Hallo!
First I want to thank everyone for this sub. I want to say I have done research and contacted legal firms in Germany regarding claiming citizenship through descent. I know I need to go to the consulate in Atlanta GA, but I want to be prepared and have documentation to do this and not waste their time. I do not think my situation is as straight forward as I would like as it involves my fathers family leaving after WWII. Neither my Oma or Opa were war criminals and legally immigrated to the US through Ellis Island. I will do my best to explain as it appears there are nuances to this whole thing.
My father was born in Germany in 1949, in a US zone near Munich at I believe an American hospital. I do not have his birth certificate, I do know the city though. His mother was German and from Trier. His father is where it gets a bit tricky as he was Romanian and had a disability but was a part of the war effort. He studied in Germany and served in Berlin as he could not walk but he dealt with maps. My Opa was born in Romania in Brașov however on his papers for immigration its listed he is from Kronstadt. His passport was also redone by the Nazis as he lived and served there during the war, was Romania absorbed by the Nazis? His father was German and moved to Kronstadt as it was considered more "country wild west" at the time from what I am told. Both my Oma and Opa were married when they had my father and they lived about a year and some months before leaving Germany permanently. They have both since passed, my Oma 6 months before I was born in 1986 due to liver cancer, my Opa due to a stroke in 2006.
They wanted to come to America to live the American dream, my great Oma on my Oma's side stayed in Trier and passed in 1996 sadly. Oma and Opa became US citizens I dont know if they renounced their citizenship I guess they did? Now my father had to wait to become a US citizen until 16 or something. He said he renounced his citizenship when he became a US citizen but I don't know if that's like he signed something or was just happened due to him being a US citizen and he lost his citizenship.
Im asking this because I don't know how my situation does or does not qualify based off of: WWII, in or out of wedlock, paternal or maternal relation, renouncing of citizenship etc.
So step 1 is, do I qualify?
Step 2 is what do I need to take to a German consulate? Im assuming some birth certificate but all that was lost in moves and just life. What resources could I use to get correct documents? We have ancestry and have some documentation but not anything like a birth certificate.
​
UPDATE:
I completely forgot that my Grandfather had two sisters who resided in Germany as a German citizens. I dont know if that helps?

Movie Review: Sydney Sweeney is brilliant in ‘Reality,’ on true NSA whistleblower story

“Reality,” a new movie starring Sydney Sweeney, is largely set in one empty room. There is nothing on the walls. There are no chairs or rugs, just a stark and ugly room in a nondescript rental property in a downtrodden neighborhood. Its script is as minimalistic – lifted directly from the transcript of one long conversation between two FBI agents and a young woman they suspect has leaked classified documents. The dialogue has all the ums and ahs, botched sentences and awkward small talk one might expect from actual human beings, not slickly intelligent Aaron Sorkin creations. And it’s one of the most tense and exciting films of the year.
It’s based on the actual FBI interrogation of the unbelievably named Reality Winner, a former Air Force translator who worked as a contractor at a National Security Agency office in Augusta, Ga. One day in May 2017, she printed a classified report, tucked it into her pantyhose, walked out of the office and mailed it to an online news outlet. The next month, the FBI was at her door to interrogate her. The film starts as she pulls up into her driveway, an agent knocks on her car window and starts the recording on his handheld device.
There is a dread to the whole endeavor from the first shot, even if you don’t remember how this story played out in the news. Though it takes some time for Agent Taylor (Marchánt Davis) and Agent Garrick (Josh Hamilton) to get to the real questions, the real reason why they’re there, the small stresses and indignities start to build. Reality (Sweeney) has come home with a car full of groceries. She has a cat in the house and a dog, a rescue who doesn’t like men. Her life has been put on pause and there’s nothing she can do about it. The agents tell her they have a search warrant for her home and her car and promptly tape off her modest yard with “crime scene” ribbon, take her phone and force her to stay outside as they search. She’s worried about the perishables, her cat escaping through the open door and her dog scaring people. Meanwhile, one of the agents is asking about her CrossFit routine and her life as a single person in Augusta.
More at the link at the top of this post
Reality is a true-story thriller - and a must-see. A film that will hook you from minute one and equally fascinating and frightening, Reality chronicles real-life events that took place on 3 June 2017. Don't miss it. SPOILER ALERT...her defense is that she complained that Fox News is on, all day and every day, while at work, at the NSA. Enough to drive any sane American to do unseemly and illegal things.

Attractive guy will be Augusta GA June 20-24 looking for FWB and more.

A lot of places not yet open, but really, really nice addition to Cumming/Forsyth County. It appears to me to be mostly an "entertainment district" as opposed to a "lifestyle community" as there's no housing. (However there's parking for golf carts so I'm guessing there's going to be some housing built behind it). There's an amphitheater, interesting retail, restaurants, bars and a putt putt course. The anchor of it all appears to be Tin Cup restaurant/bar. The restaurant is huge - seating about 400-450 people on 3 levels with an outdoor patio on street level and a 3rd level. The lower and upper levels are not yet open. There will eventually be 5 bars including the airstream next to the putt putt course. The putt putt course is really big. According to the website many of the holes are replicas of holes around the world including Pebble and Augusta. (We saw a guy walking around with, I'm guessing his own putter.) $15 for adults/$7 for kids - this is all from memory so take it fwiw.
I'm guessing it's open carry because they have a lot of "bar like" seating overlooking the first greens of the putt putt course and the amphitheater.
Right now there's an upscale shaved ice place (think Strawberry Cheesecake ices) that was packed, a pizza place (doesn't look NY thin but thin crust from what I saw but plenty of ppl eating there and some carry out). An ice cream place, a health food place? with smoothies, etc. and a tea room. Looks like there's at least one brewery going in, another "anchor" on the opposite end of Tin Cup that's going to have live music and may just be a bar - not sure. So interesting places that aren't currently found in Forsyth.
We were able to find street parking but, again, not tons of places open at this point. They do have a parking deck and plenty of parking behind Central football field (with it looks like a police station being built in between the parking lot and the city center).
They have a "beer fest" coming up Father's Day weekend if anyone is interested in checking it out.

