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Time: 12:00 PST to 15:00 PST Frequency: Wednesday Weekly Date of Session Zero: 3/22/2023 Looking for: 5 Players Platform: Foundry, using Discord for Voice Books allowed: Any as long as official and no Homebrew
Hello! I'm Juan (He/Him 25). I've been playing for 2-3 years and dming for almost a year and a half
In the city of Neverwinter, a dwarf named Gundren Rockseeker asked you to bring a wagonload of provisions to the rough-and-tumble settlement of Phandalin, a couple of days' travel southeast of the city. Gundren was clearly excited and more than a little secretive about his reasons for the trip, saying only that he and his brothers had found "something big," and that he'd pay you ten gold pieces each for escorting his supplies safely to Barthen's Provisions, a trading post in Phandalin. He then set out ahead of you on horse, along with a warrior escort named Sildar Hallwinter, claiming he needed to arrive early to "take care of business."
You've spent the last few days following the High Road south from Neverwinter, and you've just recently veered east along the Triboar Trail.
You've encountered no trouble so far, but this territory can be dangerous. Bandits and outlaws have been known to lurk along the trail.
Lost Mine of Phandelver is an adventure for four to five characters of 1st level. During the course of the adventure, the characters will advance to 5th level. The adventure is set a short distance from the city of Neverwinter in the Sword Coast region of the Forgotten Realms setting. The Sword Coast is part of the North—a vast realm of free settlements surrounded by wilderness and adventure. Over the course of the adventure, you and your party members will discover vast treasures, unearth centuries old mysteries, and come into your own as fledging adventurers.
Thanks for reading and if you're interested feel free to apply below by your preferred name, discord ID, a fact or two about you and experience with how long you played DnD 5e and Foundry!
This past Saturday I had been working on my soon to be new home, and after a long day of labor I got home and immediately collapsed and went to bed. I live right outside of Wilmington Delaware, in a condo complex with a C- in crime score. Not particularly bad, not too good either. A convenient location right off the highway to get to the majority of east coast cities.
Sunday morning I woke up, took a shower, and then gunned for the door to go back to work on the house. I gave my wife and daughter a kiss goodbye, grabbed my phone, keys and wallet, and leave. As I’m approaching my car in the parking area I notice my door is slightly open… not a great sign. I opened the door and noticed my glove box and center console have been completely ransacked. Paperwork I had just gotten two days prior now laid dormant on the floor of the driver and passenger seat. I had also forgotten my day bag in the back seat.
It happened, my car had been robbed. Typically I’m great about locking my car door, Saturday night though, I suppose I missed a critical step in ensuring the safety of the contents of my car.
This is an important time in my life right now, I’m in the middle of a house purchase, work is going crazy, and my second kid will be here in two months. I brushed it off, told my wife what happened, and drove to the house I’m working on. During my drive I gave the Non-Emergency line a call. The gentlemen who answered was very kind.
He collected important information and asked for my location. I let him know that I was on the road and that it would be a few hours before I returned home. He asked that I gave the non-emergency line a call back when I’m home so they could send an officer out. Ugh. Now, in my life I haven’t had the best experience with police. Nothing directly involving me, but lots of second hand interaction and stories from family, so I was naturally inclined to assume the local police wouldn’t be useful. Admittedly, I wrote the entire situation as a loss, I felt hopeless.
Over the next few hours I took mental inventory of what was missing. Originally I had only thought that change and a Bluetooth speaker were missing, some of which was in my center console and others in the bag that was in my back seat. I began to fully remember what I had lost: An Android cellphone, an Apple iPhone, Bluetooth Speaker, home purchase paperwork, $10 in cash, and a few other things.
At this point I was mostly nervous about the iPhone, as it was a backup iPhone 12 I got some time ago which had all my Apple Wallet cards on it. Once I realized I logged into Find my IPhone and activated lost mode on the iPhone. I figured the best case scenario would be to ensure my data was protected. The evening settles in, I’ve accepted defeat, and head to bed.
This morning I clock on for work, and as I’m sitting in a work meeting I get a pestering notification on my phone. Lost iPhone has been turned on. I immediately open Find My iPhone to see the device had checked in, but then immediately was turned off. I was frustrated… not only did this person steal my property, they rubbed it in by trying to further use the device they stole.
