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by Kai Wailbone
IMPORTANT author's note: this chapter is out of chronological order with the rest of the story except for Chapter Eight-A. The events here are taken from a different perspective of what happens in the middle of Chapter Six, specifically the party that Ashley went to. Repeat: NOTHING IN CHAPTER SEVEN HAS HAPPENED YET. Keep that in mind...
Also - the chapter has been split into three parts. This is part two.
P.S. Sorry about the delay... I've had some trouble with my computer equipment, and had to upgrade and change programs, thus resulting in... well, problems. My thanks to all who are bearing with me.
FOR DAVID, the "Nifty Archivist" - yeah, it was about time, not that I have any illusions about you reading any of the stories you post. But if you do... thanks. You've put up with a lot from me, and I appreciate your patience. None of this would have been possible without you.
This story is a work of fiction. Yes, it contains characters with the same physical descriptions and names as real people, but those real people have nothing to do with this story. Any similarity in character or circumstance of anything in reality is a mere coincidence. All persons, trade marks, or images, either explicit or implied, are owned by their rightful owners, and in no way reflect the real views, opinions, or lives of anything outside of the author's mind.
The title of the story is from the Underworld album "Second Toughest in the infants." The title of the chapter is taken from the lyrics of the album. The chapter sub-title is from the Velvet Underground song, "All tomorrow's parties."
Second Toughest in the Infants
ChapterEight-B -- Resonator (Part 2.2)
"All tomorrow's parties"
"...fit for one who sits and cries
for all tomorrow's parties..."
- Velvet Underground, "All Tomorrow's Parties"
"So who was that guy?"
Ashley glanced up, startled. He'd been staring out the window, even Nick's presence not enough to stop him from thinking about Jacob. He'd been really upset, as if he'd expected... well, more from him. And running off like that... Ashley just didn't know how to handle a guy who was upset.
"Huh?" Ashley turned to look at Nick, who was smiling shyly, but keeping his eyes on the road. "I'm sorry, I was... thinking."
"Yeah, sure." Nick nodded, no trace of sarcasm in his voice. "I was just wondering who that guy was."
Ashley looked around for a moment, unsure of who Nick was talking about. Nick was driving his jeep through the outskirts of Los Angeles, following the large bulk of Jeremy's car to Will's party. They were the only two in the car, so he glanced at the darkened streets, expecting to see someone famous, or someone he might know.
Nick, glancing over in time to see Ashley looking around in bewilderment, laughed. "Wow, you are out of it, aren't you? I'm talking about the guy back at the studio, the guy you were arguing with."
Ashley frowned. "That was... Jacob. We're... well, we had a fight. I'm not sure if I should even be going out tonight. We need to work things out..." He trailed off, and started looking out the window again.
Nick looked at Ashley strangely. "He a friend of yours?" he asked.
Ashley shrugged without turning around. "Kinda." Obviously uncomfortable with the subject, he turned and said, "So... this party. What's it all about?"
"Ah," Nick said, smiling. "I actually asked Will that very question. Apparently it's some open-house party that these people throw every so once in a while. It's in a nice house by the beach, very big, with pool tables, a large-screen television, a full-sized bar..."
"Sounds great."
"Yeah... Will actually had one of these about a month ago, I just didn't go."
"Why not?"
Nick shrugged. "I dunno. I really didn't know anyone then, and wasn't too comfortable just going to a party."
"And you are now?"
"I guess." Nick lapsed into silence, and Ashley, turning to stare out the window, let it happen.
"So what do you think?"
Jeremy made a strange face as he got out of the car. "I dunno, old son. A bit... gaudy."
Nick grinned as he looked at the large house, a post-modern attempt with metallic siding and large windows, through which he could see crowds of people moving to a beat that could be heard all the way out in the street.
"I think it's great," Ben said, staring.
"You would," Jeremy said mildly, then glanced to where Ashley stood, a short distance away. "Hey, Ash, how're you doin'?"
Ashley shrugged. "Alright, I guess."
"Yeah, I bet..." Jeremy studied Ashley's face. "When's the last time you've been out to a party, anyway?"
"A party-party?"
"Is there any other?"
Ashley had to think for a moment. "New year's, last year."
"Then it's been a while." Jeremy turned to Nick. "Make sure he stays out of trouble."
Nick didn't stop grinning. "Come on, it's a party. Stop worrying. Let's just have some fun."
Jeremy nodded, then walked with Ben to the door.
Nick watched them go, but hung back with Ashley for a moment. He could see from Ashley's roving eyes and uncertain expression that he was a bit nervous. Hooking his arm in Ashley's elbow, he guided him gently towards the door.
"You okay, dude?"
Ashley smiled, but it was a bit strained. "Yeah..."
"C'mon, man, don't bullshit me," Nick said gently. "You scared?"
Ashley glared at Nick for a moment before smiling shyly. "A bit," he said. Reaching out, he firmly removed his arm from Nick's. "I just have a lot on my mind."
"Well, don't worry. We'll take it slow, have some fun, and for at least one night you can relax, cool?"
Ashley nodded gratefully, and followed Nick through the doors.
The first thing he noticed was the heat, a cloying, humid and heavy thing that descended as swiftly as if someone turned on a switch as he passed through the foyer. The second was the people.
People were everywhere. Backs were turned to him as people clotted the hallways, each struggling to see into rooms as if there were performances or shows going on in each. In many places, even though people weren't pushing or shoving, it took a long time to move simply because no one else was moving. Within the first minute, Nick had somehow made it through the crowd and disappeared, leaving Ashley to fend for himself in a crowd of staring, hot, and uncomfortably close strangers.
When he finally found his way in the middle of what might have been a sitting room or den of some sort, he was completely lost. He wasn't sure which of the doorways he'd come from, or where he could go to find an exit. Several floor-to-ceiling windows lined the walls, and a few stood opened, with people milling through them as frequently as a river flow. The noise of the place was nearly deafening, with people's voices and conversations competing with each other over the loud music, which beat it's insistent tune through speakers that seemed to be everywhere, making it impossible for him to hear himself as he smiled and apologized to the people he accidentally poked or tripped over.
As if by divine intervention, suddenly before him appeared an empty chair, positioned in the middle of the room to group with several other chairs, a couple couches and a low coffee table between them. Making his way through the crowd, he collapsed into it with a deep sigh of relief.
What was he doing here? Ashley lowered his head into his hand. He felt so stupid... mainly because he'd argued with Jacob so bitterly for his right to come, and now... now he was lost, surrounded by strangers, and not having any fun at all. Why had he trusted Nick? He'd just met him... of course he would go off with his own friends, leaving Ashley alone. Well, now he was stuck. He had no idea where he was, or how to get back. A lesson learned, he thought ruefully. Like my mother always said: never take rides from strangers.
Wallowing in his regret, deafened by the noise around him, combined with the fact that the name wasn't his, Ashley at first didn't hear the voice.
"Adam... uh... Ashcroft! Anabelle!"
Finally, the proximity and force of the voice caused him to look up to see a vaguely familiar face waving at him from a few feet away. After a moment, he recognized him as one of Nick's friends, someone he'd met the other night... what was his name? Rob or Kyle or something...
Will, he suddenly thought, and smiled.
"Hi!" he said, but couldn't even hear himself, so instead he waved shyly.
"Glad you could make it!" Will shouted into his ear.
Ashley smiled, about to say something when a plastic cup was pushed into his hands, the amber-colored liquid frothy and cold as a little bit splashed onto his hands. He looked up questioningly, but Will held a second in his hands, knocking it lightly against the one in Ashley's hands before drinking deeply. Ashley raised his cup slightly and drank.
The sour, strong taste of beer caused his throat to clench slightly, more in surprise than anything. Then he took another gulp, smiling his appreciation.
Will nodded, then leaned forward. "Come on," he said. "I'll introduce you to some people."
Ashley hesitated for a moment as Will motioned for him to follow. Right now, he was safe and comfortable in his chair, which he virtually had to fight to get. Others no doubt envied his position and location... on the other hand, he couldn't stay here all night, and Will was the first friendly face he'd seen since he got through the doors.
Standing up, he took another swallow from his cup, then quickly wormed his way through the crowd, following through the rapidly closing pathway that Will created as he passed through. It was slow going, more so than when Ashley had gone alone, if only because Will stopped to wave and say hi to many people along the way. Finally, he was led to a relatively uncrowded corner beside a staircase, where a table sat, a large beer tap sitting conspicuously on it amongst a graveyard of used and empty plastic cups.
Pulling Ashley over by the arm, Will led him to a circle of about six people, four girls and two guys. One of the guys, being spoken to rather animatedly by one of the girls, was Nick. Ashley felt a surge of relief that quickly washed away his earlier frustrations with Nick. For his part, Nick seemed anxious to get away from the girl, but was able only to nod and smile regretfully.
"What's your name, again?"
Ashley started at the voice spoken right next to his ear. Turning, he saw Will looking at him expectantly. Now that he could see him close up, Ashley could see that Will was more than a little drunk, but good-natured and friendly. Leaning forward, he said, just loud enough to be heard, "Ashley!"
Nodding, Will motioned to the other guys. His voice almost incomprehensible over the noise, he said something that sounded like, "Annal, Bearn, Incent, Erry, and Keth. Ohno Nikkacurse." Not feeling like having Will go through them again, Ashley just nodded.
Will then leaned towards a couple of the people, saying something into their ears - Ashley guessed it was his name. One of the girls, upon hearing it, glanced up at him, recognition written on her face. She leaned forward and said something long and complicated into his ears. Smiling, he shook his head. Leaning closer, she repeated it.
"I saw... elevision?"
Enough got through that Ashley understood. He nodded vigorously, but didn't feel like talking over the noise, so he shrugged. The girl smiled, and tapped her plastic cup of beer against his own. He raised his cup and drank, only to find it almost empty. When did he drink it all? He was about to turn to the tap when Nick appeared beside him, another cup full in his hands. Smiling, Ashley took it.