Hi guys,
I’ve been here in Zurich since a month ago.
Long story short: came here from Ireland to work at an italian restaurant in Thalwil, had the worst experience of all my life. 🤦🏻‍♂️
I have experience in two different fields: Sales/Accounting and I have also been a chef de partie for 2 years. 👨🏻‍🍳👨🏻‍💻
Able to speak english/italian/spanish and portuguese. All of them fluently. Unfortunately, I’m still in the process to learn german.
====Could anyone recommend me any place that I could go to get a job without speaking german? I’m in need of it (for obvious reasons; Switzerland!)=====
Swear that I’m going to a lot of places, applying for a lot of jobs, going personally to restaurants and all. But all these positions seems to be impossible to get without speaking german. I wish I had at least some time to get the chance to learn 😐😐
Appreciate all help in advance guys, Thanks!

Hello all, I’ve been perusing this community for several months but haven’t been able to come up with a game plan yet. I graduated with a Masters in International Relations in May 2020, during the pause which was a relief but also during an economic situation that has not allowed me to secure a job or career path yet (if I ever can). I’ve been applying to jobs and interviewing for over 2 years now and have yet to get an offer. I’ve been working in restaurants in NYC which has afforded me a decent salary, but I worry that I’ll ever be able to get on track in my career at this stage. All that aside, I’m obviously worrying about my loans, which are all federal. I know I can potentially make minimum payments at some point, or just the occasional payment to avoid wage garnishment. I’m also trying to figure out how to move to Europe (VISA stuff, my partner has German family so that could be something in the distant future), but it seems like most ppl on this sub seem to not worry as much about federal loans. However I want to get out of this as unscathed as possible. Should I just not pay my loan payments, let them confiscate my tax return every year, and/or make one payment every so often to avoid them garnishing my (service industry) wages? Honestly any help or guidance or personal stories are appreciated!

I took down some thoughts I had when I was bored at work but I must have left them there 😞anyways! I enjoyed the movie, probably not something I would have watched on my own, so watching something new was fun. Besides Stand By Me, this was the only other movie I’ve seen River Phoenix in and wow he was so beautiful. He looked so good, loved all his outfits too. Sort of distracted by how hot he was the entire time.
Obviously really sad, sort of hated Scott even though he did seem to care about Mike and definitely took care of him, to some degree.
I wish I knew more about Shakespeare bc I feel like some stuff went over my head- I could definitely tell when the actors started slipping into that style of dialogue though. From what I read online the relationship between Scott and Bob Pigeon was based off something Shakespeare wrote? All of the moments with Bob and other other street kids felt very Shakespearean.
I really liked all the weird guys Mike and Scott encountered as prostitutes- they were like Lynchian level of weird lol. The guy obsessed with cleaning was great, and the German guy that they had the threesome with. I don’t quite know how to explain it, but I liked that freeze-motion style of photography that was done for that scene. I think is was used one other time, but it is escaping me. I wonder if there was a reason the director chose to do that.
I liked Bob Pigeon, I think he might be my favorite character! Loved the end of the film when he confronts Scott at the restaurant, and the funeral scene was really well done. Van Sant did a perfect job capturing PNW street kids haha.
Start of the movie with River walking about Seattle made me really nostalgic. That’s how I remember it looking when I was a kid and would go visit.
The stuff with Mikes dad was weird, he basically looked the same age as him? Or was that his brother?
Didn’t really feel any way about the girl Scott fell in love with, probably my least favorite part of the movie. Felt so awful when Scott left him like that, in another fucking country?!? Such rich asshole behavior
I got the Criterion copy from the library, there was a book of interviews included and I thought this was funny “Reeves, who the night before was seen shrieking in dude-esque disguise when he accidentally leafed through one of the real male magazines used as props in the talking porno magazine shoot, now recoils when asked how he prepared for his hustler role. “I didn’t suck dick, if that’s what you mean!” I would love to see a male actor say something like that now
All in all really enjoyed it. Keanu isn’t really my favorite actor, he tends to comes across as a bit wooden to me. But River was great! I’m glad it didn’t end on some corny good note too, I hope at least the guy who picked him up had good intentions 😬
Here’s an article I liked about the film:
https://filmdaze.net/lovelorn-nostalgia-and-memory-in-my-own-private-idaho/
Planning on making the vote for July’s pick on June 24th. Someone mentioned about doing this on a weekday, which I think can be a good idea. Especially now that it’s summertime, I probably won’t be as much of an online loser on my weekends. Let me know what u guys think

Have a large tree in our backyard (augusta,ga), but the leaves have shown some signs of disease. Trying to identify so I can take action (hopefully)https://i.imgur.com/1MX9y7G.jpg

I have a few schools, but I want to add more/edit what I have. I am looking to apply to only few reaches that are research oriented. Thank you once again.
Degrees (2 with 1 in the works)

• (Community College while in HS) AS in Biological Sciences 3.1 GPA 3.0 sGPA
• (T15 Public School) BS in Biology 3.3 GPA 3.4 sGPA
• BS In Industrial Engeering (3.67 GPA 3.7sGPA)

cGPA: 3.4 sGPA: 3.35
MCAT: 495 (126/121/122/126) (2022) and 508 (2023) (128/124/128/128)
State of Residence: GA
ORM/URM: URM, Black Male
Clinical Experience: Sports Medicine Aide ~ 500 Hours
Volunteering

• Food Banks ~ 70 Hours
• Local Church ~ 850 Hours
• Tutored Underserved High School Students ~ 400 Hours

Clubs

• Participant of 2 Black Associations where I did typical things ~ 90 Hours
• Joined a club where I mentored incoming college students ~ 100 Hours

Other Activities.

• Interned at a Low Tier Medical school (T100) in my state for 3 summers, where I worked on a Health App and presented my research along with the associated poster.
• Ortho Summer Intern at a medical school (T15) where I attended various talks and participate in activities.
• Geospatial Program: Collected Data around the city and presented suggestions to a panel.

Shadowing:

• Shadowed a total of 4 Orthopedic Surgeons in Clinic and in the OR ~ 300 hours
• 5 virtual shadowing hours

Research:

• (Under the same PI) Paid Research Assistantship ~ 200 Hours
• (Under the same PI) Undergraduate Researcher ~ 660 Hours
• Research Project Lab ~ 300 Hours
• Research Fellow (Paid) under the Dept of Ortho at T15 Medical School in my state where I used Healthcare Databases and Rstudio and SAS to pull and make understanding of Data. ~ 1200 Hours spread over 8 Months.
  • 3 Abstract Acceptances
  • 2 Publicaions under Review
  • 5 Pubs Submitted
  • 8 Abstracts Submitted

Awards

• 3 Scholarships, 2 college academic awards, 1 Community Award, and 2 Presentation Awards ( 1 by the Dept of Ortho).