Only for a moment however I was frustrated. I further read the information on my phone screen and a smile went from ear to ear. That minute or two the phone was turned on was long enough for the iPhone to pick up an address.
I was motivated at this point. I didn’t know what would happen, but I figured hey, what the hell, let’s give the non-emergency line a ring again. I called in, gave them a recap. They collected my information and let me know I should hear back soon. At this point I half expected the officer to tell me too much time had passed for anything to be done… but boy was I totally wrong.
Officer Thomas gave me a call and let me know that he was outside of my condo. He asked for a recap of the situation, what was taken, and if I had any additional information. I shared the Find my IPhone information. Officer Thomas had another officer come along to swab for DNA and collect finger prints off of my car - I was stunlocked! He then let me know that he was filing a warrant for the address listed on my Find my iPhone. I’m not sure what I thought would happen, but given what I was always taught, and believed, I thought I would have eaten dust.
After about an hour or two Officer Thomas and the officer taking DNA and finger prints finished up with me. I made more assumptions… I’m sure nothing will come of it, this is probably the last I’ll hear of it. Officer Thomas then proceed to send me several texts over the next few hours, he wants pictures of the Bluetooth Speaker, Pictures of my Bag, Cell Phone Serial Number, and various credible bits of information.
I scour my iPhone photos going years back finding the best pictures I possibly could for the items stolen. I sent some blurry and dark photos that I had taken, and then also some screenshots from Walmart and Amazon listings for the original items.
Again, I made assumption. I assumed he was just doing his typical paper work for his reports. Mind you, hours earlier I had also filed with my insurance regarding the situation, so at the minimum I was happy to have a police report for my claim.
A few hours pass and I get a missed call from Officer Thomas… I was playing video games and had my headphones up pretty loud. He took the time to text me however and let me know that they had recovered a phone, but it was smashed, and asked if I could send over the devices IMEI.
I sent the information, this time assuming that if they did actually goto the persons house there would be no way they were silly enough to leave a stolen phone right there.
A few hours later go by again, I received a call, and a third officer lets me know that he’s outside and that he’d like me to come out. I step outside and he lets me know that he believe he has my property. Officer Thomas was working overtime to get everything settled today so this officer was stepping in to help get everything tied up so he could go home. I was shocked. Jaw on the ground floored.
The iPhone was taken for evidence. I’m guessing the thief immediately smashed the iPhone once they realized it was out in lost mode. I got everything else back besides the few dollars of cash I had in the glove box.
The entire time I made assumptions against the police. Assumed they wouldn’t help, or weren’t able to. I was wrong every step of the way. Not only did New Castle Police impress me, but Officer Thomas was a godsend.
I cannot say how immensely shocked I am even now. I’m not sure what happened with the person who stole my items and broke into my car. I’d assume it’s more then a ticket, but I’ll have to find out next time I speak with Officer Thomas.
I just wanted to share my story. It may be benign to some, but it was a truly eye opening experience for me. These guys showed me they care about their jobs and their community.
Looking for a nice place to go for a drive up into the blue mountains east of WW where I can hang out and watch the sunset and get some landscape photos. Vehicle is OK with steep grades and dirt roads :) Any good spots to pull over on one of those back roads? TIA!
CAREER EMPLOYEES! Tired of seeing all these jobs go to the street? Your chance to join the gravy train ranks is here! Apply yourself, you can
do it! MSS Coordinator varies by District. Find an APWU steward and ask for more information if the Exam Open Season blurb is not posted at your facility.
Good afternoon. Brief listing of CAREER JOBS pulled from
usps.com/careers/ for your convenience.
Some jobs may be part-time regular however
all listed jobs should qualify for federal benefits from day one. To save text I have only listed the location and date of posting for each. Use the posting number for your search term. LC and MM are entry-level Maintenance.
Here is a testimonial from a recent convert,
prima1981.
NOTE: USPS NEVER charges a fee for entrance exams. If payment is requested during the application process, walk the fuck away, go to usps.com/careers/ and APPLY THERE. We even has a video walkthrough prepared.
