Just To Say…

Just a few words (ha ha…..a few words from me? That’s funny!).

No really, I haven’t got a lot of time right now to bore you all with my ramblings. Sorry about that! (I can hear the sighs of relief from miles away!). What with the usual Xmas crap, our daughter in the middle of moving out into her new apartment (that’s enough in itself!), and a bunch of other stuff going on at home, we are up to our ears in all sorts of shenanigans.  You’ve probably noticed I’ve been quiet on here for the last week or so……well that’s the reason why (what do you mean you haven’t?………Damn you!)

Rest assured I will be back with a vengeance as soon as I can. I’ll pop back before Christmas day to wish you all lots of merries, happies, and jollies that you can handle, so watch out for that!

That’s me over and out for the time being………..unless of course something pisses me off so much that I just can’t stop myself from blasting these pages with it.

Much love, and TTFN!

Janice.

xxx

(Now where’s the brandy and eggnog? Sod it! Just give me the brandy).

 

Update: Supreme Court Will Hear Edith Windsor & Prop. 8 Cases!

The Supreme Court Justices

I dunno…..I go out for a few hours, with no access to the Internet, and all hell breaks loose in the lofty realm of the SCOTUS!

The justices have announced this afternoon that they will hear the Edith Windsor (DOMA) case and the Prop. 8 (California’s ban on same-sex marriage) case next March, with a decision to come sometime late June. I’m still trying to absorb all that has happened, so that’s all I can say for now. Rest assured I will have much to say as this progresses.

Stay tuned everyone.

Have a great weekend!

Prank Call Results in Tragedy

The block of flats where Jacintha Saldanha had lived.

The other day I wrote about the type of stuff that seemed to have followed me from Britain. The likes of the mania that surrounds acts manufactured by the Simon Cowell machine, in that case the boy band One Direction, and the subject of Royal Mania. Actually, I didn’t write anything about Royal Mania, and in some ways I’m glad I didn’t. There was nothing clever on my part for holding back a while, as the truth was I couldn’t be bothered to write about it at that point, but today I feel moved to do so for a different reason.

My original plan was to rant on about the way these news items are often blown out of proportion. I refer to in particular the recent news that the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are pregnant (that still tickles me that we now refer to the man being pregnant too). It’s not the news itself, but the ridiculous way the media insists on mutating it even further. We are now bombarded with cutesy little segments on shows such as Good Morning America and Rachel Ray (who seems to have jumped into the Oprah realm of  ‘I have to jump onto every band-wagon going!’). There is also a woman who is now earning a nice little living as a ‘Kate lookalike’ who can now be seen being photographed with a fake bump in order to show how you can still be fashionable while lugging around a tiny human-being who will eventually feel like a baby elephant!

I truly wish the Duchess well in her pregnancy, especially as she has had a not so glowing start in suffering from acute morning sickness, but this out-of-control pursuit of every little detail (and if you can’t get the truth you make it up!) has to be reeled back. Many have been saying this for years, especially since Princess Diana came on the scene and, well we all know what happened there. But, today something tragic happened that has highlighted all the more why those whose pursuit of such ‘news’ have to take a step back and reconsider their methods.

On Tuesday, two Australian radio DJs thought it would be funny to place a prank call to the King Edward VII’s Hospital in London, where the Duchess of Cambridge had been receiving treatment for the acute morning sickness. One of the DJs, Mel Grieg, put on an English accent and, posing as the Queen, asked to be put through to ‘her grand daughter’. Jacintha Saldanha, a nurse who was manning the switchboard at the time, was taken in by the impersonation and subsequently put Grieg through to another nurse who unknowingly, live on air, gave out details on the Duchess’ health at that point in time.

Jacintha Saldanha was found at 9:25am today, reportedly outside a block of flats (apartments) where she had lived just a short distance from the hospital itself. She was unconscious, but later died on the scene despite paramedics’ attempts to revive her. It is thought that she had committed suicide.

I hope that the two Australian radio DJs feel remorse for what they have done. No, they couldn’t have seen that something like this would happen as a result of their mindless and cheap attempt at humor, but they must still take responsibility for their actions, as must the radio station they work for. As the days go by, we will find out more and more about the circumstances that led to this poor woman’s premature death. Whatever caused her to feel she couldn’t carry on living in this world may never be completely known, but to think that she was so severely affected by being taken in by this call, is unthinkable. As the story continues to unfold, we must consider the devastating loss that is being felt by her family and friends, especially her husband and children.

