#i was like 97% sure they were oysters...

[amerasdreams]

Well I didn't get sick last night so I guess the mushrooms weren't poisonous

#mushrooms #i was like 97% sure they were oysters... #their color looked a little weird #not like the pics #i grew like blu ones before #not familiar w these gold ones #they are more gold than yellow #but not as orange as jackolanterns #and dont glow in the dark #they actually made me feel good #like a feeling of wellbeing #not long after ate #unless my imagination #my arm is sore from carrying the log #i can make more bc some on log

[neonun-au]

pearl of my heart | choi seungcheol

pairing: seungcheol x fem!reader genre: established relationthip, slice of life, fluff, idk its just dumb word count: 700~ warnings: discussions of sex, mild profanity, not proofread

for @97-liners​ 

“God, do people just hate vaginas or something?” 

Seungcheol glances at you from his side of the bed, eyebrow raised at the sudden exclamation. What had started as another night of reading in companionable silence with your fiance before bed has since dissolved into mild frustration at the state of modern erotica on your end, and bemused confusion on his. 

“I mean, what is with this absolute refusal to use any normal words to refer to the fucking clitoris?” 

“Is it that bad?” Seungcheol asks and you just groan and toss your head back in response, dismayed. “I will take that as a yes.” 

“In what world is the word ‘nub’ sexy? And why are they always…slapping it?” 

“That’s not…a good thing?” he gives up on the book he had been skimming, setting it aside and twisting his body to better watch as you rant on about the status quo of smut writing. 

“In extreme moderation, sure, but every time? Flicking, smacking, biting. So aggressive. What did the clit ever do to them, huh? Does it owe them money?” you toss your phone to the foot of the bed, annoyed. “And don’t even get me started on the dirty talk, my god. I haven’t heard the word ‘baby’ so many times since I visited the NICU.” 

“You don’t like ‘baby’?” A brief flash of disappointment crosses his expression and you reach over to pat his cheek, soothing out the slight frown from the corner of his lips. 

“Just for you, Cheol,” you sigh, and press a small kiss to the tip of his nose. “I guess I should just read a real book again one of these days, maybe I’ll actually remember that writing can be good again. But is it too much to just ask for realistic sex?”

“I’m right here,” he replies with a scoff, “you can have the live version anytime you want.” 

“I know, Cheol,” you nod, sliding down and nestling under the covers. He follows suit after flicking off the light and you feel the mattress shift under his weight as he readjusts his body next to yours, wrapping you in his arms and pulling you against his chest. “It's just fun to read sometimes. Even if it is fucking stupid.” 

You feel his silent laugh shake your body. “You definitely sound like you’ve been having fun,” he presses a small kiss to the nape of your neck and you relax back against him, releasing the last bit of annoyance lingering in your mind. 

Silence slips into the space around you as you try to drift off to sleep in his arms, but the words that had burned themselves into your mind's eye were still swimming around. Spongy walls, hard members, juices–all kneading at your frayed nerves with their insistent ministrations. You squeeze your eyes shut to try and block them out but they keep swimming up in the darkness of your thoughts until you finally burst out into a short fit of giggles. 

“What’s so funny?” Seungcheol asks, voice thick with the sleep that was beginning to set in for him. 

“I just remembered one that made me want to both laugh and throw up at the same time,” you wipe a tear from the corner of your eye, resisting another fit of laughter as it threatens to escape.

“What was it?” 

“Pearl. Who in their right mind calls the clit a pearl?” 

“I don’t know,” he says, mid yawn, “it's kind of cute.” 

You twist around in his arms, one eyebrow raised and stare into the dark outline of his face, “pearl? Really?” 

“Yeah,” he shrugs, readjusting his grip around your waist, “it's not that bad. Pearls are nice. Better than nub, anyway.” 

You keep your gaze fixed on him, staring into the darkness as a thought creeps into the back of your mind. “Cheol?” you call out to him, hands wandering under the duvet–reaching out for purchase around his own waist, moving down to settle on his ass.

“What?” It comes out tentative, wary. He knows you're planning something. 

“Would you harvest my pearl?” 

“What?” 

“Would you…shuck me like an oyster?” 

You hold back another fit of laughter as you hear him groan in response to the question, “like...with a knife?” 

“With your knife,” you say, grazing the flat of your palm over him to indicate exactly what you mean by that. He squirms uncomfortably underneath you and you toss your head back in hysterics. “Come on baby,” you plead, “shuck me real good.”

“Go to sleep,” he groans, rolling over to escape as you continue laughing.