Laborer Custodial:
MELVILLE NY NC11291730 03/20/2023
CLAREMORE OK NC11291776 03/17/2023
SAN FRANCISCO CA NC11272282 03/16/2023
REDMOND WA NC11290022 03/15/2023
SAN JOSE CA NC11277594 03/13/2023
SAN RAFAEL CA NC11285765 03/13/2023
FAIRFIELD IA NC11296093 03/20/2023
SAN FRANCISCO CA NC11285816 03/20/2023
BROOKLYN NY NC11292944 03/20/2023
LEESBURG VA NC11294817 03/19/2023
TRAVERSE CITY MI NC11293101 03/18/2023
MAMMOTH LAKES CA NC11290446 03/18/2023
MONROE TOWNSHIP NJ NC11293078 03/17/2023
MUSCATINE IA NC11292212 03/17/2023
MOUNT VERNON NY NC11291637 03/17/2023
NEWTON CENTER MA NC11291721 03/17/2023
SANDSTON VA NC11291556 03/16/2023
ROANOKE VA NC11290490 03/16/2023
ARLINGTON VA NC11290479 03/16/2023
MC LEAN VA NC11290442 03/16/2023
HARRISBURG NC NC11290191 03/16/2023
MENLO PARK CA NC11271997 03/13/2023
PETALUMA CA NC11271924 03/11/2023
PALATINE IL NC11280862 03/08/2023
Maintenance Mechanic:
SEATTLE WA NC11286273 03/11/2023
SAN JOSE CA NC11289187 03/21/2023
RALEIGH NC NC11293249 03/18/2023
PHOENIX AZ NC11294808 03/20/2023
MERRIFIELD VA NC11294815 03/19/2023
LOUISVILLE KY NC11288732 03/20/2023
GREENSBORO NC NC11293304 03/18/2023
GARDEN CITY NY NC11293312 03/18/2023
CAPITOL HEIGHTS MD NC11284476 03/11/2023
BROCKTON MA NC11288736 03/15/2023
BOSTON MA NC11291646 03/17/2023
ALBUQUERQUE NM NC11291724 03/17/2023
MILAN IL NC11282668 03/09/2023
MEMPHIS TN NC11293083 03/18/2023
LOUISVILLE KY NC11288711 03/20/2023
CHICAGO IL NC11292143 03/17/2023
AUGUSTA GA NC11292936 03/17/2023
ATLANTA GA NC11281021 03/08/2023
ATLANTA GA NC11281019 03/08/2023
PETALUMA CA NC11289177 03/21/2023
LOUISVILLE KY NC11288728 03/20/2023
GREENSBORO NC NC11294638 03/19/2023
GREEN BAY WI NC11293192 03/18/2023
DULUTH GA NC11281020 03/08/2023
CAROL STREAM IL NC11292109 03/17/2023
CAPITOL HEIGHTS MD NC11287388 03/12/2023
SANDSTON VA NC11290579 03/16/2023
PETALUMA CA NC11271987 03/11/2023
OMAHA NE NC11293020 03/18/2023
MELVILLE NY NC11288811 03/20/2023
MACON GA NC11292871 03/17/2023
KEARNY NJ NC11288707 03/17/2023
JERSEY CITY NJ NC11288716 03/18/2023
JAMAICA NY NC11288928 03/20/2023
GREENSBORO NC NC11289212 03/15/2023
BELL GARDENS CA NC11287325 03/21/2023
FARMINGTON NM NC11294794 03/20/2023
Special! Interesting
Maintenance Jobs: (
may be skills required)
Maintenance Mechanic MPE:
MELVILLE NY NC11288836 03/20/2023
DULLES VA NC11294816 03/19/2023
REDMOND WA NC11288605 03/12/2023
PETALUMA CA NC11288705 03/13/2023
INDIANAPOLIS IN NC11284259 03/09/2023
INDIANAPOLIS IN NC11284258 03/09/2023
GRAND RAPIDS MI NC11290165 03/16/2023
PETALUMA CA NC11289175 03/21/2023
WASHINGTON DC NC11285943 03/11/2023
MEMPHIS TN NC11293003 03/18/2023
LOUISVILLE KY NC11288712 03/20/2023
INDIANAPOLIS IN NC11284231 03/09/2023
INDIANAPOLIS IN NC11284228 03/09/2023
HARRISBURG PA NC11288609 03/13/2023
WHITE RIVER JUNCTION VT NC11291734 03/17/2023
Building Equipment Mechanic:
HEIGHTS MD NC11290064 03/16/2023
PROVIDENCE RI NC11285939 03/11/2023
SPRINGFIELD MA NC11287631 03/12/2023
SEATTLE WA NC11294603 03/18/2023
Garage Assistant:
MCALLEN TX NC11291630 03/16/2023
Electronic Technician:
CHICAGO IL NC11292188 03/17/2023
MEMPHIS TN NC11293110 03/18/2023
MILAN IL NC11282633 03/09/2023
CAPITOL HEIGHTS MD NC11294867 03/19/2023
MANKATO MN NC11288581 03/13/2023
MANKATO MN NC11288608 03/13/2023
RALEIGH NC NC11293202 03/18/2023
RAPID CITY SD NC11293181 03/18/2023
ROCKY MOUNT NC NC11294669 03/19/2023
BROCKTON MA NC11288735 03/15/2023
LUBBOCK TX NC11294802 03/19/2023
NON-Maintenance jerbs:
SALES,SVCS/DISTRIBUTION ASSOC:
IDAHO SPRINGS CO NC11290443 03/16/2023
MOSS LANDING CA NC11289973 03/15/2023
GLASGOW MT NC11296091 03/21/2023
MACCLENNY FL NC11293116 03/18/2023
TIMBER LAKE SD NC11292942 03/17/2023
MOSS BEACH CA NC11295113 03/19/2023
MAPLE FALLS WA NC11296082 03/19/2023
LAKE CITY CO NC11290061 03/15/2023
EASTSOUND WA NC11295971 03/20/2023
CULLEOKA TN NC11294523 03/18/2023
WORDEN IL NC11292989 03/17/2023
PIEDMONT SD NC11287291 03/11/2023
GYPSUM CO NC11290318 03/16/2023
BASSETT NE NC11294668 03/18/2023
SPRINGDALE WA NC11296087 03/20/2023
SURING WI NC11280556 03/06/2023
CEDAR MI NC11284195 03/09/2023
BIG SUR CA NC11296150 03/21/2023
ASPEN CO NC11290054 03/15/2023
ANZA CA NC11291564 03/16/2023
VAN HORN TX NC11284178 03/09/2023
OAK GROVE MO NC11292947 03/17/2023
SLOUGHHOUSE CA NC11296098 03/20/2023
KINGS BEACH CA NC11296096 03/20/2023
EL GRANADA CA NC11295117 03/19/2023
SEAFORD VA NC11288801 03/15/2023
ROY WA NC11296081 03/20/2023
QUILCENE WA NC11296078 03/20/2023
OLIVET MI NC11291746 03/17/2023
DEXTER OR NC11296094 03/21/2023
CLARKSTON WA NC11295974 03/20/2023
CLANTON AL NC11294399 03/18/2023
BREMEN OH NC11293002 03/18/2023
BETHPAGE TN NC11294606 03/18/2023
CRESTED BUTTE CO NC11288703 03/13/2023
CAVE JUNCTION OR NC11296085 03/21/2023
JACKSON WY NC11285851 03/17/2023
BELTON SC NC11291709 03/17/2023
HICO TX NC11293402 03/18/2023
WAIMANALO HI NC11294630 03/18/2023
STURTEVANT WI NC11291641 03/17/2023
SOMERVILLE AL NC11294490 03/18/2023
ROSS CA NC11295061 03/19/2023
NORTH LIBERTY IN NC11294813 03/19/2023
MONTROSE CA NC11294635 03/18/2023
FELTON CA NC11289302 03/15/2023
CENTURY FL NC11294548 03/21/2023
GORDON NE NC11294636 03/18/2023
MAMMOTH LAKES CA NC11294924 03/21/2023
BIG BEAR CITY CA NC11291563 03/16/2023
BLOOMING PRAIRIE MN NC11296095 03/20/2023
City Carrier:
SAN MATEO CA NC11290796 03/16/2023
MOUNTAIN VIEW CA NC11291999 03/17/2023
MOORHEAD MN NC11292895 03/17/2023
BUFFALO GROVE IL NC11294447 03/20/2023
BAINBRIDGE ISLAND WA NC11290758 03/19/2023
ARLINGTON HEIGHTS IL NC11294487 03/18/2023
NORTH SHORE - BOSTON MA NC11290276 03/19/2023
VILLA PARK IL NC11291816 03/20/2023
SANTA CLARA CA NC11290773 03/17/2023
SAN MATEO CA NC11290763 03/16/2023
NORTHBROOK IL NC11293598 03/19/2023
MOUNT PROSPECT IL NC11293606 03/19/2023