The girl - whose name he didn't catch, but who doubtlessly knew his - waited for a moment, looking curiously at Nick before continuing talking. Ashley caught maybe three words out of every ten she said, but he nodded and laughed at what he hoped were appropriate moments. The nameless girl, either because he was doing something right, or she was too drunk to care, babbled on ceaselessly.
Will came back frequently, refilling people's drinks and interrupting conversations with barely-heard jokes and wit. At some point, he came over with a burning cigarette-shaped object. Ashley caught the smell, and recognized it as marijuana. By this time he was almost completely ignoring what the girl was saying, and watched as the joint was passed around the circle. Nick took it, and took a couple deep puffs, then handed it to the girl beside Ashley, who shook her head and handed it to Ashley.
It was only a moment's hesitation. Ashley was feeling pleasantly intoxicated by this point, and any qualms he had about drug use earlier that evening were now dulled by alcohol. Figuring he might as well try - after all, Nick had tried - he took a puff.
Ashley had tried cigarettes a couple times before in his life, and even occasionally took one when offered. But the taste of the joint was far stronger, far more bitter than he would have expected. He involuntarily sucked the smoke in too quickly, and coughed dryly and violently. Handing it back to Nick, he washed the taste away with a gulp of beer, finishing off his second - third? fourth? - cup of beer. As if on cue, Will appeared with another, grinning and patting Ashley on the back.
"So... rist eye... smooth, huh?"
Ashley just nodded, smiling wearily.
Nick watched him, also smiling, but there was a strange watchfulness about him. When Ashley turned to him, he seemed to shake out of it, and winked, which made Ashley feel tingly inside.
Turning back to the girl, he took a deep drink.
Jeremy found Nick by the stairs, a small, secret smile on his face, holding a joint. Motioning for it, Jeremy came up beside him.
"What's up, old son?"
"Not much," Nick said, leaning in to be heard. "Where's Ben?"
Jeremy shrugged as he took the joint from Nick's fingers. "Watching a movie upstairs." He took a long puff. "So, where's this English kid you've been fooling around with?"
Nick shook his head. "Not here yet," he said. Glancing behind him, he thought for a moment before turning back. "Can I talk to you for a second?"
Jeremy followed Nick's gaze to see Ashley being talked to by one of Will's female friends, taking a couple cautious puffs from another joint, washing them down with something from his cup.
"How many has he had?"
"What, beers or joints?"
Jeremy stared at Nick. "Joints."
Nick shrugged. "He almost gagged his first time."
"How many?"
"He's had about half of this one."
Leaning towards Ashley, Jeremy snagged his arm. "Hey, kiddo!"
Ashley turned, and smiled, surprised but glad to see him. There was a looseness to his motions that Jeremy wasn't sure he liked, a sure sign he wasn't quite sober anymore.
Pointing to his beer, Jeremy asked, "How many?" Ashley shook his head, motioning to his ear, so Jeremy leaned forward and repeated, louder, "How many?"
Ashley frowned, thinking for a moment, then held up two fingers. After another pause, he held up a third. Jeremy turned to Nick, who, behind Ashley's shoulder, held up five fingers, and after a shrug, held up two fingers on his other hand. Jeremy nodded, a slight smile on his face.
Hooking Nick's arm, Jeremy leaned towards Ashley. "I'm going to take Nick for a while," he said.
Ashley watched Jeremy for a moment, then understanding dawned on him. Trepidation flashed across his face for a moment before Jeremy said, reassuringly, "Don't worry, I'll bring him back." Ashley still glanced nervously at the other people in the circle, but finally nodded. When Jeremy left him, he was taking another puff from the joint in his hand.
Leading Nick to one of the opened windows, Jeremy wove expertly through the crowd, and finally out to the pool-side terrace, where the music and noise was muted, the air was cooler, and there was a greater chance of having a conversation.
Taking a deep breath, Jeremy laughed shortly. "Looks like you two are having a good time."
Nick shook his head. "I think he's a bit too drunk to know what he's doing."
"I told you to watch him..."
"Don't worry, I'm driving him home."
"Not for another few hours - you're a bit tipsy yourself, old son."
"Yeah, well..." Nick looked around for a moment. He was surrounded by strangers, though not as crushingly as inside. He'd been introduced to a few by Will, but most of these he had never seen before. Lowering his voice a bit, he said, "So... about Ashley..."
"Yeah?" Jeremy's voice was laced with suspicion.
"Is he... you know... I mean, last night in the car, he seemed a bit... affectionate."
"He's not gay, old son."
"Okay, I figured as much... but might he be bi or something?" Nick spread his hands. "It seems to me he's interested in guys a little bit, at least."
Jeremy opened his mouth to respond, but stopped. After considering for a moment, he motioned towards two empty lawn chairs. "Sit down, old son," he said, reaching into his shirt for his cigarettes. "This needs more than a one-word explanation."
Nick followed him to the chairs, stumbling ever so slightly. The marijuana was starting to effect him, though not unpleasantly so, and he had had a few beers... dropping into the chair, he reached into his pocket for a small metal case. Jeremy watched as he opened it, displaying a row of hand-rolled cigarette paper-wrapped joints.
"I didn't think you had any."
Nick shrugged. "I didn't want Will to know I did." Taking one out, he let Jeremy light it with his dented silver Zippo. After it was lit, he sat back. "So... about Ashley."
"Ah, yes, Ash..." Jeremy shook a regular cigarette out of his pack and lit it before answering. "Truth be told, old son, I don't think it's really an interest in guys as much as... just a disinterest in girls, right now."
"Dis-interest in girls?" Nick frowned. "Because of his girlfriend?"
"Shelli..." The way Jeremy said the name, it was obvious he didn't think much of her. "Yeah."
Nick waited, but Jeremy didn't continue for a long time. "Well?" he finally asked. "What about her?"
As if shaking himself awake, Jeremy started. "Huh? Oh... yeah. Shelli." Taking a puff from his cigarette, he stared up at the sky. "Well, Shelli... how to say this... she used Ashley."
"Used him? How?"
Jeremy smiled, a sad, bitter smile. "You've never met her, dude. Once you do, you'll understand. Suffice it to say... she was a couple years older than he was, and saw all men the same way - as little boys who follow their dick. Which is mostly true, especially for one as young as Ashley. She just... she manipulated him, using sex."
"But... he knows that, doesn't he?"
"If he does, he never mentioned it."
"He said she could be a bitch..." Nick tried to remember what Ashley had said to him. "But he sounded like he was really attached to her."
"Oh, he was... another thing she took advantage of."
"So... I still don't get it."
With a deep sigh, Jeremy turned to Nick. His eyes were tired and slack, staring without focus. "It's all about control. Look at it: she got what she wanted, then gave Ashley sex like some treat to a dog. He's been emasculated. And now... now, it's the oldest clich� in the book - the victim becomes the predator."
"What? Wait... you're saying that Ashley..."
"Is a control freak," Jeremy interrupted. "That's all I'm saying. It could get out of hand, but it could also just lapse into nothing. Of course, with all the stress he's under, I don't hold out much hope." Jeremy took another puff. "Then again, no one really listens to me."
Nick tried to consider what Jeremy had said - and all that it could imply. For a young man to go through what Jeremy claimed Ashley went through... it was difficult to imagine such a sweet, innocent young guy going through that, and still remain so sweet and innocent. Unless... well, Jeremy had as much said it was an act, unconsciously done to manipulate others as he had been manipulated. Shaking his head, he inhaled deeply from the joint in his hand before offering it to Jeremy.
"So," Nick said, blowing the smoke out slowly. "About Jacob..."
Jeremy blew smoke from his nose, watching Nick carefully. "Yeah...?"
"Him and Ashley have a thing going on?"
Jeremy took another puff, then handed the joint back. Standing up, he swayed for a moment, then blew the smoke out. "You'll need to ask Ashley about that one," he said at last. Without turning back, he walked unsteadily back to the house.
Nick sat for a few minutes more, pondering what Jeremy had said.
"Where's Ash?"
Will turned at Nick's voice, and smiled drunkenly, saying something Nick couldn't hear.
Leaning forward, Will shouted, "He went to find another tap." Pointing to the one on the table nearby, he made a motion with his hands, implying it was empty. Nick nodded.
"Which direction?"
Will thought for a moment, then looked around. Finally, he pointed to the far side of the room.
The party had, if possible, gotten even more crowded as people continued to arrive. Nick found it difficult to push through the crowd without shoving or stepping on people's feet. Smiling apologetically as he went, it still took him several minutes before he reached the other side of the room.
A long table sat along one wall which had obviously once had large pictures hanging from it. The squares of unfaded paint showed where they once were. Idly, Nick wondered if they had been taken down for the party, or if someone had stolen them. Shaking off such thoughts, he glanced at the three beer taps arrayed on the cup-littered table. Ashley wasn't near them, so he glanced around the crowd.
Finally, he saw a flash of blond hair and dark shirt, and found Ashley laughing next to a guy he didn't know. A half-full cup was in his hands, and, to Nick's amusement, another joint in his hands. As Nick approached, he saw Ashley take another puff before handing it back.
Ashley turned to him, and a broad smile crossed his face. "Nick!" Even above the music and noise his voice was audible.
Nick smiled and nodded to the guy Ashley had been talking to. Leaning forward, he asked, "Are you having fun?"
Ashley nodded vigorously, and dropped an arm around Nick's shoulders. "A great time."
"Good, good..." Nick started feeling a little shy with Ashley so close. Glancing up, he saw the other guy lean forward, say something into Ashley's ear, then turn to leave. "Who was that guy?"
Ashley shrugged. "Dunno," he said. "Why... jealous?"
Nick was about to protest when Ashley laughed harshly, stumbling slightly and leaning heavily on Nick's shoulder. Taking the drink from Ashley's hand, Nick set it down on the table. "Okay, dude, you've had enough."
"Oh, come on." Ashley reached for his cup again, but Nick pushed it out of reach. Looking up into Nick's face, he said, "You really know how to ruin a party, don't you?" Before Nick could respond, he said, "But you're really cute, so I can forgive you."
Words died in Nick's throat as he stared into Ashley's eyes. Their faces were close - very close - and Nick could feel the warmth of Ashley's breath against his cheek. He swallowed hard, his nervous brain pumping adrenaline through his blood.
Nick was about to lean back, or turn away, or something - he had meant to lead Ashley outside so they could get some fresh air - to break the tension when Ashley leaned forward and kissed him.
The shock of having something like this happen to him, something he wasn't sure he even wanted, but which was nice nonetheless, nearly overwhelmed him. Then his conscience kicked in.
