The fate of Riboku is one of the greatest tragedies in the chronicles of the Shiji. He died defending his nation not because he was defeated in battle but because Riboku was betrayed by the king he served for many years. The death of Riboku is a massive conspiracy in itself. It was plotted by multiple men of great talent all hired just to kill the undefeated general of Ganmon.
Before I continue, I want to give a shoutout to u/Arturo-Plateado. Arturo-Plateado is the best researcher in this subreddit, and I pale in comparison to them. In fact, when I was making this post, I found out they already did a similar post 2 years back, which you can read right here. I even added an excerpt from the Lienüzhuan because of their post.
https://www.reddit.com/Kingdom/comments/mqsz4x/the_fall_of_zhao_kou_hi_analysis/
With that being said, the purpose of this post is different from his post in that I want to analyze and emphasize the evidence given to us by four historical accounts Not only that, but I also want to point out contradictions that lie in the accounts of Riboku’s death.
Because fun fact: the Shiji states that Riboku gets beheaded by a Zhao agent, however, the Zhan Guo Ce states that Riboku commits suicide by thrusting a sword into his mouth. There are three notable masterminds behind Riboku's death in these four accounts, all of which results in Riboku's death.
We are going to find a lot of contradictions behind Riboku's death.
Now we shall begin the essay.

Riboku's Death in the Shiji

趙王遷七年，秦使王翦攻趙，趙使李牧、司馬尚御之。秦多與趙王寵臣郭開金，為反閒，言李牧、司馬尚欲反。趙王乃使趙蔥及齊將顏聚代李牧。李牧不受命，趙使人微捕得李牧，斬之。廢司馬尚。後三月，王翦因急擊趙，大破殺趙蔥，虜趙王遷及其將顏聚，遂滅趙。
(Shiji: Chapter 81: Biographies of Lian Po and Lin Xiangru)
Translations by Professor William H. Nienhauser, Jr:
In the 7th year of Sen, King of Zhao, Qin sent Ou Sen to attack Zhao. Zhao sent Ri Boku and Shi Ba Shou to resist him. Qin bribed the King of Zhao's trusted vassal Kaku Kai with cash to act as a subversive agent, and suggest that Ri Boku and Shi Ba Shou wanted to rebel.
The King of Zhao sent Chou Kotsu and the Qi general Kan Shu to re­place Ri Boku. Ri Boku refused to accept the orders. Zhao sent a man to secretly arrest Ri Boku, and when he was captured, beheaded him, and stripped Shi Ba Shou of his post.
Three months after, Ou Sen launched a furious attack against Zhao, killed Chou Kotsu, crushed his army, and captured Sen, King of Zhao and his general Kan Shu, fi­nally destroying Zhao.

This is the excerpt that most readers are familiar with. For context, Ousen leads an invasion alongside Yotanwa, Shin, and Kyoukai under his wing. Riboku and Shibashou defend Zhao. Many are familiar with Ousen plotting Riboku's death with false accusations of rebellion, which is definitely recorded in history. However, let me point something out.

Qin bribed the King of Zhao's trusted vassal Kaku Kai with cash to act as a subversive agent, and suggest that Ri Boku and Shi Ba Shou wanted to rebel.

Sima Qian does not directly credit Ousen for bribing Kaku Kai in Shiji. In fact, it just mentions Qin sending bribes, implying it was a group conspiracy. That's because Ousen's involvement is only in the Zhan Guo Ce and is not at all mentioned in the Shiji. With that being said, Ousen being involved in Riboku's death isn't necessarily contradictory to the Shiji. However, other accounts of the Zhan Guo Ce and the Lienüzhuan credit different masterminds.
If I can give my own thoughts, I hypnotize that the explanation behind Sima Qian's excerpt of Riboku's death was either his execution was the manipulation of many court officials and generals. Or the truth behind his death is lost in history, and Sima Qian had no clue who is the true mastermind, so he could only just add the facts.

Ousen's Involvement

秦使王翦攻趙，趙使李牧、司馬尚御之。李牧數破走秦軍，殺秦將桓齮。王翦惡之，乃多與趙王寵臣郭開等金，使為反間，曰：「李牧、司馬尚欲與秦反趙，以多取封於秦。」趙王疑之，使趙蔥及顏為代將，斬李牧，廢司馬尚。後三月，王翦因急擊，大破趙，殺趙軍，虜趙王遷及其將顏為，遂滅趙。
(Zhan Guo Ce: Strategies of Qin: Chapter 291)
Translations by Professor J. I. Crump, Jr.:
Qin dispatched Ou Sen to attack Zhao and Zhao employed Ri Boku and Shi Ba Shou to resist her. Several times Ri Boku broke and routed the Qin troops and even killed the Qin general Kan Ki. Ou Sen hated Ri Boku and used much gold to bribe the king of Zhao’s favourite ministers, Kaku Kai and others. Then he used them to subvert Zhao. They told the king that Ri Boku and Shi Ba Shou planned to turn against Zhao with Qin’s help, for they had been promised large fiefs if they did so.
The king of Zhao grew suspicious of his two generals and sent Chou Kotsu and Kan Shu to relieve them of their commands. He then executed Ri Boku and cast out Shi Ba Shou. Three months later Ou Sen took advantage of Zhao's crisis to smash her. He killed Chou Kotsu and captured King Sen and his general Kan Shu. Thereafter Zhao was destroyed.

As said here, Ousen is the mastermind behind Riboku's death. A lot of the information matches the excerpt mentioned in Chapter 81 of the Shiji. In fact, Hara even quotes a line from this exact excerpt when Kanki died, so he knows the existence of Ousen's involvement. This will most likely appear in Kingdom as it further emphasize their legendary rivalry.
In any case, we have covered the known parts of the conspiracy. Now let's explore the more obscure parts

Dun Ruo's Involvement

乃資萬金，使東又放假、魏，入其將相。碑游於燕、趙，而殺李牧。
(Zhan Guo Ce: Strategies of Qin: Chapter 111)
Translations by Professor J. I. Crump, Jr.:
He (Ei Sei) furnished him with the sum asked and sent him east to Han and Wei. Dunzi dispatched generals and ministers to Qin and then went north to Yan and Zhao where he caused Zhao to murder its general Ri Boku.

I'll give context to this excerpt. This comes from a story in the Zhan Guo Ce about a persuader named Dun Ruo who helps aid in Qin's conquest of Unification. He offers his services to Ei Sei by promising to ally with Wei and Han. Dan Ruo achieves his goal and sent generals and ministers from Han and Wei to join Qin. Then after he was done with Wei and Han. It was mentioned that he went to Zhao to cause the death of Riboku, implying he was the mastermind behind his death.
I personally don't think Dun Ruo will appear in Kingdom. Though if he does, he'll likely be a minor character. In any case, if he does get added to Kingdom, it should emphasize the desperation and lengths that Qin is willing to go to in order to kill Riboku. Not only is the military genius Ousen involved but also they needed another genius whose skills lie in the political realm.

The Details of Riboku's Suicide and Contradictions?

韓倉果惡之，王使人代。武安君至，使韓倉數之曰：「將軍戰勝，王觴將軍，將軍為壽於前而捍匕首，當死。」武安君曰：「繓病鉤，身大臂短，不能及地，起居不敬，恐懼死罪於前，故使工人為木材以接手。上若不信，繓請以出示。」出之袖中，以示韓倉，狀如振捆，纏之以布。「願公入明知。」韓倉曰：「受命於王，賜將軍死，不赦。臣不敢言。」武安君北面再拜賜死，縮劍將自誅，乃曰：「人臣不得自殺宮中。」遇司空馬門，趣甚疾，出棘門也。右舉劍將自誅，臂短不能及，銜劍徵之於柱以自刺。武安君死。五月趙亡。
(Zhan Guo Ce: Strategies of Zhao: Chapter 290)
Translations by Professor J. I. Crump, Jr.:
Han Cang did indeed slander Lord Buan (Riboku) and the king had him replaced by another. When Lord Buan reached court the king made Han Cang enumerate his crimes:
'When you had gained your victory, the king had you before him to drink a cup in your honour. While you wished long life to the ruler you were concealing a dagger, and for this you are to be executed.'
'I, cuo, am afflicted with a crooked arm', said Lord Buan. 'Being tall, I cannot reach the ground with it, so my kneeling and rising seem disrespectful, and I have always feared I might give some offence while in the Presence. For this reason I got an artisan to make me a wooden arm which I can fasten to my hand. If you don't believe me, let me show it to you.' He drew it from his sleeve and showed it to Han Cang. Its shape was that of a chen-k'un and it was bound around with cloth.
'I wish you would go in to his majesty and make this clear to him', concluded Ri Boku.
'I received orders from the king', replied Han Cang, 'saying you were to be executed. There was to be no pardon. I would not dare speak of it again.'
Lord Buan knelt facing the north and acknowledged the king's generosity in granting him death by his own hand. He drew forth his sword and was about to kill himself when he suddenly cried, 'A minister should not commit suicide in the palace of his king', and rushed through the Sima Gate and outside the Departure Gate. He grasped his sword in his right hand and prepared to stab himself but found his crooked arm would not allow him to. He then thrust the sword into his mouth, dashed against a pillar and killed himself. Five months after Lord Buan died, Zhao perished.

Riboku has an interesting depiction in this account, and I really hope Hara takes inspiration from this. To summarize, a man named Han Cang accuses Riboku of concealing a dagger before the Zhao King. When it came time for Riboku to receive his punishment, he explains his innocence by revealing that the "concealed dagger" was actually some sort of tool bound to his wooden arm (Riboku gets a prosthetic later?).
Despite his explanation, the king of Zhao had given his order and there will be no pardon. And so, the king of Zhao gives Riboku the option to commit suicide. He runs outside the palace to thrust the sword into his mouth killing him.
First off, let's point out the many contradictions in this story. The Shiji states that Riboku gets beheaded due to slanders of a possible rebellion and this account states that Riboku kills himself as punishment for concealing a dagger. Also, the Shiji states that Zhao is annexed 3 months after his death, but this account says 5 months. This story of his suicide is inconsistent with the Shiji, and the account itself won't likely be added to Kingdom. (Unless there's a Riboku body double)
However, some details could still be added. The Zhao official Han Cang could be added as one of Kakukai's vassals. Riboku's death could change from decapitation to suicide for a more dignified death.
There's one detail that I hope Hara will add and that is Riboku's wooden arm. This account states that Riboku gained this wooden arm to give respect to his king.
I want to believe that this wooden arm is the result of his battle injuries, and I do believe that Hara will add this detail because this same account mentions Riboku being tall (I may be stretching this, but I'm certain that kingdom Riboku is tall compared to other characters.)

Zhao Queen Mother's Involvement

倡后者，邯鄲之倡，趙悼襄王之后也。前日而亂一宗之族。既寡，悼襄王以其美而取之。李牧諫曰：「不可。女之不正，國家所以覆而不安也。此女亂一宗，大王不畏乎？」王曰：「亂與不亂，在寡人為政。」遂娶之。初，悼襄王后生子嘉為太子。倡后既入為姬，生子遷。倡后既嬖幸於王，陰譖后及太子於王，使人犯太子而陷之於罪，王遂廢嘉而立遷，黜后而立倡姬為后。及悼襄王薨，遷立，是為幽閔王。倡后淫佚不正，通於春平君，多受秦賂，而使王誅其良將武安君李牧。其後秦兵徑入，莫能距遷，遂見虜於秦，趙亡。大夫怨倡后之譖太子及殺李牧，乃殺倡后而滅其家，共立嘉於代，七年，不能勝秦，趙遂滅為郡。《詩》云：「人而無禮，不死胡俟？」此之謂也。頌曰：趙悼倡后，貪叨無足，隳廢后適，執詐不愨，淫亂春平，窮意所欲，受賂亡趙，身死滅國。
(Lienüzhuan: The Songstress Queen of king Dao of Zhao)
Translations by Professor Anne Behnke Kinney:
The Songstress Queen was a singer from Kantan and the queen of King Tou Jou of Zhao. At an earlier time, she had brought disorder to an entire clan. When she became widowed, King Toujou was struck by her beauty and married her. Ri Boku remonstrated with him, saying, “This won’t do. A woman’s impropriety is the means by which state and family are turned upside down and made unstable. This woman has brought disorder to her clan. Shouldn’t Your Majesty be alarmed?” The king said, “Whether there is disorder or not depends on how I govern.” He then proceeded to marry her.
Earlier, King Tou Jou’s queen had given birth to a son named Ka who became heir apparent. After the Songstress Queen entered the court at the rank of consort, she gave birth to a son named Sen. The Songstress Queen then became a great favorite of the king and secretly slandered the queen and the heir apparent to the king. She also arranged for someone to offend the heir apparent and thus provoke him into committing a crime. The king thereupon dismissed Ka and set up Sen in his place, and deposed the queen and established the songstress as queen. When King Tou Jou died, Sen was enthroned as King Yuu Boku.
The Songstress Queen was dissolute and immoral. She developed an illicit connection with the Lord of Shun Pei Kun and frequently received bribes from Qin. She made the king execute his great general, the Lord of Buan, Ri Boku. Afterward, when Qin troops marched in, no one could stop them. Sen was then taken prisoner by Qin, and Zhao was destroyed. The grandees, resentful that the Songstress Queen had slandered the heir apparent and killed Ri Boku, had her killed and exterminated her family. Together they enthroned Ka at Dai. After seven years they could not defeat Qin. Zhao was then annihilated and became a commandery of Qin.

Last but not least, there's the Queen Mother's involvement in Riboku's death. u/Arturo-Plateado points out that this is Kou Hi and she conspired with Shunpeikun due to Riboku advising Toujou not to take Kou Hi as his first wife due to Prince Ka's existence. As a result after the death of Toujou, she arranged her son to be King of Zhao instead of Prince Ka and convinced the court to kill Riboku. She later was killed by the vassals of King Ka of Dai.
though this source does not come from the Shiji nor the Zhan Guo Ce, I believe it is possible that Hara read up on the Lienüzhuan.

Final Words

Riboku's death is so complex with so many different accounts. These accounts are a story on their own. The Shiji account states that the Qin court will bribe Kaku Kai into slandering Riboku with false accusations of rebelling, so the Zhao court sends an agent to capture Riboku to later behead him. One of the Zhan Guo Ce accounts credits Ousen for this achievement and another account from the Zhan Guo Ce credits Dun Ruo for this as well.
There is also a jarring account from the Zhan Guo Ce where it states that Riboku is punished for concealing a dagger and Zhao Official Han Cang forces Riboku to commit suicide where the wooden arm Riboku thrusts a sword into his mouth.
Finally, there's an account from the Lienüzhuan that credits Kou Hi for the death of Riboku due to him disrespecting her in the past.
It's possible for Hara to either do one of these accounts or perhaps even combine all of them.
It really goes to show how much monster Riboku is as it took the minds of many geniuses of China from the efforts of both Qin and Zhao just to kill him.

