Podcast appearances and mentions of Angel Falls

Apply to work with me: https://www.michaelxcampion.com/James Riley spent decades leading one of the world's most prestigious hotel brands.But this episode isn't about boardrooms or five-star service, it's about what happens after 40 years of executive employment.When James stepped down as CEO of the Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group, he didn't slow down - he rewrote the rules. From abseiling Angel Falls with limited eyesight to backing mission-driven startups, he's chasing meaning over metrics.We talk about reinventing identity, letting go of legacy, and designing a life filled with purpose, not pressure.If you've ever asked yourself “what's next?” after success, this conversation is for you.Let us know what resonated in the comments. And if you're enjoying the show, subscribe and stay curious.Connect with James Riley: https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-riley-8442011Connect with me: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelxcampion/(00:00) Why James Riley Walked Away from a 41-Year Career  (01:43) Trekking Angel Falls with Failing Eyesight  (08:42) Retirement Guilt: “I'm Still Never Home”  (10:22) James' Insights on Leadership and Managing Time  (14:50) What James Is Focused On Now  (17:27) What Attracted James to Oberoi Hotels(21:57) Backing Mission Driven Startups (27:54) VoiceMap: An App That Can Replace a Tour Guide(34:13) Launching a Podcast for Travelers  (39:16) The Best ChatGPT Prompt to Explore Cities(45:27) A Pattern That Follows Him Through Life  (49.07) Durham University Fundraising(51:53) Family, Cold Swims, and the Next Big Adventure  

The Outer Realm welcomes Ben Tejada-Ingram Host: Michelle Desrochers Date: May 14th, 2025 Episode: 562 Discussion : Ben joins us this evening to talk about his latest book " The Mysteries of Kurupira- The Hidden Land of Unknown Creatures That Inspired Conan Doyle's Lost world" Contact for the show - theouterrealmcontact@gmail.com Rumble: TheOuterRealm X - MicheleDerocher Website: www.theouterrealmradio.com Please support us by Liking, Subscribing, Sharing and Commenting. Thank you all !!! About Ben: Ben Tejada-Ingram is an author and researcher, with a special interest in unknown phenomenon and mysteries of the world. Through his social media brand "Anomaly Hunter" he delves into everything from the paranormal to UFOs, and explores all things unknown. He has always had a passion for adventure and discovery. His newest book, "The Mysteries of Kurupira" is about an isolated table mountain in the Amazon Rainforest that is a nexus for all sorts of high strangeness and unexplained phenomena. This mountain, named Kurupira, which is currently completely inaccessible and was mysteriously removed from all maps, is said to be the real life inspiration behind "The Lost World" by Arthur Conan Doyle. It has been the epicenter of sightings with seemingly prehistoric creatures, alien-like entities, and even more terrifying mysteries for over a century. The book is available on Amazon here: https://a.co/d/a3g9yWL His previous book, "The Lands Forgotten by Time: A Cryptozoologist's Guide to Lost Worlds and Legends" is available on Amazon. This book chronicles his research and investigation into the most unexplored, untouched, and exotic locations on earth. These ‘lost worlds'—places forgotten by modern civilization, indeed may constitute the last refuge of creatures long believed to be either mythical or extinct. These regions of the globe, which have existed in almost complete and utter isolation, may conceivably secretly harbor what will become the greatest scientific discoveries of our time. The book is available here: https://a.co/d/bZrMZat His first book, The Last Dinosaur of the Lost World: My Search for 'Little Nessie' is available on Amazon. This book chronicles his investigation of a mysterious but amazing story out of Venezuela, concerning the sightings of a dinosaur-like creature that was spotted on a real life 'lost world' plateau. From learning about this creature as part of an obscure and forgotten internet post, to tracking down every eyewitness on record and learning of its recorded history, this book chronicles the complete investigation of one of the world's most mysterious but amazing cryptids, the 'Little Nessie' of Angel Falls. The book is available here: https://amzn.to/34TNw8D You can see Ben's work producing bigfoot, paranormal, and sasquatch investigations with his investigation team “Anomaly Hunters” on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@anomalyhunters Anomaly Hunters is a team of Investigators looking into every aspect of the unknown and every kind of bizarre phenomena, from bigfoot, to the paranormal, to UFOs, and more. Their goal is to produce high quality adventure and investigation documentaries, as we search for the truth behind mysteries all around the globe. You can follow the ongoing investigations of Ben and his team of Anomaly Hunters on Instagram as well: https://instagram.com/anomalyhunterx The Book: In the heart of the Amazon rainforest, there exists a mysterious mountain plateau where legends, secrets, and terrifying encounters with seemingly prehistoric beasts, all converge. ITS NAME IS KURUPIRA. Though a Czech explorer traveled here in the 1970's, and documented some of its mysteries, many questions and controversies about this mountain have endured. Including: • Where exactly is Kurupira, why was it removed from so

Hello legends, As you may know, I have been a crew member of the @time4trance radioshow since 2020.

It's a Wonderful Knife - "I Know What You Did Last Christmas"The holidays continue to slay this season with IT'S A WONDERFUL KNIFE (2023). When the Northern Lights are set ablaze at the same time as wishes are made the town of Angel Falls experiences some seismic changes! Will our heroes find their true north stars? Will they end the murderous Angel killing spree? And most importantly...will they find true love?We hope you enjoy sitting by the fire and getting cozy with this fresh holiday episode!Support the show

This week, Leo and Steven watch It's A Wonderful Knife and learn that every time a bell rings, another slasher movie is made. They talk about painting the town blue, what's in the water of Angel Falls, the always reliable Justin Long, obvious who-dun-its and what happens when a movie is so busy explaining itself, it doesn't take the time to have fun.Watch the trailer here - It's a Wonderful KnifeIt's a Quiet South Park Mountain TownThe Producers - Keep It Gay!Like the show? Rate us on Apple or Spotify!Follow us on Instagram Follow us on TwitterLike the Ads? Check out our friends at...Give Me Back My Action & Horror Movies100 HorrorsDark AdaptationHorror HouseA Cut Above: Horror ReviewGood Beer Bad Movie NightBucket of Chum PodcastDissect that FilmThe CinemigosNext Week: Santa ClawsHassle us via text during the show!

Monday At 5:30 PM Riding the Frequency with Liane Curtis! Her energy and charisma is outstanding. Let's take a journey with her throughout her life come with us as we explore her fascinating history! Liane Alexandra Curtis was born in New York City. She attended the Rudolf Steiner School in New York City. Jack was a voice actor for characters that included Pops Racer and Inspector Detector for the Japanese anime series Speed Racer in 1967 as well as a director and producer of The Flesh Eaters in 1964. http://www.girubirecords.com http://www.lianecurtis.com https://open.spotify.com/artist/2FQR3L8CXucZOk7p9SwkqA?si=FqjQMbc9T7uAaCwyxPz0vQ https://soundcloud.com/vulcan-a-music https://soundcloud.com/vulcan-a-music/gimme-shelter-zinn-ft-jaq-mackenzie List of some Movies Liane was featured in: Baby It's You (1983) as Jody, High School Girl Sixteen Candles (1984) as Randy The Brother from Another Planet (1984) as Ace Hara Choices (1985) (uncredited) as Maureen The Best Times (1985) TV series as Annette Dimetriano The Equalizer as Elaine (1 episode, 1987) Married... with Children as Debbie (1 episode, 1987) 21 Jump Street as Lauren Carlson (1 episode, 1987) Knots Landing as Young Karen (1 episode, 1987) Kenny (1988) .... Sharon Kay The Bronx Zoo as Joanie Barris (1 episode, 1988) Critters 2: The Main Course (1988) as Megan Morgan Girlfriend from Hell (1989) as Maggie Kojak: None So Blind (1990) (TV) as Lorraine WIOU as Trudy (10 episodes, 1990-1991) Queens Logic (1991) as Cashier Reason for Living: The Jill Ireland Story (1991) (TV) as Lori Rock 'n' Roll High School Forever (1991) as Stella Wild Orchid Il: Two Shades of Blue (1991) as Mona Exclusive (1992) (TV) as Carol Benny & Joon (1993) as Claudia Erotique (1994) as Murohy (segment "Let's Talk About Love") Trial by Fire (1995) (TV) as Doreen Soundman (1998) as Kate ER as Mrs. Shayotovich, Fossen's Neighbor (2 episodes, 2001) The Failures (2003) as Samantha Kyle Threat Matrix as Counter Waitress (1 episode, 2003) Line of Fire as Hooker 2 (1 episode, 2003) Have Love, Will Travel (2007) as Beverly Sons of Anarchy as April (1 episode, 2008) Angel Falls in Love as Aunt CoCo (2011) Salt Liquor Lime as Marie (2014) Body High as Allison Osgood (2015) Selfie as Nancy Logan (2018) https://grizzlyllc.myshopify.com https://paranormalhub.com/grizzly-hunt Govshades.com has the largest selection an variety of brand name sunglasses at up to 50% off retail prices. https://shareasale.com/r.cfm?b=2577121&u=3878666&m=155985&urllink=&afftrack= Rocky Mountain Roastery Coffee! Get Your Coffee Today! https://shareasale.com/r.cfm?b=1943427&u=3878666&m=120637&urllink=&afftrack= Free Conceal Carry Laws of The USA From USCCA! Know The Laws Of Each State For Free! https://uscca.co/GRIZZLY-7015b000005mKPLAA2 For Trail Cams and More Click the Link Below! Blaze Video Inc. ⁠https://shareasale.com/r.cfm?b=1879540&u=3878666&m=117504&urllink=&afftrack=⁠ For Tac Lights and Camping and More, Click the Link Below. EcoGear FX, Inc. ⁠https://shareasale.com/u.cfm?d=481056&m=70349&u=3878666&afftrack=⁠ For Blinds, Waders, Outdoor Gear, Range Finders and More! Click Below! Tidewe ⁠https://shareasale.com/r.cfm?b=1447058&u=3878666&m=92895&urllink=&afftrack=⁠ For Survival Gear, Camping and More Click here click below! Survival Frog LLC... https://shareasale.com/r.cfm?b=564389&u=3878666&m=51591&urllink=&afftrack= For Bags and Backpacks and More Click The Link Below! https://shareasale.com/r.cfm?b=1243597&u=3878666&m=82802&urllink=&afftrack= For Dash Cams, Monitors and Much More Click The Link Below! https://shareasale.com/r.cfm?b=1579252&u=3878666&m=87684&urllink=&afftrack= For Digital Picture Frames, Microphones, Ring Lights and Much More Click The Link Below! https://shareasale.com/r.cfm?b=1968845&u=3878666&m=87684&urllink=&afftrack https://grizzlyllc.myshopify.com https://paranormalhub.com/grizzly-hunt --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/grizzly-onthehunt/support

Monday At 5:30 PM Riding the Frequency with Liane Curtis! Her energy and charisma is outstanding. Let's take a journey with her throughout her life come with us as we explore her fascinating history! Liane Alexandra Curtis was born in New York City. She attended the Rudolf Steiner School in New York City. Curtis' parents, Jack Curtis (1926-1970) and Paulette Rubinstein (maiden; born 1923) did many voices for the U.S. dubs of Japanese sci-fi films and TV series. Jack and Paulette married December 31, 1964. Jack was a voice actor for characters that included Pops Racer and Inspector Detector for the Japanese anime series Speed Racer in 1967 as well as a director and producer of The Flesh Eaters in 1964. Paulette was an actress as well as screenwriter and songwriter and has performed with Eddie Albert in The Seven Year Itch (early 1950s) and with Julie Andrews in The Boy Friend (1954). Paulette was also known as Paulette Girard. From about 1951 about 1956, she was married to jazz accordionist Mat Mathews (1924-2009). http://www.girubirecords.com http://www.lianecurtis.com https://open.spotify.com/artist/2FQR3L8CXucZOk7p9SwkqA?si=FqjQMbc9T7uAaCwyxPz0vQ https://soundcloud.com/vulcan-a-music https://soundcloud.com/vulcan-a-music/gimme-shelter-zinn-ft-jaq-mackenzie List of some Movies Liane was featured in: Baby It's You (1983) as Jody, High School Girl Sixteen Candles (1984) as Randy The Brother from Another Planet (1984) as Ace Hara Choices (1985) (uncredited) as Maureen The Best Times (1985) TV series as Annette Dimetriano The Equalizer as Elaine (1 episode, 1987) Married... with Children as Debbie (1 episode, 1987) 21 Jump Street as Lauren Carlson (1 episode, 1987) Knots Landing as Young Karen (1 episode, 1987) Kenny (1988) .... Sharon Kay The Bronx Zoo as Joanie Barris (1 episode, 1988) Critters 2: The Main Course (1988) as Megan Morgan Girlfriend from Hell (1989) as Maggie Kojak: None So Blind (1990) (TV) as Lorraine WIOU as Trudy (10 episodes, 1990-1991) Queens Logic (1991) as Cashier Reason for Living: The Jill Ireland Story (1991) (TV) as Lori Rock 'n' Roll High School Forever (1991) as Stella Wild Orchid Il: Two Shades of Blue (1991) as Mona Exclusive (1992) (TV) as Carol Benny & Joon (1993) as Claudia Erotique (1994) as Murohy (segment "Let's Talk About Love") Trial by Fire (1995) (TV) as Doreen Soundman (1998) as Kate ER as Mrs. Shayotovich, Fossen's Neighbor (2 episodes, 2001) The Failures (2003) as Samantha Kyle Threat Matrix as Counter Waitress (1 episode, 2003) Line of Fire as Hooker 2 (1 episode, 2003) Have Love, Will Travel (2007) as Beverly Sons of Anarchy as April (1 episode, 2008) Angel Falls in Love as Aunt CoCo (2011) Salt Liquor Lime as Marie (2014) Body High as Allison Osgood (2015) Selfie as Nancy Logan (2018) https://grizzlyllc.myshopify.com https://paranormalhub.com/grizzly-hunt Govshades.com has the largest selection an variety of brand name sunglasses at up to 50% off retail prices. https://shareasale.com/r.cfm?b=2577121&u=3878666&m=155985&urllink=&afftrack= Rocky Mountain Roastery Coffee! Get Your Coffee Today! https://shareasale.com/r.cfm?b=1943427&u=3878666&m=120637&urllink=&afftrack= Free Conceal Carry Laws of The USA From USCCA! Know The Laws Of Each State For Free! https://uscca.co/GRIZZLY-7015b000005mKPLAA2 For Trail Cams and More Click the Link Below! Blaze Video Inc. ⁠https://shareasale.com/r.cfm?b=1879540&u=3878666&m=117504&urllink=&afftrack=⁠ For Tac Lights and Camping and More, Click the Link Below. EcoGear FX, Inc. ⁠https://shareasale.com/u.cfm?d=481056&m=70349&u=3878666&afftrack=⁠ --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/grizzly-onthehunt/support