I shouldn't be doing this, he thought. Ashley's drunk, probably a little high... hell, probably high as a kite, and doesn't know what he's doing. It's not right, I shouldn't be doing this, it isn't right...
But before he could back away, Ashley's hands dropped to his waist and pulled him closer, pressing their bodies together. Instinctively, Nick reached his arms around Ashley's back and allowing himself to get carried away, gently opened his mouth, probing his tongue against Ashley's lips. Ashley parted them willingly, and even ventured his own tongue out. Closing his eyes, Nick tentatively sucked on Ashley's tongue. Ashley, for his own part, pressed even harder into Nick, until the stiffness of his erection was pressed against Nick's thigh.
Feeling that, Nick's hesitation burned away. Fuck it, he thought. I'm only human, after all.
As he allowed himself to fall onto the bed in the darkened room, Ashley reveled in the new feelings coursing through his body, which he was sure was due to his drug consumption.
It felt as if every nerve was on fire, with a thin electricity racing across his skin. He could almost feel the blood rushing through his veins, welling up inside him, from his stomach to his lungs, straight to his brain. Colors danced in front of his eyes, bright greens and reds and yellows, as if he'd stared at a strong light for too long before being led to this room.
Nick closed the door, and in a moment was beside him. He had assured Ashley that there were several rooms set aside for just such a purpose, but at this point Ashley didn't care. He wanted one thing, and one thing only.
Reaching up, he grasped the back of Nick's head as Nick kissed and nibbled at his neck, twining his fingers in the long, thick brown hair. He was in a state of virtual euphoria, and not just from the effect of the drugs and alcohol. Nick was turning out to be just as aggressive and passionate as he'd hoped, a welcome change from the hesitant softness of Jacob.
Nick's hands were abruptly under his shirt, pulling it over his head, squeezing and kneading his chest. Lifting his arms, he allowed the shirt to come off, then gasped as Nick's mouth found his nipples. Instead of just licking, he bit and sucked at the surprisingly sensitive flesh, producing a pleasure Ashley hadn't known was possible from what he'd thought to be useless, vestigial body parts.
Reaching down, he fumbled blindly at Nick's body. His own head was thrown back, his eyes, when he opened them, staring at the ceiling. With clumsy fingers he found the edge of Nick's shirt, and reached under it to the smooth skin of his stomach. There was a slight roughness to Nick's chest due to the sparse, downy scattering of hairs, another change from Ashley's experience with guys - which, admittedly, was limited to Jacob, with his boyish, almost femininely smooth skin.
As Nick raised his head to kiss Ashley on the lips, Ashley reached down and unbuttoned Nick's jeans. He heard Nick gasp next to his ear as he reached past the zipper and into Nick's underwear, clasping the pulsing, hardened flesh that it hid.
Then Nick pulled back.
Surprised, Ashley turned his head to look up at Nick, straddling his chest, with Ashley's hand still buried in his pants.
Nick, still gasping for breath, shook his head slowly, muttering something.
"What?" Ashley asked, trying to lean forward without freeing his hands.
"I said... I can't do this." Nick sighed heavily, running his hands through his hair, pulling it back for a moment before letting it drop into his face.
"What do you mean...?" Ashley grinned, and roughly squeezed with his hands. "It certainly feels like you can."
Nick gently took Ashley's hands out of his pants. "You're drunk," he said.
Ashley's surprise gave a little way to frustration. "So're you," he said accusingly.
"Yeah..." Nick seemed to consider that for a moment, then shook his head, about to stand up, but Ashley grasped his legs, not allowing him to move.
"Nick... c'mon, man..." Ashley was almost surprised at himself - begging another guy for sexual favors. Anger, accompanied by a long-forgotten memory, flashed across his mind, but he quickly pushed it away. Instead, he reached out and took Nick's hands in his own, gently stroking the fingers. "You can't just take me this far and then... you know... back off like that."
Nick bit his lower lip in indecision, and Ashley felt a moment of triumph... then Nick asked something so startling Ashley almost choked.
"What about Jacob?"
Ashley wasn't sure he'd heard correctly. "Who?"
"Jacob." Nick turned his hands around, clasping Ashley's hands carefully. "You two... you've got something going on, don't you?"
Ashley stared at Nick for a moment longer, then laughed. "Jacob?" he said. "Oh, yeah... Jacob. Yeah..." He thought for a moment. When he started talking, he was dimly aware that his tongue had been loosened by alcohol. "Jacob's a nice guy. Cute, too. He just... he's in love with me. No - he thinks he's in love with me. Of course, he also thinks he's gay, which I'm not entirely sure of, myself." Smirking, Ashley found himself rambling, with Nick staring at him intently. "Anyway... yeah, I was talking to Jay - he's a guy we know - and he was telling me it was normal for young guys to fool around and explore without labels and such, so I decided, you know, what the hell, let's have some fun, but Jacob got all clingy and shit, and now he thinks he has some say in who I talk to and go out with..."
"So... you two are together."
"Yeah, sorta, but not really. Just because I don't get out much, and he got all attached and stuff. You know he actually got jealous I was coming to this party?"
"Yeah, it was crazy, talking about how I was unfaithful, but to what I don't know..." Ashley trailed off as Nick slowly stood up and stepped off the bed. "Where're you going?"
"I can't do this," Nick said again, this time with more conviction.
"What the... why? Because of Jacob?" Ashley's voice was almost mocking. "Jacob doesn't mean anything! He's..."
"He's got issues, no doubt," Nick said softly. "But you two need to work this out. I'm not getting involved. I won't... no, I can't live with myself if I break you two up."
"But there's nothing...!"
"Ashley..." Nick laid a finger on Ashley's lips. "Work it out. If tomorrow you two are okay with seeing other people, then we'll finish what we started. Until then..." Nick shrugged, then turned to the door. "I'll see you downstairs."
Ashley stared at the door long after it had closed, unable to believe what had just happened.
"Dave! Wow, you made it!"
"How's it going?"
"Alright, I guess. I saw your friend Jeremy."
"Yeah, he was looking for you."
"Hmmm... well, he'll find me, I'm sure."
"Yeah, well..."
"Have you seen Will, yet?"
"No, actually, I haven't."
"Well, he'll find you, don't worry. Just be careful - if he has his way, no one will be able to drive home tonight."
"Eh... he's getting everyone drunk. Speaking of driving, how'd you get here?"
"Theo drove me."
"Oh... really? Where is Theo, anyway?"
"Over there, probably..."
"Okay, I'm going to go say hi, I'll be right back, okay?"
Ashley adjusted himself carefully before stepping out of the bedroom. His erection pressed painfully against the confines of his briefs, and the tip protruded from the top of the elastic band, but if he pulled his shirt down, arranging it a certain way, then it wasn't as obvious.
Gritting his teeth in frustration, he resisted the temptation to slam the door behind him. A low, dull ache was slowly radiating from his groin, a feeling he had become intimately familiar with during his time with Shelli, usually after a particularly passionate session at the end of which she felt no need to satisfy him. His friends in Jr. High had jokingly called the condition "blue balls," but once he had experienced it, he hadn't found it so funny at all.
He had considered jerking off to relieve the pressure, but it hadn't seem right. No - what he should do is find that girl who had recognized him, and who was obviously attracted to him, and bring her back. That would be perfect.
And it would probably be best to completely forget about Nick... who Ashley couldn't help thinking of as a bitchy little faggot slut.
Taking a deep breath, Ashley closed the door partially, then walked as steadily as he could down the hall to the stairs. His feet were still a bit clumsy, and his knees felt like they might buckle under him at any point, so he grasped at the stair railing and moved slowly down the stairs.
He was about halfway down when he saw Nick, talking to a young, dark-haired guy by one of the doors. For some reason, he couldn't just ignore it, but instead he stopped and watched while they talked for a minute. Finally, the young man pointed off somewhere, and Nick nodded. Before he left, though, Nick kissed the guy on the cheek.
A moment of irrational jealousy spurred Ashley forward, then, as gradually as molasses dripping, a thought started forming in his mind.
"Uh... hi."
Ashley smiled warmly at the young man and held out his hand. "I'm Ashley."
"Uh... David." His voice was lightly accented, just discernable over the loud noise around them.
"Good to meet ya'." Ashley glanced around, but Nick had gone out of sight. "You're a friend of Nick's right?"
David looked up, surprised. "Yeah... why?"
"Oh," Ashley said arily, "he's mentioned you."
"Really?" David's excitement made Ashley regret for a moment his deception, but he quickly moved on.
"Yeah... he pointed you out before we came down." Ashley waved back to the stairs. "I was telling him... well..." Pretending to be a bit shy, Ashley smiled ruefully. "I said I was a bit jealous of him, 'cause you're kinda my type."
There was a split second of fear as Ashley wondered if David was gay or not... Wouldn't that be ironic? he thought, then David blushed, looking shyly up in such a way that confirmed his suspicions.
"Yeah, sure!" Ashley felt the excitement pound through his brain, the rush that he was attributing to the marijuana flowing through him like liquid ice. This stuff is great, he thought. Why don't more people do this? Feeling the bold assertiveness that he was used to when a bit drunk, he reached out and lightly brushed David's face. "But, you know, since you're with Nick..."
David blushed even more, but didn't pull away. With a shrug, he said something softly that Ashley didn't hear, but Ashley didn't bother asking him to repeat it. Instead, his heart pounding, he edged a bit closer. Dropping his hand to David's slender hip, he thought, I wonder how close Nick is to him... Thinking about the possible jealousy temporarily satiated Ashley's anger, though he still had a tugging of conscience...
"Want a drink?" Ashley asked.
David, seeming a bit dazzled, nodded.
Ashley grinned as he led David across the room.
"What do you mean you don't know?"
Nick tried to apologize again as he followed Jeremy out of the bedroom. "Jeremy, I swear, I left him in there. I thought he was too drunk to go off somewhere else..." Pausing, he considered his words, unsure if what he'd just said made sense.
Jeremy laughed, but didn't say anything about it. "Chill out, old son." He stopped at the top of the stairs, waiting for Nick to catch up. "We'll find him later. In the meantime, I want to see if this hack of a bartender can make a zombie."
"A zombie?" Nick shook his head. "What's in that?"
"Not sure, exactly." Jeremy started going down the stairs, but slowly, because the noise rose in volume the further down they went. "It's red, and they make them really well in the strip clubs back home..." Jeremy trailed off. "Ashley?"
Nick looked around quickly, but didn't see Ashley on the stairs. Squinting, he tried to see into the crowd. "Where?"