​
https://all-movi.blogspot.com/2013/05/movie-65.html#dae
( English Dubbing )
Plot summary : J.C. Cullen arrives in Chicago in 1957 from a small town. With a talent for winning at craps, he tries to embark as a professional gambler. He breaks the bank at a private craps game at the Gem Club, owned by the dangerous and brutal George Cole, and falls for two women, one of whom is Cole's wife. He ignores advice to steer clear of both Coles. Infuriated, Cole wagers everything on the craps table, including the Gem Club itself, and he and Cullen have it out.

It has been a rough start to the newly crowned Prime Minister's term in government with multiple scandals and shock incidents having been revealed in the past week, seeing the defeated former PM Griffonomics placed in police custody, the Deputy Prime Minister MediocreCentrist14 pronounced dead, and a whole slew of unexpected defections. Nevertheless, the Prime Minister has remained composed throughout it all, handling the pressure with aplomb. Many citizens and high ranking officials have expressed their sympathies towards the highly respected leader of the government, but he has managed to take it all in stride. Of course, not without difficult and great effort, but his composure has been soothing to the concerns of many as he continues to go about getting done, what needs to be done.
"We're not asking for sympathy or for pity," the PM said in an interview, "these kinds of high pressure situations are exactly what Australians have entrusted us as a government to handle. There have been a few politicians in this Parliament who have betrayed the trust of their constituents already so far, but I have no plans of being one of them. The people of Hotham, and Australia more widely, they know they can trust me and rely on me to do what I said I would do over the election."
In amongst all this chaos, BellmanTGM was grateful to receive a request from Dickson Baptist Church, who invited him to return to the church following a recent guest appearance he made to preach on a section of the book of Colossians. This Sunday, having accepted this request, he returned to contribute another instalment of the church's ongoing sermon series through the same section of the Bible.
"It's not the kind of thing I think many would expect me to do at this point in time, but I saw it as a chance to get back to my roots, talk with the people of this country, of the great city of Canberra I am once again honoured to call a home of mine. And the people at Dicko Baps are great supporters of mine, not all of them supporters of my policies necessarily, but certainly they have shown great love to me personally, and so it's a joy for me to get an invitation back here, and to feel that love and support from them during this crazy time."
A full transcript of his sermon has been included at the bottom of this article, and the accompanying slideshow can be accessed here.
​
by Manbell Tii'jiem Editor in Chief, BellFeed
_____________________________________________________
SERMON:
Thanks to ___________ for reading that passage for us, yes today we are continuing through the book of Colossians.
Before we start going through the passage today, I wanted to start this week’s message with a question:
What is something you or your family refused to replace for a long time, even though you really needed to?
Maybe something like a really old phone with a cracked screen or maybe a favourite shirt that had holes in it you never wanted to throw away… I don’t know, something like that. Take a few moments to think about it.
[blank SLIDE] Now, hopefully that was something fun for you to think about, I think we’ve all probably had something like this in the past, right? Particularly if you’re trying to save money or if it’s something you’re really nostalgic about. But- ok- what was point of this question, you might be wondering. Well, let’s take a look at these two cars… [SLIDE]
We’ve seen these two cars a few times now if you’ve been coming along to some of the other sermons in this series. I actually used them as an illustration in my previous message a few weeks ago, and I’m told they even popped up again during last week’s sermon. So, hopefully if you were at either or both of those Talks you remember what the illustration was about, but in case you don’t, what they represent is essentially the life of a person before and after they discover Jesus. Life before was like being the driver of an old wrecked and ruined car, and their new life is like being gifted a brand new, flawless luxury car- a comparison between their old life, and their new life as a follower of Jesus.
Now this idea was a smaller point in the previous talks, but in this section we’re looking at today, it’s pretty much the main idea. But what we’re getting now has a bit more detail to it than just what we see in this simplified image with the two cars, because what is actually being talked about is life and death [SLIDE] and it affects and addresses our entire way of living, not just our morning drive to uni. And funnily enough, life isn’t always as easy and obvious as choosing between a wrecked car and a Porsche. Because we as humans have a funny way of wanting to hold onto things from our past, even if we know it would be wiser to move on to something better. And so that’s what we’re exploring today. [blank SLIDE] What does it actually look like to move away from our old lives and live a new life for Jesus?
So, what’s talked about in this passage is important for anyone who might want to believe in Jesus, because it’s teaching us how we should be living our lives as Christians. And if you’re here as someone who is investigating Christianity and Jesus, then it’s a great passage that reveals why Christians live the way they do, what we’re trying to achieve by living this way and how it’s a really good thing.
But before we get into any details, the first thing we have to look at is what Paul makes sure to emphasise as the starting point in verses 1 to 4. And verse 1 starts with the word ‘therefore,’ – or you might have, ‘since, then,’ or something similar to that depending on your translation– but the point is that everything in this passage we’re looking at today comes only after understanding the passage that comes before this. So let’s do a quick recap of that, and if you were here for the service last week then hopefully this will be familiar for you: [SLIDE]
Christ PLUS anything equals… nothing
Christ alone is- sufficient, is- everything that we need.
[SLIDE] Exclusivity, legalism and smorgasbord spirituality is empty, illogical, merely human, insufficient and ends in living life like you don’t have a head! In other words, if you think that living life as a Christian requires anything more than believing in and following Jesus, then not only are you missing out, it’s just plain wrong, and has real negative consequences. [SLIDE]
And this is extremely important to understand before we look at this passage today in chapter 3: faith in Jesus Christ is sufficient- it is everything that is needed to reach salvation. And from this point, keeping that idea in mind, we can now move onto what Paul has for us next. For someone who has believed in Christ and received forgiveness for their sins, well, what happens next? That’s what we’re looking at today, and so let’s move now to the first point on your sermon outlines, dying into life with Jesus. [SLIDE]
So let me read again for us verses 1 to 4:
Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3 For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.
Now, what this passage is saying is that commitment to Jesus doesn't just lead to a better life, but it leads to a whole new way of living. It’s not just a miracle cure that immediately improves your life without any effort, but it does offer us a brand new, better mindset- we set our minds on things above, and not on earthly things- but even more than just a new way of thinking, it leads us to a whole new life which we see in verses 3 and 4. But how does that work? What does that actually mean?
Well, this piece of the passage offers us a comparison between the death and resurrection of Christ and then uses that image to communicate what it is like to be a follower of Jesus. “Since you have been raised with Christ”- well, in order to be raised like Christ was, we must also die like Christ did. And verse 3 says this a bit more directly: for you died. Ok, kind of extreme! But, obviously, becoming a Christian doesn’t mean you literally die, or else I think this room would be much emptier.
But what this image does is communicate the permanence of the changed life, the finality with which we are supposed to view the decision to commit to living with Christ. We have died to our old way of life, and it doesn’t get much more final than that.
To go back to our car analogy, you’re not supposed to accept the new car and then keep the old one at home in the garage to take out for a spin whenever it takes your fancy- no, you’ve abandoned it, [SLIDE] launched it off a cliff, so to speak… When you have a new car you don’t go back to driving your old broken car, it just wouldn’t make sense.
But to use the terminology of the passage rather than talk about cars all the time [SLIDE], verse 2 sets it up as setting our minds on the things above, and not on earthly things. Things of God versus things of this world. Putting to death the things of the world and instead living out our lives in the way that Jesus did. But what does Paul mean by this? What are the things of the world and what does it mean for Christ to be our lives in a practical sense? It might all sound pretty good in theory, but it’s just fancy words at this point- what does either side of this dichotomy actually look like?
First of all, in verses 5-11 we learn about what is earthly, let’s look at how verse five opens this next point for us: [SLIDE]
5 Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.
Put to death what is earthly! Let me keep reading- from verse 6 as Paul explains more about why we should do this:
6 Because of these, the wrath of God is coming.[b] 7 You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. 8 But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. 9 Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. 11 Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.
Let’s look a bit more at verses five and six- [SLIDE] verse six declares that because of these five sins from verse five, the wrath of God is coming. Just five things, can that really be right? Surely there are more than just five things? There are even some notable omissions from this list, like murder for example. So how can Paul say so definitively that these five things, sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed are what is bringing the wrath of God?
Well let’s think about what connects these five things together- they are all focused on worldly things and therefore they are idolatry and disloyalty to God. Sexual immorality, the breaching of God’s perfect design of sexually exclusive marriage which was to represent the spiritually exclusive relationship between God and his people. Impurity, the more general expression of immorality and disobedience of God. Lust, chasing after bodily passions– desires of the flesh that are not a part of the desires of God. Evil desires, searching after things that are apart from God. Greed, wanting something that’s not yours, something that you haven’t earned, and chasing after worldly possessions because you value them more than you value God.
And so all of these are expressing what it is Paul is talking about, they are all things that the world is concerned about, they are earthly- they’re not the things above. They’re worldly things that won’t matter when this life is done and dusted and when we stand before God at judgment, and so because of that- the wrath of God is coming. [SLIDE]
And Paul says that these are things that the Colossians once lived in, before they believed in Christ. These are the ways of their old lives, their old earthly lives. And because they have now committed themselves to following Jesus, they have put them to death.
But that’s not all Paul says. He has another list of instructions for them starting from verse 8 [SLIDE]: rid yourselves of anger, rage, malice, slander, filthy language and lies.
Now this list is a little different to the other one in verse 5- in verse 5 are all things to do with your own personal desires, things that begin within our own minds. But now from verse 8 we’re looking at things to do with how we relate to other people. The Christian faith is not lived in isolation- we’ll see that more a bit later on in the passage. But what I mean here is, Christians aren’t supposed to just lock themselves away like hermits on top of a mountain somewhere away from society. That might be an effective way to avoid some of those sins, but that’s not thinking about the things above. We as believers are dying to the things of the world so that we can live as Christ did, as someone who loved others with gentleness and sincerity. And so Paul is saying that we shouldn’t be getting angry with each other or deceiving each other- especially not to fellow believers, but also not to anyone else.
And that there is to be nothing that distinguishes believers from one another, there is no hierarchy, which is what he’s saying in verse 11- remember what we have been hearing about what’s been going on for the Colossians in the previous chapters. They’re being told over and over again how certain practices DON’T make us better off spiritually: Jewish law, angel worship, or whatever else it might be that they could compare themselves to- none of that is helpful at all. No, Paul says that even that stuff is a part of your old self, it’s part of the Christ PLUS mentality he talked about in chapter 2. Thinking that you're better than others because you do certain things is also a worldly way of thinking, it’s not the new way of thinking Jesus has for us.
So, now, in verse 11, we see that in life in the image of our Creator “there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free– but Christ is all, and is in all.” And so if we have all put on the life of Christ then we all must treat each other accordingly. No matter your background, your race, whatever it is that may be used to distinguish you from one another, in becoming a follower of Christ, in your new life you take on His image. And so we are all equal under Him.
And that’s where Paul now leads into his next lists which show us exactly what this new life is all about, what it looks like practically to live as a community of believers whose focus is wholly on the things above.
And so let’s look now at point 3 on your outlines, as we look at the new life in Jesus. [SLIDE]
Let me read from verse 12:
12 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13 Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.
So to live life as a Christian, we need to clothe ourselves in a new outfit. [SLIDE] So far we’ve been using the idea of new and old cars to help us understand this idea but in verse 12 Paul introduces the idea of the new life in Christ as being like putting on new clothes.
Now, when I was a student in NCS a few years ago a friend of mine was doing a ministry apprentice at the time with NCS, just like I’m doing now. And I remember coming along to an NCS Bible Talk one week while he was giving the Bible Talk and I don’t remember for sure what the passage he was giving the Talk on was, but it was one like this one, could even have been this same passage. But it was on a topic that was very similar to this one about putting off our old lives and clothing ourselves in the new life. And he explained that becoming a follower of Christ and still hanging on to your old life would be just like if you had just had a shower after a long hard day’s of work, taken off your sweaty clothes and cleaned yourself up and then right afterwards you put the same dirty clothes you wore all day back on. And to illustrate his point it was then that he revealed that- he had actually literally done this the past few days- so he could be a living example of why that was a bad idea. He had worn the same, dirty clothes for multiple days in a row. Of course, we all thought that was totally gross, but I have to say that it was a very memorable illustration that even years later I still remember.
And so for my talk this week, I too have decided to wear the same clothes… No I’m just kidding! I’m wearing fresh clothes, I promise, my wife would never let me do something like that.
The point is! [SLIDE] Because you’ve put off the old life, you’ve gotten rid of the old clothes, and so instead we put on new clothes that represent Jesus. So what are these clothes? Well that’s our next list- let’s look at the verse again: [SLIDE] “clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.” And in verse 13 we have forgiveness and finally in verse 14 is love.
Notice that all of these things have to do with relationships. What we see here are instructions about building a loving community that represents the love that Jesus showed us. Just like Jesus was compassionate, kind, humble, gentle, patient, forgiving and loving- so should we be to those around us. Because that is what living in the image of Christ is like, what it means to be living for the things above.
And doesn’t it sound like a great community to be a part of? This is why community is one of the core values and aims we have here at Dickson Baptist church. This is the kind of community we are trying to be and this is the type of environment we are trying to create. A community that embodies all of these virtues, and especially, from verse 14, a community built on love. [SLIDE] Paul uses the clothing analogy here again– love is the most important piece of the outfit, the overcoat that goes on top of everything else. It’s the first thing that people should be able to see when they look at Christians and Christian gatherings– their love for each other and for those around them.
Can you think of a time you’ve been welcomed into a place or a group? How did they make you feel loved? Take a few seconds again to think about it.
[blank SLIDE] Ok, well, hopefully you were all able to think of a time like that. I imagine that probably a lot of the things you were sharing could fit into this list that Paul gives us- compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness- making sure that you’re looked after above their own needs. That’s the kind of community and lifestyle that Christians are trying to base their lives on.
But of course Christians are not always like this. We don’t always succeed at living our lives perfectly in this way. And Paul knows that– it’s why forgiveness and bearing with one another gets a special mention in this passage, because he knows we are going to need to, at least every now and then, because we are still human. Which is why it’s so good that we have Jesus to rely on. But even despite this, we should be doing all we can, relying on God’s Spirit, knowing that we are still fallible humans, to help us live up to Jesus’ example of a life lived perfectly in love.
But be encouraged that, even when we fail, at the end of the day it is not our deeds that count for our salvation, remember Christianity is not Christ PLUS good works- it is Christ alone. And that’s why the final item on Paul’s instruction list is to be thankful, our final point for tonight. [SLIDE] Let’s read from verse 15:
15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. 16 Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. 17 And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
We were called to peace, peace with each other but also peace with God by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. And for that, Christians are to be forever thankful. And remembering this is, ultimately, the key to actually achieving everything else Paul has talked about so far in this chapter. He concludes by saying just as much, “whatever you do, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.”
If we remember what Jesus did for us and what he did for others in His ministry on Earth, then we will know how to live for each other now. And that’s why we have Christian communities like churches and groups like NCS, because here we can gather together to be taught, to admonish and encourage each other, with songs and by studying the Bible. So that we can remind each other of our new identity in Christ, and of what it is He did for us on the cross. And to encourage each other to do everything that we do as though we were doing it for Christ, in thankfulness as a response to everything He did for us. And that, ultimately, is the only instruction we have. To believe, and to remember, so that we can live it out. [blank SLIDE]
So to wrap up now, let’s go back over our points- becoming a Christian offers us a new and better life. Jesus calls us into a new life that doesn’t focus on the temporary things of this world. We need to let go of our old life and instead, we look to lead a better life, focused on the things above, and seek to create a community built on Godly virtues and, most of all, love. And so we remember that it’s only because of Jesus’ sacrifice and example that we can fulfill this, and so we live it out in thankfulness to Him. And that’s the real way that we can let go of our old life, truly putting it to death so that we can live our new life in Him.
If you’re someone who’s here today and is still not sure where you stand with who Jesus is, then focus on getting to know Him first. What we’ve talked about here today is a journey that starts with knowing Him. And my prayer is that, after today’s talk, you will be able to see the goodness of a life lived for Jesus. And if you ever have any questions or something you’d like to know more about, please don’t hesitate to reach out to anyone here at church I’m sure they’d love to help you get to know Jesus more.
And so my encouragement to those who do believe in Him, then, is much the same as Paul’s was to the Colossians- be thankful to Christ, and let that be what motivates you to live your life out for Him, so that everyone around you might be able to look at you and see the goodness of the new life that He offers us.

