Welcome to OverlandPark's weekly thread.
Let's keep this simple: upvote the good, downvote the bad, report the people who break the rules.
Visiting our city? Looking for something new to try out? Have an itinerary you want us to look over? Need date night ideas? Need to find a new lunch spot? Ask here!
We're currently working on updating our wiki, but quite a few of our FAQs are already addressed there.
Be sure to also check out the Overland Park Events Calendar!

A few too many orange flags.

1. She was on the phone when she arrived for the M&G and kind of shushed me while I handed her the parking tag for our neighborhood.
   
2. She was all over the place at the M&G- I'm trying to ask questions about her dogs' habits, and she just wants to ask questions about my old house. Normally I love talking about my house, but when she left, the only thing I knew was that her dogs aren't resource hoarders? Didn't respond to questions about where they sleep, how they walk, etc.
   
3. She said she hadn't finalized her dates yet, but would get back to me over the weekend. She also noted that she's terrible at that kind of thing. Terrible at what? Buying plane tix?
   
4. Yesterday afternoon I messaged her and asked if she had finalized dates, because I had another (regular) client who wanted dates close to hers, who was waiting, because she was trying to schedule a trip around my availability.
   
5. You guessed it- heard nothing.
   

I archived her request and told my other client my calendar was open.
Have a feeling she would have continued to be annoying. Goodbye, $900.

How does one import .ICS calendar entries into the Android calendar app existing calendar?

We are staying at the Palmer House, and need suggestions forlunch spots where we can take our dog with us. Last night we ate at the little place below the bean (Napolitea) and it was pleasant enough. We are also open to suggestions for take out.
We are leaving palmer house in a few hours and would be open to places we would need to drive to, although preferably not too far north because we are driving south to go home today.
Also happy to hear any suggestions for pleasant walks to take with our pup. Last night we did Millenium Park (though we learned this morning they don’t actually allow dogs - dang!), and then along lake michigan, then up the riverwalk and that was all super fun. We like interesting/historic buildings/neighborhoods, gardens, and water. Open to going anywhere today until we head home in the afternoon.
On a side note, does anyone know why they closed Millenium Park around 5ish last night? Security told us it was just standard procedure and not for any specific event. Have they always done that? It’s been some years since I wandered around there, but it used to seem so open and casual to me.
Edit to add: I guess they maybe were’t closing Millenium Park last night, but it seemed like 95% of points of entry were blocked with fencing and a security guard. I’m not actually sure what the point was.

Hey there, thank you for reading my post. I added three Gmail accounts to my Outlook App my Mac. For the last hour, I tried to add my iPhone Calendar to said Outlook App so that they synch in both ways.
But I can't seem to find a way to add a calendar. Entries I found online always show an older UI.
Here's what my version looks like:
https://imgur.com/a/7FZrydc
Have I misunderstood something, or am I completely blind? I can't fathom why this "add calendar" button is hidden, like I'd need some treasure hunter experience in order to find it. Thank you so much for your help.