Jeremy pointed. Following his finger, Nick looked across to a pair beside the windows against the far wall. Sure enough, he saw Ashley, plastic cup in one hand, with his arms around a slender form that seemed... so... familiar...
"Dave?" Jeremy asked sharply. Looking up again, he muttered, "Oh, dear God..." Jumping down the rest of the stairs, he started making his way through the crowd.
Nick considered following Jeremy, but after being left behind so rapidly and completely, he decided to watch from his place on the stairs. He watched, unsure of why Jeremy had been looked so angry. Jeremy was making his way rapidly across the room, to arrive where Ashley and David stood, flushed and obviously upset.
Jeremy grabbed at Ashley's arm, who turned, startled, to face Jeremy. Even from across the room Nick could see the look of shocked guilt flash across his face as he jumped away from David as if he suddenly realized he was holding a snake. David, for his part, seemed confused and more than a little afraid.
There was an argument. Nick had no chance of hearing anything, but he could see as Jeremy gestured wildly with his hands, and Ashley's defensive shrugging. Finally, after several jabbing points at David, Jeremy said something that Ashley got upset at, causing him to point accusingly and shout, but Jeremy just turned and made his way back towards the stairs.
Nick hurried down the stairs to meet him, but Jeremy just pushed past him.
"Jeremy? Where...?"
"To find Ben," Jeremy called back. "We're leaving."
"Leaving. Us."
Nick stood at the bottom of the stairs, staring after him, but Jeremy offered no other explanation.
"Go 'way!"
Nick sighed in mild frustration, and not for the first time. Dragging Ashley from the car, through the lobby of the hotel, and into the elevator would have been hard enough when Ashley was drunk, but Ashley was also incredibly, and irrationally, furious at Nick, refusing his help at every turn.
"Come on, Ashley, stop..."
Ashley waved Nick's hand away again, and continued to punch methodically at the elevator doors, as if to force them opened in mid-journey. His head was lowered, pressed against his other arm, which was leaning heavily against the elevator wall. His eyes were staring blindly at the mildly reflective surfaces of the door, his mouth slack-jawed and opened.
Finally, the elevator stopped with a metallic ring, and the doors slid opened. Nick reached forward and caught Ashley before he fell out, only to be beaten back by Ashley's flailing arms.
"I c'n do't m'sulf," he said, his voice slurring even as he started stumbling down the hall.
Nick followed him, praying Ashley would stay quiet enough to not wake up the other people who doubtlessly slept behind the other doors. Ashley, oblivious to this, ran his hand along the wall, knocking insolently on the doors as he passed, even occasionally rattling the doorknobs. After what seemed eternity of near heart attacks for Nick, Ashley stumbled to a halt on the carpeted floors, then stopped in front of one of the doors.
"Is this it?" Nick asked.
Ashley didn't answer, instead curling his lip in confused frustration as he searched his pockets. Nick bit his lip, wanting to help, but unsure of how. When Ashley at last produced a key-card marked with the hotel logo, he nodded, but put the key in the wrong way.
"Ash..." Nick reached forward, but was batted out of the way. "Ashley, it's... turn it..."
Ashley, after stubbornly putting the key in upside-down several times, finally turned it over. The small LED over the knob blinked green, and they were able to push into the room.
"See? Toldja could do't m'... m'self."
"Of course you did," Nick said indulgently as he led Ashley into the room.
Even in the darkness Nick could see that the floor of the hotel room was littered with clothes, the suitcases by the walls seeming to be caught in the process of vomiting them up. From the brief light provided by the hallway through the opened door, Nick caught a glimpse of two beds, one of which, he had no doubt, was the resting place of Ashley's roommate. Not wanting to wake him up, he tried to see which one was being slept in, but the door closed behind them too swiftly for him to see.
Turning to Ashley, he whispered, "Where's your bed?"
Ashley, seeming more tired than angry now that the end was in sight, calmly waved to the nearest bed, which was piled high with clothes. "Thissun," he said. Stumbling away, he collapsed on his stomach on the bed.
Nick couldn't help smiling. Ashley had virtually collapsed, one of his arms bent underneath, and his shoes still on. "That doesn't look very comfortable," he whispered as he knelt beside the bed, carefully unlacing Ashley's sneakers.
"Iss fin'," Ashley mumbled.
"Of course." Nick briefly wondered why Ashley would leave all these clothes on top of his bed, as if he hadn't expected to sleep in it tonight... but pushed the thought out of his mind. Sliding Ashley, shoes off, he set them down neatly by the bed, perhaps the only things laid side-by-side in the whole room. That done, Nick straightened. "Well, I'm outta here."
There was no response, and upon closer inspection, Nick noticed that Ashley had passed out. He looked so cute... Nick shook his head as he pulled Ashley's legs onto the bed - they had been hanging off, and Nick knew they would be incredibly stiff and numb, their circulation all but cut off, if they stayed like that all night. He considered rolling Ashley over on his back, but decided against it, if only because Ashley was a bit heavy, and since he would have to clear the bed, he wasn't sure how anyone would feel about a pile of clothes on the floor in the morning... although he doubted it would be noticed. So he fluffed the pillow and slid it under Ashley's head, turning his head so his neck wouldn't be aching in the morning. Leaning down, he kissed Ashley on the forehead before turning to leave.
Later, Nick would never be able to say why he looked up at that moment. Most of the time he wrote it off to curiosity, or some deep-down desire to make sure Ashley's roommate lay undisturbed. Whatever the reason, Nick paused and idly glanced up at the other bed. To his surprise, he found two bright eyes glittering in the dim light. Squinting down, he saw a cute, angelic face framed by a spread of spiky dreadlocks, wisp of goatee...
The figure in bed shifted slightly. "Yeah."
Nick sat down on the edge of Ashley's bed, and smiled. He and Jacob hadn't had any time to talk while he had been on the video set... in fact, Jacob hadn't been anywhere near where he had been, even though he'd wanted to talk to him after all Jeremy had said about him. But as he thought of it, he figured he shouldn't be surprised he and Ashley were rooming together.
"What's up?"
Jacob just stared at him for a moment. "Did you guys have fun?"
"Yeah..." Nick laughed softly. "I think Ash had more fun than I did. Jeremy was afraid he might puke in the back of his car."
"Jeremy drove you back?"
"Yeah..." Nick noticed that Jacob's questions were cold, almost angry. Wondering if it was because they had been too loud, he apologized. "Look, I'm sorry if we woke you. I tried to keep him quiet..."
"Yeah, sure," Jacob interrupted and turned away.
Nick frowned. What was going on? He was trying to be nice... "Um... did I do something wrong here?"
He heard Jacob sigh before saying, "What do you mean?"
"Well... I wanted to meet you before we left. Jeremy's been going on and on about you since I met him." Nick smiled inwardly as he remembered Jeremy and Ben talking about Jacob as if he were a favorite cousin or something. "But it seems like... you know, you were avoiding me or something. And now, it just feels like you don't like me for some reason."
"Oh, really? And why do you think that is?"
Nick suppressed a sigh. He had a pretty good idea, but how could he explain to a jealous boyfriend that he respected him? And especially to Jacob, who seemed more than just jealous, that nothing happened... or at least, nothing really? "Just so you know... Ashley told me about you two." Jacob didn't turn to face Nick or respond, so Nick rushed to continue. "I just want you to know... I'm not here to split you two apart -"
"Fine job you're doing."
Nick had to struggle to keep his smile. "Why?"
Jacob snorted. "Oh, just that I always accomplish just what I don't mean to do when I..." Jacob stammered, then trailed off. "You're not doing a very good job," he finished petulantly.
Jacob's faltering, almost juvenile jealousy made Nick's smile more genuine. This poor guy... Nick could imagine he was either in denial or recently just out, and wasn't sure how to handle a boyfriend, much less one like Ashley. And Ashley hadn't been too clear as to whether or not Jacob was gay or not... he made a note to ask Jeremy later.
Thinking about the possibility, for a brief instant, he wondered what it would be like to show Jacob something more real...
"Well, I'm sorry... for that," Nick finally managed to say, careful not to let his amusement show. "But you can rest assured, that I have no intention of ruining what you two have."
Jacob finally turned ever so slightly. "So... what, you're not interested in Ashley or something?"
The incredulity in Jacob's voice almost made the giggle welling up in Nick escape. "Nah," he said honestly. "He's not quite my type."
"Wh... what?"
"Yeah... he's a bit too California clean-cut-kid type." Nick was surprised to find how true it was. Ashley was cute, that he couldn't deny, but he was also confused... and a bit too cute, like a rabbit or chipmunk or something. "I mean, he's cute, and if he wasn't involved with someone else, I'd probably even enjoy fooling around with him. But..." Nick felt a moment's worth of guilt as he thought of just how close he had come to fooling around with Ashley. "But, personally, I like the more scruffy, lost puppy dog look." Nick's smile grew to a grin. "Kinda like you." Unsure of it would even be visible in the dim light, he winked at Jacob teasingly before he stood up. "Anyway, I'll let you get back to sleep. Just... watch Ashley tomorrow. He'll have one hell of a hangover."
Jacob opened his mouth to say something, but Nick didn't stay to see what it was. Crossing the room swiftly, he slipped out the door, allowing it to click closed behind him.
It wasn't until he was down the hall and in front of the elevators, waiting for the doors to open, that he allowed himself to laugh. It wasn't all amusement, since Jacob hadn't been all that funny. Just... he was too nervous and excited. Because, as cute as Ashley was, Jacob was adorable. And not just adorable... even just watching him, Nick could sense an intelligence to him, in spite of the few fumbling words he addressed to Nick, that wasn't present in Ashley. It was like comparing a bunny rabbit to a baby seal.
The doors pinged as they opened, and Nick stepped in. For a moment he wondered if there was any way he could trade Ashley for Jacob... and chuckled in spite of himself. Go from a confused straight boy to his jealous lover... no, he had played these kinds of games before, back when he allowed himself to fall in love with straight boys and married men... and he'd sworn never to do it again.
Pressing the button for the lobby, he shook his head. Nope, he had other things to worry about.
Okay, thus ends the second part of chapter eight. We have by now been brought to the different perspective of chapter six. With the third part of chapter eight, we will finally get to the part I know you've all been waiting for - what's up with Dan. So... stay tuned -- Kai Wailbone email@example.com
Coming soon -
Second Toughest in the Infants
Chapter Eight-C - Resonator (part 2.3)
"The way out is through"