These are not in any particular order - some may have come a few weeks ago, some today.
But I do have good news: I did NOT work on cards at all this weekend, because I spent Friday evening, Saturday and Sunday all doing amazing fun things with my wife as we kicked off our celebration of Pride month. For those who don't know, we currently have two houses, in two different states, one where she mostly lives (in the U.S. Pacific Northwest) and one where I mostly live (in the U.S. Southwest, known as the Cactus Cathouse). We are gearing up to sell our northern outpost house and live together in the Cactus Cathouse, and this was sort of our "last hurrah" weekend before showings and whatnot really get started.
But now, I'm trying to get cardthings caught up so that I'm not trying to deal with them during the eventual relocation, starting with these thanks and hopefully progressing on to a request and an offer tomorrow as time permits.
Also, someone in this (long) list sent me a lovely, large rainbow snail vinyl sticker, but I couldn't tell whose mail it came from. (Maybe u/amyt13?) Anyway, whoever you are, I appreciate you immensely and I'm sorry for not organizing myself better.
Thanks to:
(First of all, thanks to the flair team, because yikes this is the worst and I'm very sorry!)
u/amabisca - This handmade purple card (my favorite color!) is amazing and was such an uplifting surprise. Thank you so, so much!
u/amyt13 (x2) - Thank you for the beautiful handmade collage card, the Oscar Wilde card, and all the extras! I hope you are able to find a good place to call home too - the one you were describing sounds like my kind of town, and I hope it works out. I'll cross my fingers for you!
u/AppleCritter723 - This cute botanical card/letter I an opening from you is dated in April. APRIL, friend. I am sorry. It is full of good news and cute stickers and I swear I will write actual mail and not just send weird envelopes of things to you and your "bigger little" soon. I hope your Memorial Day weekend travels weren't too bad, and that Gandalf the adventurer is letting you occasionally stay inside. You created a meow-monster!
u/awachob - Goose!! I can't believe I got to be the goose! Thank you so much for a fun offer. (And for the neat stickers!)
u/blue-wanderer-quartz - I am very late saying thanks for the Five of Pentacles cat tarot sticker reading, but it was incredibly appropriate to read about pooling resources as my wife and I re-combine households in part due to love but in large part due to, well, wanting to actually have disposable income! I think it's interesting that we both chose pentacles for each other! (And the cat postcard your reading is on is very cute, I don't want to forget that!)
u/bluedecemberart (x2) - I love the vintage VA hospital postcard from Maine... and we already chatted about the "not noticing the chores" thing but rereading the card as I went to post this made me sure again that we are somehow the same person. WEIRD, but COOL. And your New York skyline postcard is lovely, and now I want to watch A Crown of Candy!
u/championvilla - I adore this MarioKart card! My wife and I used to play a lot (right now, we have the game systems packed for house-showing). I hope that your husband is continuing to feel better (and that the cat finally decided to get off of him, lol!)
u/chiquita61 - The sloth mermaid dolphin thank-you card with penguin stickers is absolutely wonderful... and I am so happy you liked my "reject" sticker card in all its glory!
u/comingtogetyoubabs (x6) - This crystal ball card with Petit's ABSOLUTE WISDOM is just amazing, friend. (Also, did I get a little teary at "writer of hugs in card form" MAYBE). And the amazing goodies you included - the cat-yang patch, your beautiful handmade notepaper... there is no way I deserve the awesomeness that is you "buzzing" into my life. And then the second cat card and all the goodies, including the adorable bookmark...! And THEN I realized you had hand-drawn me three tarot cards that you wrote about, AND then I found your origami letter... I am in awe, friend. You are wonderful!
u/cswl (x10) - This is what I get for not keeping up with my thanks, I feel silly with how behind I am for you, my dear friend! (Both in thanking AND in writing back.) Thank you for the cute plant notecard (I do not do Informed Delivery because it will just make me sad, I think); the red fox postcard (did you go to Fogo, which is one of my favorite places ever??); the "sources of acid" postcard (I always feel better when I have time for myself too, and also always delay it too long); the absolutely delicious LouPaper charcuterie board postcard (I have both too many cards and somehow never the ones I really feel like I wish I had to send people); the postcard from The Lion King (yay garage sale days!); the Strange Planet vibrating cat postcard (so outnumbered, I have given up, they are in charge now); the two different New Yorker cartoon cards (you are 100% right - hard times are harder on the one holding down the fort in SO many ways, been there/done that, and also guilt trips suck and I'm sorry the person tried to send you on one); the cute bird saying hi card (the one-house thing was her idea first, and it will definitely be for the best, though I need to make sure I keep focusing on me too!); and especially thanks for "Content Lives Everywhere" collage you made - that is just wonderful. You are so great. I am sorry I'm such a bad postal pal but I'm trying to do better!
u/dazeyferry (x2) - My dear friend, this penguin with flowers card is AMAZING and I am so, so grateful that you thought of me when you saw it. And the little floral thank-you card addition was perfect as well. I love you and I am so glad we are friends! As far as bingeworthy shows - have you seen Ted Lasso? Schmigadoon? (Both on AppleTV.) Those are amazing. We also started watching Hello, Tomorrow, which is a bit sad sometimes but really good! I'll try to think of some more, too.
u/draconic_healing - I love this little tiny Polaroid-style postcard - it's adorable! Please pet the kitty for me - I couldn't tell if you wrote "Bear" or "Bean" but both are great names!
u/dwrfstr - This gold penguin card is amazing and adorable and I cannot believe your luck to find it thrifted! I picked up a set of hundreds of vintage postcards from an art reuse store that's near where we met up, and I ended up with, like, 16 of the same weird chapel at a church camp in South Dakota, so you definitely win...
u/fancayschmanzayyy - Your cat thank-you card was wonderful (as were the cool stickers!) And most of all, I very much appreciate you telling me about your act of kindness and I especially appreciate your caregiving nature. I cared for my mom for many years before she passed away and stories like the one you told will always be especially important to me. You make a difference and I am so grateful you exist!
u/Fancykiddens (x2) - I feel terribly, terribly guilty for how late I am thanking you for this amazing CARD-CEPTION package!! First, from the pengin section: the pengin family you drew me, how awesome are they?! You are so talented! I almost never keep envelopes but this one got immediately saved with my "penguin stash." Then there was your beautiful handmade Frida Kahlo card - exactly my vibe, I love it! The penguin goodie bag with the penguins and their fish snackles inside was adorable too. And then, moving to the "monsteroo" or cute monster section, I adored your Monsters Inc. letter and goodies as well! I especially liked hearing that, at the time you wrote it, you were feeling particularly well and accomplished, and I adored hearing how much carding has helped your outlook. SAME, FRIEND. So much so!!
u/feellikebeingajerk (x2) - Holly Hobbie card (the first, maybe?) has arrived! And yes, it brought back awesome memories. I didn't get a lot of "trendy" things growing up, as my parents and I didn't have a lot of money, but there was a discount department store near us, sort of an early version of a T.J. Maxx or Ross that was called Hills, and it would sometimes get slight misprints or seconds of things like bedding, which is, I am -positive-, how I came to be able to have Holly Hobbie. And I don't remember anything "wrong" with it, so, way to go, Mom of PinkPengin, for that find! LOL. Also, thanks for the cool Papyrus thank-you card from your random offer, and for the stickers!
u/fieldofcabins - This adorable bee thank-you postcard is so great (and the penguin as the stamp image, ahhh!) I am glad your dad is healing and please let him know I'm still thinking of him. (And of course I'm always thinking of you, too!)
u/GizmoDOS - Thanks for the solar system postcard, friend! I loved hearing from you. Life really has been hectic lately. I hope yours is moving in the direction of settling down. Mine is going to be rough briefly but then hopefully a lot smoother!
u/hermitcreature - I love this Studio Ghibli-themed card and all the great stickers and dragon facts from your book (and the amazing Zimbabwean owl stamp)! I hope you will like your card from me in exchange when it arrives - I just sent it this week, I am very sorry!
u/HexagonalRainbow - I loved your anime postcard but even more, I loved hearing about your concert!
u/isar-love (x2) - These cartoon owls with their hats and shoes on your card from March are AMAZING! (And the accompanying postcard with more behatted owls also made my day!) I agree with you very much that owl facial expressions are the thing that especially warms my heart to them. They seem so intelligent and curious and often kind (especially in illustrations) with their big eyes looking right at me! I have several little stuffed-animal friend owls, including two very special ones named Swoops (who is tan) and Fwoops (who is pink, though his name reference is from fuschia - he is a "Fuschia Swoops" - way better than a Pink Swoops, who I fear would have to be "Poops," LOL!) Thank you so much for your wonderful kindness and friendship and fun mail!
u/jaimekj - Thank you for the floral card, great stickers and most importantly your note and your friendship! I do like New Mexico (more than my part of the Southwest, honestly, but we had family reasons we picked where we did)! I'm crossing my fingers about an interest-rate drop. If I had my choice, I'd either like to find someone bigger in Washington, or move back to Pennsylvania, I think. There are ups and downs to both. And I will VERY much hate going back to snow, that's one thing I do love about where I am in the desert!
u/jvanct88 - I cannot tell you how thrilled I am to have a letter from you with an update (and updated address), dear friend! In one way, I am VERY sorry for all the things you have been finding out, but in another way I am happy that you finally know the truth and I believe that knowing it will be very helpful in having closure and a good feeling as you move to a new chapter in your life. And I am VERY hopeful that your tattoo came out amazing! I am a big, big fan of tattoos and piercings. A funny story is that I got 2 new tattoos and several piercings when my wife and I were separated, including a nosering, which she always said she hated. (She didn't mind other tattoos and piercings generally.) When we got back together, she apologized for ever saying that, and said how good it looks on me. That was nice, but I very plainly also told her, "I wouldn't care even if you hate it, because I love it and I'm keeping it forever." LOL! Anyway, I love this dinosaur princess cactus card and I am very happy to hear from you and will write to you again soon!
u/KatDuq (x3) - My dear friend!! This butterfly card you made to thank me for MY card in honor of your new letter opener is beautiful (as are the included penguin stickers, which are beautiful, of course!) I also loved your separate letter talking about the things you make. I do journal, sometimes, but I suffer from the problem of all notebook and journal-havers... I hate to USE the beautiful books I have lest I "mess them up!" What really helped me get out of that mindset somewhat was actually the Happy Planner notebooks, because I felt like I could always remove pages and rearrange! And now I am getting into bookbinding and I feel like that helps too because I can more easily make things "modular" and not have the fear of ruining a whole gigantic book right off the bat. I know that's perfectionism talking and I am working on getting rid of that mindset altogether, but for now, baby steps. And HUGE congrats on what you've sold, you definitely have a customer in me if you get an online store set up! Finally, thank you for the lovely oracle reading, which (unsurprisingly) was just what I needed to hear now, tonight, as I write this! I specifically didn't look closely at it until now because I figured I'd see it when the time was right and... yup. I did. You are amazing and I appreciate you sharing your beautiful new deck with me. (And that logo stamp you got! SO worth it, it looks amazing!)
u/littlemermaidxx - Your Pride Is Everyday postcard is beautiful - thank you so much! I have Pride happy mail coming your way too.
u/maiiiu (x3) - WOW, you are way too kind to me!! What an adorable thank-you postcard, first of all. And I adored your wonderful handmade penguin collage thank-you card too, and loved hearing the good news about your summer trip plans. I hope it is a truly special time for you and your dear best friend! And then this custom penguin stationery... WOW. You are just amazing and I am very grateful! (Also, the way you attached your sticker gifts in your collage card was great, I might steal that method.)
u/melhen16 - Where did you find this amazing desert-post-office-style card? Did you make it? It's amazing! (And thank you for the beautiful stickers, too!)
u/mumbagoespainting (x3) - Your handmade hometown card is so beautiful, my friend! I loved hearing how you learned to say it. (I admit - I get that one wrong on the first try and have to correct myself every time, despite being from not terribly far south, where we heard it more than occasionally!) And your watercolor dragon is absolutely fabulous!! I loved hearing that we have very similar color tastes - purples, grays, teal! Seeing the dragon pick up those colors was perfect. Finally, your black-and-white abstract card with the glitter made me smile, though I was sad to read about why you had to miss the trip... I hope you are feeling better! And, of course, thank you again for all your stickers and other extras and most importantly for your kindness and friendship. I am beyond grateful for you!!
u/ninajyang - I like the crafty postcard from Pipsticks! And yeah... Hairspray... love the music, definitely not sure about some other things... sigh.
u/nirelleth - I absolutely adore this great penguin and fox postcard for our "wish" exchange! I hope you like yours when it arrives, too. (I just sent it last week, I am so sorry for the wait!) I think my favorite fact about penguins is that they are not all polar; in fact, some of my favorites are temperate ones. (I say, in fact, that I myself am a "temperate pengin!")
u/non_avian (x3) - I am VERY sorry this has taken me so long to write (and even to open and fully enjoy). Your handmade Scoffby postcard with my past-present-future reading was absolutely amazing and is going on my "display shelf" of some of my most treasured cards! I need to know how you made his crystal ball, which is gorgeous! Also, please tell Scoffby that I am very much food-motivated (in fact, I just bribed myself tonight with hibachi). So, his signature chant is VERY well-placed when directed at me. I also adored your letter and the cute paper it was written on, and I am thrilled about the Furby washi card and all the goodies, too! I had no idea that Furby washi even existed, though I guess I shouldn't be surprised... and the capy noodles sticker and adorable penguins and everything else... I am so grateful. I have some mail coming your way very soon; all the "parts" are ready, I just need to put them together and actually get it sent!
u/Peonynote (x2) - Your cat thank-you card was adorable and most importantly, I am so excited for all your travels (and I LOVED seeing your penguin friends together!) And the lovely rainbow card with penguin stickers and super-cute penguin sticky note, in honor of Pride Month, made my day! I hope your walking is going well, still, now that it's getting warmer and stickier.
u/ResidentComposer1939 - I loved your sweet bird notecard and your penguin drawing (it's WAY better than my drawings, let me tell you!)
u/SherlockLady (x3) - Your beautiful butterfly card was lovely as it was, and then I saw the cute mini-card with the reminder about being the happiest/healthiest version of myself, AND the special penguin painting from your young carding apprentice... and wow, I just felt so special! What an awesome gift.
u/soft_distortion - This Gender Is Such a Drag postcard is perfecttttttttt. I loved hearing about the drag brunches too!
u/thecalendonianrose - This square penguin card is amazing and I am so grateful that you thought of sending it to me! (And all the stickers are lovely, thank you!) My wife and allllll the kitties say hello back.
u/TigerLady13 - This is definitely a late thanks, I apologize! But I appreciated the vintage Continental Divide postcard and the "Peng-Win" pun... made me giggle!
u/TyeDyeAmish - I love this pufferfish card, and I have really enjoyed getting to chat with you recently! Most importantly, how was the book sale?! I'm fairly certain it's one I've been to in the past, based on the date you said you were going, and I miss it and a few others in the area so much!
u/umeshufan - Why, yes, this Cat Island postcard DOES look like my house, and yes, there are really 19 inside, and even funnier, YES, I am allergic to cats. The thing is, you do build up a tolerance to ones you are around regularly, but when I travel and then come back, it is truly a nightmare. Thankfully I almost never let any in my bedroom and never to sleep, so I can at least breathe overnight!
u/wabisabi_sf (x2) - My friend, I am in awe of these amazing pink-and-penguin-themed pieces of happy mail!! I had never seen these before and I am DEFINITELY going to be getting more. You are so wonderful to me!
u/welshfancy (x5) - Thanks for the Laughlin postcard (very belatedly)! Your trip to Long Beach sounds almost as multi-stop as my recent cards' journeys to you, though thankfully you didn't need your passport, at least?! And thank you also for the amazing handmade "blooms" collage card (which, as far as I'm concerned, is appropriate for spring OR summer, so it seems perfectly timed to me); the great cat mini-card that you wrote while either eating breakfast or getting your tires changed on your travels; the penguin-with-J-based-life-preserver doodle (which I thought was GREAT, so don't even say it's worse than your others, which I also liked!); and your lovely letter on penguin paper, plus of course the bonus stationery! You spoil me!! I'm thinking of you as you try to decide "what's next" locationally, too.
u/yetanotherblankface - I think your beautiful handmade card for the "Hometown" meta challenge is giving exactly the right vibes! It certainly made me feel cozy and relaxed, which is the feeling I'd most like to associate with home.
u/yviantics - Your hand-drawn Pink Party Penguin postcard with its lovely hat, and the great penguin sticker, absolutely made my day!! I do not draw well at all and I am always amazed when people who can will share their talent with me. Thank you so, so much! (And, by the way, I tried the bananas-and-barbecue-chips combo and was really surprised at how good it was, so thanks for that, too!)
u/56thorns and u/UseYourRuler - Thank you for the wonderful postcard from the "Falls!" My wife and I were there to ring in the New Year for 2019 and I've been a couple other times too. Such a lovely place for a getaway, and it sounds like you had fun!
u/todayisfab, u/sebisrude and u/KeenEvergreen - In my stack of not-thanked-yet mail I found my very own postcard from our meetup, and it made me smile all over again. Thank you all so much, again, for a fun day. And to whichever of you put penguin stickers on this along with the cacti - I am super impressed that you pulled that off without me noticing, they are WAY too cute.