Previous Interlewd XXVII Next First
​
---Job---
​
---Lhamo’s perspective---
---2686 Terran Calenda27 years BF---
I watch the British woman of FrancoJapanese parentage stride from the floor of the Parliament of our (recently capitulated) enemies.
She is surrounded by four of the most physically imposing Humans I’ve ever seen! Not one of them less than 210cm!
I suppose, when our army numbers in the hundreds of billions, finding one-in-a-millions isn’t too hard(!)
Me and the rest of her retinue fall in behind her as she passes through the vomitorium and turns to my left, her right, towards her temporary office.
As large in stature as the durasteel clad soldiers are, they do not compare to the woman’s android husband, 230cm tall and, from the sound of his bare footfalls, a few hundred kilos in mass!
We reach the door of the (newly designated) office of the Terran Representative and she snarls “You four, guard the door…” addressing her bodyguards “…Ezra, Zurab, Lhamo, inside… Everyone else, piss off and find something to do!”
The door closes behind us.
“Bug sweep, darling…” says the woman, exhaustedly.
“No bugs detected.” answers her husband, instantly.
She slumps onto the chair that had to be brought from our ship after the one provided by the Parliament collapsed under her weight the first time she sat in it.
Tilting her head back, she asks “So… how did I do?”
“You did wonderfully, sweetheart.” answers Ezra, immediately, in his flat, serene cadence.
She reaches a hand out to one of his and says “Thank you, darling! You are my rock… but I was really asking these two…” gesturing at me and the KartveloTamil man with her other hand.
“My opinion…” smiles Mudaliar “…pitch perfect! No notes!”
“Agreed.” I concur.
She leans her elbows onto the table in front of her, quickly removing them when she hears its groans of protest.
“There’ll be a lot of people back home who think that we let them off too easy… who’ll think that we should have pulled a fucking Versailles on their arses!” she muses.
“A punitive Peace would foster resentment in the gardenworlder populace… They would feel as if their leaders stabbed them in the back by surrendering… Not to mention giving ammunition to antideathworlder bigots!… We need future generations of gardenworlders to think their ancestors were wrong to declare War on us, not wrong to sue for Peace…” I remind her.
“Enumerating their various hypocrisies, warcrimes and the many violations of their own laws that they perpetrated serves that end well… Hundreds of trillions of GU citizens, who personally had little to nothing to do with the War, suddenly finding their salaries cut in half to pay our War reparations would very much be counter to it(!)… Let us hope that demanding the most heinous warcriminals be remanded to Terran custody to stand trial placates the sabre rattlers back home…” adds Mudaliar.
“Yes, but…! I don’t know… I feel like we should have got something more from them!… Instructions on how to reproduce their more advanced tech, maybe…?”
Mudaliar purses his lips in a joyless smile and shakes his head “We just (relatively handily) defeated them in a War with technology centuries behind theirs… Their tech is not something we can ask them to trust us with yet… we need to build their trust first. It’s going to take time… It’s going to take…”
*Knock**Knock**Knock**Knock**Knock**Knock*
“What!?” snarls Miyazaki to whatever poor unfortunate soul is requesting entry.
One of the towering guards, in their sleek, state of the art durasteel, enters.
“Apologies for the interruption, Mistress Miyazaki… There’s a delivery for you. Already been scanned for explosive, biological and chemical agents etc… It’s clean.”
“A delivery…?” she says, screwing up her face in a mixture of confusion and contempt for a moment before shifting to appraisal and beckoning wordlessly.
The towering man enters the room and stands to one side, revealing a small woman with pink skin, purple tendrils covering her scalp, three teal eyes and three legs with one too many joints.
The girl looks terrified as she walks in, a levitating platform following behind her with a heavy looking cube (around a metre wide, deep and tall) on top.
Looking as if she might be about to burst into tears from her fear, the pink skinned girl holds out a holo toward Miyazaki (though still around 8m away) and says “C-c-could you… s-s-s-sssign h-here, p-please?”
“What am I signing for?” asks Miyazaki, flatly.
“Th-this?” says the scared delivery girl, gesturing at the glossy cube.
Fury flashes across Miyazaki’s face and, before she can traumatise the poor girl, I step in.
“I think what our Representative means is that we weren’t expecting a delivery… Would you mind telling us what this is?” I say, kindly, smiling (without teeth) down at the girl.
“I-it’s… a d-data drive…?” she asks more than tells.
A data drive!?
That’s absurd!!!
With how insanely advanced their computing is, a physical storage device this large would represent several multiples of all the information Humanity has ever set to page!
“What’s on this data drive, sweetie?” I smile, trying not to betray any of my desperate curiosity to her.
“It’s a c-compendium… of a-all Galactic Union t-technologies and ssscience…”
The room stands in stunned silence for 9 straight seconds while we all process what the little xeno girl just said.
She shifts uncomfortably, looking at Miyazaki and, clearly, unwilling to approach her.
Shellshocked, I eventually manage to say “I… can… sign… for that…”
Looking relieved, she hands me her holo and a stylus.
I scrawl out my name in the abugidic script of my native Tibetan, my hand then making a second pass on the line, adding the vowel markers.
The girl looks thoroughly relieved not to have had to get any closer than she is to the intimidating woman behind the desk, in the formal blue dress.
I hand the device back to her and she uses it to direct the platform to unload its cargo.
She does not wait to be dismissed, beating a hasty retreat from the room, leaving behind the single most valuable object ever possessed by Terrankind!
---2687 Terran Calenda26 years BF---
“We need gardenworlders!” growls Miyazaki, frustratedly, as we pore over the plans for the new agency we’re trying to design “This needs to be more than just the Terran embassy to the GU and vice versa! It needs to set the tone for all our interactions moving forward! We need qualified gardenworlders, ready, willing and able to work alongside the Terran staff! Helping us build our networks and win over potential allies in the Parliament!”
“Yes… well… unless you want to kidnap a complement of gardenworlders to staff it as forced labour, then our choices are open it with a Terran dominated staff and hope we can entice more gardenworld employees at a later date or delay it… again!” points out a weary Mudaliar.
“Guys…” I interject, equally wearily “…I think we’re past the point of productivity for this evening… how about we call it quits and come back to it with fresh eyes, tomorrow?”
“Good idea…” he answers.
The two of us begin getting up but Miyazaki says “Wait…”
We turn to look at her, expectantly.
“How about we go out tonight?… No shoptalk, I promise!…Just think it might be good for us to have a night to cut loose… just the four of us… five, if that hot, young nurse you’re dating wants to come, Zurab?”
Mudaliar smiles “I appreciate the offer… but I really need to sleep… Raincheck?”
“Fair enough… Lhamo?”
I hesitate, considering.
---later---
“Wooooo! Shots! Shots! Shots! Shots shots SHOTS!!!” shouts a merry Miyazaki as she and I raise small glasses of weak spirits to our lips, in a booth in the xeno bar, and tip them down our throats.
Her android husband mimics the action with an empty glass.
She slams her glass onto the table and releases a sigh as she slumps against the padded seatback.
Her expression turns slightly melancholic as she says “Y’know… I don’t know if I’m the right woman for this job…”
“You are.” replies her husband, instantly, almost displaying an emotion for a second there(!) “The fact that you were appointed above all other potential candidates should prove your fitness for the role. They could have chosen anyone and they chose you.”