Monday At 5:30 PM Riding the Frequency with Liane Curtis! Her energy and charisma is outstanding. Let's take a journey with her throughout her life come with us as we explore her fascinating history! Liane Alexandra Curtis was born in New York City. She attended the Rudolf Steiner School in New York City. Curtis' parents, Jack Curtis (1926-1970) and Paulette Rubinstein (maiden; born 1923) did many voices for the U.S. dubs of Japanese sci-fi films and TV series. Jack and Paulette married December 31, 1964. Jack was a voice actor for characters that included Pops Racer and Inspector Detector for the Japanese anime series Speed Racer in 1967 as well as a director and producer of The Flesh Eaters in 1964. Paulette was an actress as well as screenwriter and songwriter and has performed with Eddie Albert in The Seven Year Itch (early 1950s) and with Julie Andrews in The Boy Friend (1954). Paulette was also known as Paulette Girard. From about 1951 about 1956, she was married to jazz accordionist Mat Mathews (1924-2009). http://www.girubirecords.com http://www.lianecurtis.com https://open.spotify.com/artist/2FQR3L8CXucZOk7p9SwkqA?si=FqjQMbc9T7uAaCwyxPz0vQ https://soundcloud.com/vulcan-a-music https://soundcloud.com/vulcan-a-music/gimme-shelter-zinn-ft-jaq-mackenzie List of some Movies Liane was featured in: Baby It's You (1983) as Jody, High School Girl Sixteen Candles (1984) as Randy The Brother from Another Planet (1984) as Ace Hara Choices (1985) (uncredited) as Maureen The Best Times (1985) TV series as Annette Dimetriano The Equalizer as Elaine (1 episode, 1987) Married... with Children as Debbie (1 episode, 1987) 21 Jump Street as Lauren Carlson (1 episode, 1987) Knots Landing as Young Karen (1 episode, 1987) Kenny (1988) .... Sharon Kay The Bronx Zoo as Joanie Barris (1 episode, 1988) Critters 2: The Main Course (1988) as Megan Morgan Girlfriend from Hell (1989) as Maggie Kojak: None So Blind (1990) (TV) as Lorraine WIOU as Trudy (10 episodes, 1990-1991) Queens Logic (1991) as Cashier Reason for Living: The Jill Ireland Story (1991) (TV) as Lori Rock 'n' Roll High School Forever (1991) as Stella Wild Orchid Il: Two Shades of Blue (1991) as Mona Exclusive (1992) (TV) as Carol Benny & Joon (1993) as Claudia Erotique (1994) as Murohy (segment "Let's Talk About Love") Trial by Fire (1995) (TV) as Doreen Soundman (1998) as Kate ER as Mrs. Shayotovich, Fossen's Neighbor (2 episodes, 2001) The Failures (2003) as Samantha Kyle Threat Matrix as Counter Waitress (1 episode, 2003) Line of Fire as Hooker 2 (1 episode, 2003) Have Love, Will Travel (2007) as Beverly Sons of Anarchy as April (1 episode, 2008) Angel Falls in Love as Aunt CoCo (2011) Salt Liquor Lime as Marie (2014) Body High as Allison Osgood (2015) Selfie as Nancy Logan (2018) #frequency #love #movies #hollywood https://grizzlyllc.myshopify.com https://paranormalhub.com/grizzly-hunt For Trail Cams and More Click the Link Below! Blaze Video Inc. ⁠https://shareasale.com/r.cfm?b=1879540&u=3878666&m=117504&urllink=&afftrack=⁠ For Tac Lights and Camping and More, Click the Link Below. EcoGear FX, Inc. ⁠https://shareasale.com/u.cfm?d=481056&m=70349&u=3878666&afftrack=⁠ For Blinds, Waders, Outdoor Gear, Range Finders and More! Click Below! Tidewe ⁠https://shareasale.com/r.cfm?b=1447058&u=3878666&m=92895&urllink=&afftrack=⁠ For Survival Gear, Camping and More Click here click below! Survival Frog LLC... https://shareasale.com/r.cfm?b=564389&u=3878666&m=51591&urllink=&afftrack= For Bags and Backpacks and More Click The Link Below! https://shareasale.com/r.cfm?b=1243597&u=3878666&m=82802&urllink=&afftrack= For Dash Cams, Monitors and Much More Click The Link Below! https://shareasale.com/r.cfm?b=1579252&u=3878666&m=87684&urllink=&afftrack= For Digital Picture Frames, Microphones, Ring Lights and Much More Click The Link Below! https://shareasale.com/r.cfm?b=1968845&u=3878666&m=87684&urllink=&afftrack --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/grizzly-onthehunt/support