MICHIGAN CITY IN NC11282385 03/11/2023
MANCHESTER NH NC11294861 03/19/2023
LOS ALTOS CA NC11291568 03/17/2023
LEWISTON ME NC11294546 03/18/2023
KANSAS CITY MO NC11290351 03/19/2023
HANOVER PARK IL NC11291648 03/20/2023
GRAND FORKS ND NC11292104 03/17/2023
FRANKLIN PARK IL NC11291801 03/20/2023
EAST PALO ALTO CA NC11291995 03/17/2023
DES MOINES WA NC11290715 03/19/2023
CORALVILLE IA NC11291547 03/18/2023
CONCORD MA NC11295012 03/20/2023
CAPITOLA CA NC11291518 03/17/2023
BARRINGTON IL NC11294394 03/18/2023
WHEELING IL NC11293699 03/20/2023
WAYNESBORO VA NC11291790 03/17/2023
WATSONVILLE CA NC11291560 03/17/2023
SANTA CRUZ CA NC11291516 03/17/2023
SANTA BARBARA CA NC11291570 03/18/2023
OAK PARK IL NC11291778 03/20/2023
NASHUA NH NC11294872 03/19/2023
MOUNTLAKE TERRACE WA NC11290708 03/19/2023
MORGAN HILL CA NC11292039 03/17/2023
MINOT ND NC11292939 03/17/2023
MILPITAS CA NC11291559 03/16/2023
MENLO PARK CA NC11290721 03/16/2023
MADAWASKA ME NC11294513 03/18/2023
GRAND ISLAND NE NC11294510 03/20/2023
ENGLEWOOD CO NC11292941 03/17/2023
DES PLAINES IL NC11294525 03/18/2023
CAMPBELL CA NC11290779 03/17/2023
BURLINGTON VT NC11294626 03/18/2023
BOZEMAN MT NC11291789 03/17/2023
GREATER BOSTON - BOSTON MA NC11290459 03/19/2023
SOUTH SAINT PAUL MN NC11292899 03/17/2023
GLENVIEW IL NC11294530 03/19/2023
WILMETTE IL NC11294374 03/19/2023
WAUKEGAN IL NC11293516 03/20/2023
SUNNYVALE CA NC11291849 03/17/2023
SEATTLE WA NC11290724 03/19/2023
SAN CARLOS CA NC11290716 03/16/2023
SACO ME NC11294503 03/18/2023
REDWOOD CITY CA NC11290799 03/16/2023
NORTHGLENN CO NC11290711 03/19/2023
NORTHBOROUGH MA NC11294971 03/20/2023
MUNDELEIN IL NC11293524 03/20/2023
MENLO PARK CA NC11290788 03/16/2023
MEDINA OH NC11291825 03/17/2023
LOS GATOS CA NC11290806 03/17/2023
LAKE FOREST IL NC11294393 03/18/2023
IOWA CITY IA NC11291510 03/18/2023
HOPKINS MN NC11292070 03/17/2023
GREAT FALLS MT NC11291827 03/17/2023
GRAFTON ND NC11292874 03/17/2023
FARGO ND NC11292873 03/17/2023
ELGIN IL NC11291739 03/20/2023
DULUTH MN NC11292872 03/17/2023
CUPERTINO CA NC11291517 03/17/2023
APTOS CA NC11291604 03/17/2023
Rural Carrier:
PARK RIVER ND NC11290591 03/16/2023
MIDDLETON WI NC11294805 03/19/2023
MENOMONIE WI NC11294698 03/19/2023
MANITOWOC WI NC11294770 03/19/2023
MADISON WI NC11294682 03/19/2023
MADISON WI NC11294641 03/19/2023
FORKS WA NC11284401 03/15/2023
EAU CLAIRE WI NC11294679 03/19/2023
EAU CLAIRE WI NC11294677 03/19/2023
AMERY WI NC11294788 03/19/2023
MENOMONIE WI NC11294782 03/19/2023
MADISON WI NC11294795 03/19/2023
MADISON WI NC11294647 03/19/2023
LEBANON NH NC11290073 03/16/2023
EAST DUBUQUE IL NC11294850 03/19/2023
CLINTONVILLE WI NC11294692 03/19/2023
BASALT CO NC11288701 03/13/2023
SALIDA CO NC11296151 03/20/2023
GLENWOOD SPRINGS CO NC11289738 03/15/2023
ENFIELD NH NC11289739 03/16/2023
CARBONDALE CO NC11289737 03/15/2023