“I agree with your husband… but what makes you say that, Jeanne?” I query.
“IIIII don’t knooow…” she grumbles “…I sort of feel like I was chosen on the strength of my reputation… and my parents’ reputation for ferocity… but, the thing is, while my mum and my shitstain of a father could give a fiery speech, they also had all the other skills you need to be a diplomat as well!… I feel like I’ve got one skill and it’s scaring people!”
“That’s why I’m here, sweetheart.” smiles Ezra, serenely “You’re the stick and I’m the carrot…”
“Thank you, darling… It’s just… much as I hate to give that man the credit… difficult not to think that my father would’ve done a better job if he’d managed to make it hear without getting his ship blasted out of the sky!”
While I have far more sense than to ever say it, it’s absolutely apparent that the husband Jeanne ‘Blitz’ Miyazaki commissioned for herself is, in all ways, the polar opposite of the late father she despises!
I only ever knew him by his reputation but; where her father was a passionate firebrand, Ezra is calm, measured and tranquil.
Where her father was a gorgeous heartthrob who became a handsome silver fox in his later life, her husband (while certainly not ugly) is definitely much plainer in his looks.
Where her father famously favoured flamboyant modern dress, her husband’s wardrobe looks straight out of a Unification era vid in its conservativeness.
Where her father had a slight frame and a diminutive stature, her husband is tall and solidly built.
And, where Yuki ‘Blizzard’ Miyazaki famously left his wife, Charlotte ‘Guerre’ d’Aureville , after a scandalous extramarital affair with Tombe ‘Breeze’ Upash (another (obviously married) diplomat, no less!) in a move that would have sunk the career of anyone else in his line of work, Ezra certainly seems as if he only has eyes for her!
Several times, she has expressed the thought that raising her half sister, Emiko, to be a decent person is the only good thing that man ever did!
My rumination on that is cut short, before I can answer her imposter syndrome, when she says “You ever consider the diplomat track, Lhamo?”
I give a rueful smile as I answer “I’d need a spouse for that, Jeanne(!)”
Her eyebrows raise in surprise as she says “Oh… you’re ace? I didn’t realise…”
I chuckle and shake my head “Not ace… just 42 with crowsfeet…” I gesture to the corners of my eyes “…I feel like, if I were going to meet Mr Right, it would have happened by now(!)”
“Bah…!” she dismisses, letting out her Francophone side for a second(!) “…None of this ‘too old to find love’ tripe! You’re still a stunner!… Not to mention an intelligent, vibrant woman with a fantastic personality!…Plus… we’re this close to cracking regen!… Pretty soon, 42 will be the new 25… along with every other age over 25(!) You’ve got all the time in the world!… It’d be really great to be able to hand this job off to you or Zurab!… Either of you’d do better than me, I’m sure!… I could go back to Earth, safe in the knowledge that things were being taken care of!”
“Ma’am…” I lean forward and reassuringly pat her wrist “…I promise you, you are the best person for the job… certainly at the moment, anyway!… Please grace us with your presence for a few more years at least!”
She chuckles “How about you get the next round and we’ll make a toast of it(!)”
I smile back “No problem… but I don’t think we’ll be allowed anymore of these…” I gesture to the, one-per-customer, shot glasses.
“Vinjirian ale… 900ml.” says the woman, immediately.
“I will take an empty 900ml glass.” states her husband.
“Got it.” I smile.
“Don’t drink any until Ezra can run chem analysis on it… Don’t want to get drugged!” she reminds me, seriously.
“I promise I won’t!” I chuckle, walking away.
“Oh, and watch him pour! Make sure he doesn’t spit in it or anything!” she adds, a little louder than she needs to but not loud enough that I think the large, porcine, xeno barman will have heard her.
I cross the crowded bar and step to the counter.
“Two Vinjirian ales and an empty glass, please… 900ml, all. Pretty sure you have our waivers for it already.” I smile, with closed lips, up at the orange xeno with the piglike face.
He oinks an acknowledgement and starts pouring.
As I watch him, I notice myself being noticed by a xeno at the far end of the bar.
I don’t turn to look but keep track of him in my periphery while my foveal focus rests, squarely, on the drinks being drawn.
He stands.
“Fuck…” I whisper to myself.
There’s one of two reasons a xeno is likely to be approaching me: either, he’s going to angrily vent at me about how I’m a monster and caused him to lose X number of loved ones in the War… or he’s about to test the rumours about Human promiscuity…
I’m not particularly in the mood for either but I really hope it’s the latter… I don’t know that I would trust the proprietor to take my side if one of his gardenworld patrons gets belligerent.
As the man approaches, he occupies more and more of my attention to the point that, even though I’m looking right at them, I wouldn’t necessarily see if our drinks were tampered with!
Good thing I’ve got a walking laboratory back at my table(!)
The gigantic man has now made it to within a metre of me on my left and stands, looming over me.
Despite the fact that I know, if push came to shove, I could probably put his head clear through the countertop without too much trouble, it’s still uncomfortable to have such a large person so close.
The first words the man speaks catch me completely off guard.
“It’s been a while, Dr Yeshe… I’m very glad to see you again!” comes a warm, familiar voice, speaking Gangsri accented Tibetan and sounding a bit like a Human with a blocked nose.
My head whips left and up, my eyes resting upon a very recognisable patch of smooth, flat, periwinkle coloured skin between two large, orange eyes.
I haven’t seen this man since I was transferred to Forward Operations, 4 years ago!
My joy is so immediate and genuine that I momentarily forget to restrain my smile, so as not to be perceived as making an aggressive display!
He doesn’t flinch at the brief flash of my teeth I involuntarily give him.
“Well, well, well, well, well!… If it isn’t my favourite prisoner of War(!) What a pleasant surprise, Wing Commander!” I say, my voice joyful.
Then, my face falls as I notice the dark blue bruise across his right eye.
“What happened to your eye, Ong?!” I ask, ready to demand the name and badge number of whatever guard it was that did that to him… then remembering that we’re no longer on Gangsri!
He casts his eyes down and shamefully confesses “It’s… not ‘Ong’ anymore… and it’s not ‘Wing Commander’ either… I’m just Ngngomg, now…”
It takes a second before the pieces click together for me.
I gasp as I realise “*Hhhhh*…You were expelled from your tribe?!”
He answers with a doleful Terran nod.
“Because you defected?”
“Just got released here, yesterday… went to my embassy… found my tribal representative… he punched me… told me not to come back to Gollogng… and… here I am…” he gestures around the bar “…drowning my sorrows(!)”
“That’s terrible, On…Ngngomg! I’m so sorry!!!”
“It’s fine…” he lies “…I’ve got some preWar savings to live on for the moment… should also be due two years salary from the GU military… but who knows when or if I’ll ever see that, given how my service ended!”
“They don’t count time spent as a POW to be time you served?” I query.
He puffs through his lips before answering “They do not, no… certainly not when you became a POW by treason!”
“Is… is there anything I can… do?” I offer, pathetically.
He gives a joyless curl of his lips and answers “Sweet of you to offer but… there’s really nothing to be done… Anyway… it was nice seeing you…” and turns to walk a way.
“Wait!” I say, a little more desperately than I mean to.
He turns back, one of his dark blue eyebrows raised quizzically.
“How would you like a job?”
“A job…?” he frowns “A job doing what?”
“Let me buy you a drink and… we can tell you all about it at my table…”
---
Support me on Patreon for early access to upcoming releases!
---
Previous Interlewd XXVII Next First
Dramatis Personae