Quick background, my husband (24 M) and I (25 F) have been struggling with infertility for over a year. I’m currently in my two week wait from our second IUI (not the same as IVF). I’m currently in a funk and basically I feel myself start to shut down whenever I encounter pregnant moms or hear someone claiming about being a parents. It’s really pathetic and something I’m trying to get over. This is information is relevant to the event that is causing conflict between my husband and I.
Last night my husband was invited to hangout with his coworkers at his bosses house and he was encouraged to bring along his wife/me. I knew a few of his coworkers were married and have kids. When we arrived one of his coworkers T and his wife J have a adorable two boy P. My husband is good friends with T and J and knows P because P ran up to him and gave my husband a hug. Turns out it was only my husband’s boss and his wife, T and J plus their kid, who showed up. Everyone was participating in playing magic the gathering. During the first game it was super adorable to see P try to participate in the game with his dad T. I honestly began to feel sad because my husband would be such an amazing dad and I wish I could give him a child. I had to excuse myself for a bit because I was on the verge of crying and I took a moment to pull myself together.
When I came back, we continued the game but I honestly was shutting down but tried to fight through it. Once the game was over I sat out and my husbands bosses wife was talking to J about her pregnancy. J is pregnant with her second child and she was complaining about being pregnant and she hates it. The two women invited me into their conversation and I said congrats to J and was polite and said I’m sorry that she is having super awful morning sickness. I got asked the dreaded question of if my husband and I are currently trying for kids. I was honest without giving any detail and said we currently are. J then was saying how it easy it was for her to get pregnant. I just smiled and nodded but you could probably imagine the bitter reaction in my head. I excuse myself and basically became withdrawn and played a game on my phone for the rest of the evening.
On our way out my husband said he could tell I was upset but I was being rude for not being more social and that I embarrassed him. I honestly feel really bad about my behavior and apologize to him. We got into a fight and he told me I need to stop being super sensitive and get over my feelings. I agree with him. I feel really guilty for embarrassing my husband but I thought I was able to at least keep myself in check. I did my best to be polite and respectful. I guess the thing that triggered me was J bragging about how easy it is to get pregnant. I promise that I’m normally this unhinged or emotional but I’ve been having to take hormones (progesterone) which has been messing with my mood and mental health.

"Truth is a fact, and the fact can be understood only when the various things that have been placed between the mind and the fact are removed. The fact is your relationship to property, to your wife, to human beings, to nature, to ideas; and as long as you do not understand the fact of relationship, your seeking God merely increases the confusion because it is a substitution, an escape, and therefore it has no meaning. As long as you dominate your wife or she dominates you, as long as you possess and are possessed, you cannot know love; as long as you are suppressing, substituting, as long as you are ambitious, you cannot know truth. He alone shall know truth who is not seeking, who is not striving, who is not trying to achieve a result. Truth is not continuous, it has no abiding place, it can be seen only from moment to moment. Truth is always new, therefore timeless. What was truth yesterday is not truth today, what is truth today is not truth tomorrow. Truth has no continuity. It is the mind which wants to make the experience which it calls truth continuous, and such a mind shall not know truth. Truth is always new; it is to see the same smile, and see that smile newly, to see the same person, and see that person anew, to see the waving palms anew, to meet life anew.
J. Krishnamurti, The Book of Life CW Vol. VI: pp 134-35
“ what is truth today is not truth tomorrow “ …… truth does not have continuity ! The quote starts with the words truth is a fact …… a fact that has no continuity ?
Thoughts ?

