Podcasts about mcmansions

Send us a textIn episode one of our ACOTAR deep dive, Feyre begins as a Les Mis understudy, pivots into a true crime podcast subject, and moves into a McMansion with two beautiful, masked fae males. Next week: chapters 7-12. Full schedule pinned on IG. Instagram and TikTok @DTFaePodcast. If you are enjoying the show, subscribing, rating, and reviewing helps the podcast grow. Merch available on dtfaepodcast.com.

If you've ever thought the housing market is a circus, you're absolutely right – and Eric G and John Dudley are here to be your ringmasters. In this lively discussion, they tackle the pressing issue of affordable housing with a blend of sarcasm and insight that keeps you wondering whether to laugh or cry. They kick things off by exploring how we've managed to turn the American Dream into a nightmare where buying a home feels about as likely as spotting Bigfoot. With the average starter home growing from a paltry 983 square feet in 1950 to a whopping 2,500 square feet today, it's hard not to shake your head at our collective obsession with bigger is better. The hosts point out the nonsensical regulations that plague potential homeowners, from sky-high permit fees that feel like a fine for wanting to renovate your bathroom, to zoning laws that seem to have been written by someone who's never stepped foot in a neighborhood. They capture the sheer frustration of home improvement enthusiasts who just want to make their living spaces better – but instead, end up feeling like they're trying to navigate a minefield of bureaucratic nonsense. And let's not even get started on the absurdity of needing to plant trees just to remodel your kitchen! But don't worry, they haven't lost all hope. Eric and John lay out some practical solutions, suggesting we look at vacant commercial spaces as a viable option for affordable housing. Imagine turning that empty office building into a thriving community of affordable apartments! It's a win-win situation that could help address the housing crisis while utilizing existing structures. They challenge listeners to think critically about the real issues at play and inspire a grassroots movement to demand change. After all, if we don't start prioritizing affordable housing now, we might end up with a future where everyone is living in tiny homes – and not the cute ones, but the ones made out of shipping containers!Takeaways:The absurd rise in average house sizes from 983 square feet in 1950 to nearly 2500 square feet today is a key factor in the affordable housing crisis.Eric and John highlight the ridiculousness of needing a permit for a kitchen remodel to plant trees, exposing the absurdity of bureaucratic red tape.They explore how local government policies and urban growth boundaries are artificially inflating land prices, making homes unaffordable for many.The conversation points out that innovative housing solutions, such as converting empty office spaces into livable units, could greatly alleviate housing shortages.A major concern is the lack of trades training in schools, which leaves a gap in skilled labor and exacerbates the housing construction problem.The duo sarcastically critiques the excessive development fees and insane permit costs that contribute to skyrocketing housing prices, showcasing the need for reform.Links referenced in this episode:aroundthehouseonline.comamazon.comhomedepot.comCompanies...