MADISON WI NC11294777 03/19/2023
Motor Vehicle Operator:
PORTLAND OR NC11294928 03/18/2023
KCMO MO P&DC NC11294600 03/18/2023
MIAMI FL P&DC NC11294605 03/18/2023
NASHVILLE TN P&DC NC11296342 03/20/2023
BOSTON MA P&DC NC11294706 03/18/2023
MORGAN NY P&DC NC11294711 03/18/2023
ROCHESTER NY P&DC NC11294707 03/18/2023
SAN JOSE CA P&DC NC11294941 03/18/2023
SEATTLE WA P&DC NC11294945 03/18/2023
SOUTHERN ME P&DC NC11294709 03/18/2023
SAN FRANCISCO CA P&DC NC11294933 03/18/2023
Tractor Trailer Operator:
ALBANY NY P&DC NC11294618 03/18/2023
DULLES VA P&DC NC11296403 03/20/2023
MILWAUKEE WI P&DC NC11296348 03/20/2023
MIDDLESEX-ESSEX MA P&DC NC11294700 03/18/2023
SAN FRANCISCO CA P&DC NC11294723 03/18/2023
BALTIMORE MD P&DC NC11294712 03/18/2023
DVD BLDG NJ P&DC NC11294703 03/18/2023
NEW JERSEY NDC NC11294704 03/18/2023
OAKLAND CA P&DC NC11294713 03/18/2023
PORTLAND OR P&DC NC11294716 03/18/2023
ROCHESTER NY P&DC NC11294702 03/18/2023
SEATTLE NDC NC11294876 03/18/2023
SEATTLE WA P&DC NC11294879 03/18/2023
TACOMA WA NC11294898 03/18/2023
SACRAMENTO CA P&DC NC11294719 03/18/2023
ATLANTA GA P&DC NC11294705 03/18/2023
GRAND RAPIDS P&DF NC11294708 03/18/2023
MIAMI FL P&DC NC11294619 03/18/2023
ROYAL PALM FL P&DC NC11294623 03/18/2023
ST LOUIS MO P&DC NC11294710 03/18/2023
No experience necessary for the laborer custodial or maintenance mechanic positions. It helps on the interview but you can surely think of maintenance related experience to relay for an interview. Based on fixing things around your house, the car etc.
Always mention working safely.
Pro tip: You can apply for any job that has an exam opening and the test is administered local to yourself. Make sure you're serious and score decently; you can turn down the job offer. Keep a physical copy of your exam score, I believe they are good for two years.
The reason is: These job postings can be posted externally at capacity for testing, meaning they will not allow you to take the exam if they have enough qualified applicants. However, if you have a test score on the books,
you are a qualified applicant.
Explanation of MVO/TTO to save time:
MVO= CDL B Can only drive box trucks on public roads, can drive anything for moves on postal property.
TTO= CDL A Can drive anything.
USPS provides the training. (Maintenance jobs at least. TTO and management...GOOD LUCK)
You don't have to be crazy to work here. We'll train you. Everything but proper email usage. As the title says we want to do a road trip. We’re thinking about flying into Adelaide and driving to Brisbane through Melbourne and Sydney. We would fly home from Brisbane, but I’m mostly asking for tips regarding that drive. Is it mostly freeways? Are there parts that are particularly boring? Anything you could recommend seeing along the way? This wouldn’t be my first time to Australia, I was Darwin in 2016. Thanks!