[First] - [Previous] - [[Next]]
New Terran Refugee (Pt - 20) : An NOP fanfic
Thanks to u/SpacePaladin15 for letting people write fanfics.
This is just a fanfic of course.
This chapter went through several iterations, I might have let myself think I could release it 1 week late (and failed). Also, I might have gotten sidetracked with other non-writing thing, oops.
TL;DR:
“OOPS! All Rewrites! And side projects!” – Me
In any case, here’s the chapter:
Memory transcription subject: Tayla, Venlil Widow
Date [standardized human time]: October 18, 2136
The first thing I became aware of was that I had awoken enveloping a richly warm pillow with a soft surface from above, and that not only was it hot but that it was also soft and squishy but without too much give, in fact it was somehow firmer below the surface, I snuggled closer to the material that was emanating heat below me and drove off my mind’s attempts at waking me up, this was too blissful an experience to stop suddenly.
The second thing I became aware of was that I didn’t remember replacing my heated pillow as the cold wind season was still expected to be a good deal of time away and that I had much more important things to spend my limited budget on.
The third thing I became aware of was that I wasn’t hugging a pillow, this only happened when I noticed that it wasn’t moving because I was snuggling into it, but rather moving in a steady motion against me, like when someone breathes while asleep.
The fourth thing I became aware of, were the memories of what led me into this situation ‘Just gonna close my eyes for a moment’; Why did I lie to myself like that?
The final thing I became aware of snapped me out of my musings, it was the reason I woke up, and the reason I had crashed so hard into sleepiness.
The consequence of drinking copious amounts of [shade root] tea to keep watch over Jorge until I could call the number in the email during the schedule it had included beneath itself, this was made worse by the cans of ‘Twilight Energy’ I had drank at the end when more drastic measures had to be taken.
I couldn’t ignore it I couldn’t help but feel the pressure mounting inside my bladder as I peeled myself off from on top of Jorge. Why did I move so much while asleep?
Oh Protector, I missed his warmth already…
I made a mental note to look into repairing my heated pillow for cheap due to a sudden urge to sleep with something warm more frequently, the abrupt thought jogging loose some memories about contact information of some local repairvenlil I’d called before for one reason or another, along with the memory of the number I called before… napping with Jorge…
A great feeling of chagrin manifested along with my bloom while closing Jorge’s bathroom door behind me as I remembered the text beneath the schedule, ‘Extended working hours during emergency situations’, the aftermath of antimatter bombing definitely applied… especially since that Mrs. Bennet sounded so exhausted so soon after the supposed start of her work claw.
I decided to chalk up my lapse in judgement to have been due to how Jorge’s expression before he sealed himself in had left my thoughts racing and heart pounding in worry over him.
With my thoughts somewhat settled, I examined the strange toilet that had been installed, before throwing caution to the winds when the urgency I felt reasserted itself with force.
…
After closing the lid and washing my paws, I finally found what had to be the equivalent of the pulley and chain, a small, recessed button parted into 2 asymmetric parts on the top middle part behind the seat.
I pressed both parts at the same time just in case.
FWOOOSH
A small eep escaped me but was drowned out by the noises that were still coming from the strange toilet!
Finally, the ruckus ended, letting me calm down from the unexpected loudness. Wait, did that noise wak-
THUNK THUNK THUNK
A bigger eep escaped me as I jumped a little into the air; However this time it wasn’t drowned out by another noise.
“¿you ok in there?” I could barely make out Jorge’s voice through the door, like he was putting in the barest effort needed to speak.
“Y-yeah, j-just startled…” I opened the door as I trailed off, a sudden realization had me asking him a question, “I guess I know how It felt w-when I s-startled you h-huh?”
His normally expressive face remained still, the only reaction to my attempt at lightening the mood a brief exhale from his nose; He simply slipped past me as I left the bathroom and muttered something I didn’t quite hear just before shutting the door softly.
I went back to the bed and turned on his pad, after a few seconds of waiting for it to turn on, and a few more waiting for my translator to parse the strange [date and time] format the humans used (Honestly, who separated the [hours] and the [days/months] like that?) I felt a bit of relief as I sank a bit into the still warm bed.
According to the pad, I’d just taken a short nap, I still had plenty of time until my children came back home, hopefully I had enough time to actually have some kind of talk with Jorge.
I’d have to somehow get him to talk about last Paw’s… reaction of his, and find a way to convince him to talk about his family, It’d be good for him to recognize that pain, maybe he’d even hold onto it like me…
^FWOOOSH
That thing that the humans called a toilet interrupted my train of thought before I could do more than think of the barest of ways I could breeze into such heavy topics, the small delay between the toilet’s sound, the groaning of water travelling to the faucet, and the door opening wasn’t even enough to get back on my mind’s [zephyr].
A quick focus on Jorge’s face made my determination start to breeze away a bit, it was much easier to think of how to talk to him when I couldn’t see just how heavily everything [to wear down like a long strong gale would] on him.
Jorge deflated slightly but visibly at how I apparently froze up at the sight of him.
“well, thanks, i… feel better, you can just… leave me be for now”
Jorge stood still, averting his eyes from me until he shrugged strangely after turning to look at the barricade, he then shuffled over and started to shift it to the side a bit, evidently wishing to put it back in place after I left.
“ah” he cleared his throat, “sorry, you can leave now” he returned to averting his eyes from looking at me and awkwardly motioned towards the wide opening he had made after dragging the barricade as he stepped away morosely.
“Jorge.” I paused to breathe; I’d managed to huff out his name just as I needed to exhale.
Jorge stood still for a moment before tentatively focusing on me, a strangely vulnerable expression sat on his face.
I patted the bed (an appropriate and proper distance away from me) with my tail before curling it away from the spot, he seemed to get the message and soon he had sat down beside me, brief moment of hesitation notwithstanding.
I turned my head towards him as I’d seen him do when talking, he flinched a little when his eyes met mine, closing them and averting his face, I reached out for his nearby claw with my tail and put it down gently on top.
I waited patiently for him to start talking; Thankfully the wait was short.
“this… ¿is this about… my reaction yesterday?”
“Yes,” I squeezed down on his claw softly with my tail in a comforting gesture, “I wanted to speak with you about that sooner, but for now…” another gentle squeeze, “I’m just glad you seem to be doing a little bit better.”
Silence enveloped us as Jorge seemed to mull over what I’d just said.
A small hint of a hunch had me examining him more closely, it seemed he was anxiously waiting for me to talk some more.
I chastised myself internally, ‘Of course he wasn’t going to be feeling very talkative…’, how could someone jump straight into talking about such a topic? It’d probably be better to start with other stuff and gauge things from there; With that my mind sifted through possible topics until one stood out.
“S-so, I kind of… used up a lot of your powdered ingredients… heh…” I took in his features, he seemed halfway here and halfway far away.
Maybe… Maybe if I somehow mentioned the call to remind him that there were more humans he could try talking to? Just in case he was getting tired of my clumsy attempts at talking with him…
“I, uh, didn’t think of asking Mrs. Bennet about their availability when I called her this Paw, s-sorry about that… b-but I’m sure they’ll get some more that you can use soon, right?”
That got a reaction, a small one, out of him; His eyes widened. It… felt wrong.
“o-oh, well, i’d better get started packing then…”
An impossibly heavy weight settled deep inside my stomach as he moved his claw out from under my frozen tail tip, my throat clenched up as Jorge got up and limply started wading to his bag.
I stared in mute horror as he dumped his clean body coverings into it, trying to communicate anything to him, and failing miserably as the sheer disbelief of just how horribly I had miscommunicated kept me frozen, while the pain and betrayal I could imagine him feeling kept my mind reeling.
He stopped just as he reached his bag, his claws clenched for a moment before he unclenched them slowly and turned around to look directly at me.
He’d shed more tears, his eyes were an ugly and fresher shade of red.
“y-you were waiting down here for me to wake up again just to have this conversation as soon as possible. ¿am i right?”
Th-this wasn’t supposed to go like this!
“I… I was-”
“I!” interrupted Jorge with an elevated tone of voice, “…Earlier, I woke up and went back to sleep a few times, I could see you sitting on the stairs, sometimes you and your pad would be missing, I kept thinking that maybe you were worried about me ¿you know?”
“I-” An intense look from him kept the rest of my response in my head; ‘I was!’ I wanted to plead.
“I guess you didn’t plan for me falling asleep after crying…” He trailed off and seemed to go into deep thought for a moment, before his eyes narrowed dangerously. “¿Did you just bring me that Atole to soften the blow?” He held up one of his claws towards me while making a stabbing motion with it, his voice came out as a much lower growl than normal from him. “¿Or was putting me to sleep part of the plan?”
My face felt as if I’d been hit by an icy gale. ‘Did he just insinua-?’
“You’re fucking heartless.” That last sentence from him was punctuated by a fresh set of tears from his eyes, though no sobbing came from him as he let himself fall backwards down onto the floor, like a puppet with its strings suddenly cut.
My heart was beating wildly, and my eyes stung from the horrible accusations that he was making, and from how I’d probably be doing just what he had said if this had happened a few days ago…
I gave myself a moment to recollect myself, I’d thought similar enough things when I was alone in the hospital after losing my family, not nearly as extreme but… my circumstances back then and his right now weren’t comparable.
I shuddered internally at how much worse I’d have fared if it had been Venlil Prime that had been attacked; I’d probably… I’d have tried to do what he tried last night…
With a sigh I focused consciously on Jorge, who was breathing a bit more steadily now, as I picked up the bottle and moved steadily towards his alert gaze.
I sat down in front of him and opened the bottle, he narrowed his eyes even further in response, making the redness and glistening more pronounced, the patches of fur above his eyes changed position as well; I didn’t quite know what it meant, but it couldn’t possibly have been from him feeling happy or at peace.
I pushed through the sense of fear that was starting to form from being under his stare and took in the rest of his body language… I readjusted my position and observed as he flinched away from me…
I slowly raised the bottle and drank; The patches of fur over his eyes returned to their normal position, overshot and stayed raised while the intensity of his stare diminished. Finally, he tilted his head ever so slightly.
After a few gulps more I stopped drinking and offered him the bottle, he still wasn’t accepting it; I wiped my lips and prepared to speak.
“…I wouldn’t do that to you…” A small quiver at the end made me trail off until I was certain my voice wouldn’t fail me. I wouldn’t do that now. “None of those things, I mean… Even after all I did… You gave me a chance…”
“When you put it like that…” Jorge wiped his eyes. “I mean, I don’t know what came over me…” He looked to the side and deflated a little.
“I understand… I was like this too…” A small shiver traveled through my spine, thinking about it always did… I ignored the shiver by standing up and offering him the bottle again, this time he grabbed it and drank deeply.
He trailed behind me, we sat down on opposite sides of the bed, him hugging his legs as he sat against the wall, and me with one leg over the edge of the bed with the other one crossed over it.
Dozens of starting points were flurrying in my head, I couldn’t decide on one, so I cleared my throat and let myself say whatever came out first.
“I’m married.” Jorge became extremely visibly confused. “I-I’m a Widow, I meant to say…” The familiar sting of pain grounded me as his expression changed into one I could recognize even from him, pity.
“He-” died “…It happened 11 years ago, I… I lost my family at the same time…”
Jorge’s expression softened even more, no longer out of pity, but out of understanding… of the pain we shared…
“It was my dad’s idea, he’s always wanted to have a big family homestead… when the latest batch of colonies were finally cleared for habitation he bought a plot immediately, my sister and her husband went with them first, then my brother and his wife, and finally me and…”
This whole talking thing was much harder than I thought… I cleared my throat; I couldn’t go on just omitting any names in my retelling…
“Krayla, that’s my mother’s name.” I paused, waiting for his reaction, he ‘nodded’ slowly, solemnly. “Tavk’io, my dad; Talnum, my b-brother; Tahyiya, m-my sister; …a-and Glim, m-my husband…”
I buried my head in my paws, this was too much…
A moment passed, I felt something brush against my tail; Opening my eyes I saw that it was Jorge’s claw, he patted the tip gently until his eyes met mine.
“Emiliano José Cauich Ayala, t-that’s my father’s name.” He paused to breathe and wiped his eyes. “Ixchel Paola Rojas Canul, that’s my mother’s name.”
We stayed in silence for a while longer, at least in my case recovering from the emotional toll that I had just gone through.
“S-shortly after we arrived at the colony,” I began. “I l-learned I was p-pregnant, G-Glim and I celebrated it with my family, we were going to name our baby after my brother and his wife, Kiyomi. It… It was something we had all come up with [years] before, everything was going just like we had dreamed and talked so much about…”
I squeezed my tail against myself, all those nights at the colony laughing and joking with each other about increasingly outlandish names (ones that we’d never use of course), gone just like that…
“G-Glim and Talnum were busy helping the colony expand by clearing new plots for development and as buffer zones, I helped around with Taylee and Talim when needed but I helped dad with the house most of the time; There were always things that needed to be taken care of after all. Th-then one day in the colony, I f-fainted while picking up Taylee and Talim from school, a f-few [weeks] after that… I had to be sent back here since the colony’s hospital had lost their last equipment shipment to an Arxur raid.” I paused and lowered my voice. “G-Glim stayed behind to take extra assignments, t-to cover expenses, h-he… he was… he was on his last pawful of shifts b-before leave wh-when…”
I took a deep breath and let it out slowly.
“…D-dad was at home looking after the kids, he’d sprained his leg while doing some maintenance, he called me early in the morning there, Talnum and Glim were in some kind of assignment together, and my mother had taken everyone else to get stuff from the market to prepare a farewell meal f-for Glim…” And after that… “The call disconnected abruptly, it had happened before so I… I j-joked to m-myself a-and the nurse that it was p-probably j-just the signal failing because I wasn’t there to maintain things p-properly…”
Tears started forming in my eyes again, Jorge shuffled closer, put his soft claw on my shoulder and gave a light squeeze, his warmth spread throughout me.
“…A few claws later I learnt the truth, that the colony had been raided and that the shelter had been breached, shortly after that, I… I lost my…” I did my best to look him directly in his eyes. “After that… I started planning how to get to the hospital’s roof…” There, a glint of recognition and pain in his eyes. “I was just waiting for the rescue fleet to finish up there, just in case, thankfully… my dad hid Taylee and Talim in one of the [Kitchen] cabinets after taking down the family pictures, since he couldn’t take them to the shelter, he… Taylee told me that he… he begged her to keep quiet before closing the cabinet. She stayed in there with Talim for I don’t even know how long… She… She hasn’t talked about it ever again.”
Another squeeze, then silence and cold as he retracted his claw back towards him, his face turning to another side while taking on some kind of thoughtful intensity.
“S-So… What I’ve been trying to say was… I kind of understand what you’re going through… A-and if you want to talk… I-I’m here?”
A small ‘nod’, and more silence. My eyes were beginning to feel heavy again, that nap hadn’t been enough it seemed.
Jorge harrumphed, causing a bolt of wakefulness to course through me as he began speaking, filling in the silence that had fallen on the room.
“…I don’t think I’m ready yet…” His face turned towards me once more. “But… thank you, for sharing, and for worrying about me, I… If you hadn’t been there when I drifted into and out of sleep…” His eyes widened in a flash. “Wait. ¿You haven’t slept right? ¿Are you feeling OK?”
“I-I t-took a nap after you f-fell asleep…” B-beneath him… “Y-you left a lot of space…” He did, but I couldn’t get to it from under his legs…
“Good, good…” His eyes flicked between me and the door. “Well… I suppose you’ve got stuff to do now. ¿Am I right?” Somehow, the expression that sat now on his face felt forced in a way. I kept quiet as I rummaged through my memories of The Aftermath.
Of course, he was trying to get me out to wallow in peace, just as I did…
That was the last thing he needed right now.
I needed to find a way to get him out of this room…
“Actually… I’m free until my kids get back, I’m used to taking care of chores quickly.”
“Right…” Jorge seemed to slowly steel himself, if I didn’t interrupt me, he’d just ask me to leave directly…
I tried to think faster, but the drowsiness was returning in force, it was no use… Unless…
“H-Hey!” My exclamation startled him, I pressed on to keep the momentum strong. “I uh, I kind of went through my whole supply of [shade root] tea to stay awake…” I didn’t. “And… I don’t really want to drink more energy drinks this Paw, I don’t suppose you have something to stay awake with you?”
Jorge blinked, again, once more, and again one last time before responding.
“¿I… think I have some coffee I could make?” He tilted his head adorably to one side as he scratched his head with one claw.
“Sounds perfect! Would you please make me some?” I stood up before he could even answer, reached for his idle claw and tugged at it towards me; He stood up in what seemed like a daze out of reflex.
We spent the next few [minutes] browsing the intact shelf, whatever this coffee was, it wasn’t there, the tentatively positive mood that had formed cracked a little as Jorge looked at the shelf barricade before he trudged over to it, stopping beside it where he gestured at vaguely with his claw.
We stepped past the barricade, tried not to look at each other, failed, shuffled in place for a moment and began sifting through the items strewn about the floor in an unspoken agreement.
It wasn’t long until I found myself holding a container that my translator insisted was labeled ‘Instant Coffee’. “Hey,” I started while turning, “is this the ri-” Jorge was looking intensely at something on the floor, I followed his gaze and saw it, the broken remains of the flame projector.
“J-Jorge?” I extended my tail cautiously towards his arm, his claws ceased to strain against themselves following the subtle flinch he had when the tip of my tail made contact with him.
I gave him the ‘Instant Coffee’ I was holding and scooped up the remains to dispose of them properly this time; Jorge held up the container and murmured an affirmation at me, I gestured for him to lead the way and proceeded to follow him to the [kitchen].
I raced my way directly to the trash container, separated the single-use fuel cannister from the remains I was holding, and dumped the inert bits inside; I’d have to take this last part to a proper disposal collection point in town some other time. For now, I glanced at Jorge and tucked it into a discreet spot in the cabinets when he wasn’t looking. Only after that did I notice what a mess I’d made up here despite my best efforts at cleaning up…
Jorge’s eyes were scanning all over the [kitchen], taking in every splotch, every spill and every crusted over utensil I’d used, he lingered noticeably longer on the open and haphazardly arranged containers of his that I had used, finally he stared at the Vanilla Extract bottle with a soft expression, it was the only container that had remained completely spotless and didn’t have a significant amount of its contents drained.
Yet another unreadable expression had settled on his face as he took a big pot and barely put any water in it, the other more reasonably sized ones just too dirty to deal with quickly, before putting it to boil on the [stove top].
“Uh…” He shifted his weight from one leg to the other a few times. “I… never did thank you for the drink earlier ¿Didn’t I?”
“N-no but there’s no ne-”
The patches of fur above his eyes furrowed together.
“You… mentioned before that you entered the program for money…” He looked confused. “¿Why didn’t you just… ask for me to be picked up? You’d have gotten someone else in no time… Hell, I’d still understand if you did it now. You don’t have to go through all this trouble for me.” The confused expression deepened as he gestured at the messy remains around us.
“…”
He was waiting for an answer.
“I… w-well I d-did enter for the money… b-but… I don’t want to just replace you… I like being around you. I d-don’t know if we’re there yet… But I’d like to be… f-friends! W-with you someday…” Oh Protector, I couldn’t be more obvious unless I just came out and said it…
“Well for what it’s worth… Thank you Tayla, you don’t know what that means to me right now.” He was looking directly at me, with raw emotion and palpable aliveness, my face started to feel as if I was standing under sunlight…
“I-It was the l-least I could d-do…” It was worth it even though he didn’t seem to understand quite what I accidentally meant before…
I was spared from further embarrassment by the pot of water sizzling violently behind Jorge who turned around in a blur to turn the heat off, while he did that I grabbed two (clean) mugs and set them down near him, though I didn’t move my paws quite fast enough as his claw brushed against me while he moved the mugs closer to him to pour the water on them.
He let the water cool down a little as he put his sugar and ‘Instant Coffee’ containers close to the mugs; He poured the less-than-boiling water into the mugs, stirred in a measure of ‘Instant Coffee’ and a measure of sugar as well.
He passed me a mug with a cryptic warning. “If it’s not to your taste, let me know.” Then he grabbed the other one, sipped a little and waited.
The mischievous glint in his eyes left me no choice, I’d have to play along for now; I raised the mug and sipped…
SPEH
WHY WAS EVERYTHING THESE HUMANS HAD SO BITTER?
I futilely attempted to remove the grimace from my face; Strangely, the roar of laughter I expected was nowhere to be heard, I found myself looking at Jorge with some amount of concern, though the clear, if understated, smile he sported calmed me down somewhat.
Wordlessly, Jorge reached for my mug and the can of powdered coconut milk, he then proceeded to mix in a little of it in both mugs, turning the liquid from a dark oily brown to a much lighter tone. Finally he mixed in a single drop of his Vanilla Extract in each mug and gave me back mine.
I gave him the best glare I could manage as I pouted at him, he took a deep drink from his own mug and held it up for me to examine.
With a sigh I tried mine again.
Warm. Flowery. Smooth. Bitter but not too much, like a perfectly harvested root. But most importantly of all, I could feel myself waking slightly more already, whether it was just self-suggestion or the drink having an effect so soon I couldn’t tell.
Once more, the reaction I expected from Jorge was missing, this time he seemed to be lost in thought, staring at a distant point in the air.
I took a moment to examine him, whatever he was thinking, it was starting to fester. It’d be better to get him talking “What’s wrong?” I asked.
“It’s no-” He shook his head. “It’s just… I… my dad… he liked to drink his without adding anything, no sugar, no… coconut milk…, and… me and mom used to tease him about it…” He was retreating into himself once more.
I kept drinking my coffee; There had to be something else I could talk with him about…
Jorge straightened up, something about his posture, about the way he held himself had changed.
“Say… Tayla… ¿Can I ask you for a favor?” Despite the confidence he exuded he was running one of his claws over the back of his mug repeatedly.
“W-what kind of favor?”
“There’s something I want, no, something I need to make for the end of the [month], and… I’m going to need your help getting the stuff, I’d just ask you to get it all for me, but honestly that wouldn’t be right.”
“O-ok, but you still haven’t told me what the favor is?”
“I need to buy flowers, candles, a good tablecloth, and see what dishes I can actually make here that’d be good enough.”
“W-What for?” W-Was he? My heart was beating wildly in a peculiar mix of elation, nervousness and apprehension.
“I’m going to make an Altar for Day of the Dead (Día de Muertos), it’s the least I can do for my family all the way over here.”
W-
Wh-
WHAT?

