Buz

My fav parts of this chapter are the last paragraph and the story of Jim Boy. Sanctuary was set up to help the Kids but one of the added benefits is the impact on the Adults involved, etc. I am surprised Jim Boy didn't mention earlier that he was 'that kid'.

One day, I'll have to tell you my Eiffel Tower story. Lets just say that even if I am watching a movie or tv show where someone is up high, the bottom of my feet tingle. If they are really high or doing something that seems stupid to me (I remember a scene from a James Bond movie, David Craig was chasing a villan over a high construction site) the tingling can get uncomfortable. It is never painful, but can get uncomfortable.

I think Mr. Win did very well. He blustered but did not get angry angry. I love Will's Family. I can't wait until it is his turn to meet Ritchie's "Family". I hope he meets alot of them for his first time. Maybe a trip to Washington for Christmas? I would love to bear witness to his meeting the Obamas. That would be cool. Not sure I could do it. I'd probably break down in tears or faint. And I'm not even American. I'd make a fool of myself somehow. Whilst we're talking American politics, the people that would be my major gush puppies would be Bernie and AOC. I would die! At the least, I would be out for the count. I think it is way awesome Ritchie has met his long lost Aunt. His Father comes out as being even more of a douche than we thought. Ritchie loves him, so he can't have been all bad. It still seems a bit strange that we are reading a story that revolves around Ritchie, seeing him as an adult. So used to thinking of him as the Kid in the Family, so this story is good Excellent spin-off choice.

So chuffed for Adam. Awesome day when you get your first car, assuming. I can't drive. Had various people try to teach me. Had some scary moments. For me, there are too many things to concentrate on.

Congrats to Adam! Wow. A Car per child that earns their license? Okay, so Brad has more money that I thought he did e.g. plane, boat to private island for 200+, etc. That's good. Will not think about their funds/spending again. LOL. Reminds me of that Oprah show...and you get a car!

That is so disappointing that Corky didn't get to go. Being in the situation his Mother and he were in, the chance to go on such a venture would have been way cool. I can't imagine he would have been on a plane, a boat or an island before. I feel so sorry for him. His Mother would have known all about the trip too. Plus he is bound to find out about it. I know he doesn't attend Sanctuary like Bubba does but he does have a connection. Even O'Shea and Murray's wives were included. Poor wee sod. Wonder why he doesn't hang out at Sanctuary more? Kinda shocked about the lack of sprinklers and fire escapes, etc.

Awww. The Island Holiday sounded awesome, like we knew it would be. I love that all the Kids got a certificate. Whats so wrong about giving a Kid pride in themselves or happiness that someone actually sees them? Especially considering these Kids' backgrounds. I am sorry. But anchovy? I know there is this whole debate about pineapple. I don't mind pineapple on a pizza. I don't look for it, but I don't dislike it. But anchovies on anything? Ummm...there are some things I can think of that would be alot worse? I know I could get a pizza with anchovies on it to go down. But it wouldn't be a pleasant journey.

Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo... The above was in relation to the cliff hanger. Just in case that wasn't obvious. I had actually forgotten all about the Bald Monk. I am assuming he will be Vin's Shadow Mentor. If he wanted to harm Vin then he has had multiple opportunities to do so by now. I was going to say, but what has he been waiting for? Then realised, maybe it was for Vin's Turning Day or his gaining of his VinH form? I like Neil. He didn't have any preconceived ideas so everything/anything is possible. After reading the last chapter, I was hoping this chapter would address the New York visit or the circular fur pattern. But no. We get a third thing to wonder about. Exciting hey!

Considering what the 'normal' process is re the barrier/instinct, no wonder everyone geared up for a major fight. I couldn't think how they could get VinH under control. Of course, the Vins (being as awesome as they are) were their own solution. Considering all that the Vins have been able to do that are extra ordinary, it will be awesome to see the final version and what it 'looks' like e.g. we still have the strange fur pattern. Speaking of, is the fur pattern to do with Bol? The shape and location of it don't offer any clues I can think of. It is not another Affinity that we don't know about because Cyrus said it wasn't. So what is it? What is it related to? CyrusB is being very forward, relatively. That is good to see. Especially as they are not Fated Mates. Poor CyrusB. The scars are really holding him back, eh? Mason knows, so we need to use that to raise the subject. Maybe CyrusB seeing that Mason has known for awhile and not been turned off by it will help? Unless it is the backstory to said scars he is worried about? The story of the leg pattern is gonna pick at me until I know. Plus, I wonder what plan the Vins have for their spar with Ty? That will be hilarious! The shock on his face...

Apologies for my repetitiveness, but I really really like VinW. He is so damn cute. I love the way he expresses himself. What makes you angry? Green foods!?!? As a vegan, that was hilarious. Like I said, damn cute. I too love Cyrus' tatts. They sound pretty hawt. But I like Caleb. He's nice, he's Were, he's a Lion, he's an Enforcer and he's a Family Man. This is so true and so awesome. Perfect As for the Hybrid Turn. So we have 2x Alpha Hybrids, a Wolf and a Human ready to deal with VinH AND they are still slightly worried!?!? Buckle Up B*#@%#$! Obviously, as long as no-one gets hurt, this gone be goooooooddd...

