It was a dream, then a place, then a memory. My father built it near the Suwannee River. I like to think it was in the heart of Florida, because it was, and is, in my heart. Its name was Dogland. Some people say you can know others if you know the central incidents that shaped their lives. But an incident is an island in time, and to know the effect of the island on those who land there, you must know something about the river they have traveled. And I must warn you before we begin, I don't know that river well. I visit that time and place like a ghost with poor vision and little memory. I look up the river and see fog rolling in. I look down the river, and the brightness of the approaching day blinds me. I see shapes moving behind me and beyond me, but who they are and what they do, I cannot say. I will tell what I know is true, and I will invent what I believe is true, and that, I think, is all you can ask any storyteller to do. I learned the Nix family history from the stories Pa told. Even at the age of four, I suspected that Pa's stories might not be perfectly true. When Pa said we Nixes came to North America as indentured servants working our way out of debtor's prison, Grandma Bette would make a face and say he couldn't know that. When he said we Nixes had Lakota and Ojibwe blood in our veins, Grandma Bette would say she wasn't prejudiced, but it simply wasn't so: she and Pa and his brothers and sisters were dark because her people were Black Dutch, from a part of Holland where everyone had black hair and black eyes. And then Grandma Bette wouldn't say a word for half an hour or more, a very long time for Grandma Bette to be quiet. Question: How long did it take for the author's father to build Dogland? === The answer to the above question is
OPTIONS:
- not enough information
- Generation
- Decade or less
- Multiple generations

Answer: Decade or less

Question: Being prepared for the unknown is something most people know we should do, but the majority of us don't take time to actually do it! We have lived in a state prone to hurricanes for eight years and didn't really have anything ready in case of a natural disaster. Recently, we moved closer to the coast in this region which forced us to make a hurricane emergency kit. If you don't feel like putting together your own kit, you can order one from Amazon! Here's an affiliate link to one that's for four people. (Four Person Perfect Survival Kit Deluxe) They have several variations to choose from. Preparing a Hurricane Emergency Kit I will walk you through a few things to consider when preparing an emergency kit. Saving Money I would be lying if I didn't say that I was financially driven to prepare a kit. The state of Virginia has one three-day sales tax holiday weekend beginning the first Friday in August. Yes, saving on tax pushed me to buy a bunch of stuff that I just may need one day. In addition to saving taxes on emergency preparedness items, customers can save tax on clothing, footwear, school supplies, and Energy Star and WaterSense products. For complete details on qualifying items and more, please go to Virginia's Government Tax Page. Not in Virginia? Search "your state" + "emergency preparedness" or "emergency kit." You can replace "hurricane" with "earthquake" or "tornado" or any other applicable term for your area. Depending on how much you purchase, the saving on taxes can add up pretty quickly. Be Prepared Before Preparing Heading out on a tax-free shopping spree won't save you much money if you're buying items that don't qualify for the tax-free holiday, or you buy a bunch of items you don't actually need or won't use. The National Hurricane Center offers supply lists and emergency plans, along with a ton of resources to help you gain focus. Question: How long did it probably take to prepare a hurricane emergency kit? === The answer to the above question is
OPTIONS:
- eight years
- not enough information
- three days
- August
Answer: three days

Question: Earlier this year my depression got very bad, very quickly. I'd been having intrusive suicidal thoughts for a while. It was a combination of a bad medication regimen and lots of little stressorsschool, work, a car accident, you name it. I took to a very private social media account that only those I was closest to could see. I used that account to rant about my problems. It was my coping mechanism and how I kept myself sane. Somehow just typing it out got it off my chest in ways writing in a journal couldn't (now, I try to use Quora for this purpose instead). One night in early March I went to a performance that my friends were part of. I went alone. While I was there, I got a series of texts regarding my girlfriend. I knew that what those texts said would cause me an immense amount of stress and sleepless nights. I went onto my social media account. I don't remember exactly what I posted. It wasn't specific, but rather something along the lines of "I'm stressed, this is the cherry on top, I honestly don't know how I'm going to handle this." Whatever it was, someone who followed that account knew I was at my breaking point. They called an anonymous tip line and reported that they believed I was in danger of killing myself. I got home from the performance at midnight and my dad was in my driveway. I asked him why. He told me he'd been contacted and that someone reported a concern about me. I was admitted to the hospital the next day, and I spent a week an an inpatient psychiatric unit where I received better medication, therapy and coaching on positive coping mechanisms. Whoever called saved me, but in a way I saved my own life that day. What I thought was just another routine post about stress got me the help I so desperately needed. I know without it, I would have ended my own life that day. Funny how that works. Question: What did he primarily use his social media account for? === The answer to the above question is
OPTIONS:
- Keeping tabs on his girlfriend.
- Ranting and Raving to cope with stress.
- not enough information
- To keep up-to-date with his friends performances.
Answer:
Ranting and Raving to cope with stress.