With all the fighting  and  sex, my work reviews should suck. In 25 parts, edited from the works of FinalStand. Listen and subscribe to the ► Podcast at Connected..  “Saving a life isn't about worthiness. It is about instinct and guts.” (Friday) Since I liked to think that life encouraging me with bruises, punctures, cuts and concussions made me smarter, I had scheduled some eleven o'clock gym time most of the week so to avoid the whole lunch and after-work crowds. Aya and I went to the 'Others' gym, which was nice, but wasn't as complete as the Full/Pure-blood one. Most notable was the lack of weapons. Aya's and my trip to the 'Other' gym on Friday hit a snag. Aya clued in on the fact that I was avoiding the Pure-blood facility. We talked about it. I explained I wasn't a Pure-blood. Her counter-argument was she was and I should confront my fears. Yes, I lost an argument with a nine year old. I have talked a nineteen year old, promise-ring virgin into nameless sex in an airport stall. Aya was an unassailable wall of resolve that dashed all of my ploys into so many useless words. I found myself entering the real 'No Man's Land' twice in less than a week. Not only was I hard-headed, I was also obviously soft-hearted. At the last moment, I imagined I had a reprieve. I didn't have to tell Aya how I got in the first time; grabbing an open door. I could swipe my card, have it rejected and move on to safer pursuits. Sure enough, my card failed. Aya's didn't; mother-puss-bucket! Upon entering, the twenty, or so women in the place looked at me; and Aya. I recognized somebody. It was Constanza, Elsa's chief evil henchwoman. Our eyes met. She smiled in a way that assured me she vividly recalled our last encounter. It should be of no surprise that I insulted her somewhere in the process. It's how I roll. I smiled back at Constanza and gave her a nod before setting up Aya and me for our workout routine. Constanza was not mollified in the slightest. She was patiently waiting; for something. I decided that Aya would be my sole focus and banished the other women from my mind. The munchkin could tell the difference and relayed that to me with her happiness. After twenty minutes, she decided her time with the machines was done and her minutes were better spent resting against, or sitting on, me. My cock was reminding me that it was approaching 36 torturous hours without sex. It was also pointing out that there were thirty available, sexually inquisitive women achingly close. I reminded my penis that being relocated was probably as fun-less as it sounded. That bought me some time. We finished up our sojourn by walking the wall, going over the weapon racks. Mainly we went over the ones various members of her family were proficient with. Aya still had problems with even the most basic ones. The words 'let me help you' spilled out of my mouth. There were two problems; Aya's tiny size and the fact that all the weapons were very dangerous. Even the leaf-shaped short blade was too heavy for her so we ended up screwing around instead. I picked up two Iron Age style axes. The blades were more of a thick wedge than the broad axe heads of medieval fame. They were less effective in delivering damage, compensating somewhat in their reduced weight. I've convinced a Jewish girl to have sex in a synagogue despite me not being Jewish yet this child was twirling me around her pinkie finger. I was entertaining her with some exotic, flamboyant moves wielding two axes while Aya clapped her hands and giggled when I felt a stranger approach me on the sparring mat. I had been hopping around keeping all my weight on my right leg until that moment. I turned to face the woman, putting my left behind me yet while keeping it firmly on the ground. I also drew my axes up, crossing them over my chest, blades pointing past my shoulders. "I have never seen that technique before," she addressed me. That and what followed was all in the Amazon tongue. "It is more of a fantasy creation. I had a love affair with pseudo-archaic movies that always do the crazy, two-weapon stuff so my mentor helped me create this method," I explained. "Has it ever been tested?" she continued. "I am Cáel Nyilas," I answered, "and yes, my mentor preferred using a poleaxe, or a mace/shield combo against me." "Oneida," she seemed amused. "We will see how well you have been tested." "May I request a favor?" I tried to keep my cool. She pulled out one of those damn spears. "Yes," she seemed intrigued. "Can you call someone over to sit with Aya? I don't want her to accidently set foot on the mat," I beseeched. "Drusilla, please aid me," Oneida summoned an observer. The woman had heard my appeal and settled beside the nervous, kneeling Aya. "Cáel, please be careful," Aya pleaded. "Who me?" I chuckled. "I'm impervious to all man-made contrivances." "Every weapon in this room was crafted by women," Oneida snorted. "That would certainly explain my full-body bruising and the hole in my leg," I grinned back. I caught Oneida trying to sneak closer to me. My axes came to a ready position and I charged. I was sure some sort of medic would punish me for this later. She got off two jabs then I was all over her. I knew how to fight a two and a half meter spear. She had no clue how to plot out two incoming weapons with an extra meter of reach. The first time I drove her off the mat. The second time, I got inside her guard and clocked her in the temple with the back end of an axe head. I quickly hopped back three paces, knelt and put my axes on the mat. The rush to get me was stillborn. A few did come to stand over me while two others checked on Oneida who quickly came around. "What happened?" were Oneida's first, shaky words. "He hit you," one of her companions answered. "With what; the Moon?" Oneida mumbled as they helped her up. "My ears are still ringing." "My turn," Constanza announced. She went for a spear, blade, and round leather-covered, wicker shield. "Give Cáel a moment to rest," Aya appealed. "He has been fighting longer." No such luck. I was halfway to exhausted as well. Fighting with two weapons pretty much means just that; twice the fight. Kinetically speaking, I was burning around 80% more calories than my one weapon opponents. I was wielding axes, not fighting sticks after all. In my favor was a deep wellspring of stamina and my Will reinforced by my desire to not upset Aya. What little time I was given wasn't out of charity. A second Amazon was joining the struggle. I could back off, but I felt Constanza would enforce an intense level of groveling solely to grind up Aya emotionally. She didn't hate Aya. Aya was an avenue to really hurt me and we both knew it. For a second, when I hobbled off the mat, there were chuckles. I had fled. That ended as I began retrieving some select weapons from the wall racks. Sword harnesses came in two varieties; belted and shoulder slings. I took two shoulder slings and two more axes. I affixed my two 'spare' axes with leather straps. As I turned to the mat, Constanza had decided to be clever. She and her buddy had closed to within three meters of the edge. They would box me in as soon as my second foot touched down on the mat. "Please back up," I requested. Constanza smiled with supreme confidence. I smiled back. This was going to be dangerous, agonizing and unorthodox; totally me. I began backing up. "Cáel," Aya murmured. "Don't let them hurt you." "Running away?" Constanza sneered. "Aya, wickedness is the expedience of the weak," I nodded her way. "Do you think I can win?" "Of course," Aya sighed happily. "I am by your side." I laughed. I charged. The Amazons did the precisely wrong thing; the stepped up to meet me. You keep thrusting weapons, like spears, aimed at the central part of the body. This allows you to deviate your projection anywhere from the thighs to the face. This does imply you know where the central part of the enemy will be. This was not playschool. Real weapons; real damage; real death. They didn't have to kill me. It didn't mean they wouldn't. I leapt. I didn't leap at them, I leapt over them. Let's not forget I'm pretty freaking strong. My left leg shot-gunned pain straight to the brain but held it together. I sailed over their thrusting spear points, flipped my axes down so that they would impact the mats first. The flat tops of the axe heads impacted the mat and my body rose up and then flipped over them. This gave me an extra meter and a half on my back flip. I turned that maneuver into summersault, giving three more meters of space. I rolled over to my side and rode the momentum to my feet, facing my adversaries. Now they were the ones in the corner of the mat with their enemy pinning them in and I wasn't done yet. With all my might, I hurled my right-handed axe at Constanza's companion. She did exactly what I thought she'd do. She saw the throw halfway in motion and raised her shield up; right where I wanted it. Amazon shields aren't what most people think shields are today. They think medieval knights, or more appropriately, the shields of the Greek hoplites. The Amazons date back 700 years before those Greeks and they weren't heavy infantry anyway. Amazons moved light and fast. Consequently, their shields were light; wicker constructs with layers of leather stretched over the frame. Great for deflecting light weapons; not so great for what I was about to do. The steel axe head shattered the top half of the wicker frame. It saved her life, but now she had this useless object strapped to her arm. It also had the added bonus of knocking her back while Constanza engaged me alone. Her first jab forced me to jump back, but I still was able to draw my first spare axe. My luck with women held up a little longer. The other Amazon hesitated just long enough to remove her shattered shield. Alone with Constanza, I attacked. She thrust, I captured her spear head between my axe handles and yanked her forward. We kicked out simultaneously. Her off-balanced strike brushed past my abused left leg. My right kick hit her shield and knocked her down. Her grip on the spear slipped and I propelled it somewhere behind me. Constanza pulled off a reverse summersaulted while drawing her short blade. A really nice move. Unfortunately, it moved her away from the chick with the spear, who hesitated again. This time she took the thrown axe straight to the head; back end impacting. I didn't want to kill her. Constanza anticipated my next action. It came down to position, distance, and stride length and they all favored me. We raced to the downed companion. My left-handed axes flat side slammed into her forehead, rendering her unconscious, and I kicked her spear off the mat; out of bounds. I slowly backed away from Constanza and readied my second spare axe. "Retire from the field," I panted. I was physically failing fast. "Why should I?" Constanza glared. "You are about to fall over." "Aya won't let me fall," I stared her down. "You couldn't beat me with a companion and a spear, Constanza. Do you really think a shield and sword will work any better." "Let's find out," she charged. I really needed the short breather to recover somewhat. The short Amazon blade was an excellent close-in weapon. I never let her get close enough to use it. Tandem axes allowed me to shred her shield while keeping her at arm's length. My axe bit into her upper left arm right above the elbow. Constanza hissed instead of screaming. She did stagger back. I hopped back three steps, knelt and placed my axes on the mat at my side. "No!" Constanza howled. She came at me while I remained still. Her hand drew back for a killing thrust. I waited. Sparing my life didn't stop her. The looks of her fellow Amazons held back her wrath. They wouldn't stop her from slaughtering me, but that was exactly what it was; a butchery. Two things occurred to me: Aya was showing remarkably better control today than on Saturday, and I figured out a way to sleep with Buffy tonight. Being killed? Nah, worry about the things you have control over. "Constanza, he was instructing me," Oneida stood up. She took up Constanza's discarded spear and stepped toward us. What disturbed the gathering was how Oneida held it; sidewise, not ready for combat. "You do not intimidate me, Oneida," Constanza growled. "You misunderstand," Oneida intoned. "I would do this out of shame and despair." "I will shear my hair, burn it and take myself to the cliffs to die childless," she continued. "I leave whatever contempt you might possess for me to be conveyed to my House when they learn your actions have killed one of their last breeding females. The death of some male will not concern them. My death will. The shame I bear for killing a teacher will certainly interest many of our people." "You wouldn't dare," Constanza scoffed. The spear dropped. Fuck that noise. I snatched the last quarter of the shaft before it hit the ground. No one seemed to understand what to do about that. Apparently my reaction was unique. "Yay!" Aya cheered. "He's the best Daddy ever," she loudly announced to the crowd. "Oneida, my apology, but Katrina has put her faith in me and the New Directive," I adlibbed. "I am here to aid the recovery of your people, not diminish them. For the sake of Katrina's honor, please reconsider." "Cáel Nyilas," Oneida smiled sadly, "this is not a pledge that can be retracted." "Ah; doesn't it only take effect when the weapon hits the ground?" I struggled. "I mean, otherwise dropping the weapon would be pointless; right?" I repeat, apparently this had never come up before. "This is kind of awkward. Can someone take this?" I meant the spear. I was worn to the bone and holding a long spear from one end, with one hand. Quickly calls went out to Hayden as well as a few department heads. "Constanza," one of the Amazons spoke up, "if you attack the male, you will be actively sealing Oneida's Death Pledge. Far fewer of us will understand that." "How is it that you are so damn lucky?" Constanza growled at me. "You are asking this of a man, on his knees before you with your sword at his throat?" I countered. "Lucky isn't you sparing my life. Lucky is me never having heard of this place; Except for Aya. She makes the rest of this hellish experience worthwhile." "Best Daddy ever," Aya chirped. "Hayden is on her way," a different Amazon called out. Already a passel of newcomers were swarming the scene. Truly curious was the group looking mournfully at Oneida. One stepped forward. "Male, do you need something? Water?" she asked. I gave it some thought. "Could you sing?" I requested. "A nice soothing song of hope would be nice." Blink. Like all panicked moments, nothing came to mind for several seconds. Oneida's people rapidly bantered about some names then the questioner began singing. By the third song I was crying and shaking like a leaf. Constanza had fallen back enough to get her arm tended to. Twice Aya had tried to get me, lending me the tiniest bit more strength. Wisely, her minder kept her away from the possible conflict. There was a whole different level of commotion when Hayden arrived this time. "To bear a weapon in my presence is Death, Cáel," Hayden stated. "I apologize for being a disappointing Male," I grunted. "Pass on my regrets to Katrina." "Drop the weapon and you will be spared. You will only be beaten," Hayden gave a hint of a smile. "If I drop it, she dies," I hissed. The ache in my right arm was exceeding that in my left leg. "I'm afraid I will have to decline," I concluded. "If I kill you, the spear will drop and she'll die anyway," Hayden pointed out. "Sucks to be both of us, I guess," I gasped. "Oneida, step on the spear. Push it down," Hayden ordered. Hush. Oneida raised her foot. "You are stepping in the wrong place," I huffed. She looked at me. My eyes flashed to the short side between my grip and my side. "Do you really think you can hold it up?" she questioned. "I know I'll fail if you step anywhere else," I tried to grin. "No matter what happens, you will die," she murmured. "Not my chief concern right now," I grunted. "Hurry." Oneida put her foot on the short end. "It will help your balance if you place a hand on his shoulder," Hayden noted. We both flashed Hayden a shocked look. Oneida stepped on the spear. It trembled and sunk down, barely millimeters off the mat. Her hand came to rest on the crux of my neck and shoulder. I felt my body about to tip over. I was at my limit. I almost missed the gasps whispering around the assembly. Oneida had her body off the ground. Hayden lowered herself so that she could witness there was a distance between the spear and the earth. "The spirits have not heard your pledge, Oneida," Hayden declared as she regained her regal posture. "I suggest you weigh your words with greater care in the future. Retrieve your spear." She turned and started to leave the gym. Oneida dismounted and snatched up her spear. "What of the male?" one of the spectators inquired. I didn't care. I had fallen on my back. "At a moment of such great spiritual significance; the ancestral rejection of a Death Pledge, the action of any one male does not concern me," Hayden remarked coldly. It wasn't praise. It was a 'don't fuck with him'. Around me a cultural conundrum was taking place. Not only could Oneida's house not thank me because I was a male, they couldn't thank me because, by Hayden's decree, there was no life to be saved. Oneida bent over me on one knee. "You really shouldn't be so eager to toss your life away, Cáel," she smiled warmly. I was essentially immobile. "You have the most gorgeous blue-grey eyes," I moaned. "You are thinking about that at a time like this?" she snorted. Her relatives were shockingly amused as well. "No time like the present. Besides, in 75 days you can all go out to some nature preserve and hunt me down with non-lethal weapons. Great way to spend a weekend." I heard an authoritative cough. I looked up from my still prone position to see Katrina. "Cancel that Oneida. I'm about to get relocated to Antarctica where I'll be tasked with teaching penguins how to arm wrestle," I sighed. "Cáel, why do you think I'd be so nice to you after all the hell you cause me on a daily basis?" Katrina looked all menacing. "You recall how much I like winter sports?" I pleaded. "Hey; wait. I was good on Friday. Wasn't I good on Friday?" "I don't recall you having a good day yet, but I may double check. Can you stand?" Katrina asked. "Is that a question, or veiled order?" I muttered. "If the former; no. If that latter, I'll die trying." Using a combination of my right leg and left arm, I managed to struggle my way upright. By that time, Aya had circled the practice mat and was at Katrina's side. "He was very brave," Aya insisted. One of Oneida's senior women coughed. "Nothing happened so nothing has changed," Katrina stated. It was a lie and both sides knew it. It was the whole loyalty/martial valor thing. Inside their closed little minds a balancing act had taken place; my worthlessness as a male against Oneida's value to her people. Aya was easy to discount as she was of Katrina's house. I had no clue who Oneida was yet still rallied to her when she desperately needed help; Hayden's obfuscation be damned. Yeah, Oneida had been young and foolish. Her challenge had been given to make Constanza back off. When Constanza called her bluff, pride took over. Oneida had been foolhardy and overly status conscious. Constanza had played Russian roulette with their House's future and almost 'won'. She'd be wise to avoid darkened corridors for the next few weeks too. There was not only Oneida's house but the houses allied to it to worry about despite Hayden's expunging of the official record. For me, it was time to be dragged over to my cute doctor friend. I had been slashed twice by the spears during my jump and not noticed it; adrenaline no doubt. "Congratulations, you and Aya are forbidden to work. I thought keeping you in the building would be safer. I'm mature enough to admit I was wrong," Katrina conceded. "No place is safe for you, or from you. I'm sending you home, under guard." "Can I choose Buffy?" I perked up. Katrina arched an eyebrow. "I also need something," I kept slaloming down toward Hell. "I need a six hour dispensation from you on the whole sex thing with employees." "Oh Goddess," Katrina laughed. "What part of me wanting you to stay alive have you missed?" "Are you going to sleep with my Mommy now?" Aya grinned. "No," Katrina answered for me, "he's going to play with Buffy." Right on the money. One scary-smart woman without a doubt. "Best of all, I'll let you assign Buffy to be your security for the night and you can tell her the good news when you get home. Aya, that means Cáel does, not you." "Yes Aunt Katrina," Aya moaped. She wanted me to be banging Caitlyn; her Momma. We would make love, Caitlyn would take me as her mate and I'd be Aya's Daddy for real. She'd kill me a month later for my twelfth indiscretion. I'm not a fortuneteller. I'm a bookie and I knew the odds of me staying faithful were a sucker's bet. The only questions were how many and with which one Caitlyn would kill me with. I wasn't sure how to break that reality to Aya. After getting bandaged/tortured my doctor, cleaned up and redressed, I managed to survive the rest of the day without catastrophe. (Later) "Cáel, do you realize that you've been wounded more than most Security Detail recruits do during their basic training?" Violet teased me. Buffy was too furious for coherent speech. "It isn't his fault, Buffy," Aya pleaded. "He wasn't seducing a woman, or anything like that. Oneida tried to sex him up all on her own." Huh? "Constanza's nipples were very aroused and we all know what she wanted." I really was worrying about the twisted sexual education Aya was getting. She knew the terms, but was missing out on the complete meaning of what she was saying. "Oneida? Who the hell is Oneida?" Buffy growled. "She's one of the new hires with Acquisitions," Violet answered. Brian Fung's group. "What were you making eyes at her for?" Buffy snarled possessively. "He didn't," Katrina swept into the office. "She made a Death Pledge and Cáel, acting as a vessel for our Ancestors, refused it; so the youngest breeding female in House Arinniti gets to keep living." I grunted because I knew who Arinniti was, or had been. "Vessels for the Ancestors?" Violet gasped. "Arinniti; that name rings a bell," Buffy mumbled. "She's one of the twenty founding bloodlines," Aya gladly provided. Katrina took her seat behind her desk and regarded me with something between amusement, annoyance, and pride. Oh, and sex. "Violet, Cáel held a weapon in the presence of Hayden; the spear that Oneida had dropped to seal her pledge. If he was a male acting alone, he would have to be killed. Is that the course of action you wish to recommend to the High Priestess?" Katrina suggested. "Ancestors work for me," Violet gulped. "You can't take back a Death Pledge," Buffy turned to Katrina. "It is a Death Pledge." "It appears you can if Cáel is in the room," Katrina smirked. "Best Daddy ever!" Aya yipped. "He caught the spear before it hit the ground and held it until Hayden came by and read the signs from the Ancestors that Cáel was supposed to retract Oneida's words. Hayden even had Oneida stand on the spear, but Da; Cáel didn't let it fall." "Maybe the Ancestors think Cáel is sexy too," Aya added. Groan. "They had better not," Buffy spun back to me threateningly. Fine, if some undead man-haters thought I was hot; sigh; that might entail there would be no rest for me even in the afterlife. "Buffy, do you have plans for this weekend?" I glared. "Why?" she snapped. "Great. Katrina, I want Buffy to be my bodyguard for this weekend," I looked to my boss. Aya almost slipped up, but bit her lip to hold herself back. "Fine," Katrina grumbled. "I promised you that you could choose your guardian. I was truly hoping you would pick among the candidates from SD I suggested, but so be it." "I have to be around him all weekend?" Buffy howled. "Yeah," I exhaled happily, "and I plan to have sex all weekend long." From the look on Buffy's face, she knew she was going to die. She was going to see me having sex with someone else, snap, kill me then kill herself out of shame and grief. Yep, she was going to die. It turned out Aya was off to Amazon Summer Camp for Squirts. We quickly arranged a series of smoke signals she could use to send for me if she was in danger. Desiree rolled her eyes, hefted Aya's luggage and left with my tiny boon companion. I sobbed. "Katrina, can I go see her when she's at camp?" I turned to my boss. "Cáel Nyilas, this is a place where we send our greatest treasure; our children," Katrina smirked. "We will not discuss the abuse of power it would be for me to reveal the location to you." "Cool; Daphne, where is it?" I turned to my closest female new hire. "I won't tell you and it changes every year," Daphne smiled. "But you know where it is this year," I persisted. "I didn't say I didn't," Daphne beamed. "Fine. Come home with me. While my ogress henchwoman holds you down, I'll tickle the truth out of you," I menaced. "Buffy don't!" Tigger shouted. Buffy was about to brain me with my reading lamp. I was fearless. "Okay, Bubbles," I beamed vindictively. "Go get us a car and make it snappy." There was a hush. "What? Did I use any words that were too big for you to understand?" Buffy's screamed caused people to reach for their sidearm three floors away. She stormed out, thankfully not running over anyone. "Do you want to die?" Violet tugged my sleeve. "Let the 'Lost Blood' (Old Kingdom Hittite) deal with him," Fabiola sneered. "They are both annoyances." I took a deep breath. "Fabiola, your laws regulate what I can and can't say to you," I stared at her. "Instead, I beseech you to never insult a 'Runner' (Old Kingdom Hittite) in my presence again." "Buffy is a 'Lost Blood' (Old Kingdom Hittite)," Fabiola defied me. I took another deep breath then hobbled over to Katrina's desk, retrieved a pen, piece of paper and a nice, soapstone-encased lighter. By the time I got back to my desk, I certainly had the new hires' attention. Since Fabiola was a Latin name, I had to guess at what it would look like in the Amazon alphabet. "Daphne, is this right?" I asked. She shook her head. She wouldn't give me the answer. I got it on the third try. I showed Fabiola her name on the paper then burned it. I rubbed the ashes between my palms then showed Fabiola my blackened palms. "What does that mean?" Paula inquired. She was worried. I was both flamboyant and hardcore at the same time. "Who cares?" Fabiola mocked me. "'Ghost'" I said in Old Kingdom Hittite. It took them a few seconds to realize it had a second definition; invisible. I had no doubt Katrina fully understood the implications of my