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Post Options
Resident Redneck
Joined: June/20/2005
Location: Iowa
Status: Offline
Points: 14311
New for 2009 Leupold has introduced a CDS Custom Dial System available on the VX3 and VX3L rifle scopes. This is a BDC knob custom engraved to allow you to dial in correction for trajectory compensation with a hunting scope. The knob is about the same size as the covers on previous VXIII scopes but is an exposed knob with no cover / cap. It is quite hard to find info on this as yet however page 19 of the Leupold 2009 Catelogue shows it and I stumbled across them in a store here yesterday so they are definately available. Purchase the scope and it comes with a coupon for a dial engraved correctly for the caliber and load you are using. Additional dials can be ordered. Aparently this is a noteworthy effort to make dialing correction available for a hunting optic without tall brush catching target knobs. Definately a good idea certainly not well enough advertised as it is a wonderful improvement. The leupold catelogue can be downloaded at http://www2.leupold.com/resources/downloads.htm
Edited by Urimaginaryfrnd - April/29/2009 at 17:02
"Always do the right thing, just because it is the right thing to do".
Bobby Paul Doherty
Texas Ranger

subset: commoncrawl


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text: 2011/04/01 | Leave a comment Lots of business started out on Facebook before they really understood how it works, and maybe you're one of them. You set up a personal profile to use Facebook for your business instead of a fan page. That's actually a violation of Facebook's Terms of Use and your account can be cancelled for it. It IS all quite confusing really, and Facebook seems to be realizing this and taking steps to make things a little easier. One of these is allowing you to change your personal profile page to a fan page. This post is going to show you how to do this, but first, before you start doing things, PLEASE read the whole post. Making this change has some negatives as well as positives and we want you to understand it before you dive in! How to tell if you have a business page or a personal profile page Can you send and receive friend requests? Then you've got a personal page. Can you only "like" people and pages? Then you've got a business page. Step 1 Back up the information on your personal profile page. Not everything will be transferred to your new page, so if you don't back it up it's gone. Your page will look brand new, so you may want to have content ready to re-post. To back up your information, click here and follow the instructions to download your information. (Even if you decide not to convert, it's a good idea to back this up once in a while!) Step 2 It is a requirement in Facebook's terms of use that you notify all of your friends before you make the change from a personal profile to a business page. Not everyone may choose to "like" your new page. Don't take it personally since you are changing it to a professional relationship. Step 3 Take a good look at your profile. After you have done a back up, are there images in the photos that you don't want to be on your business page? Delete them now so you can start with just the images you want to put out there. Are there applications that were fun to play but not really part of your professional persona? Remove them. Step 4 This is the biggie. Are you sure you want to do this? Remember, you can't go back, and your access will be limited because now it's a business page. OK, if you're sure, here's a link to the help section on Facebook to convert your Facebook profile into a business page. (Facebook updates these, so you'll get the most recent information.) < Tweet


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From Thomas Jefferson to Edmond Charles Genet, 22 November 1793
To Edmond Charles Genet
Germantown Nov. 22. 1793.
Immediately on the receipt of your favor of the 2d. inst. informing me of a conspiracy among the refugees from the French colonies now at Charleston, to undertake an expedition from thence against the said colonies, I communicated the information to the Governor of S. Carolina, with a desire that he would prevent every enterprize of that nature.
The other matters contained in the same letter belong of course to the ordinary cognisance of the Judiciary, which is open to the parties interested without any interposition of the Executive. I have the honor to be with great respect Sir your most obedt & most humble servt
Th: Jefferson
PrC (DLC); at foot of text: "The Min. Pleny. of France." FC (Lb in DNA: RG 59, DL).
For the letter to the Governor of S. Carolina, see TJ to William Moultrie, 13 Nov. 1793.


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Thursday, 12 November 2015
Christmas 'Drop' Ornament Tag, Holly & Berry, Female
18 comments:
I love your little ornament tag Donna. The colours are lovely and the red button works a treat. BarbxxReplyDeleteReplies
Thank you, Barb :)Delete
Are you playing along?
Beautiful design for today love the white with the holly!ReplyDeleteReplies
Thanks, Marybeth :)Delete
It's all down to Tracey's inspiration!
What a beautiful CAS design on this lovely tag Donna!ReplyDelete
Thanks for sharing with us at HLS Christmas Challenge.
Thank you, Carol :)Delete
Glad to find a new challenge to play along with. x
Absolutely gorgeous Donna! How cleverly you made the tag using a MB die for the ornament shape and then cutting the aperture, facing it with acetate and popping some PP behind before adding the back layer of another ornament! And also the little extra touch of embossing the ornament with a snow EF - before topping it all off with the holly. Just perfect! I had to list all that you'd done in the hope that it will now lodge in my single brain cell as I'd love to CASE this some time!ReplyDelete
Di xxReplies
Hello Di :)Delete
You do make me smile... Still doped up on pain meds, I'm guessing? After all, I know you have more than one brain cell normally!!!
Glad you like the tag. X
This is so beautiful, Donna! I love your white front with the aperature, and such great paper for the back!ReplyDeleteReplies
Thank you, Kara :)Delete
This is my favourite colour combination. Do you have a favourite, too?
Fantastic tag! Thank you for joining me for the 25 Days of Christmas Tags event!ReplyDeleteReplies
It's a lot like yours... so I pass credit to you for such a fab design :)Delete
Just beautiful!ReplyDeleteReplies
Thank you, Teresa :)Delete
Do you craft, too?
Have a good weekend...
Donna. x
It's just PERFECT Donna. Love it. xxxReplyDeleteReplies
Hello Sarn... Thank you :)Delete
Re: Stampin' Up 'Off The Grid'. Mine arrived this morning. New on eBay. Had 6 hrs to go when I went hunting for it. Yay for me! Perfect timing seeing your cards and you commenting so quickly. BIG THANKS :)
That is one beautiful tag you have there Donna my friend! Lovely in white and I LOVE the idea of the sandwiched acetate . . . inspired! Have a lovely weekend! Hazel xxReplyDeleteReplies
Thank you, Hazel. Hope you have a good weekend :)Delete


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Success Stories
This page is our gallery for news, updates and photographs of Trust dogs that came into our care and have been successfully rehomed.
We're very proud of our family of dogs and we love to keep in touch with them, receive updates and see photographs of them enjoying their new lives.
We hope you all enjoy this page as much as we enjoy knowing we have some really lovely, happy dogs in their forever homes and if you have adopted one of our dogs please send us an update and some photographs so we post them on our gallery.
A special thank you to all our supports and to everyone who has adopted our dogs and is giving them a wonderful life.
Elsie is really settled in her new home, so settled that she has stopped exploring and is happy to chill out and relax
Happy was an escape artist and could open doors and let himself out for walk but with his new family he doesn't need to do that anymore. He's a well travelled lad, has his own passport and loves being in the car. One lucky, Happy, lad.
Flossie was found in a park as a stray and it took several days to find her. She soon settled and is now a very happy little lady who loves to pose.
A very nervous little dog when she came into our care, she is now with safe, secure and much more confident. Another couch potato - just goes to show collies can be very chilled out
Robbie & Evan
Evan was the the first of these two lucky lads to leave us and be adopted and then not long after Robbie came into our care and joined the happy Mike and Evan home. Proper collie bro's.
This little girl came into our care nearly three years ago she was thin and very nervous and although much improved she still had a long way to go when Lynn adopted her. She has been amazing with her taking a lot of time and being very patient and just look how its paid off. What a beautiful confident little collie Lassie is now.
alfie is not only a handsome lad he knows it! Here he is posing and looking everybit a handsome Border Collie
Handsome Taff not only has a new home but a television to watch, we're wondering what his favourite programme is. Whatever it is he's a very lucky lad if he can choose what he watches!
Buddy was one of our senior dogs, a lovely old gentleman with good manners and very gentle. He has been in his home for over a year and loves to spend quiet moments by the fireside
Heather is a lucky girl to have a home where she can run on the beach and play and is in no danger of getting lost because her family know that Heather loves to run without stopping when not on a long lead.
Robbie has just left our care and is now in his forever home. He is beautiful lad and we hear he's being really good.
Domino is only small but full of fun and is now settling in to her new home and learning lots of new things
What a happy lad, Rusty was with us for a long time but he is now in his forever home and is a really happy lad
Gemma and Jen
Gem and Gemma came into our care when their owner passed away. They weren't used to being on leads and were nervous when apart. They are now homed with a lovely family, they are still together and enjoying special comforts!
This handsome chap is settled and happy and very busy keeping his guardians organised and he's looking as if he's thoroughly enjoying himself trying to be in charge!
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I don´t know if any of you can relate to this, but I get extremly lazy when it comes to cleaning my room or even just tidying it up. It´s not that I like it when my room is messy. I just tend to kind of ignore it especially when I don´t have too much free time. It´s just much better to sit in my bed watching some series...
But when I actually can get myself up to tidy just a bit then I have to do it all. I´ve invented a very special way of tidying up my room and some special tips over the last years and I thought I would share them with you today since I can´t do the pictures for the bang hairstyles video right now...
1. Rewards
Give yourself a reward after you´ve finished the tidying. It doesn´t matter if it´s a new episode, an ice cream or just the look of your non-chaotic room. Whatever works for you is fine.
This will help you to stay through the whole process and not just stop in the middle. Also it will give you the motivation to start and that is in most cases the hardest part
2. Sections
I always have tiny sections that I tidy up one after another. This makes it easier and puts your focus just on a small chaos instead of a really big one. The thing with the big chaos is that your mind tells you to not clean it up because it is too much and it will take too much time and why can´t you just leave it there when it´s as big as it is? But if you trick your mind into a smaller chaos that can be removed very easily and quickly you will do it.
3. Right Places
Always put the things you have to pack away in the exactly right spot. Do not ever just put them in the section where they belong. This would be making the second tip ineffective because then you´d have a really small section with a really big mess in it at the end and who would like to tidy that up? Just go and put it diretly in its place.
But make an exception for things that don´t belong in your room, for example I tend to collect the plates that I ate from in my room as well as some dirty laundry from the day before. Make two big piles (or more if you need more) outside your door and just throw the things that go in other rooms right there. You can take care of putting these piles away in the end. That way you don´t have to run into the kitchen 54 times.
4. Do It Fully
Don´t start and then stop for something else. You will not be able to get back to tidying up, I know that. Try to do it all in a row and then do everything else. It keeps you from having half your room tidied up and the other half still being a mess which will tempt you to put all the stuff you lay down in the tidied side of your room and then it´s a mess again and you have to start over new.
5. Music
For me music is an essential for tidying up. I especially like to play music that gives me a good mood and that I can sing and dance along with. Keeping your mood up while tidying is good because then it is going easier for you and you are faster.
That are all the tips for you I have. I hope they might help you, I know that they always help me. And now I will try to use those tips for myself tomorrow when I have to clean the mess up that I produced over the last week...
Have a wonderful day