So I finally watched this remake after not making much of an effort in the 18 years since it came out. Overall, I enjoyed it, although I will admit that a great deal of the reason is 2000s nostalgia.
Melissa George is a treasure. She gives a rather unsubtle, melodramatic performance here, but that's probably what the director asked of her. She's better in Triangle, which is a much better movie.
Ryan Reynolds is pretty heavy on charm, even at this point in his career. His performance here basically amounts to a speed run of Jack Nicholson in The Shining.
This film should be held up as the Exhibit A 2000s horroPlatinum Dunes remake type film. It has all the tropes. Dodgy CGI. Jump cut editing. 70s setting that doesn't really look much like the 70s at all. Protagonist in a wife beater. No patience or subtly whatsoever with the plot. A complete dumbing down of any and all story elements. Elaborate Hollywood set pieces. Darkeedgier versions of the characters. The prevailing sense of "this is what Michael Bay thinks a horror film should be like". Weird beige filters that take away any realism and make you feel like you're watching a 90 minute music video. Take it or leave it.
To be clear, this is only the second Amityville movie I've seen in full, aside from the original. I prefer the original 1979 film for a few reasons: prime Margot Kidder, more subtly in James Brolin's performance, and the "slice of life" pacing that lets the story unfold more gradually. The priest subplot weighs the thing down though. The 2005 version feels almost like the pixie stick/junk food version of the original film. It's also probably pretty influential on modern horror because I can think of at least a dozen movies since 2005 that have used similar tropes in the same way.
How does everyone else feel about this one? Did you see it back in 2005 and do you have any particular memories attached to it? Do you prefer it to the 1979 version? How does it stack up to other Platinum Dunes remakes like Texas Chain Saw Massacre and Friday the 13th? I would personally say it's on par with both of them.

Skipped last week because it was a holiday weekend, we're back to the regularly scheduled forecasts. Many more venues/events sources are now being tracked, and new experimental adjustments have been made for supporting recurring events. Thanks for the continuous appreciation, and for all the suggestions of event websites/sources!

Monday, June 5

• Shows
  • fish narc, YAWNS (DJ set), Bug Bath, Lich & Privacy - the_holland_project (8:00 PM $15.00)
• Competitions
  • Pignic Pub & Patio - Trivia Night - pignic (7:00 PM)
• Community
  • Open Mic Poetry - shims

Tuesday, June 6

• Shows
  • Ward Davis with Eric Lindell at Cypress Reno - cypress (8:00PM $20 +)
  • For the Love of Hip Hop (FLOHH) @ The Bluebird Reno - the_bluebird (8:00 PM Starts at $10.00)
• Competitions
  • Reno Wheelmen Twilight Road Race Series - city_of_reno (5:30 p.m.)
  • Monthly Club Meeting - northern_nevada_kart_club (6:00 PM)
• Community
  • Ward 3 Neighborhood Advisory Board Meeting - city_of_reno (5:30 p.m.)
  • Open Mic Night - coffee_n_comics_on_moana
  • Jazz Night - shims
  • Open Mic - the_blind_onion_in_sparks

Wednesday, June 7

• Shows
  • RENOITES Live Onstage Interview: PETE MENCHETTI - black_rabbit_mead_company (7:30 PM)
  • The Pig Quiz Show!!! - pignic (7:30 PM)
  • Game Night at the Bluebird - the_bluebird (8:30 PM $10.00)
  • Cosmic Hearts Sound Bath - the_virgil (6:00 pm Free – $44.00)
  • Open Mic - the_library_bar
• Art
  • Modular Synthesis Workshop - the_holland_project (6:00 PM $15.00)
  • Do-It-Yourself Sun Catcher - the_nevada_discovery_museum (4:00 pm)
• Food and Drinks
  • Feed the Camel 2023 - city_of_reno (5:00 p.m.)
• Community
  • Reno City Council Meeting - city_of_reno (10:00 a.m.)
  • Small Wonder Wednesday - the_nevada_discovery_museum (10:00 am)
  • $5 Admission After 4:00pm - the_nevada_discovery_museum (4:00 pm 5)

Thursday, June 8

• Shows
  • Stand-up Comedy Open Mic Night in Midtown - Drinks, Desserts, and Laughs - dead_panda_comedy (02:00 AM)
  • Reno Tahoe Comedy presents Comedian Sarah Colonna at “The Theatre” in Reno, NV on Thurs June 8th! - reno_tahoe_comedy (7:30 pm $23.00 – $40.00)
  • The Nevada Gay Men's Chorus Presents: Movies, Magic, & Broadway’s Best - reno_little_theater (7:30 PM)
  • Joey Medina - the_laugh_factory (8:00 PM)
  • Glare, Grave Saddles, Head Stone - the_holland_project (8:00 PM $13.00 – $15.00)
  • Open Mic Night - coffee_n_comics_on_baring
  • Comedy Night - paddy_and_irenes_irish_pub
  • Jazz Night - the_loving_cup
• Art
  • Guided Tour - nevada_museum_of_art (5:00 PM $15 General, FREE Members)
  • Art Afternoon: Workshop and Social for Seniors - nevada_museum_of_art (1:00 PM $15 General, FREE Members)
  • Sarah Coyl: Selections from Pas de Deux - nevada_museum_of_art (7:00 PM {"general":15,"members":10})
  • Clare Frank with Michael Branch, Burnt: A Memoir of Fighting Fire - sundance_books (6:00pm)
• Community
  • Civil Service Commission Meeting - city_of_reno (15:30:00)
  • Planning Commission Meeting - city_of_reno (18:00:00)
  • Level 3: Scene Work II - reno_improv (6:00 pm $225.00 – $275.00)
  • Wyld Creative - the_virgil (10:00 am)
  • The Human Side of Management: Practical HR Strategies for Successful Leadership - the_virgil (1:00 pm)
• Misc
  • Karaoke - Z Bar - (time unknown)

Friday, June 9

• Shows
  • Reno Tahoe Comedy presents Comedian Sarah Colonna at “The Theatre” in Reno, NV on Fri June 9th! - reno_tahoe_comedy (8:00 pm $27.00 – $44.00)
  • The 10-10 Minute Play Festival - good_luck_macbeth_theatre_company (7:30 PM)
  • JeNes N the Juice - peavine_taphouse (8:30 PM)
  • Midnight, Necrofier, Early Moods at Cypress Reno - cypress (8:00PM Open)
  • Johnny Harpo & Friends, Live! - pignic (8:00 PM)
  • Kathy Lantz & Sugar High Friday, June 9 - rail_city_casino (8:00 PM)
  • The Show Must Go On: A Head Rush Murder Mystery – Improv Show - reno_improv (8:00 pm $10.00)
  • Latino Arte Presents LGBTQIA+LatinX Bilingual Play 2023 - reno_little_theater (7:00 PM)
  • Wife, Tummy+, I’ve Never Been Here Before - the_holland_project (8:00 PM $10.00)
  • Joey Medina - the_laugh_factory (8:00 PM)
  • The Doobie Brothers - the_nugget
  • Wingfield Park Summer Concert Series - wingfield_park (6:30 PM Free)
• Art
  • Art Afternoon: Workshop and Social for Seniors - nevada_museum_of_art (1:00 PM $15 General FREE Members)
  • A Legacy of Service - nevada_museum_of_art (12:00 PM $15 General FREE Members FREE Student)
  • A Closer Look Guided Tour - nevada_museum_of_art (2:00 PM $15 General FREE Members)
• Community
  • Programs on the Porch (Bats) - washoe_county_parks (7:00pm)
• Food and drinks
  • Reno Street Food - Food Truck Friday - city_of_reno (4:00 p.m.)
• Festivals
  • Reno River Festival 2023 - wingfield_park (11:00 AM)
  • Reno River Festival and Slow Roll 2023 - city_of_reno (9:00 a.m.)
  • Roller Skating - city_of_reno (6:00 p.m.)
• Misc
  • Late Night Swim - the_grand_sierra_resort (10:00 PM)
  • Vive Fridays - the_grand_sierra_resort (7:00 PM)
  • Game On After Party: Decoy - the_nugget
  • The Human Side of Management: Practical HR Strategies for Successful Leadership - the_virgil (8:00 am)
  • Karaoke - paddy_and_irenes_irish_pub

Saturday, June 10

• Festivals
  • Reno River Festival and Slow Roll 2023 - city_of_reno (9:00 a.m.)
    • Reno River Festival - wingfield_park (4:30 PM)
    • Spur Crazy At The 2023 Reno River Fest!! - wingfield_park (11:15 AM)
  • Mutant Vehicle Show N Shine - glow_plaza (12:00 PM)
• Shows
  • Ohgeesy - cargo_concert_hall (8:00 PM)
  • DJ Romeo and Ohgeesy - the_grand_sierra_resort (10:00 PM)
  • Lantz Lazwell & The Vibe Tribe / Phat Mark at Cypress Reno - cypress (9:00PM $10 +)
  • Stand-up Comedy ft Aurora Singh! - Comedy Slice - Laughs & Pizza - dead_panda_comedy (7:00 PM Starts at $10.00)
  • Reno Tahoe Comedy presents Comedian Sarah Colonna at “Pipers Opera House” in Virginia City, NV on Sat June 10th! - reno_tahoe_comedy (8:00 pm $27.00 – $50.00)
  • Kevin Knapp at Dead Ringer - dead_ringer_analog_bar (10:00 PM)
  • The 10-10 Minute Play Festival - good_luck_macbeth_theatre_company (7:30 PM)
  • Pink Floyd Laser Spectacular - harrahs_lake_tahoe (8:00 PM)
  • Afterparty Summertime Kickoff w/BigBadLambo, & Friends! - pignic (8:00 PM)
  • Brad "Guitar" Wilson LIVE Guitar Showcase - peavine_taphouse (8:30 pm)
  • Chris Costa - rail_city_casino (8:00 PM)
  • The Show Must Go On: A Head Rush Murder Mystery – Improv Show - reno_improv (8:00 pm $10.00)
  • Latino Arte Presents LGBTQIA+LatinX Bilingual Play 2023 - reno_little_theater (7:00 PM)
  • Huckleberry Road Live at Faye's - reno_public_market (7:00 PM)
  • Grupo Frontera - the_grand_sierra_resort (7:00 PM)
  • Chili Sauce - the_grand_sierra_resort (10:00 PM)
  • S.M.O.G. Party: Cities Aviv + Rhamier Balagoon - the_holland_project (7:00 PM $17.99 – $23.00)
  • Joey Medina - the_laugh_factory (7:30 PM)
  • Magique - the_theatre_keystone_ave (8:00 PM)
• Art
  • Guided Tour - nevada_museum_of_art (11:00 AM)
  • Hands ON! Second Saturday – Life in Color - nevada_museum_of_art (10:00 AM FREE)
  • Guided Tour - nevada_museum_of_art (2:00 PM)
  • Do-It-Yourself Sun Catcher - the_nevada_discovery_museum (10:30 am)
• Food and drinks
  • Reno Margarita Day Crawl 2023 - crawl_reno (12:00pm)
  • Margarita Day Crawl - virginia_street_brewhouse
• Community
  • The Conservatory of Movement Spring Recital - the_pioneer_center (TBD)
  • Social Science: Cowboys & Aliens - the_nevada_discovery_museum (7:00 PM)
  • The Playground – Improv Workshop - reno_improv (6:30 pm $6.00)
• Misc
  • Rodeo KickOff Party at Pure Country Canteen! - pure_country_canteen_night_club (7:00 PM)
  • Pro Hockey Finals Viewing Party

Sunday, June 11

• Food and Drinks
  • Sunday Music Brunch - nevada_museum_of_art (10:30 am)
• Festivals
  • Reno River Festival and Slow Roll 2023 - city_of_reno (9:00 a.m.)
    • Reno Riverfest roll - wingfield_park (10:00 AM)
  • Riverside Farmers Market Summer Series - city_of_reno (8:00 a.m.)
• Art
  • B&W Film Developing + Scanning Workshop - the_holland_project (10:00 AM $20.00)
  • Guided Tour - nevada_museum_of_art (11:00 AM $15 General FREE Members)
  • Open Build: Cardboard - the_nevada_discovery_museum (12:30 pm)
• Community
  • Ranger Walks - Pah Rah Interpretive Trail @ Golden Eagle Regional Park - washoe_county_parks (10:00am)
• Shows
  • Joey Medina - the_laugh_factory (7:30 PM)
  • Elvis Costelllo & The Imposters - the_silver_legacy (7:00 PM)
  • Josh Rosenblum - the_peppermill (6:00 PM)
• Misc
  • GRR Fundrager - the_holland_project (5:00 PM $10.00)

More events

• https://pioneercenter.com/Online/default.asp
• https://therenoscene.com
• https://www.kunr.org/community-calendar
• https://renonr.com/calenda#!/
• DJ Trivia Map - At various bars every day of the week

Other Resources

• visitrenotahoe.com
• thisisreno.com

Richmond gets relegated first year. Gets promoted second year. Third year after an awful streak of losses, ends up second. Rebecca has too much money but cannot buy being a biological mom. That hurts her very much, bcs it's her dream. It will never happen. It took her 3 years at least to finally get over a cheating and a*sive husband.
Keeley is honest,kind,willing to help everyone,but she got broken her heart 3 times in 3 years by 3 different people. She was also seen j*ing off by entire England or the world, without her permission. Beard gets repeatedly hurt and dumped by an unstable girlfriend and beats himself up over losses - isn't a goldfish. Sam falls in love at 21 and gets dumped. He tries a passion project, a restaurant with his national food, but it gets vandalized as a result of him trying to do what he absolutely believed was the right thing. Also, he's an immigrant who can get kicked out of England any moment, depends on FIFA, government and bunch of other eviI people, so he feels the job insecurity all the time. Colin has to hide his se uality for years, gets called or implied as a mediocre player even by his coaches.
Roy has one knee ruined for life. According to Beard he cannot walk upstairs. He is so insecure he loses a great girlfriend by his own fault and ends up in therapy way too late in his life. Higgins has too many kids, a house too small according to his words,and has spent years helping a scumy millionaire cheat on Rebecca - that made him unhappy with himself for a long time. Jamie might be rich, but also physically and emotionally a*sed by his father for years. Which will have a permanent lasting effect. Also, loses the only woman he was able to romantically love. Zorro gets a face injury that has lasting effects. His nose might not ever be the same as it was before. Ted is as good and kind as Keeley,but his father offfedhimseIf. He found his body,heard the shot. His mother kind of pretented all is fine for years. He got dumped by his wife. He terribly misses his son for 3 years, is an ocean apart from him. Has panic attacks. Gets over most of all this things through hard work in therapy, but he had to overcome his prejudice and fear of therapy first. Then he experiences an extreme relapse and gets back to obsession with his wife bcs she chose to date the worst possible candidate on the planet. The one that could hurt Ted the most.