May 29
Rosedale history walk
https://www.meetup.com/the-history-of-parkdale/events/293125799/
City Architecture: The Annex and Casa Loma walk
https://www.meetup.com/the-history-of-parkdale/events/293736802/
How To Become A Volunteer @ BlooGladstone Library
https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/how-to-become-a-volunteer-tickets-611170305837
🎱Play Pool, Make Friends, Have Fun in Downtown Toronto!🎱
https://www.meetup.com/torontobilliardsclub/events/293433630
Practice English w/Woodgreen
https://forums.redflagdeals.com/woodgreen-woodgreen-english-conversation-circles-online-via-microsoft-teams-next-one-may-26-2487256/
$18.88 unlimited evening bowling @ Splitsville
https://splitsville.ca/richmond-hill-bowling/
lululemon: Monday Night QSW RunCrew
https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/lululemon-monday-night-qsw-runcrew-tickets-619812855937
ULTIMATE FRISBEE All Genders Welcome! No Experience Necessary!
https://www.meetup.com/mracx-multisport/events/293763144/
Yoga in the Park + optional walk
https://www.meetup.com/mracx-multisport/events/293396441/
$9.99 True Romance @ Cineplex
https://www.cineplex.com/movie/true-romance-30th-anniversary-event
Drylongso @ Revue Cinema
https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/drylongso-new-4k-restoration-toronto-theatrical-premiere-tickets-617658301607
The Swimmer @ Paradise Theatre
https://paradiseonbloor.com/calendar
Casino bus to NIagara Falls
https://safewaytours.net/en/casino-tours/
SiriusXM free preview. Until June 5
https://www.siriusxm.com/offers/free-listen
Free Tafelmusik concert. Rush line only
https://tafelmusik.org/concerts-events/concerts/tbsf/
Hot Chip @ History
https://www.historytoronto.com/
Eagle Owl @ Monarch Tavern
https://www.themonarchtavern.com/calendar
Marcus Murray and the Incantations @ Dakota Tavern
https://www.dakotatavern.ca/
Battle of the Bars @ Horseshoe Tavern
https://www.horseshoetavern.com/events
Emo night @ Bovine Sex Club
https://www.bovinesexclub.com/
Violin: The Soul of Jewish Music, by the Rebekah-Jurecka Duo
https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/violin-the-soul-of-jewish-music-by-the-rebekah-jurecka-duo-tickets-627871168567
SING! in Concert: SING! Celebrates the Musical @ The Concert Hall
https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/sing-in-concert-sing-celebrates-the-musical-tickets-519262677647
Queer cocktail night @ Drake Hotel
https://www.thedrake.ca/thedrakehotel/whatson/
Inside Out Festival. Until June 4
https://insideout.ca/festival/
Karaoke @ Toby's
https://www.instagram.com/jasonrolland/
Turn it Up Music Bingo at Left Field Brewery. Dog friendly venue
https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/turn-it-up-music-bingo-at-left-field-brewery-tickets-633035605537
Movie trivia @ Hemingway's
https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/movie-trivia-11-first-night-tickets-632122905627
(Twice) Monthly Monday Trivia at Goose Island
https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/twice-monthly-monday-trivia-at-goose-island-tickets-608787889967
Trivia at Tammy's Wine Bar
https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/trivia-at-tammys-wine-bar-tickets-642973790917
Trivia Mondays at Film Cafe
https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/trivia-mondays-at-film-cafe-tickets-594746220957
Trivia @ Stout Irish
https://www.headscratcherstrivia.com/
Weekly trivia roundup
https://www.reddit.com/toronto/comments/ukk8dm/roundup_of_trivia_nights_in_toronto/
Open Life Drawing Toronto @ St Matthew's United Church
https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/open-life-drawing-toronto-registration-565727224357
Mirvish lottery for $19 discounted Harry Potter tickets
https://lottery.mirvish.com/
Cirque du Soleil Kooza. Until June 18
https://www.cirquedusoleil.com/kooza
Disney Animation: Immersive Experience Toronto
https://tickets.lighthouseimmersive.com/toronto/?#/
Stranger Things : The Experience
https://strangerthings-experience.com/toronto/
The Office Experience @ Yorkdale Mall
https://theofficeexperience.com/toronto/
Jurassic World The Exhibition @ Square One
https://jurassicworldexhibition.com/mississauga/
Registration continues for JAM sports leagues
https://toronto.jamsports.com/index.php
YMCA free 7-day trial pass
https://trythey.ymcagta.org
GoodLife Fitness free 7-day trial pass
https://try.goodlifefitness.com/raptors?utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=MSLE-Partnership&utm_source=Partner
Presto card discounts. Various attractions, shows , restaurants
https://www.prestocard.ca/en/about/presto-perks
Free admission to various attractions via TPL Map Pass Program
https://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/museum-arts-passes/
Toronto History Museums free admission
https://www.toronto.ca/explore-enjoy/history-art-culture/museums/
Spring Flower Show @ Centennial Park Conservatory. Free admission
https://www.toronto.ca/explore-enjoy/parks-gardens-beaches/gardens-and-horticulture/conservatories/centennial-park-conservatory/
Self guided Discovery Tours
https://www.toronto.ca/services-payments/streets-parking-transportation/sidewalk-tours-wayfinding/self-guided-tours/discovery-tours/
Seeing the Invisible An Outdoor Augmented Reality Exhibition
https://moca.ca/exhibitions/seeing-the-invisible/
Volunteer w/Bike Brigade
https://www.bikebrigade.ca/
Volunteer w/Nature Stewards to remove invasive plants
https://torontonaturestewards.org/
Garters and Glam @ Oasis
https://members.oasisaqualounge.com/sessions/new
MILF Monday @ M4
http://clubm4.com/event-calenda
Free community dinner @ 1470 Gerrard St E
https://forums.redflagdeals.com/neighborhood-food-hub-toronto-may-29-free-community-dinner-1470-gerrard-street-east-2620631/
$4.99 Big Mary chicken sandwich @ Mary Brown's
https://marybrowns.com/offers/
$18.99 AYCE endless wings @ Hooters. Drink purchase required
https://www.hooters.to/downtown-toronto
$10 OG chicken sandwich @ Union Chicken
https://www.unionchicken.com/menu-daily-specials
$10 unlimited toppings @ Pi . Co
https://forums.redflagdeals.com/pi-co-10-unlimited-topping-craft-pizza-2592458/
Summer drink days @ McDonald's. Until Sept 4
https://forums.redflagdeals.com/mcdonalds-summer-drink-days-may-23-september-4-2617674/
Birthday freebies. Marble Slab, and more
https://forums.redflagdeals.com/birthday-freebies-version-2017-2022-1719925/
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May 30
Group bike ride w/TBN
https://tbn.ca/event-5253299
Blue Jays vs Brewers @ SkyDome. $1 hot dog night
https://www.mlb.com/bluejays/schedule/2023-05
Lovejoy @ Danforth Music Hall
https://thedanforth.com/
Wunderhorse @ Velvet Underground
http://thevelvet.ca/events/
TIFA: Max Porter Presents Shy @ TD Music Hall
https://tdmusichall.mhrth.com/
$9.99 True Romance @ Cineplex
https://www.cineplex.com/movie/true-romance-30th-anniversary-event
The Machine w/Meetup
https://www.meetup.com/toronto-movies-and-social-group/events/292975708/
Trivia @ Stout Irish
https://www.headscratcherstrivia.com/
Old Dada @ Absolute Comedy
https://www.absolutecomedy.ca/toronto
$5 comedy @ Yuk Yuks
https://www.yukyuks.com/toronto
Skyline's The Limit @ Second City
https://www.secondcity.com/shows/toronto/the-second-city-mainstage-87th-revue/?tickets=&date=
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May 31
Blue Jays vs Brewers @ SkyDome
https://www.mlb.com/bluejays/schedule/2023-05
Ella Mai @ History
https://www.historytoronto.com/
Embrace Presents: Elder @ Lee's Palace
https://www.leespalace.com/events
$9.99 True Romance @ Cineplex
https://www.cineplex.com/movie/true-romance-30th-anniversary-event
Mektoub, My Love: Canto Uno. Free screening @ Alliance Francaise
https://www.alliance-francaise.ca/en/art/2022-2023-season/movie-thursdays/74-mektoub-my-love-canto-uno-2017
Horse racing @ Woodbine. Free admission and parking
https://woodbine.com/upcoming-races/
Toronto Maple Leafs vs Kitchener Panthers. Free baseball @ Christie Pits
https://www.mapleleafsbaseball.com/stats#/team-schedule?team_id=238204
Brass Facts trivia w/Meetup
https://www.meetup.com/toronto-movies-and-social-group/events/293735883/
Karaoke @ Penny's
https://www.instagram.com/jasonrolland/?hl=en
Bingo @ Flash On Church
http://flashonchurch.com/
Old Dada @ Absolute Comedy
https://www.absolutecomedy.ca/toronto
Skyline's The Limit @ Second City
https://www.secondcity.com/shows/toronto/the-second-city-mainstage-87th-revue/?tickets=&date=
comedy @ Yuk Yuks
https://www.yukyuks.com/toronto
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
June 1
Horse racing @ Woodbine. Free admission and parking
https://woodbine.com/upcoming-races/
Bingo @ Flash On Church
http://flashonchurch.com/
$9.99 True Romance @ Cineplex
https://www.cineplex.com/movie/true-romance-30th-anniversary-event
Karaoke @ Penny's
https://www.instagram.com/jasonrolland/
comedy @ Yuk Yuks
https://www.yukyuks.com/toronto
Old Dada @ Absolute Comedy
https://www.absolutecomedy.ca/toronto
Skyline's The Limit @ Second City
https://www.secondcity.com/shows/toronto/the-second-city-mainstage-87th-revue/?tickets=&date=
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
June 2
Horse racing @ Woodbine. Free admission and parking
https://woodbine.com/upcoming-races/
Bus to Casino Rama
https://www.casinorama.com/vip-coach/
MOCA. Free admission after 5PM
https://moca.ca/visit/
Good Kid @ Opera House
https://theoperahousetoronto.com/
Death Cab for Cutie @ Massey Hall
https://masseyhall.mhrth.com/
Saddle Up. Classic country party @ Owls Club
https://www.instagram.com/saddleupto/?hl=en
Saddle Up w/Meetup
https://www.meetup.com/toronto-movies-and-social-group/events/293736269/
Bingo @ Flash On Church
http://flashonchurch.com/
Karaoke Fridays Scruffy Murphy’s Irish Pub Hosted by KJ Sharon
https://www.meetup.com/toronto-karaoke-meetup-group/events/293375484/
Karaoke @ Hermie's
https://www.hermies.ca/
Karaoke @ Mimico Pub and Grill
https://www.facebook.com/mimicopubandgrill/
Karaoke @ On the Rocks
https://myontherocks.com/
Karaoke @ Royal Canadian Legion 614
https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=701918525274532&set=pcb.701918778607840
Karaoke @ Zak's Bar and Grill
https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=2501861116658243&set=gm.10167678788975445&idorvanity=28317670444
Karaoke @ Fox and Fiddle Wellesley
https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10159534696221917&set=a.338175466916
Karaoke @ Alice's Place
https://www.instagram.com/alicesplace_554parliament/
Mike Lynch @ Yuk Yuks
https://www.yukyuks.com/toronto
Old Dada @ Absolute Comedy
https://www.absolutecomedy.ca/toronto
Skyline's The Limit @ Second City
https://www.secondcity.com/shows/toronto/the-second-city-mainstage-87th-revue/?tickets=&date=
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
June 3
$10/$15 unlimited GO Transit
https://www.gotransit.com/en/travelling-with-us/promotions-and-events/weekend-passes-with-go
Bus to Casino Rama
https://www.casinorama.com/vip-coach/
Horse racing @ Woodbine. Free admission and parking
https://woodbine.com/upcoming-races/
$2.99 Tom & Jerry @ Cineplex
https://www.cineplex.com/events/family
An Evening of Musical Mantras
https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/an-evening-of-musical-mantras-registration-633078724507
Death Cab for Cutie @ Massey Hall
https://masseyhall.mhrth.com/
Bingo @ Flash On Church
http://flashonchurch.com/
Mike Lynch @ Yuk Yuks
https://www.yukyuks.com/toronto
Old Dada @ Absolute Comedy
https://www.absolutecomedy.ca/toronto
Skyline's The Limit @ Second City
https://www.secondcity.com/shows/toronto/the-second-city-mainstage-87th-revue/?tickets=&date=
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
June 4
$10/$15 unlimited GO Transit
https://www.gotransit.com/en/travelling-with-us/promotions-and-events/weekend-passes-with-go
Bus to Casino Rama
https://www.casinorama.com/vip-coach/
Bata Shoe Museum free admission
https://batashoemuseum.ca/visit-us/
Horse racing @ Woodbine. Free admission and parking
https://woodbine.com/upcoming-races/
Toronto Maple Leafs vs Hamilton Cardinals. Free baseball @ Christie Pits
https://www.mapleleafsbaseball.com/stats#/team-schedule?team_id=238204
Bingo @ Flash On Church
http://flashonchurch.com/
Karaoke @ Toby's
https://www.instagram.com/jasonrolland/
Free drop-in kickball @ Alexandra Park. Beginners welcome
https://www.facebook.com/TorontoKickball/
$18.88 unlimited evening bowling @ Splitsville
https://splitsville.ca/richmond-hill-bowling/
Old Dada @ Absolute Comedy
https://www.absolutecomedy.ca/toronto
Skyline's The Limit @ Second City
https://www.secondcity.com/shows/toronto/the-second-city-mainstage-87th-revue/?tickets=&date=