Quaranteam - Dave In Dallas: Part 10 Dave & Olivia use skills meant for a last resort.Based on a post by RonanJWilkerson, in 12 parts. Listen to the Podcast at Explicit Novels. Let's review the list of characters: David Belsus – 46, physics & astronomy professor at Eastfield college, a community college in the Dallas area. Prepper, survivalist, has a greenhouse in his backyard and lives in an outer ring suburb. Six foot, fit, short cropped hair. Lupie Ramos – 32, former financial advisor, Dave's neighbor, got caught out of state when the lockdowns started. She spent two frantic weeks trying to get back to her daughter. Lupie has been in love with Dave for over a year. Long, dark brown hair, medium build, and a lovely smile. Esme – 9, daughter of Lupie, prone to the occasional snarky comment. Adores Dave. Becca; 18, Lupie's babysitter, was watching Esme when lockdowns occurred. Her refusal to abandon Esme, as her mother insisted, likely saved Becca's life, since her extended family ignored precautions and died of Duo. Esme, Lupie, and Dave are all Becca has left in the world. Short, medium build, small tits, with short blond hair and a smile that is shy with strangers and beams with family and friends. Janice Wheeler; 33, Dave's first partner to arrive, a librarian at Cedar Valley, another community college member of DCCCD. Slender build and medium height, Janice is 3/4 Korean, her paternal grandfather is Anglo. Medium length black hair often pulled back in a bun for work or ponytail at home. Shawna Cooper; 36, senior meteorologist at WFAA, Master's degree in meteorology from O U, worked at NSSL and spent time as a storm chaser. Whole hog sci-fi nut, beginning with Start Trek TNG. 5' 10", large tits, medium brown skin, dark brown eyes, shoulder length black hair styled like a frizzy weeping willow. Olivia Tyler (Liv); 21, senior studying horticulture at Tarleton State University, near Dallas. Daughter of Carter and Janelle, Dave's best friends since college. Had a well-known crush on Dave throughout her teen years. Since her dad was former SF and a survivalist, Liv is skilled with several firearms as well as bladed weapons. Never failed to take a deer any season she's hunted. 5'10" long, dark brown hair, large tits, lightly tanned, brown eyes, and a wide smile. Melanie Ustanich; 22, graduate student in IT at Tarleton, Liv's roommate, recently found a passion for cooking. Spent most of her life in foster homes, Liv's parents accepted her like family the first time she went with Liv on Thanksgiving Break. 5'8" medium length auburn hair, green eyes, small mouth with a ready, mischievous smile. The ladies came through, leaving one mug beside the detective and swiftly exiting with the pot, several mugs, a milk jug, and a small container that may have just been repurposed as a sugar dish. Verratti pushed her mask up to her nose to take a sip, holding the mug like a sacred talisman, her eyes closed and a look of bliss dawning on her face. It was a short day. She opened her eyes and the distance they contained sent the brief appearance of joy below the horizon once again. Laying her mug back on the table, she pulled her mask back into place. "The man that was with you that day at the range?" "Yes, my friend Carter. He was the one that arranged the time on the range." "And how did he manage that? Didn't you say a few times he was a security guy?" "He runs physical and digital security checks for sites his company guards. He and his guys also get hired out by insurance companies to check out their client's security plans as well." For a moment, Dave allowed himself to forget the pain and use the present tense. "I think you mentioned a few times before class that he was in special forces?" "Yep. He likes to say his civilian job is kinda similar to his work in the army, just with paintball or laser tag gear." "Good." She motioned him to sit close, so she could speak lower. "You've stumbled into something no one seems to be working hard to solve." Dave's eyebrows stitched together. Her tone was more ominous than her words. "Nine weeks ago, a truck carrying seven vaccinated women was attacked. It was on its way to some rich neighborhood to deliver partners to the McMansion set. The attackers covered their tracks reasonably well, so we never caught them. Two weeks ago, a shipment of vaccine got hit between Grand Prairie and the Vax Center. They didn't even try to take the whole shipment, just grabbed a bunch and ran like hell. The chopper that was following them didn't have infrared on it, so they lost track of them in the trees in the dark." Dave stayed silent as she paused to gather her thoughts. "Look, I shouldn't have said any of this, but nobody's doing anything. Your friend has the skills to deal with the problem. And the way you've always presented yourself, if he's your friend, then he'll want to apply his skills to right a great big fucking wrong that's being ignored. There's an Air Force liaison office in the station right now. They're supposed to coordinate a military response to big attacks, but they've been blasé about both attacks." "Wait? Military to take out crooks? I mean, even big deal shit like this? Shouldn't that be done by SWAT or ATF?" She stared at him. If he had to guess, her lips were tightly pressed together under her mask. Her words were tightly spoken as she continued. "The fact your attackers cut their fallen buddies' nuts off suggests they had bonded female partners. That means either the hijacked transport, or the vaccine attack. Maybe both. And that means they may have been coming here to abduct your partners and bind them to themselves." "But that would kill them!" Dave started out as a loud interjection, but at her look, and as his own self-control kicked in, he dropped to a strenuous whisper. "There; is a way. But only if the man is dead. There was an ER nurse on the first transport. She would have known about the procedure, at least in broad terms." She pulled a map from her valise. Unfolding it, she pointed to two locations. The attacks happened here, and here." "Yeah, that stretch of I-20 is a bit empty, even being in the middle of urban sprawl." "Because of that attack, they moved the flights to Love Field." "No rural hideouts along the way." "Exactly. Now look, here's where the chopper last was sure they had an eye on them." Her finger indicated a spot southeast of Athens. "What I'm asking you is to get a hold of your friend. See if he and some of his team are willing to investigate; and maybe rescue some of these women. No one else is doing anything about this. And they are escalating." "Do you think they'll try again here?" "I don't know. Not anytime soon, you gave them plenty of reasons to give this place a wide berth. I can't swear to that, but I'd say they'll at least leave you alone for a while." Which means they may be coming for my family again. Whenever they feel like trying again. No point in telling her about Carter. I'll have to do this myself, but I'm not telling her that. A trained, former special forces operative that still does security testing is a reasonable person to ask to do this. A community college professor that's been trained by his prepper buddy doesn't sound nearly as reassuring. Fuck Carter, why the hell did you have to die? "How sure are you on that last sighting?" She flipped her notebook back several pages. After consulting her notes, she carefully laid her finger again on the map. "Right there." Dave stared at the indicated location, noting nearby major road intersections and the distances from each to the tip of her finger. Mainly, he looked at the roads that formed a boundary around the area. The raiders may not be inside that space, but it was a place to begin. "Be very careful. There's suspicion that some army deserters are with these guys." She took a deep breath. "It's like pulling teeth getting anything out of the Air Force woman about this. Please professor, talk to your friend. I'll contact you in a day or so to see if he's responded." "Why don't I just call you?" "I'd rather have that discussion when I'm not at the station or around other officers." "Okay. You need anything else from me detective?" "No. No, I should be going. I'll call in a few days." "I'll be ready." Hope I've found them by then . Dave walked her to the door and locked up behind her. He slipped over to the parlor to check the window patch for any air leaks. Dave ran his hand around the edges, slowly, but felt no movement, not cold streams. Some of the family had come downstairs, now that the weather was once again outside. Dave sat in a chair, staring off into space while the others red or talked. This may take more than a day, just to find these guys. And once I do, I'll need time to observe, and then time to plan. Food, water, ammunition. I'll need something long-range. My best bet will probably be picking them off one at a time at first. I've got silencers for the MP5's, but no subsonic ammo. It's still going to be obvious when I shoot. Carter has all the subsonic ammo. Imagine the look on the face of whoever finds his armory. Fuck, what if they just bulldoze the place? Yeah, Liv and I need to try and get his weapons and equipment. Wait, I have subsonic.22LR. I could use that for the first few. Fuck, I'm really doing this. That means I'll be gone for a few days. It's already been two days for Rebecca, and she's on such a short fuse. We really ought to ask the vaccine experts why that is. Gee, what a call to make. "Hey, vaccine guys? Yeah, look, I've got this eighteen year old cutie that just insists on having sex every four days. Like, she's climbing the walls by day five. What's up with that?" I'm sure they'll have all kinds of sympathy. Well, I have my first thing I've got to do before I go. Dave found Becca in the room she and Reena shared. The one they'd previously used as a 'hotel room' the night the ladies put together for prom. Reena was not around. "Hey, sexy nerd girl, what're you up to?" Becca rolled on to her back from her book reading. Her face was glowing, though she was also blushing from her scalp to, well, lower than her shirt collar. She very cutely bit her lower lip. Dave chuckled. "You are so damn cute, ya know that?" Her face twisted a little. "Demotion huh? I've gone from sexy to cute in less than a minute." "One does not preclude the other. There is an intersection of the two. In my opinion, you exist within that intersection." "God, you know how weirdly sexy it is that you can talk math about sex?" "You know how great it is that you're one of two partners I can talk to that way? Most of the others either won't get it, or will be turned off by it." The radiant look Becca got from the compliment was exactly what Dave was going for. She wasn't just a teen hottie, or gamer girl, or some other check box. She was his younger nerd partner that he got to introduce to so many things he loved that were new to her. Or, things she'd heard about, but not yet experienced. And she was fun in bed. Becca's hand slipped to the hem of her t-shirt. Dave stepped swiftly up to her bed and grabbed her hands. He pulled her around so her ass hung off the edge of the bed and her head was braced against the wall. She and Dave were still experimenting with different ways to have sex. She'd recently mentioned that quickies sounded kinda hot. Dave figured now would be a good time to try. He grabbed her shorts and panties at the hips and pulled both down to her calves, bringing her legs straight up in the same motion. Dave leaned against her, her ankles on one of his shoulders, as he unbuttoned his pants and shoved pants and boxers to mid-thigh. The aroma of Becca's arousal reached Dave's nostrils, matching the signal that her panting breath and lust-filled eyes were sending. Truth to be told, he was fairly revved as well. The little gasp she gave as he hand-fed his mostly hard cock into her saturated pussy was delicious. Dave leaned in closer, folding her legs back onto her body, her ankles on either side of his head, her shorts against his collarbone. He drilled her fast and hard. This wasn't love making, wasn't a tantric exercise, and was not 'the full Dave'. A quickie was just that; hard, fast, and get 'er done. Becca's cute little huffs and grunts urged him to keep going, her moist, rippling channel gripping his shaft and egging him on. In due time, Dave felt that familiar tingle in his balls rising up through his cock and he began firing his hot seed into her eager passage. Becca shuddered and convulsed the same as if Dave had taken most of an hour lifting her to ecstatic heights. Dave leaned a bit further in to kiss Becca tenderly on the lips. Becca giggled. "That was fun." "Good, we can add that to the repertoire," Dave said, buckling his pants. He leaned in for another kiss, this one with just a moment of lingering, before walking away. Becca's eyes shone brightly as they followed him. Now I wait. Dave spent the rest of the evening sitting with his ladies, sometimes talking, mostly listening. Lupie called everyone to the dinner table. A nice warm casserole that soothed the insides after most of the day with the inside matching the weather outside. Downstairs anyway. Mostly what Dave remembered from the evening was looking around the table at his family as they chatted and moved on from the events of the morning. Mostly. Every once in a while, someone's attention wavered, or they flinched from a sound. That's why I have to do this. Dinner was late enough that some began their night time routine once it was over. It had been a draining day, even for those that had huddled upstairs. The emotional impact, the fear and anxiety they'd gone through took a physical toll. "Hey, Shawna, let's meet in my office in a few minutes, okay? I'll find Liv and Mel and have them join us." "Sure. Night security?" "Yeah. The detective was reasonably sure there wouldn't be a repeat tonight, but let's be safe." "Okay." Shawna hugged him tightly. Dave went off to find the other two, then made his way to his office. Even though they'd just finished dinner, he felt a bit munchie. He pulled a half-eaten pint of blueberries out of his fridge and snacked slowly. Each woman smirked as they entered. Shawna started imitating the guitar intro of a certain song by Black Sabbath. Dave just shook his head with a rueful smile. Then he popped a few more berries in his mouth. "We need to maintain a watch tonight," he informed them once he'd cleared his mouth. "The threat is perceived to be low, but I'd rather not take a chance. I'll take first watch, then wake Shawna to relieve me. She can wake Liv, and when Liv's shift is over, she can wake Mel." The way Olivia stared at Dave made him wonder if she suspected his real plan, but she said nothing. "We'll post guard here in Shawna's morning room with the door open. It's right at the top of the stairs, so anyone would have to come past the guard to get to any of us. I'll drag the chair from that room to the door, far back enough that anyone looking in will see darkness, but near enough the guard can see the head of the stairs and part of the hallway in each direction." "That's it. Get some sleep. When it's time to switch over, get up and get moving. We'll have one pistol out and transfer that over. Don't go to bed until your relief is in place." Shawna came in for a kiss before she left. A long, slow kiss with no tongue. She looked meaningfully into his eyes before she walked out, saying nothing. Dave waited over an hour for all the activity in his house to settle and everyone to fall asleep. He slowly and quietly rose from his seat. He slipped in to the master bedroom to find Shawna on the outer edge of the bed. Of course she'd thought ahead so she wouldn't disturb the others. Dave lightly tapped her foot, and she stirred awake. Dave went back to his post while she dressed. Once she got there, he handed over the pistol. "You're going after them aren't you?" she whispered low and urgent. "Yes. It's the only way to ensure everyone's safety. These guys are a danger to us, and others. The detective was so frustrated with the inaction, she told me other events that have happened, but no response from the police." "Other houses have been attacked?" "No, the other attacks haven't been on houses, but they look related." "How far away are they?" "I don't know for sure. She gave me some information on the last place they were seen." "Then how long will you be gone?!" She kept her voice low to not disturb anyone, but there was a 'shouting' tone to her whisper. "I don't know. I'm taking food and water in addition to the rest of the gear." "David, please be careful. All our lives depend on you." He wrapped his arms around her for a tight hug. "I know. I'm doing this for your safety. No more middle of the night break ins." He paused for a moment. "Carter took me through a few scenarios that apply. We had to use paintball guns for those trainings, but I've spent plenty of time on the range with all of these weapons. I won't be as good as Carter, but I'm good enough to pull this off. I'm coming back to you babe." He pulled back so they could look each other in the eyes. "You are plenty of reason to come back." "Me and eight others," she said with a teasing grin. "Anyone of you alone is enough to go fight this fight and get my ass back here in one piece. I finally understand Carter now. Somethings you have to fight for." He slipped away from her and went to the master bedroom closet. In a box tucked away in a corner, he pulled out a set of lightly used 90's era BDU that Carter'd urged him to get from an Army-Navy store. It was not the only set, but he wasn't going to be gone that long. Hell, his partners would all be screaming for doses by then. After dressing, and donning his combat boots, he walked silently out of the bedroom. That he had to pause and prep his mind for. Carter had shown him how to walk quietly in these boots, it just took practice and care. It had been a long time, so he ran through the lessons and practices in his head for a minute after he had them on. He trod gently down the stairs to the gun closet. He typed in the code and swung open the door. That's when the darkness at the end of the unlit hall moved. "Go to bed Olivia." His voice was flat. "You are not going after these guys alone." Dave flipped on the light in the small space. The illumination spilling into the hallway revealed Olivia in a matching pair of BDU. "How the hell?" "I mailed myself a box to this address before I reported to the vaccine center. Mostly other stuff, but one set of woodlands and my best broken-in boots." "Livy, you need to stay here and watch the others." "I need to watch over your ass and bring you home so you can keep fucking all these women that are addicted to your cum." Dave felt a wave of shame at the comment. That he was risking himself, some, but their safety required he take out this threat. That he was; unfaithful to any of these women, because none of them were the only one. Yes, he could personally enumerate all the reasons why, but that didn't change the visceral reaction of a man that never wanted a lot of women, just one that he could be devoted to, and vice versa. "Liv ;” "I'm not trying to talk you out of this. I'm certainly not condemning you for having multiple partners, David. On behalf of myself, and all your partners, I insist I go with you and provide overwatch. You know I'm a better sniper than you. You're better at CQB. We do this together." A cold hand gripped Dave's chest. "Olivia, I already dragged you into one gunfight. I won't do it again." "You didn't drag me into anything. The world sucks and some people are assholes. The same guy that taught you raised me not to just stand idly by. I'm going with you." She came in close, molding her hand to his jawline. "You didn't cause the attack this morning. You stood in the gap, and I stood with you. What you're about to do is needed. And I'm standing with you again." Without another word, she slipped around him and started gathering her gear. Dave joined her. Within half an hour, they loaded tactical gear, ammo, weapons, water jugs, canteens, and field rations in Liv's pickup and got on the road. They were completely in sync, though neither spoke a word. Chapter 12; A Walk on the Chaotic Good Side. October 29, 2020 12:30am The hum of the heater fan on its lowest setting combined with the warm air coming off the windshield were not helping Dave maintain alertness. Livy drove while he checked their route against what he'd seen on the detective's map. So far, it was just a matter of 'drive towards Athens'. Dave snuck the window down a little, inviting some cool air to help him stay fresh. Not too far, though. Occasionally, they'd run into an isolated cloud still giving up a pittance of drizzle, remnants of what passed over their house yesterday morning. Mostly it was just cold. "I miss the little triangle windows that pivoted open on Dad's old beater pickup." Dave chuckled. "Yeah, those were useful. Guess somebody decided to save money and make them fixed instead of movable." Olivia humphed in response. When she said nothing for a few minutes, he reached into the bag on the seat between them and pulled out an apple. She didn't notice until he took his first crackling bite. "Damn. Again?" she laughed. "Fill up too much and you'll bust out that stab shirt. Sorry, it's just;” "I'm eating way more often than the rest of you, and not gaining any weight. Yeah, I know. They said this serum shit has weird side effects. Seems for me it's kicked my metabolism into the stratosphere." "Oh, big words like 'stratosphere' huh? Hmm, ya know, the higher metabolism would explain why you're outrunning me." Dave turned his head towards her, a mock annoyed expression on his face. "I've been faster than you for years. For a bit there in your teens you gave me a good challenge." Liv giggled. "I got faster so you'd have to look at my ass." "I worked harder to stay ahead of you so I wasn't looking at a sixteen-year-old's ass." Out of the corner of his eye, Dave noted Livy giving him a rueful look. With a quiet voice; and one eye on the road; she asked, "Is this the only way we could have been together?" His heart skipped a beat. His voice was deepened with loss when he replied, "I don't know, Olivia. I just don't know. The two of us together would have been a very unusual pairing in other circumstances. No law would have stopped us being together but a lot of custom and tradition would interfere." He reached his hand out and she took it. "So it was either this, or an asteroid hitting the Earth for me to get you?" Dave laughed. "Maybe not quite that dramatic." Their joined hands lay on the seat between them for a time, enjoying the union of their lives as the cold, damp miles passed. Half an hour later, signs proclaimed a junction ahead as they neared their first waypoint. "Want me to stay on 175 and go east around Athens?" "No, west on 7. When we get to the southside of town, we'll take 19 south." Dave waited before asking, "You need to switch out. We've both had long days." "I'm good. Just hand me another Dr. Pepper." Dave knee-stood in the seat, reaching back to the cooler with water, soda and reusable freezer packs. Ice would have been too loud loading at the house, and going to an automated ice station was more deviation than he was willing to take. The drinks weren't ice-cold this way, but they were at least cool. Between the caffeinated soda, and the No-Doz bottle in the glove box, they could fight off the drowsiness the road hum threatened to induce. Weirdly, the squeeze from the compression shirt for the stab plates helped keep him awake, though it did make it tougher to twist around for things. Maybe if he wore it more often, he'd know how to move better in it. With the late hour, and pandemic rules in effect, they hadn't seen another vehicle since pulling out of their own driveway. They crossed three overpasses for major roads out of town before exiting to southbound 19 / Palestine St. The creepy feeling intensified as they took their exit. The north side of the road held a hospital with what was undoubtedly the only ER for thirty miles around. In some directions, even further than that. And there was no activity at all. The lights were on. But no signs of human movement. A few miles down the road they passed the middle school, completely abandoned since March. Liv's hand slipped back to the middle of the bench seat. Dave added his to hers, holding her gently but firmly. Ten minutes later, with their headlights boring holes into the pitch black, Dave's phone buzzed. He pulled it out, noting the time was now approaching 2am. -There's been another attack, this time on a very rich man's estate. Bodyguards dead, left laying there. -Rich man dead, carried off, along with most of his partners. -Last seen southbound on 45, suspect they are taking that to 287 until Palestine. No intelligence beyond that. Please ask your friend to decide quickly. Dave quietly fumed. Another attack meant more suffering that he hadn't prevented. That was the whole point of this crazy scheme wasn't it? Immediately, he recalled a story Carter had told only once, after they'd been roommates for more than a year. It was a 'Boy's Night In' with two pizzas and a tsunami of beer, and some typical action flicks playing. Dave's friend related a time when they'd been too late to protect a local villager that had cooperated with the Special Forces team. The local government goons had not been kind to the collaborator. Or his family. "We found out too late, got there too late, not a fucking thing we could do. Not one fucking thing. Except," he raised his head so his bloodshot eyes were revealed, "we tracked the fuckers and took them out before they got back to their base. It was beyond our mandate. We were supposed to train only, not engage directly. We did it, and never talked about it." Track the fuckers down and take them out. Little wonder why that particular memory surfaced now. "Something wrong?" "Text from the detective. They hit another house. Successfully this time." "Oh shit. What are we going to do?" "What an old friend once told me was the only real option. Track the fuckers down and kill them." "Dad was such an eloquent man." Dave barked a laugh as he texted back. -We're already enroute. -We'll locate them on the run and track them to their base. -Thank God. -And thank your friend for me. Dave still saw no reason to inform her of his omission. Well, he felt a little guilty, but she'd get over it. Lupie on the other hand, might just tie him to the bed and spoon feed him between each woman's 'dosing' turn. Shawna might or might not help Lupie, but she was not going to help Dave avoid Lupie. Hell, by the time he got back, Lupie might be so worked up she'd chew him out exclusively in Spanish for over an hour. In between kisses and hugs because his dumb ass came home in one piece. Getting his mind back on the present, Dave pulled up a map on his phone. "This may make it easier to find their base. They're coming down 287. Previous attempts tracked them as far as Palestine. We'll intersect with 287 just outside Palestine, so we'll pick a good spot when we get there and wait. I suspect they will be an hour or half hour behind us." "K." Dave zoomed and scrolled on his map for several minutes. "There's a community college north of the intersection. It has a parking lot that will give us a good view, but far enough away we could miss something. There's also a gas station and a convenience store on the south of the intersection, on the west side that would give better views, but higher risk of detection. It's probably closed. If we're the only car there, it's going to be awfully suspicious; especially if we pull out right after they pass." "Don't worry, Dad gave me a few lessons on shaking a tail, and on tailing. Just before I went off to college, he even had me drive back country roads with no lights; on the road or car. If we can avoid getting noticed when we first pull out; by waiting 'til we can just see their tail lights; we should be fine." "Let's go for the convenience store first. If it looks too dicey, we'll move off to the college parking lot." Liv nodded her agreement. The silence that followed persisted until the intersection loomed. The community college parking lot had all of its lights on, as did the Exxon just south of it. The Valero on the west side and south of the intersection had its awning lights on, but no more. No lights were on around the convenience store south of the highway confluence. Even better, there were two vehicles parked in the lot. Liv pulled into a space near one of the other vehicles. But not too close. She killed the lights, lowered the windows halfway, and turned off the ignition. Both occupants of the truck surveyed first the near vehicle, then the more distant one, looking for any sign of occupancy. If these guys were good, they might have a lookout posted to watch for a tail. During the forty-five minute wait, neither their eyes nor ears detected any sign of another person in the parking lot. For that matter, there was no sign of anyone around the college, or in the gas station south of them. The station across the way probably had an attendant inside. A low rumble coming from the northwest initially alerted Dave and Liv to their approaching quarry. Without exchanging words, they each hunched down in their seats. Both were on full alert. Hunter versus hunter was a dangerous game. Of course, if one hunter doesn't know the other is around, so much the better. For the other at least. Five S U V, varying from mid-size to huge, rolled swiftly through the interchange. They slowed from far in excess of highway speeds, down to something reasonable for the possibility of merging; if one had incredibly sparse traffic to handle. Which worked just fine, since there was absolutely zero traffic to merge with. As the engine sounds began to fade, Livy sat up and started the engine. She quickly doused the lights that automatically lit up before backing out from behind the vehicle two parking spaces over. Hopefully, it shielded them from the target's notice. Well, that and the fact the targets were headed away from them, and presumably keeping hostages in check. With swift, smooth motions, Olivia got the pickup on the highway following the distant trail of tail lights. Noting the woodlands on both sides of the highway limiting visibility around the curves, Livy began rapidly closing the distance. Balancing that were the few streetlamps and the need to not show up in the last vehicle's rearview mirror. The train of S U V passed under one, went dark again except for the taillight; which brightened briefly; then were illuminated again for a flash before disappearing. "Shit," she muttered. "It's gotta be the underpass for the loop. That's why they went left and cut off. They went behind the embankment. Just take the loop to the left and keep pressing. We'll catch them. Just be careful of more street lamps. I'm not sure if this loop they're hopping on is limited access. If they hit stoplights, we'll need to be very careful to avoid notice." "Right." There were a few traffic lights to negotiate, but both were solid green the entire time the runners and the pursuers were in view. The greater concern was the street lights near the intersections. Increasing their following distance once a traffic light became visible bought them some grace. They also took the risk of allowing the convoy to get out of view over a small rise while they waited just outside the pool of light before making the left at Park Ave. That was followed by mild panic until they could catch up with their quarry. A sweeping left turn awaited just over the crest. Dave spotted tail lights turning right as they finally hit a straight section. It turned out to be another curve in the road. This road had just enough curves to allow Livy to close the distance and remain unobserved. As the pursuing duo came around one curve, the convoy ahead was disappearing around the next. Just as they cleared a shallow 's' turn, Dave spotted tail lights disappearing to their right. "Ease up, I think we're going off onto a narrower road." By the time they reached the turn, Liv had them at an appropriate speed. No sign of the convoy ahead, and greater darkness with the trees closer in, she had to go slower. Fortunately, the road was winding through a few tight turns which caused the convoy to go even slower. They managed to catch sight of taillights and hear engine noises through the trees before they got close enough to be noticed. The asphalt took a gradual rightward curve, but a faint red glow inside the dust cloud ahead signaled the convoy had plunged ahead onto the dirt road. Hunter and unwitting prey slowed again, but the frequent braking and the scattering effect of the dust kept Dave and Liv well aware of their quarry's position. Liv coasted and maintained distance so she never had to touch the brake. To do so would reveal their pursuit. The convoy slowed further and Liv allowed the truck to coast to a stop. "Let's find a place to park this thing and dismount." Dave pointed off to a small pocket beside the road where the trees curved away from the dirt track. Each opened their door gingerly, sliding quietly to the wet grass. Liv and Dave first checked their own gear, then each other's. Satisfied they wore or carried everything they thought they would need, they eased the doors closed, latching them softly. "One benefit of this weather; the gators will be hibernating, and maybe the snakes too," Dave said in a whisper. "Brumating. And probably yes on both counts. The gators will be in the water, but the snakes will find a burrow or hollow log. So stay away from likely hidey holes." "Yes, professor." Dave's wry grin was both smart ass and respectful. Liv's nature knowledge far exceeded his own. Her reply smile was appreciative. Then both faces went blank as the two focused on their mission. Using every technique Carter had taught him, Dave slipped stealthily through the trees. Crouching, he moved swiftly from bole to bole, taking care to avoid rock piles and downed logs. The red glow in the distance was diminishing. He noticed sets of tail lights lining up side-by-side before extinguishing. They were parking. That was a good thing, because Dave and Liv were already on foot. That also meant the possibility of guards on the perimeter. Dave paused a bit longer in his position, searching for any sign of patrols or stationary sentinels. Seeing none, he dashed forward to a new location and watched again for any sign of an observer. Liv moved from her prior spot to the place Dave had just vacated. Morning twilight was in full swing, so the pair had good lighting. Periodically, Dave observed men moving to each vehicle, removing a woman, and leading her to one of the buildings. A few men guarded the vehicles, but their focus was on the occupants, not someone outside. All the better. Dave and Liv found themselves places within whisper distance a few feet back from the tree line. Unobstructed views with low probability of getting spotted. In better circumstances, they would observe for hours, from multiple positions around the clearing, gathering information and striking in the wee hours, or at first light tomorrow. But; those women being taken inside compelled faster action. Whatever these assholes were doing needed to be stopped. At the same time, they couldn't just rush in, or they'd lose, Dave would be dead, and Liv would be dead or worse. And not long after, the rest of his family would be in very dire straits. So don't fuck up, asshole . This had to be what Carter meant about walking the razor's edge. One thing was clear; these guys had no security posted. The pre-dawn twilight was sufficiently bright that someone looking out the window would spot them if they got stupid. The trees opened up into a large clearing. Within the open space sat the parked S U V, two large buildings, and several smaller ones. The two large buildings were corner adjacent and perpendicular on their long axes. They were somewhat longer than they were wide. The large building stretched wide across their eyeline seemed to be where everyone was gathered. That's the building the women had been taken into. Several others converged on that location not long after. About half an hour after the last man disappeared into the big building, Dave and Liv spotted someone leaving. He had someone over his shoulder. He headed for one of the smaller buildings. About five minutes later, it happened again. Time to communicate. He pulled out his phone, already set to silent, no vibration. Fortunately, he had a few bars. -Compound located. Track my location. Stuffing his phone in his pocket without waiting for a reply, Dave slid closer to his partner. "I'm going in closer. I'll get under the windows and listen in." Liv's face was unconvinced. "Is that wise?" "We need to know more before we do anything. I've got to get close enough to hear them. Get your rifle ready to snipe. Keep me covered. I'll pass on the outside of the first building," he pointed to the one that lay along their line of sight and perpendicular to the target building, "and then cross along the near wall of the one they're in. You'll be able to see me for most of that time, and you can see either end. You'll know if someone's about to come around and spot me." "We need Dad's low watt tactical radios." "If wishes were horses, hun." He gave her a quick kiss, then silently backed further into the trees. This allowed him to move more quickly without detection, though he still remained on alert for any sentries out here in the trees. There were none. Approaching the tree line again, he scanned thoroughly with eyes and ears, for any sign of someone that would spot him emerging. With still no sign, Dave dashed from the trees to the near wall of the likely empty large building. There he waited, listening for any sound suggesting he'd been seen. His heart was pounding. He worked to calm himself so he could hear anything over the roar of the blood in his ears. Of course, that could just be the contrast. This rural fall morning was incredibly quiet thus far. Satisfied he was as yet undetected, Dave moved stealthily to the far corner of the building. He put a hand on the wall, feeling the rough brick exterior. It was distinctly not new, but not decrepit either. A few short steps brought him to the building's corner. Using the 'slicing the pie' tactic Carter taught him so long ago; and re-taught over and over and over; Dave passed around the corner to find no one there. Hugging the wall, he crept by, pausing at each of the two doors, listening for any sign of occupancy. By the time he reached the end of the building near the occupied building, the sun was not yet up, but the sky was well-lit. As was the compound. With more on the line, Dave took more time with his pie-slicing cornering technique. The rest of the compound, then the side wall of the other building, and then the back wall of the target building came slowly into view, all devoid of other humans. He slid carefully along the sidewall of the empty building until he was near the corner closest to his target. With his head only he once more rounded the corner, verifying no one had entered the small area bounded by the two buildings on two sides in the time he'd been behind the first one. Sure that he was clear, he crossed the gap to the second building. He watched his footfalls carefully since the area conjoining the two buildings had been cemented in a rectangular shape. Postholes along the edges suggested this might be some sort of outdoor area with an awning during warmer times. A broom at the corner Dave was heading for suggested someone took the time to keep it clear of debris. At least he didn't have to worry about stepping on a twig. Dave heard a door open, then close. Footsteps in grass reached his ears but receded. He swiftly slid along the wall to the front of the building and took a cautious peek. Once again, a man was walking toward one of the smaller buildings, this time carrying a woman in his arms rather than over his shoulder. Dave eased himself away from that corner and back to the corner proximate to the back wall. He had to step carefully around the broom again as he came around to the semi-enclosed courtyard. Dave eased his way carefully along the back wall. At least now he had the benefit of knowing Liv could watch the area around him and cover him as needed. He crept carefully, listening for sounds through the wall. Primarily though, he knew his best chances were under the three windows, two of which were close together, more than halfway down the building's length. As he approached an exterior vent for a dryer, he paused. For a moment the thought flashed through his mind that this would be the ideal place for a snake to hide. Then his rational brain took over, reminding him that the intermittent nature was likely insufficient to help a snake survive through the winter. They were more likely off in the woods somewhere or hiding in the walls of one of the houses. The first window was just past the vent. Dave paused. He waited for a few minutes, but heard nothing. He edged up, his face upturned, his nose turned away from the building. Edging upward, he allowed his peripheral vision a first glimpse in the window. It was dark. He turned his head slowly, seeking greater detail. A few shadows and a small light on the back wall limned out an empty kitchen space for a community. Efficient, but a little too regimented for Dave's taste. A little too zombie group think. Dave moved forward. This time he skirted around a pile of small diameter metal pipes. Must be for a future irrigation project or outdoor faucet. The next window was only a few feet past the pile. Dave had to be careful how far out he went. He crouched and quickly got back to the wall once past the pipes. He could already hear voices. Someone was angry. "I said sit the fuck back down. You dumbasses cost us three men with your half-assed raid. No, you don't get a shot at any of the women from this raid. You're lucky we let you fucking live. One more fucking word out of your fucking mouth and I will shit-can all your asses. And you, big mouth, you'll go last; after I ass fuck your sister without a new dose! You can watch her melt like somebody poured battery acid in her shithole, then I'll kill you, with the memory of her screams in your fucking ears!" Dave went cold. His mind called up one of the videos about the dangers for a woman exposed to the semen of any man other than her partner. Anger welled up in him, but he tamped it down. A berserker rage banged against the walls of Dave's discipline. He held his focus, knowing he would only accomplish his goal with cold efficiency. All the things Carter said over the years, words that had been whirling in his ears since the moment of the break-in, all settled into cold clarity. Yeah, they were gonna die. In due time. He crept closer. Again taking care to avoid detection, Dave saw a woman select a syringe full of a vibrant green substance. She moved over to; a dead body on the floor? What the hell? Why is she injecting the dead guy? Wait, now it's purple inside? Maybe he just misidentified the earlier color? The woman with the syringe stood. A man dragged a blonde woman over to a table near the lady with the syringe. Dave heard her whimpering once she was close. A second man took the woman's other arm. The two men held her pinned, face down, against the table as her whimpering turned to active cries. Dave's stomach turned over. A third man pulled the woman's pajama pants down. She wore no panties. The woman with the syringe approached. The way she walked, and the look on her face, gave the impression she was walking to the gallows. Dave swore she mouthed the word 'Sorry' to the pinned woman before injecting her with the purple contents of her syringe. Immediately, the woman jerked and thrashed. The man behind her dropped his pants. Dave dropped low, not needing to see anymore. Hell, he'd seen far more than he ever wanted to. The cries and sounds he heard had a certain resonance with the priming and later imprinting orgasms of his partners. But overlaid with a guttural, raw emotionality. Then there was no more sound from the woman. A few low conversations between the men, and then Dave heard the door on the other side of the building open. Dave duck-walked away from the window and around the pipes. Once against the wall again he raised up a bit and paused. He needed to collect his thoughts. What to do was clear. Kill every man here. Given what they were doing, there were no innocents. The only questions revolved around how to do what needed to be done. Ideas formed in his head, but he needed to confer with Olivia. At the very least, she needed to know his intentions. Teamwork would be vital. He also trusted her judgment. Her input could prove useful. It often did. Something more about Olivia was rattling around the back of his head. A thought jumping up and down, demanding attention, but not coming forward. Like a word sitting on the tip of your tongue you just can't say. Something he knew, but wasn't fully acknowledging. It didn't seem related to the immediate task, so Dave moved his attention elsewhere. The number of trips from the large building to the smaller ones was very nearly the number of trips from the cars to the big building earlier. That meant soon the men would no longer be occupied with; what they had been doing. Since some had recently come back from a raid, they were likely to bed down soon. That would be a good time to strike. Time to move and communicate. The door had cycled twice more during Dave's thinking. As he rounded the corner of the empty building, free to move unobserved, he heard the door slam open. He froze in place, a few steps past the corner, where he could listen without being detected. Multiple footsteps approached, and sharp mutterings between two men. The footfalls changed as they crossed from the grass onto the concrete. Their voices became clearer too. "Why drag her all the way out here? It's fucking cold and wet." "'Cuz I don't wanna clean up the fucking mess when the old bitch slags, that's why! Grass will just eat it up and get nice and green next summer. Inside, the carpet and the fucking pad have to be replaced." Dave's blood boiled. He tamped it down for immediate purposes. He also started moving back the way he came. Weapon at the ready, he rounded the corner again. Three figures were just crossing off the concrete pad and back into the grass. Two males in hunter camo and a naked blonde woman sobbing as they dragged her between them. They stopped several steps off the pad. One man was out of view, the empty building blocking Dave's line of sight to him. Liv surely had a good shot on him, but she might not yet know enough to take it. She'd know soon enough though. The man Dave could see was turned away from Dave, with the woman collapsed, on her knees in front of him, looking away from Dave also. By their orientations, the man that was out of sight was probably facing the corner and would see Dave the instant he came around it. Fortune favors the brave . One of Carter's favorite phrases. Dave slipped the MP5 back behind him, on safe, he pulled the.22 pistol from his holster, and the silencer from his cargo pocket, mated them gently, and carefully began screwing the silencer in place. The woman cried out, pleading for mercy. Unseen by Dave, the second man slapped her, the sound unmistakable. Dave was moving as the slap echoed. His face etched in stone. No anger in his visage, no mercy in his eyes. His weapon came up smoothly as his feet accelerated him along the wall towards the man in his vision. Dave was now a fire and maneuver platform for the pistol. Just before he cleared the corner, he fired three rounds, all into the man's upper left back. His shot group was as perfect as the practices with Carter over the years. At least one of the rounds went through the man's heart. The suppressor dulled the sound of firing, and the subsonic ammunition avoided the supersonic crack of the rounds that would surely draw attention. The stricken man fell even as Dave came around the corner, rounding on the next target. That man was just beginning to look towards the corner with a curious expression. Dave fired again. Three rounds, just as Carter had trained him. He also dropped with no further resistance or sound. The first target was on the ground and the second descending, knees buckling beneath a falling torso, when the shuddering blonde woman registered the changes. She began to rise and turn around. Dave reached her at that same moment, grabbing her bicep and hauling her to her feet. To forestall undesirable attention, he shifted his hand from her arm to her mouth, clamping it shut. He got there just in time. The woman stared at him, terror in her wide-open eyes. He held his pistol low and to the side, but her eyes ping-ponged several times from it to his face. As frightened as she was, her eyes settled, then roved over his face. Within seconds her terror was held in check. Not gone but shoved aside. Like she was ready to believe something less evil than that of the other men's plans was now upon her. "Stay quiet, I need to get you out of here." She nodded. Wariness was present, but also a willingness to believe in; something. Grabbing her hand, Dave led her across the concrete pad and around the corner of the empty building. He didn't stop until they'd passed the length of the building, now leaning against the short wall, in full sight of Olivia. In pausing, Dave was reminded consciously of what his subconscious had of course noted; the woman wore not a stitch of clothing. He quickly averted his eyes, but not before registering her phenomenal figure. Granted, the condition of her skin on her face and her body indicated a woman with more than just a few decades of experience on this little ball of rock, but she was none the worse for wear by any means. Fit was an entirely apt description. Her tits had a natural sag, but still bore a certain firmness as well as a modest heft. And her eyes. Her eyes were captivating. Penetrating even. They stared at him from a gently rectangular face. Modestly arched eyebrows topped those gazing deep green orbs, and model perfect cheekbones provided a pedestal for those eyes to rest upon. Shapely, proportionate lips still trembled slightly beneath a nose that was not quite angular, and more than a button. Her face would fit in on a magazine cover or a boardroom. A face that could launch a thousand simps. "Let's get into the trees. My partner, Olivia, is waiting for us. Once we get away from prying eyes, we can give you something to cover up with. What's your name?"" Her face warmed briefly even as her arms instinctively moved to shield her tits. "Natasha." Her voice was unsteady, but not weak. "That way, Natasha." Dave pointed to a small gap between two young trees. Nothing he'd seen suggested she was a plant or any other kind of trap, but with only himself and Liv, he realized there was no room for fuck-ups. He spent much of his time walking sideways, keeping an eye to their rear. They entered the trees easily and without getting spotted. Natasha immediately slowed, picking her places to step more carefully with her bare feet on the woodland surface. They proceeded straight back from the buildings, in reverse of Dave's approach. He caught her arm when they reached the point to turn left towards Liv. Pointing quietly, Dave directed her on the new course. She nodded and kept moving. A few steps later, things started getting exciting. "Oh, holy Shit!" Even before his head turned, he knew the speaker was in the same vicinity as the two bodies he'd left behind. Through the intervening trees, Dave spotted a man standing in the gap between buildings. He safed the pistol and started unscrewing the silencer. There was no angle in stealth anymore. Once separated, the pistol went back in the holster and the silencer in his cargo pocket. He brought his MP5 back around. The man circled the two bodies slowly. Dave quietly moved closer to Liv, until they could see each other. With her attention on him, Dave drew his hand across his neck, then pointed at the man still examining the space where his friends had fallen. He heard the report of the rifle at nearly the same instant the back of the man's head sprouted a jet of blood and tissue. Dave hustled the last several steps to Liv's position. Liv gave him a wry smile as she looked behind him. "Recruiting more ladies, David?" As Dave began to object, her smile dropped. "I saw the whole thing. I didn't hear what was said, but they had it coming, that's for sure." "Yeah well, we need to get her warm and clothed. And still deal with these guys." "I've got spare clothes in the truck. Let her hide inside. At least get her out of the elements." Two men appeared, one on either end of the occupied building. Dave, Liv, and their charge were too deep in the trees for the men to spot. Besides, they were focused on the three bodies they could see. "Okay, I'm going to get her in sight of the truck, and then head down the backside of that building," Dave pointed to the empty building. "Got it. So, do I let these guys go back inside?" Do I tell her to take the shot? We're already all in here . Something in Dave went cold. "Once they turn back, take the shot." Liv merely nodded, her attention, earlier divided between her scope and Dave, was now fully downrange. Dave ushered Natasha along a tiny foot path, giving her some ease in foot placement. He tried to keep his eyes off her naked form, but when she jumped at Liv's first shot, the jostling of her tits was magnetic. He turned his eyes away quickly. Fortunately, he was able to spot the truck at this range. "We're going to have to work quickly to shut these guys down. Can you see that white patch through the trees?" Dave pointed in the direction he wanted her to look. Natasha nodded. "That's our truck. The door is unlocked. Get in there and get out of the wind. That will help you warm up some. Liv says she has a change of clothes behind the seat. Take a quick look to see if you can find a shirt or something. Then stay low, stay out of sight." The woman nodded again. "You are leaving me?" "I have to stop all of them before they hurt anyone else." Another shot rang out. She lunged at Dave, wrapping her arms around his neck. He was alarmed for just a moment, but he felt the shaking of her silent cries. She jolted again with the next shot. He gave her several seconds, then peeled her arms off of him. "I have to go." With that, he turned and hustled to a spot along the tree line proximate to the edge of the empty building. He was still covered by trees when he spotted a man moving toward him along the building. He's trying to flank Liv . Dave took up a firing position braced against a tree. Then he fired three rounds. The man dropped without a sound, though the shots echoed through the compound. Another crack from Liv's rifle announced her continued engagement with their opponents. If Dave didn't get engaged soon, they could overwhelm her. He sprinted across the gap and raced down the building's length. Another shot rang out. Dave reached the corner of the building, breathing hard, heart pounding. He heard feet slapping concrete and then go quiet. Swiftly turning the corner, he saw two men sprinting away, through the gap between buildings, and one more passing the other end of the building in the distance. Then another came around the corner near him, the follow-on to the two with their backs to him. He noticed Dave as Dave's SMG reached chest height. Dave's trigger finger pulled three times, smoothly, in quick succession. Three widely spaced red spots erupted on the man's chest. He fell against the wall and slid down. The man's weapon clattered to the concrete pad. Immediately, Dave shifted to the men headed away. One was beginning to turn. Dave fired on him first, this time with his weapon fully raised, taking aim and grouping his shots. Dave shifted to the second man that hadn't yet keyed on Dave's position behind him. With three rounds in his upper chest while running full tilt, the man tumbled to the ground. While Dave was taking out his targets, he'd registered two shots from Liv's rifle. That meant ten men in total they'd killed. But how many were there? At least ten, since the S U V had two men each. What Dave didn't know was how many were left behind to hold down the fort while the attackers were out. As he mulled over the issue, he dealt with two more immediate concerns. His weapon locked open on his last shot. He triggered the magazine release with his right, catching and removing the spent magazine with his left. Quickly, he stuffed the empty mag in his cargo pocket before pulling a fresh magazine from his tacvest. With a fresh magazine in place, he pressed the bolt release, driving a new round home. To be continued in part 11, Based on a post by RonanJWilkerson, in 12 parts, for Literotica.