Hey Cal. Yeah, I know he didn't. That's why I was initially gonna say what I put on the bottom of my comment. It was worth a mention but not an examination. I was adding to the thread of some of the other comments.

I am going to jump on the Sewing and Knitting band wagon too. I figure my comments/views are just as valid as anyone else here, even if only to/for me. I like thinking for myself. It hasn't always worked out well, but I've survived as long as I have following that plan so... Brad was sitting at a table with Boys and Girls but only addressed the Girls with this question. If he opened up the question to the whole table then he wouldn't have to be 'clever', he could just be 'inclusive'. Remember the Kid who expected to be beaten cause he dropped his glass? How confident do you think said Kid would be if he wanted to do something that was specifically not offered to him? Remember where they were? The best way to not be beaten, etc was to try to not be noticed, don't make a fuss - ever, be quiet, etc. I know - they are in a good place now, Brad and Co. have been nothing but great, they have the other Kids to talk with, etc. But these are deep-seated issues, some of the Kids are relatively new to Sanctuary, etc. Poor Brad does not need to be Much Perfecto Man. He is allowed to be Human. He is learning as he goes e.g. his recent change as per his Mom. Wasn't expecting all that when I was scrolling down so I could start my comments. What I was going to initially say is that, "I too hesitated at the Sewing and Knitting convo. I love the idea of the island holiday. Knew about the island, just didn't realise it was going to be a Holiday. The Kids will love it. I loved going to camp. I remember when I was much younger we went to Waiheke Island for two years in a row. It was so cool. Love all the plans Brad has for Sanctuary. So glad he is getting more into interacting with the Kids directly. One of the best contributions I think his Mother has made to Sanctuary".

It is good to 'meet' the Kids a little more. Brad got there in the end. Go Mum!

I hope Officer Ruiz stays like Murray and O'Shea. I hope Tony becomes Brad's Double Partner. Brad's Mother's day out with the Girls has just expanded by x3 in the last two chapters.

This is the second time I have started this comment. I was initially going to say that I was so glad for Beth and the other Girls that they have doubled their numbers. Then I realised what had to have occurred for that to have happened. So, no...but I am very happy that Carlos and Maria have been reunited. I think all the kids would love to go fishing: 1) I would go because I would be scared I'd miss out on something 2) others would go because it is an activity that they have not done before 3) yet more would go because it is an activity outside of their normal routines 4) plus it is not just about the actual fishing. The fun of the ride there and back, spending the day with people you enjoy, they would have to eat so there would be some kind of picnic, we have our own island to explore?!?!, there is bound to be some kind of fire and who doesn't love fire, where there is an island and fish there is water so swimming, Sandy would have a ball and that would be cool to watch/be a part of, etc. It is gonna be an awesome day. I wanna go now. 5) there are kids who'd go fishing, without realising what that entailed, until they got there e.g. me - bait. I have to bait my own hook? But its icky. I'm not touching that AND but the hook is caught in its mouth. Its hurting the fish. Careful, you're gonna kill the fish. Not a great Fisherperson was I.

This is a Hooray Chapter. Hooray - D'gar finally told someone about his concerns over F'drun. Okay, so some may wish that he told more about what he "knows", but I think D'gar is being politically aware. His information is hardly cast iron (e.g. the information he garnered at Fort) so anything he says would put him in a bad light Hooray - H'rek will not be in Southern when Rioth next rises. This is the best available solution to that particular situation. Not fool proof, but better than anything else on offer Hooray - D'gar is going to be WeyrlingMaster. I think he is perfect for this position. Just perfect!

I can see how a monthly group Birthday would be more realistic when talking about 199 kids. However, a special something on your day is always a big deal. With everything these kids have lost, experienced, endured, etc then they deserve to feel special. I think commemorating their salvation day is also very worthwhile/positive.

Wow. It has been a year already for Brad and Sanctuary. It is exciting all of the things he can envision for Sanctuary moving forward. I wonder what Brad will do once he has everything in place that Sanctuary needs? I agree, utilise what currently exists then create/build what doesn't.