Disclaimer: This post is long, so you may want to save it and read it later. Also, I put a lot of time into both researching this and writing it up. So if all you have is negative feedback, kindly keep it to yourself. Finally, there’s a lot more that I’ve been looking into beyond the scope of this write-up. If you’d like to join my exp-LORE-ation efforts, please let me know.
Recap: Part 1 establishes that Colonel is the same kid who was playing with his “baer frends” at the Palace of the Winding Path. Part 2 establishes that Darius Angler was the author of the 4 Untitled Poems.
Edit: Hyperlinks don't seem to be working so I'm manually pasting my references to parts 1 and 2.
https://www.reddit.com/fo76/comments/1327e9a/lore_discovery_responder_colonel_flatwoods_was/
https://www.reddit.com/fo76/comments/135xf3y/lore_discovery_part_2_responder_colonels_postwa
TLDR (mad spoilers up in here): Fishbones led the raid that killed Colonel and all the Responders in Flatwoods, and he could very well be Darius Angler’s brother. Colonel may have been up to something nefarious with the children of Flatwoods (but not in that way). Ra Ra might be Ward’s granddaughter. And it looks like mole rat teeth are used to craft Day Tripper.
​
We Begin at the End: November 2096. 13 Bridge Street, Flatwoods, WV. Responder Colonel died in the raider attack on Flatwoods, along with just about every other Responder that resided there. The raiders attacked because a Chem Addict stole all their food and chems and fled to Flatwoods. You can find her body and holotape just West of the river. But before we get to that, we need to look at what Colonel was up to before he died. Most people probably overlooked this detail because they haven’t explored Flatwoods since they were level 3, and at that point they didn’t have a jetpack or the Marsupial mutation. But Colonel’s front AND back porches are completely railed off. If you make it over the front railing, you’ll find the corpses of Colonel and (likely) the raider that killed him, Colonel’s second “Survivor Story,” and a stroller with an intact doll in it. Colonel was the “caregiver for children” in Flatwoods, so the stroller may have once been for an actual baby.
But on the back porch, Colonel was burning books, files, documents, and the contents of a mysterious duffel back on his grill. Colonel definitely had a secret and he was literally trying to burn the evidence. And that secret was his past with the Diehards and Darius Angler. If you follow the road West out of Flatwoods, you’ll eventually arrive at Hillfolk Hotdogs, which is the site of Untitled Poem #3 and the former home of Colonel when he lived with Angler as a child (you can find one of his “baer frends” on the kid-sized bunk bed). But inside the bus(?) at Hillfolk’s, you’ll also find similar documents and a duffel bag, just like the kind Colonel was burning in Flatwoods when he died. As a matter of fact, there are other similarly suspicious duffel bags and file caches along the Ohio River. And this takes us to Ohio River Adventures.
Fishbones is a Dirty Rat Bastard: In the exact same way that the Diehards returned to Crater, a former territory of theirs (and site of Untitled Poem #2), the Diehards also returned to Ohio River Adventures. Now, O.R.A. gets overlooked because there is no main quest line that keeps you returning to this area (maybe the grind for Raider Rep), but this place is former Diehard territory too. Now, it is critically important to know that both Fishbones (Bones) and Blackeye are O.G. Diehards. Blackeye was almost certainly Colonel’s 1st grade teacher back at the Palace of the Winding Path. But what about Bones? Well, my friends, I bet I’m about to tell you something you didn’t already know:
When Margie McClintock died in 2096 (as inferred what Rose tells us during the main quest), Meg Groberg took over and soon thereafter led the Diehards out of Appalachia before returning years later (that, you already knew). You probably also already knew that before Margie died, Meg and the other Diehards went against protocol and “shot first” when robbing people. Meg was a true raider in all the ways that Margie was not. But what you probably didn’t put together is that Margie died around the time that Flatwoods was attacked. According to the Chem Addict from Flatwoods:
“Chems Addict: Well, this is it I guess. Rock bottom I think they call it. I still miss him. Billy. I knew he was too young for me, but he made me feel good. Though it's the old Billy I really miss. The one who used to do nothing all day with me but listen to the radio and drink. I shoulda got out sooner when Billy and his buddies started torturing little cats and dogs. His friends... were no good. But that didn't stop me anyway. I can't believe my wake up call was watching people's heads... get stuck on spikes. So... what is an old gal like me to do? Steal all the food. Steal all the chems. And get the hell out of there. *laughs* I'd trade my last bite of food just to see the look on their faces. Oh, I know it's going to piss off Billy's friends, but I don't give a damn. I tell myself I should feel sorry for the little town across the river. But if I'm being honest, and that's what this tape is for, I don't really care. I call myself an addict, but it ain't the chems that finally got me. It was always Billy.”
I want to emphasize the “heads on spikes” part, because that’s something Margie would never tolerate. But Meg on the other hand let raiders be raiders. The other thing that I want to point out is “Billy.” I’m not saying for certain that this Billy is the same as Darius Angler’s brother, but I am saying that technically no body was ever recovered from the molten steel, and Angler didn’t see the accident happen because he didn’t work at Grafton Steel anymore. It’s possible that “Billy Angler,” who didn’t quit because “he needs the money,” could have taken out some kind of insurance policy, named his chem addict girlfriend as the beneficiary, faked his own death, and skipped town. Do I know for certain that this happened? Of course not. But what I do know is this: FISHBONES’S REAL NAME IS BILLY!!! The reason he’s obsessed with the letter B is because that’s his first initial. You see, at first I thought the raiders that wrecked Flatwoods were Cutthroats because of their whole feud with the Responders. But then I learned that the Flatwoods attack was caused by a bunch of chems that the Addict stole, and the Diehards were Appalachia’s great chems supplier (thanks to Angler). Furthermore, Fishbones’s current operation is spiking Mirelurk meat with an addictive substance (chems). And since Bones is an OG Diehard, it means he was the piece-of-shit raider that attacked Flatwoods and killed Colonel.
https://fallout.fandom.com/wiki/Fishbones
A Bit About Bruiser: I found a few interesting details about Bruiser at Ohio River Adventures, but nothing too profound. We know that he used to play football, his mascot was a “battle bear,” and that he spent some time in a vault. The likeliest conclusion from this information is that he’s from Grafton, given that’s the only high school in the region with a football field and it’s next to the makeshift vault that formerly housed a few raiders before the BOS took over. If you look up the IRL Grafton High School, you’ll find that it’s on Yates Ave (likely the namesake of Sofie Yates, a Responder turned Raider in Flatwoods) and their mascot is the “Bearcat.” Also, all the varsity jackets in FO76 have the letter B on them, but that’s more Fishbones’s thing. But none of this has anything to do with Colonel or Angler, so let’s move on.
The Charleston Cartel (2079-2082): From the Charleston Capitol Building terminal entries, we know there was a massive chem trade happening in Charleston at this time:
“Name: Matoukas, George
Date of Crime: 10.09.81
Description:
300 Block of Oak. Based on anonymous tip, Responder Atkins found subject peddling vast amounts of illegal chems out of his home. Over 300lbs of illegal chems found in the subject's basement.
Resolution:
Matoukas sentenced to 5 years hard labor under close supervision, with possibility of parole for good behavior. Chems were seized and destroyed.”
Since the Diehards’ operation at the Palace of the Winding Path effectively ended with the great rapture of ‘79, it only makes sense that the Diehards would have to adapt their drug trade elsewhere. If you actually look for raider activity in Charleston (outside of the courthouse), you won’t find a lot, but what you will find is very telling of their operations. You’ll find a dead raider at the chemistry workbench inside Hornwright Industrial Headquarters. You’ll find a few dead raiders in/above the pharmacy on the south side of town. And you’ll find a dead raider lurking outside the doctors’ offices (which is NOT the hospital) to the north. And this takes us to Dr. Joseph.
https://fallout.fandom.com/wiki/Joseph_(Fallout_76))
Dr. Joseph was a psychiatrist in Charleston who practiced both before AND after the Great War. He had the authority to refer patients to Allegheny Asylum and write prescriptions; Prescriptions that would be filled at the pharmacy on the south side of Charleston. To one patient, P. Davis, he prescribed Day Tripper. This insightful detail is why the Diehards were operating in Charleston in the first place. As many seasoned players have observed, Day Tripper is not craftable in this game; You can only find it out in the wild. Consider the following terminal entry from the Palace of the Winding Path:
“Log: 12.29.77 Since the war, incense ingredients have been hard to come by. We started rationing weeks ago, in anticipation of this, and doses are much lower. The sedative effects of the incense are a priority, to keep people from freaking out.
I've begun to improvise with some other ingredients and found some creative ways of stretching the supply, at least until things return to relative normal. Other chem supplies are plentiful.”
So here’s what I think happened. If the Diehards were in dire need of Day Tripper to make their custom chems (see: Making Incense), and the Responders had a healthy supply of Day Tripper locked inside a pharmacy in Charleston, and there was also a doctor who wrote prescriptions for Day Tripper, then all the Diehards needed to do was register a new patient with Dr. Joseph. Enter: Darius Angler.
Darius Angler was batshit crazy (if in doubt, refer to his manifesto). Angler, who now resided at Hillfolk Hotdogs, was also just a short trip up the New River from Charleston. He would periodically visit Dr. Joseph, get his prescription filled like a meth-head scoring Sudafed, and used the trip as a cover to smuggle the refined chems into the city. Essentially, I think he just made a loop around the southwest “island” of the Forest (area surrounded on all sides by 3 rivers, referred to as “Zone D”). The loop around Zone D functioned as a supply chain/assembly line for producing the chems that were being smuggled into Charleston. There’s a lot of suspicious stuff happening around here: Raider activity, duffel bags/files, bridge control, coffin conspiracies, etc. that I had to edit out for length, but I’ll try to summarize it here.