The DJs’ response so far?…..“We were very surprised that our call was put through, we thought we’d be hung up on as soon as they heard our terrible accents. We’re very sorry if we’ve caused any issues and we’re glad to hear that Kate is doing well.” You’re very sorry if you caused any issues??? How about a mention of the poor nurse you pranked mercilessly??? I don’t think I have the words to address that response adequately. My bottom jaw is still on the floor after reading it.

I hope those who seek to obtain juicy snippets of personal information for the sake of a cheap laugh or to boost their ratings at the expense of another’s privacy or feelings, will think about the husband and children who are left behind, and do the noble thing by perhaps  not saying anything at all.

Update on Patas Monkey Killing

Well folks, this a photo of one of the sad, sorry, sons of bitches who brutally beat a small Patas monkey in an Idaho zoo on 11/17/2012, so badly that it died later of its injuries.

I like to think I am someone who can forgive and forget, but there are some things in life where I just can’t find it in me to do so. I feel the same about this sort of thing as I do about child molesters. I would love just 5 minutes alone in a room with this scum.

So, all I have to say to this evil creature is………..

I hope you rot, you worthless piece of shit!

We Are Not Amused!

Don’t get me wrong, I love my native Britain, and would still be there but for an out of the blue event that came into my life over 8 years ago, which resulted in bringing me to the U.S. In short, I met my love, and I am very happy here, but I do get homesick for certain things at times. I miss family and friends that I’ve left behind, and the places and traditions that I grew up with that remain in my heart. I catch up with British shows on Netflix so I can longingly gaze at the places I recognize, and partly because my other half says I’ve lost some of my London accent and need to get it back again…….yes dear! However, there are some things that I would have hoped I could have left behind, but they have followed me here relentlessly. Things like the many singing acts that Simon Cowell churns out on a regular basis, and Royal Family Mania.

I do understand the fascination for another country and its traditions. We often look elsewhere for something that we feel is better than what we have. My own daughter loves all things Japanese, which include sushi and Anime, and ironically now has a ‘fan-crush’ on two British girls who have a YouTube channel. God knows I grew up watching American TV shows and movies with my mum, and dreamed of the time when I could come for a vacation to New York or San Francisco, never knowing that I would one day be living here (North Carolina! Not my choice, especially as I’m not religious and certainly not straight. I am burn-at-the-stake material here you know!…..It was just where my girl happened to be living). However, there are some things that I would rather not be bombarded with now that I no longer reside in good old Blighty.

First…..One Direction! Until recently you could hear me cry “Who the hell is One Direction?” Well, since then I have now been educated on their existence. Apparently they are an English-Irish boy band who appeared 2 years ago on Simon Cowell’s British show The X-Factor, which is similar to the likes of shows like American Idol here, and they are now the latest wet-knickered dream of 5th graders here and probably everywhere else, not least of course in Britain itself. Again, don’t get me wrong, I too would plaster my walls with posters of whoever I was into when I was a kid. In my day it was David Cassidy, David Essex, The Police (the band, not the boys and girls in blue) and Starsky & Hutch, to name but a few. Yes I am showing my age here! So, I do understand the process that little girls go through as they are about to enter puberty and realize that boys aren’t the grubby little snot-buckets that they thought they were not so long ago. Now attraction is taking hold, and both sexes are starting to appreciate each other for the most part, no matter what you find your sexual orientation to be (I’m sure One Direction has an ardent gay following too). But do I really need to see and hear about them multiple times a day in whatever form of media I’m currently looking at? Do I begrudge them their fame and fortune?…..Nah of course not! Many a time, as a kid, would I stand in front of my mirror, holding a hairbrush, while pretending I was a famous pop singer, shouting “Mum!!!” every time my female parental unit would walk into my room without knocking first and catch me prancing around like a doughnut (that’s what we Londoners call someone who is a bit of an idiot…..it’s more of an affectionate term than telling someone they’re an idiot). I encourage them to make the most of their 15 minutes of fame, and hope that they have a good team of financial people (and stable parents) around them so they have something to show for it when the tweenies turn to the next flavor of the month in a year or two. What I just can’t stand is grown people on the likes of ‘Good Morning America’ gushing about them performing at Madison Square Garden, reportedly at $800 per ticket. Who the hell buys their child a concert ticket for $800??? My kids have to pledge a lifetime of servitude to me and the missus before we part with $5!