Kody continues his fake apology to Christine, David tells Kody to talk to his kids, Janelle is moving forward with her spiritual release, and Robyn is baking cookies in her McMansion. Get tons more cringey content on our Patreon! https://patreon.com/realitytvcringeFollow us on IG https://instagram.com/realitytvcringeSubscribe to see our raccoon faces on YouTube! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_2CgqXLWjIEKV9PCtH3Kjw?sub_confirmation=1Leave a message for us on SpeakPipe: https://speakpipe.com/realitytvcringeSupport the pod by leaving a 5-star review on your favorite podcast platform! Thank you so much

In August 1971, Richard Nixon went on television and detonated the global financial system. By severing the U.S. dollar from gold, the Nixon Shock ended Bretton Woods, ushered in fiat money, and unleashed a new era of credit, speculation, and inequality. What followed wasn't just inflation and currency volatility—it was a fundamental rewiring of housing, wealth, and power.In this episode of Built to Divide, Dimitrius Lynch traces how the end of the gold standard collided with housing policy, stagflation, and a rising market-first ideology. As public housing construction collapsed, Section 8 vouchers expanded, the mortgage interest deduction quietly became America's largest housing subsidy, and real estate lobbying reshaped Washington. Jimmy Carter framed housing as a moral obligation—but crisis, inflation, and backlash undercut reform. Then came Milton Friedman, Margaret Thatcher, Ronald Reagan, and the think-tank machine, turning deregulation, tax cuts, and privatization into governing doctrine.The result? Housing shifted from shelter to leverage. Neighborhoods hardened. Inequality accelerated. McMansions replaced porches. Master-planned enclaves rose as public responsibility retreated. And the rails were laid for subprime lending, securitization, and collapse.This is the episode where money floats, housing fractures, and the modern economy takes its irreversible turn.Episode Extras - Photos, videos, sources and links to additional content found during research. Episode Credits:Production in collaboration with Gābl MediaWritten & Executive Produced by Dimitrius LynchAudio Engineering and Sound Design by Jeff Alvarez

The Simpsons Index is going on an indefinite hiatus. We thank all of our listeners, heroes & guests for all the support over the years. We get into full details about why at the 2 hour mark, but first, we are still have 3 last bits of reviewing business to do… Elliot Jay O'Neill, BT Calloway & Danny Rosewell review; S.35 E.3 “McMansion & Wife” S.34 E.4 “The King Of Nice” S.34 E.14 “Carl Carlson Rides Again”   This is a Side Quest Studios Production The support from you heroes over the years has meant the world to us. You've helped us build this network that gives us the opportunity to do really cool stuff. If I feel self doubt, I can look to this list of people and say “well, they believe in you”. I know we say thank you all the time but it never feels like enough times and the words themselves don't feel they truly capture the gigantic amount of gratitude that we feel.  So seriously.  Thank you heroes. Grant Prusi // 16_oz_mouse // Philip Wolf // Timothy Burleson // Stephanie // Chris Tar // AlmightyK // Kaleb982 // nickibis // Nick Sultana // Teresa // David James Young // Paul Walsh   You too can become a Hero by supporting us on our Patreon page and you'll unlock a bonus podcast EVERY WEEK plus access to our back catalogue of over 200 exclusive podcasts! http://www.patreon.com/sidequeststudios    STARRING SPRINGFIELD is our new podcast where we review movies that star the cast of The Simpsons  Check it out here -- https://pod.link/1773418376   PLUGS   Danny is remixing and mashing up music over at https://www.tiktok.com/@dannymacabre   You can download his tracks and full length albums for free at https://remix.audio/profile/dannymacabre   Plugging our shit is often annoying. So when it came to mentioning our web series “Dave Plus One” in the shownotes, at some point I started just cramming in a weird pun and the hyperlink to I guess mildly amuse myself but also because I figured seeing nonsense followed by a random link could be as effective as saying what the thing is. Anyway, I don't mean to undermine the importance of “Dave Plus One” because it was a hugely formative experience and I'm extremely proud of the work we did bringing it to life. So please, check out our rom com web series ahead of it's 10 year anniversary in 2026. It's really good. http://www.daveplusone.com   We reviewed Game of Thrones in reverse order at “Thrones Of Game”  https://thronesofgame.podbean.com  Pulp Fury Radio, our fiction anthology podcast. http://www.pulpfuryradio.com  SOCIALS! https://bsky.app/profile/thesimpsonsindex.bsky.social https://www.facebook.com/TheSimpsonsIndex/ https://www.instagram.com/simpsonsindex/ https://www.threads.net/@simpsonsindex

We finally get into the Emmanuel Clase gambling scandid you see this fuckin' emails? Jeffrey Epstein and Ken Starr? That shit is crazy, right? Then we talk about Cole Hamel's unfinished McMansion and they're gonna get enough signatures for a vote to release the files right? We issue a correction on the Dodgers mystery butt tattoo and oh fuck did you see the one where Michael Wolff is basically acting the PR guy for the most famous pedophile in US history? Scott Boras has a whole bunch of new puns and Peter Thiel was definitely on the island. Go to patreon.com/battingaround to get access to bonus episodes including this year's incredible Dumbest Things episode with Tipping Pitches.

It's Christmas... In October? Jen gives Meri b*tch lessons, Robyn is repulsed by Kody as they decorate a tiny tree in their new McMansion, and the whole family sings a Christmas carol. What is going on, production? Get tons more cringey content on our Patreon! https://patreon.com/realitytvcringeFollow us on IG https://instagram.com/realitytvcringeSubscribe to see our raccoon faces on YouTube! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_2CgqXLWjIEKV9PCtH3Kjw?sub_confirmation=1Leave a message for us on SpeakPipe: https://speakpipe.com/realitytvcringeSupport the pod by leaving a 5-star review on your favorite podcast platform! Thank you so much!

Don Lemon joins Joanna Coles to assess how Donald Trump's hasty East Wing tear-down, building a tacky McMansion-style ballroom while the country stalls, mixing supposed opulence with power, and blurring public duty with private ego. Lemon, a veteran reporter and anchor, brings his sharp and uncompromising voice to the conversation. Together with Coles, he examines Trump's architecture of excess —the corporations and their leaders acting as his handmaidens —and asks: when the symbol of American democracy becomes a personal trophy house, what does that mean for the rest of us, and how long can the facade hold? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Meri goes to Jen's Bike Shop to talk about all her tinder matches, Kody and Robyn are still packing up their McMansion and pretending to be sad about it, Christine is bitter that everyone hates Utah, and Janelle is living it up with the family in North Carolina. Is it just us, or is this season turbo boring?! Get tons more cringey content on our Patreon! https://patreon.com/realitytvcringeFollow us on IG https://instagram.com/realitytvcringeSubscribe to see our raccoon faces on YouTube! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_2CgqXLWjIEKV9PCtH3Kjw?sub_confirmation=1Leave a message for us on SpeakPipe: https://speakpipe.com/realitytvcringeSupport the pod by leaving a 5-star review on your favorite podcast platform! Thank you so much!

You work way too hard for your money to waste it. Between charting after hours, missing family dinners, and grinding through long shifts, every dollar you earn should be buying back your freedom, not fueling burnout. In this episode of PA the FI Way, Kat breaks down the Top 10 Things NOT to Spend Your Money On as a Healthcare Provider, the sneaky traps that drain your wallet, energy, and joy while pretending to make life easier or more rewarding. From MLM “opportunities” that prey on overworked professionals, to timeshares that promise lifelong vacations but deliver endless fees, to whole life insurance schemes and overpriced “health” fads, let's expose the money pits that keep you stuck in the burnout cycle. Kat shares real stats, relatable stories, and actionable alternatives so you can start spending in ways that buy you peace, time, and flexibility instead of financial stress. You'll also hear about status spending, McMansions, luxury cars, convenience overload, unused subscriptions, and other “quiet leaks” that can easily add up to thousands per year. This episode isn't about guilt; it's about awareness. When you start aligning your spending with what truly matters, you reclaim control over your finances and your freedom. Tune in, take notes, and pick one small money detox to start this week. If this episode hits home, make sure to subscribe to the PA the FI Way podcast YouTube channel for more content that helps you build financial independence and a burnout-proof life. Are you just beginning your journey to financial independence and want to learn more? Download your free copy of the PA the FI Way Beginner's Workbook here! Website / Blog: pathefiway.com Follow PA the FI Way on Instagram: @pathefiway https://www.instagram.com/pathefiway/ Connect with Kat on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katarina-kat-astrup-mspas-pa-c-175848255/ Join the private Facebook group created for current and future PAs on their journey to financial independence: https://www.facebook.com/groups/pathefiway Like the Facebook page to follow along for updates: https://www.facebook.com/pathefiway

Get ready to dive into the second hour of our best-of episodes from 2023, where we're tackling the oh-so-glamorous topic of indoor air quality. Spoiler alert: it's not just about keeping your house smelling like a summer breeze; it's about not suffocating in your own home! We'll be dishing out some seriously practical tips on how to test your air quality and what in the world to do about those pesky VOCs that are probably lurking in your cleaning supplies. And while Eric G and John are off giving the show a facelift, you can kick back with our favorite moments from December 2023. So grab your coffee (or whatever fuels your DIY spirit) and let's get that air right before we welcome back the dynamic duo next week!Gather around, folks, because we're diving headfirst into the chaos of indoor air quality in this second hour of our best of 2023 episode! Eric G and John are taking a little breather, probably somewhere cozy with a cold drink while they plan their glorious return next week, but don't you worry your pretty little head! We've got a fantastic compilation of the best tips and tricks from December, and trust me, you won't want to miss this! We're talking about keeping your air fresh during those long winter months when you're basically living inside like a hermit. Yes, I know, it's a real treat to learn that your air might be worse than that smelly gym sock you've been avoiding. Spoiler alert: testing your indoor air quality is a must, whether your castle is old and charming or just recently built to be airtight like a can of sardines. Eric breaks it down for you, explaining how to test for VOCs, mold, and even that sneaky carbon monoxide that could be lurking around! Who knew air could be so complicated? But hang on, we're not done yet! Eric dives deeper into solutions, sharing how to manage humidity levels and the importance of having good ventilation in your home. Because who wants to turn their lovely abode into a moldy swamp? Not us, thank you very much! He gives some handy DIY tips, like creating a budget air cleaner with a box fan and a filter. Easy peasy, right? Let's just say if you've got dust bunnies the size of small dogs, it's time to take action. From upgrading bathroom fans to ensuring your kitchen range hood actually works (yes, it's supposed to suck air out, not just look pretty), this episode is packed with golden nuggets of wisdom. And hey, if you think you're safe from mold in your pristine new home, think again! Eric's seen it all, and he's here to make sure you don't end up with a moldy mess. So grab your favorite cup of something warm, kick back, and get ready to learn how to breathe easier this winter. And remember, next week, Eric and John will be back with fresh episodes that are guaranteed to be even more entertaining than this one! Stay tuned, my home improvement warriors!Takeaways: This episode dives deep into indoor air quality, which is crucial when we're all stuck inside during the winter months. Eric and John share hilarious mishaps and expert tips, making home improvement feel less like a chore and more like a comedy routine. They highlight the importance of regular air quality testing, whether you're in a brand new McMansion or an ancient fixer-upper. The duo discusses the ins and outs of ventilation systems, making it clear that proper air exchange is key to a healthy home environment. You won't want to miss the advice on avoiding common indoor air quality pitfalls, especially if you're planning a DIY project in your basement. With Eric's 30 years of experience, listeners get a front-row seat to the wild world of home renovations, complete with laughs and valuable insights. Links referenced in this episode:aroundthehouseonline.comTo get your questions...

Tony and Mykelti are hit with hail on their way to North Carolina, Meri wants us to know she likes eggplants, and the ghouls known as Kody & Robyn gloat about their new (but dated) $2.1 million dollar McMansion. Ugh! We hate them so much! Get tons more cringey content on our Patreon! https://patreon.com/realitytvcringeFollow us on IG https://instagram.com/realitytvcringeSubscribe to see our raccoon faces on YouTube! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_2CgqXLWjIEKV9PCtH3Kjw?sub_confirmation=1Leave a message for us on SpeakPipe: https://speakpipe.com/realitytvcringeSupport the pod by leaving a 5-star review on your favorite podcast platform! Thank you so much!

Sunday, 12 October 2025   Then Jesus sent the multitude away and went into the house. And His disciples came to Him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the tares of the field.” Matthew 13:36   “Then Jesus, having dismissed the crowds, He went into the house. And His disciples, they came to Him, saying, ‘Expound to us the parable of the fields' darnel'” (CG).   In the previous verse, Matthew quoted the words of the prophet Asaph Isaiah to explain why Jesus spoke in parables. Next, he returns to the ongoing narrative with the words, “Then Jesus, having dismissed the crowds.”   After speaking out His parables, a dismissal of the crowds took place, once that was attended to, “He went into the house.”   The article before house means it is a particular house. Going back to Matthew 1, it says, “And in that day, Jesus, having departed from the house, He sat by the sea.” It is this house, explained during that verse, that is being referred to. Once in the house, it says, “And His disciples, they came to Him.”   Houses at the time were not big McMansions that many live in today. There would be no need to go looking for Him in the house. Therefore, it is probable that as soon as Jesus went into the house, those following asked this as they were coming in, highlighting their desire to hear an explanation of His words. In their words to Him, they were “saying, ‘Expound to us the parable of the fields' darnel.'”   The word phrazó is introduced here. It is only found in some texts here. Most use the word diasapheó, a word also first found here. This word, phrazó, is found only elsewhere in Matthew 15:15. It means to indicate by word or act or to interpret. Thus, it signifies to expound. They are looking for an indication of what He was talking about in the parable, meaning its underlying meaning.   The other word used in other texts, diasapheó, comes from two words signifying “through” and “clear.” Thus, it is a thorough clearing of something. Thus, it figuratively means to declare.   The parable of the darnel in the field was recorded in verses 24-30. The parable was deeper than the subsequent two, those of the mustard seed and the leaven in the bread. As such, the disciples wanted a clear understanding of what Jesus was conveying in it.   Life application: As seen in the parable of the leaven, which Jesus did not explain, there is disagreement in its meaning. The majority of commentators state that the leaven was used as a good thing, it being the one exception to the normal use of leaven in Scripture, which is in a negative sense.   However, that seems inappropriate, and a suitable explanation that follows the normal Scriptural meaning of leaven was provided. If there is disagreement on such a short parable, being only one sentence long, it is good that the disciples asked for an explanation of this longer and more complicated parable.   Not everything Jesus said during His ministry is carefully explained. This lack has led to innumerable interpretations of various things He set before the disciples. The majority of these divisions in interpretation could be resolved by remembering the main rule of biblical interpretation: What is the context?   Jesus' ministry was to Israel under the law. His words deal with that context. Jesus never spoke of things like the rapture. The reason He didn't do this was because that event belongs to the church age. The doctrine of the rapture is only explained by Paul because Paul is the apostle to the Gentile led church.   Remembering the context of Jesus' words will normally help clarify what He is saying. It is true that kingdom terminology can overlap in meaning. Therefore, it can be difficult to come down adamantly on some things He says. The more conservative our interpretation of Scripture is, though, the less we will devolve into inappropriate lines of thought.   Therefore, unless there is a specific reason for including the church in His words, which can be fully explained, it is best to assume He is not addressing the church, but Israel alone.   The main thing for us to do is to keep reading His word. No matter how many times we have done so, we will always learn something new. After a person has a stroke, his brain must rewire around the damaged parts of the brain.   In a similar way, the more we read the word, the more we are able to rewire our thoughts and lives around those things that inappropriately affect our understanding of who God is and what He is saying in His word. Keep in the word! It will never bring you harm. Rather, right thinking will continue to develop in you.   Lord God, time in Your word is like a healing balm to our souls. We are molded more and more to Your mind as we learn it and apply it to our lives. Give us the time and the sense to pick it up, read it, and contemplate it all the days of our lives. Amen.  

Meri goes speed-dating, Tony and Mykelti move to North Carolina to advance Tony's chess career, and Kody and Robyn give us a fake sob story about why they need to buy a $2.1 million dollar McMansion. It's for the kids!! Get tons more cringey content on our Patreon! https://patreon.com/realitytvcringeFollow us on IG https://instagram.com/realitytvcringeSubscribe to see our raccoon faces on YouTube! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_2CgqXLWjIEKV9PCtH3Kjw?sub_confirmation=1Leave a message for us on SpeakPipe: https://speakpipe.com/realitytvcringeSupport the pod by leaving a 5-star review on your favorite podcast platform! Thank you so much!