LORS - 1 From Bio prof, 1 From Bio prof/PI, 1 from physician (Ortho)
​
School List:

• Emory School of Medicine
• Morehouse School of Medicine
• Boston University Aram V. Chobanian & Edward Avedisian School of Medicine
• East Tennessee Quillen Medicine
• Florida Atlantic University College of Medicine
• Hofstra University Medicine
• Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University Medicine
• Michigan State University Medicine
• NYMC Medicine
• Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School
• Stony Brook University Medicine
• University of Miami Miller School of Medicine
• Wake Forest School of Medicine

MF looking for F or FM No single males! Augusta, GA Let’s play 🔥

The Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise, fifth class, is the highest rank a Ukrainian foreign national can achieve. Its newest inductee is back home in Florida and has been in the shower so long he’s lost track of time. His feel for the present moment will return in about thirty seconds when the hot water runs out. His hair has been both shampooed and conditioned. His body throughly soaped. It’s the shower’s warm solitude he cannot leave. There is plenty to do today; an interview at a radio station at eleven, lunch with his sponsor, an early dinner at his mom’s pastor’s. All of them want to know more about his experience overseas, they want to know how the war is progressing, they want to hear how he went from Highland Hills High School to war hero. What they don’t want to hear, what David does not want to hear, is how cold his new found notoriety makes him feel. Before can explore his melancholy any further, the hot water goes. The steam rising above the shower clears as a lukewarm solution rinses the remaining soap and warmth off David’s body. He remembers taking similarly cold showers in Ukraine, and how happy he was to have them. It’s shocking how clean a man can get with a half full bucket of water and a couple of towels.
“Ah look at Abie! Clean enough for a Russian bitch.” says Bone in his thick provincial accent. Words David can’t remember Bone actually saying or they only sound like something he would say. Sitting around waiting for mechanics, waiting on orders, waiting on food, waiting on the Russians to start shooting, David didn’t know war could be so boring. The only thing Bone said he liked more than killing Russians was fucking them. The rest of the guys in the platoon knew Bone was probably lying, but he was their instructor, and they were the international volunteers, so he was never questioned. He was the only person in their platoon who spoke Russian and Ukrainian and English. One guy, this kid from Belgium, called Bone a cunt after failing to pull the pen on a grenade during a training exercise, and Bone gave it to him.
“What is this? You do not have to pull pens in Belgium? Or do you like to give your enemies the grenade so they can throw it back?” said Bone. He then effeminately ran around the kid saying, “Here Mr. German. Take my grenade. They are loud and I am afraid.” Bone comes back to his real voice. “Killing Russians is no different than driving a truck. It is your job. Don’t think. Don’t be like this Belgian. Pull the pin. Kill Russians.” The Belgian kid said something to Bone but no one knew what it was because no one spoke French. This didn’t stop Bone from hitting him in the face so hard it broke his nose. The kid quit later that day, and Bone got written up which David told him is like a kid being put in timeout during a house invasion.
“What is this time out?” Bone asked.
The water is cold so David gets out. In the kitchen his mother goes over the day’s itinerary again, just to be thorough she adds.
“Do you know where you are going David? No, sorry. Do you know where you are going Abie?” she asks as David grabs a breakfast banana.
“Yes ma’am.”
“You know parking can be difficult downtown. Be sure to take quarters for the meter.”
“Yes ma’am.”
“And be sure to be yourself. I hope they are nice to you. You know how the media likes to spin things these days. I don’t think they are too liberal but don’t let them put words in your mouth. If they ask you something you don’t want to answer, you just say ‘No comment'. You just tell your story. You are a hero. And then you’ll meet with Fred, and then dinner at Pastor's. Be there at four. If it’s ok with you I’m going to bring the medal. Pastor will want to see it. He’s a big fan of Zelensky.”
“Yes ma’am.”
“Ok. Enough doting. That’s all you’re getting out to me today. Are you excited? Isn’t this exciting? News Radio 950 is doing a story about you. They want to hear about their local war hero…and that’s you. Give me a hug and get going before you are late.”
“Yes ma’am.”
In his car, David listens to Domination by Pantera at full volume. The heavy riffs, screaming and terrifying drums raise his spirit. Bone used to play it all the time. David hasn’t prepared anything for save his memory of his time in Ukraine. Perhaps Bone is giving an interview somewhere? You didn’t do anything wrong, he tells himself as he opens the station’s door. Inside he finds an attractive, young woman named Sara who has been emailing him for the past several weeks.
“Nice to officially meet. Right this way.”
David does his best not to stare at her as she leads him through corridor of offices and hallways.
“She looks nice. Go into an office with her.” says Bone.
“We’ve all been looking forward to having a more in-depth conversation with you. Our programming producer, who is also named David, will be asking you most of the questions. But I begged him to let me ask some too, so you might say I will also be interviewing you. I hope that’s ok?”
Sara’s blonde hair folds into a neat part on the left side of her head. David pictures her styling it in her bathroom, in a bathrobe. It’s been a while since he has smelled perfume. He found a bottle in an abandoned apartment in Zaporizhzhia and kept it. It had some Chinese lettering he couldn’t read, but it smelt nice. Some of the guys teased him when they found it saying he was going to attract Russian because he smelt like an Asian. Sara’s perfume smells expensive and French. She introduces him to David the producer and the three of them find three seats on the end of a conference room table. Sara sits on the same side as David. After introductions, David starts the interview by saying even though he is not sure exactly when the piece will air, he is certain it will before the end of the month. He then adds something about how David is a hero for doing what he did.
“So tell us how you found yourself in Ukraine?”
“Well it was pretty easy really. I went online and volunteered for the IVB, that was the name of my unit, the International Volunteer Brigade. I don’t think I talked to a real person until I booked my flight to Poland. It was mostly just forms I was filling out online. So yeah it was pretty easy. So I landed in Krakow and my recruiter picked me up. I stayed in a hotel for a few days while we waited on a couple more guys to show up. One was from Spain, another from Portugal. The Portuguese guy never showed, or if he did he didn’t come with us. I guess he could have volunteered with another outfit. I guess that’s the thing about the war I didn’t really expect. We were always just kinda losing people. And I don’t mean they were killed, although a lot of them were. I mean guys would just be with you one minute and gone the next. And then you’d find them a week later and I go, ‘Where have you been?’ ‘Oh I’ve been in Dnipro’ or ‘Oh I got picked up by the Regs.’ It was crazy. The only place where that didn’t happen was the front.”
“Who do you mean by ‘the Regs?’” asks David.
“The regular army. The Ukrainians. The good guys we were there to help. Sometimes they would be short a man so they’d just nab one of the volunteers. That was a bad gig. The Ukrainians wanted their most motivated guys fighting in the worst places. I only had to do it a couple of times, but…it was not something I did and wanted to do again. ”
David rubs his hand over his arm. He can’t smell the hot blonde anymore, only trench dirt and gun oil. The soil of Donetsk had a deep brown color to it he always enjoyed. Even with snipers supposedly in the area, digging was one of his favorite jobs. The earth smelled vibrant, full of worms and nitrogen and reminded him of his granddad, coming in from a day of field work, his jeans and boots caked in a rich layer of his land.
“So tell us what is it like being a hometown celebrity?” asks Sara. “You’re from here so people already know you, but what’s it like now? I mean now, gosh, everyone i know has been talking about this kid from Highland who won a medal from Zelensky. Did you get to bring it by the way? You were on the national news. It was NBC, but still…”
A bouquet of scents and questions. David looks across the room and sees Bone sitting with a heavy slouch in a chair at the other end of the conference table. He looks rough; still alive but not by much. He sits holding his side, his chin on his chest.
“It’s neat I guess. I walk down the street and people call my name. I take lots of pictures with people. Everyone is really nice. I felt like I was kinda a wallflower before.It’s something I think lots of people think about experiencing. I know I did, I just never thought it would be for this.”
“What did you want to be when you were a boy?” asks Sara.
“I don’t know. The normal stuff; doctor, fireman, my Dad was in sales, so not that. I think about it a lot. I think mostly I just wanted to be good. I didn’t like getting into trouble.”
“Oh my gosh, I was the exact same.” says Sara. Then durning her boss she adds “David, I don’t know if you knew this about me and this David, but we actually went to Highland High at the same time. I was a senior when you would have been a freshman, but I swear I remember you. I thought you were cute.”
“Don’t be trying to steal my assistant Dave. Can I call you Dave?”
“David’s fine.”
Bone perks up and tells them to call him Abie
“Ok so let’s get back on track. You’re over there, you’re fighting Russians, you’re helping the Ukrainians, can you tell us, what was that like?”
“What is war like?”
“Yeah the war, but you’re doing a good thing. You volunteered to help an oppressed people, to fight against tyranny, something I think our listeners think our government should have done a long time ago. But while our President sits on his ass, you bravely go do the thing that needs be done. God it must have been exhilarating, but I don’t know, I don’t want to put words in your mouth.”
Bone lays his head back on the desk and says something David can’t quite make out but thinks he knows what his commander is saying.
“Meta.”
“What?” asks David.
“It’s a Ukrainian word I learned while over there. It means purpose, but more than just doing a job, it’s your calling. It’s a word the priests with the beards use a lot. Everyday I knew exactly what was expected of me and what I could expect from everyone around me. I had clarity for the first time in my life. I felt like I could see for miles in every direction, like sitting on the roof watching all the cars going by.”
Bone stands up out of his chair and walks out of the office.
