28: Maracas

Survivor -------- To be honest, for most activities a full three layer 60 denier gore-tex would be complete overkill you have to match your equipment with your activity there are a whole lot of factors that need to be taken into account in general i find that a pliable soft shell with a light dwr coating does the job nicely it's breathable has an excellent range of movement and to add to that it has a upf rating of 50 plus should the need arise. The softshell I'm wearing now has two deep napoleon pockets that are very useful for storing snacks a phone spare batteries a bottle opener and almost any other small item you can think of as with everything else footwear is chosen carefully for the role it must perform a trail running sneaker with performance fit technology is great for daily use and the air cushion soles do invite extended use but for a more challenging terrain than the sofa and an occasional bag a mid-ankle hiking boot is preferable of course as with trail sneakers a light gore-tex membrane is optimal considering the potential liquid outbreaks in my chosen environment tricky uneven surfaces slippery spillages or a rogue marvel pose no problem for these grippy lugs i must admit i also own a pair of hiking sandals these only ever get used when paired with knee-high waterproof socks these socks often prove indispensable in the summer months when i like to cool my feet in ice water without the unsightly wrinkling that would occur if i submerge my bare skin in water for hours on end though for the most part i like to keep my room at an even temperature there are times when it is necessary to manually modify this for example when binging on a series set in ancient egypt i find that by increasing the temperature i can create a more appropriate set of external stimuli for such occasions i find a light cool tech skin layer undershirt briefs and leggings work well superior sweat working properties and moisture dispersal as an outer layer a micro mesh t-shirt 16 inch baggies also with micro mesh panels on the inner thighs and light cool max sun cap that cuts out the glare from the extra lamps that i set up for the ambience even in these warmer climes thermal gloves are a must especially ones with a good rubberized grip for holding items such as cold cans waterproofness is again a must the added benefit is that i can have an ice bucket next to my sofa and plunge my whole hand in to retrieve a cold drink without getting my arm wet or cold high gauntlet style gloves are preferable giving me an approximate plunge depth of 25 centimeters which is more than adequate for my purpose neoprene had been my go-to especially in an elbow high configuration but i found that over time there were some epidermal issues a certain cleanliness and shoe producing that credit that didn't sit well on my nose dexterity of fingers is essential as well as precision for manipulating remote controllers and many thermal gloves were just too bulky to allow this i now prefer a cashmere liner glove with a thin event membrane fused to the outer four-way stretch panels they are also of course smartphone operable say if i have to have a fan on and there is a high chill factor in the air current then a power stretch micro grid fleece is very effective a scuba hood serves an important role in keeping out that nasty breeze and has saved me on numerous occasions i like to place a fan behind me to optimize the coverage of the windproof fabric and minimize any ingress of that external element if i ever have to open the window which sometimes i do due to my high protein high fiber high glucose and high caffeine diet during certain activities then i find the most reliable base layer material that can handle such potential shifts in temperature is merino wool my preferred ratio consists with 62 to 38 super mourinho's poly blend merino of course for its excellent heat regulation and the body for its durability and quick drying advantage the wool's natural antibacterial properties means i can go for days and sometimes weeks without needing to change my layer long sleeve undershirt boxes socks and often an added neck tube and skull cap set me in good stead but sometimes mistakes do happen i once had an unfortunate situation with a 600 full european goose down jacket when reaching for an energy bar from my sustenance table i somehow managed to knock over an almost full can of h2 max that in a flush compressed every baffle in sight rapidly exposing me to not only the moisture but the shockingly low ambient room temperature i have since corrected my mistake and i'll opt for a sustainably sourced 800 fill hydrophobic goose down encased in heavily treated pertex quantum fabric this would repel even a three liter bottle of aquifers and though this is an unlikely event it is one among many other unlikely events that i need to be prepared for and am for i am a survivor. Janet and Philip ---------------- Little did we all know it would be the final Janet and Phillip investigation, these legends of our time. They made that decision together and sprung it on us once the case was wrapped up. That final day, they ran back like strangely wizened school children freed into the summer holidays, keen to clear their desks at the station, false teeth chattering like maracas, joints creaking as though a ship being crushed in the pack ice, yet with joy in every step. A small party was held in honour of their combined achievements, Janet ended up being carried home by Philip and one of the young PCs after she drunkenly punched one of the panels of glass in the office, grabbing one of the shards and slashing at some invisible menace encircling her. That evening, or so he told me later on, once Janet was settled, Phillip reflected on the events, noting echoes of their first case together when she had smashed an imaginary panel of glass on the beach to scare off the seagulls swooping at the spilt fish and chips near the corpse. The birds were eventually stopped by officers hurling rocks, they hit a few and spent the afternoon pointing and laughing at the various broken winged birds, the angular twitching bodies. For most of those attending, the main talking point afterwards was the scene of Janet and the imaginary glass breaking, the case itself being an obvious suicide. However, over his microwaved supper, Philip’s thoughts differed from everyone else’s reactionary musings, for he’d been trained in the same methods as Janet so it was by the book - heavy motion dance accompanied by guttural soundings - so instead he turned over the motivations of those that had maimed the hungry birds and revelled in watching their agony throughout the afternoon; those birds that were, after all, unaware of fish and chips as evidence. I imagine it was few weeks after the retirement party that they lay in the bushes near the drainage stream at the bottom of their garden, holding hands tightly, fully realising and releasing what Janet articulated in her leaving speech as “the malign tensions absorbed over thirty five years of working in the ways of institutionalised terrorism masked as a public service”. Spring allowed the undergrowth to creep around and then over them, taking on all that anguish ravaged organic material no doubt to splurt it out somewhere else.