Serious situations require serious responses. Everyone has a part to play and so everyone needs to be committed. Our government took it very seriously, very early. We all went hard and it has paid off. We had to have two Shutdowns, but they seem so long ago now. The only other two things I'll mention is that: 1) my Bills never stopped, but I continued to be paid even though I was not actually working. I may have the percentages wrong but I think 80% was paid by the government and 20% was paid by the Company I worked for. Also, if you lost your job due to COVID you were entitled to the COVID-19 Income Relief Payment, You were paid weekly for 12 weeks. If required after that time, there are the normal MSD payments you can apply for 2) we couldn't necessarily bulk buy. There were some food items that were limited to two per Customer. All the changes we had to make in response to COVID just became the new, temporary norm e.g. leave the house take a mask, enter a shop (for example) complete the Contact Tracing, catch a bus ensure you have a bus card because you can't pay by cash as we need to protect the Drivers as much as possible, catch a bus enter via the back door because we need to protect the Driver's as much as possible, social distance, etc. COVID-19 has been horrendous in so many ways. It is unfortunate that some of these ways were the result of Humanity's in-appropriate response to the same. That is all I am going to say about that. It is never good if a Comment ends up being longer than the Chapter one is commenting on Before I go, I cannot stand non-Mask wearers or those that won't wear them properly. In my opinion the shop owners/workers, for example, who have to deal with these people are too polite about it. I know they have to be restrained because none of these idiots is worth going to court/prison for, but damn it would be hard. Last thing, like Patch I too am a hugger. For a hugger not to hug, that sucks big time. I remember the first time I heard about it I remember telling myself would never greet someone by tapping feet or elbows. I did the elbow thing once. Bleh. I would rather not do anything.

Oh no. I am so sorry. I don't think anyone did as well as they could have in the above situation. The Customer, the Customer's Kids, the Greeter or Noah. We'll ignore the Customer. As soon as the word 'bitch' came out of her mouth, that was enough for me. I know that you've said, "...The conversation went a little like this..." so it is not verbatim. Based on the above, I would, for example, have: a) not advised the Customer to take a breath and calm down b) not have mentioned her Kids unless the situation/issue specifically involved them c) not have agreed that her experience was unfortunate d) not have used the phrase, '...but let's end this on a good note". e) not have acknowledged any wrong doing by a Staff Member without knowing the full facts about what actually happened, and f) not have used the phrase, '...so we can work on that with her'. "Ma'am, I am happy to address any concerns you may have minus the cussing. To ensure we have all of the relevant details, what exactly happened?" I am going to stop here otherwise this could get real long e.g. why do we have a Door Greeter who is awkward around Customers, I wouldn't have gone to tidy an area that was currently occupied by Customers, it is not the Customers fault that the Store was so busy the Store Manager had to help out as a Cashier, the last 3 sentences of that paragraph with the cameras, etc. That was fun, for a lazy Sunday morning seeing as I couldn't go to Tai Chi. Exploding Body Wash bottle. You had to be there... LOL. I just remembered. I once got told off by a female Customer for calling her Ma-am. Being in New Zealand I guess Ma-am is not commonly used, but it is not unknown either. I am sure you can imagine what I wanted to replace the Ma-am with.

I don't think that we live in a "totally" 9 to 5 world. There are so many people that work outside of that old norm now. Plus there are so many things that can be done on line now e.g. banking, etc. I have also never heard of people that work night shifts being seen as the dregs of humanity, etc. That's just mean and stupid. I don't get why people would even think that? I also never had the issue with food either, that I can remember anyway? There were always other options. You may not get exactly what you want, but that didn't happen alot. I had a job where I worked 11pm to 7am. It had way more benefits than not e.g. I am a night as opposed to a morning person, shopping and things were cool because most people were at work, I was worried about trying to sleep during the day but it was never an issue, way less Bosses at work, always a seat on the bus or train, etc. The main issue I had was that it was too boring because there was less to do at night. I started doing some of my Team Leaders work like staff and call stats, quality audits, etc. Shifts became a drag because there was not enough to do. Now if my job was re-stocking shelves, that would have been fun. The anal side of me would love that (all those labels to line up facing forwards in perfectly straight rows, etc), it would be busy (unlike my job above), the physicality would be a bonus, etc. Lastly, well done and my regards and best wishes to your Bawss and her Son. I would have cried my eyes out if I watched him singing Thank You For Being A Friend.

Hey Noah. Greetings from beautiful New Zealand. OMGoodness! As previously mentioned, I was a Public Librarian for a few years. My previous comment about the Mayor was all because a member of the Public picked up a copy of a publication from the Adults section, read it, put it down on the chair they were sitting in before walking away. They were sitting in the Young Adults section. Not a shirt placed back on the wrong rack, but ya see what I mean. Bloody Selfridge and his, 'The Customer is always right'. No. No, they are not. They are never wrong, but they are not always right.

I would have loved school/love a job that is only 4 hours a day. Even if that included Saturdays. That is such a cool idea about photos on the dining room wall from the Zoo. It would be awesome if they had some type of album to keep photos from all of their Trips.

Oh. Okay. Re the underwear thing...it is the small things. His Mother is sick, he is hungry, etc but Corky is happy about clean underwear. I have this thing about being clean, wearing clean clothes. e.g. New Years was celebrated at my Aunts. She has a very small 2 bedroom in the country i.e. she has tank water. There were 22 humans and 3 dogs. We had to bath in the local creek. The creek was okay but it was abit hard to get to, etc. On a 4 day weekend, I went to the creek once on Day 2. By Day 3 I was grumpy cause I wanted to put clean underwear on a clean body.

On the one hand, nah. I can't do that cause she my cuzzie. However, we no longer live in the same country so haven't had opportunity to do so even if I wanted to