Recently, we canceled our cable tv package. I thought we’d miss it so much more than we actually do. We can get a few channels through an antenna, and I realize now that we really don’t miss the hundreds of channels that we had before. You know why? Because we find ourselves no longer paying extortionate amounts of money per month to have the same crap rammed down our throats on multiple channels at the same time. Yes, we still get some of it, but to a much lesser degree and on only a few channels rather than hundreds. Thankfully, we also get a good deal of PBS stuff that is of the meaningful and educational kind so that we can educate our little brains rather than have them beaten to a pulp. The freedom is wonderful! What’s my point here? My point is that now, instead of wasting so much time channel hopping only to find the same old reality show crap on the majority of them that the rest of society’s clones can’t seem to live without, we’re now done pressing buttons on the remote within a few minutes if we don’t see anything that takes our fancy. This encourages us to go and do something way more satisfying, useful, and less mind-numbing. The older I get, I can do without the mind-numbing. I need all the brain cells I can hang onto thank you very much!

Second…..Now, for Royal Family Mania. I could rant about the coverage of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s news of the future patter of tiny feet……..no I’m not referring to a new Corgi puppy they could have bought the Queen for Christmas. But, to be honest, I really don’t have the energy for that one right now.

Maybe tomorrow.

Over and out for now!

Still No News On DOMA And Prop. 8 Cases! No Progress On Fiscal Cliff Negotiations!

We Can’t Let This Happen!

I know, from talking about this subject with others, that I am by far not the only one who is emotionally exhausted by the wait for the elusive announcement from the Supreme Court regarding the issue of same-sex marriage, or for news of some progress on the fiscal cliff wranglings. I have been studying my Twitter feed and scouring the Web for more info ever since I got up this morning.

Still no indication on what SCOTUS intends to do with the DOMA and Prop. 8 cases that have been brought before them! I know the law is complicated, and I certainly don’t profess to be an expert in its procedure, but I really can’t see what else they need to consider in order to give us an answer by now. But, we have to wait until this Friday or the following Monday for any update. It’s not like this issue has suddenly arisen out of nowhere and they haven’t already been thinking about what their answers will be when they do make the announcement. We already know which of the justices are likely to be on the side of equality and who still wants to remain on the side of inequality, so what is the problem here people? Believe me, I do appreciate them taking their time in order to get it right and not make a rushed decision, but has this not gone on long enough? Then again, as I said, I’m no expert, and that’s why they’re there and not me!

It makes me mad that people are being made to suffer unnecessarily while those in Congress continue to battle over matters such as the fiscal cliff issue each and every year. People’s lives and livelihoods are being severely affected by Congress’ inability to sit down and work out what is best for the country, and its residents. Stop scoffing at what is being presented to you (yes you know who you are Boehner), and talk to one another. That’s what you’re paid for! If you could just get on with the job you’ve been voted in to do, make the no-brainer decisions that will help this country and its people get back on their feet, then maybe, just maybe, you might be able to turn your attention to other issues that desperately need your attention.

I wish the people of this country realized that they have way more power than they think they do. We have the power to make changes, to force these politicians and so-called representatives to stop holding us all to ransom over decisions that we all know what the outcome should be.

All this is said while bearing in mind that there are those who do work tirelessly day after day to represent the people of this country, and who also bang their heads against the wall in frustration over the dragging of others’ feet in getting anything constructive done. We have to support them all we can by ensuring that we keep them in office, because without them, we would have no-one!

That all being said, I am off to take two Tylenol as this stuff gives me a headache dammit!

Over and out for now!

Chocolate Topped Caramel Shortbread

Not a photo of my caramel shortbread. Mine didn’t last long enough to get the camera out! It looked almost exactly like this though. Honest!!!