Hillfolk Hotdogs is where Angler and Colonel raised mole rats for reasons I’ll explain later. Follow the Ohio River south and you’ll soon come to a boat that’s not far away from a crashed truck loaded up with industrial chemical barrels (useful for producing industrial quantities of chems). South of that is a tent with a duffel bag. Further south you’ll find a 3-story house with suspicious files and a duffle bag hidden in the attic (just like at Hillfolk’s). South of that are some dry-docked boats with a chem box and a duffel bag. Even further south is Ohio River Adventure (a current Raider base of operation that served a similar purpose back then). Southeast of there, by Lewis & Sons, is a little “boat” with 2 stuffed bears, which I think was left behind by Colonel as he reenacted his river adventures with Angler using his bears. Southeast of there is a floating Nuka-Cola structure with a submerged safe guarded by 2 more bears, one of which has a liquor bottle. I think this is a dead drop and the bears are another work of Colonel’s. Heading East up the River you’ll find a raider-operated “store” at the end of a questionable bridge. Further east is Charleston, where George Matoukas was distributing the chems. And on the return trip down the New River is another dead drop directly beneath the Bridge on the west side. It’s a safe by a couch with a bear and Jangles (I think Jangles is supposed to represent George). Again, I think that this big loop is a supply chain/assembly line for moving chems and the components needed to make chems.
The smuggling operation also deviously involved Colonel and his “Baer Frends.” If you jetpack up to the very top of AVR Medical Center, you’ll find two people who OD’ed on chems, each with a stuffed bear next to them. So I think that either the Diehards were sewing chems inside Colonel’s stuffed bears and using them as drug mules to smuggle chems into Charleston, or that Colonel just climbed to the highest point on the hospital (as he did at the Palace and later in Flatwoods) and left two bears as a memorial. But I’m leaning toward the former because of an unmarked location in the Savage Divide that I found. It’s southeast of Bastion Park right at the bend of the monorail line. It’s essentially a fire pit with a bunch of stuffed bears thrown in it with a few dead party-goers around the area. I think this is the location where the Responders destroyed all of the Chems, bears and all, that they confiscated from George Matoukas. Speaking of George Matoukas….
Curious George and the Rocket: According to the above-mentioned terminal entry, George Matoukas was apparently the only criminal who the Responders sentenced to hard labor rather than exile. If you go to Rollins Labor Camp (formerly Rollins Work Camp), you won’t find a whole lot there other than Blood Eagles. But what you WILL find at the very top of the crane structure are two stuffed bears and a Jangles. Colonel, as a child, had a thing for playing with “baer frends in high places.” I can’t say with any certainty what happened here, but maybe Angler was the one who gave the responders that “anonymous tip” because Matoukas was starting to rub off on Colonel, and Angler didn’t want him growing up to be a Raider. Matoukas gets sentenced to hard labor rather than exile, with a change of parole pending “good behavior,” which means “snitching.” So maybe Angler took Colonel to visit his “friend” at the labor camp (visiting hours are a thing), Angler introduced George to a “rocket,” and Colonel used his toys to recreate the scene. Or not. Who knows? But what I do know is that the shitty poet (Angler) moved on from Hillfolk Hotdogs to go to the Cranberry Bog, and I think the Christmas Flood gave him the perfect reason to leave.
Untitled Poem #3: I’m intentionally skipping Untitled Poem #2, partly because I haven’t found much deeper meaning to it, but mostly because what I think it means is little more than conjecture. #3, on the other hand, I feel like I can make sense of it:
“white cedar leaning against the shadow of our river
peeling like asylum walls
hobbled together around dignity that died long ago
simple things to jumpstart fogged memories
holed as teeth hidden in tin
we leave our things pinned
winning only the stuck wings”
I think the phrase “white cedar leaning against the shadow of our river” is the title of the painting in Dr. Joseph’s office. Or at least that’s how Darius Angler would describe it as if it was some kind of Rorschach test. “Peeling like asylum walls, hobbled together around dignity that died long ago” is a reference to the office wallpaper, and perhaps another one of Dr. Joseph’s clients, Daniel Boone.
“Patient: "Boone, D"
Observations:
Interesting case.
Patient responds only to "Daniel Boone" and indeed seems to believe himself to be the historical figure by the same name. I'd heard that some of the hillfolk can end up a bit off after lack of socialization, but I'd not expected to see such a case.
Advised that he be sent to Allegheny rather than the Penitentiary for further observation.”
There’s only a VERY narrow window of plausibility to suggest that Angler is Daniel Boone, so I won’t. But this entry seems to refer back to Untitled Poem #3, with worlds like “hillfolk” (as in Hillfolk Hotdogs), “Allegheny” (as in asylum), and “the historical figure” (as in dignity that died long ago). I think the line “simple things to jumpstart fogged memories'' refers to the Souvenir Magnet on the fridge at Hillfolk Hotdogs, and I think it came from Lady Janet’s Soft Serve (not Cow Spot Creamery). “Holed as teeth hidden in tin” refers to the mole rats that he was raising with Colonel at Hillfolk’s (the cat bowl on the floor is for the mole rat that walks around the trailer like Fry’s dog from Futurama, just waiting for Colonel to come home). And “we leave our things pinned, winning only the stuck wings,” refers to Angler’s (and Colonel’s) escape from the Diehards. I’m assuming this event took place just after the Christmas flood, once the chem operation in Charleston was destroyed with the rest of the city. But if you remember those dead raiders I mentioned earlier, there are a few more. Outside of Dr. Joseph’s office is a dead raider next to an ammo box. Well, next to him is a makeshift bridge that goes over the highway. And if you keep going in the same direction once you step off the bridge you’ll hit the southwest corner of Wade Airport. Immediately in that corner past the fence is a locked truck-trailer (watch out for the mine) with 2 more dead raiders and a power armor chassis (sometimes). I think the last line of the poem refers to this exact event, leaving his power armor (and compatriots) pinned in the back of the trailer so he can steal yet another Vertibird. Angler flew the automated aircraft to Watoga. Why? I don’t know. But it explains how he got to the Cranberry Bog and why his body can be found just a short distance south of the city.
Untitled Poem #4: Just like #2, I don’t have any deep insight into the specifics so all I can do is speculate. I’ll spare you the details. But what I think it’s about is the very end of his relationship with Colonel. I think the time Angler and Colonel spent together in the unmarked cabin southeast of Sunrise Field was just Angler teaching Colonel to be self-sufficient (hunting, trapping, maintaining weapons and whatnot). I think that when the scorched attacked Harper’s Ferry in 2086 that there was also generally increased scorched activity in the eastern half of Appalachia. The poem describes Angler providing cover fire to, or perhaps just drawing fire away from Colonel as escaped through Big Bend Tunnel, later to be found by the Responders. But again, like with #2, all I can do with this poem is speculate.
The Mysterious Mole Rats: This is a question I’ve had for almost 2 years now, and I think I finally figured it out. Back at the Palace of the Winding Path, there’s a lonely mole rat that lives in the computer room by the garden. There’s also a dead mole rat next to a dead raider pilot by a downed plane that was headed to the Palace from the north. I didn’t know what the Diehards needed mole rats for because I was only looking at the Palace itself. But the answer to this question is found at Lady Janet’s. Everyone thinks that the two bears in gas masks by the chemistry is just a Breaking Bad easter egg. But I think it’s yet another “baer frend” reenactment left behind by Colonel. Do you remember how the cultists at the Palace ran out of ingredients to make the “spiritual incense” and had to improvise? Well, one of the substitute ingredients they used, and the reason they were importing mole rats, and the reason the Diehards took care of the children like they did, is found in the baby carriage at Lady Janet’s.
A basket full of human jaw bones? Yeah…. Teeth. Or more precisely, “baby teeth.” I suppose mole rat teeth would do in a pinch, but as messed up as it sounds human baby teeth were preferred. This is why the Diehards at the Palace were taking care of those first-graders; because six-year-olds shed baby teeth like it’s raining molars! This also answers a question you didn’t even know you had, and it takes us back to Flatwoods. Here’s a note written by Jeremiah Ward who lived in trailer in the town (and the Ransacked Bunker before that):
“I, Jeremiah Ward, resident in the town of Flatwoods, county of... not sure.
Being of sound mind, and not acting under... duress. Mostly.
Hereby declare this letter to be my last will and testament.
Mia gets the house, and everything in it.
It ain't much but that's all I got to give and... she's all I got.
I know she's still alive.
The Responders say the dogs got her, but I know it ain't true.
They been real good to us. Teaching an old geezer like me how to really cook is something. I'll give em that.
But I know they lyin about those dogs. I seen em in the hills. There's some bad folks scoping us out. They took my granddaughter, I just know it.
I'll get you back, Mia. I promise.”
Mia, a baby who slept in the crib in that trailer, was abducted by raiders. And the only raider gang that ever had any interest in kids was the Diehards. And when you remember that the Responders had a foster care program that would later be run by Colonel once he was older, you’ll remember that a shit load of children went “missing” when Billy (Fishbones) attacked Flatwoods. And if teeth (baby, mole rat, or otherwise) was the secret ingredient in Angler’s chem recipe… and Colonel was Angler’s apprentice for a number of years before he joined the Responders… and Colonel was the caretaker of all of the children of Flatwoods… then exactly what was in those documents that Colonel was burning on his back porch?
Full Circle: So after everything, the Diehards lost their crop of children at the Palace of the Winding Path in 2079, but took the children of Flatwoods and left Appalachia. When they came back, they put Fishbones (Billy) in charge of the Ohio River Adventures operation, who is now spiking the mirelurk meat with a potent chem. It’s totally possible that Ra Ra is actually Mia Ward (Jeremiah Ward’s granddaughter). Hell, it’s even possible that Jeremiah Ward is somehow Ward from Foundation. Since Colonel was obviously keeping, and subsequently burning, secrets, I’d say he was also inclined to keep his raider past a secret as well as the truth about his adoptive father. Like he said in his Survivor’s Story, “he was bad.” Perhaps the reason he kept his Diehard history a secret from the Dassa and the other Responders was because he knew that the Responders were the ones punishing and exiling people back in Charleston. But this whole story began the day Darius Angler decided to get revenge on Grafton Steel. And if his brother hadn’t actually died after all, then it would explain why Angler stayed with the Diehards for as long as he did rather than returning to the Free states. Regardless, this entire story began and ended with Billy. “It was always Billy.”