“Even when I was scared I knew that was to be expected. And when I was tired, I knew that too was to be expected. And when I was hungry, and wet, and cold, and angry enough to kill. I knew that too was to be expected because war is a cauldron. Everything gets boiled into a singularity. It’s terrifying but also pretty damn motivating. What sucks is that I can already feel everything starting to get cloudy again.”
Leaning his belly against the table, David leans in to ask his next question as if he does not want to be heard.
“Did you, you know…and this will be off the record…did you kill anyone else?”
Sara places her empty hand on the table, an offering for David to hold should his answer prove too much. But David knows the answer is not too much for his has thought of little else.
“Nope. Just the one.”
After another few minutes of hearing how brave he has been, how proud his family must be and how grateful the station is to have him come in, the interview is over. The producer shakes David’s hand and Sara walks him out. She mentions that friends of her’s are going to a new bar in the Depot and suggests David should come too. He says he can come but it will be late because he has dinner plans. “That’s ok. I’ll be there pretty late.”
—————————
Only a few blocks from the radio station, David pulls into a Waffle House parking lot. There is condensation on the windows of the building and cigarette butts near the door. Nothing here breathes well, David notes. Inside he finds his old sponsor sitting at booth by himself. David sees Fred before Fred sees him and for a moment considers leaving. However, he sees Bone sits in the corner of the restaurant, smiling and looking to flirt with a chubby waitress with grown sons.
“How the hell are you Abie?” says Fred. No turning back now.
“Sober for today.”
“Me too.”
The pair order eggs, toast and bacon. The cook makes each of them a waffle on the house after recognizing David. He finishes his plate before Fred can finish a piece of toast. Meals happen quick on the battlefield and David can’t seem to slow himself down long to enjoy his food. Bone is no longer in the corner. David sees him moving around the room; following an old lady into the restroom. He comes out with a grotesque look on his face. “That little woman took the biggest shit I’ve ever seen! Abie, come and look at it. It won’t flush. Call in a drone strike. We are going to have to pull back!”
“So” says Fred, “Mr. War Hero, how are you really? You’ve got recognition, a war recommendation, you’re doing interviews, you still got your sobriety. Life seems to be going well, but…”
“How I am really?” When he was in NA Fred could always sniff out if he was high. As his sponsor that was his job, but David never liked it. I know you say you’re fine, but how are your really. Effective, but crude. Fred taps his finger to the tip of his nose. Bingo kid. David looks around the room for Bone but doesn’t find him.
“I’m good man. Things are going well. Everyone always asks me how I’m doing, but I’m really fine. I honestly don’t feel much different than when I left. Same shit different day you know? Girls come up to me now, so that’s different I guess. So…yeah…things are good. Still sober. No real temptation to go back down that road. Been working the Steps since I got back. Doing the work. I didn’t even think about getting high when I was over there. I’m serious. Not once. I’ve got a therapist that I’m seeing. She’s really smart. And I get to see her for free. It’s part of some rehabilitation program from the federal government. I’m moving out of my Mom’s soon. I found an apartment through the church she goes to. There is a guy there who owns a bunch of places and he hooked me up with a really nice place for really cheap. He gave us a really good deal on it. The same guy said I could come work for him too when I felt I was ready. He has a real estate business and said he is always looking for new realtors. With my story, he told me, he thinks I could to really well.”
Bone sits in the booth next to Fred. His face his clean, empty. Without blinking, moving or saying anything he stares at David; human mirror he is unsure is alive or dead, in a Waffle House in Florida or an expensive dirty tank in Ukraine.
“But then I think, do I really wanna use my story to sell real estate? Some douchebag buys an apartment I’m selling him because I killed a Russian general. That’s not why I went over there. And who would even ask me to that? They don’t know what it was like. They make it seem like going over there was no big deal, that killing generals is something that happens all the time, or that the war is going well. Really man, I got so lucky with that shot. I’ve had trained snipers tell me they probably couldn’t hit a target at that range. But I did. I did that and I know I could never do it again. Even if I could, I don’t know if I’d want to. I didn’t know that guy. I mean I now know a bunch of stuff about him, but it’s only what I’ve been told. They told me that he supported Putin from the beginning and that a lot of the war planning was his idea. Ok. If you say so Bone. But I looked this guy up, he has a wikipedia page, and a wife, and kids, probably grandkids. I don’t know if his family is proud of him or not, but I know they will never see him again. And then just the charade of it all. So I got to meet the Ukrainian War Minister, Zelensky’s right hand man. Still not worth it. There’s just nothing noble or romantic about it. It’s all just a cold, black hole that runs on death and killing and for some reason you have to look at it…at least I do. I suppose I thought at some point I would see something. Never did though.”
Bone breaks his stare and cracks a smile.
“And for who, for what Fred? What is going to happen when all of this is over other than the same thing that happens after every war. A cabal of erudite assholes are going to meet in an overly secure room in the Netherlands and draw a new line in between Ukraine and Russia which is exactly what those same assholes did seventy years ago, and seventy years before that, and in seventy years we’ll do the same thing all over again. Wash, rinse and repeat. That line makes about as much sense as the first day of Spring. Sure, there is an official first day of Spring, March 20th or whatever, but we all know that there was some really warm days before the 20th and there is going to be some real cold days afterwards. But the 20th is the official day. It doesn’t make Spring happen. It just kinda helps sense out of a blurry situation. It wasn’t two days after getting there I realized the whole thing is so complicated. Half the regs were guys who had either lived in Russia at some point, gone to school there mostly, or had family living there. It felt like trying to break up a fight at a family reunion, only everyone is holding ARs as they argue about whether or not the 20th is the first day of Spring. The conflict goes back so far you can’t make out the start. And the profiteering my god, that’s what really gets me. Just like that asshole who wants to use the war to sell real estate, all the arms manufacturers who are pouring guns and bullets and tanks into Ukraine, propping this war machine so they can win another government contract. It’s sick. The people running those companies have the first available seat in hell. And Putin too. He started this whole mess. First him, then a nice row of CEOs and shareholders, that’s who I want to in hell. And there is never talk of any alternative. None. Not even a whisper. Just two sides trying to exhaust the other for a better seat at the bargaining table.”
Bone gets up to leave, but not before stretching his back, revealing a large, dark red stain in his uniform, just above his waist line.
“So here I am in all my hometown glory.” says David, “The renown Prince of the Order of the Ukrainian Shit-Show.”
There is a wet spot on David’s pants which he is not sure how it got there. He looks at Bone who is already out the door and running down the street. It’s ok, David thinks to himself, I know where he is going. ———————————————— At the 7-11 next to Waffle House David buys two tall boys and two shots of Jack. He pours the whiskey into the cans and kills the second one as he pulls into Pastor’s driveway where several Mercedes, Teslas and BMWs are parked. David clears his throat, spits into the bushes and unwraps a stick of gum. He enters the house after two hard knocks.
“Oh I think that is him.” David hears his mom say after shutting the large, dark front door. She comes around the corner of the corridor to tell him he is late and to take his shoes off.
“But my socks don’t match.”
“Well take those off too! Pastor just put down new carpet.”
“Ah well, since there is new carpet involved. Let’s not walk on the new carpet.”
The rest of the dinner party comes around the corridor in their socks. Each of them personally thanks David for coming and for his service. The men shake his hand. The women all give him hugs. By the end of introductions David has met two bankers, two retirees, and handful of housewives, as well as two more pastors and their wives. Bone is the last to shake his hand. He tells Abie he smells like old lady perfume. Elenor, Pastor’s wife, takes David’s arm, sliding her’s underneath his, leading him into their recently renovated kitchen. The rest of the group follows.
“Well dinner is almost ready. As we wait, why don’t you tell us about Ukraine.”
“Leave him alone Ellie,” says Pastor, “maybe he’s tired of talking about it.”
“I don’t mind.” says Abie. “I don’t mind telling people about blowing some Russian guy’s head off.”
“David Absalom!”
“It’s ok Mom. Yeah so I saw this column of tanks approaching our trench, which ran parallel to this road running west outta Horlivka. I don’t think they knew it was there, or if they did know, they sure as shit didn’t know we were in it, which was weird because we’d been trading fire with them all day. We were all scared shitless. It was only me and Jizzy and Bone. Right Bone? Oh yeah, it wasn’t Jizz it was that kid from Croatia. The one who fucking just ran off one day. I don’t remember his name. Anyways, Bone tells us to all be real still, play like we are dead. So this entire tank column passes by us. Takes for fucking ever. Couldn’t have been more than an hour, but it felt like ten. Finally it starts to let up you know, the last tank passes. So Bone takes the radio and tries to find a spot to call it in. As he is doing that I see the last tank, which was what Bone, about four hundred yards from us? Anyway, he comes to a stop, and out pops the unluckiest son of bitch in the whole war. The General gets out to take a piss, I take aim, figuring I’ll just scare him. And yeah. Bam. Headshot. He didn’t feel a thing; killed him with his dick in his hand. Speaking of which…if you will excuse me.”
“The bathroom is back down the hallway, first door on your left.” says Pastor.
“Is it a full bath?” ask Abie.
“Three-quarter.”
“Close enough.”
No one looks him in the eye, no one except Bone and Pastor. The bathroom has been redone in the same tile as the kitchen. David takes off his clothes, turns the steel knob in the shower to red, sits one floor and waits for the water to get warm.