actions. "Cáel, I will have to consult with Hayden over this," Katrina mused. I gave a nod, collected my stuff and headed for the elevator. "Katrina, what did he do?" Dora chimed in. "He murdered Fabiola," Katrina enlightened them. "In his mind, she no longer exists." "Can he do that?" Violet wondered. Fabiola took after me. "Cáel," she called out. I ignored her. She caught up. "Cáel." Ignored. Then she shoved me from behind in the shoulder. I kept walking. "Don't you ignore me!" she seethed. Daphne was coming up fast. "Leave him alone," Daphne insisted. Fabiola shoved me again. I was almost at the elevator. "Don't," Helena came up. She was aiming for Daphne because Daphne was about to kick Fabiola. "She's insulting you!" Daphne reacted to Helena while pointing at Fabiola. "He is a man," Helena explained. "We don't fight over men." Meaning that couldn't be the primary excuse, not that it never happened. "Katrina, make me Cáel's boss," Fabiola shouted. Well, I would never dare shout at Katrina unless her life was on the line. Also, technically Fabiola couldn't be my boss, being a 'new hire' and all. "Cáel Nyilas, Fabiola is your boss for the next five minutes," Katrina intoned. Oh fuck. "Cáel, to my side," Fabiola gloated. I looked past her to Katrina, sighed and punched the elevator button. "Don't turn your back on me," Fabiola snarled. A tug of war developed. She kept trying to turn me away from the elevator doors and I refused to be budged. Fabiola drew her blade. Shit. "You cannot run far enough away that I will let you get away with that," Daphne seethed in Old Kingdom Hittite. Fabiola was about to meet that challenge. "What are you doing?" Katrina had been coming out of her office when she caught the exchange. "I;” Daphne stammered. She'd screwed up. "Apologize," Katrina commanded. Daphne apologized grudgingly. The doors opened. "Cáel, hold the door." I did. "Cáel, to my side," Fabiola repeated. She thought she was about to win. I stayed where I was. "Fabiola, he can't hear you," Katrina pointed out. "Of course he can hear me," Fabiola rebutted. "No; no he can't," Katrina remained calm. "You have rendered yourself dead to him. Since he is not a priestess, or augur, he cannot hear the voices of the dead." "He cannot willfully decide he can't hear me," Fabiola demanded. "Oh, I agree. That would be wrong for him to willfully ignore any Havenstone female. Conversely, he can't allow any of our women to be harmed either," Katrina explained patiently. "So, when he witnessed an assault on the spirit of our women, he attempted to address it." "He approached the perpetrator and politely asked them to refrain from that activity. He was rebuffed. It wasn't like he could physically resolve the issue. To resolve that internal conflict; to defend his sisters but not attack a sister, he symbolically killed the problem. This allowed him to constantly and continuously forget the cause of this disruption." "He can't do that," Fabiola persisted. "Actually, it is pure Cáel," Katrina smirked. "I personally unaware of any scripture, bylaw, or statute that forbids him from doing this. I have given you a reasonable argument that explains his actions. He is essentially working through two conflicting orders." "Now Fabiola, as a perspective leader, what do you suggest he do? Let you force him to be relocated when he breaks your jaw? Let you insult half of Havenstone's staff until one day, one of them snaps and you end up in a Newark landfill? That would be wrong of him to do as he is supposed to lay his life down for us," Katrina kept at it. "What do you suggest?" "How do you resolve the crisis? Before you answer that, consider the fate of Leona," Katrina gave a predatory twist of the lips that would make a Momma T-Rex proud. "This male is making us fight amongst ourselves," Fabiola complained. "I'm not fighting just for the male," Daphne growled. "I'm fighting to have offspring that are strong in both body and mind." "Hey," Helena snorted, "can you imagine how much tougher the women in Acquisitions and Business Management have it? We get to talk about the New Directive without fear of weirding Cáel out." "Please believe me," I chuckled. "I'm still weirded out. There is simply nothing I can do about it so I get on with my day." "I don't understand any of you," Fabiola protested. "Fabiola, will Aya die?" Katrina asked. "Yes." "Why?" Katrina continued. "She is small, weak and hyperactive," Fabiola explained. "Cáel, will Aya die?" "No." "Why?" Katrina gazed at me. "Isn't she small, weak and hyperactive?" "Sure, she's small now, but she's only nine. Look at the size of all the other women in her house. None of them are super-tall either," I answered. "She's not hyperactive. She is very bright with a very active imagination. Once she finds her 'stillness'; her center; she'll do fine. If anything, she's too smart. She figures out that her guardians are worried, why they are worried and has to fight against their disappointment every time she does anything." Fabiola snorted, proving yet again she was clueless to her surroundings. "After all, Katrina, she's related to you and you are one of the scariest-smart people I've ever had the pleasure to know," I smiled. I could reply to Fabiola while not replying. "Cáel, go. You are unlikely to survive Buffy as it is," Katrina directed. Buffy was indeed apoplectic. She did manage to let me retrieve my bike before driving me home. Since I was dragging both all my business clothes, toiletries and my bike upstairs with crutches, it was painfully comical. A furious Buffy relented and took a few of my things. We had barely made it in the door when my phone rang. Buffy dumped my belongings in the center of the living room. "Hey," I answered the phone. "Hey, it's Odette," she greeted me happily. "Are you still in the HQ?" "Nope Odette," I grinned at Buffy. "I'm home. Do you want to come over?" "Sure; it's not going to be a problem, is it?" she asked. "I have a good friend over, but if you can stand my illicit behavior, you are more than welcome," I informed her. "Cool," she chirped. "I'll be over in about an hour." "See you soon. Until then Odette," I said. "Now I have to watch you fuck a whore?" Buffy stared at the ground. I wasn't going to go after for the 'whore' thing. She was at the end of her endurance. I knew that. I limped in front of her and pulled out her phone. She was too angry to look up at me so I knelt down. "Buffy," I showed her the text from Katrina about my six hour sexual exemption. She looked up and read it. "So? What does this mean?" Buffy looked ready to explode in tears and fists. "It means that when Constanza had her sword aimed at my throat I figured out a way to ease some of your fears," I stated. She blinked. "You worried that I'd be dead by the end of the month, and I did promise to try and make you the first Havenstone woman I made love to," I explained. "Constanza was about to kill you and you were thinking of me?" is what Buffy got out of all that. "Yeah. I also realized that Aya was far calmer than she was last Saturday, but the major thing was how to ask Katrina for the exemption and lure you here for the weekend," I told her. "Weekend?" Buffy studied me intently. "Yeah," I grinned seductively. "See, I figure we time everything. When we start something naughty, we flip on the timer and the moment we are done, we flip it off," I met her gaze. "That way we squeeze as much out of the six hours as possible; if that's what you want to do?" Buffy hugged me suddenly. "You were about to die and I was the one you were thinking about," Buffy wept. By that, I meant she fell apart emotionally. I had always seen Buffy so fierce that I was caught off-guard by this open vulnerability. I hugged her back and snuggled her close. She sniffled for several seconds. "This doesn't count, does it?" she hiccupped. "This is purely platonic. I'm bonding with my supervisor; team-building," I stated firmly. "Oh Goddess, you are crazy, you are crazy, you are crazy," she murmured into my shoulder. "Okay, I'm crazy. I also really want to have sex with you," I pushed her back so we could look eye to eye. "Or, are you going to make me beg like a big baby?" "I really want to have sex with you too," Buffy smiled; romantically. The fiery freakiness was gone to be replaced by a deeply sensual, gentle spirit. What the hell? "Let's go to the bedroom," I suggested. "We can try out the sofa later." "Is your leg going to be okay?" she suddenly worried. "Which one? Two of the three are working fine," I teased. No anger. "I love your sense of humor," Buffy snickered. I repeat; Huh? We stripped down then crawled under the sheets. Buffy was demure, calm and at peace. "Buffy, I don't want to ruin the mood," I said as I pulled her close. "But you are not acting normal and I don't know what to make of it," I completed. "I won," Buffy stroked my cheek lovingly. "I beat out everyone else for you. I gave it everything I had, you recognized that and came to me. This is me being happy, Cáel. Would you prefer me to be combative?" "I prefer you," I teased. The 'thank you' hovered right on the other side of unspoken. It wasn't in her. She was starting to get amorous. I pulled away to Buffy's momentary confusion then the condom came out, I ripped open the packet, slipped on the prophylactic and returned to my lover. I was about to slip into Buffy, missionary style. "Wait!" she stopped me. She hit two buttons on her wrist watch. "Timer," she explained. In I went. Buffy gasped slightly then began moving her legs up along my thighs. Years of experience made this a slow, gentle screw. This wasn't me wasting time; Buffy wanted savagery later. For her triumphal moment, she wanted to savor every second of this first time with her prize; me. Tender kissing and nuzzling were the signs of our affection. She ran her hands over my shoulders, back and ass. I would balance on my right arm while I coaxed delightful hums from Buffy. This was not Buffy's first time. By the level of stimulation she was giving me, this was unlikely to even be her 100th time. She knew her stuff. She had mentioned me physically and cerebrally engaging her being a reason she was so desperate to 'have' me. I had misinterpreted that. Buffy wanted a sex partner that could keep up in a way that went far beyond stamina; she hungered for matching skill and maturity. She could give me subtle clues with her body and I'd pick up on them, folding them back into my own actions and signals. There aren't too many that can meet me orgasm for orgasm. Buffy did. She crested first, but I was only seconds behind her. Before my final blasts, I rolled us over so that she was on top. I tried wiggle out of her. Buffy resisted. "Don't pull out yet," Buffy requested. "If I pull out, we can stop the clock," I insisted. "Oh," she giggled, "me lying naked on top of you in your bed isn't 'inappropriate behavior'?" "I won't tell if you won't," I snickered. Buffy cut of the timer on her wristwatch. Buffy was bringing her breathing under control and getting comfortable with our sweatiness. "If you hadn't been as good as your hype," Buffy whispered after a minute, "I think I would have fallen apart; and killed you; then probably myself." "Whoa," I reacted. "Explain that. Girls wanting to kill me is fine. Girls killing themselves for anything remotely involving me isn't." She mulled that over. She wasn't going to apologize yet felt a need to share something. I had to be patient. I've been with a lot of girls and a few guys who didn't take rejection well. That rarely had anything to do with the actual rejection. It was some festering wound much deeper and older than their encounter with me. "In high school I discovered the wonders of sex. I loved it. Not the lover, but the carnal act. I'd screw anyone, as long as it was something new and different," Buffy confided. "After a few bad incidents, my parents; my stepfather and my mother; threw me out because they thought I was a bad influence for my two younger sisters. I went to a city and did the only thing I was good at. I met this guy; you know the story. He would protect me, love me, blah, blah, blah," Buffy recalled painfully. "Slowly the sex stopped being fun. It was money and not my money at that. One night I got sick of it. 'He' wanted me to perform, I told him I was leaving so he and two buddies raped me. They raped me a lot over the next two days while they smoked meth and drank," she continued. "Finally, when they all passed out, I went to the place where he had his gun." "That wasn't going to be good enough for me," she tilted her head up to study my eyes. "I got his baseball bat instead and knocked them all out real good. I found a few garbage bag twist ties, tied their hands behind their backs and went at all three with a knife. I gutted them a bit so they were awake and in a shitload of pain; then I hacked their cocks and balls off." I was less revolted than I thought I'd be. I still felt my dick shrivel and my balls trying to retract into my bodies. I certainly wasn't going to joke about it; this was a serious sensitive moment for her. I stroked her hair. I could live with this revelation. I wasn't sure why I could, but my heart and mind weren't freaking out, so I went with my instincts. "I had barely finished up when the cops came bursting in. I had taken far longer torturing them than I imagined and their screams had been heard all over the housing complex. They Tasered me, I went to jail and finally to trial. My defense attorney argued an 'Insanity' Plea and I ended up in a mental facility," she was clearly relieved that I wasn't terrified. "A few months later, Katrina showed up," Buffy continued. "She wasn't where she is today. We talked a great deal, but there were only two crucial questions for her. 'Do you regret killing those men?' and 'Can you have sex again?' I answered 'no' and 'yes' after some thought. Two weeks later, I was transferred to a Havenstone facility, they cleaned me up, trained me, and I was stationed here." "What is with you and Elsa?" I prodded a handful of minutes later. "Don't go there, Cáel," Buffy muttered. "Do you seriously want me to confront her not knowing the whole score?" I countered. "She is a complete and total racist Bitch," she grumbled. "Please don't tell me it was a sex contest," I groaned. "If she is better than you, I'm going to die." Her grumbling lack of an explanation allowed me to crack a joke. Buffy 'punished' me by kissing my chin. "No, it wasn't a cunt-thing. If she can fuck you better than me, you have my permission to die," she smiled playfully. Scary. I was so used to her being scary, Buffy not being scary was scaring me. Push? "Well, the only thing I can do then, is a Buffy-Elsa-Cáel three-way," I sighed. "Okay," Buffy murmured. "Stop it!" I shouted. "You are freaking me out." Buffy giggled. I was howling off into madness on the inside. "I think you have company coming soon. We should get clean and put some clothes on," she exhaled joyously. By dressed, Buffy meant putting on my dress shirt; unbuttoned. She was like that, cross-legged on the sofa, eating Cheese Puffs and watching 'Real Housewives of Mumbai' when Odette arrived. It took Odette a second to realize this Buffy was the same firecracker from the last time they met. "Hi; um," Odette started. "We are fine. He fucked me. I'm in a state of grace," Buffy explained pleasantly; without a hint of menace, or fury. "Buffy; Odette Sievert," I made introductions. "Odette; Buffy Dubois." Odette strode right over to the sofa and plopped down beside Buffy. I had to struggle to not flinch. "He gives an incredible dicking, doesn't he?" Odette bubbled. "Yes," Buffy purred, "Yes, he does that and more. You are new to this whole 'love-making thing, aren't you?" "Pretty much," Odette openly admitted. "He gave me my first orgasm. I didn't realize how good sex was until I met Cáel." "I didn't realize how good sex was until I met me either," I joked. "Trust me," Buffy patted Odette's thigh, "I know a great deal about sex and I can assure you he's really, really good." "You are not wearing underwear," Odette noted. Life only got more bizarre. "Why don't you go into the bedroom, get one of his used dress shirts and put it on; and nothing else," Buffy advised. "It is a wonderful experience." "Oh God, don't I know it," Odette exulted. She jumped up and skipped into my bedroom. "Don't play with her," I cautioned Buffy. Buffy studied me then gave me a glowing look. "I'm trying to be a better companion Cáel," she told me. "I know I've put you through hell. I'm not going to apologize. I like the look of fear in your eyes. It is only matched by that look that says 'I'll get you for this'," she chuckled. "Just for that, its reverse cowgirl for you the next time we make love," I threatened. "How is that a threat?" Buffy teased. "I am absolutely positive you like my ass." "I bet he likes all of you," Odette sang out as she came out twirling in another one of my dressed shirts and nothing else. Odette had change really quick. I knew she came over bra-less. I was suspecting no underwear, or socks too. She sat down tightly next to Buffy. "So, how is this 'sharing' thing going to work?" Odette looked back and forth between us. "Have you ever been with a woman?" Buffy asked. "Don't be embarrassed about curiosity." "Ah; well, a little," Odette stammered. "Here is how it works," Buffy patted Odette's nervous hand. "I can only have sex with Cáel for five and a half more hours for the entire weekend. Since I like sex and you are here, I'm certainly interested in you." "Odette," she reassured my bed-buddy, "there is no pressure. I have gotten the most important thing; quality time with Cáel. Everything else is a bonus." "Oh; I'm okay with that," Odette nodded. Then she leaned in to kiss Buffy; maybe I should create a 'Sex for Beginners' CD. I was working gangbusters on expanding Odette's sexual horizons. Buffy wrapped a hand in Odette's hair and drew her into a steamer kiss. I settled in behind Odette, switching kisses between the back of Odette's head and Buffy's hand. "Wow," Odette panted. "You taste different than any guy I've kissed. I like it, but I like Cáel better." Before anyone thinks this never happens, or 'only in Hollywood (West Hollywood, that is), please understand I went to a rural college with a 70% female student enrollment. Convincing a girl to engage in a little girl-on-girl action to 'get me extra aroused' is insanely easy. The few times a lady has asked if I'd kiss a guy to get her 'extra aroused', I said 'for her and only for her'. Works every time. I've kissed a few guys, but only for charity. Fine; I've kissed a few guys in gay bars because Timothy intimated that we'd get our asses kicked if I didn't. He may have been playing me, but for all the shit I put him through, I can live with that. Back to the story: we had Odette in my bed in no time. I was on the bottom, Odette was lying on me, back to my chest and I was using my hips to piston into her while she moaned on top of me. Buffy was alternating between tantalizing Odette's clit and teasing her nipples. Using a very liberal definition for 'touching me', we decided that this wasn't consuming any of our 'exemption' time. Three orgasms later, Buffy poured an uber-contented Odette into her/my shirt and I carried her to the sofa. I put Odette's head in Buffy's lap, Buffy twirling Odette's forelock and Odette humming a happy tune. I was getting some apple and orange juice when Timothy's keys jangled in the door. He walked into the apartment and soaked up the scene. I took in that it was barely 8:30 and Timothy was in his date clothes. A seriously not-good situation. I diverted to him, drinks in hand, and hugged him. "Sorry Bro," I murmured. He hugged me back. "Buffy DuBois, this is Timothy." "Buffy? The crazy chick who wanted a hug?" Timothy chuckled. "She's not;” Odette mumbled. "Yes, that would be me," Buffy grinned sedately. Timothy looked down and shook his head. "That is some dick," he groused. "Damn Bro, "Timothy regarded me with some amusement, "did you bother to get her panties off, or was the mere thought of sex with you enough to cause a complete personality reversal?" "Cáel," Odette raised a shaking arm and commanded loftily, "put the drinks down and get us some ice cream. It is Bonding Time." She meant commiserating with Timothy over his dating failure. Timothy trundled off to his bedroom muttering something about 'getting into something more comfortable' and I delivered the drinks then doubled back for the ice cream and four spoons. Timothy ended up on the floor with his head resting against Odette's stomach. I offered to take the bottom spot. Timothy accepted the gesture then pointed out I was the guy with the bum leg. I ended up with Odette's feet in my lap. The flavor of the night was Cherry Vanilla and we were all making inroads into the supply quickly. Timothy dialed up Ninja Assassin on Netflix. Ten minutes in I realized why. There was this Asian actor who was really hot and extremely physically fit. Odette agreed. "You two can't believe any of this is real," Buffy commented shortly after. "This is absurd. Nothing and no one kills like that." She had professional pride after all. It hadn't taken me three days to figure out that the Executive Service babes' main purpose in life was not laundry delivery. They went everywhere and saw everything; just like a secret police force. Odd, huh? "Speaking of absurd and unreal," Timothy snickered. "Cáel, two ladies screaming Extreme High Maintenance showed up this morning. Apparently you weren't answering your phone, work said you were out of the office, and some spooky chicks at Havenstone showed them the door with something akin to a threat of lethal violence," he continued. "From long experience as your roommate, I could tell you'd fucked them to Nirvana and they wanted more." "From long experience'?" Buffy wondered. "You haven't known him two months yet." "Lady, this happens at least once a week with this guy. You are playing with the hair of one of those women right now," Timothy told her. "Yeah," Odette sighed happily. I was still wrapping my mind around the fact that Buffy hadn't threatened me with violence in the past four hours. Not even a glower. "So, what did you tell them?" I asked my bud. "I looked terribly put out then informed them you'd decided to become a Dominican and gone to a monastery in Italy to train," Timothy smirked. "What did you really say?" I thumped his head with my spoon. Before anyone goes 'iew, don't eat with that', I would remind you how pervasive hair is in a bachelor pad. Vacuum and you'll find out. "I told them you work in Looney Tunes Central; which they bought surprisingly easily; and that you would give them a call the moment your destiny was returned to you," Timothy said. I was willing to bet he used those exact words too. "What has Cáel told you about Havenstone?" Buffy prodded. "No way, Buffy," Timothy shook his head. "You are still one of those crazy bitches. Cáel hasn't told me the real deal, but when he looked me in the eye and said you ladies might kill me, I knew he wasn't playing around. He was afraid for my life." "Do you really think we would hurt you?" Buffy persisted. "You put an arrow in my boy; and he's got the magic dick. Since I'm not likely to put out for you ladies, I pretty much believe you'll put one through my heart without batting an eye," Timothy countered. "What would you do if he simply stopped showing up one day?" Buffy mused. "Not ask," Timothy snapped off his reply. "I trust Cáel enough to heed his warning and get on with my life." "Cáel has a big heart," Buffy regarded me warmly. "It is one of the many things that makes him a great prize." "Salmon; Angel Falls," Timothy taunted me. Before I even started at Havenstone, he had warned me that I had no chance of making it in that women-dominated Hell. He was right and he loved rubbing it in; the Bastard. To clarify: a salmon is a stupid fish who follows his penis to his death and Angel Falls in Venezuela is the Earth's longest, continuous waterfall; that's 807 meters for those who don't want to use Wikipedia. "Timothy, if there was any doubt, there will be no mention of Tuesday night and what came afterwards," I urged my guy. "Way ahead of you," Timothy chuckled. That was Rhada we were talking about. "If you are going to hang around Cáel, you will have to get used to all the other ladies," Odette sighed comfortably up at Buffy. "I know," Buffy stroked Odette's ear. "Also, if you see me outside of Cáel's home, be afraid of me because if you aren't, bad things might happen to you. Do we understand each other?" "No," Odette hesitated to respond. "Don't worry about it; just do it," Buffy warned her; affectionately. I was going mad. For the rest of the movie, everyone behaved. We emptied the ice cream container. Timothy went for beers. He bought back three. "Where is mine?" Odette inquired. "I don't think you are old enough to drink," Timothy told her. "Odette, if you give Buffy a kiss steamy enough to curl her toes, I'll give you mine," I offered. Odette weighed the offer, rolled over and crawled into Buffy's lap. The kiss was classic me; teasing contact; light tongue; full kiss; re-arrangement of tonsils. I was so proud of my girl. "That was exceedingly pleasant, Odette," Buffy grinned once the French kiss eventually ended. I handed Odette my beer. She remained straddling Buffy's lap, perfectly at ease. "Dude, do you have any guy friends you can bring over and make gay?" Timothy pleaded with me. We knew that didn't happen. "Fine, bi will do," he grinned. "I'm not a lesbian," Odette wiggled in Buffy's lap. "I just like Buffy." "Buffy likes you," Buffy placed a light kiss on Odette's lips. "Let's go to the bedroom." Acid test time. "Sure," Odette hopped up. She took Buffy's hand and pulled her up. Hand in hand they went to my room. I rose to follow. "We'll call you when we are ready," Buffy teased me. They went into my boudoir and shut the door. "Now you know how I feel," Timothy sighed. "Not really," I patted his shoulder. "In thirty, or forty minutes, I'm going to go in there and do some serious boning. Personally, I don't know how you take sleeping alone so often." Timothy and I sat down on the sofa. "You are an asshole," he grumbled. "Considering what you do to assholes, I don't know how to take that," I joked. He hit me. "Being gay would be the only thing that would make you more fun," Timothy laughed. I wondered how Katrina would take my sexual conversion. I deciding telling her would be unwise. I had another rescue flare about how out of control my life had become; Odette had seen my latest series of bandaged wounds and hadn't forced me to create some lie to explain them away. Damn. To be continued in Part 11 By FinalStand for Literotica.