I'm Cleve Gaddis—this is GoGaddis Real Estate Radio. We help you go from novice to confident pro so life's biggest real-estate moves feel clear, not scary. Questions or topic ideas? GoGaddisRadio.com—send us a note, nominate your Neighborhood Spotlight, and subscribe to the podcast. Let's get to it. This generational housing boom isn't just numbers — it's changing neighborhoods, prices, and even family life. For sellers, timing has never mattered more. Baby boomers are staying in their homes longer than ever — a median of 13 years compared to just 6 in the 1980s. That keeps supply constrained and prices strong. To appeal to younger buyers, features like smart home tech, EV charging stations, flexible workspaces, and multipurpose layouts are becoming must-haves. And it's not just younger buyers in the mix — many sales are Boomer-to-Boomer transactions, as retirees downsize or relocate to retirement-friendly communities. For buyers, affordability remains a serious challenge. Millennials are entering homeownership later, with an average first purchase at age 36 versus 29 in 1981, largely due to higher costs and student loan debt. To compete, many are turning to creative strategies like co-buying with family or friends, or purchasing multigenerational homes — a segment that now makes up about one in five transactions. Add in competition from institutional investors in the starter-home market, and the pressure intensifies. For communities, the shifts are visible. Younger buyers want walkable, mixed-use developments with easy access to amenities like gyms, coffee shops, and coworking spaces. That demand often clashes with boomers' desire for quiet and stability, creating tension around zoning and development. At the same time, homes with ADUs and in-law suites are rising in popularity, reshaping neighborhoods. From an investment perspective, real estate remains the top wealth-building tool across generations. Despite affordability challenges, Millennials collectively now own more homes than Gen X did at the same age. Hotspot markets in the Southeast, Texas, and Mountain West are drawing younger buyers with lower costs and job opportunities. Looking ahead, future trends will be driven by the massive wealth transfer as boomers pass down assets or downsize, unlocking much-needed inventory. Local governments will face mounting pressure to loosen zoning rules, approve ADUs, and allow more multifamily housing. Builders, too, are pivoting away from oversized homes toward smaller, affordable designs—a clear break from the McMansion era. Closing: We're in the middle of the largest housing turnover in U.S. history — but it's not just about transactions. It's about how multiple generations will live together, how communities evolve, and how wealth gets built and passed down. This is the generational housing boom, and it's already reshaping the American Dream. Call to Action: Want to see how this is playing out in your neighborhood? Visit GoGaddisRadio.com and let's dig in together. You get all the upside.

Retired social worker Jack Kammer (MaleFriendly Media) joins me to separate real men's issues from the manosphere circus—and map a sane path forward.Most conversations about men mistake the pyramid for the whole picture. Yes, a few at the top feast—but millions grind at the bottom. In this episode, retired social worker Jack Kammer and I dismantle lazy patriarchy takes, unpack mating market math (power laws, hypergamy, real options vs imagined ones), and contrast male hierarchy with the female network—a “heart-centered” power structure that's present but hard to see. We trace how wealth-induced social isolation (sprawl, cars, planned hangouts) erodes trust, why “work-life balance” collapses under the burden of performance, and how honesty about desire, capacity, and family roles beats quota-based fantasies. The fix isn't rage—it's community at Dunbar scale, merit with compassion, and finishing the other half of the gender-role revolution: giving men social permission for relationship labor, not just income labor. No villains. Just truth, trade-offs, and a way to rebuild.TL;DR* Apex fallacy: don't judge men by the 0.1%—see the “Misfortune Five Million.”* Two power systems: men = visible hierarchy; women = diffuse heart-centered network.* Isolation tax: the McMansion dream kills accidental community—connection needs proximity.* Work is not separate from life: entrepreneurs blur lines; corporate men carry the performance burden.* Real reform: finish the 1960s shift—normalize men taking relationship/care roles without penalty.* Strategy > slogans: meritocracy plus flexibility; transparency about intentions in dating and at work.Memorable lines“Don't look at the Fortune 500—look at the Misfortune Five Million.”“The female power structure isn't a skyscraper; it's a campus with a heart at the center.”“Community isn't a social program; it's your neighbors knocking for Friday pizza.”GuestJack Kammer — Retired social worker focused on the social issues of men and boys; founder of MaleFriendly Media.https://www.linkedin.com/in/malefriendlymedia/https://www.malefriendlymedia.com/Why this mattersIf you want stronger men, healthier women, and better kids, stop arguing abstractions and design for reality: smaller, closer communities; honest courtship; flexible pathways for fathers; merit with compassion at work.Call to ActionIf this hit—don't scroll past it. Take the Second Life Leader Quiz to see where you're powerful, where you're blocked, and what to do next: leaderquiz.app. Then share this with one man who's rebuilding.https://leaderquiz.app This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.dougutberg.com

There's no end to the Palm Beach real estate dramas; this one includes John Bon Jovi! Which tech billionaire has him "Livin' on a prayer"? In our neck of the woods, there's a battle between McMansions and ancient burial grounds - who will win? Troll and listener comments, and more. Our Bougie Bible picks include a sweet treat and the sexiest fish in Miami.⚡️SHARE THIS WITH A FRIEND⚡️☎️ LEAVE A MESSAGE: +1 239-300-7276 ☎️ 

                                      Listen in as Erin and Lindsay discuss: How pursuing joy—not just profit—transformed her real estate career. Why moving from DC to New Hampshire was the smartest “scary” decision she ever made. The 5 pillars of Lindsay's Happy Agent Method for building a business that aligns with your life. How to create a virtual brokerage culture that empowers agent autonomy and sustainability. Why embracing change in today's real estate market is critical—and how to find opportunity anywhere … and more!                                         About Lindsay Dreyer sold her first home in 2004—one of those shiny new McMansions for a national builder—and was instantly hooked. But it didn't take long to realize she wanted more than just a job in real estate. She wanted freedom, fulfillment, and a business that actually felt good to run. By 2011, after years of grinding at brokerages that didn't support top producers the way they should, Lindsay launched her own: City Chic Real Estate. Built from the ground up in the high-stakes Washington, DC market, City Chic became a haven for agents who wanted smart systems, high-touch marketing, and a collaborative, all-inclusive culture. Translation: no bro culture, no burnout, and no BS. Fast forward to today, Lindsay is the founder of Happy Agent Co., where she coaches ambitious agents, leads high-impact workshops, and teaches real estate pros how to build businesses that are profitable, sustainable, and aligned. Her signature framework, The Happy Agent Method, flips the traditional hustle mentality on its head and helps agents grow with intention—without losing their minds (or weekends) in the process. In 2017, Lindsay moved back to her hometown in New Hampshire, where she now runs City Chic semi-remotely, leads Happy Agent Co. nationwide, and lives her best life with her husband Andrew, their three amazing kiddos—Lexi, Will, and Lizzie—and a steady rotation of soup, yoga mats, and joy. How to Connect With Lindsay Website: www.happyagent.co LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/realestatelindsay/ Facebook: https://facebook.com/happyagentco Instagram: https://instagram.com/lindsay.dreyer Recommended Resources  ✨ Ready to build a business you actually enjoy? Grab Lindsay's FREE Start With Joy: Real Estate Workbook: www.happyagent.co/joyworkbook

ICYMI, a fabulous fan did a live tour for us in April of 2025 of some of the most iconic Sister Wives spots, so I decided to replay it for you. My friend Ashley, a fellow Sister Wives and podcast fan who lives in Flagstaff. We went on a virtual tour to uncover whether Kody and Robyn Brown still live at the McMansion or if they've moved into their new home at Coyote Pass. Ashley reported live from the McMansion, where she found no signs of life, which raised our suspicions. To our surprise, she spotted a for-sale sign on the road to Coyote Pass, hinting that part of the property might be up for sale, possibly related to Janelle and Meri. We then transitioned to the new McMansion, where Ashley confirmed that Kody's truck was present, indicating they have officially moved in. This episode was filled with breaking news and insights, making it a must-listen for all Sister Wives fans! MY Go Big Podcasting Courses Are Here! Purchase Go Big Podcasting and learn to start, monetize, and grow your own podcast. Use code DAD15 for 15% OFF until 6/30/2025 **SHOP my Amazon Marketplace - especially if you're looking to get geared-up to start your own Podcast!!!** https://www.amazon.com/shop/thesarahfrasershow Show is sponsored by: ASPCA Pet Insurance to explore coverage, visit A-S-P-C-A pet insurance dot com slash TSFS. Download Cash App & sign up! Use our exclusive referral code TSFS in your profile, send $5 to a friend within 14 days, and you'll get $10 dropped right into your account. Terms apply Horizonfibroids.com get rid of those nasty fibroids Gopurebeauty.com science backed skincare from head to toe, use code TSFS at checkout for 25% OFF your order Nutrafol.com use code TSFS for FREE shipping and $10 off your subscription Quince.com/tsfs for FREE shipping on your order and 365 day returns Rula.com/tsfs to get started today. That's R-U-L-A dot com slash tsfs for convenient therapy that's covered by insurance. SkylightCal.com/tsfs for $30 OFF your 15 inch calendar  Thrivecosmetics.com/tsfs Brighten a mom's day—especially if you're that mom. Go to thrivecausemetics.com/TSFS for 20% OFF your order Warbyparker.com/tsfs make an appointment at one of their 270 store locations and head to the website to try on endless pairs of glasses virtually and buy your perfect pair Follow me on Instagram/Tiktok: @thesarahfrasershow   ***Visit our Sub-Reddit: reddit.com/r/thesarahfrasershow for ALL things The Sarah Fraser Show!!!*** Advertise on The Sarah Fraser Show: thesarahfrasershow@gmail.com Got a juicy gossip TIP from your favorite TLC or Bravo show? Email: thesarahfrasershow@gmail.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On this mid-week episode, we're switching it up again. This time Bill joins the 'Finance for Physicians' podcast with host Daniel Wrenne, CFP®. In this vulnerable interview, Bill owns up to every late-starter mistake—credit-card splurges, 'free' advisors, and lifestyle creep after a twin-sized home upgrade. Then he slings real-world antidotes: pause-plan-pivot, backward budgeting, downsizing the McMansion, and letting Social Security's ‘inflation-proof annuity' finish the job. Bill's best advice is that physicians should treat money like they treat medicine—learn the language, follow the protocol, and stop ignoring the labs. Now a Financially Independent Physician, we're giving Bill a new name: the (FI)sician!  

This week, we're diving into a hot topic that's been on my mind since last weekend's show: why some builders totally miss the mark when it comes to constructing homes. It's not just about the shiny materials; the real magic (or disaster) happens during installation. I'm talking about how a well-built house with subpar materials can outlast a high-end home that's poorly put together. We'll chat about specific products where installation is the unsung hero, like windows, HVAC systems, roofing, and even tile. Plus, I'll spill some tea from my drive through the neighborhood, where I couldn't help but notice some serious flashing faux pas. So, buckle up and let's explore how the right installation can save your dream home from a watery grave!Dive into the nitty-gritty of home improvement with Eric G. as he takes us on a wild ride through the often overlooked world of construction quality. This episode unpacks the all-too-common scenario of builders skimping on essential installation practices, especially in high-dollar homes. Picture this: a brand new McMansion going up on a prime waterfront lot, yet the details are as flimsy as a paper towel. Eric passionately highlights the importance of proper flashing around windows and doors, revealing how a few hours of diligent work could save future homeowners from costly repairs down the line. Not to mention, he shares insights on the vital role of independent inspectors in the building process—because who wants to discover their dream home is built with 1995 technology? The conversation is both engaging and enlightening, making it clear that in home improvement, the devil is in the details. So whether you're a DIY diva or just a curious listener, this episode is a must-listen to avoid getting hoodwinked by shoddy workmanship.Takeaways: Eric G shares insights from last weekend's show and highlights the importance of quality installations in home building. He discusses how builders can sometimes cut corners, leading to potentially costly issues down the line for homeowners. The episode emphasizes that sometimes the installation quality is more crucial than the material grade when it comes to windows, doors, and roofing. Listeners are encouraged to consider hiring independent inspectors during the home building process to ensure everything is up to modern standards. To get your questions answered by Eric G give us a call in the studio at 833-239-4144 24/7 and Eric G will get back to you and answer your question and you might end up in a future episode of Around the House. Thanks for listening to Around the house if you want to hear more please subscribe so you get notified of the latest episode as it posts at https://around-the-house-with-e.captivate.fm/listenIf you want to join the Around the House Insider for access to the back catalog, Exclusive Content and a direct email to Eric G and access to the show early https://around-the-house-with-e.captivate.fm/support We love comments and we would love reviews on how this information has helped you on your house! Thanks for listening! For more information about the show head to https://aroundthehouseonline.com/ Information given on the Around the House Show should not be considered construction or design advice for your specific project, nor is it intended to replace consulting at your home or jobsite by a building professional. The views and opinions expressed by those interviewed on the podcast are those of the guests and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the Around the House Show. Mentioned in this...

借你1分鐘↓憑直覺選字，測看看你的投資風格↓ https://fstry.pse.is/7epy92 2025/4/30前領取酷聖石冰淇淋優惠，還有限量Food panda優惠碼可以拿。廣告內容由元大證券提供 ——以上廣告由 Firstory 與【月城南廣告】共同執行—— 在1980年代，美國的借貸法規大幅鬆綁，造就了一波「偽豪宅」（McMansion）熱潮。這些房屋造價低廉、外觀簡單，但腹地寬廣，一度成為美國中產階級展示財富與地位的象徵。雖然在2008年金融海嘯後，這類房型迅速退燒，但有趣的是，隨著近年新建住宅愈加難以負擔，這些偽豪宅又再次成為民眾購屋時的選項之一。 留言告訴我你對這一集的想法： https://open.firstory.me/user/cku2d315gwbbo0947nezjmg86/comments YT收看《寰宇全視界》

In this episode of TSFS, I had an exhilarating conversation with my friend Ashley, a fellow Sister Wives and podcast fan who lives in Flagstaff. We went on a virtual tour to uncover whether Kody and Robyn Brown still live at the McMansion or if they've moved into their new home at Coyote Pass. Ashley reported live from the McMansion, where she found no signs of life, which raised our suspicions. To our surprise, she spotted a for-sale sign on the road to Coyote Pass, hinting that part of the property might be up for sale, possibly related to Janelle and Meri. We then transitioned to the new McMansion, where Ashley confirmed that Kody's truck was present, indicating they have officially moved in. This episode was filled with breaking news and insights, making it a must-listen for all Sister Wives fans!Timestamps:00:00:00 - Introduction to the Sister Wives Tour00:08:00 - Treehouse Discovery, McMansion is empty00:12:30 - Breaking News: Coyote Pass for Sale00:15:00 - Details on Coyote Pass Listing00:18:00 - Arrival at the New McMansionGet Tickets To Our Virtual Live Podcast show May 1st at 7pm EDT. Here's the link for tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/david-yontef-sarah-fraser-virtual-live-show-ask-us-anything-51-7pm-tickets-1276780297239?aff=erelexpmlt MY Go Big Podcasting Courses Are Here! Purchase Go Big Podcasting and learn to start, monetize, and grow your own podcast. USE CODE: TIKTOK20 for 20% OFF (code expires April 30th, 2025)**SHOP my Amazon Marketplace - especially if you're looking to get geared-up to start your own Podcast!!!**https://www.amazon.com/shop/thesarahfrasershowShow is sponsored by:Horizonfibroids.com get rid of those nasty fibroidsLittleSaints.com use code TSFS for 20% off your first order, these are my FAV non-alcoholic cocktails, enjoy better sleep, less stress, and more!Nutrafol.com use code TSFS for FREE shipping and $10 off your subscriptionProlonlife.com/tsfs 15% off sitewide plus a $40 bonus gift when you subscribe to their 5-Day Nutrition Program! ● Try their detox that has REAL FOOD and WORKS!Rula.com/tsfs to get started today. That's R-U-L-A dot com slash tsfs for convenient therapy that's covered by insurance.Quince.com/tsfs for FREE shipping on your order and 365 day returnsFollow me on Instagram/Tiktok: @thesarahfrasershow  ***Visit our Sub-Reddit: reddit.com/r/thesarahfrasershow for ALL things The Sarah Fraser Show!!!***Advertise on The Sarah Fraser Show: thesarahfrasershow@gmail.comGot a juicy gossip TIP from your favorite TLC or Bravo show? Email: thesarahfrasershow@gmail.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode of TSFS, I had an exhilarating conversation with my friend Ashley, a fellow Sister Wives and podcast fan who lives in Flagstaff. We went on a virtual tour to uncover whether Kody and Robyn Brown still live at the McMansion or if they've moved into their new home at Coyote Pass. Ashley reported live from the McMansion, where she found no signs of life, which raised our suspicions. To our surprise, she spotted a for-sale sign on the road to Coyote Pass, hinting that part of the property might be up for sale, possibly related to Janelle and Meri. We then transitioned to the new McMansion, where Ashley confirmed that Kody's truck was present, indicating they have officially moved in. This episode was filled with breaking news and insights, making it a must-listen for all Sister Wives fans! Timestamps: 00:00:00 - Introduction to the Sister Wives Tour 00:08:00 - Treehouse Discovery, McMansion is empty 00:12:30 - Breaking News: Coyote Pass for Sale 00:15:00 - Details on Coyote Pass Listing 00:18:00 - Arrival at the New McMansion Get Tickets To Our Virtual Live Podcast show May 1st at 7pm EDT. Here's the link for tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/david-yontef-sarah-fraser-virtual-live-show-ask-us-anything-51-7pm-tickets-1276780297239?aff=erelexpmlt  MY Go Big Podcasting Courses Are Here! Purchase Go Big Podcasting and learn to start, monetize, and grow your own podcast. USE CODE: TIKTOK20 for 20% OFF (code expires April 30th, 2025) **SHOP my Amazon Marketplace - especially if you're looking to get geared-up to start your own Podcast!!!** https://www.amazon.com/shop/thesarahfrasershow Show is sponsored by: Horizonfibroids.com get rid of those nasty fibroids LittleSaints.com use code TSFS for 20% off your first order, these are my FAV non-alcoholic cocktails, enjoy better sleep, less stress, and more! Nutrafol.com use code TSFS for FREE shipping and $10 off your subscription Prolonlife.com/tsfs 15% off sitewide plus a $40 bonus gift when you subscribe to their 5-Day Nutrition Program! ● Try their detox that has REAL FOOD and WORKS! Rula.com/tsfs to get started today. That's R-U-L-A dot com slash tsfs for convenient therapy that's covered by insurance. Quince.com/tsfs for FREE shipping on your order and 365 day returns Follow me on Instagram/Tiktok: @thesarahfrasershow   ***Visit our Sub-Reddit: reddit.com/r/thesarahfrasershow for ALL things The Sarah Fraser Show!!!*** Advertise on The Sarah Fraser Show: thesarahfrasershow@gmail.com Got a juicy gossip TIP from your favorite TLC or Bravo show? Email: thesarahfrasershow@gmail.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of Rabbit Holes, we take a deep look at the Wailea 670 (Honuaʻula) development and the long-standing fight over its impact on Maui. What started as a plan to provide mixed-use residential housing has morphed into yet another luxury-driven project, with broken promises along the way. We explore: The history of Wailea 670, from its original approval in 2008 to its latest legal and environmental challenges. The shrinking affordable housing commitments—how 700 promised units became just 288, and what that means for local families. Environmental and cultural concerns, including threats to one of Maui's last dryland forests and over 200 cultural sites, including iwi kūpuna (ancestral burials). The political landscape, the legal loopholes developers use, and how similar projects across Hawaiʻi follow the same pattern. A conversation with Stacey Alapai, breaking down what's at stake and how people can take action. How to Testify Against Wailea 670 The Maui Planning Commission is holding a special public hearing on March 11, 2025 to determine the future of Wailea 670. Your voice matters.

In this episode of Off Topic, Eric dives into the world of McMansions—those oversized, often questionably designed homes that spark endless debate. He then shifts gears to talk about Groundhog Day, sharing thoughts on the quirky tradition and whether Punxsutawney Phil really knows what he's doing. As always, the episode wraps up with Country Music Weekly, covering the latest releases and updates on the Mediabase chart. Tune in for another fun and unpredictable episode!