Note: This is part 2 to Shiloh's Final Battle
Gomez and Tish pulled into their driveway and heard barking. They'd gotten a German Shepherd pup when Guillermo Del Toro's "The Strain" was on T.V. As a joke, but also because they loved the character? They named him Thomas Eichhorst after the Nazi vampire who was one of Guillermo Del Toro's most powerful villains ever created. No one put much thought into the name choice considering they loved all things horror. "What the hell has Eichhorst going off? He knows it's us!" Gomez couldn't understand why he'd bark at the 2 people he NEVER barks at. "I can honestly say I'm not even surprised after this day." Tish exhaled and proceeded to get out of the car. Eichhorst continued the call of his people. "IKE! EICHHORST! KNOCK IT THE HELL OFF!" Gomez yelled so Eichhorst could hear because he was behind the chain link fence in the backyard. He acted like he didn't hear a word. As they got closer to the house? They noticed Eichhorst was not barking at them. He was barking at the woods BEHIND them. "He sees something we don't." Tish matter-of-factly stated. She & Gomez simultaneously turned to look into the woods. Nothing. No noise. Nothing was there. Eichhorst stopped barking as soon as they turned towards the woods. Everything stopped. "What the hell is going on, Cara Mia?" Gomez was starting to experience what Tish had all day long. "I don't know, Mon Cher. I just know I don't like it." Tish continued glancing into the trees. "Probably time to sit back and relax. You've had a bad day that ended a rough week. It's time to just chill." As if knowing what Gomez had just said? His city issued phone started ringing. "NO. ABSOLUTELY not! I'm off tonight! What is so critical that Gomer & Goober can't handle it?" Gomez could feel his blood pressure start to rise. "Find out what it is 1st, Craig, before you go into a meltdown." Tish always called him Craig when she was irritated. "Hello?!" Gomez did a poor job hiding his inconvenience. "Man, it's Ol Shiloh! You gotta get over here, Gomez. It's bad! It's so bad!" Bubba was inconsolable. He was on the verge of tears. "Whoa, slow down, Bubba. What happened?" Gomez tried bringing levity. "We came by to check on him when we were on patrol. He was in the doorway, he was..." Bubba finally started crying. He hated it. The last thing he wanted to do was cry in front of his co-workers. He just simply could not process what the hell they'd rolled up on. "Wait? Ol Shiloh is hurt?" Gomez was trying to process what Bubba was saying. Tish's brow furrowed. She didn't like what she was hearing. "I mean, if you consider hurt dead with his fuckin' throat ripped out to his spinal cord? Then? Yeah, he's hurt." Bubba's anger at his own insecurities was boiling over onto Gomez. "Look, Bubba. Clearly you guys have been going through something over there. I'm headed that way. For future reference? Don't take your shit out on me. I didn't do anything to you." Gomez scolded. "Sorry, Gomez. It's just so..." and Bubba broke down further. Gomez hopped back into the car. "What's going on? Who was that? Don? Bubba?" Tish was concerned. "Hop in the passenger's side if you want to find out. I have to go." Gomez started the engine. Tish walked around and got in.
They pulled into Shiloh's driveway behind the Eerie, Indiana patrol car. Bubba came running out to greet them. "Don is in there with him. The paramedics just got here a few minutes ago." Bubba proceeded to catch Gomez up. He and Tish had been so busy looking at Bubba and the patrol car they didn't notice the bus parked to the side of the house ready to pick up Ol Shiloh.
Tish & Gomez entered the threshold where Ol Shiloh laid on his back, staring at the ceiling. His throat. Jesus, his throat. It was gone. They both were rocking back on their heels.
"We thought it was a big cat attack. It's not. Those bite marks on his throat? That's human not feline." Kennedy was an intelligent little bastard. Arrogant, condescending and holier-than-thou, but very intelligent. Not only would he inform all of the insubordinates around him about everything they didn't know? He'd do it with one hell of a cocky attitude. Ah, Kennedy, and his unsolicited lessons. Time to sit up and listen in class. ..
"When he opened the door? We thought it was an animal attack. Instead? He must've been attacked by humans. The bite marks definitely indicate human but the vicious nature of how deep the wounds went indicate something much more powerful. This was to his spinal cord." Kennedy didn't look like he knew-it-all. He looked perplexed.
"But how could a human bite that deep?" Gomez asked.
"I don't know. I honestly don't know." Kennedy was lost for the 1st time since becoming a paramedic 7 years ago. He'd never seen trauma of this caliber. He hadn't even seen this level of brutality and he'd rolled up on gang fights.
Don and Bubba were both on the front porch, looking in, mouths agape. Gomer & Goober indeed.
Kennedy loaded up Ol Shiloh's body with the assistance of a new EMT that Gomez was fairly certain Kennedy was banging. I mean, he was a total Chad so why wouldn't he?
Don put the camera away in the trunk of the patrol car. At least he had the presence of mind to get the pictures taken before emergency services hit the scene. This was going to rock Eerie, Indiana's foundation. Murder hadn't happened here in anyone's lifetime so this was a "big city" problem they weren't use to dealing with. Nosey people, scared kids, idiot media, this was not what Eerie needed right now. It certainly wasn't what he needed. He had enough of Allie putting out for anyone that would buy her a 6 pack or some cigarettes. Had he known he could've gotten off so cheaply? He sure as hell wouldn't have married her. Unfortunately, for his dumb ass? He actually fell in love with her. Why? He didn't know. Self esteem was never his strong suit. So? After dating 6 months, her only cheating 3 times, then getting pregnant with his baby? He made the perilous decision to try to make an honest woman out of her. Don sincerely doubted if Allie had ever been honest about anything in her life. Coincidentally? When they came back from their Honeymoon 2 weeks later? She'd miscarried. Well, she claimed she miscarried. Don never saw a pregnancy test nor would he have been 💯% sure the baby was his. He would've actually suspected the baby was not. Looking at all of it now, how did he not see it sooner?
"Get to those pics, ASAP Rocky, Don!" Gomez instructed. "Please, don't be an embarrassing Gen Xer who thinks he's so cool and up to date on all of the current lingo. They laugh at us only a little less than Boomers." Tish was still trying to get a handle on all of this and his Goofy antics weren't really in need right now.
The woods to the side of Ol Shiloh's place was the same as the woods to the back of Gomez & Tish's driveway. Eichhorst couldn't understand why his humans didn't acknowledge his bark. He never barked. He especially never barked at his humans. Why did they think he had? Didn't they see the kids in the woods? The little boy? The little girl? How could they not? As far away as the kids were? They smelled funny. He didn't understand. It was the same smell in the air that he sensed right before thunderstorms began and he hid under Gomez and Tish's bed. Humans don't smell like that. It's impossible to explain ozone to a German Shepherd.
The children watched as Ol Shiloh was loaded onto the ambulance and taken away. The couple were getting into their car and the deputies were already headed down the driveway.
"It has began." The dark-haired pale little girl spoke. "Indeed. It has. Let's see what Venerate has in store for the humans now." The boy replied and they headed towards town.
Eerie, Indiana was like any other Midwest, small town. You had your good ol boys & jerks. You had freaks and geeks. You had Bible thumpers and always humpers. Allie Hoff was the "always humpers" category. No one nor nothing could change that. The girl went through life bartering sex and blow jobs for anything she needed. It was a pitiful existence and she knew it. Unfortunately? She never learned and didn't know another way. With Eerie being so small? She was limited to the same "favor givers" over and over, again. Never any new blood. Never any fresh meat. It really stifled what few prospects she had. She looked up from where she was slumped over the bar, in her barstool, nursing a bottle of beer. She happened to look up to the front door. Who was that? She'd never seen him in here before. He was about 6'3" with dark wavy hair and ocean blue eyes. His skin was sun kissed and the muscles showcased the entire package. Wait. WTF? This dude doesn't belong here. Who the hell is he?