Cáel's tombstone: For the love of women, women put him here.In 25 parts, edited from the works of FinalStand.Listen and subscribe to the ► Podcast at Connected..

Monday At 5:30 PM Riding the Frequency with Liane Curtis! Her energy and charisma is outstanding. Let's take a journey with her throughout her life come with us as we explore her fascinating history! Liane Alexandra Curtis was born in New York City. She attended the Rudolf Steiner School in New York City. Curtis' parents, Jack Curtis (1926-1970) and Paulette Rubinstein (maiden; born 1923) did many voices for the U.S. dubs of Japanese sci-fi films and TV series. Jack and Paulette married December 31, 1964. Jack was a voice actor for characters that included Pops Racer and Inspector Detector for the Japanese anime series Speed Racer in 1967 as well as a director and producer of The Flesh Eaters in 1964. Paulette was an actress as well as screenwriter and songwriter and has performed with Eddie Albert in The Seven Year Itch (early 1950s) and with Julie Andrews in The Boy Friend (1954). Paulette was also known as Paulette Girard. From about 1951 about 1956, she was married to jazz accordionist Mat Mathews (1924-2009). http://www.girubirecords.com http://www.lianecurtis.com https://open.spotify.com/artist/2FQR3L8CXucZOk7p9SwkqA?si=FqjQMbc9T7uAaCwyxPz0vQ https://soundcloud.com/vulcan-a-music https://soundcloud.com/vulcan-a-music/gimme-shelter-zinn-ft-jaq-mackenzie List of some Movies Liane was featured in: Baby It's You (1983) as Jody, High School Girl Sixteen Candles (1984) as Randy The Brother from Another Planet (1984) as Ace Hara Choices (1985) (uncredited) as Maureen The Best Times (1985) TV series as Annette Dimetriano The Equalizer as Elaine (1 episode, 1987) Married... with Children as Debbie (1 episode, 1987) 21 Jump Street as Lauren Carlson (1 episode, 1987) Knots Landing as Young Karen (1 episode, 1987) Kenny (1988) .... Sharon Kay The Bronx Zoo as Joanie Barris (1 episode, 1988) Critters 2: The Main Course (1988) as Megan Morgan Girlfriend from Hell (1989) as Maggie Kojak: None So Blind (1990) (TV) as Lorraine WIOU as Trudy (10 episodes, 1990-1991) Queens Logic (1991) as Cashier Reason for Living: The Jill Ireland Story (1991) (TV) as Lori Rock 'n' Roll High School Forever (1991) as Stella Wild Orchid Il: Two Shades of Blue (1991) as Mona Exclusive (1992) (TV) as Carol Benny & Joon (1993) as Claudia Erotique (1994) as Murohy (segment "Let's Talk About Love") Trial by Fire (1995) (TV) as Doreen Soundman (1998) as Kate ER as Mrs. Shayotovich, Fossen's Neighbor (2 episodes, 2001) The Failures (2003) as Samantha Kyle Threat Matrix as Counter Waitress (1 episode, 2003) Line of Fire as Hooker 2 (1 episode, 2003) Have Love, Will Travel (2007) as Beverly Sons of Anarchy as April (1 episode, 2008) Angel Falls in Love as Aunt CoCo (2011) Salt Liquor Lime as Marie (2014) Body High as Allison Osgood (2015) Selfie as Nancy Logan (2018) #frequency #love #movies #hollywood https://grizzlyllc.myshopify.com https://paranormalhub.com/grizzly-hunt Govshades.com has the largest selection an variety of brand name sunglasses at up to 50% off retail prices. https://shareasale.com/r.cfm?b=2577121&u=3878666&m=155985&urllink=&afftrack= Rocky Mountain Roastery Coffee! Get Your Coffee Today! https://shareasale.com/r.cfm?b=1943427&u=3878666&m=120637&urllink=&afftrack= Free Conceal Carry Laws of The USA From USCCA! Know The Laws Of Each State For Free! https://uscca.co/GRIZZLY-7015b000005mKPLAA2 For Trail Cams and More Click the Link Below! Blaze Video Inc. ⁠https://shareasale.com/r.cfm?b=1879540&u=3878666&m=117504&urllink=&afftrack=⁠ For Tac Lights and Camping and More, Click the Link Below. EcoGear FX, Inc. ⁠https://shareasale.com/u.cfm?d=481056&m=70349&u=3878666&afftrack=⁠ For Blinds, Waders, Outdoor Gear, Range Finders and More! Click Below! Tidewe ⁠https://shareasale.com/r.cfm?b=1447058&u=3878666&m=92895&urllink=&afftrack=⁠ For Survival Gear, Camping and More Click here click below! Survival Frog LLC... https://shareasale.com/r.cfm?b=564389&u=3878666&m=51591&urllink=&afftrack= --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/grizzly-onthehunt/support