My wife and I will be visiting Iceland in July. I wanted to find a place i can rent a bike and do a 3-4 hour ride on the road (and maybe convince her to e-bike with me). We will mainly be in the southern portion (east and west). Any ideas where i can rent a bike and have a safe ride. Would also be OK with a gravel ride, or mixed gravel/road. TIA!
Please note I'm using a throwaway as my gender is left ambiguous on my main account and I also don't want details of this story to be read by people in real life who may know my username. I'm pretty nervous to type this out, this may get long.
I don't know why it's taken me so long to talk about this. I've been stuck in a frozen fog state for the last four months, unable to discuss anything to anyone related to December 2022. I've had multiple bad things happen to me that month, this post is only about the first incident (the second is unrelated). At first, I wasn't sure if there was anything I could do to fix this situation, but now I need to talk about it just to get it out of my hair.
I go on plane or road trips every year to eastern Tennessee (near Knoxville) to visit my family. My widowed grandmother is getting on up there and every year could be the last, my mother gets frazzled caring for her and likes the company, my sister misses me and her nephew has become a cute and lively toddler, so I really push myself to make sure I come down to visit every year. I have lived in Tennessee before and eventually clawed my way back to my home state because I HATE being there. I never told them it's because of my status as a bisexual, dysphoric genderfluid, and very non-Christian pot smoker. I never had to because the family hates it there too, but my conservative Baptist grandma is insistent on staying.
Most of the time, I'm able to put up with the little inconveniences of traveling for the sake of seeing them. The past couple of years have stressed me out mainly because as soon as I'm over there, I'll hear my grandma and mother complain about trans people. They know next to fucking nothing about the trans struggle except what bullshit stories FOX news tells them. They'll sit in their comforters and complain almost like they're trying to start a fight with me; instead I just give them the "I did not pay a $350 plane ticket to listen to you two gripe" cold stare until they snap out of it enough to move to the next subject. I have put up with this shit for so long because they're Family with a capital F, and grandma only has so much time, right? Can't I just tolerate their issues an eensy bit for the sake of making a few more special memories?
December 2022 is my limit. My straw done broke. I'm not going down again, and this time I told them why. During my last visit, near midnight on a Thursday, my boyfriend and I were returning to our AirBNB outside Knoxville after having dinner with the family. The road we take to get there began with a gas station/Food City grocery outlet, so my boyfriend asked if we could stop and get gas before we head back. It's on the way, quick in and out, no biggie, right? He swished around the empty parking lot and slid into the gas station. I decided to walk over to a kiosk by the gas pumps to buy us some sodas.
As soon as I turned around, I saw two police cars parked by the pumps, with a couple men talking to my boyfriend. I first assumed they were warning us about some rando on the loose. I found out they were upset with my boyfriend's driving even though he didn't do anything illegal. They asked if we were from around here and I told them I was visiting family. They got suspicious because our rental car has a Tennessee license plate (it was rented off tan app). So we show them the proof of the rental as they're checking out our IDs. I wasn't scared at first but I was wary of them, as even though me and my family are whiter than a padded cell, the cops in east TN seem to have made a habit of harassing and framing us for various stupid reasons.
So we gave them all the proof they needed, figuring we'd get off with a warning. Nope! One of the guys comes back from his car with our IDs, handing one to my boyfriend. He looks at me and says, "can you step aside for one moment so we can have a word with you?" My heart rate started spiking as I let him speak. "Why is your ID coming up as someone else?" They mentioned someone with a name that rhymes with my name, living somewhere in West Virginia, which I live nowhere near. I tell them I only go to WV as a thru-way to TN while driving road trips. They were getting increasingly irate with me, accusing me of falsifying my state ID that I've had for years with no issue. "Well, you're coming up as someone else and you're going to need to give us an explanation," he went on.
AND THEN HERE COMES THE FUN PART HOLY SHIT. The part that's had my head flying for several months now. He sauntered up to me and asked me wryly, "so... what's your story? Hm? Be honest: are you really a man?" Not, " Are you changing your name, have you not updated your ID?" etcetc. No, he SPECIFICALLY asked me if I was a transgender woman within moments of accusing me of impersonation. Mind you, I'm assigned female at birth with long hair, but dressed in men's clothes. I'm trans but have not transitioned, I simply dress and behave in a nonconforming manner. If I took a picture of myself right now, or even from that day, and threw it up in some random part of the Internet, I'd be called at best a tomboyish woman by most people. They supposedly had my ID mixed up with some other woman from West Virginia. So why in the actual fuck was their first question, "Did you use to be a man?"