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A Vamp Tastic Night
Hi everyone We have recently moved to a little cottage in the middle of nowhere and at night it can get rather creepy.... so we thought with all Hallows eve approaching we would wake the undead! It was a full moon and as everyone knows vampires only come out at night. It wasn't just blood this vampire wanted to taste so are there any vampire hunters out there with a big hard stake? Or are there anymore naughty female vampires who would like to cum and play.....? Hope you enjoy the pics. HAPPY HALLOWEEN !!!! Keep watching,Keep voting and most of all Keep mailing, Luv Boobtastic xxx
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Parts of the Ear and Hearing
Equilibrium and the Inner Ear
At the beginning of an ear examination, a physician first checks the cerumen, or earwax, that is in the external auditory meatus. Cerumen is secreted by glands lining the passage to the eardrum. The sticky, waxy substance protects the eardrum from damage by attracting such substances as dust and dirt before they can pass through the meatus to damage the eardrum.
The eardrum is examined with an instrument called an otoscope. As viewed through the…


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Posts Tagged 'cairo'
Sinai – the other Egypt
I'm just back from another Sinai trip. A few days in Cairo then 10 1/2-hours by bus to Dahab.
In Cairo I stayed at the same $10 Downtown hotel I've briefly called home on numerous occasions since my first visit to the city in the late 1980s. I've seen the place buzzing, filled by young Israelis and foreign backpackers, and empty, save for the elderly Scots lady resident who has long preferred Cairo to Edinburgh, with no fuel for hot water. This time it was different again. International visitors were few. The reasons for the collapse in Egypt's tourism are well known. However, domestic travellers appear to have taken up some of the slack. An almost 50% devaluation of the Egyptian Pound (LE) has made foreign travel expensive for Egyptians. As a result many are choosing to restrict their travel to Egypt. My hotel was full.
Travelling from Cairo to Sinai involves either a 50-minute flight or a 10-hour bus ride. The British government advises against flying to Sinai's airport gateway, Sharm el Sheikh. Following the bombing of a Russian MetroJet flight in 2015, killing all 224 passengers and crew, no Russian or British direct flights have operated. Lapses in airport security were identified in the subsequent investigation. Though no advisories are in force for Sharm el Sheikh itself, the British government advises against overland travel through the entirety of the Sinai peninsula. For UK tour ops the glittering jewel in Egypt's mass tourism tiara remains off limits.
I took the overnight GoBus from Cairo to Dahab – about 90km north along the coast from Sharm el Sheikh. A ticket cost LE145 (about £6.30). The bus left at 9:00pm and arrived into Dahab the following morning at around 7:30am. Police and military check points punctuated the route. Standing in a line, in the middle of the night, my 'checked bag' was searched twice. My passport was examined more times than I can remember. Egyptians themselves require special permission to travel to Sinai. Checks on their IDs and documentation were even more stringent. That said, a raft of alternative-minded young Egyptians have adopted Dahab as a weekend escape, a kind of turn on, tune in and a bloody long bus ride to somewhere less conservative. For tourists Dahab is a breeze.
Dahab existed before tourism. It has grown chaotically but organically. It's still small – though no one is quite sure how small, maybe fewer than 10,000 people. It's relatively resilient style of tourism has helped it endure the worst of the Egypt's downturn. Visitors today are either domestic weekenders or summer holiday families, foreign residents or independent foreign travellers. Perhaps most surprising is the number of young Israelis now choosing to venture across the border to Dahab. Some estimates bandied around suggested 50,000 have journeyed to Sinai this year. This influx in the face of government travel advice at least as negative as our own.
I'll write about my travels for the Indy, but in the meantime I thoroughly recommend Sinai. For adventurous hikers, have a look at sinaitrail.org – something I tackled last year – and for an alternative Red Sea break (see indirect flights from the UK with Turkish Airlines or Egypt Air to Sharm – then a taxi) Dahab for tourists is engagingly earthy crunchy.
The People Want the Fall of the Regime…
It's said that those who forget their history are condemned to repeat it, and collective memory can be surprisingly short. Last week former Field Marshal Abdul Fattah al-Sisi slipped into something more comfortable than his usual freshly pressed military dress uniform, determined to look his best civilian self for next month's Presidential elections.
It's perhaps worth reprising the last days of President Mohamed Morsi, Egypt's first ever freely elected head of state. In March 2013 amidst increasingly erratic policy changes, amateurish gerrymandering, a perceived conservative Islamic agenda and political naivety, for Morsi the writings were not only on the city's walls, but typed on glowing screens and sprayed on white bed sheets, once more held aloft in the protest camps of Tahrir Square. The tenure of Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood government was coming to an end. It was no longer a matter of 'if', only when and how. Both these questions were addressed by the July military coup, the deaths of an estimated 1,000 Egyptians and detention of almost 16,000 others.
Returning from Libya, I spent a few days in downtown Cairo collecting the thoughts of those I encountered. The piece I wrote was overtaken by July's events, but at this juncture it might have regained some retrospective value. Churchill once said, 'No one pretends that democracy is perfect or all-wise. Indeed it has been said that democracy is the worst form of Government except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time…' What happens in May determines the political course of the Arab world's most populous state for four years… However, the staying power of previous former military men suggests Egyptians may have rather longer than four years to privately ponder on the wisdom of Churchill's words.
Cafe Critics – Cairo – March 2013.
Five minutes from Tahrir Square, amongst grand 19th century French facades, Café Riche has seen revolutions come and go. In 1919 an assassin hurled two bombs from its doorway, attempting to kill British-backed Prime Minister Youssef Wahba Pasha – he failed. In 1952, nationalist hero, Gamal Abdel Nasser shared tables with the 'Free Officers' whilst plotting the demise of another Riche regular, the widely reviled King Farouk.
More recently novelist, Naguib Mahfouz, to date the Arab world's only literary Nobel Laureate, critic of ruling regimes from Nassar to Mubarak and the Muslim Brotherhood, based his book, Karnak Café, on the microcosm of Café Riche. Today the café's basement bar still has a hidden door leading to a secret escape tunnel, a succinct exit for those whose outspoken views attracted uninvited attention. In 2011 revolution was again on the menu at Café Riche, activists seeking the council of café elders who'd lived through previous struggles, wooden tables and bespoke chairs cleared away, its floor space ready to treat those injured in Tahrir Square.
Historically Café Riche's vantage point at the heart of Cairo has offered a clear view as high-minded ideals deferred to realpolitik or were ignored by those who never held them anyway. 'I've been coming here for half a century but now the atmosphere is not the same because the income of the people is not the same. The intellectuals, the creatives, the artists, they're still all here,' And so it appears are Cairo's grumpy old men many of whom have little time for Egypt's current leaders. 'Which government? Here we have a government? It's something new for me.' My elderly interviewee's sagging features transcend idealism. To him the suggestion that governments might improve the Egyptian people's lot seems farcical, his dismissive expression lacking even the merest hint of a smile confers impermanence on the current incumbents. 'Look, no names. I don't make speeches,' he says, wearily but definitely. 'I tell you the truth not dreams,' this last word appearing to carry a bitter taste, 'This is a country with no programme. You don't know what is to be done day-to-day, you don't even know what is to be done for the rest of the day. A very strange country.'
Egypt's new democracy seems at odds with Café Riche, which may account for the attitude of its clientele. The Muslim Brotherhood's finest minds are unlikely to be found huddled around a Riche table, sinking a cold bottle of Stella or savouring a glass of Omar Khayyam over a plate of deep-fried calamari any time soon… The serious old men in suits occupy their regular seats and talk for hours, sharing their private jokes,but the politics of Egypt has spilled out into the open air.
Down an unpromising alley just along the street the plastic chairs and rickety tables of the Al Bustan describe another café society. 'Café Riche? It's for the rich,' says Ahmed drawing on his cigarette, 'The revolution is here, all these people. That man there,' he points, 'His son died. I myself saw blood in Tahrir Square. I don't forget this.' However, despite the change in venue political perspectives appear remarkably coincident. 'Morsi was in Tahrir for one hour. I was there for four days. There are 95 million people in Egypt, Morsi's support comes from just a section of five million. Where are the people of the revolution? Not in the government.' I ask why more did not vote for the other presidential candidate, former Prime Minister, Ahmed Shafik? 'When the election came it was a choice between the fire and the frying pan, and the people did not want another Mubarak.' Ahmed lights another cigarette, 'Morsi has no programme. Many of his people were in gaol during the Mubarak time. They were all chained up and in the dark. They need psychological counselling not to be put in power. Morsi's president now, maybe for tomorrow, maybe for two more years, maybe four but not more. The people will not choose another from the Muslim Brotherhood.'
Overlooking the new tented protests pitched across Tahrir Square, tea drinkers at Café Wadi Nil have their own views. 'These people don't represent Egypt,' says Mohammed, casting a glance across the square, 'They want to go backwards not forwards. Morsi is not a bad man but he's not experienced in leading a country.' I ask about Egypt's chronic levels of youth unemployment. 'There is work in Cairo,' replies Mohammed, 'But it's not well paid. If people take a job and keep working they'll earn more in the end but they don't have the patience. Instead they stay at home or come here.'