Cáel gets an offer that is too good to be true.In 25 parts, edited from the works of FinalStand.Listen and subscribe to the ► Podcast at Connected..“People who forget their past are doomed to be blind-sided by it.”MondayI couldn't help but notice the similarity between myself and the other four new hires. We were all clean cut men, fresh out of college, fit and masculine. The 'men' part of the equation made sense. Havenstone Commercial Investments had come out of a long legal proceeding over their accused discriminatory policies.An undisclosed settlement had been reached plus they agreed to implement this new program to hire more men. For me that meant an employment opportunity with a Fortune 500 company despite my rather underwhelming collegiate career. Don't get me wrong; I had good grades. I also went to a college virtually no one had ever heard of, Bolingbrook College in New Hampshire.With me was Chinese-American Brian Fung from Harvard, blue blood Trent Grant from Carnegie-Melon, African-American Khalid Adzharia from MIT and Salvadoran-American Felix Melena from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. For starters, they all had far better academic pedigrees them me, nicer toys, and better looking suits.The second they found out where I was from, I was dropped out of their conversation. They were bragging about their awards and accomplishments, their families and where they vacationed, professors who knew them on a first name basis and when they planned to get their master's degrees. Given time to take in our circumstances without the distraction of being part of their little club, something occurred to me.We were all freaking gorgeous. I don't mean cultured, handsome, or attractive to the opposite sex. I meant every one of us would be hit on in a nightclub in under five minutes unless we had a significant other hanging all over us. I was getting a sinking suspicion about what Havenstone considered 'crucial' for job performance and it didn't have anything to do with what alumni we were now part of.Here I was with my Father's dark good looks, my genetics an ancient blend of Bulgarian and Turkish with a recent addition of Irish Gaelic. My eyes, the legacy of my Mom, were a deep emerald green. The broad shoulders, narrow waist and powerful arms and legs were part heritage with a serious application of physical activity. I exercised constantly, swam whenever I could and cycling was my religion; the tougher the terrain, the better.Better yet, the brainiacs around me hadn't seemed to figure that out yet. Maybe they thought I was a 'legacy' hire, I had a relative on the inside. Nope. Mom died when I was seven and my Dad worked for Illinois Power and Light as a line runner. His sister, Aunt Stella, was a crab fisherwoman in Maryland and unmarried.A series of off-handed comments in the interview process suddenly came back to haunt me. I'd been asked about who I was close to, both presently and back in college. They wanted to know about my 'moral character'. Fuck it all, I'd filled out a dating survey! I'd never used a matchmaking service, but I bet if I logged on to E-Harmony, I'd recognize the questions.The door to the conference room opened and seven women entered. Ms. Tessa Carmichael had handled the interview process. Umami Lhasa was her Hindi assistant and all-around encyclopedia of all things Havenstone. The other five were unknown to me and, I had a feeling, unknown to my fellow new hires. We all stood. The other four smiled. I smiled too, but felt cautious."Gentlemen, it is time to begin. Today we begin your internship process and I'd;” Tessa got out before Fung interrupted."I was given the impression we were guaranteed employment, Ms. Carmichael," he spoke in a commanding voice. How stupid was this guy?"Academia is a sheltered environment, Mr. Fung. Havenstone is very much part of the real, visceral world and you can hardly expect to gain a six-figure salary with all the benefits based on your ability to impress men who have never created an iota of wealth in their lives," Tessa smiled. I hoped she eventually give it back to the orca she'd swiped it from."I was entertaining offers from several other corporations as well," Trent added his voice. "We were guaranteed employment. Our contracts state so." He seemed proud of his ability to read. Trent should have boned up on reading between the lines."Well, if you two wish to sign 'Termination of Employment' papers," Tessa sounded disappointed, "we will conceded to your wishes."At this point, the guys with a promising futures should have bailed. I didn't have options unless you considered 'do you want fries with that' to be a back-up plan. I was amazed the other four didn't see it."What we really want is a clarification of what this internship process entails," Khalid intervened.Tessa's smile became all happy bunnies again."Very well," she appeared pleased, "let's start by introducing your mentors. Mr. Fung, Ms. Julian Jameson has chosen you. She is our Senior VP in charge of Acquisitions, something you excelled in, I recall." Fung looked pleased. Julian was a foxy red-head somewhere in her mid-thirties."Mr. Grant, you have been selected by Olympia Shore, head of our Financial Investigative unit." Greying hair yet she looked like she ran marathoners down on a regular basis; she was tall, fit and svelte. "I understand you showed a talent for forensic accounting," Tessa continued. "Mr. Adzharia, you have been chosen by Ms. Phalli Chandra VP of International Finance."Where Khalid was patently African-American, his mentor was African, most likely central African, like Congo, or Cameroon. She was in her early thirties and sculpted in a way that made me think I wouldn't mind wrestling her even though I wasn't sure who would win. "You have an excellent grasp of linguistics as I recall.""Mr. Melena, Ms. Tia Pharos VP of Business Management has chosen to take you on." My bet she was Lebanese, or Palestinian, more Sematic than Aramaic. Still, her hair was thick, wavy and long, all the women seemed to go for the 'long hair' look for that matter. She was also the shortest mentor, perhaps one meter; seventy."You have all around high marks in your education. We think you will be a perfect fit." He smiled as did Tia. I thought they were smiling for different reasons. Maybe that was paranoia. "Mr. Nyilas," that was me; Cáel Nyilas, "you have been selected by Ms. Katrina Love, VP of Executive Services."I could hear the 'huffs' of my compatriots. Executive Services were basically gophers for the top tier of the corporation. ES was not the fast track to success. They got the limos and laundry for those who were. On the plus side, Katrina was a voluptuous blonde perhaps forty years of age, hitting all my key sexual triggers; basically, a conscious, breathing female. I didn't have low standards, I was a sexual omnivore.Given the chance I'd seduce every woman I came across, though not here, not today.After a short series of introductions, we split up to go to our various offices. It turned out that the mentor/internship relationship meant I would be working at her side, literally. I'd have a spot in her personal office for my work station, I would follow her to meetings and be on call 24/7 to assist her in all departmental duties."Thank you for the opportunity," I said when she finally gave me the impression I could speak."Aren't you disappointed you didn't get one of the plumb assignments; banking, or asset management?" she inquired while studying me. The gentle hum of the elevator was the only other sound."Hell, no," I blurted out then blushed. Katrina arched an eyebrow. "I mean, I think this is a great way to know the company. We get to go everywhere.""I like your enthusiasm," she commented. I couldn't tell if it was a positive thing. Beyond that, she remained non-communicative until we made it to her ornate, spacious personal office.Six young ladies followed us into the room, with the last one shutting the door."Ladies, this is our latest hire; Cáel Nyilas," Katrina began. "He's from some college in New Hampshire and, like the rest of you new hires, will be expected be working closely with me and each other."Did I mention they were all hot? I was familiar with some of the looks I was getting, too. Once, in high school, I had asked out the Class president who happened to be rich, pretty and smart. Her boyfriend had cheated on her so I thought I had a chance. I was a working class nobody and the look she gave me hurt as much as her words."Never in a million years," she mocked loudly. I was an insect, a bug and way beneath her notice. That was the look I was getting from these girls. Four years later, my acne was gone, I'd filled out nicely and physically I had gone from caterpillar to butterfly. That led to the other half of the vibes aimed my way. It was 'he's delicious' as one of my girlfriends put it."Daphne Pile, Dora Cartagena, Fabiola Dobrani, Paula Wadena, Violet Maza, and Theresa 'Tigger' Castro," Katrina made rapid-fire introductions. "Now that we all know each other, time to start filling all the orders in our cue. Until Cáel figures out what is where, who wants to ride herd on him?" I had mistakenly believed I would be working with Katrina.No one leapt at the opportunity."I'll do it," Fabiola Dobrani spoke up. She tried to sound upbeat for Katrina. They filed out of the office, each woman heading off in different directions, while I went to my tiny desk."What are you doing?" Fabiola sounded annoyed."I need something from my desk and to go to the bathroom," I informed her. She sighed in exasperation. I quickly retrieved a handful of rubber bands then raced to Fabiola. She pointed me at the closest bathroom; which was Katrina's personal one. In I went then I locked the door. My pants and underwear came off. I expediently made a rubber band chain then looped it around my hips and pinned my hard-on pointed up.That had become a serious problem when dealing with all these attractive women and I didn't need the distraction. Once dressed, I quick-stepped it to Fabiola who was tapping her foot."Let's go," she snapped. "We are working with Buffy today. We go with her and do what she tells us to do. Got it?""Buffy is in charge, I have a basic command of the English language," I replied. Fabiola shot me an evil look. "What? Do I look like a five year old, or are you normally this rude?""I'm not being rude to you," the women with a Mediterranean cast to her features reposed. "You've put us behind the other ladies. In case you haven't figured it out, that's a bad thing on our first day.""Am I to believe this is your first day?" I smirked. We stopped by another woman's desk. Did I mention that this corporation must raid beauty pageants for their staff? Buffy was a medium height brunette with long hair and a perfectly shaped oval face. Her eyes were the lightest shade of brown I'd ever seen, almost golden."I'm Buffy Dubois," she stood and extended her hand. I had a neural misfire. I took her offered hand, leaned down and kissed it. Whoops."Cáel Nyilas, Ms. Dubois," I gulped. Buffy weighed my gesture."Nice name," she grinned. "Call me Buffy. We go on a first name basis here.""Our first assignment for the day is to go to 1802 Exeter Tower and prepare the suite for the CFO at our San Francisco office coming in for one week," she informed us. I had no idea where Exeter Tower was and what any of this had to do with my Business degree. I accepted that a fat paycheck was a fat paycheck, so I put my confusion on the back burner.There was an amusing bit of posturing about who got to drive the company car down to the Exeter. Fabiola made a production of taking the keys and making me sit in the back, Buffy didn't want to drive."You aren't much of a man's man, are you?" Fabiola mocked me.I waited a second for Buffy to say something, considering that bordered on harassment. Fabiola snickered at me while Buffy looked out the window, bored."Was that supposed to mean something to me?" I replied smoothly. "I don't know you, you obviously don't know me, and your assessment of my gender potential is ridiculous.""Come on, 'New Hire', you didn't even go to a real school," Fabiola spat back."That's enough," Buffy coughed. Fabiola shot me a dirty look. I elected to not be childish, looking out the window instead. Driving the car turned out to be more of a disadvantage than the gem Fab thought it would be. Fabiola had to park the car while Buffy and I went up.The Exeter suite turned out to be a fully furnished apartment. The trick was turning the normal accoutrements into the specifics the client demanded. I didn't have experience with interior design. I couldn't say I was demeaned, being reduced to a glorified furniture mover. If Buffy was impressed by my ability to move chairs about, she hid it well.She even left me to my own devices while she went to the bedroom. I double checked the image she'd downloaded to the cellphone to make sure everything was where they wanted."Cáel, I need you back here," Buffy called out. Back I went, it wasn't like I had a choice. "We need to make sure the Feng Shui of the room is impeccable," she ordered."Yes, Ma'am; Buffy," I nodded. "Now let's assume for a second I don't have the faintest idea what you are talking about and go from there.""For now," she chuckled, "it means moving the bed where I tell you to." As I moved to the far side of the king-sized bed, contemplating the crushing weight of my student loans, I noticed Buffy had made a wardrobe adjustment.That was a kind way to say she had unbuttoned her blouse to her naval and her pale pink, lacy half-bra was clearly visible. I also saw the incisor of some predator hung from a silver chain around her neck. As she leaned forward, it swayed, playing ping pong between her boobs. I was carefully attentive to her instructions and even managed to ask a few questions like 'what is Feng Shui?'"It is the art of focusing energy upon positive and negative lines so that you promote, or disrupt, the harmony of an area and its occupants," she informed me. She back-flopped down on the bed in one of the least obfuscated suggestions of 'come get me' I'd ever seen. I stayed well away, sensing a trap."It's jaguar," Buffy tilted her head back and leered at me. Her shirt was wide open, her bountiful mounds jiggling slightly and her eyes were inviting. She was referring to the tooth pendant that was nestled between her breasts. I backed up toward the window."I'm sure there is a story behind that," I tried to wiggle some more breathing room from my collar."There is," she rolled over, her goodies still on display. "I shot it with my bow, skinned it and pulled the tooth from its skull." How sweet and informative."I'm glad I'm across the room then," I grinned back. "I'd hate for there to be a misunderstanding between you and I." Now she placed herself on all fours and stalked across the bed toward me."I don't think you are very interested in me," she pouted. Now I was mentally mapping out the time and distance involved in me getting past her and exiting this career-killer."You are my boss," I exclaimed as I started edging around the room. "I imagine you are very interesting, but I'm not the kind of guy who makes advances on every beautiful woman he meets." That was a total lie. I had the bad habit of making advances on ABSOLUTELY every beautiful woman I met."Where is everybody?" Fabiola announced after she waltzed into the room. Forget an Oscar, she wouldn't even get a Razzie from me for that patently false performance. Buffy huffed, rolled her eyes and shifted to the edge of the bed. She fixed her blouse properly then shot a witherin