It's Monday and I have a bone to pick with TAG Heuer. They announced their new watch right as I clicked publish on the news update. I guess you're already caught up on it.

What's new

1/
TAG Heuer Releases A Trio Of New Monacos With Skeleton Dials Ahead Of The Big Race
Hey, thanks a lot TAG! The exact second I sent out the Friday edition of It’s About Time they decided to announce a new watch. And not just any watch, that I would be cool with waiting until Monday to write about it. It is a trio of new and very different TAG Heuer Monaco Skeleton Chronographs, one of the first times they put a skeleton dial in the Monaco, but it’s also a release that coincides with the Monaco F1 Grand Prix. So here I am, writing about it after the race is over.
Never mind, it’s still a nice watch. Excluding the V4 editions that had a different case and was driven by belts, a unique piece in carbon made for Only Watch 2021, and the very exclusive “Riviera” edition, TAG Heuer has never made a production Monaco with a skeleton dial. And looking at these watches, it looks to have been a mistake on TAG’s part as the watches really do look fantastic.
The base dimensions of the watch remain the same - 39mm wide and 14.7mm thick, but not much else is the same. The case in the skeleton model is made out of sandblasted titanium to make it much lighter. While I see why some people would want that, I adore the weight of the original model. You know when you are wearing one.
TAG calls this watch a skeleton, I described it as a skeleton but it, in fact, is not actually a skeleton watch. It would more appropriately be described as an openworked Monaco, as it has a partial dial that reveals a slightly reworked movement. But even as such it looks great - all sharp lines and angles. The watch comes in three editions - Original Blue with an untreated titanium case, blue dial, white and red accents and a blue strap; Racing Red, an untreated case, black dial with red and white accents and a black strap; and Turquoise, with a black DLC coated case, a black strap, a black dial with turquoise-coloured accents and sub-dials, a colour also being sported on the column wheel and rotor.
Inside is the familiar Calibre Heuer 02 with some slight improvements, with an 80 hour power reserve. Apart from the colors, all the straps are the same, a mix of rubber and leather with a titanium folding clasp.
All three are part of the regular collection and are not limited. The Original Blue and Racing Red editions are priced at CHF 10,500, and the DLC-coated Turquoise edition at CHF 11,000.
2/
Aquastar Revives Their First Dive Watch With The Model 60, The Most Classic Of Skin Divers With A Great Price
We are in the golden age of brand revivals. Aquastar, for example, was founded in the early 60s in Geneva by Frédéric Robert, a diver, sailor, pilot, mathematician and watchmaker after Robert took over his fathers watchmaking business JeanRichard. Over the next ten years, Rober filed a number of patents that are still relevant today, like inner rotating bezels, multiple dive decompression bezels, a new crown sealing system and the friction bezel ring…
When Robert retired, the brand was bought and sold by a number of companies and ended up being revived in 2020 by Rick Marei, who is known for building up Doxa to the powerhouse it is today. And ever since then they have been putting out fire releases. Their newest one is the Aquastar Model 60, which brings back the brand’s first-ever diver with modern specs.
All of the modern releases from Aquastar have been based on the Deepstar, but the Model 60 gets a completely new case. It’s based on the original Model 60, introduced in 1957 as JeanRichard7s first diver with a water resistance rating of 100 meters, and it was seemingly the earliest watch to use a skin-diver-style case. The Model 60 is also famous for being worn by Don Walsh to the bottom of the Mariana Trench while inside the Trieste submersible.
The stainless steel case of the Model 60 measures 37mm wide, 47mm lug-to-lug, 11mm thick and with a 19mm lug spacing. Speaking of the lugs, the watch comes on a tropic strap and can be had with an optional beads-of-rice bracelet with a safety clasp, or a nylon strap. Water resistance is 200 meters, and the sunburst-finished steel bezel is bidirectional.
The dial is what you would expect from a vintage diver - black with printed white minute track and hour markers, filled with “Old Radium” Super-LumiNova. The hands are the same as the Deepstar aside from the addition of a central seconds hand with a lume pip. Inside the watch is the La Joux-Perret G100, which features a 68-hour power reserve and is adjusted to four positions.
The Aquastar Model 60 will be a regular production model for the brand, and will not be limited. The Model 60 will start at $990 and rise to $1,290 at some point. The bracelet will cost an extra $159. Also the first 100 buyers will get a liquid-filled compass that can be attached to either a Tropic or nylon strap. However, considering the amount of press this watch has gotten over the weekend, I imagine they sold the first 100 already.
3/
The New And More Compact De Bethune DB28XS Starry Seas Is An Ode To Calm Seas
De Bethune watches are really something very special. The DB28 line especially. The floating lugs, delta-shaped bridge and crown at noon all give it a very futuristic look while remaining supremely elegant. The newly introduced DB28X Starry Seas takes all of these traits and gives them a huge makeover, despite looking practically the same - it shrinks it down radically to 39mm and gives it a beautifully serene blue dial with a world-first random guilloché pattern designed to evoke a starry sea.
The DB28XS is not only the smallest model in De Bethune’s family but inherits the slimmer, more stylised profile of the DB28XP models. With its diameter of 38.7mm (down from almost 43mm of the DB28) and thickness of 7.4mm, this petite newcomer is small and slim but also light, thanks to the polished titanium case.
The dial, which relies on a heat-blued titanium base that De Bethune has become known for, is decorated with the world’s first random guilloché pattern invented by De Bethune. Whether this means that De Bethune invented a random guilloché pattern or whether it is the fact that De Bethune has applied a random guiloché pattern to a blued titanium base needs clarifying. But there’s no denying that it’s a beautiful dial, as the wavy pattern is interrupted with sprinklings of white gold that mimic stars. A silver-plated rounded chapter ring bearing transferred Arabic numerals for hours and a blue dotted minute track frames the wavy dial. Time is indicated by two custom-made and hand-polished titanium openworked hands.
The watch comes on a supple dark blue alligator leather strap with light blue top stitching and a titanium pin buckle. De Bethune have not said whether this will be a limited model or when it will be available, but it’s expected to retail for CHF 77,000, excluding taxes.
4/
Alpina Has A Very Interesting Startimer Pilot Heritage Manufacture
Alpina is really starting to annoy me. I don’t want to take them seriously, on account of the name they share with the people that make my skis, and I’m not a huge fan of a number of their watches. But every now and again, they release a watch that’s just so great… Wait until you read all the specs and the price of the newly introduced Aplina Startimer Pilot Heritage Manufacture, an attractive vintage-inspired pilot’s watch.
The barrel-shaped case measures 42×40.75mm and lacks traditional lugs, with the strap going deep into the brushed case, with a crown at 4 o’clock. The dial is splendidly simple, with a deep blue color, a white minute track and beige luminescent hour markers. The rectangular hour and minute hands get the same beige lume. You can get it on a very vintage brown calf leather strap with white stitching.
But what’s really special is what’s inside the watch. A number of Alpina watches have had third party movements, but this one gets the AL-709 in-house calibre, an automatic movement presented in a becoming golden hue. Visible via an exhibition caseback, the movement at first glance resembles a manual movement due to its oscillating mass sharing the same golden tones as the automatic device bridge and mainplate. Subtle graining, blue screws and perlage are all augmenting the model’s overall appeal.
But what makes it even more special is the availability of 188 pieces and the price - just €2,850. And now this presents me with a question. This is obviously a very attractive watch - it looks great, has a good size, has an in house movement and does not break the bank, while still being limited which should, in theory, increase its desirability. I only now found out about the watch from the article in Escapement. In fact, this has been available since January. Why hasn’t it sold out yet? Is it just not attractive enough? Is it the name? It can’t be the value for money, or am I mistaken?
5/
Respected Independent Watchmaker Andreas Strehler Launches New Brand And Watch With The Strehler Sirna
Andreas Strehler is one of those watchmakers that is a leader among independent watchmakers and for good reason. He has mastered everything from fabrication to finishing, but then would not budge from the polarising design of his watches that many argue kept a lot of customers from him. And I love when someone is so stubborn. To be clear, his previous watches were not ugly monstrosities. They were elegant timepieces marked by a distinctive papillon, or “butterfly”, movement architecture and resulting cushion-shaped case, and Strehler has become known as the independent watchmaker’s watchmaker, having developed the HMC 341 perpetual calendar movement for H. Moser & Cie and the Dragon Lever escapement for Precision Engineering.
Stehler has now decided to expand to a wider audience and has launched a new brand known simply as Strehler, which aims to reach a wider audience with more accessible designs and prices. The brand’s opening act is the Sirna, named after the town of Sirnach in northeastern Switzerland where the manufacture is based.
At launch, the Sirna is offered in a single reference that features an elegantly proportioned, 40 mm steel case with a concave case band and ergonomically formed lugs. The crown is inlaid with a blue titanium disk that features Mr. Strehler’s signature Papillon logo. The patterned dial is also titanium, anodised in a beautiful blue. Designed by Eric Giroud, each dial is machined and laser-engraved before being individually hand polished.
But what’s really special is what’s inside - the in-house SA-30 movement that has some of the highest quality finishings at this price point. For example, the movement has an in-house gold rotor and ball-bearing rotor mount. Most brands, even those in the so-called “Holy Trinity”, typically outsource the production of rotors to a specialist.
The architecture of this 30mm calibre stands out with a series of circles for the bridges and the openworked rotor that match the curvature of the case. The large, free-sprung balance beats at 21,600 vibrations/hour and boasts 60 hours of power reserve. The decoration of this movement is refined, with hand-chamfered bevels, circular Geneva stripes, graining and circular-grained wheels, all channelling the movement’s elaborate design.
The Strehler Sirna comes on a supple brown calfskin strap with off-white stitching. The steel pin buckle is engraved with the brand’s logo. The price is set at CHF 20,000 (excl. taxes), which seems fair for an “independent watch” of this level. The watch is not a limited edition, but the production capacity is expected to be around 30 to 50 watches per year maximum.
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On hand - a selection of reviews