My favourite book about the internet is by the Canadian author Douglas Coupland. In his 2014 book, Kitten Clone: Inside Alcatel-Lucent, Coupland asks, “Where did the sense of invention go—the sense of futurity—the sense that by working in tech, you were somehow building a better tomorrow, a smarter tomorrow, a more democratic tomorrow?" Colette Shade begins her book, Y2K: How the 2000s Became Everything (Essays on the Future That Never Was), in a period in which it was generally felt that by working in tech, you were somehow building a better tomorrow, a smarter tomorrow, and a more democratic tomorrow. (Plus ça change!) In Y2K, Colette asks, “What was the Y2K Era and why are we still living in its shadow?” Y2K's essays—on subjects as varied as blobby furniture and see-through consumer electronics; VOGUE magazine and disordered eating; and McMansions, Hummers and Starbucks—explore this question. We talk: 3:33 : "I want to write a book. What should I write about?" - Colette 4:04: Why 1998 was the best year of Colette's life 5:18: On being a kid in the '90s (Pokémon, riding your bike, watching TV) 6:00: The Dot-com Bubble in the 1990s 6:35: Netscape mentioned 6:55: "There was no understanding that [the internet] was a place where you could make a lot of money." - Colette 8:00: Colette's uncle got rich when his company was bought by Nokia 10:29: This meant that Colette went to college debt-free, without student loans 10:58: It's hard to write nonfiction about current events because you have to stop when it's time to publish, and current events keep happening. But Y2K feels timely, nonetheless. 13:27: The 90s/2000s purity culture is now repackaged as trad culture/retvrn culture 14:40: Colette wrote about taking a sex-positive sex ed class that contrasts from the typical way Americans learn sex ed; and, as Colette argues, played into the culture war now happening online and in real life 17:38: Colette says that the culture war is a proxy war 19:38: "The Christian right has a great enemy. It's gays! It's all those slutty women!" - Colette 20:25: This contrasts with her parents' worldview as secular liberals 22:12 "The people who want to ban books... that feels accessible to them, whereas gaining control of their economic conditions does not." - Colette 22:48: "Your body. My choice." 24:44: Donald Trump wants to make Canada the 51st state (wtf??) 25:41: 25% tariff 26:35 McMansions and Hummers as symbols of the post-9/11, pre-2008 bubble 27:40 "Americans don't always have the stomach" to think critically about their history - Colette 28:23: Colette on Greg Grandin's Pulitzer Prize-winning book The End of the Myth: From the Frontier to the Border Wall in the Mind of America (2019) 29:35: Colette paraphrases Grandin's argument on the cause of the American Revolution, which gave Americans "a mandate for endless expansion" (sound familiar?) 33:15: Colette compares American expansion to the PlayStation game Katamari Damacy 35:04: America First 36:12: Cyberspace as a frontier 36:34: Early internet users saw themselves as Cyber Cowboys and settlers in "a place where they could be free," says Colette 37:55: Property ownership and the American Dream 39:00: The 2008 subprime mortgage crisis marked "a real break in American history," says Colette 40:45: The information superhighway 40:55: Olivia Rodrigo asks first dates whether they like Elon Musk 41:21: "The years start coming and they don't stop coming." - Smash Mouth 42:17: What advice would Colette give her teenage self? Buy Y2K: https://www.harpercollins.com/products/y2k-colette-shade Colette's website: http://www.coletteshade.com/ My website: https://www.annasoper.ca/ Music: The Sound of dial-up Internet by wtermini on Pixabay Spirit Blossom by RomanBelov on Pixabay Fighter [No Vocals] - punk rock by 22941069 on Pixabay ...... Teen People is recorded in Kingston/Katarokwi, the traditional territory of the Anishinaabe, the Haudenosaunee and the Huron-Wendat.

Let's fall into a Y2K-Hole. The Shuffle bois turn to the world of pop culture and consumer aesthetics with expert guest Colette Shade, author of “Y2K: How the 2000's Became Everything.” Colette walks us through what the defining features of the Y2K era were, the history of the dot com bubble, some of the period's most iconic styles and movements (Y2K Futurism, Frutiger Aero, Blobject, 2K1, Techno-orientalism, McBling), as well as various manifestations of the intense sexism of the time.  Follow Colette on Twitter (@MsShade) and check her website out here: https://www.coletteshade.com/. Her tour dates are as: 1/8/2025 • 7:00 PM • Baltimore, MD 1/9/25 • 6:30 PM • New York, NY 1/15/25 • 6:00 PM • New Haven, CT 1/17/25 • 7:00 PM • Cambridge, MA 1/22/25 • 7:00 PM • Los Angeles, CA 1/24/25 • 7:00 PM • San Francisco, CA 2/1/25 • 6:00 PM • Washington, DC 2/6/25 • 7:00 PM • Baltimore, MD Give Remember Shuffle a follow on Twitter⁠⁠⁠ And on Instagram⁠⁠ ⁠@RememberShufflePod⁠⁠⁠ it makes it easier to book guests. 2000s Aestetics websites: https://aesthetics.fandom.com/wiki/Category:2000s https://cari.institute/

There's a housing crisis in America: high interest rates, not enough homes, and regulations that seem to favor building massive “McMansions” instead of more diverse housing stock. How did we get here, and can we find our way out? Post columnist Heather Long talks to the Atlantic's Jerusalem Demsas, who's written a book on the housing crisis, and Bryan DeHenau, a Michigan roofer who sees the struggles in the building industry on the ground every day.Additional Reading:Heather Long and Amanda Shendruk: “The new American Dream should be a townhouse”Heather Long talks with Bryan DeHenau about his ideas for how to build more homes in America: “A Michigan roofer's smart plan to end the housing crisis”Jerusalem Demsas: “An American-Style Housing Crisis in New Zealand”

In this episode of Platemark, I interview Art Werger, a renowned printmaker and retired professor from Ohio University. We discuss Art's extensive experience and techniques in printmaking, focusing on his work in etching and mezzotint. Art shares his innovative approaches to color experimentation and his use of unique methods like double dropping, cut plates, and à la poupée inking. We also talk about Art's artistic journey, his teaching experiences, working with litho crayon and white ground techniques, and his projects, including a series of circus-related prints and illustrations for 'The Godfather.' The episode concludes with Art offering to donate prints to educators reflecting his generous spirit and commitment to the printmaking community and highlighting the importance of supporting printmaking in an era dominated by digital techniques.   Episode photo by Karla Hackenmiller   https://artwerger.com/ IG @artwerger https://www.etsy.com/market/art_werger   Platemark website Sign-up for Platemark emails Leave a 5-star review Support the show Get your Platemark merch Check out Platemark on Instagram Join our Platemark group on Facebook   Art Werger (American, born 1955). Still Pictures, from a 2020 Instagram post. 99 mezzotints with mouse bites. Courtesy of the Artist. Art Werger (American, born 1955). Still Pictures, 2005. 99 mezzotints with mouse bites. 25 ½ x 25 ½ in. Courtesy of the Artist. Art Werger (American, born 1955). Exposure, 2023. 1-plate color etching and aquatint, sugar lift, white ground, and softground etching, printed twice (warm and cool colors—double drop method). Courtesy of the Artist. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V7P_Q9hqVuY&t=401s Carding on cool colors on Exposure, 2023. Carding on cool colors on Exposure, 2023. Art Werger (American, born 1955). The Fool, 2024. 2-plate color etching. Courtesy of the Artist. https://www.instagram.com/reel/C3LqKuhRTnd/ Art Werger (American, born 1955). The Fool, 2024. 2-plate color etching (grid inked in warm colors for color tests). Courtesy of the Artist. Art Werger (American, born 1955). The Fool, 2024. 2-plate color etching (grid inked in cool colors for color tests). Courtesy of the Artist. Art Werger (American, born 1955). The Staggering Shambonys, 1981. Color etching and aquatint. Courtesy of the Artist. Art Werger (American, born 1955). Don't Invite the Ringlings to Dinner, 2024. Color etching. 22 x 17 in. Courtesy of the Artist. Art Werger (American, born 1955). Binge and Purge from The Godfather, 2024. Mezzotint. 9 ½ x 6 ¼ in. Courtesy of the Artist. Art Werger (American, born 1955). Circus, 2024. Color etching (6 cut plates). 18 x 22 in. Courtesy of the Artist. A la poupée inking cut plate for Circus, 2024. Courtesy of the Artist. Stencil inking cut plate for Circus, 2024. Courtesy of the Artist. Art Werger (American, born 1955). Balance, 2024. Color etching. 20 x 13 in. Courtesy of the Artist. Jonathan Beaumont Thomas (American, born 1973). Hibiscus, 2021/22. Color etching and aquatint. Courtesy of the Artist. Art Werger (American, born 1955). Montauk drawings, 2023. Prismacolor pencils on black paper. Courtesy of the Artist. Art Werger (American, born 1955). Nocturnal, 2024. Etching. 29 x 22 in. Courtesy of the Artist. Art Werger (American, born 1955). McMansions, 2019. Aquatint. 18 x 16 in. Courtesy of the Artist. Art Werger (American, born 1955). The Godfather, 2024. Portfolio of 16 mezzotints. Courtesy of the Artist.