Monday At 5:30 PM Riding the Frequency with Liane Curtis! Her energy and charisma is outstanding. Let's take a journey with her throughout her life come with us as we explore her fascinating history! Liane Alexandra Curtis was born in New York City. She attended the Rudolf Steiner School in New York City. Curtis' parents, Jack Curtis (1926-1970) and Paulette Rubinstein (maiden; born 1923) did many voices for the U.S. dubs of Japanese sci-fi films and TV series. Jack and Paulette married December 31, 1964. Jack was a voice actor for characters that included Pops Racer and Inspector Detector for the Japanese anime series Speed Racer in 1967 as well as a director and producer of The Flesh Eaters in 1964. Paulette was an actress as well as screenwriter and songwriter and has performed with Eddie Albert in The Seven Year Itch (early 1950s) and with Julie Andrews in The Boy Friend (1954). Paulette was also known as Paulette Girard. From about 1951 about 1956, she was married to jazz accordionist Mat Mathews (1924-2009). http://www.girubirecords.com http://www.lianecurtis.com https://open.spotify.com/artist/2FQR3L8CXucZOk7p9SwkqA?si=FqjQMbc9T7uAaCwyxPz0vQ https://soundcloud.com/vulcan-a-music https://soundcloud.com/vulcan-a-music/gimme-shelter-zinn-ft-jaq-mackenzie List of some Movies Liane was featured in: Baby It's You (1983) as Jody, High School Girl Sixteen Candles (1984) as Randy The Brother from Another Planet (1984) as Ace Hara Choices (1985) (uncredited) as Maureen The Best Times (1985) TV series as Annette Dimetriano The Equalizer as Elaine (1 episode, 1987) Married... with Children as Debbie (1 episode, 1987) 21 Jump Street as Lauren Carlson (1 episode, 1987) Knots Landing as Young Karen (1 episode, 1987) Kenny (1988) .... Sharon Kay The Bronx Zoo as Joanie Barris (1 episode, 1988) Critters 2: The Main Course (1988) as Megan Morgan Girlfriend from Hell (1989) as Maggie Kojak: None So Blind (1990) (TV) as Lorraine WIOU as Trudy (10 episodes, 1990-1991) Queens Logic (1991) as Cashier Reason for Living: The Jill Ireland Story (1991) (TV) as Lori Rock 'n' Roll High School Forever (1991) as Stella Wild Orchid Il: Two Shades of Blue (1991) as Mona Exclusive (1992) (TV) as Carol Benny & Joon (1993) as Claudia Erotique (1994) as Murohy (segment "Let's Talk About Love") Trial by Fire (1995) (TV) as Doreen Soundman (1998) as Kate ER as Mrs. Shayotovich, Fossen's Neighbor (2 episodes, 2001) The Failures (2003) as Samantha Kyle Threat Matrix as Counter Waitress (1 episode, 2003) Line of Fire as Hooker 2 (1 episode, 2003) Have Love, Will Travel (2007) as Beverly Sons of Anarchy as April (1 episode, 2008) Angel Falls in Love as Aunt CoCo (2011) Salt Liquor Lime as Marie (2014) Body High as Allison Osgood (2015) Selfie as Nancy Logan (2018) #frequency #love #movies #hollywood --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/grizzly-onthehunt/support

Monday At 5:30 PM Riding the Frequency with Liane Curtis! Her energy and charisma is outstanding. Let's take a journey with her throughout her life come with us as we explore her fascinating history! Liane Alexandra Curtis was born in New York City. She attended the Rudolf Steiner School in New York City. Curtis' parents, Jack Curtis (1926–1970) and Paulette Rubinstein (maiden; born 1923) did many voices for the U.S. dubs of Japanese sci-fi films and TV series. Jack and Paulette married December 31, 1964. Jack was a voice actor for characters that included Pops Racer and Inspector Detector for the Japanese anime series Speed Racer in 1967 as well as a director and producer of The Flesh Eaters in 1964. Paulette was an actress as well as screenwriter and songwriter and has performed with Eddie Albert in The Seven Year Itch (early 1950s) and with Julie Andrews in The Boy Friend (1954). Paulette was also known as Paulette Girard. From about 1951 about 1956, she was married to jazz accordionist Mat Mathews (1924–2009). http://www.girubirecords.com http://www.lianecurtis.com https://open.spotify.com/artist/2FQR3L8CXucZOk7p9SwkqA?si=FqjQMbc9T7uAaCwyxPz0vQ https://soundcloud.com/vulcan-a-music https://soundcloud.com/vulcan-a-music/gimme-shelter-zinn-ft-jaq-mackenzie List of some Movies Liane was featured in: Baby It's You (1983) as Jody, High School Girl Sixteen Candles (1984) as Randy The Brother from Another Planet (1984) as Ace Hard Choices (1985) (uncredited) as Maureen The Best Times (1985) TV series as Annette Dimetriano The Equalizer as Elaine (1 episode, 1987) Married... with Children as Debbie (1 episode, 1987) 21 Jump Street as Lauren Carlson (1 episode, 1987) Knots Landing as Young Karen (1 episode, 1987) Kenny (1988) .... Sharon Kay The Bronx Zoo as Joanie Barris (1 episode, 1988) Critters 2: The Main Course (1988) as Megan Morgan Girlfriend from Hell (1989) as Maggie Kojak: None So Blind (1990) (TV) as Lorraine WIOU as Trudy (10 episodes, 1990–1991) Queens Logic (1991) as Cashier Reason for Living: The Jill Ireland Story (1991) (TV) as Lori Rock 'n' Roll High School Forever (1991) as Stella Wild Orchid II: Two Shades of Blue (1991) as Mona Exclusive (1992) (TV) as Carol Benny & Joon (1993) as Claudia Erotique (1994) as Murohy (segment "Let's Talk About Love") Trial by Fire (1995) (TV) as Doreen Soundman (1998) as Kate ER as Mrs. Shayotovich, Fossen's Neighbor (2 episodes, 2001) The Failures (2003) as Samantha Kyle Threat Matrix as Counter Waitress (1 episode, 2003) Line of Fire as Hooker 2 (1 episode, 2003) Have Love, Will Travel (2007) as Beverly Sons of Anarchy as April (1 episode, 2008) Angel Falls in Love as Aunt CoCo (2011) Salt Liquor Lime as Marie (2014) Body High as Allison Osgood (2015) Selfie as Nancy Logan (2018) https://grizzlyllc.myshopify.com https://paranormalhub.com/grizzly-hunt Govshades.com has the largest selection an variety of brand name sunglasses at up to 50% off retail prices. https://shareasale.com/r.cfm?b=2577121&u=3878666&m=155985&urllink=&afftrack= Rocky Mountain Roastery Coffee! Get Your Coffee Today! https://shareasale.com/r.cfm?b=1943427&u=3878666&m=120637&urllink=&afftrack= Free Conceal Carry Laws of The USA From USCCA! Know The Laws Of Each State For Free! https://uscca.co/GRIZZLY-7015b000005mKPLAA2 For Trail Cams and More Click the Link Below! Blaze Video Inc. ⁠https://shareasale.com/r.cfm?b=1879540&u=3878666&m=117504&urllink=&afftrack=⁠ For Tac Lights and Camping and More, Click the Link Below. EcoGear FX, Inc. ⁠https://shareasale.com/u.cfm?d=481056&m=70349&u=3878666&afftrack=⁠ For Blinds, Waders, Outdoor Gear, Range Finders and More! Click Below! Tidewe ⁠https://shareasale.com/r.cfm?b=1447058&u=3878666&m=92895&urllink=&afftrack=⁠ For Survival Gear, Camping and More Click here click below! Survival Frog LLC... https://shareasale.com/r.cfm?b=564389&u=3878666&m=51591&urllink=&afftrack= --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/grizzly-onthehunt/support