© 2022, neonun-au, all rights reserved

#caratwritersclub #kwritersworldnet #seungcheol x reader #svt x reader #seungcheol fluff #scoups fluff #scoups x reader #seventeen fluff #svt fluff

[greenhatsinthesky]

lockdown film no. 28 - Mr. Bean’s Holiday (2007) dir. Steve Bendelack

24/04/2020

because I am An Adult, this was the film that me and my parents decided to watch for my birthday this year. It was a thoroughly enjoyable evening given I hadn’t seen it in several years and we got a takeaway from the best pizza place around and my dad bought wildly overpriced vegan ben and Jerrys 

- when mr bean wins the raffle its actually very heartwarming how happy everyone is for him

- THE TRAIN TRANSITION HOLY HELL

- im absolutely in love with all the the video camera footage they use 

- “un café?” “oui” “du sucre?” “non” “you speak very good French” “gracias”

- last year for a film project we had to make a short film with only 20 words of dialogue and this is actually a great example of how to do it because he never really uses words its mainly just sounds

- the soundtrack in this is absolutely boss no lie

- i went on holiday with my friends last year to an island that was so small you could walk around the whole thing at least five times in a day, and also had basically no buildings. And so from there the concept of ‘mr beaning it’ was born, where you pick where you want to go and walk in a straight line in that direction

- the fact that this was the first film I saw Willem Dafoe in is hilarious to me because he’s such a serious actor and then there’s this. I saw this, Spiderman and then Mississippi burning and man that really threw me off

- ties and vending machines are a health risk

- richard curtis worked on this ??

- the plateau de fruits de mer scene absolutely sent my entire family it is just the peak of comedy. Me and my mum saw the film for the first time in a cinema when I was about eight and it just gets us every time

- THE OYSTER WHEN IT MOVES 

- apparently the guy who plays the waiter in that scene is a very celebrated actor in France and he’s done loads of serious stuff so this is another kind of Willem dafoe situation it seems

- the boy playing Stepan was Viktor in the series years and years and when I say that absolutely blew my mind when I found out

- the scene where Stepan copies mr bean and they’re crossing their legs is so cute and a bit of nice light humour before the real shit kicks in

- I know it wouldn’t work if they could call the dad straight away but the two numbers at the end are clearly 97

- THE HOTEL WORKER WITH THE PHONE WHAT PAIN THEY WERE SO CLOSE

- ohhhhhh the market scene. whoever came up with the idea for that should get an Oscar 

- mans got some strong legs holding a squat for the whole of rondo alla turca

- i think the opera scene in the market (i don’t know the name of the piece) is one of the funniest scenes in the whole film if not in a lot of films. Its absolute class and I love how mr bean, who doesn’t speak a full sentence for the majority of the film all of a sudden knows every word to an Italian opera. Also the scene that they construct and play out is actually very emotional and they both end up dead but its still funny ?

- stepan really just yeeted the camera at a total stranger now that is some faith in humanity right there

- I wanna grab onto a car while riding someone else’s bike in the middle of the French countryside and go zOOM past the tour de France 

- the chickens cluck in tune with the song and I personally am a huge fan of that

- I think rowan atkinsons face is made of rubber or something

- he goes into that little hut and the vehicles gradually get more and more absurd like tHIS IS HOW YOU DO COMEDY

- I don’t think they went into how fucking weird it would be to fall asleep and wake up under a cart in a French village that turns out to be under siege by nazis

- also, I know Carson Clay is meant to be a parody of a Hollywood director, but I just want to know what happens at the end of the advert. Does sabine end the war and appease the nazis with yoghurt?

- Une minuscule explosion?

- Sabine was super chill about them using her phone to call basically everyone in France 

- the car scene with the matches has absolutely gone down in history. Literally every time were driving at night someone will mention that scene

- the French translator at Cannes was hilarious like clay said his bit, looked over at the guy, the guy sort of cringes (?) and goes “he says it is a very good film”

- all the scenes we see from playback time get me every time and I’m pretty sure its one of my dads favourite scenes 

- nothingnothing nothing nothing n o t h i n g 

- OHHHH when the fam gets back together ! So wholesome!

- la mer. what a tune, and all the things lining up so he can just walk straight down to the sea I lOVE

- oh man what a good film

- its just a great comfort film and its so funny but its really warm as well and its not cheesy but its really funny and I love it

#mr beans holiday #steve bendelack #rowan atkinson #mr bean #peter bennett-jones #tim bevan #eric fellner #hamish mccoll #robin driscoll #simon mcburney #richard curtis #emma de caunes #max baldry #howard goodall #baz irvine #tony cranstoun #willem dafoe #karel roden #jean rochefort #catherine hosmalin #urbain cancelier #stephane debac #julie ferrier #steve pemberton #lily atkinson #monsieur hulot #monsieur hulot's holiday #comedy #lockdown films #lockdown film no. 28

[littlelightingstriker]

Disclaimer: this post is not made to cause anger or to insult the Serbian government, it is simply made to report on the news what has been going this past days. Some of the information might be to strong, so please read on your own risk. People who are mention in this story will remain anonymous for their own safety.