Walking across the square a smiling small boy approaches, boldly telling me, 'Fuck you!', immediately taking a precautionary step back. I pretend not to understand. A young man follows behind, 'So what about you? Why are you here? Are you with us?' he demands. I tell him that the future of Egypt is best determined by Egyptians. He wanders off thoughtfully, satisfied or mystified, I'll never know.
Sitting on the concrete surround of a Cairo metro ventilation shaft I'm offered tea by kindly, open-faced woman. A crowd of the curious and the bored gather to watch me drink. Two well dressed young women from Upper Egypt in turn ask to have their photograph taken with me – I smile. My tea drained, the small boy still lingers, racking his infant brain for more profanity but before finding the words he's shooed away by a tall youth. 'Hi, I'm Imed, Imed the Iraqi, everybody here knows me. Shall we walk around?' Grateful to exit the limelight I join Imed. Beyond the tents the grass is brown, pavements scorched by fires, once shady trees chopped for firewood, the scorched windows and burnt out shell of the National Democratic Party's headquarters looms large in the background. 'There are real protesters here, but also many just looking to cause trouble,' says Imed. 'I've watched while children throw stones at police. They have nothing, so nothing to lose.' Walking across Qasr Al-Nil bridge the view of Cairo is expansive as ever. We stand in the sunshine for a moment, looking down at a moored and empty flotilla of tourist cruisers, watching the powerful Nile current.
For many in Cairo the outcome of the Egyptian revolution remains uncertain. Freedom was a unifying goal. Blood was spilt and a dictator overthrown. Across the city's cafes and squares there's freedom to talk but the question now for many Cairenes is whether anyone is listening? (Cairo. March 2013)
Benghazi by Bus
Last month I travelled to Benghazi, the de facto capital of 'Free Libya', in a manner that would make Simon Calder proud. Over two days, a succession of coaches, buses, minibuses, share taxis and otherwise incentivised hotel porters helped me cover the 791 miles (according to the RAC's trip planner…) from Cairo to Benghazi. En route, even by the high standards of Arab hospitality, I met some of the kindest, most generous and most helpful people I've come across for some time. An experience that made me think such a journey should be a mandatory refresher for politicians, lawyers and policemen the world over, highlighting the essential goodness of humanity.
Pasted below are a couple of short reportage pieces I wrote in Benghazi and filed by satellite link on the dates indicated. Both were then silently sat upon by the commissioning paper until well past their sell-by-dates. Some tosh regarding Ryan Giggs apparently took presidence.
Though Libya's situation has certainly evolved I thought there may remain some vestigial non-monetary value in posting the copy here. I suppose that's for you to judge…
Benghazi 12th May
'Here in Benghazi people are dying every day but this news is not given out. I hear it on the street, from the families, but I do not hear it on the radio.' Mohammed's father had given me a bed for my first night in an outer suburb of the city. Last night he'd told a story of fear, for the present and for the future – one that we in the West probably don't want to hear. 'Even in one house, half with Gaddafi, half with the revolution. Not just the old against the young – it's a mix, both, you can't say. When Gaddafi forces entered Benghazi everyone waved the green flag. Now if you ask on the street everyone is with the revolution. People are not free to express their opinions – there is fear. I see Libya as a new Iraq.'
On the Benghazi corniche Mohammed's bleak outlook is at odds with the new day. Looking out over the Mediterranean, blue sky melds seamlessly with the sea, waves roll in, and canvas tents are driven to wild flapping by the freshening sea breeze. Between the tents two well-used tanks are parked – one careful owner, M Gaddafi. For them the war is over. Children clamber over turrets and gun barrels. Elsewhere, parts of missiles, aircraft, heavy machine guns and RPGs are corralled into an enclosure – weapons used by Gaddafi's forces to kill Libyans, I'm told. Covering the walls of the buildings opposite, and studied by a reflective crowd, are hundreds of photographs. For the most part young men without fatigues or weapons whose expressions do not foretell death as sombre hand-coloured images of WW1 seemed to – but annotated dates reveal the brutal truth.
Following a trail of heady odours through the covered souk I make my way to the bright sunshine and fresh air of the corniche, and Benghazi's revolutionary encampment – if you've seen Al Jazeera's shots you'd recognise the scene. Beyond moneychangers, glittering jewellery shops and stalls of revolutionary flags, banners and badges a scene of semi-normality is fractured by the uncompromising crack of a nearby gunshot – its reverberations sending shopkeepers and customers into a crouch. Three youths loiter at the end of an alley, one in the process of shouldering an assault rifle – the smell or cordite wafts towards me.
'How are you?' Bashir, a former flight engineer with Libyan Arab Airlines, smiles across the crowd. '42 years, can you believe it? Look at this place, the broken streets, the rubbish. You are asking us to be in good shape after just three months – it's too much.' I ask whether enough is being done to assist the Libyan people. Bashir is quick to respond, 'Some people here they think we don't like the foreigners, they'll invade our country. They're thinking like this because Colonel Gaddafi is saying it to them. We need advice on how to run this country, and the British they are already doing it – it's not a shame to ask. I have no problem at all to ask British or Americans "Can you help me?" because one day, God knows, maybe we will help them – this is life.' Bashir continues in a hopeful vein: 'Now people are free to say what they like – this is freedom. I remember one American guy, I never forget it, he said if you want to say you are Libyan and live in a free country you must have the courage to shout: "Fuck you Colonel Gaddafi! Only then you are right." Now we are achieving this.'
Benghazi 13th May
The volley of shots ended, traders relaxed into a relieved collective chuckle. A prospective customer was trying before buying, letting fly a few rounds over waste ground in front of the burned out Internal Security headquarters – he seemed satisfied. 'Hey' it's like Harlem. You can buy anything here', offered a smiling young man. Certainly automatic pistols, revolvers, AK47s and M16s, bayonets and bullets were on display, juxtaposed with mobile phones and copy CDs. He was surprised when I suggested that Harlem had changed a little in recent times.
Ears still ringing, I needed a coffee and fortunately in Benghazi's old city, crumbling though it may be, echoes of Italy are never far away. Espresso, macchiato and brioche start the day, along with that inseparable Libyan male appendage – a cigarette. ' "mangeria", "cucina", "via" we use all these words from Italian' says Najib, a 58 year old former soldier, 'and if someone talks too much we say "musica maestro"' His friend Fatti, joins in the conversation outside the Bou Ashreen (Father of Twenty!) café. 'You know I wasn't surprised that Italy wasn't the first to help us because they have good relations with Gaddafi, many economic links. What has surprised me is how quickly they changed to the opposite side.'
Fatti continues, 'But it was the UN Mandate and the British after the war that shaped Libya and we were very grateful for this – it was amazing, I remember it. The UN wanted to make a showcase of Libya. People came from all over the Arab world, everybody expressed themselves, it was free.' I ask why, if it was so good did Gaddafi's revolution succeed? 'That's a good question' says Fatti. 'Many reasons. King Idris was a very old man and the prince was not qualified to take over. There were other factors, other families trying to exert influence and there was the charisma of Nasser in Egypt. I think Gaddafi took advantage of these others forces and the atmosphere using them for his own purposes – he was the wrong man at the right time.'
'Gadaffi ruined my life' complains Najib. 'I was conscripted into the army, at first he said for three years – I was there for 25 years. Can you believe it? Three times I ran away, once staying in a house in Chad for two years, but there were many Chadians in the Libyan army and most of them were spies, so I was caught.' Najib takes a sip of his machiato and a draw on his cigarette. 'I wish Israelis and Palestinians would stop fighting, you live here you live here, it would solve so many problems. You see this area, it was Jewish, there was the synagogue – no problem. Then after the Israel Egypt war the Jewish they go out. Now it's Egyptian Christian church – I know the priest, a friend, very nice man.'
What about the future I ask? Fatti responds quickly, 'It's true there are still "Taboor Hamsa" Fifth Columnists in the city, so we must be careful but Gaddafi cannot come back, he is finished here. Today this is, how the Americans call it… our Independence Day.'


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Professor Patrick Dunleavy (LSE) offers insightful advice on academic writing. A collation of his ideas can be found on his blog.
His latest post is certainly of interest for PhDs. He unpicks what an original contribution is, and discusses different ways academics contribute to collective efforts. Definitely worth the read.


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Marvin uses his site to promote himself as a portrait artist and teacher.
Marvin, where did you start?
I had a site for over ten years and have had great success with it. I designed it in Adobe Go-live which no longer is supported by Adobe.
I decided to add a blog. I liked WordPress and chose the Prose theme because it was scalable between platforms and was more flexible with regards to design.
What advice do you have for people who are about to start working on their websites?
Fortunately I found Pamela's blog and she very generously gave me some much needed technical insight. So, as a thank you, I joined Site Setup Kit, which I found to be very helpful for additional questions I had.
Building my original site was very time consuming and required a lot of research, but I'm very happy the way it turned out and most importantly I have total control over and changes I want to institute.
Anything you'd like to add?
I highly recommend Site Setup Kit. They were life savers.