He appeared to glide and almost float towards her. He gestured to the empty bar stool next to her. "Is this seat taken?" He smiled with almost glowing white teeth. She locked up. Wait? He wants to sit next to me?
She just shook her head no because she was too shocked to speak. "Hi, I'm Vinny." He extended his hand and his gleaming smile never faltered. "Allie." She finally squeaked out. Guys like this didn't talk to girls like her. "Nice to meet you, Allie." Vinny swung around and attempted to get the bartender's attention. "I'll have a Jack & Coke. For the lady?" Vinny slyly smiled at Allie and she was entranced. "Same" was all Allie could say. He paid for their drinks and handed Allie hers. "I've never seen you before." Allie just finally came out with it. "No, I'm new to the area. You wouldn't have seen me around here." Vinny replied. "Oh? New from where?" Allie was trying to proceed with caution. She did not want to miss out on the opportunity that was this gorgeous specimen of a man. "You've never heard of it, trust me. No one ever has." Vinny still held his smile. "I'd still like to know." Allie returned a smile that was nowhere near as beautiful as Vinny's. "Maybe when we get to know each other better." Vinny conceded. "Oh? So we're going to be getting to know each other better, are we?" Allie coyly pressed. "If I have any say in it? Most definitely." Vinny winked. Damn. That boy was so fine she'd drink his bathwater if he peed in it. He was the perfect vision of the perfect man. It was as if he were tailor made just for Allie. How, though? How could she actually meet her real life Manic Pixie Dream boy? The one she'd dreamed about when she was a little girl. The one who laughed at everything she said. Listened attentively. The one who only had eyes for her no matter how many "rich bitch" girls were around. She'd treat him like a postage stamp. She'd lick every square inch of him and go back for 2nds on the important parts. "Allie, you strike me as a very straightforward girl." Vinny snapped her out of her daze. "I am. No bullshit." Allie replied. "Then? Allow me to be straightforward by telling you that I want to fuck you senseless." Vinny casually stated as if someone asked him for the time. "Well, that is certainly straightforward." Allie was stunned. She wasn't so stunned that she'd let an opportunity like this pass her by. She'd made up her mind that was going to happen as soon as she saw him. "And your answer?" Vinny inquired. "Anywhere. Any place. Any time Any day." Allie assured. With that? They stood from their barstools and headed outside. He even smelled good but not a typical smell. It was like the air at the beginning of a thunderstorm. He smelled like ozone. Ozone??? Was that even possible?
Gomez and Tish got home and plopped on the couch. Eichhorst came through the doggy door and trotted straight to Tish. "I've got leftovers, Piggy. Give me a sec." Tish opened her container from the restaurant. Eichhorst sat patiently waiting for his command.
"What a fuckin' day." Gomez exhaled exhaustedly. "Yeah. It has been. Poor Ol Shiloh. This is just too much." Tish's head continued to try to find rationality where there was one. "I'm getting in the shower and going to bed. You need anything?" Gomez slowly rose up from the couch, joints popping like a glow stick. "No. I'm probably gonna watch a movie and go to bed after." Tish answered. "Horror?" Gomez queried. "What else?" Tish smiled albeit a tired one. Eichhorst jumped up next to her on the couch and laid on her like a lap dog.
Vinny was walking Allie into their local little flop hotel room. It wasn't like she wasn't familiar with the place. The staff referred to her as "Frequent flier". She didn't particularly like the insensitive moniker but couldn't deny its accuracy, either. He closed the door behind them in one failed swoop. This was a practiced talent she noticed. Didn't matter. He was hers tonight.
"Make yourself comfortable." Vinny gestured to the only bed in the room. Allie took a seat. She looked up at him and noticed the ozone smell becoming stronger. Weird. He smelled good but she had never known someone to smell like a thunderstorm.
"I'm going to step into the bathroom for just a minute. I'll be right out." Vinny stepped into their adjacent bathroom. She heard loud music and laughter from somewhere down the hall but couldn't quite place where. It was for the best. Allie had always been, well, vocal. Normally? If a guy is hitting it right? She hit the vocal range of 2 stray cats screwing. She couldn't help it. She was like this every since puberty. It was all the girl thought about. She figured she was probably a nympho although she was never officially diagnosed. She couldn't hear what he was doing. It didn't matter. It wasn't going to affect her and what she was doing. She walked to the curtains and made sure they were completely closed. Although they were, why did she feel like she was being watched? She stripped down with the efficiency of a HazMat worker decontaminating. She heard the bathroom door opening. She kept her back turned so she could make the surprise last as long as possible. Was this the night? The night she could finally reach sexual satisfaction? Was this the dick that was going to change her life? There was a soft green glow coming from the bathroom. Must be a nightlight? She hadn't noticed before. Was it getting brighter? It looked like it was coming towards her. Was it Vinny? Maybe he's videoing me? Not like I'd care, but he could have asked. "Are you recording me?" She asked as she continued to look towards the window. His breathing was different. It seemed labored and, well, wet. It didn't sound like he did earlier, that was for sure. "You okay?" Allie asked. His breathing was raspier, louder, wetter. She decided to bail on her romantic idea of not turning around before he reached her. She turned around and her playful nature and smile fell away immediately.
Her brain couldn't process what her eyes were seeing. It couldn't be real. God knows along with banging any guy she could get her hands on, she used to hit hard drugs back in the day. This had to be a flashback. It had to be a "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" scenario. This? This "Mars Attacks!" bullshit right here? This is not reality.
It's bulbous head was transparent. It looked like a barrel eye fish that she saw on a nature show she used to blaze and chill to. That also explained the soft green glow. It sounded like and looked aquatic. That's where the wet sounds were coming from. It kept advancing. It had a white upper torso with arms and webbed fingers on each hand. What sent her over the edge? From the waist down? It was a human male. All the important parts and in working condition. How? She had no idea. But? When she meant working condition? It was working it's way right towards her. Wait, this thing is going to still have sex with me?! No. Absolutely not. "No. Stop." Allie feebly tried to resist. It did no good. Allie didn't know she was the reason he was even here. This was the whole gameplan all along. It was never a casual hook up.
Venerate had studied numerous different civilizations but Terrestrials always fascinated him. They were so primitive but also entertaining. The Alliance had tried many different hybrid trials between themselves and Terrestrials. They never made it out of infancy. There was a weakness that need strengthened in their own DNA to combine with humans. They worked on it until their resolution was Venerate himself. He has the best of what their kind has to offer with the malleable adaptivity to change himself into anything he needs to to be able to convince Terrestrials to trust him. It worked. Ol Shiloh thought Venerate was his deceased wife. Allie thought he was her dream man. He needs a human to impregnate. Beggars can't be choosers. It worked out perfectly. Allie took one look at his bulbous transparent head, his lower nontransparent stiff head and proceeded to pass out on the bed. It didn't matter. Venerate didn't need her awake to begin their hybrid breeding program. And? Begin the program he did. Everything was coming to fruition via the Alliance's vision. All of their hard work finally got them here. The pale, dark-haired children stood outside the hotel room window, peaking through the crack in the curtain. They were able to relay the mission a success with Venerate making first, second and third contact. Once the younglings come forth? The Alliance can begin occupation and what a glorious day that will truly be! Everything was going so perfectly. This just had to be fool proof. They walked off into the night, smiling so much those obsidian eyes even looked less demonic. This was the beginning of prosperity. This was the beginning of the end of humanity.
The Windows to the Soul: Allie's Assimilation
END