1/
A review of the Shinola Duck the brand’s light-duty, entry-level diver-style watch
2/
Hands-on with the Maen Brooklyn 36 — an unusual panda with a champagne twist
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Watch Worthy - A look at an offbeat, less known watch you might actually like

The Sofia II from Axia Time — high style with some substance
The Sofia II sits somewhere between a dressy and sporty piece, and Axia has sized it accordingly. The diameter of 40.5mm and lug-to-lug length of just under 48mm is a good fit on my 17.75cm (7″) wrist. It perhaps looks even larger than that due to the all-dial design and large polished lug facets. The combination of titanium, a thickness of 10.5mm, and lug tips sitting slightly lower than the case back all help the watch to sit securely and wear comfortably. But this leads to another dichotomy.
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People loved the PRX giveaway! That's why I'm doing a new one. This time, we're giving away three Seiko Alpinists in that lovely green. The giveaway will be ending at the end of the month, so head on over to the newsletter before Wednesday, midnight CET if you would like to enter.
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Just a heads up. The car theft ring operating out of Montreal is getting bolder. They’ve now stolen cars from downtown, like Port Theatre (while the parking lot was full from a concert ending) and not just the outskirts. Even the cops were astonished how ballsy this one was. They got more than one.
The cars are sometimes being recovered in Laval, police have recommended Air Tags as a cheap option to help track them to get them back faster before they get loaded onto ships in the port of entry.
Spruce up your anti theft, it’s getting worse here.

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I'm moving from Wellington, NZ to Brisbane, QLD in a few weeks and I'm looking to buy a family car. I recently sold my 2019 Kia Sportage here (for a terrible price) and it looks like Australian used and new car prices are very high as compared to NZ (even taking into account the exchange rate difference).
My aim is to spend ~$25K AUD (I have cash) and get a similar feature set / aged car to the Kia Sportage that I sold. The other option is to use my cash as a deposit.
One disappointing thing I've noticed is that the LX+ model of Sportage that I had in NZ was never sold in Aus. This gave additional features such as tinted rear mirrors, rear cross traffic alert, blind spot monitoring, keyless entry, electronic parking brake.
I've been searching across carsales.com.au and looking for some advice on the best place to buy, and whether or not I can haggle the price down, along with suggestions for different car models.
So here's what I'd like: -5 seats, with tethers for 3 car seats (only using 2 at present) -mileage less than 85,000km -age 2018 or newer -at least 450L boot space (Sportage was 491L) -android auto / apple carplay -auto headlights -rain sensing wipers -electronic parking brake -keyless entry / push button start -cruise control (standard) -autonomous emergency braking -5 star ANCAP rating -decent to drive / comfortable for family -parking sensors front/rear -reversing camera
Optional (nice to have) -rear cross traffic alert -blind spot monitoring -lane keep assist -adaptive cruise control -prefer using 91 RON because of price -tyre pressure monitor -rear window tints
Any thoughts or advice appreciated cheers.

I'm waiting for BMO to offer the FHSA, and I will be able to max out the 8000 annual contributions for the first couple of years with no issue. I may be able to reach the max 40,000 in 5 years if I am frugal.
Anyway, BMO has no exact date for the FHSA yet, and the money I have earmarked for it is lingering in a chequing account. SO it's basically losing me money :D
What are a few good options to do with this cash? Some of it may be sitting only a couple of weeks, and more until the change of each calendar year when I can put it into the FHSA.
Does parking some of it in a TFSA make sense at all? I've got a TFSA with meager savings in it (I've got like 80k in open contribution room. Is it a horrible idea to burn through my contribution room by 8k a year when I transfer from TFSA to FHSA? At least I could see growth and dividends in the years between FHSA contributions, but long term, maybe it's a bad idea?
It's about 25k to play with, if that makes a difference to my options?

Hi everyone, I'm hoping to get some advice on whether Home Assistant might be a good option for me to explore in trying to solve a daily challenge for me.
My current setup
My current smart home setup is Apple HomeKit. I've got quite a lot of devices, and mostly use the Home app to control everything. I've also got a Rpi running Homebridge to control a few things (entry gates, switches).
I've been watching a lot of YouTube videos on Home Assistant, and it looks much more customisable, but I've yet to 'take the plunge' and switch over to start using Home Assistant (or using it as the basis of my smart home setup and integrating it into HomeKit).
The problem I'm trying to solve
I have ADHD, and one of my biggest struggles is time blindness and hyperfocus. I work from home most days of the week and have a dedicated room for my home office.
During the day, I use my work laptop/Microsoft 365 infrastructure to carry out my work. I'm usually in a lot of meetings (Teams video calls) throughout the day, but I also block time in my Outlook calendar to focus on getting stuff done outside of meetings. My challenge is staying on track. If I'm on a call, I'm usually 'time blind' to how much time is left on a call, or if I'm working on a task, I can end up hyper-focusing that I lose track of time, then I'm late for another call or run out of time remaining to complete something - a lot of things can run over quite a lot, impacting my daily schedule.
The Windows meeting reminders and notifications just don't really work for me. I'm 'blind' to them, and find them fairly annoying. But what does seem to work, are visual cues. I've tried the Signals App for iOS, when my partner wants to get my attention, this flashes the lights in my office (e.g. manually triggered by pushing a button in the Signals app). But there's no functionality to trigger my lights based on other events, such as those from an Outlook calendar, or iMessage on my iPhone. (I'm aware that there is an accessibility setting to flash light and screen on my iPhone as a notification, but I've tried that, and it doesn't work, as I don't keep my phone in front of me because I'll pick it up and get distracted!)
Could Home Assistant be my solution?
Because I haven't used Home Assistant, I'm unfamiliar with what it can do, and if it could be a solution to my problem. So before I go down the rabbit hole with Home Assistant, I'd be very grateful if anyone knows if the following is possible.
I'd love to be able to have my Phillips Hue ceiling lights and Hue Play monitor backlights flash/change colours based on certain timings pulled from my Outlook calendar. For example, flash Amber when I have 10 mins left on a Teams Call, or Flash Red when there is 5 mins remaining. But I'd like to have different colours for certain scenarios. For example, if I have 5 mins remaining and then I immediately have another call or meeting straight after, I'd like it to remain red. But if I don't have another meeting after the current call I'm on, I'd like it to flash red, but then end with Green. This would be really great so I know that I don't have another meeting to attend straight after, or if I do, then I know I need to end a call on time to make the next call. Visual cues seem to be good for my neurodiverse brain. I may also consider whether audio could be part of the cue, so maybe part lights/part sound. Also, whether I can integrate the same for iMessage (when my partner messages me, for example) I tend to have my phone on silent during the day.
I'm sure there are other events/triggers that I haven't thought of yet. Mainly, I would like to know if this sort of thing is something that might be possible in Home Assistant.
Thanks in advance for any advice/help - and apologies for my lengthy question!