Monday At 5:30 PM Riding the Frequency with Liane Curtis! Her energy and charisma is outstanding. Let's take a journey with her throughout her life come with us as we explore her fascinating history! Liane Alexandra Curtis was born in New York City. She attended the Rudolf Steiner School in New York City. Curtis' parents, Jack Curtis (1926–1970) and Paulette Rubinstein (maiden; born 1923) did many voices for the U.S. dubs of Japanese sci-fi films and TV series. Jack and Paulette married December 31, 1964. Jack was a voice actor for characters that included Pops Racer and Inspector Detector for the Japanese anime series Speed Racer in 1967 as well as a director and producer of The Flesh Eaters in 1964. Paulette was an actress as well as screenwriter and songwriter and has performed with Eddie Albert in The Seven Year Itch (early 1950s) and with Julie Andrews in The Boy Friend (1954). Paulette was also known as Paulette Girard. From about 1951 about 1956, she was married to jazz accordionist Mat Mathews (1924–2009). http://www.girubirecords.com http://www.lianecurtis.com https://open.spotify.com/artist/2FQR3L8CXucZOk7p9SwkqA?si=FqjQMbc9T7uAaCwyxPz0vQ https://soundcloud.com/vulcan-a-music https://soundcloud.com/vulcan-a-music/gimme-shelter-zinn-ft-jaq-mackenzie List of some Movies Liane was featured in: Baby It's You (1983) as Jody, High School Girl Sixteen Candles (1984) as Randy The Brother from Another Planet (1984) as Ace Hard Choices (1985) (uncredited) as Maureen The Best Times (1985) TV series as Annette Dimetriano The Equalizer as Elaine (1 episode, 1987) Married... with Children as Debbie (1 episode, 1987) 21 Jump Street as Lauren Carlson (1 episode, 1987) Knots Landing as Young Karen (1 episode, 1987) Kenny (1988) .... Sharon Kay The Bronx Zoo as Joanie Barris (1 episode, 1988) Critters 2: The Main Course (1988) as Megan Morgan Girlfriend from Hell (1989) as Maggie Kojak: None So Blind (1990) (TV) as Lorraine WIOU as Trudy (10 episodes, 1990–1991) Queens Logic (1991) as Cashier Reason for Living: The Jill Ireland Story (1991) (TV) as Lori Rock 'n' Roll High School Forever (1991) as Stella Wild Orchid II: Two Shades of Blue (1991) as Mona Exclusive (1992) (TV) as Carol Benny & Joon (1993) as Claudia Erotique (1994) as Murohy (segment "Let's Talk About Love") Trial by Fire (1995) (TV) as Doreen Soundman (1998) as Kate ER as Mrs. Shayotovich, Fossen's Neighbor (2 episodes, 2001) The Failures (2003) as Samantha Kyle Threat Matrix as Counter Waitress (1 episode, 2003) Line of Fire as Hooker 2 (1 episode, 2003) Have Love, Will Travel (2007) as Beverly Sons of Anarchy as April (1 episode, 2008) Angel Falls in Love as Aunt CoCo (2011) Salt Liquor Lime as Marie (2014) Body High as Allison Osgood (2015) Selfie as Nancy Logan (2018) https://grizzlyllc.myshopify.com https://paranormalhub.com/grizzly-hunt Govshades.com has the largest selection an variety of brand name sunglasses at up to 50% off retail prices. https://shareasale.com/r.cfm?b=2577121&u=3878666&m=155985&urllink=&afftrack= Rocky Mountain Roastery Coffee! Get Your Coffee Today! https://shareasale.com/r.cfm?b=1943427&u=3878666&m=120637&urllink=&afftrack= Free Conceal Carry Laws of The USA From USCCA! Know The Laws Of Each State For Free! https://uscca.co/GRIZZLY-7015b000005mKPLAA2 For Trail Cams and More Click the Link Below! Blaze Video Inc. ⁠https://shareasale.com/r.cfm?b=1879540&u=3878666&m=117504&urllink=&afftrack=⁠ For Tac Lights and Camping and More, Click the Link Below. EcoGear FX, Inc. ⁠https://shareasale.com/u.cfm?d=481056&m=70349&u=3878666&afftrack=⁠ For Blinds, Waders, Outdoor Gear, Range Finders and More! Click Below! Tidewe ⁠https://shareasale.com/r.cfm?b=1447058&u=3878666&m=92895&urllink=&afftrack=⁠ For Survival Gear, Camping and More Click here click below! Survival Frog LLC... https://shareasale.com/r.cfm?b=564389&u=3878666&m=51591&urllink=&afftrack= --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/grizzly-onthehunt/support

The Cherry Tree Memorial - How A Group of Gun Dogs Taught Us About Loyalty, Loss and HopeWhy was I standing by a freshly dug hole in the park, surrounded by a small group of my friends and their dogs? The answer lay in the cherry sapling nearby, its thin bare twigs reaching towards the sky like fingers grasping for hope. The air in the park that morning was heavy with the smell of soil and sadness. If given time, nature could work her mysterious miracles. Season after season, year after year, the beauty of the pink blossom would come to the tree's barrenness. All it would take is time. But I had no time. ‘Go on Pete, say some words.'Words can feel futile when standing by a hole in the ground. But words often are all that's left to express how we feel. It's in moments like these, the sacred is close if we would stop and notice. These are the moments when the very essence of our limited time here on earth seems so precious. We can feel them heavy like velvet, but barbed with the pain of loss. I glanced at the surrounding faces, looking to me to speak words which might have seeds of hope within them. Words that, too, given time, might make some sense of the loss and confusion we all felt. For among us, our good friend, time had ended. For all of us, one day, time will end too.So I began. Shelagh would have loved this. All of us, and all our dogs together...A Pack of Friends: The Dog Walkers' Daily RitualTwenty years have passed since I was standing with a group of dog walkers around a hole in the park. The council that morning dug the hole to make room for the cherry tree that was about to be planted. The earth from the hole piled high next to us all. A pack of dogs laid down in twos and threes or sat next to their owners.For over three years, every day, same time, same paths of the park, we had walked together. I was the only man in the group. Gentle teasing and cheeky banter oiled smooth daily strolls with our dogs. The pack comprised only gun dogs - Labradors, Spaniels and Golden Retrievers, mine included. Not a pheasant in sight, to scurry or aim for. The odd squirrel would dare a run from cover now and then. The only thing we would shoot would be the breeze.Shelagh: The Heart of the GroupIn her early sixties, Shelagh's short grey hair was as spiky as her wit. Her curious, enthusiastic character overflowed like the Angel Falls, rushing over us with wonder at the ever-changing natural world, her black lab always at her heels. Sarah wouldn't leave her side, save for a swim in the brook, returning like a slick oiled otter.When Spring came to the park, the trails of pink and white blossoms would hang like leftover Christmas baubles. Our dogs would romp through the petal rain with unbridled abandonment, aware of only the present moment as dogs teach us that vital truth about living. What joy to live unconcerned with what anyone thinks, only to be lost in a moment's beauty. That was Shelagh. Shelagh was full of the joy of life and living, and forever making it overflow with laughter. The joker and storyteller of the dog walkers. Tales of her mishaps, the wry observation of one of us, her humour never with malice, just fun.Shelagh was forthright and direct, more like a Terrier than a gundog. It would cut through the small talk on our walks. She stood no nonsense, and we loved her all the more for it. As a self appointed organiser of our group, she brought coffee and cake for us and the dogs to celebrate the bandstand opening. She always included everyone in everything.When Laughter Fades: Shelagh's Battle with CancerShelagh's once spritely walks around the park slowed as her back ‘played her up.' As time marched on, Shelagh's effervescent vitality faded from spring to winter.They had found cancer in her spine. Shelagh was a fighter. She had guts. Shelagh bravely never hid the truth from anybody. Her determination to fight was as unrelenting as her sinister enemy within.One day, she didn't turn up. And, as the days passed on, Shelagh and Sarah the lab never walked with us and our dogs again. I wish I had known the day when it was the last time we would have walked together. I'd have taken more time to notice the moments, to listen with more attention, to see the eternal in the temporal. I suppose we should treat each moment as the last, as someday it will be. The last thank you, the last kiss, the last, ‘I love you.' But we don't. We imagine life will continue on. We missed Shelagh's vitality, vigour and vim for brightening even the darkest and dankest of dog walking days. The park was much the same. The cherry trees bloomed in spring. But something then on was always missing.I kept in touch with Shelagh and visited her. Taking my dog, we'd chat. She kept optimistic, and hopeful, waiting for the days when she could join us again. Wanting to know the latest news, and what the trees in the park looked like.The dogs would play, and we would chat. She was renowned for her love of conversation.We talked about eternity, and what it might be like. Shelagh bravely asked the questions about life you only ask when you're facing death. To sit with someone and ask those questions is to dwell in a sacred space. In such moments hangs eternity.A few times, I have had the honour of sharing the space between life and death with someone, knowing that I will stand next to a coffin and speak words of eulogy and legacy about them. It is a profoundly spiritual place. It's what Celtic Christians call a ‘Thin Place.' A physical space where the spiritual distance between heaven and earth feels is at its closest. You do not find these so often in a cathedral or temple, more on mountains or when you act like a dog dancing through cherry blossom rain with abandonment.Shelagh decided she wanted a ‘living funeral.' ‘I don't want people to say nice things about me when I am dead. I want to hear them!' I want laughter and love, music and dancing. ‘I don't know if I would have ever known how many people loved me, if it hadn't been for this,' was her brave expression of gratitude for life.Shelagh and her family chose a date. Her prognosis was six months at best. A favoured venue picked, caterers arranged, band booked, the date close to her wedding anniversary only a couple of weeks ahead.With her family and friends, including our group of dog walkers, however the dogs absent this time, we joined in the magnificence of that memorial I will never forget. The music played till the early hours, Shelagh dancing with her husband in a wheelchair all night.Shelagh died unexpectedly a few days later. As if completing her course, Shelagh no longer needed the body that had held her, so she let it set off, skipping through the cherry blossoms into eternity. I imagine and hope so.A Final Farewell: Planting Memories And A Dog's TributeThe park keeper lifted and planted the cherry tree into the hole. The dog walkers stood around. I said a few words.At the moment I finished, Shelagh's dog, Sarah, padded towards the mound of earth, stooped, and paid tribute to her owner in dog fashion. Then, as we all watched in amazement, one by one, all the other dogs lined up and forming a queue, each cocking a leg or stooping on the mound of earth waiting to cover the roots.The pile of earth next to us, it too, became a ‘Thin Place,' and at the same moment, eternity became temporal again.I forget the words I said. But I won't forget Shelagh. We'd paid for a memorial plaque placed under the cherry tree where the blossom rain falls on it every spring. Now, it's forever a memorial to Shelagh, and a ‘Thin Place' in the park. Twenty Years On: The Blossoming of RemembranceI pass ‘Shelagh's tree' every day. The tree's branches are thick and strong now, twenty seasons of rain and sun have seen to that. And every spring I stand underneath the raining blossoms, kicking the petals for Shelagh, and in that moment hangs eternity. I've never taken the blossom in the park for granted since. It is with grateful thanks to Shelagh's family and their permission to be able to share this story and photo of the memorial. Thank you. Sundial Wisdom - In This Moment Hangs EternityLife Story Writing Prompts* What's been a ‘thin place' in your life - a space where you feel closest to something greater than yourself? Do you return their often? * If you could leave behind a single piece of wisdom, like the sundial's ‘In this moment hangs eternity,' what would it be?* How has a loss in your life changed the way you appreciate everyday moments?* If you could choose a living memorial like the cherry tree, what would it be and why?* What's a story about you that you hope your friends will tell long after you're gone?The Sundial Series FREE Worksheets. Do you want to create a collection of your thoughts, memories and stories? Download a free worksheet to keep for this post - Paws and Petals: The Touching Story Behind a Dog's Walker's Memorial. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theartofmemorialising.substack.com

Send us a textHosted by: K.L. Brady klbradyauthor.com Music Producer and Editor: Will B on IG @ willdcard25Podcast: Apple, Spotify, Google, iHeartRadio, and more. https://www.buzzsprout.com/1174634/podcast/websiteFollow us on Twitter: @chixonXmasflix Follow us on IG: @chixonXmasflix  Thank you for listening in to Chicks on Christmas Flicks podcast!  Ho-Ho-Ho Holiday Movie Headlines Hallmark Family Plays the Christmas Classics Countdown to Christmas - Weekend 1 -- What We're Watching...Thursday October 17th – Miracles of Christmas on Hallmark Mystery 1.    Christmas at Grand Valley – 8pm 2.    The Christmas Promise 3.    Blue Ridge Mountain Christmas 4.    A Bramble House Christmas 5.    A Joyous Christmas 8.    To All a Good Night 9.    Christmas in Angel Falls 12. Glenbrook Christmas 13. A Veterans Christmas 14. Small Town Christmas Friday 16. Twas the Night before Christmas 17. A Bride for Christmas 18. Love you like Christmas 21. A Godwink Christmas 22. My Christmas Guide 26. The Christmas SecretCountdown to Christmas October 18th at 6am 1.    The Christmas Waltz 2.    The Christmas Cottage 4.    A Very Merry Mix Up 5.    Christmas Next Door 6.    Christmas Getaway 7.    Crown for Christmas 8.    Twas the Date Before Christmas 9.    Three Wise Men and a Baby Saturday 11. Inventing the Christmas Prince 12. Christmas by Starlight  15. Next Stop, Christmas 17. My Norweigan Holiday 18. On the 12th Date of Christmas – Mallory Jansen19. Twas. The Date Before Christmas 20. Holiday Crashers – Lyndsy Fonseca, Chris McNally 21. Haul out the Holly If you enjoy the show, please don't forget to subscribe. Novels:FREE for Listeners: Sincerely, Santa The 12 Daves of ChristmasThe Nick Before ChristmasSeven Minutes of Christmas Magic THANKS FOR LISTENING ! https://chicksonchristmasflicks.buzzsprout.comFollow us on Twitter: @ChxChristmasFlixFollow us on IG: @ChxChristmasFlixSubscribe on Y...

In dieser Folge nehmen wir dich mit auf eine spannende Reise zu den Angel Falls, dem höchsten Wasserfall der Welt, der sich majestätisch von einem Tafelberg namens Auyán-Tepui in die Tiefe stürzt.

In this Episode, Will is joined by Rightmad (Ben) for a jam-packed show!  The guys start by talking in-depth about Ben's run at NashCon with Winter Guard.  Ben talks about why he chose certain models and some strategies to employ when you take WG for a spin.  Then the crew breaks down the handsomest make in MCP (but not the thirstiest) Angel.  Following that, the gang takes a look at what happens when Archangel arrives!  They give you some tips and tricks to get the most out of these models in your games of Marvel Crisis Protocol.  Enjoy! Baron of Dice - HouseParty for 5% off! Patreon and Merch and more! Krydrufi Hobby Station Thing USE CODE: KRYDRUFI-HPP Connect with us on Facebook @housepartyprotocol HPP on Youtube Discord - HPP_Will Email us - housepartyprotocolpod@gmail.com BattleKiwi - PARTYKIWI The Gamer's Guild Blacksitestudio.com - HOUSEPARTY15