My mother makes vacation every year in Croatia (mostly the tourist areas in Istria [Novigrad, Umag, Pula etc]) and she said, it's much cheaper to to buy food and beverages and to eat at restaurants and so on for us germans. But for this year, she is worried about the much higher prices because of the introduction of the Euro. Is this the case? Are the prices significantly higher than let's say last year, when the Kuna was the official currency? Can someone tell me from experience as a tourist or from experience as a local? Very thankful for every answer.

I'm German and lived in Berlin for almost a decade before moving to the US several years ago. I recently moved back to Germany (though a different city).
My wife and I are spening a couple of days here to enjoy the Berlin summer and explore the culinary scene. While paying with card I was twice prompted (not going to name the locations, but one was a restaurant and the other a bar, both in Mitte) to tip 12% to 25%. No other option given. (Edit: I was given the option not to tip at all; however, I did want to tip, just not a minimum of 12%)
I absolutely hated this excessive tipping expectation in the US (pay your employees a livable wage, for fucks sake) and I was really annoyed to find it here in Berlin, too.
(Granted, one of the two locations did seem to cater to the tourist crowd, English-only staff and all, but the other didn't).
What has been your experience on this matter?
Edit: Just to make it clear, I believe in fair & livable wages paid by employers. As a customer, I want to pay a price that reflect & ensure those fair wages. On top of that, I'm happy to tip – but excessive tipping as a way of outsourcing livable wages to the whims of customers is completely counterproductive.