‘Tis the season for giving. By TheSleepingKing. Listen to the Podcast at Steamy Stories. 7:16 am The door from the bathroom swung open, spilling steam into the dim blue rays of light sneaking in through the blinds. Wrapped in a towel, Shauna strode into her dorm room, feet sinking into the carpet as she padded across the floor. Pausing at the window she pulled the cord to raise the blinds, bathing the room in the soft glow of an overcast Michigan dawn. A dusting of snow covered the glazing. About an inch drifted on the ledge outside. Beyond and several stories down a lone figure rounded onto the back straight of the athletic track. Shauna leaned in, her breath fogging the glass. She poked two dots and underlined them with a curve. Smiled at the new face smiling back at her. It was a beautiful Christmas Eve morning.She unhooked the towel and tossed it over the back of the chair parked under the desk. The cool air plucked at her nipples and sapped the heat from her skin. She skimmed her hands around the bulge of her breasts, across her taut tummy and the arc of her ass. Appraising her profile in the mirror she nodded. Spin class and yoga really paid off this year. From the top drawer of the dresser, she picked out white lace panties and drew them up over toned, creamy thighs. She paired them with red and white argyle knee socks and a soft strapless bra. Sifting through the hangers in the closet she settled on a flirty red A-line dress with wide shoulder straps and a length about mid-thigh. Not practical for the weather. But perfect for the mission. 7:32 am She capped the outfit with a fuzzy Santa hat and white-soled black Keds before returning to the mirror. She turned side to side and took a twirl, the dress flaring out before settling over her legs. Certainly the sexiest elf she'd ever seen. She glanced over at the clock on the nightstand. She would need to get going soon to make her deliveries. The schedule was tight. On any other Christmas Eve she'd still be asleep; tucked in tight and dead to the world in a quiet corner of her parents' six-bedroom McMansion in Traverse City. She'd get up around 10:00, meet her brother for lunch, then spend the afternoon serving food at a shelter across town before heading home for the traditional Christmas Eve dinner with her family. This year, dinner had been moved up to lunch – something about grandma and grandpa's flights. So volunteering was out. She was fine with it at first. But as the season ramped up and the holiday spirit infected her, she felt the need to replace it with something. Some way to give back. To spread a little cheer to those less fortunate this time of year. As 3rd floor RA for the co-ed dorm, she was privy to certain information. The administration realized not every student could make it home for the holidays. So the school remained open in a limited capacity, depending on the holiday and how many students remained behind. This year on her floor there were three. And since they were stuck there maybe she could celebrate with them before she left. She snatched a small white drawstring bag off her bed and slung it over her shoulder, the contents momentarily rustling about inside. Taking her key card from the dresser she slipped it into her bra and reached for the door. She paused, re-thinking, the lever rocking under her palm. Quickly, she picked it out and tucked it neatly into the back of a sock instead, before ducking out into the hall. 7:40 am Shauna stopped at Room 303. She gave her usual rata-tat-tat RA knock and shrugged the bag off her shoulder, holding the strap in the crook of her elbow. The corridor was weirdly quiet. No music or raucous conversation bleeding through the walls. She couldn't imagine having to spend the next week here under these conditions. A latch clicked in front of her, and the door creaked open. “Hey Ty,” she chirped, “Merry Christmas!” Ty seemed surprised by the greeting, then confused by her presence. He smiled. “Um…thanks. Merry Christmas to you too.” His eyes dipped – first to her cleavage, then to her legs – before rebounding to hers. He now seemed nervous too. “Can I come in for a minute?” “Uh…yeah, sure.” Shoving his hands into the pockets of his sweats he stepped aside. She glided past, her blonde curls swishing about her shoulders. Ty gently shut the door behind her. Shauna glanced around the suite. Open textbooks were strewn across the couch. Graph paper filled with notes littered the desk. The three computer monitors that typically flickered video games, now hosted row upon row of complex equations she didn't understand. Ambient techno pulsed softly through a pair of small speakers, and the room smelled faintly of Axe body spray. “I'm sorry,” he offered, “I wasn't expecting anyone today.” He was a freshman, so she'd only known him one semester. But he seemed like a good kid. Sure, he was disheveled, nerdy, and a little immature. But he was charming and considerate, and very bright – dedicated to keeping his name on the Dean's List. Didn't hurt that he was cute either. “That's okay,” she replied. “Santa knows it sucks having to be here over the holidays, so he got you a present.” She lowered the bag and reached inside, pulling out a deep green envelope with a silver star sticker sealing it shut. “Nothing big, just something to give you a break from…” she waved her arm toward the paper and monitors, “…this.” Cautiously he took the envelope, turning it over to find his name written neatly on the front. “Oh,” he said, “…thanks. That's…really nice.” A moment of awkward silence followed. “Go ahead,” Shauna prompted, “open it.” Ty shrugged. He peeled up the star and lifted the flap, extricating a Christmas card with a red-nosed Rudolph gracing the cover. He smiled as he opened it, eyes tracking back and forth across the page. Wedged in the crease was a white 3 by 5 note card. Flipping it right-side-up he discovered a sketch in black marker in the center. He froze, the smile fading, jaw dropped. He looked up at Shauna. Then back at the card. “Wait…,” he stammered, “is this…. Are you…. Is this for real?” Shauna raised her eyebrows and shrugged. “Santa likes to make sure no one on the nice list gets left out.” Her gaze fell to his groin, dialing in on the growing bulge. There was the response she was hoping for. She hung the bag over the doorknob. Closing the distance between them she reached out and pinched the card in her fingers. “Why don't you get comfortable.” She set it on a textbook and slouched against the desk, waiting. Ty looked left, then right, unsure of what to do. Finally, he stepped back and eased himself down to the edge of his bed. Shauna placed her hands on his thighs, pushing them apart before kneeling between them. The tented fleece covering his crotch pointed directly at her. She smiled. Looked up. “You've done this before, right?” He paused a moment, then nodded vigorously. She wasn't convinced. But it didn't really matter. It might even help keep her on schedule. She gave him a shove, forcing him to recline and brace with his arms. Grabbing his sweats by the pockets she jerked at them until they pooled around his ankles. His cock sprang out, slapping his abdomen before swaying back to vertical. She wrapped it in her fingers, the whole head protruding from her fist. He puffed and shivered under her touch. Leaning forward she lowered her head. His body tensed. She raised her eyes to find his narrowed, his mouth rounded and dry. “Relax,” she cooed, “just enjoy it,” and slipped his dick between her lips. A breath rattled his chest. She felt the blanket cinch beneath them as his fingers gripped and pulled. First she teased the glans, undulating her tongue beneath, then around and over the top. His hips shot up to meet her mouth. She lightened her hold, welcoming him in deeper. She bobbed her head to the rhythm of the music – down on one and three, up on two and four. His cock was rock hard, curving into the roof of her mouth with each descent. He sighed, and groaned, and grunted; the tone and timbre of each growing more urgent with each passing minute. Shauna's free hand dove under her dress and between her legs, fingers plucking aside the damp lace and strumming the slick, smooth lips of her pussy. Her partners were usually more experienced. More restrained. It had been some time since one had responded with such virginal enthusiasm. And she found it to be quite the turn-on. She held her neck as steady as she could, relinquishing control of tempo and depth. Ty trembled, huffing air through gritted teeth. Shauna peeked to find his eyes closed, neck strained, deep blue veins pulsing through. Sensing the moment, her fingers left the base of his dick and curled around his balls. She tightened her lips to a gentle squeeze. Ty stalled. A guttural growl forced its way into the air. His eyes popped open wide and fixed on Shauna's. With a batting of lashes, she pushed down on his throbbing cock until the tip of her nose bumped his abdomen. A heartbeat later, torrents of warm, viscid cum spewed into her mouth. The jets struck the back of her palate, sloshing over her tonsils and sliding down her throat. She swallowed hard but couldn't keep up. Each burst seemed richer than the last, filling her cheeks and leaking from the corners of her mouth. Her own juices deluged her fingers in response; the squelching filling the gaps between Ty's staggered gasps. A dozen spurts later his orgasm subsided. Shauna held his cock a little longer, savoring its texture on her lips and the mild, distinct flavor of his seed. She moved with him as his hips sagged back to the mattress, sinking him deeper to the root of his erection. After one final gulp she sucked in her cheeks and lifted her head, teasing the remaining fluids from the head of his dick. He gawked at her, speechless. She pulled her fingers from her pussy and held them up in front of her. They gleamed in the light, strands of grool clinging to her knuckles as she separated them. Fixing on him she sucked each finger into her mouth, swabbing them clean before licking her lips. Ty's eyes rolled back in his head and he collapsed flat on the bed. Shauna giggled. Pushing off she rocked to her feet. She looked at him spread over the rumpled blanket, his penis twitching on his tummy. She nodded, pleased with herself. Sweeping her hair out of her face she took the gift sack from the doorknob and the note card from the desk, slipping the latter into the former. “Did you enjoy your present?” she asked, slinging the bag over her shoulder. Ty groaned a sigh, his satisfaction evident. A smile lit Shauna's lips. “Good,” she said, “that's great.” She made her way back to the door. “You know, Santa can't offer gifts like this to everyone, so…let's keep this between us, okay?” An arm raised and a hand approximated a wave before tumbling limp to the mattress. She took it as a yes. Catching her reflection in the window she adjusted her hat. “Merry Christmas Ty,” she said softly, before disappearing into the corridor. 8:05 am Snowflakes drifted past the tall narrow windows of the student lounge separating the north and south wings of the third floor. Curled up at the far end of the couch opposite the ping pong table, Shauna twisted the cap off a bottle of diet soda and took a sip. Pulling her phone from the bag she checked the time. Javon would arrive in fifteen minutes. Plenty of time to finish her drink. She stretched out across the cushions and downed another swig. This one excited her more than the others. She and Javon were casually acquainted. Though both juniors they rarely shared classes. But they saw each other often around campus; playing pool in the lounge, grabbing coffee at Starks, or stocking up on dollar tacos Tuesday nights at Frankie's. And always, always flirting. Nothing ever came of it, unfortunately. He was putting himself through school and the scholarships just weren't enough. So he needed to work a lot. Every chance he got he'd bank some overtime or pick up an extra shift. That didn't leave much time for anything else. But today was Christmas Eve. The print shop would be closed tomorrow, so he couldn't go in tonight. Which she hoped would free up just enough time for what she had in store. A door closed in the distance, followed by footsteps in the hallway behind her. She checked her phone. He was early. She chugged another mouthful of soda, then quietly stuffed everything into the bag. The footsteps halted. A latch turned and a door opened, then closed. She counted to thirty, then slid off the couch and left the lounge, rounding the corner toward 317. 8:08 am Shauna waited, impatiently, shifting her weight from foot to foot. Still no response. She knocked again, harder this time. Shuffling noises, then heavy footfalls. The door swung open on a scowling Javon, his uniform shirt crumpled in his fist, muscles chiseled and taut. She smiled up at him, head cocked to the side. He looked her over, his mood softening as he recognized who she was. “Hey,” he said, eyebrows furrowed. “What are you still doing here?” She shrugged, ignoring the twinge in her pussy. “Waiting to see you. Can I come in?” Javon retreated inside, tossing his shirt on the bed and perching on the edge of his dresser. Shauna followed, taking quick stock of the room. Clean and sparse. Suitable for someone who spent very little time there. She turned her attention to him. Tall and dark, with bold, crisp features. His hands splotched with cyan and yellow ink from the press. “Is um…is this a bad time?” “Nah,” he said, shaking his head. “I was just going to take a shower, then go down for a nap.” He waved a hand in her direction. “Soooo, who are you supposed to be?” “I'm a Christmas elf,” she replied. “Santa's Helper.” Javon's eyes widened. “Oh. You're a lot taller than I would have expected of an elf.” “Well, we're not all size challenged artisans baking cookies in the off-season you know. Some of us are taller, and educated, and…really cute.” He laughed, his pecs jumping. “That's fair. Please forgive my ignorance of the elf community. I don't know any – aside from you.” She shrugged the bag off her shoulder and reached inside, crossing the carpet between them. “Listen, she began, “Santa knows how hard you work to be here, and how much that keeps you from having a life. So, he got you a little gift. It won't make up for having to be here over the holidays, but it might help take the edge off?” She pulled out a red envelope and handed it to him. He stared at it, his face cycling through several emotions, settling on confused. “Thanks,” he said, “that's…really sweet. I'm sorry I didn't get you anything.” Shauna smiled to herself, setting the bag on the floor. “Open it.” She wandered past him to the window. Raising the blinds she took a quick peek outside before turning and sliding up onto his desk, swinging her feet freely beneath. Javon zipped a finger under the flap and extracted the card; a red-nosed Rudolph printed on the cover. As he shook it open a white note card fluttered out. He snatched it out of the air and held it up. A sketch in black marker graced the white space. Shauna watched over his shoulder as he stared at the figures suggested by the swooping lines. He fanned the card, then turned and eased off his seat. He walked over to her, holding it up, the image upside down. His mouth curled in one corner. “This is uhhh…you and me?” She squinted at the picture. “Well…right-side up and all, but…sure.” She took it from him and snapped it on the desk. Her arms extended, fingers wedging themselves between the waist of his jeans and the warm, smooth skin of his abdomen. She reeled him in between her legs, squeezing them in hers. “Come on,” she said, thumbs separating the button and peeling the zipper. “Take a break.” Javon reached out, tracing the curl of her ear with his finger. Tilting his head, he leaned in for a kiss. Shauna planted a hand in the center of his chest, stopping his lips a hair's breadth from hers. His heartbeat pulsed through her arm and gut, thumping through her clit like a kick drum. She tapped a finger on the card beside her. He glanced down. Then back at her. She smiled. Pushed him away. She hopped off the desk, lowering her eyes to the height of his fly. Waiting. Javon nodded. In a single swoop he shoved his jeans to the floor and stepped out. The outline of his cock bulged the breathable fabric of his boxer briefs, curving down his right leg. A squeak left Shauna's throat. She reached inside and fished it out, needing both hands to hoist the shaft. It hardened in her grip, rising, reaching for its target. She pulled a few long strokes, its heat warming her hands. She had imagined what he might be hiding. But none of those dreams fell short of reality. Reluctantly she let go. Eyes fixed on her prize she slowly turned round, bending over the desk. She shuffled her feet a shoulder's width apart and casually wiggled her ass. Javon stepped up, his demeanor all business. Stroking his meat with one hand he grabbed the hem of her dress in the other and flipped it up over her butt. Her firm white cheeks glowed in the morning light. He took the waistband of her panties and rolled them down her hips and thighs, abandoning them around her calves and exposing her labia to the chill of the room. She was sopping wet. He swiped his penis along her slit, greasing it with her cream. Current bolted up her spine, raising the hairs on the back of her neck. She threw her ass toward him, anxious to be filled. But he took his time, lubing every inch to a slippery shine. Finally satisfied, he set a palm in the small of her back and wedged the tip of his cock between her folds. Slow and steady, he sank into her vagina. Shauna gasped, eyes round. Her knees buckled, fingertips clawing at the laminate as her canal expanded to accommodate the intruder. It was thicker than any dick or dildo she remembered. And she was suddenly grateful he'd been so careful to slicken up. He took shallow, steady thrusts, loosening her vice a touch each time. Short, silent breaths gave way to grunts and groans. She tried to restrain herself in case anyone still left was walking the halls. But it was a losing battle. The pressure coiling inside would soon be too much to contain. Javon curled over her. Reaching into her dress he freed her breasts from their padded sling and cupped one in each hand. He pinched her nipples between strong fingers, yoking her tits to her clit with little bolts of lightning. The heat of the moment telegraphed through her skin, flushing her ears, cheeks, and chest a robust, rosy pink. He pushed on, diving deeper into her velvet pouch. Her arms burning, Shauna lowered her elbows and forehead to the desk. Her hair shrouded her periphery, leaving the only clear view that of her lover's balls swaying back and forth between her thighs. A delightful fog rolled over her brain, occluding everything outside the aura of their bodies. “Do you want it all,” Javon whispered, his voice piercing the veil. Shauna turned her head, mouth agape. “That's not all of it?” A baritone chuckle rumbled from his chest. He straightened up, releasing her boobs for a firm hold of her waist. He eased down the throttle, slowing his rhythm. Measuring the distance. She caught his eyes for a moment, glimpsing the same lechery she felt coursing through her veins. He smiled at her. Then hilted his cock in her pussy. “Uhhh gawd.” A wave of pleasure rippled out from her core, breaking over her entire body. She couldn't gauge how big he was, but he was now twice as deep as he had been seconds ago. He gave her a moment and a few shallow dips before ramping up the pace; drawing his dick out to the barb each time before plunging back in. Shauna's ass rippled, limbs shuddering under each impact. She stretched her arms to brace herself. But her hands squeaked against the desk each time he crashed into her, jolting her forward. She began to lose control. Her pelvic muscles clenched; labia stretching around his shaft. He growled his approval. A stern smack stung her left buttock, forcing a squeal from her larynx and a shock to her sex. Another followed, echoing off the walls into her ears. Her strength failed, drooping her back and turning her legs to jelly. Javon grabbed hold of one and lifted it, bending the knee and setting it securely on the desktop. He continued to hammer away. The cords binding her orgasm began to fray. She imagined his view from behind; her sodden pink snatch vulgarly splayed for the massive dark rod plowing her gut. Words escaped her, leaving only screams and moans to communicate her desire. 8:42 am Shauna's head was swimming, her brain just mush. But she held on, wanting this ecstasy to last forever. Her hat flew off her head, landing silently on the windowsill. Long fingers raked through her hair. They gathered her curls into his fist and pulled. Her head snapped back, jaw dropped, eyelids fluttering. The cords snapped and the coil exploded. She bore down on his dick, silent and stiff, her body racked with orgasm. Her toes dug into the carpet, her raised foot flopping about over the edge of the desk. She slapped the top with her hands, translating her contractions into a frantic rhythm beat out for Javon to hear. Her juices flowed freely, seeping out past his cock and dribbling down her thighs. And through all this, he continued to fuck her. Shauna's orgasm continued in suspended animation, tweaking her muscles and prickling her skin. As snug as he fit there was now no friction. He glided in and out like a piston in a well-oiled machine. He pumped harder, faster, working to create resistance. But her pussy was a flooded mess and that wasn't going to change. He whispered something toward her ear. A question? She couldn't decipher the words. But it didn't matter. As long as he kept filling her, perpetuating this feeling, he could do whatever he wanted. She nodded as best she could. The pounding slowed and the hand holding her waist released. The slapping of skin ceased, and his penis slipped out of her vagina. The emptiness was deflating, like the air had been sucked from her lungs. She turned to look but he stopped her, pushing her head back down to the desk. She opened her mouth to demand he continue and that's when she felt it. The pressure on the dip of her anus. Her insides knotted up. Everything clenched, then released. Her rosebud relaxed, and Javon's cock surged up her ass. She held her breath, expecting pain. But there was none. Only an indescribable fullness she had never experienced before. Each time he retracted her stomach dropped. Each plunge threatened to split her at the seams. Orgasm ripped through her again, rattling her bones and sweating from every pore. The room closed in, swaddling her in a thick black heat. She screamed but heard nothing. Felt only his cock. His fingers curled over her shoulders and around her neck. He pushed and pulled her with new urgency, opposing the swing of his hips. He'd found the resistance he was seeking, and it drove him on toward ferocious climax. In her stupor, Shauna somehow regained control of her limbs. She twisted an arm behind her back and flailed at his. When he looked down, wanton lust blazing in his eyes, she willed words from her lips. “Cum in me,” she cried, breathless, desperate for his load. “Cum in my ass.” He glared at her, neck craned, jaw set. He shifted his weight, pinning her tits to the desk and raising her butt. He tried to hold out a bit longer. But she was too tight and he was too far gone. Nodding his head Javon closed his eyes and buried his throbbing cock balls deep, erupting hot semen deep in her bowels. He roared in release, his balls smashed against her pussy, rocking into the curve of her ass. The pressure lifted her foot from the floor, grinding her hip into the edge of the desktop. But she didn't care. His cum splattered inside her, capping her climax with a warm, gooey buzz. Her buttocks quaked with each spasm. She had his cock. All of it. In the moment, that was everything. 9:04 am Gradually the pumping slowed. The pressure on her back eased and the room drifted back into focus. She glimpsed herself in a mirror near the window; hair disheveled, bare breasts smushed beneath the cockled red fabric; a trembling leg coiled on the desk, panties dangling casually from her ankle. “You are so fuckin' hot,” said the voice in her ear. She cooed, not yet able to formulate words. He rested in her a moment longer, sharing her warmth. When they'd finally caught their breath Javon stood tall. Kneading his hands into the meat of her cheeks he pushed himself back, emerging from her ass with an obscene wet slurp. Empty, Shauna sighed, the void disappointing. Her rosebud gaped, then winked several times before shrinking back into place. Javon slumped against the wall near the window. Fumbling with the latch he cracked it open. December rushed in, swirling round their bodies and raising goosebumps on their skin. Shauna shivered, invigorated, the cold soothing her scalded sex. Watching her lover she smeared her cream over her pussy and along the crack of her ass. His organ flexed toward her, but Javon shook his head. Smiling, she wriggled off the desk. On wobbly legs she gathered the note card and the bag and set them on the edge of the bed. Rummaging around in the neck of her dress she tucked her tits back into her bra and plumped them into position. Javon sauntered over, her hat in one hand, soggy panties in the other. She took the cap and fit it over her head. “Can't put those back on,” she said of her underwear. “You keep them.” He nodded, draping them over the corner of the television. She shouldered the bag and looked up at him. “Did Santa get you what you wanted?” He laughed. She followed his eyes down to his semi-hard, polished rod. “I think he fucking crushed it,” he replied. Closing the gap between them he lowered his voice. “Tell me something though. Is this strictly a Christmas situation, or…are…special occasions not required.” Shauna shrugged, the corners of her mouth curling up. “Why don't you come by sometime and find out,” she offered. “You know where I live.” She gave his penis a playful nip and tug and backed out into the hallway. 9:13 am Shauna stood quietly outside Room 334, gently swaying to a tune in her head. Her fingertips tingled and her pussy hummed along to the beat, still riding the high of the last half-hour. A trickle of semen stained her inner thigh, the remainder of Javon's deposit still trapped inside. She smoothed the front of her dress and flipped the pom of the hat to the side. She was a few minutes behind schedule. But that shouldn't be critical here. Ready for more, she knocked on the door. There was a rustling inside. A few moments later the door opened on a beautiful raven-haired Japanese girl in a tight anime tee shirt and bright blue boyshorts. Seemingly surprised, the girl dropped the pencil she held in her left hand. “Hey Sachiko,” Shauna chirped. Sachiko ripped off her headphones and flashed a nervous smile. Shauna nodded inside. “Can I come in for a minute?” Sachiko glanced over at something Shauna couldn't see, then backed her slender frame away from the door. Shauna strode inside, the latch clicking shut behind her. Unlike her first two stops, this was a bit of a gamble. Their contact had been minimal, generally restricted to her RA duties. And her scouting report was incomplete. She knew Sachiko was a sophomore, and a graphic design major. She spent summers at home in Osaka. But she couldn't afford to fly back and forth for breaks, so she usually spent them on campus. Rumor was she was into women. Of this Shauna had no confirmation. But from their interactions in the dorm and Sachiko's shyness and fluster around particular friends she did have a feeling. It was risky. But that heightened the thrill. The room was warm and cozy, lit by a floor lamp and a cube on the nightstand. Fuzzy orange pillows adorned the loveseat below the window. Incense burned in a jade tray on the corner of the dresser and a thick down comforter covered the bed. Several sketchpads scattered across the desk, a collection of porcelain cats lining the shelf above. It was clearly the space of someone needing a touch of home. “Am I like…in trouble…or something?” Sachiko wondered. “No,” Shauna laughed, amused as much by her apparent discomfort as the absurdity of the question. “I mean, have you ever been in trouble? I just wanted to wish you Happy Holidays.” Sachiko blushed. Her face made several contortions before settling on a half nod and awkward smile. “Th…thank you,” she stammered. Shauna pinched her lips between her teeth. So far so good. “I like your kitties,” Shauna continued, drifting toward the shelf. She scanned for messages, photos, anything that might give her a clue. “My sister sends me a new one for my birthday every year,” Sachiko offered. “They're beautiful.” She spotted a sheet of paper with dark smudges sticking out of the pad on top of the pile. “What's this?” she asked, reaching for it. “What? Oh!” Sachiko leapt toward her, mortified. “It's nothing, I just – ” Before she could swipe the pad Shauna had the page, staring at a gorgeous unfinished graphite sketch of a sleeping woman. She lay on her side, head on a pillow, hands underneath. Bikini panties cloaked her nethers, an arm crossed her bare breasts. And her face. Well…. Her face was very familiar. Shauna smiled to herself. This might work after all. Sachiko slunk back as Shauna turned around. She studied the drawing a moment longer, impressed by the resemblance. Finally, she looked up at Sachiko. The rosy hue of her cheeks crept into her face and neck. Shauna noticed for the first time she wasn't wearing a bra. “Did you draw this?” Sachiko sighed, looking everywhere forward. “I um…. It…it's for a class.” “You did it from memory.” She rubbed her arms with her hands. “Yeah. It just…works that way.” “It's amazing.” Shauna returned the drawing to the desk. Sluffing off the bag she retrieved the final card. “I know you don't really celebrate Christmas,” she said, “but it can't be easy being here by yourself while everyone else is. So, I got you a gift.” The silver envelope rested in her palm while Sachiko hesitated, her name glittering in gold marker. She looked up, embarrassment clouding her eyes. Shauna smiled, extending her hand. Finally, Sachiko accepted. She zipped open the flap and removed the card. A red-nosed Rudolph blinked at her from the cover. Shauna dropped the bag on the loveseat. She clasped her hands behind her back and crossed her legs at the ankles, a flirty little swivel seizing her hips. Sachiko picked the note card from the fold and looked closely. Her fingers began to tremble. Shauna sidled up closer, tucking a lock of Sachiko's hair behind her ear. Sachiko jumped at the light touch. But her gaze remained fixed on the card. Her lips parted. No sound escaped. “If you want me to stop,” Shauna murmured, “just let me know.” She kissed Sachiko's ear lobe, rolling it between her lips before drifting to her cheek and the nape of her neck. Sachiko's tremor spread to her chest. The cards fell from her grasp. Shauna continued down, over her shoulders to the swell of her breasts. She caressed one in each palm, grazing the nipples with the soft cotton of the shirt. Sachiko tangled her fingers in Shauna's hair. They curled and flexed as Shauna descended, raising her shirt and kissing her navel. She lingered there, circling, lips skimming Sachiko's butter-smooth, unblemished skin. She smelled of cherry blossom and jasmine. Shauna filled her head with the scent, priming her for the peach she was about to unwrap. Sachiko's hushed whisper floated down from above. “Oh my god. Oh my god. Oh my god.” Sinking to her haunches Shauna eyed Sachiko's sex. A small wet spot darkened the fabric between her legs. Shauna peeled the underwear down over Sachiko's ass and thighs, pooling them around her feet. Exposed to the low light was a plump, tidy pussy, closely cropped dark pubic hair gracing her mound. Shauna's lips quivered. She bowed, pressing her face between Sachiko's thighs, sopping up the heat. Sachiko moaned, easing her legs apart, welcoming Shauna's tongue between her folds. Her entire body shook, chopping her breaths between chattering teeth. Shauna probed a little deeper. Sachiko doubled over, humping Shauna's mouth. Shauna yipped with delight. She shook her head side to side, slathering Sachiko's light sweet syrup over her cheeks and chin. She dug her nails into the brunette's ass, spreading her cheeks and kneading the meat. Sachiko mauled her own breasts, stretching and twisting the characters on her shirt into impossible shapes. Buffeted by Sachiko's gyrations Shauna wobbled on the balls of her feet. It was all she could do to hold on for the ride and she found herself failing at that. Toppling to her butt she roped an arm around Sachiko's neck and pulled her ear to her dripping lips. “Sit on my face,” she hissed. Sachiko fell to her knees, straddling Shauna's chest and pinning her to the floor. On all fours she scooched forward over the blonde's shoulders until her succulent snatch hovered over her RA's gaping mouth. Shauna's tongue darted out, flicking Sachiko's swollen clit. Stifling a scream Sachiko collapsed on Shauna's kisser, squeezing her ears between her thighs and swirling her pussy over her lips. Shauna lost herself in Sachiko. Inhaling her essence. Drinking her qi. She thrilled at her lover's responses – involuntary, honest and pure. There was no pretention. Only the passion of an inexperienced girl wholly submitting to her desires. She reveled in it, lapping at Sachiko's sex from the hood of her clit to the crease of her ass. Sachiko's back arched, thrusting out her chest. Her head lolled back, eyes strafing the ceiling. She squirmed on Shauna's face, blissfully ignorant of her weight, Shauna's nose, or her need to breathe. She reached back between the Shauna's splayed legs, probing under her dress until her fingers found the blonde's honeypot and slithered inside. Strangling Sachiko's wrist in her thighs Shauna groaned into her pussy. The vibrations spurred Sachiko's building orgasm, winding her body tighter and tighter, pushing her fingers faster, deeper. The circuit closed, the feedback loop complete. Every flip of the tongue, every curl of a digit, amplified the next. Sachiko bucked and thrashed. Shauna swirled and writhed. Again and again they traded blows until suddenly Sachiko fell silent, her body rigid, muscles strained. Clutching fistfuls of Shauna's hair Sachiko spread her knees and bore down, smashing her quaking pussy into Shauna's lips and gushing slippery, viscous cum all over her face. Racked with spasms she hunched over Shauna's head, wave after crashing wave of orgasm pummeling her sex. 9:38 am When the contractions finally slowed, Shauna worked her hands up to Sachiko's buttocks and nudged her. Spent, Sachiko rolled away, settling on her back against the foot of the bed. Shauna's chest heaved, gulping the cool dry air. Her eyes re-adjusted to the light. Reaching up she brushed the hat off her head and raked her fingers through moist matted hair. Arms flopping to the floor she sighed. That went well. She rolled her head and looked at Sachiko. The junior lay knees up, feet flat on the floor, her arms draped between her legs – the odd twitch in her muscles interrupting her stillness. Shauna willed herself up and crawled over. Finding her eyes shut she pressed in close and planted a tender kiss on her forehead. Sachiko smiled. “Merry Christmas,” Shauna whispered. Sachiko nodded, radiant from her orgasm. Shauna stroked her ear. “If you want me to model for you sometime,” she added, “give me a call.” She gathered her things and prepared to leave. As she passed the mirror on the closet door she stopped to look. Her face and neck glistened, glazed with Sachiko's juices. She tossed the hat in her hand, raising it to wipe herself clean. But she didn't. She decided instead she liked the way it looked. And she'd wear it a little longer. Pursing her lips, she slipped out of Sachiko's room. Light as a feather she skipped down the hall toward her room. She slowed passing Javon's door, wondering if he was already asleep. Her phone chimed in the bag, interrupting her curiosity. Retrieving it she scanned the screen and frowned. Two texts and a missed call. All from her brother. “Hey Josh,” she answered. “Yo, where the hell have you been?” There was an urgency in his tone. “I've been calling you. I'm out front, let's go!” She frowned. “Wait, what time is it?” “Quarter to ten. I told you I'd be here at 9:30, remember?” She thought for a minute, then rolled her eyes, realizing what went wrong. “Fuck,” she spat. “I thought you meant 9:30 your time.” “So you're not ready?” “No, I packed last night. I'll be right down.” Hanging up she shook her head. How did she make that mistake? She thought she'd have an hour to shower and clean up, but now they were running late. No time for any of that. Swiping the key card from her sock she popped into her room and tossed the gift bag on the bed. Snagging her backpack and navy peacoat from the closet she dashed back out headed for the lobby. 9:52 am Shauna flung open the passenger door of the coupe and tumbled inside, stuffing the backpack between her feet as she settled in the seat. Her teeth chattered from their brief exposure to the cold. Rubbing her hands together near the warm air vent she looked over at her brother behind the wheel. He stared at her, forehead crinkled, a mix of confusion and amusement scrawled across his lips. “What,” she said, staring back. He glanced down at her bare thighs – the coat just covering her lap – then back at her scowl. “Nice touch,” he replied, pointing to the bright red pileus cap. “Thanks,” she quipped, flashing a smile. “But you know it's snowing, right?” She flipped him the bird. He shrugged. “You're going to get Uncle Leo in trouble today.” Shauna tried to stifle her laugh. “Just drive Josh.” He put the car in gear and pulled away from the curb. “Unlike you,” he said, “I got an early start. So I'm going to get some coffee. Did you eat already?” “Yup,” she nodded. “Several times.” Josh's eyes narrowed, but he said nothing. At the next light he made a left and turned into the coffee shop drive-thru. Waiting in line behind a pick-up he turned to his sister. “Are you okay?” he asked. “You look a little…weird.” Shauna checked herself in the side mirror. She could taste Ty's spunk on her tongue; feel Javon's cum in her ass and Sachiko's pussy all over her face. A shiver buzzed her clit. She reclined the seat several notches and sighed, beaming at the ceiling. “Yeah,” she said softly. “I'm just…filled with Christmas spirit.” Quietly she shoved her hands beneath her legs to keep from touching herself for the remainder of the trip. By TheSleepingKing for Literotica

Your Stupid Minds continues its tradition of low budget Christmas movies with wrestlers in them with Country Hearts Christmas, starring Chris Jericho and others. Tori (Lanie McAuley) and June (Katerina Maria) are sisters seeking to become country music stars in Nashville. This was most likely set up in the previous movie Country Hearts, but that doesn't involve Christmas so who cares? The sisters catch a big break and get a spot on a popular Christmas Eve live television show, but there's one massive problem. They need to go to church! The women hem and haw about having to be on TV on the day before Christmas, missing key family events like church and... opening pre-Santa presents? Bear in mind, these women are adults and can still make it on Christmas Day, but that isn't enough. Their dad Bones (Jericho) is a former rock star who has sobered up since his rock days. He spends his days Facetiming various family members to meddle in their personal affairs, traversing the cathedral-like hallways of his cavernous McMansion, and trying to get his horses to have sex with each other. June husband Justin (Jeff Irving) is lonely while his wife is in Nashville, drinking heavily, and having financial troubles. Why he can't run a failing winery in Nashville with his wife is beyond us. Meanwhile Tori has a love triangle (or square? Maybe a Love Sputnik, since all the lines need to connect back to her?) with three different dudes. We could go on about the plot forever, but I can assure you the first world travails of this extremely co-dependent family are just as boring on screen as written. There's also a product placement for Zillow so egregious it's basically a 30 second commercial in the middle of this movie. Enjoy!

Bea and Dee take calls from Raccoons all over the world, ready to pop OFF on Kody and Robyn Brown.Get bonus cringey content: https://patreon.com/realitytvcringeFollow us on IG https://instagram.com/realitytvcringeSubscribe to see our raccoon faces on YouTube! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_2CgqXLWjIEKV9PCtH3Kjw?sub_confirmation=1Leave a message for us on SpeakPipe: https://speakpipe.com/realitytvcringeSupport the pod by leaving a 5-star review on your favorite podcast platform! Thank you so much!