I am not in any way offended to be confused for being a transwoman, except when it's COPS doing this. Part of me wanted to answer with my usual blunt honesty, "well, technically, I would like to identify as a dude or as nonbinary on my ID, except I haven't worked that out yet legally, you are free to use pronouns he/him please be nice mkay thanks" but I just knew I'd get myself into real trouble by muddying the waters like that. So I begrudgingly said no, I'm not, I was born female. They kept fucking smirking at me while raising their voice, like "are you sure? Because if we find out you're lying to us, we can have you arrested for false impersonation right now. We could have you put in jail by tonight."
So I'm losing it internally. He decided to do one final test to prove my womanly innocence, by taking a photo of my face and running it through some "national facial recognition database". At this point, my boyfriend didn't know why the cop was talking to and taking a picture of me and started freaking out as well, but I couldn't answer him. All I thought was, "if this supposed database glitches the way their tech glitched while scanning my ID, they literally could throw me in jail for doing nothing." But somehow, after taking the picture and waiting a few seconds they immediately went 180º, told us that we were fine, and shooed us away without letting us ask who they were or getting a solid picture of their license plates (we got one pic but the plate is too blurry to read).
We got back to the AirBNB in panic mode and my boyfriend calls the sheriff's dept mainly just to help calm my nerves but also to find out more about what happened. They told him something random about me having a protection order (even though I shouldn't have any reason to have one), which was what caused their malfunction, and hung up on him. So did they mistake me for an abused woman on the run? I later realized my ID didn't have an updated street address to match my current residence, which hasn't been an issue literally anywhere else, but I theorized that it's why the card must have glitched in their system. We could not make any sense of it either way, so we just shut down emotionally so we could brave the rest of the trip. I never wanted to get back home faster than that night. I've taken trippin mushrooms in the past and did not experience the same level of reality distortion that this encounter gave me.
I still don't know if there's anything we can really do to figure out or amend this situation. I don't know if what they did was entirely permissible or not, there's so much that doesn't make sense to me. Are these kind of stops frequent with people in that area? How many people have been falsely accused of impersonating someone else during a routine traffic stop? Was the card reading error genuine? Was it because of my address listed? Was it because they confused me for a wanted endangered woman with a protection order? Why did they seem so fixated on the idea of me being a transwoman, why did I feel like I needed to prove them of my birth gender of all things? Is there an actual facial recognition database system in America, if so then how the fuck does that work at verifying my identity? Are they attempting to get a record of every trans and gender nonconforming person on hand? Am I reading too deeply into my memory of that night, or is this a sign of something serious?
I haven't said anything about this incident for months, thinking there was nothing we could do to argue with these cops. It's better to avoid them if you can. But having seen wave after wave of anti-trans and anti-drag legislation coming out recently, I realized I needed to vent and to possibly warn anyone who's living near that area to NOT GO TO THE COPS IF YOU CAN HELP IT. Even if you're cis, if you're a short haired woman or a man with an effeminate gait, you're possibly gonna get fucked over by these cops. Your identity as cisgender does not keep you safe. And trans people, I probably don't need to say this, but I will also remind y'all to STAY THE FUCK AWAY from east TN cops starting today.
I told my family about this and they just handwaved it, saying "that's just how cops are down here, can't trust them." They don't seem to be too concerned, but I feel like there's so much more going on. And I refuse to go back to the state until there's some kind of massive breakthrough to overcome the rampant transphobia seeping in. I feel so lucky to be able to stay out of that goddamned kudzu covered, nuclear intoxicated hell hole by living in a friendlier state, but I wish there was more I could do to help the trans people still living there.
Can any one on here tell me anything about the power line works that are being done alongside the southern motorway, heading south after east tamiki road.
What works are they doing? What are the black things and the extra lines suspended from them?
Asking purely out of interest so any information is appreciated.