Moving to Augusta, GA in summer and considering to lease apartments at Helena springs apartment. Heard some bad stuffs about Richmond county. So wondering if the Helena spring apartments and the area, both are safe since we are new to the place.

Hi everyone, I'd like some thoughts on my school list as I begin to finalize it. I'd appreciate suggestions on schools to add/remove. Thanks in advance!
​

• cGPA: 3.78 sGPA: 3.65 MCAT: 513 (128/127/128/130)
• State of residence: GA
• ORM/URM: URM, Black Male
• Undergrad: Just graduated from a public state university
• Clinical experience: 400 hours as a hospital phlebotomist. 50 hrs hospital volunteering. Starting position as medical assistant for my gap year
• Research experience: 500+ hours as a research assistant in a psychology lab
• Shadowing experience and specialties: 80 hrs shadowing orthopedic surgeon, 30 hours shadowing hospitalists (internal medicine).
  • High school: 30+ hours in general/orthopedic surgery, 30+ hours at a family practice, 30+ hours in post-op
  • 30 virtual shadowing hours
• Non-clinical volunteering: Volunteering with local orgs through my pre-health organization (3300 hours)
• Other ECs: Team member then executive board member for pre-health org (3 yrs). Mentor for school org providing resources to children affected by HIV/AIDs (4 years)
• Relevant honors or awards: Graduate from my university’s honors program. President’s volunteer award
• LORS - 1 From Bio prof, 1 from Physiology prof, 1 from psych prof, 1 from physician

School List:

• Augusta (MCG)
• Mercer
• Emory
• Morehouse
• Tennesee
• UAB
• Florida
• Florida State
• UMiami
• Florida Atlantic
• UCF
• Wake Forest
• USC- Columbia
• VCU
• Tulane
• Penn State
• Drexel
• Missouri - Columbia
• UConn
• Howard