Burnie and Ashley discuss the Agatha finale, great episodes of American television, Deadpool & Wolverine streaming date, Emma corrections, a new trick to fall asleep, overthinking, tinnitus, NaNoNoNut Movember begins, Chalamet look-a-likes Scottish trick or treating, slim pickings, McMansions, fitness streaks, Apple Watch, skunks, peanuts, rescue squirrels, and how Ashley enjoys a novel.Support our podcast at: https://www.patreon.com/morningsomewhereFor the link dump visit: http://www.morningsomewhere.comSupport the show

You dream of owning your own home. We all do. But buying or selling your home is second in joy only to working with a used car salesman. You feel pressured. You feel unsure. You feel like this should be someone else's job. And that's why you work with a real estate broker who you like and trust — whichever side of the buying/selling table that you find yourself sitting at. If you're that broker, you hold a license or work for someone who does. You have to follow all kinds of rules. You have to present homes that range in size from the modest — or if you're here on Long Island where our podcast records — to the McMansion or the actual 18-bedroom, 21-bathroom mansion that Billy Joel is currently selling. How do you represent and differentiate your real estate brand as well as all the different homes and communities where your home owners and buyers exist. That's what we're going to discuss on this episode of The Brandtelling Podcast. We're pleased to welcome our guest, Shaughnessy Dusling, a licensed associate real estate broker with Real Broker NY. Shaughnessy has become a game changer for local -- and now national -- real estate by focusing on making her brand as authentic as possible and she offers a number of ideas and lessons for other owners and founders in this episode. The Brandtelling Podcast is brought to you by Brandtelling, a brand storytelling agency that establishes, strengthens and promotes unique brand stories, and Boch Creative, helping founders with strategy and implementation of their unique brand flavor. Shaughnessy Dusling Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shaughnessysells/?hl=en LinkTree: https://linktr.ee/shaughnessysells

Join us as we explore the transformative potential of tiny living with Lindsay Wood, the Tiny Home Lady, and Theresa Bradley, founder of Race to Zero Waste. Discover how tiny homes can redefine the American Dream, address the housing crisis, and contribute to environmental sustainability. Our guests from a 2023 interview share insights on the challenges and rewards of downsizing, the intricacies of zoning laws, and the movement's accessibility. Tune in to learn how living with less can lead to a richer life. As house prices escalate, the concept of living in smaller homes has gone viral. Whether fixed to land or portable, the tiny house movement has swept across the US. Yet, what is the day-to-day reality of living the downsized life? Our guests, Lindsay Wood - The Tiny Home Lady [https://www.thetinyhomelady.com/] - and Teresa Bradley from Tiny Green Adventures [https://www.youtube.com/@tinygreenadventure], bring a dose of reality to the challenge, but also the splendor, of living simply with few belongings in a tiny home. Can you really save money by going tiny? Is it a net positive for the environment? And what about zero waste, is that possible? Are tiny homes the way to tackle the housing crisis across the United States? Tiny Homes, although lauded as a green way forward in a world covered in wasteful McMansions and debt enslaving rent payments, must overcome land and building regulations (that in many places) still consider this form of housing either illegal or difficult to approve. We go into all these points and more on this show. For an extended interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio Lindsay Wood, "The Tiny Home Lady" [https://www.thetinyhomelady.com/] is on a mission to develop 100,000 Tiny Homes as attainable and affordable houses in California and across the US. Lindsay has been investing in Real Estate since 2015 and believes Tiny Homes are a solution to the housing and climate crisis. Lindsay consults and guides people dreaming of going Tiny through The GO TiNY! Academy, GO TiNY! Showcase. Teresa Bradley is the founding Director of Race to Zero Waste [http://racetozerowaste.org] and lives with her partner, daughter and cat who all live a low waste lifestyle while traveling most of the year in a 24-foot Class C Motorhome. She and her partner travel for environmental project work throughout California and showcase their lifestyle on their Instagram & YouTube channel called Tiny Green Adventure [https://www.youtube.com/@tinygreenadventure] . Jessica Aldridge, Co-Host and Producer of EcoJustice Radio, is an environmental educator, community organizer, and 15-year waste industry leader. She is a co-founder of SoCal 350, organizer for ReusableLA, and founded Adventures in Waste. She is a former professor of Recycling and Resource Management at Santa Monica College, and an award recipient of the international 2021 Women in Sustainability Leadership and the 2016 inaugural Waste360, 40 Under 40. More Info/Resources: https://garageshedcarportbuilder.com/tiny-homes-a-big-idea/ Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio PayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url Executive Producer: Jack Eidt Host and Producer: Jessica Aldridge Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake Beats Episode 172

In this episode, we talk about  Albos's McMansion, Call-In Segment (Jack Poos his pants), Ticketec and Ticketmaster Monopoly, Another Possible Assassination on Trump and Kanye's taboo kinks 

Anika and Liz save the world, and then settle down for some light gardening in a giant midwest McMansion. Yes, the time has come to discuss the season (series?) finale of Star Trek: Prodigy, "Ouroboros" parts 1 and 2. Anika was really onto something when she said Rok-Tahk is the new Wesley What is a good age to start watching Star Trek with kids? "At no point does Prodigy talk down to its audience." Anika's two fictional sons (Dal and Jack) in one episode! This podcast is tough on Indiana, tough on the causes of Indiana Why do so many series captains own property on Earth?  Characters from DS9 and Picard we want the Prodigy kids to meet Saving Holo Janeway

Porochista and Eurydice talk literature, uniparty, America's reality TV politics, celebrity culture, pop culture, rape culture, Jeffrey Epstein and P. Diddy. They discuss feminism from the 90s to now, Hamptons “white parties” and NYC clubs and Palm Beach society. Porochista Khakpour is a refugee from Iran , whose family fled the Iran-Iraq War and the Islamic Revolution , and the author of the books Sons and Other Flammable Objects, The Last Illusion, Sick, and Tehrangeles, her satirical, polyphonic, campy third novel, a tragicomic saga about the high-functioning dysfunctional Milani family of Iranian multimillionaires in LA who have a McMansion, a snack food empire, and four young daughters who live a reality TV lifestyle. The book is a critique of the untruth of social media, and the challenge of living an authentic life online. For more on Porochista's work, go to https://porochistakhakpour.com. @pkhakpourFor more on Eurydice's work, go to https://Eurydice.net or https://SpeakwithEve.com or https://youtube.com/@EveEurydice. @EurydiceEvePlease support this podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/speaksex/support or donate at https://www.paypal.me/Eurydice. We are 100% listener supported.Enjoy.Solstice Episode --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/speaksex/support

Ezekiel Chapters 41-45: Bible Study by Atheists (Weekly Wrap-Up)Holy moly, have we got a biblical smorgasbord for you this week! We've crammed all the juicy bits from Ezekiel Chapters 41-45 into one unholy episode.First, we tackled God's architectural ambitions in Ezekiel Chapter 41: Bible Study by Atheists, questioning whether the divine blueprints for the temple were measured in cubits or rods (spoiler alert: it's probably cubits, unless you believe in a holy McMansion). Then, in Ezekiel Chapter 42: Bible Study by Atheists, we delved deeper into the temple's labyrinthine layout, complete with confusing measurements and questionable zoning laws.Moving on to Ezekiel Chapter 43: Bible Study by Atheists, we witnessed the glorious return of God (in a cloud, no less) and debated the identity of the mysterious "Golden Man" (who may or may not be Jesus's interior decorator). In Ezekiel Chapter 44: Bible Study by Atheists, we explored God's gatekeeping tendencies and the rise of the Zadokite priests, the new fashion icons of the ancient world.Finally, in Ezekiel Chapter 45: Bible Study by Atheists, we uncovered a divine real estate scheme that would make even the most seasoned televangelist blush. We also questioned the meaning of salt in ancient rituals and wondered if Ezekiel's prophecies were more about politics than spirituality.Join us for this unholy roller coaster ride through Ezekiel's wacky world, where we dissect the divine drama, question the credibility of prophecy, and uncover the hidden agendas behind religious dogma.Don't forget to like, subscribe, and share your thoughts in the comments below! Visit us at: SACRILEGIOUSDISCOURSE.COM and join us on Discord, it's where we interact the most AND have live episodes every Tuesday: https://discord.gg/VBnyTYV6nC Join Acast+ to enjoy our podcast adfree! https://plus.acast.com/s/sacrilegiousiscourse. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Is the Kiwi dream to own a "McMansion", a "shoebox" or something else entirely? Bernard talks with The Urban Advisory's MD Greer O'Donnell about a major new survey of what type of homes we actually want. She says it may not be the quarter acre "pavlova paradise" still assumed by many voters and politicians when they're deciding on what should be be built and where. If you'd like to take part in The Urban Advisory's housing survey, click here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Salt Lake City Council just approved two new historic districts on the east bench. Host Ali Vallarta and executive producer Emily Means pick apart the curious case for historic protections in the Yalecrest neighborhood. Plus, downtown SLC gets a swanky new liquor store, Salt Lake County kids get free access to rec centers, and develop your disposable at a local camera shop. If the sponsored interview with the Human Rights Campaign piqued your interest, learn more about their work in Utah, and attend their annual dinner on Saturday, June 15. Resources and references: SLC's east side adds 2 historic districts, but west side still has none [Salt Lake Tribune] Consider becoming a founding member of City Cast Salt Lake today! It's the best way to support our work and help make sure we're around for years to come. Get all the details and sign up at membership.citycast.fm. Subscribe to our daily morning newsletter. You can find us on Instagram @CityCastSLC and Twitter @CityCastSLC. Looking to advertise on City Cast Salt Lake? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As we talked about in the McFarland House, there may be more similarities than differences between McMansions and Victorian era style!

New eps drop first on the Cookies Hoops Patreon! Year of the Drag-On (1:02), New York Fashion Week, snitching on Silencio (11:25), rice blindness (19:23), Super Bowl coverage (25:21), new jobs for Joe Biden (42:21), Cornel West's inventive slur platform (55:23), Sixers' deadline moves (1:07:23), are the Knicks contenders now? (1:16:34), Donovan Mitchell and the streaking Cavs (1:30:23), Suns as the NBA's McMansion franchise (1:43:42), Slam Dunk Contest (1:52:21).

If American consumers ever come up for air under the pile of crap in their storage units, they find themselves face to face with a materialistic hellscape of megastores, McMansions, endless fleets of delivery trucks, and evil hordes of targeted ads. But help is on the way. Jason, Rob, and Asher present ideas for shaping up a world beyond consumerism.Warning: This podcast occasionally uses spicy language.Sources/Links/Notes:The original (and both catchy and annoying) Toys “R” Us theme songThe melancholy remake of the theme song for a bankrupt Toys “R” Us, performed by Chase HolfelderU.S. Material Use FactsheetUnited Nations statistics on material footprintSelf storage industry trendsThe environmental costs of fast fashionStory by Beth Porter, “What Really Happens to Unwanted Clothes?”Forbes list of billionairesGeorge Carlin's classic comedic bit about “stuff”Sandra Goldmark's book Fixation: How to Have Stuff without Breaking the PlanetSupport the show