I don’t know if this is the right place for this
Me and my wife have had our own home for 6 months now. Recently we had a break in. Single male perpetrator luckily I was able to chase him out of the house with a wood chopping axe j keep in the garage. But overall it rattled me and my wife. I’ve been constantly going over and thinking what if there was 2 people maybe more and if they were armed. We’ve been ina. Sense hardening our house new locks kick plates and cameras me and my wife decided on also getting a shotgun. Both of our firearms knowledge is basically point and pull and hope the bad guy decided to stop being a bad guy or is a dead guy. My wife is smaller so we are electing to get something small. And I was wondering if 20 gauge would be a good fit for protection? My closest gun stores has a Maverick 88 for around 30 in 20ga. So it’s within s good price for us
Would anyone be able to say if it would be capable. And sorry if this isn’t the sun for this post if not I’ll remove this and find another place to ask

Looks like you can get the entire "Worlds of Star Trek" and "Star Trek: Destiny" series this month along with some exceptionally good reading in the other 6 books!
Books in bold have not been on sale in a long time:
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: Revenant by Alex R. White on 2021-12-21
(Amazon) (Apple) (B&N) (BAM) (Google) (Rakuten)

An all-new novel based on the landmark TV series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine from the acclaimed author of A Big Ship at the Edge of the Universe! Jadzia Dax has been a friend to Etom Prit, the Trill Trade Commissioner, over two lifetimes. When Etom visits Deep Space Nine with the request to rein in his wayward granddaughter Nemi, Dax can hardly say no. It seems like an easy assignment: visit a resort casino while on shore leave, and then bring her old friend Nemi home. But upon arrival, Dax finds Nemi has changed over the years in terrifying ways…and the pursuit of the truth will plunge Dax headlong into a century’s worth of secrets and lies! Read reviews and buying options here

Star Trek: Destiny Book 1: Gods Of Night by David Mack on 2008-09-30
(Amazon) (Apple) (B&N) (BAM) (Google) (Rakuten)

Half a decade after the Dominion War and more than a year after the rise and fall of Praetor Shinzon, the galaxy's greatest scourge returns to wreak havoc upon the Federation -- and this time its goal is nothing less than total annihilation. Elsewhere, deep in the Gamma Quadrant, an ancient mystery is solved. One of Earth's first generation of starships, lost for centuries, has been found dead and empty on a desolate planet. But its discovery so far from home has raised disturbing questions, and the answers harken back to a struggle for survival that once tested a captain and her crew to the limits of their humanity. From that terrifying flashpoint begins an apocalyptic odyssey that will reach across time and space to reveal the past, define the future, and show three captains -- Jean-Luc Picard of the U.S.S. Enterprise, TM William Riker of the U.S.S. Titan, and Ezri Dax of the U.S.S Aventine -- that some destinies are inescapable. Read reviews and buying options here

Star Trek: Destiny Book 2: Mere Mortals by David Mack on 2008-10-28
(Amazon) (Apple) (B&N) (BAM) (Google) (Rakuten)

On Earth, Federation President Nanietta Bacco gathers allies and adversaries to form a desperate last line of defense against an impending Borg invasion. In deep space, Captain Jean-Luc Picard and Captain Ezri Dax join together to cut off the Collective's route to the Alpha Quadrant. Half a galaxy away, Captain William Riker and the crew of the Starship Titan have made contact with the reclusive Caeliar -- survivors of a stellar cataclysm that, two hundred years ago, drove fissures through the structure of space and time, creating a loop of inevitability and consigning another captain and crew to a purgatory from which they could never escape. Now the supremely advanced Caeliar will brook no further intrusion upon their isolation, or against the sanctity of their Great Work....For the small, finite lives of mere mortals carry little weight in the calculations of gods. But even gods may come to understand that they underestimate humans at their peril. Read reviews and buying options here

Star Trek: Destiny Book 3: Lost Souls by David Mack on 2008-11-25
(Amazon) (Apple) (B&N) (BAM) (Google) (Rakuten)

The soldiers of Armageddon are on the march, laying waste to worlds in their passage. An audacious plan could stop them forever, but it carries risks that one starship captain is unwilling to take. For Captain Jean-Luc Picard, defending the future has never been so important, or so personal -- and the wrong choice will cost him everything for which he has struggled and suffered. For Captain William Riker, that choice has already been made. Haunted by the memories of those he was forced to leave behind, he must jeopardize all that he has left in a desperate bid to save the Federation. For Captain Ezri Dax, whose impetuous youth is balanced by the wisdom of many lifetimes, the choice is a simple one: there is no going back -- only forward to whatever future awaits them. But for those who, millennia ago, had no choice...this is the hour of their final, inescapable destiny. Read reviews and buying options here

Star Trek: Discovery: Dead Endless by Dave Galanter on 2019-12-17
(Amazon) (Apple) (B&N) (BAM) (Google) (Rakuten)

The U.S.S. Discovery’s specialty is using its spore-based hub drive to jump great distances faster than any warp-faring vessel in Starfleet. To do this, Lieutenant Paul Stamets navigates the ship through the recently revealed mycelial network, a subspace domain Discovery can briefly transit but in which it cannot remain. After responding to a startling distress call originating from within the network, the Discovery crew find themselves trapped in an inescapable realm where they will surely perish unless their missing mycelial fuel is found or restored. Is the seemingly human man found alone and alive inside the network the Starfleet officer he claims to be, or an impostor created by alien intruders who hope to extract themselves from the mycelial plane at the expense of all lives aboard Discovery? Read reviews and buying options here

Star Trek: Enterprise: The Expanse by Brannon Braga J.M. Dillard Rick Berman on 2003-10-01
(Amazon) (Apple) (B&N) (BAM) (Google) (Rakuten)

High above the planet Earth, an alien probe appears -- and in an unspeakably horrific instant, releases a deadly blast that strafes the planet's surface, leaving a miles-wide, smoldering crater of destruction in its wake. Millions die in Florida, Cuba, and Venezuela, their lives blotted out in a blazing millisecond. Just as swiftly, the probe implodes and crashes on the planet surface, but the remnants provide no clue as to its origin. Who are the attackers, and what provoked them? Aboard the Starship Enterprise, Captain Jonathan Archer learns of the destruction. His ship is called home; it is uncertain whether its mission of space exploration will continue. But before Enterprise reaches Earth, Archer is abruptly kidnapped from the bridge by the time-traveling enemies he has encountered before. He finds himself aboard a Suliban vessel, face-to-face with his old nemesis, Silik, a high-ranking indiviual in a battle known only as the Temporal Cold War. Silik leads him to his master, a mysterious humanoid from the far future. The humanoid claims that the attack on Earth was just a test; and the next attack will destroy Archer's home planet...unless he and the Enterprise crew stop it. To do so, they must enter a region of space called The Expanse - an area so dangerous that no ship has ever emerged from it unscathed. Vulcan crews were driven to bloodthirsty madness, Klingon crews were anatomically inverted, their internal organs exposed outside their bodies...while they still lived. Many vessels were lost, never to be heard from again. Archer faces the greatest crisis of his career: Should he believe Silik's time-traveling master, and expose his ship and crew to the perils of The Expanse, in hopes of saving Earth from destruction? And can he convince Starfleet Command and the Vulcan High Council to let Enterprise go to face her biggest challenge? Read reviews and buying options here

Star Trek: Stargazer: Oblivion by Michael Jan Friedman on 2003-08-26
(Amazon) (Apple) (B&N) (BAM) (Google) (Rakuten)

Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the USS Stargazer accepts a dangerous mission only to learn that he has been lured into a deadly trap. A young Captain Picard is secretly dispatched to an orbital city in a disputed part of space. His mission: to recover an alien turncoat who could potentially upset the balance of power in an entire sector. When an explosion wrecks Picard's plan to beam the alien aboard the Stargazer, the captain finds himself pitted against both cold-blooded Cardassians and city authorities. Embroiled in a life-or-death struggle to find his alien ward, Picard's only ally is a mysterious woman named Guinan. Read reviews and buying options here

Star Trek: The Original Series: No Time Like the Past by Greg Cox on 2014-02-25
(Amazon) (Apple) (B&N) (BAM) (Google) (Rakuten)

STARDATE 6122.5. A diplomatic mission to the planet Yusub erupts in violence when ruthless Orion raiders attempt to disrupt the crucial negotiations by force. Caught in the midst of a tense and dangerous situation, Captain James T. Kirk of the U.S.S. Enterprise finds an unexpected ally in the form of an enigmatic stranger who calls herself “Annika Seven.” STARDATE 53786.1. Seven of Nine is taking part in an archae­ological expedition on an obscure planetoid in the Delta Quadrant when a disastrous turn of events puts Voyager’s away team in jeopardy—and transports Seven across time and space to Yusub, where she comes face-to-face with one of Starfleet’s greatest legends. STARDATE 6122.5. Kirk knows better than most the danger that even a single castaway from the future can pose to the time line, so he and Seven embark on a hazardous quest to return her to her own era. But there are others who crave the knowledge Seven possesses, and they will stop at noth­ing to obtain it—even if this means seizing control of the Enterprise! Read reviews and buying options here

Star Trek: The Original Series: The Higher Frontier by Christopher L. Bennett on 2020-03-10
(Amazon) (Apple) (B&N) (BAM) (Google) (Rakuten)

Investigating the massacre of a telepathic minority, Captain James T. Kirk and the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise confront a terrifying new threat: faceless, armored hunters whose extradimensional technology makes them seemingly unstoppable. Kirk must team with the powerful telepath Miranda Jones and the enigmatic Medusans to take on these merciless killers in an epic battle that will reveal the true faces of both enemy and ally! Read reviews and buying options here

Worlds Of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: Volume 1: Cardassia And Andor by Heather Jarman Una McCormack on 2004-07-01
(Amazon) (Apple) (B&N) (BAM) (Google) (Rakuten)

Within every federation and every empire, behind every hero and every villain, there are the worlds that define them. In the aftermath of Unity and in the daring tradition of Spock's World, The Final Reflection, andA Stitch in Time, the civilizations most closely tied to Star Trek: Deep Space Nine can now be experienced as never before...in tales both sweeping and intimate, reflective and prophetic, eerily familiar and utterly alien. CARDASSIA: The last world ravaged by the Dominion War is also the last on which Miles O'Brien ever imagined building a life. As he joins in the reconstruction of Cardassia's infrastructure, his wife Keiko spearheads the planet's difficult agricultural renewal. But Cardassia's struggle to remake itself -- from the fledgling democracy backed by Elim Garak to the people's rediscovery of their own spiritual past -- is not without opposition, as the outside efforts to help rebuild its civilization come under attack by those who reject any alien influence. ANDOR: On the eve of a great celebration of their ancient past, the unusual and mysterious Andorians, a species with four sexes, must decide just how much they are willing to sacrifice in order to ensure their survival. Biological necessity clashes with personal ethics; cultural obligation vies with love -- and Ensign Thirishar ch'Thane returns home to the planet he forswore, to face not only the consequences of his choices, but a clandestine plan to alter the very nature of his kind. Read reviews and buying options here

Worlds Of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: Volume 2: Trill and Bajor by Andy Mangels J. Noah Kym Michael A. Martin on 2005-02-15
(Amazon) (Apple) (B&N) (BAM) (Google) (Rakuten)

Within every federation and every empire, behind every hero and every villain, there are the worlds that define them. In the aftermath of Unity and in the daring tradition of Spock's World, The Final Reflection, and A Stitch in Time, the civilizations most closely tied to Star Trek: Deep Space Nine can now be experienced as never before...in tales both sweeping and intimate, reflective and prophetic, eerily familiar and utterly alien. TRILL: They are a people with secrets. For centuries they kept their true nature hidden, even taking disturbing steps to protect the small population of near-immortal symbionts with whom a privileged few Trill are joined, body, mind, and soul. They are a people who hold memory to be sacred, yet deny their own past. Now amid a whirlwind of scandal, accusations, and growing civil unrest, Ezri Dax must penetrate millennia of lies and deceptions, and rediscover what should never have been forgotten, before her civilization rips itself apart. BAJOR: The honeymoon is over. Following the euphoria of Bajor's marriage to the Federation, the real business of making that unionwork has begun. But even on a world where politics and religion are intertwined, conflicting visions of Bajor's role in the interstellar arena divide the planet's leadership. As newly minted Captain Kira Nerys sets the tone for the kind of Starfleet officer she will be, First Minister Asarem makes a bold move to define Bajor's voice in the Federation, while the returned Benjamin Sisko prepares for a futurethat only he, as yet, can see. Read reviews and buying options here

Worlds Of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: Volume 3: The Dominion and Ferenginar by David R. George III Keith R.A. DeCandido on 2005-01-25
(Amazon) (Apple) (B&N) (BAM) (Google) (Rakuten)

Within every federation and every empire, behind every hero and every villain, there are the worlds that define them. In the aftermath of Unity and in the daring tradition of Spock's World, The Final Reflection, and A Stitch in Time, the civilizations most closely tied to Star Trek: Deep Space Nine can now be experienced as never before...in tales both sweeping and intimate, reflective and prophetic, eerily familiar and utterly alien. FERENGINAR: Quark's profit-driven homeworld is rocked with scandal as shocking allegations involving his brother's first wife, the mother of Nog, threaten to overthrow Rom as Grand Nagus of the Ferengi Alliance. Making matters worse, Quark has been recruited by Rom's political adversaries to join their coup d'tat, with guarantees of all Quark ever dreamed if they succeed in taking his brother down. While Ferenginar's future teeters on the edge, the pregnancy of Rom's current wife, Leeta, takes a difficult turn for both mother and child. THE DOMINION: Since its defeat in the war for the Alpha Quadrant, the Great Link -- the living totality of the shape-shifting Founders -- has struggled with questions. At its moment of greatest doubt, its fate, and that of the Dominion itself, is tied to Odo's investigation of his kind's true motives for sending a hundred infant changelings out into the galaxy. As Odo searches for answers and takes a hard look at his past choices, Taran'atar reaches a turning point in his own quest for clarity...one from which there may be no going back. Read reviews and buying options here

Returned last week from a 3 week trip in Japan, my first!
Did the very typical route of Tokyo-Osaka-Kyoto-Tokyo but did things a little different stayed in 7 hotels throughout my stay. Why? My wife and I are very much food and nightlife focus and love to get a feel of neighborhoods, this enabled us to do one inconvenient journey to then set up base for the next few nights, get a feel of neighborhoods and avoided expensive Taxi fares at night.
This trip report will focus mostly on the wanky food, coffee and drinking spots that I enjoyed - as well as some tourist highlights
 

Tokyo ^{May 10-18}

Shibuya

First couple of nights was a treat hotel stay as this was a delayed Honeymoon. We stayed in the Cerulean Tower in Shibuya on an executive floor and it was worth every cent. Mostly just chilled around the hotel adjusting with the jet lag and using the executive perks. Whilst we stayed here we drank at R261 CIGAR & ROCK and mostly the Executive lounge "free" cocktail hour.
 
Notable spots:
SG Low - great foreign friendly introduction to Izakaya culture.
L'Intemporel - Amazing French fusion tasting course with wine pairing, not cheap (honeymoon remember) but we wanted to try Japanese influenced French and it did not disappoint!
 