Have I got your attention yet? Then I’ll begin…

On Sunday, I got the urge (no….not that! Too bloody tired for that these days!). I got the urge to bake something. Last Christmas, my other half bought me a cookbook with over a 1000 recipes for cupcakes, cookies, muffins, and other wonderful baked goodies.  So, off I went to scour it’s pages for something yummy for us all to have for dessert later. In my house, the eagerness to try any goodies that I make is at times life-threatening as they come running from different directions in the house to sample, usually running anything and anyone over in the process. I barely get the words “does anyone want to try this?” out of my mouth before they descend on it like a flock of vultures. It’s more like “does anyone waa…………” (Crash! Bang! Stampede!…..bodies flying across the kitchen……me screaming “mind out for the dog!”). In fact I’m often to be found beating at least one of them across the knuckles with a spatula or wooden spoon before the stuff is even ready!

Anyway, I found a recipe for the above. In Britain we call this ‘Millionaire’s Shortbread’ as we always said that only those with money could have the luxury of being able to have caramel and chocolate on their shortbread. The rest of us would stand outside the window of the local bakery, drooling at the mouth, longing for just a taste, only to be driven away by those rich folks who would beat us with their canes……….ahhhh such great memories!

So, on Sunday afternoon, I started to make these delicious treats. Only me and my son were home, so I didn’t have to worry about the usual stampede. However, as a precaution he was banished to his room, where he cowered in the corner after I flashed him my trademark threatening glare when he tried to approach the mixing bowl. First, I made the shortbread base……easy peasy. Added a pinch of salt of my own as my Scottish heritage told me to. Then I attempted the caramel. Again, easy enough if you’ve made caramel before, but as it takes some time, and I ended up getting distracted by something else, it started to catch a little on the bottom of the pan, and I had to quickly deal with that. Lesson 1….don’t get distracted by something else when making caramel!

Then I tasted the caramel. Yummy!……Then realized that it was way past the searing of the roof of your mouth and tongue stage. Two days later and my tongue is still a bit sore. Hasn’t stopped me talking though, much to the disappointment of everyone else in the house. I poured the caramel onto the shortbread, put it in the fridge to chill. Mmmm…..looking good. Melted some chocolate chips in a bowl on top of a pan of hot water, and drizzled the melted ribbons of chocolatey goodness over the now chilled caramel. Back to the fridge to set.

Few hours later, I cut the resulting slab into bars. The recipe says it makes 12 bars, but as this is very rich I cut the bars in half again. It makes 24 pieces that you can get at least two bites out of (unless you’re my son who has the capacity to scoff whole things within an inch of their lives so much so that you wonder if he even tasted it!)

The remaining two members of the household, who weren’t around to see me make this, came home about 11:00pm. Two pleading, sad little faces peered at me from outside my bedroom door “can we have some of what you made?” Neither of them knew what it was, but that never stops them!

So, here is the recipe with a few changes of my own……..Enjoy!

Oh, by the way…..the caramel, while yummy with melt-in-the-mouth decadence, has the strength to pull out your dentures (if you have any) as you bite into this. It’s the color, texture, and consistency of the caramel inside a Rolo candy. So, please bear this in mind if your gnashers are not your own, and are not securely adhered to the inside of your mouth. Loose crowns or fillings might also get stuck, so take your time, cut it into bite-size pieces, and let it soften in your mouth a bit! Also helps to do this as the chocolate can be a bit hard to bite into straight out of the fridge.
Just saying……….don’t want you to blame me because your dentures flew out across the room while embedded in a glob of caramel………though that would be funny for everyone else……….no, just don’t take the chance…ok!

Trust me…..it’s worth the effort!

********************************************************************************

Chocolate Topped Caramel Shortbread

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups All Purpose Flour
8 tbsps Butter (1 stick) cut into chunks
3/4 cup Superfine sugar (I used granulated, which worked)
Pinch of salt

4 tbsps Butter (1/4 stick)
1/3 cup Superfine sugar (again I used granulated. Just make sure it dissolves completely)
14oz can Condensed Milk
3 tbsps Dark Corn Syrup

Enough choc chips to cover caramel (I used about 8oz as that covered it completely. Use more if you like thick chocolate topping……..who doesn’t!)

Pre-heat oven to 350° F. Grease a 8×8 inch pan (recipe said 9×9, but I think 8×8 worked better as the base wasn’t too thin).