Others quietly fund a savings account for you with every income property that you own.  This is known as your ROA, your Return on Amortization. Primary residence owners don't have this benefit. Tenants rent a property from you. To own the property, you got to “rent” the money from the bank. Landlord tipflation: have you ever asked your tenant for a tip? I don't recommend it. Integrity: Now that the statistics are in, I follow up on my 2023 Home Price Appreciation (HPA) Forecast. See how it went. When measuring HPA, I explain why I use existing home prices, not new home prices. The size of a new-build home has shrunk 12-15% in just the last decade. Learn about the surprising correlation between rents and home prices. Be honest. Is it completely different that what you thought? Redfin just reported that real estate investor purchases are breaking records. Find the right income property for building your wealth. Our GRE Investment Coaches provide you with free guidance at GREmarketplace.com.  Timestamps: Welcome to Get Rich Education (00:00:01) Introduction to the episode and a brief overview of the topics covered. The Benefits of Real Estate Investing (00:01:58) Discusses the benefits of investing in real estate, including equity growth, cash flow, tax benefits, and inflation profiting. Tenant-Made Equity Growth (00:02:47) Explains how tenants contribute to the landlord's equity growth through monthly principal pay down. Landlord Tip Inflation (00:06:39) Compares the lack of tipping in the landlord-tenant relationship to other service interactions and discusses the concept of "landlord tip inflation." Review of Home Price Appreciation Forecast (00:09:06) Reviews the accuracy of previous home price appreciation forecasts and discusses the factors influencing the real estate market. Use of Existing Home Sales Numbers (00:13:01) Explains the rationale for using existing home sales numbers in home price appreciation forecasts and discusses the trend of new home construction. Impact of Population Growth on Real Estate (00:17:03) Highlights the impact of population growth on real estate prices and rental demand, emphasizing the significance of demographics in real estate investing. Special Episode Announcement (00:21:33) Announces the upcoming special episode 500 and expresses gratitude to listeners, particularly those from Colombia. Listener Guest Invitation (00:22:43) Encourages listeners to share their experiences and the impact of the show on their lives, inviting them to become guest speakers on the podcast. The surprising correlation between rents and home prices (00:26:07) The correlation between the direction of rents and home prices, and how they move together. Investor purchases breaking records (00:29:21) Insights on the increasing investor purchases, housing shortage, and the impact on the real estate market. Real estate anniversary (00:32:11) Keith Weinhold's heartfelt reflection on his parents' 50th anniversary in the same home, emphasizing the significance of providing people with a home. Commitment and growth in real estate investing (00:33:46) Encouragement to commit to real estate investing, learn, grow your portfolio, and build your empire. Conclusion and disclaimer (00:37:10) Disclaimer and conclusion of the podcast episode. Resources mentioned: Show Page: GetRichEducation.com/491 For access to properties or free help with a GRE Investment Coach, start here: GREmarketplace.com Get mortgage loans for investment property: RidgeLendingGroup.com or call 855-74-RIDGE  or e-mail: info@RidgeLendingGroup.com Invest with Freedom Family Investments.  You get paid first: Text FAMILY to 66866 Will you please leave a review for the show? I'd be grateful. Search “how to leave an Apple Podcasts review”  Top Properties & Providers: GREmarketplace.com GRE Free Investment Coaching: GREmarketplace.com/Coach Best Financial Education: GetRichEducation.com Get our wealth-building newsletter free— text ‘GRE' to 66866 Our YouTube Channel: www.youtube.com/c/GetRichEducation Follow us on Instagram: @getricheducation Keith's personal Instagram: @keithweinhold   Complete episode transcript:   Keith Weinhold (00:00:01) - Welcome to GRE. I'm your host, Keith Weinhold. Today, get in on a savings account that others fund for you. Landlord Tip Foundation a follow up to see how my last home price appreciation forecast actually performed. The surprising way that rents correlate with home prices. Investors are now feeling a record share of property buys and a heartwarming 50 year anniversary that I'm in awe of today. An get rich education. When you want the best real estate and finance info. The modern internet experience limits your free articles access, and it's replete with paywalls. And you've got pop ups and push notifications and cookies. Disclaimers are. At no other time in history has it been more vital to place nice, clean, free content into your hands that actually adds no hype value to your life? See, this is the golden age of quality newsletters, and I write every word of ours myself. It's got a dash of humor and it's to the point to get the letter. It couldn't be more simple. Text gray to 66866.   Keith Weinhold (00:01:17) - And when you start the free newsletter, you'll also get my one hour fast real estate course completely free. It's called the Don't Quit Your Daydream letter and it wires your mind for wealth. Make sure you read it. Text gray to 66866. Text gray 266866.   Corey Coates (00:01:42) - You're listening to the show that has created more financial freedom than nearly any show in the world. This is get rich education.   Keith Weinhold (00:01:58) - Welcome to GRE, from Italy's Sorrento Peninsula to America's Florida peninsula and across 188 nations worldwide. You're listening to the 491st consecutive weekly installment of the get Rich education podcast. I'm your host, Keith Weinhold. And when you invest in real estate with a strategy, which is what we've discussed here for over nine years, you can't help but be a profiteer, even a wild profiteer. It might feel like so much money is falling out of the sky that you might need an umbrella to keep yourself from being hit with it. Raining Benjamins. In fact, with one of the five ways that you expect to be simultaneously paid. All right, let's not focus on the equity growth here, which has been torrid the last four years.   Keith Weinhold (00:02:47) - Not the cash flow, which has been slowed lately, not the tax benefits or the inflation profiting benefit. What else is there that ROA you return on when we talk about so much money falling out of the sky that you catch a case of affluenza, that ROA, it's really one of your quieter profit centers. It is like a savings account that someone else is funding for you. Let's say that you check in at your table of your typical mortgage income property, and it shows that it has $400 of monthly principal pay down. All right. Well, imagine if you had a number of economic actors say you own six rental properties, and then you've got six tenants, six economic actors, perhaps people that you've never met. And all six of them are putting 400 bucks a month into a savings account with your name on it. That is $28,800 a year. That goes into your quote unquote, savings account. Yeah, nearly 30 K a year that your net worth is growing by that you hardly even think about.   Keith Weinhold (00:04:02) - And it's all just part of the profitable background noise that you hardly even hear, along with your leverage depreciation, cash flow taxes and inflation, profiting your tenant builds up your equity. This way, even if your property didn't appreciate at all. And again, in your own primary residence, your ROA is zero because you had to work to pay down your principal, your tenants not doing it for you. Now, this account that they're funding for you, it's not as liquid as a savings account, but it's perhaps more like an old bank CD, a certificate of deposit. It's your money, but you can't access it. In a couple minutes. You would need to do a sale, or you could do a cash out refinance and then it's yours. Your ROA is your tenant made annual principal pay down divided by your equity. Okay. And what if you had more and larger properties? Then this small example I gave you the quietly increases your net worth nearly 30 K every single year. Well, a lot of investors have more or a larger properties where you might have 300 K in annual principal pay down alone.   Keith Weinhold (00:05:22) - The more rental properties you own, the more tenants you have that month in, month out. Every single month they fund a low liquidity savings account with your name on it. And think about it. How did you get in this advantageous position? Well, first you educated yourself. You'll know that they will rent the property from you. And how did you get the property? You don't own an outright. That typically implies too much opportunity cost to have the entire value of your property tied up and paid off. Although they rent the property from you, you got to rent 80% of the money from the bank to buy the property with reap the reward, and you might have to use that umbrella to avoid getting rained on. With the financial windfall. And residential real estate investors have been feeling the rain pouring down for the last three four years. Many commercial real estate investors with short term mortgages don't feel the same way now when you're paid five ways, which has been enhanced by inflation since 2021, you don't really need tip inflation.   Keith Weinhold (00:06:39) - Hunt up of that. In fact, have you ever asked your tenant for a tip, or has a tenant ever paid you a tip for providing housing for them? I wouldn't expect it. It hasn't happened to me. In fact, I've never heard of it. But if. If so, tell us about it right into us at get Rich education. Com slash contact. That's our contact page. A tip for your landlord. Now, think about it this way. You've got all these people asking for tips, really, since the pandemic began. And that's when it really heated up. And then the pandemic receded. And yet the tip requests persist. Baristas, delivery people, fast food workers and the parade of other micro interaction participants that you encounter throughout the day. Those people have no shame in asking you for a tip, and that's even if the service is poor. Now, I'm not saying that you should or shouldn't tip them, but they are micro interaction participants in your life because they're just handing you a coffee, or they're handing you another drink that has too many ice cubes in it.   Keith Weinhold (00:07:55) - On the other hand, what you do is you provide tenants with the roof over their head 30 days in a row, 24 hours a day. By buying the property, you educated yourself. You sunk in a down payment. You build up your own good credit to get a loan to provide housing for a stranger. Well, I guess you'll be asking your tenant a new question each month. Would you like to tip me 18%, 20%, or 25%? Landlord tip inflation? No, I doubt that you're really going to do that. But this is the case that compared to the service level from vendors that you interact with at a lower economic level, you sure could ask for this landlord tip inflation. Let me know if it's ever happened to you now, starting at the end of 2021, near the end of each year here on the show, I have provided you with a home price appreciation forecast for the following year. Well, we have got the results now from last year, so let's check the performance.   Keith Weinhold (00:09:06) - And yeah, don't you wish everyone that made predictions or forecast they reliably review them and followed up with how they actually performed. That's what we're going to do here. Now there are some things that I don't like to predict. In fact, I was the guest on Tom Wheelwright's show at the end of last year as his 2024 Real estate predictions expert. And if you watch that, he really had to press me to get my mortgage rate forecast. I told him back then that 6% by the end of the year was my best guess. But that's all it was not formulaic, not a forecast, and not a 100% confidence level at all. So when we talk about Gray's home price forecasts and our track record, let me share a little context with you here. First, so many other people, including some expert peers that I actually respect. They really got home price appreciation so wrong in this era, especially in 2021. That's when many forecast a home price crash 2021. That's the year we had the highest home price appreciation in a long time, nearly 20% nationally.   Keith Weinhold (00:10:23) - And of course, I have never called for any national home price downturn at all, even a mild one. I'm on record here on the show back in 2020 and 2021. That is when I shared the fact that, look, this administration, our elected officials, whether you like them or not, for better or for worse, they don't want to see people kicked out of their homes and living on the street back then. Remember, like mortgage loan forbearance. But at the end of 2021, I forecast a cooling down of home price appreciation. And I told you then that I expected 9 to 10% for 2022. And at the end of 2022, the result was indeed 10% home price appreciation. And then at the end of 2022, we had already seen mortgage rates spike two and a half times from their lows. And again, many said that was going to catch up with us so that in 2023, home prices would just have to sink. No, they didn't sink. That's when I told you that the only housing crash was going to be a supply crash, and the higher mortgage rates actually correlate with higher home prices, not lower ones.   Keith Weinhold (00:11:39) - That's what historically happens. And I said right here on the show that home prices absolutely can't crash. In fact, they won't fall at all. So 0% was my forecast for last year. No gain, no loss. We now have the number in. Only for last year. Yes, real estate statistics can move slower than an Alaskan glacier. Well, it affirmed that indeed, prices didn't fall. They came in up 3.5% last year. That's the result. We'll round it up to 4%. And we maintain a consistent data set here. The same measuring stick. And that is the Anna's national median single family existing home price. Let me just add that of course I'm neither omniscient nor clairvoyant. I'm giving you the best information my research can provide. It is surely possible that I'll get it wrong sometime. I just haven't yet. Now. And you learn something about real estate here. Why do I use only the existing single family home number? Therefore, why exclude no new build homes? Well, in short, this is how you better compare apples to apples.   Keith Weinhold (00:13:01) - New home construction changes over time. And in fact, the trend for the last decade is that new build homes are shrinking in size and are also being built closer together to each other when they're constructed. So you can see how this disrupts the apples to apples comparison. Ten years ago, the existing single family home was about 1600 square feet and is still 1600 today. But ten years ago, a new build, single family home was about 20 300ft². And it's just 2000ft² today, or 2036 to be exact. So yeah, new build sizes have shrunk 12 to 15% in just the last decade. So this is why I use existing home numbers. And by the way, this shrinking trend, this is the opposite of the early 2000 trend. When you saw a super sizing of homes about 20 years ago, that's when the term McMansion really increased in popularity there about 20 years ago. But it's the opposite now. The shrinking new home trend looks to pick up steam because, like I talked about a few weeks ago, affordability is down.   Keith Weinhold (00:14:19) - Remember, it's worse than it's been since George Jefferson was on television 40 years ago. Don't let's not play The Jeffersons theme music again. The deluxe apartment in the Sky. We played that two weeks ago. Moving on up to the East side. I think that's the music that meant Manhattan's Upper East Side. For those uninitiated on that, that has long been one of New York City's most affluent neighborhoods. Yes. Then the Jeffersons were also funding their landlords return on amortization and more. But getting back to today's new home construction, you can. Therefore, you could say that homes are experiencing shrinkflation today from about 2300ft² to 2000ft² in just a decade, and you can easily see that falling below 2000ft² within two years here. Yes, that type of shrinkflation is more impactful than you paying the same for your shrinking jar of prego spaghetti sauce. Now that you understand why existing home sales numbers are used in Jerry's Home price depreciation forecasts sourced by the Nar, you'll recall that at the end of last year, I forecast 4% home price appreciation for this year.   Keith Weinhold (00:15:43) - We'll check back on that in one year's time. Now, that's amidst the fact that I understand we've got high asset prices all over the place right now, almost everywhere you look, a record high US stock market near record highs in Bitcoin and near record highs in home values. Yes, more home price appreciation is likely. In fact, real estate investor purchases are breaking records. I've got more to tell you about that later. In fact, there is even more fuel being poured out of the housing record right now. And this was breaking news a couple of weeks ago in our Don't Quit Your Daydream newsletter. So if you're a reader, you saw it. And that is the fact that population growth drives real estate prices and rents. News broke that we just experienced the largest one year population increase in all of American history, with an astounding 3.8 million. Our population was up 3.8 million people last year, more than ever in previous census estimates of a 1.6 million person increase had underestimated immigration flows. This was reported in Newsweek and elsewhere.   Keith Weinhold (00:17:03) - Now, look, I've been directly investing in real estate since 2002, and I have rarely encountered a supply demand inflection point like this that requires such attention from you, locating an available property that is already more elusive than finding the missing car keys, and it's going to get even more scarce. This has the appearance of an astounding real estate investment window that we are now entering. See, in most asset classes, the future is largely unknown. Like in stocks, futures markets, derivatives, bonds, crypto, gold, oil, all kinds of other commodities. There are so many unknowns there. And real estate has unknowns too. But there are no three giant certainties for residential real estate in America going forward. Number one is more inflation. Number two is a prolonged scarce housing supply. And thirdly, it is astoundingly good demographics that fuel more demand. This third one is newer. And this is what I'm highlighting here. The demographics were already good, but it's just been turned up another notch. All three of these things are inevitable, and so many people try to predict the future and they fail.   Keith Weinhold (00:18:30) - But these three profitable real estate tailwinds for investors are as assured. I mean, there is a third. Is you forgetting someone's name immediately after they introduce themselves? Yeah. The way to get around that is to recite their name back out loud as soon as you meet them. But what I'm getting at is that this is not hyperbolic to call this potentially a once in a decade opportunity. Other high income countries like Japan and so much of Western Europe, they are sweating buckets, thinking about how their nation's aging populations are sending them over a demographic cliff. And besides just the magnitude of the population growth, again, the biggest one year increase in American history, understand that America's largest group of immigrants are working age producers aged 25 to 54, and they are overwhelmingly renters, not homeowners. So this is your surge in rental demand and this immigration surge. It may or may not last, depending on policy, regulation and the presidential election outcome late this year., you know, Jeff Bezos discussed this one time.   Keith Weinhold (00:19:55) - He discussed about how everyone wants to know the future and understand this. You already know more about the future than what you think, whether it's about your future business life or your investing life or your family life, or the way that you're thinking about technology in autonomous cars or flying cars, in machine learning and artificial intelligence, you know, with things that a lot of people, they ask themselves a question about the future, and they ask, what will be different in ten years? Well, there's nothing wrong with that question. In fact, it's a perfectly good question. But instead, ask yourself the opposite. What will be the same in ten years? Yeah. What will be the same in ten years? Now, black swans aside, in real estate investing, it is indeed those three things more inflation, a prolonged scarce housing supply, and astoundingly good demographics for rental demand. That's what will be the same. And now you have the basis for a sustainable wealth strategy. The bottom line is that even if it comes to a sudden stop, the addition of an all time record 3.8 million Americans in one year, that has left an indelible mark on real estate demand, the economy, and nearly all of society.   Keith Weinhold (00:21:33) - Residential real estate investors are going to own a scarce asset that everyone will need. You're listening to get resuscitation. It's episode 491, and that means that we're just nine weeks away from what is going to be a special, unforgettable episode 500. It's an episode that you probably want to listen to more than one. Coming up in two months on May 6th. And I'll tell you, I really know how to put the performance pressure on myself for May 6th, don't I?, hey, I really want to give a shout out to our great listeners in Columbia. Last month, I spent nine days in Colombia and eight days in Ecuador exploring a coffee farm, checking out urban sites and doing some Andes mountaineering, taking in the best of steak, coffee, chocolate and fruits to. And I've got to say, when Colombians learned that I was there, you Colombians were amazing at reaching out, making me feel welcome, telling me how the show has helped you. Ecuador. And it wasn't quite the same. I love you and your beautiful nation, but frankly, I didn't hear much from the Ecuadorian listeners.   Keith Weinhold (00:22:43) - I don't know why there was a big difference there, but I'm appreciative of some of the South American listenership for a show that's based on about 95% US real estate here. Speaking of listeners and the show, at times, we have listeners here on the show. If gray has impacted your life and you'd like to come on the show and tell us about it, I and our audience like hearing from you and how an abundance mindset and real estate investing has changed your life right into us. At our contact page again, get rich education. Com slash contact and tell us about yourself. We've had some really cool listener guests here on the show, like Grammy Award winning music producer Blake La Grange, the inventor of a home fitness system, Sean Finnegan, and even my former coworker that used to have a neighboring cubicle right next to me, back when I had a day job in a fertile who became a listener. If you think you're just maybe a boring accountant with a spouse and two kids, but Jerry has influenced you, well, you're exactly who we want to hear from a write in and let us know.   Keith Weinhold (00:23:53) - Coming up next, hear the surprising correlation between rents and home prices. Then investor purchases are breaking records in more. I'm Keith Weinhold, you're listening to get rich education. You know, I'll just tell you, for the most passive part of my real estate investing, personally, I put my own dollars with Freedom Family Investments because their funds pay me a stream of regular cash flow in returns, or better than a bank savings account, up to 12%. Their minimums are as low as 25 K. You don't even need to be accredited for some of them. It's all backed by real estate and that kind of love. How the tax benefit of doing this can offset capital gains and your W-2 jobs income. And they've always given me exactly their stated return paid on time. So it's steady income, no surprises while I'm sleeping or just doing the things I love. For a little insider tip, I've invested in their power fund to get going on that text family to 66866. Oh, and this isn't a solicitation.   Keith Weinhold (00:25:01) - If you want to invest where I do, just go ahead and text family to 66866. Role under this specific expert with income property, you need. Ridge lending Group NMLS 42056. In gray history from beginners to veterans, they provided our listeners with more mortgages than anyone. It's where I get my own loans for single family rentals up to four Plex's. Start your pre-qualification and chat with President Caeli Ridge personally. They'll even customize a plan tailored to you for growing your portfolio. Start at RidgeLendingGroup.com. RidgeLendingGroup.com.   Matt Bowles (00:25:48) - Hey, everybody, this is Matt Bowles from Maverick Investor Group. You're listening to Get Rich Education with Keith Weinhold. And don't quit your daydreaming.   Keith Weinhold (00:26:07) - Welcome back to Get Rich Education. I'm your host, Keith Weinhold. As I like to say, history over hunches, it's easy to have a hunch about how something works in real estate. But take a look at history and see what really happens. History over hunches. So to that point, you might be surprised at the correlation between the direction of rents with respect to home prices.   Keith Weinhold (00:26:31) - Now, the cost of rent has grown over the last 12 years. That's not news to anybody, but many think that rents and home prices move inversely. If demand for home purchases falls, then rents rise, right? No. Instead, they move together. When rents move up, home prices tend to move up to. Rents rose gradually from 2012 to 2020, and they rose rapidly since 2020. Well, home prices, they behaved in a similar way. They also rose modestly from 2012 to 2020, and they rose rapidly since then. Rinse and home prices have therefore been positively correlated. And in fact, I've been investing long enough to remember that when the home price bubble burst from 2008 to 2010, where rents fell a little. Then to an underscore my point some more, both rents and prices bottomed together around 2011. Yes, I think most real estate investors believe that this positive correlation is less likely than that. A movie about Barbie could ever reach $1 billion in sales. Well, that happened too.   Keith Weinhold (00:28:01) - So I simply look at what really occurs when I do my research. It's history over hunches, and that's why these should not be mind blowing discoveries. Just look at what really happens. So if your tenant balks that rents are rising, well, you know what? Home prices are probably rising to the bottom line here with rents and prices being correlated, is that whether it's to rent or own, wait a million homes when the economy grows, that is the real history over any other hunch. Now, as a wealth building show here I am empowering you with the information that you need to improve yourself. You can't follow the herd. You've got two choices. Either you can be a conformer or you can build wealth. Your wealth is not coming from anyone else. Chances are a rich uncle won't be helping you. In fact, getting an inheritance remains a rarity in the US yet as of 2022, data from the Federal Reserve shows only about a fifth of American households had ever received an inheritance at all. And it gets worse.   Keith Weinhold (00:29:21) - According to NYU, the most common inheritance amount is between 10,000 and $50,000. Yeah, that's enough to fund your life for one average month, or maybe one good month, depending on how you're living. The good news is that great listeners and others are getting the message, because last month, Redfin reported that real estate investor purchases are breaking records. Yes, investors bought 26% of the country's most affordable homes in the latest quarter ended, and that is the highest share on record ever. We've got all these on record ever sort of things that we're talking about on the show today. Yes, Redfin let us know that low priced homes are increasingly attractive to investors in today's environment. Redfin agents in Florida and California report that investors are the ones hungry for homes, but they can't find properties to purchase due to an ongoing housing shortage. But we can help you with available supply here at gray. But these overall record investor purchase figures they are, according to a Redfin analysis of county home purchase records across 39 of the most populous US metro areas, not just a couple states.   Keith Weinhold (00:30:45) - There are a lot of investors out there fighting for properties, said a Redfin premier agent in Orlando, Florida. There just aren't enough properties to go around, which is putting a cap on how many homes investors can buy. In fact, single family homes represented over two thirds of investor. Purchases. So congratulations, you are acting. You are making it happen in this canyon, this chasm, this divide that's opening up between the haves and have nots, shrinking the middle class. You are getting on the right side of that. I want to tell you more about being an investor shortly. But first, I have somewhat of a heartfelt real estate anniversary for you, and it has to do with my own family. March 5th, 1974 is a special day. You might note that tomorrow will be the 50th anniversary of that special date. Now look, I can remember every single place that I've ever lived. The modest single family home that I grew up in, college dorm rooms, a pathetic pool house, efficiency apartment in Westchester, Pennsylvania, a condo, a house as an adult.   Keith Weinhold (00:32:11) - Can you can you remember every place that you've ever lived? There's a good chance that you can. It's how intimate, really and important real estate is to your life. And think about how significant you are. You're providing people with a home that they will always remember. This is key. Think about how this contrasts. If you supplied the world with software packages or patio furniture, that stuff is forgettable. You're doing something significant when you help abolish the term slumlord and provide other people with that clean, safe, affordable, functional housing. Well, tomorrow my parents, Curt and Penny Weinhold, will have lived in the same home for 50 years. 50 years in the same home for my parents in sleepy and remote Appalachia. Coudersport, Pennsylvania. I asked my dad about that recently, and he said that when the paperwork with the lawyer was finished, he recalled walking into the house and happily shouting. He was tired of renting. When I visit my parents annually in Pennsylvania, I am still sleeping in the same bedroom of the same home, on the same block in the same small town where they still live in the first home that I ever remember.   Keith Weinhold (00:33:46) - Great job Mom and dad. You committed. You married before you had my brother and I. You're still happy, you're still healthy, and you're still together. You're even in the same home I grew up in. I'm in awe. I won the parent lottery five decades in the same home. You know where the creaky spots in the floor are of that old Victorian place. And when my brother is there, the four of us know right where to sit in our same spots at that same kitchen table. And, you know, as tomorrow is an amazing 50 years there. There are some lessons in this. Find out what the great things in life are, learn about them and commit to them. Like me trying to be the highest man on earth recently, or you buying the property or getting married. So many of the most successful people get diligent and learn and then make lasting commitments. Being a real estate investing devotee is a commitment. Each property that you add is a small commitment itself. I encourage you to act if it resonates with you.   Keith Weinhold (00:35:03) - Learn and grow your portfolio. There are always going to be naysayers that try to hold you to the confines of conformity and mediocrity. So fear, uncertainty. Telling someone that times are uncertain is like telling someone that they're breathing air. Well of course, no kidding. Each condition, uncertainty and breathing air have persisted every day of your entire life. In the year 1920, ten kilos of gold would buy you an average home. Today, ten kilos of gold will buy you an average home. Home prices aren't high so much as the value of the dollar is simply down. Homes are not overvalued by the most timeless financial measure. Gold mortgage rates near 7% are still below. Their long term average. So go forth and build your empire. You can either teach a man to fish or give a man a fish. Here at Jerry, we do both. We teach them in or women to fish at get worse education. Com which this show is a part of and then a great marketplace. Com we give a man a fish.   Keith Weinhold (00:36:30) - We have the supply of housing. You have access to the national providers with the lower cost real estate that makes the best rentals. And starting about two years ago, we added free investment coaching here, giving you that fish and making it easier than ever to get started or get your next property. Play a game worth winning and commit to something worthwhile. If you haven't yet, I encourage you to look into that at GREmarketplace.com. Until next week, I'm.   Speaker 3 (00:37:03) - Your host, Keith Weinhold.   Keith Weinhold (00:37:05) - Don't quit your day dream.   Speaker 4 (00:37:10) - Nothing on this show should be considered specific, personal or professional advice. Please consult an appropriate tax, legal, real estate, financial or business professional for individualized advice. Opinions of guests are their own. Information is not guaranteed. All investment strategies have the potential for profit or loss. The host is operating on behalf of yet Rich Education, LLC exclusively.   Keith Weinhold (00:37:38) - The preceding program was brought to you by your home for wealth building. Get rich education.com.

The Band A Novel By Christine Ma-Kellams https://amzn.to/4c1IzYY “This could very well be the first great K-Pop literary phenomenon.” —Debutiful, Most Anticipated Books of 2024 Perfect for fans of Mouth to Mouth and Black Buck, this whip-smart, darkly funny, and biting debut follows a psychologist with a savior complex who offers shelter to a recently cancelled K-pop idol on the run. Sang Duri is the eldest member and “visual” of a Korean boy band at the apex of global superstardom. But when his latest solo single accidentally leads to controversy, he's abruptly cancelled. To spare the band from fallout with obsessive fans and overbearing management, Duri disappears from the public eye by hiding out in the McMansion of a Chinese American woman he meets in a Los Angeles H-Mart. But his rescuer is both unhappily married with children and a psychologist with a savior complex, a combination that makes their potential union both seductive and incredibly problematic. Meanwhile, Duri's cancellation catapults not only a series of repressed memories from his music producer's earlier years about the original girl group whose tragic disbanding preceded his current success, but also a spiral of violent interactions that culminates in an award show event with reverberations that forever change the fates of both the band members and the music industry. In its indicting portrayal of mental health and public obsession, fandom, and cancel culture, The Band considers the many ways in which love and celebrity can devolve into something far more sinister when their demands are unmet. Christine Ma-Kellams is a Harvard-trained cultural psychologist, Pushcart-nominated fiction writer, and first-generation American. Her work and writing have appeared in HuffPost, Chicago Tribune, Catapult, Salon, The Wall Street Journal, The Rumpus, and much more. The Band is her first novel. You can find her in person at one of California's coastal cities or online at ChristineMa-Kellams.com.

The director's cut version of Mina's the circus of celebrity house tours video. In this extended version, she discusses the modern farmhouse hgtv agenda, landlord-core, and celebrity property feuds, spurred on by your answers to the question "what is the ugliest interior design trend?" Keep up with High Brow on Instagram! Subscribe to the Patreon! and keep up with Mina on Youtube, Instagram, and Tiktok! Sources Residence of MR. And MRS. MICKEY ROONEY — Beverly Hills, California | Architectural Digest | SEPTEMBER 1964 A Tour of the White House Mary Ann Watson (1988). The Presidency in a Bicentennial and Quadrennial Election Year || A Tour of the White House: Mystique and Tradition. Presidential Studies Quarterly, 18(1), 91–99. doi:10.2307/27550536  Kryczka, Anna (2014). Television and taste on the New Frontier: ‘A Tour Of The White House With Mrs. John F. Kennedy'. History and Technology, 30(1-2), 123–132. doi:10.1080/07341512.2014.934061 03 Apr 1963 - MONACO...with Princess Crace as guide - Trove A Tour of the White House with Mrs. John F. Kennedy Things You Didn't Know About "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous" Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous: Influential Reality TV | TIME The Unshakable Allure of the Celebrity House Tour Robin Leach's 'Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous' paved the way for 'MTV Cribs' and the Kardashians - The Washington Post How Russia's Shared Kitchens Helped Shape Soviet Politics : The Salt : NPR Stargazing: Celebrity, Fame, and Social Interaction By Kerry O. Ferris, Scott R. Harris Greta Garbo: Hollywood's Most Mysterious Star - Variety The Streisand Effect: When censorship backfires - BBC News Cribs turns 20! We look back at the MTV series' most ridiculous homes 20 Most Ridiculous Things Seen On MTV Cribs Inside Grey Gardens With Gail Sheehy -- New York Magazine - Nymag The tragedy of Grey Gardens: was the landmark documentary actually an exploitation movie? Grey Gardens Original Documentary Trailer We Need to Talk About David Harbour and Lily Allen's Bathroom Inside RuPaul's Dramatically Glamorous Beverly Hills Manse | Architectural Digest WATCH: Bretman Rock House, Beauty Room + Closet Storage Tour The story of the shopping mall in Barbara Streisand's house Merchandizing the Void - Dilettante Army The Modern Farmhouse Is Today's McMansion. And It's Here to Stay. - The New York Times Modern Farmhouse: The Style That's Not Real, But Really Popular Same House, New Costume What Is It Like to Be a Late-Night Talk Show Guest? A brief history of the many lies celebrities told on MTV Cribs Redman: MTV Tried to Get Me to Rent a House for "Cribs" EP#7: Redman's Legendary New York Yard | MTV Cribs Collections Redman Shares All of the Hilarious Details Behind the Funniest Episode of ‘MTV Cribs' Ever | Cracked.com Two Truths & A Lime: Pulling Apart Dakota Johnson's Glorious Web Of Lies Why does the internet love tree law so much? Led Zeppelin's Jimmy Page & Robbie Williams End Mansion Feud EDEN CONFIDENTIAL: Silence is golden for Robbie Williams as he employs builders using '19th century hand-tools' to keep noise down during renovation after row with neighbour Jimmy Page over impact of work A nun begged Katy Perry not to buy her convent — then collapsed and died - The Washington Post  Inside the Katy Perry Convent That Sparked a Real Estate War: Never-Before-Seen Photos Katy Perry Is Finding Herself in Another Complicated Legal Battle Over Real Estate Written by Mina Le and Ella Gray Edited by Sophie Carter Music by Olivia Martinez Cover Art by Lindsay Mintz

It's episode 302 and Christine has another ghost story she's been waiting to tell Em on the podcast! Then Em brings us the dramatic, Victorian paranormal story of the Berry Pomeroy Castle, which could have been the first McMansion? Meanwhile, Christine covers the wild and plot-twisty story of Stacey Castor. And we've cried once and we'll cry again that our Here for the Boos shows are over! We've been performing it for a 10th of our lives! …and that's why we drink!Be sure to check out our After Chat this week on Patreon where we're finally able to talk about our ghost hunt at the Queen Mary!