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The 2014 Corvette C7 Just Got Significantly More Expensive
Take a gander at any website/blog/Twitter account/swear-filled Yahoo comments section that is even remotely concerned with the automotive industry and you'll find endless coverage about the upcoming C7 Corvette (this article is number 8 for us!). That's alright though, because the C7 is, by all accounts, a complete game changer for General Motors. Other than obvious design changes, the seventh-generation Corvette is notable for its vastly improved cockpit, with less hard plastic than previous 'Vettes and seats that actually keep passengers from hurling themselves out the window for the more comfortable asphalt. All this, plus a slightly upgraded engine ring in at a starting MSRP of $51,995. Sales managers would suffer an aneurysm if a customer actually purchased a C7 at that price, and now we know that dealer markups will be even higher than first predicted. Why? Automotive News reports that production is capped at 160 units per day, which is vastly overshadowed by customer demand. And what happens when demand kicks supply's ass? Price hits the stratosphere.
GM is wisely canning the idea of adding a second shift at the Bowling Green, KY production facility to churn out Corvettes faster. The perfectly reasonable justification is thus: If a second shift is added, everybody gets their 'Vettes now, and in the 2015 calendar year, nobody is buying the C7 because the enthusiasts that clamored for it already have one. Then you have to lay off workers, introduce incentives to sell the remaining cars, etc. Maybe it's even a bit of a concession to dealers who stuck with GM even as lines like Pontiac were cut; everybody likes to refill their coffers.
Several other factors will reduce the number of Corvettes available at a dealership over the next year. One is GM's commitment to bring the C7 to almost all 140 markets that sell Chevrolets, and the other is the upcoming production of the convertible. Remember, those 160 units aren't just for America, they are being shipped all over the world. AN references "several enthusiast sites" (GRAIN OF SALT WARNING) that claim GM has received enough orders to make six months of Corvettes already spoken for. No word yet on the retail price of those cars, but buyers all most likely paid more than MSRP for their custom sports cars.
Even after that six month period has passed, C7s will not likely hover near MSRP until late next year after the buying frenzy has leveled. If you absolutely have to have an American two-seater that sounds like the raging hordes of Hell, how about an SRT Viper? It has way more power than a Corvette, is kind of like a caveman's interpretation of a Ferrari, and will cost about the same as a C7 at its inflated price. And since Chrysler isn't selling very many, your local dealer will probably cut you a break on the price.
Photo credit: the incomparable Nicholas D'Amato


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Paignton Congress 2014 – Day 5
This is the time when the finishing line starts to beckon for both the 5 Rd. morning sections and the main event in the afternoons.
However, before the serious stuff got under way at 2 p.m. there was an amusing diversion. It has become a little tradition at Paignton that any regular competitor who reaches the grand old age of 90 gets a presentation book. This year it was the turn of John G. Sowerby who passed this particular milestone a few days ago. He had the pick of the bookstall to choose from, and opted for a copy of Arkell's Odyssey, as he felt it was a bit late in life for him to wrestling with some heavy tome on the openings. He agreed to be present at the start of the afternoon round, even though he was only playing in the mornings. Unknown to him it was arranged that Keith himself should present John with a signed copy, to a round of generous applause. Immediately, then, Keith was himself surprised that it was announced that he had recently won the vote for the ECF's Player of the Year award, by a country mile – again, to generous applause.
Then the focus was back on John. At the start of play on Tuesday morning, John got him game under way but slowly became aware that all was not well on the board. By move 8 the players realised that John's king and queen were on the wrong squares. But not before the photographs were taken, and if one looks closely at the final photograph on the previous entry, one can just make this out. Young Theo Slade and his father went to some trouble to crop the picture, blow up the image of John at the board, print off a nice copy and frame it for presentation to him at this moment. A photograph of the three players involved was taken outside shortly after.


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Do you know what Key Lime Lizard is?
Key Lime Lizard is a program that collects data on your web browsing habits and then displays commercial advertisements whenever you access online stores. It is an adware application, even though it promises to improve your online search experience. Quite often such adware programs promise to do something useful, but in reality they just display annoying pop-up ads in order to make easy money. If you are a computer security-minded user, you will remove Key Lime Lizard from your PC as soon as possible.
It takes just one glance at the official page of Key Lime Lizard to tell what kind of program it is. Keylimelizard.net may have a sleek design, but the truth is that all programs from the SuperWeb adware family share the same homepage design. Hence, we can tell that Key Lime Lizard is practically identical to Box Rock, Lampy Lighty, Platamoose, and many other applications from the same group. Needless to say, the official website is a hoax – it does not contain a direct download link. The website is only there to make a fleeting impression that Key Lime Lizard is a reliable application. The reality is quite different.Key Lime Lizard screenshot
Scroll down for full removal instructions
Since it is impossible to download the application at keylimelizard.net, Key Lime Lizard employs other distribution methods, and it does it quite successfully. All adware applications from the SuperWeb group are distributed bundled with freeware programs. This means that users download and install Key Lime Lizard onto their computers themselves, even if they are not aware of that. It happens when you download something from a third-party file sharing website. Please refrain from downloading programs from unfamiliar websites. If you must have some application, refer to its official homepage and do not rely on third-party webpages. The installer on such websites often contains more than just one program.
When Key Lime Lizard gets installed on your computer, it adds extensions to Google Chrome, Internet Explorer, and Mozilla Firefox web browsers. Supposedly, these extensions should help Key Lime Lizard improve your web browsing experience. However, the truth is that these extensions may impede your web browsing experience and eventually expose you to dangerous websites. Key Lime Lizard may be exploited by malevolent third parties to deliver their corrupted content.
Hence, you need to do everything in your power to protect your PC from harm. The first step in this would be removing Key Lime Lizard for good. Once you have this program uninstalled, please scan the PC with the SpyHunter free scanner, because there is a good chance you have more unwanted applications on board. Do everything you can to ensure your system's safety and stability.
Manual Key Lime Lizard Removal
Windows 8
- Drag the mouse cursor to the bottom right corner of your desktop.
- When the Charm bar appears, click Settings and go to Control panel.
- Open Uninstall a program and remove Key Lime Lizard.
Windows Vista & Windows 7
- Click the Start menu button and go to Control panel.
- Go to Uninstall a program and remove Key Lime Lizard.
Windows XP
- Open the Start menu and navigate to Control panel.
- Select Add or remove programs and uninstall Key Lime Lizard.
In non-techie terms:
Key Lime Lizard is a program that you should be wary of. It is not a useful application and removing it would be the best thing to do. If you need an alternative software removal method, you can refer to the additional instructions below this article.


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Storybook & Fairytale CostumesMORE FROM THIS CATEGORY:
Snow White Costumes
Girls Evil Queen Costume
All these girls are out here trying to be princesses and you're stirring a cauldron full of potion while practicing your most devious cackle. We love your allegiance to the wicked ones and once you possess this evil queen costume for girls, your sorcery skills will skyrocket because you'll be cloaked in mystery and determined to create misery. (Insert your best evil cackle here.) This costume prepares you for life as a wicked fairytale queen.
Currently, your head is devoid of horns but some evil queens out there (not naming any names) rock a perfectly sharp pair of horns and they make them look so appealing. You'll also get experience wearing a high collar which creates a seriously sinister vibe instantly. Now all there's left to do is gaze at your reflection in an ornate mirror or bewitch a fruit and you'll be well on your way to sitting on a throne in the wicked queen hall of fame.
This costume veils future queen in a long robe-like dress with tattered sleeves and hemline. The pullover-style dress is made from ultra-black, soft and velvet-like fabric creating a luxurious yet leery appearance that says, "I'm probably up to no good." A satin royal purple stripe is directly down the middle as well as around the sleeve cuffs and the collar. Finally, a headband featuring plush black horns is also included with this costume.
If you want more help cultivating your inner evilness (mwahaha) then there are a couple accessories to pick up to give your costume a spellbinding edge. Purple makeup looks great applied to the eyelids and add a black cape to twirl when disappearing into the darkness. A small gold crown can be added to top off the look. Everyone will love it, except some uppity princesses, but we'll refrain from mentioning their names.
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Saturday, October 14, 2017 -
12:00pm to 8:00pm
Join them for the inaugural Phillipsburg Pork Roll Palooza located on the banks of the scenic Delaware River at Riverside Way! This highly anticipated event will feature everything from pork roll sliders to deep fried pork roll and even pork roll-themed beverages. Activities such as The Great Debate: Pork Roll v. Taylor Ham, Little Miss Piggy's Parade, and more. Surprises, to be announced in the weeks to come, will attract attendees from all over the State of NJ and throughout the Lehigh Valley! There will be vendors, activities and live, local music all day!


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Blend into the Victorian splendor of the Southern Mansion for your Cape May wedding! Built circa 1860, the opulent mansion has been completely restored to its original glory of genuine Southern hospitality. Imagine getting the best this mansion has to offer—making a grand entrance from the spiral staircase, enjoying the exotic lush gardens for your ceremony and cocktail hour, having a delicious gourmet dinner in the roomy solariums with a garden view, and moving to a different room for music and dancing! From admiring the beautiful crown moldings, vintage fireplaces, original hand-made furniture, and amazing hardwood floors, you and your guests will feel as though you have been transported to an earlier century. As the night falls, don't forget to go outside and take some photos around the mansion! The sparkling lights create a romantic atmosphere and a setting perfect for memories that will last a lifetime. Tucked in the historic district of Cape May, the mansion is also only a 5-minute walk from the best beaches, shops, and restaurants in South Jersey.
Venue Style
Historic/Landmark Building, Mansion, Bed & Breakfast/Inn, Outdoor
Indoor/Outdoor Ceremony, Indoor/Outdoor Reception
Max Indoor Ceremony: 150 guests
Max Outdoor Ceremony: 150 guests
Max Indoor Reception: 150 guests
Max Outdoor Reception: 150 guests
Time Restrictions
Flexible set up start time. Early morning can be arranged. Events must end by 10:00PM.
Rental Fees
There is no rental fee for the reception but there is a minimum guest count that varies based on day of the week and season. Please inquire with venue wedding coordinator for a detailed quote and more details about the guest minimums. The venue allows 5 hours of event time excluding set up and clean up time. The set up fee for a wedding ceremony is $890 with reception rental and $1,290 for a ceremony only wedding. Additional hours can be arranged for a fee. A non-refundable security deposit of $2,000 is required.
Wedding Cost
The average wedding cost at Southern Mansion is estimated at between $12,900 and $20,706 for a ceremony & reception for 100 guests.
Amenities Included
|Wedding planning services
|Bride's dressing area
|Ceremony arch
|Dance floor
|Tables and chairs provided
|Linens, silverware, glassware provided
|Outdoor lighting
|Venue set up and clean up
|Votive candles
|Overnight accommodations available
|Day-of coordinator
|Full kitchen facilities
|Large parking lot
|Complimentary suite for the bride and the groom
|Customized wedding menus
|Champagne toast service
Special Restrictions
|All food and beverage handled by venue
|Food & beverage minimum
|BYO alcohol
|Venue must approve all decorations
|Catering provided by venue
|Amplified music OK indoors only
|Smoking in designated areas only
|Alcohol must be served by licensed bartender/caterer
|Music must end by 10:00PM