thanks again for sticking around,
The Randomest Moniker

Assistant PM salary/bonus. What’s the average?
I graduated college in August 2023 and was offered a full time position at the subcontractor I was interning with. I will try to breakdown the offer they gave me as best as I can. My title is assistant project manager and I do some estimating as well.
The bonus structure they originally told me when they offered me the position is much different than reality. They said these bonuses were a percentage, but never actually gave me an amount because we’re a newer company so they said they’re still working things out.
Please let me know if I’m getting a fair deal or if they’re low balling me. Them being misleading about the bonus structure has already made me think less of my company but I love everyone I work with, so I’m trying to weigh the pros and cons.
Experience as of 5/30/2024: 2 years exactly Location: Atlanta, GA Multifamily construction - DIVISION 6,8,10
What they originally told me: Salary: $50,000 Saving Bonus: unknown % Project bonus: unknown % Estimating bonus: unknown % Benefits: health, vision, dental, simple IRA(3% match)
Reality:
Salary: $50,000 Saving Bonus: none Project bonus: none Estimating bonus: $2250 each completed project Benefits: health, vision, dental, simple IRA(3% match)
So I don’t get any bonuses from being an APM. Only get bonuses from the estimating. Which I don’t do much of because I’m busy assisting with 7 active projects.
My company recently told me that I will be the Project manager for an upcoming job in 2025. Can Anyone can give me some advice on how to talk about salary adjustments/bonus for “promotion”?
I know I packed a lot of information and questions into this post, but anything yall have to say about this will help me a lot!
THANK YOU!!!

Context: This is the sixty-eighth of many posts where I share the stories of my travels with those interested and for my future self to read back. This one in particular details my time exploring the Wild Coast of South Africa as well as my time in the Gauteng province.
197 is an odd number. Not just literally, but also figuratively speaking in the context of travel. You see, when I began this journey and decided on a number, I might have rushed to make a decision without putting much thought into the figure itself.
I don’t plan on diving into geopolitics or explaining why I chose that specific numerical value because I know, in the end, I’ll visit many more regions or unrecognised states merely out of interest, and the completion of the 197 goal will just end up as a catchy headline on articles that I’ll never comment on during my 15 minutes of fame.
Now, the more I travel, the more I realize how the answer to "How many countries are there?" will tend to depend on whose gun you’re staring down the barrel of...haha. Jokes aside, I’m curious to see if I, myself, can come to any sort of conclusion down the line…not that my opinion holds anymore or less value than the almost useless “United Nations” consensus.
The more I learn, the more I realise how little I truly know. My views have changed over time, and I’m certain that they’ll continue to do so. Breakaway regions and various cultures are all boxed within a set of forever-shifting lines that have changed throughout history and will never stop changing. Empires rise and fall, languages, once spoken by many, end up as nothing but indecipherable patterns. Cultures blend or adapt over time, and people move around the world in search of a new place to call home. To commit myself to the goal of visiting “every country” in the world is more of a logistics challenge to navigate a bureaucratic maze than anything else. It could also be seen as an ego contest or a collector's most ambitious objective. Yet, despite all that, I think what really drives me to travel is the ever-growing curiosity that comes along with learning more about not just the world around me but also myself. What are my limits? What do I enjoy? What kind of opinions are crafted through various experiences, and how will I change over time? What do I really want to dedicate myself to for the rest of my life? Am I capable of doing more than I think? Should I do more? Does it matter if I do? I guess I’ll find out as time goes on.
Anyway, I digress back to the original topic of today’s blog…picking back up where I left off on the bus from PE to Mthatha. After numerous stops in rundown cities and towns along the way, we hopped off at the gas station and boarded the minibus shuttle bound for Coffee Bay. As we neared the coast and veered off the main highway, the scenery became increasingly vibrant and green, while the condition of the roads deteriorated from pavement to dirt.
As the sun produced a warm glow, ever growing closer to the horizon, the sight of rolling hills speckled with colourful Xhosa rondavels sparked excitement among the three of us. Smiles spread across our faces as we gazed out the windows, eagerly anticipating what was to come.
Our first stop along the coastline was a solid hostel nestled near the banks of Coffee Bay. We spent three nights here, each day a different adventure. We took $5 surfing lessons, explored the nearby cliffside hills to watch the whales splashing in the distance and found various butcher shops for meat to braai for dinner at the firepit.
Setting out on a whim one morning, we found ourselves hitching a ride westward without any particular plan in mind. We spent almost the entirety of the day walking the various dirt paths around the neighbourhood and pausing every now and then for a chat with a local passing by. It was quiet, calm and slow moving. Peaceful, to say the least.
When ready to return, we lucked out again, catching a ride with a dump truck transporting gravel to a nearby site. Josie joined the driver in the cab, while James and I seized the opportunity to climb atop the bucket, surfing the mound of rocks as we bounced along the road.