Combine flour, salt, & sugar. Work in butter as if making a crumble topping. The recipe says to combine it in a food processor until it comes together to form a dough, but it really doesn’t take long to do it by hand, and it saves on having to wash the processor parts. Don’t over work the mixture. Once it can form a dough when you squeeze it in your hand, press the mixture into the pan, and flatten out evenly. Again, don’t over work it. Bake in the oven for 20 – 25 minutes or until golden brown. Take out and put aside to cool.

Put the milk, sugar, corn syrup,  & butter into a pan, and heat gently to dissolve the sugar. Then bring to a boil. Lower temperature and simmer for 6 – 8 minutes. Mixture will thicken more and turn a rich caramel color (this is when you can’t get distracted by something else).  I gave the mixture a little whisk a few times with a whisk (what else…..duh!) just to keep it moving so it didn’t burn on the bottom of the pan.

Once the caramel is ready, pour it onto the shortbread. Put in the fridge to chill. The caramel will firm up to the denture-extracting stage once it cools.

Melt the chocolate chips in a bowl set on top of a pan of hot water (you can melt them in a microwave, but they can get grainy if you’re not careful, and that’s a waste of good chocolate…..do whatever works for you).

Pour the melted chocolate over the caramel, and return the whole thing to the fridge to set. Cut into whatever size or shape pieces take your fancy.

These don’t have to be kept in the fridge, but that probably depends on what the weather is like where you are. I live where it gets hot and humid in the spring and summer, so sometimes it’s wise to not leave stuff out.

Have fun peeps!

Remembering Harvey Milk

Harvey Milk

Today is the 34th anniversary of the tragic death of Harvey Milk. The world is a much sadder place because he is no longer with us. Let us also remember that Mayor George Moscone was also tragically murdered on this day in 1978.

If you have not already seen the movie ‘Milk’, then take the time to do so. You won’t regret it! Sean Penn did an excellent job in his portrayal of this wonderful man.

Below is a link to one of his speeches, which was included in the award-winning 1984 documentary “The Times of Harvey Milk”.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pzQ3NFXwpV8

Will They? Won’t They?

Symbols of our happy day!

On Friday, the Supreme Court will convene behind closed doors to review and decide on whether to add one or more of the court cases that challenge DOMA, the Defense of Marriage Act, to their schedule for the coming year. DOMA, signed into law by President Bill Clinton in 1996, states that the only marriage to be recognized by the Federal government is that of one between one man and one woman. Although 9 states have since signed same-sex marriage into law (with more considering the possibility in the future),  DOMA is still enforced and continues to deny Federal recognition of those marriages. This means that legally married same-sex couples continue to suffer the consequences of being denied more than 1100 benefits that are automatically awarded to opposite-sex couples once they marry.

The cases in question have taken years to reach this stage, and many affected couples are waiting nervously to find out whether this will be the year that finally sees the repeal of this unfair and discriminatory law. Never before has the Supreme Court had so many gay rights cases reach their desks all at once. This is obviously a sign of the times that this long fought arena of unequal treatment has reached its limits, and the time has finally come to put an end  to a cruel and heart-breaking law that puts loving, committed same-sex couples through hell on a daily basis. Some are denied what is legally theirs in financial matters, some are denied visitation rights when their spouses are hospitalized, and some are separated when the American spouse is denied the right to sponsor their foreign spouse for permanent residency here in the U.S. The right to be able to live with your spouse in your own country is being denied to that American citizen. Many are forced into exile to live in a country that is not their own.  The foreign spouse is not recognized as such, and therefore not allowed to work. This places an unimaginable burden on some of these couples while they struggle financially, often while raising families. These are just a few of the rights that are frequently denied legally married same-sex couples on a daily basis.

My wife and I are at the forefront of this particular fight for our rights. DOMA cruelly rips at our very beings in its blatant disregard of our relationship and legal marriage, as it chooses to completely ignore the life that we have built together over the past 8 years as a couple and as a family. This is something that an opposite-sex couple does not have to think twice about. Just being married is enough to be officially and legally acknowledged. It makes stories like the recent one about Janeane Garafalo’s joke marriage all the more sickening.