Shinjuku

Stayed at the Tokyu Stay East Side, spacious but basic and a little bit away from the madness but close enough to explore the nightlife in the area, also close to Shinokubo.
I know Golden Gai can be a questionable visit but my wife and I loved it, found some real niche bars that we enjoyed, hotel was in close proximity, loved Piss Alley too
Experienced my first basement of a shopping center and was blown away. I know that everyone recommends it but holy shit, the food options are endless. Great if you want to take some treats back to the hotel.
 
Notable spots:
Kodoji Small bar in Golden Gai that is also a photography gallery. Very much a locals only joint, owner eyes you up before you allowed to drink. The regulars were lovely.
Bay Window More laid back and spacious, the owner had extensive knowledge of Japanese whiskey, very much enjoyed!
All Seasons Coffee Fantastic Coffee in an independent shop
養老乃瀧 新宿西口店 Good Izakaya in Piss Alley. Not the typical small and crowded joint, eating upstairs near the window you can see the trains go by.
Uobei Shin-Okubo I know its Kaiten sushi but my wife and I were blown away with the quality. We are Sushi novices so we are likely rating this with inexperienced palates. If you want to dip your toe into Sushi/Sashimi I couldnt recommend it enough!
Hanbey's Izakaya Yes its a chain and the food is average at best but if you book in advance you might be lucky to get a private room. Cheap and cheerful with a great vintage decor
 

Azabu-Juban

Random one to move here but we found a great deal at the Oakwood Hotel & Apartments. Has an amazing view of Tokyo Tower! We also had a steak restuarnt booked, see below, and knew we were going to the Tsukiji Outer Market and Sumo tournament so it seemed like a good base of travel.
Lined up big day of Tsukiji Outer Market - Sumo Grand Tournamet - Asakusa.
Quick take, Tsukiji Outer Market can be missed if traveling to Kyoto or Osaka. I found the markets in Kyoto and Osaka to be less hectic and a little cheaper and just as enjoyable. Tsukiji is a massive magnet to all tourists across the city, I sure enjoyed it at the time but then when I went to Nishiki Market and Kuromon Ichiba Market I found them to be just as enjoyable but with less of a crowd.
Sumo Grand Tournament - If you ever have the opportunity I would 100% recommend to go. We go the nose bleeds and got in a little early to look around. If you want to see the more high profile fights go in a little later, around 2pm. Was pretty cool to see the Sumo walking from the station to the stadium.
Sensō-ji Temple in the evening was great, noone about and you get to take on the temple as the sun sets. Couldn't recommend going later enough, felt like we had it to ourselves and you have a lot of decent food options around Hoppy street.
Made a trip out to Nakameguro on a nice day and it was a lovely chilled vibe. Checked out the vintage shops there and then had a drink chilling by the river. A nice escape from the madness of Shibuya and Shinjuku, some really lovely independent shops, cafe and restaurants
 
Notable spots:
Juban Ukyo Stand Bar Stumbled across this and loved it. If you like your natural wines and are in the area this is a go to, even have orange wine which was hard to come by elsewhere.
Northcote Coffee Shop Small independant coffee shop that makes a decent cup, owner is very lovely and happy to have a chat - she lived in Melbourne previously.
Komiyama-nishiazabu Another splash out dinner, holy shit this was amazing. The Chef used to be a butcher so he buys by the cow and takes you on a tasting course of all the different cuts. One of the best meals I've had
Turret Coffee Tsukiji If you like your coffee strong, this is the one. Like an uppercut of caffeine. Loved it!
Popeye Conveniently located next to Ryogoku Kokugikan National Sumo Arena, if you are a craft beer drinker this is the OG spot in Tokyo. As with all craft beer its more on the expensive side, however, they offer a free place of food from selected drinks during their happy hour, helps soften the blow.
Akagaki Hoppy street wasn't doing it for us and my wife was curious of this place, we stuck our heads in and had a night we will never forget. Very much a local spot but welcoming to foreigners - if there is space. Once we mentioned were on honeymoon the Shochu didnt stop, also made a friend who booked us in at Imahan Honten, more on that later.
 
Quick take - Though its fun getting Ekiben from Tokyo station, in comparison to Konbini or bakery food its pretty poor. Opted for one to share and then grab something quality from a Konbini
Quick take ^again - if you are doing my same overall route there is no need for the JR pass. If you book ahead, a month in advance and the max, on the SmartEX site you can get discount tickets for standard and green cart. Also book an oversized baggage seat if possible, yes your suitcase might fit above or in front of you but if you book the Nozomi train - a non JR pass Shinkansen, you are likely to be one of the few foreigners in your carriage that are hauling baggage so likely no competition. These seats cost no more than the standard, they are just limited, also book the D and E seat for Mt Fuji views, were were lucky and saw it twice! Our tickets to Osaka were ¥12,370 each, little more on return as we only booked them a week in advance. In total it was ¥26,340 return each, cheaper than a 7 day pass and on faster trains.  

Osaka ^{May 18-23}

Namba

First stayed in an interesting container hotel called Distortion 9. Was really in the thick of it, just a short walk from the station.
Dotonbori is hectic, too hectic. I did enjoy the lights and restaurant displays but the sheer amount of people was overwhelming. Very much enjoyed the vibe of America-mura and Yotsubashi, lots of vintage shops and boutiques.
Shinsekai was great, highly recommend going a little later in the day to see at night. Come hungry as there are a lot of great Kushikatsu and Okonomiyaki spots about.
 
Notable spots:
SAKImoto COFFEE A great cup, can also buy and bring over baked goods from across the road.
Gokai Tachizushi Nambanankaidori Great quality Sushi/Sashimi for the price. Very much an Izakaya feel.
Umineko Great craft standing bar.
LiLo Coffee Roasters Really great cup of coffee
Luv Wine Namba A really lovely standing wine bar. The owners where very warm and welcoming. Great selection of wines and quality food.
EDENICO Coffee shop by day, bar by night. Enjoyed having a chilled afternoon here with a local we made friends with at the standing bar.
 

Kita

Moved to her to stay in a cheaper hotel as we were doing day trips for a couple of days. Osaka underground city is mental, when we first got out the station we thought we moved to a ghost town, little did I know there was an entire underground city below stretching for city blocks, makes for some confusing google map directions
Nakazakichō was a sleeper hit of Osaka, great to explore the vintage and art shops of the area and an exceptionally good coffee/cafe scene here. Wish I could have come back later to see what the buzz was like at night.
Nara Park was worth the visit but is overwhelming with crowds initially. Once you hike a little more into the hills it really opens up and you can appreciate the beauty of it more. Would have like to explore the city more but a hot day in the park really takes it out of you.
 
Notable spots:
お初天神 大衆レトロ酒場 オハツ商店 個室居酒屋 Great standard Izakaya we ate at. More flagging this for the area itself.
Not really known by tourists- I think we were the only white folk about. A gem of a spot home to a number of bars, restaurants and Izakaya
Monaca Coffee incredibly well curated coffee spot, surprised we got a seat as it seemed very popular once we got in. One of the best pour over coffees I've had.
 
Quick take If you are traveling from Osaka to Kyoto and are staying in the Gion area opt for the Keihan Main Line trains. Only costs ¥430 and drops you at Gion-Shijo/Ōebashi station. Dont be confused if you think you need a reservation, only the premium seats require that. Just take any seat you can find.
 

Kyoto ^{May 23-26}

Gion

Was really unsure whether to go to Hakone and stay in a traditional Ryokan or not but instead opted to rent a traditional Japanese home in Gion instead, much to the delight of my bank account - Hakone Onsen Ryokans are £££££. Loved our house, had the Tammi mats and a view of the local temple gardens.
Gion was beautiful but also consumed with tourists, however everyone seemed very respectful in comparison to other popular tourist magnets. Was fortunate to catch the last day of performances at Pontochô Kaburenjô. Drank like a local along the river on a nice day which was very lovely, the river is so clean!
Did two "touristy" things whilst staying here, Fushimi Inari Taisha shrine and Arashiyama. The Tori gate shrine we visited in the late afternoon. Was a little hectic at the beginning but the further we got to the summit the less crowded it became. Once we got down there was hardly anyone left. Couldn't recommend going later in the afternoon more, you get a great view of Kyoto as the sun starts to set. The hike to the top is a little more than expected, more that my wife was in heeled sandals. Shes a trooper though and scaled it with ease, I would just recommend flat shoes at the minimum.
Arashiyama was fantastic, we went on a really shitty weather day. Which was great as it only attracted the brave. We did the Sagano Scenic Rail which I can't recommend enough. Pretty spectacular getting out of that first tunnel. We had a massive down pour when going through some valleys, was wild and forever memorable especially all the thick clouds crawling through the valleys.
Bamboo forest was also empty due to the rain but we didnt stay long as how much bamboo can you see?
 
Notable spots:
RUTUBO This place was swarming with tourists unfortunatley, I guess it comes with the area, however I couldn't recommend this place enough. Specialising in smoked Izakaya dishes and drinks. Stayed here all evening and loved it.
Imozou Kyoto Kiyamachi Tried this on a whim and loved it, got a seat upstairs which was a modern traditional Japanese table and booth. Solid food and lots and lots of Sake and Shochu options.
Hello Dolly Great cocktail bar with records spinning. Lucky to get a spot as the bartenders are quick to turn people away
 

Tokyo ^{May 26-30}

Shibuya

Our final stint, Staying at Shibuya Stream as we hadn't utilised the area prior due to the fancy pants hotel and jet lag. This final stretch was to just relax a little but enjoy any spots we potentially missed. Checked out Harajuku again as we visited on our first day and holy hell, never go on a weekend hahaha. Escaped by going to Shimokitazawa which has a great vibe, stumbled upon the Neutral Case craft beer fest which was a score. I found this area better for vintage but still on the more expensive side in the smaller store. Worthy for a visit, would be interesting to see the nightlife here.
We made a friend in Osaka and his girlfriend was performing pole at THE27CLUB That was SUPER fun, a little expensive, but a great vibe.
 
Notable spots:
Ramen Nagi - Shibuya. Ichiran gets all the foreign hype but I actually enjoyed this more (can't go wrong with either tbf). The host was funny as she screamed orders to the kitchen.
BEATCAFE Great genuine dive bar. REALLY loved this place and wish I could have stayed longer but I was cooked.
WOKINI Another big favourite of the trip, great cocktails and tunes. I was pretty pickled prior to arriving, wish I got in earlier so I could have stayed all night.
PIZZA SLICE my second only western meal, was hanging out my ass because of above and sought the pizza gods for healing. Tasty slice, could have stuffed my face but said hangover was having other ideas. Great vibe in there and reasonable priced, well compared to London.
Imahan Honten A friend that we made in Akagaki the week prior married into this family run Sukiyaki restaurant. I'm so glad we did meet her because this was a great swan song. We were given a private room and got the sirloin set. Was unreal! On the expensive side but was an experience I would never forget.
NEW YORK BAR Got to get my Lost in Translation fix. Pretty exceptional views but also incredibly expensive. Still really enjoyed it but sneaky that tax and service is not included
CoCo Ichibanya After throwing down at New York Bar its only fair we balanced the scales. I was pleasantly surprised how good this was, I know everyone will throw shade or have better options but for a chain it was shockingly good.
Bellovisto We end our holiday with where we started, this time in the roof top bar of Cerulean tower. I 100% can recommend this over the New York Bar, of course you don't get the Lost in Translation clout however you get better views cheaper drinks and exceptional service. They had a live piano signer on too. Typically there was a cover charge but its free if you are staying in the hotel - something we only realised when we came back and weren't guests.....
 
Last Quick Take Go to the flea markets for cheap and unique souvenirs. My wife went to Odeo Antique Market and managed to find some bargain Kokeshi dolls and Kimonos. A little more unique than Don Quijote bits, which in the end I thought was a bit of a ripoff.
 
If you made it this far then congratulations. Feel free if you have any questions, I will be happy to share anything coffee, wine, vintage, clothing and craft beer related.
 
Lastly Craft Beer Can shops, found it hard to find can shops for takeaway but loved these two:
ISETAN CRAFT BEER BAR
クラフトビール酒屋 threefeet Tokyo 表参道原宿本店

Have any of you found anything spooky or supernatural in your family trees? Any ghosts or psychics or witches?
I was searching ancestors names on the New Zealand newspaper archive and while searching about one ancestor who disappeared in a swamp in 1863, I found some later mentions of a ghost story that to me seems clearly inspired by the disappearance.
In real life, a woman called Sarah Gaffney disappeared in the swamps that used to be around the town of Featherston in the Wairarapa region of New Zealand, and was never found, and her husband William died a few years later. https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/WAIST18670518.2.11 (around half way down the page with the header "Lost in the Bush.") https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/EP18740406.2.14.3
The first mention of the ghost is from a story about some soldiers encounter with the ghost while they were marching over the hills in that area in 1917, and although the ghost is male and is said to have "lost his way in the thickly-timbered hills" instead of a swamp. https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/DOM19170215.2.46
And there is a second mention in a sort of letters to the editor section from 1923, mentioning that the story had been told in the writers childhood. In this version again the ghost is male, and "said to have vanished from mortal ken after setting out to search on the Rimutakas (mountains) for his wife, who had just previously wandered from home.". Apparently Gaffney's ghost haunted the hill road and followed travellers. https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/DOM19230621.2.76 (the text starting with "N.J.B." about half way down)

I’ll start this with a solid “help me Obi(Any)-Wan, you’re my only hope…”
Our LO is 11 weeks old, we’re just going through the process of transitioning over to Formula (Enfamil Neuro Pro Gentlease) and it’s become a painful experience. She has Acid Reflux and is on Famotidine for that, which helps a ton, we had issues with just breast milk (spitting up and fussing) and wanted to try formula, we’re half way through weening her over and currently doing a 50/50 mix of Breast Milk and Formula, however over the past 48 hours everything has started to change for the worst, we’ve seen increased fussing to the point of me describing feeding her as trying to stay on a Rodeo Stallion, 1 projectile vomit around 1.5 hours after the previous feed, a pretty prominent red rash across her face with bumps in it (Hives?) and general spitting up again even with the Famotidine in her system.
Thoughts we’ve had so far.. - Nipple is wrong (wouldn’t help the rash, but might help the craziness) so we’ve tried 2, 3 and 4 nipples (Philips Avent Natural Flow) and she’s the same with each - Could this be an intolerance to the Formula/Cows Milk Protein? We’re not seeing the rash anywhere else and her diapers aren’t bloody or diarrhea - Is this just normal transitioning stuff? - Is the rash contact dermatitis? We haven’t changed anything in what we use on ourselves or her apart from changing her bath from J&J to a completely hypoallergenic one as post 2 month shots she got a rash and we were advised to do this, but the timeline doesn’t correlate with this issue
Any advice or just sharing any similar experiences would be appreciated from this awesome community, my Wife and I are worried/exhausted/frustrated/frantic…