That evening, after dinner, we played pool and cards, accompanied by another girl from Pretoria who joined our trio temporarily. It was an interesting moment when the four of us realized our small group had managed to form the four corners of the English speaking world.
Josie, James, and I were eager to see more of the Wild Coast but initially uncertain about the logistics or the availability of affordable accommodations. Much to our satisfaction, we stumbled upon a small flyer promoting a multi-day hike traversing various villages, rivers, and countless hills, starting from Mdumbi and concluding in Bulungula. En route, we'd revisit Coffee Bay before venturing on to the Lubanzi region.
At our first stop, we stayed at a backpackers' hostel for three nights. The weather wasn't the best, with only brief intervals of sunshine. In the evenings, when the power would cut out for hours on end, we would sit atop a hill and watch lightning storms tear across the ocean, illuminating the black abyss. This was usually followed by candle-lit cards with other travellers and then a movie.
One day, we even decided to take Xhosa language lessons with a lady from a nearby village. What makes Xhosa so unique compared to any other language I've heard are its distinctive click consonants, borrowed from Khoisan languages. There are three primary click sounds in Xhosa: dental clicks (like the English "tsk tsk"), lateral clicks (similar to the sound used to call a horse), and alveolar clicks (like a cork popping out of a bottle).
Along with the language lesson, she also took the time to answer our questions about the history, traditions and culture of her people, as well as the modern-day trends she observes among the younger generation. I found it particularly interesting to hear about the influence of technology and social media, something I might dive into deeper in a later blog.
I enjoyed the quiet atmosphere and laid-back lifestyle, but I still felt the urge to go for periodic runs and workouts, or at least engage in some kind of physical activity like swimming in the ocean.
Eventually, we set off on our first of three treks heading southwest. The Nguni Cattle seemed to lead the way, leisurely meandering along the beach as we followed the faintest of trails. The walk was quite easy, and we stopped periodically for a swim. At the mouth of the Mthatha River, there was a man with a rickety rowboat and mismatched oars who, for a dollar, offered to ferry us across.
Continuing our journey, we traversed up and down hills, following the winding goat trails whenever they emerged. Everything was green and lush, and as we climbed higher above the jagged coastline, the view was incredible. We could spot groups of dolphins and whales splashing in the distance. Along the way, we strolled by clusters of colourful rondavel homes with their laundry swaying in the breeze. Children greeted us with kind smiles, their curious eyes tracking our every move until we vanished from sight.
We crossed a much smaller river, hoisting the bags above our heads as we waded through. Towards the end, as the tide began to rise, we were forced to walk along the wet rocks, trying not to slip as we made our way around the final bend of a jagged edge to Coffee Bay. It definitely took a while, but it felt nice to finish, arriving just in time for dinner. Unfortunately, I spent the entire night on the toilet, every 30 minutes or so. I think it was the sketchy-looking apple that I decided to take the risk of eating. Lesson learned.
The following morning, we kicked off our journey again. Eventually, we made it to the iconic Hole-in-the-Wall rock formation where James seized the opportunity to surf through the gap. Next, we faced the challenge of crossing the river, with the high tide dictating that we swim across. Utilizing his surfboard as a makeshift raft for our belongings, we shuttled back and forth across the water.
As we neared the end, we followed the setting sun and watched as the whales waved in the distance. Finally, we arrived at the hostel in Lubanzi, a very unique wooden structure that almost resembled a jungle gym, surrounded by tent structures and hobbit-style rooms built into the landscape.
We spent one full day mainly focused on surfing, enjoying the peaceful scenery, and gathering meat for a fireplace braai later that evening. I couldn't help but notice that in the Transkei, especially in the more remote areas, it felt as though time didn’t exist – just night and day. Everything in between had no set schedule.
The weather was warm as we got ready for our last walk to Bulungula. It was a smooth stretch of trekking, with a nice breeze accompanying us up and down the rolling hills. A couple of river crossings went smoothly and finally, we had arrived at our final stop, checking into our own thatch-roofed rondavel to stay the night.
It took a few of those hectic taxi cab shuttle vans to get back to Coffee Bay, which was an adventure in itself, bumping and whipping around the dirt roads, blasting music. We made it in due time and had an early night. The following day, after a slow rise, I made my way to the nearby butcher shop, and the man offered to braai the meat for me inside a rusted shipping container with half a barrel balancing on top of two cinder blocks—cool. Some of the best steak I’ve ever had, massive pieces for about $7. Feeling great, I had one last meal with Josie and James. We said goodbye as they continued on, planning to take a bus from Mthatha to Durban, while I planned to head straight to Joburg with a flight from the small Mthatha airport.
Despite hardly using my camera or drone, I still can vividly picture every moment in the Transkei. The region's intriguing characters and breathtaking nature made it an unforgettable experience, and I enjoyed every step of the journey. However, I found myself eager to head to Johannesburg, spurred on by the prospect of an opportunity that had arisen with a marketing agency. I'll delve into the details of this opportunity at a later time.