I hope and I pray that the Supreme Court chooses to give their attention to at least one of these cases, and ultimately makes the decision that will go down in history as one that shows that the United States of America is still a nation that stands up for the rights of all its citizens in its fair and equal treatment of all. Great strides have been made during this current administration, but so much more is left to be done. I hope that while we wait for the Supreme Court’s decision, the President and Congress will take the necessary steps to help those binational couples who are affected by DOMA, and put into effect legislation that will allow American citizens to sponsor their same-sex partners for permanent residency. The passing of the Uniting American Families Act (UAFA) will do much to alleviate the hardship and pain suffered by these couples. Public opinion is rapidly changing as the percentage of Americans that support same-sex marriage now outweighs those who either don’t, or who are unsure. Now that is a statistic to be proud of.

For more information on this subject, please see my category ‘DOMA, UAFA, and the Respect For Marriage Act‘, and visit the links below for a history on the fight against DOMA.

Thank you.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Defense_of_Marriage_Act

http://www.stopthedeportations.com/blog/

http://www.hrc.org/campaigns/defense-of-marriage-act

The Day After The Turkey Before…

Hi everyone!

So, how did yours go then? Your Thanksgiving of course!

Ours was good. Got to spend time with my love (rare treat these days), eat good food, and watch the Macy’s Parade etc. Spent longer than we wanted to on cooking, but it was pretty stress-free, and the dinner was worth all the effort in the end. We had chicken, ham, roast potatoes…..all the stuff that I said we would, and it was very good if I do say so myself.

Now, did I say it was stress-free? Well, kind of. The little niggles of the day weren’t of the magnitude that some families experience (thankfully), but there was a few little hiccups in the proceedings.

It’s a good thing that both of us know how to cook. The chicken, which was a nice plump Perdue bird, had one of those plastic pop-up thingy’s that’s supposed to literally ‘pop-up’ when the chicken is fully cooked. Well, if we’d waited for the bloody thing to do it’s stuff, it would have been cooking for two hours longer than it needed to. I thought it was a handy dandy little device until then.

We both realize that we cook differently to each other in situations like this. I like to time things so that we can eat at the time I had in mind in the beginning with working out how long each thing will take to cook and planning so that they’re all ready at the same time, or close to. She likes to set a time, get started on the preparation, then drift off into some kind of other time zone of doing things one-by-one as if there is some kind of law that prohibits you from putting more than one thing in the oven at the same time……I love you honey, but you drive me crazy in the kitchen. I think that’s our biggest area to butt heads in…..the kitchen. The problem is, both of us are givers, and have been used to being with takers in the past, so now one of us is always trying to look after the other. After 7 years of living together, we’re still trying to work it out, and I’m still trying to get her to relinquish control of her kitchen kingdom. It’s bad when you have to banish your soul mate from the kitchen for fear you’ll kill them.

None of us ate too much, which was good, so there’s loads of leftovers. My son, while watching the Macy’s Parade, listened to them interviewing Henry Winkler, who said the best thing was making a sandwich late at night with everything in it. Turkey, ham, stuffing, potatoes, cranberry sauce…..the lot. Now my son is obsessed with trying it. He wanted it for breakfast! Talked him out of that one….I can see the carnage now! He’ll get one tonight I’m sure…..it is what makes these holidays memorable.

Update…yes he had more leftovers……forgot the bread to make the sandwich………that’s my son!!!

My daughter has recently bought herself, or rather the finance people have, a new moped. So, early in the afternoon was spent pushing the thing up our mountain of a driveway so she could take her first solo ride on the monster. I call it a monster because I don’t remember mopeds of just under 50cc ever being that big. Took three of us to get it to the top….two of us to steer and my son taking up the rear making sure it didn’t roll back down again. Now that’s a sight I wished we had filmed. I had started off as being the one up the rear (excuse the expression), but as we huffed and puffed I realized that at any moment this could be my last adventure, and not wanting to see my life flash before my eyes as the monster crushed me under its weight, we called my son to make use of his muscle. Mission accomplished, and a few tentative rides up and down the road, we got it back down the driveway braking all the way!

I received my payment later in the evening when the muscle on the inside of my left thigh went into spasm and I experienced probably the most excruciating pain ever. Brought me to tears as I hobbled up and down the hallway. Must have been a real sight!

The day ended with the three of us females sitting down to watch “X Men First Class”. Needless to say, two of us (plus the dog who had also enjoyed her Thanksgiving dinner) were soon snoring our heads off……..except for me………I don’t snore  : )

Have a great weekend everyone!