After a quick domestic flight to Joburg, I was picked up by Brian, the grandfather of my friend back home. Arriving at their house, I was greeted with a warm welcome by his wife, Jos, who has sadly passed away since then. Despite being in and out of the hospital at the time, she was determined to see me and insisted on hosting me for my first night in the city.
We sat out in the backyard with their next-door neighbours, and it felt nice—like home and a much-needed break from travelling. We talked about my experiences in South Africa thus far and my recent adventures in the Transkei. I also enjoyed talking with Brian, an ex-pilot, about planes, travelling, and what South Africa was like in the past. He mentioned how being a pilot nowadays doesn’t hold as much prestige, which I agreed with; it's all computer-assisted now, and the recognition or respect for pilots seems to have diminished. He had some great stories.
Jos, despite her health, was the perfect host and made sure everything was ready for my stay, even putting out a small bowl of biltong just for me. I tried my best to help whenever possible, as I didn’t want to be a burden.
The next day, they gave me a small tour around the area before we had lunch at one of their favourite restaurants. The food and atmosphere were incredible, reminding me of summer back home. After saying my goodbyes and thank-yous, I took an Uber from the restaurant to the hostel downtown, where I’d be staying in the Parkhurst district.
Johannesburg, or Joburg, is the largest city in South Africa and one of the 50 largest urban areas in the world. It's a city that never seems to sleep, with the sprawling Soweto township and a history deeply intertwined with gold mining. I found it fascinating that Joburg is home to the largest hospital in Africa and is served by OR Tambo International, the busiest airport on the continent, and one I got to know quite well by the end of my time in Southern Africa.
Arriving at the quiet and affordable hostel, I greeted the host with "Nkosi" in Xhosa, meaning thank you, after he welcomed me in. He laughed and asked how I knew the word. As it turned out, he was Xhosa himself and was happy to hear I had enjoyed my time in the Transkei.
The next morning, I woke up early and went to the gym before heading to visit Mike, Jos, and Brian’s son, who owned an interesting Pmarketing agency and mentioned he might have an opportunity for me. I was excited to see the office, located in the incredibly posh Sandton region of the city. Meeting the team and talking with Mike about his journey was a great experience. He also mentioned a project they were working on that I might be able to help with on the video editing side. It was a story based in Accra, Ghana, about a boxing group in Jamestown and their partnership with a Danish company. I was thrilled, yet didn't expect to be paid much but was eager to contribute.
Later that evening, they sent over the footage and briefing for the project. I knew I could help improve the video significantly. Coincidentally, I had visited the exact place the video was about and had my own footage from the boxing gym! It was perfect. Then they sent the budget for my editing work, and I was blown away. The payment could cover a flight to Mozambique and all my expenses while I was there. Perhaps I didn’t need to take the long bus ride down after all.
Later that evening, I pulled the trigger and booked the last-minute flight a day before departure, just as a massive hailstorm hit out of nowhere! It was wild to see such a drastic change from a warm, sunny sunset to a loud, snowy hailstorm. Apparently, these freak storms are normal in Joburg, even after a 30-degree day.
The city turned out to be nicer than expected, obviously because of the limited areas I had explored thus far. Johannesburg boasts one of the world's largest manmade woodland areas. One notable feature was the iconic jacaranda trees, lining the streets with bright purple blossoms.
The following day, I made my way to Mike's office, where I dedicated the entire day to working on the Ghana video project. Using my footage and the best of theirs, I pieced together the video. It went very well, and the team was incredibly happy with the result. With the day winding down, I managed to squeeze in a quick gym session before gearing up for my early morning flight scheduled for the next day.
I had done plenty of thinking during the previous week, unsure which route to take for my adventure through Mozambique, Eswatini, and Lesotho, I decided to settle on a practical plan. Opting for a loop journey, I chose to leave the bulk of my belongings in Joburg, starting my travels by heading south east then west, with a plan to eventually circle back north east to the big city.
Several weeks earlier, I had already booked a flight from Joburg to Freetown, Sierra Leone, holding onto the dream of returning to spend a month in the country before Christmas. My goal was to contribute to the nation's rebranding efforts and shed light on what I had witnessed during my previous visit. Despite the distance, I remained in constant contact with my friends there, eager to support and build something meaningful together. However, as my departure date loomed closer, I began to feel the pressure of time constraints. I had to make a decision: would I embark on an ambitious journey through three other nations, or opt for a more simple trip to just Lesotho?
Now, with the editing opportunity from Mike and the content I had gathered from my experiences in the city and South Africa as a whole, I was ready to push my luck and take on the loop. Perhaps I was being a bit greedy, enticed by the prospect of increasing my country count, or maybe I was just eager for another adventure and opportunity to explore with a lighter load. Was I satisfied with what I had seen in South Africa? For the time being, I assured myself that I was. It was time for a new adventure.