#Serbia now:

On the 7th of July,2020, president Vučić announced that Belgrade will be closed and have a curfew between Friday and Monday and that more than five people should not be in the same space together. He talked about a lot of things like how many people are being tested, the possible 'lies' the government has been saying, Novi Pazar, a city located in south-west Serbia, who is in a critical situation because of COVID-19, respirators and many more. He talked about how people need to understand that this virus in not a joke in any possible way and people need to take more action and protect themselves and their family. The problem is half of the population does not believe the virus is either real or that it does not have the affect to enter the human body that fast. People are confused and keep asking the same question that nobody can answer. When he announced the possibility that people will have to stay the whole weekend in their homes, many people were frustrated with the decision and did not want to take his words for real. At the evening, massive numbers of people gathered at the National Assembly and started protesting. The protesting was not in anyway ' peaceful ' but ended being a disappointing vandalism.

Three cars and a police van were on fire. The damage was immediately posted. Hundreds of thousands of dinars are worth of damage.

Torches, tear gas, oysters and glass bottles were being thrown between the protesters and police.

Many people were injured and many police man were hurt. "It was a disaster. We tried stopping them but there were to many." said one policeman.

One of the protesters wanted to break in the National Assembly but were thrown out by the police.

Two men stopped an ambulance that was driving to the hospital with rotations. The two men were punished for their actions and many were disappointed with them.

Protesters DID NOT WANT any politician to join them and act like they care for citizens' rights.

Ana Brnabić was disappointed to see citizens' of Belgrade acting like 'h**li**ns'.

Kosovo was/is also another reason why people turned against Vučić.

Vučić was in the National Assembly but quickly evacuated with the situation going around.

A video of three men being hit and be*ten by the police after rejecting to leave the park was filmed and posted on different sites. The three men were laying on the ground in pain as the police left them.

A man, lost his father due to COVID 19 and blamed the government for lying about having enough respirators. He claimed his father was not given the treatment that was promised and was one of the most critical patient (and many other) in Belgrade. "This is for you, dad. I know you are watching and you are proud. I love you,dad. This is for you!" Said the man. After this video resurfaced the internet, everyone was angry that president Vučić lied about 'having enough respirators' and many left comments that they were not surprised and what a disappointment this country is for believing the words that come from the television.

Protesters are being accused of spreading COVID 19.

97% had masks but still did not distance.

Lockdown will be decided by the crisis staff.

The 8th and 9th of July,2020:

President Vučić has decided he will NOT make the decision about Belgrade. He admitted he has no right to make a decision he isn't to sure how to control.

Many faces were supporting the protest and they were not citizens' of Serbia. -Vučić.

Criminals were mention that they were the ones who were 'trashing' Belgrade.

COVID 19 has no connection with voting, football games etc.

Vučić kept bringing people down while making his people 'world leaders' and 'only hopes for Serbia'.

05.10.2000. is a wish protesters want to come true. ( The fall of Milošević)

Vučić is in shock why people keep bringing his country down while he is doing everything to make it 'grow'.

There will be rules for Belgrade no matter what.

Novi Sad, Niš, Kragujevac also started protesting.

Tonight (9th July.) protesters are peacefuly protesting and tend to keep it that way.

Politicians are calling out h**li*ga*ns and cri**na** after 'destroying Belgrade' and doing vandalism 'on purpose'.

Many people are angry that Belgrade is being in the situation where it's not safe anymore and being trashed by some idiots who don't even live there or came from a different city. They are accused of 'pretending to be Belgraders'. It is proven that they are more than 80% Belgraders in the world then in the own city. Belgrade is composed from all citizens' across Serbia.

Students are protesting after being told they have to leave their dorms for the third time because they need to be prepared for COVID 19 patients. "We don't feel safe. We want our rights!".

Protesters are being called out for fighting for their rights.

Politicians are calling protesters 'criminal slaves' for wanting to remove Vučić.

"We aren't allowed to stand for our rights. They tend to keep us locked when we thought everything is going undercontrol. They are playing for our rights. I lost my friend because she was told to stay home even though she had other medical problems. Instead of celebrating her birthday, I was mourning her name and crying. He (Vučić) doesn't care about us, he just wants the money. He has it. He is building Belgrade on Dunabe and he still thinks we care about some stupid project. How are we not going to protest? I do not like and I am against harmful and disgusting behaviour some people showed the first day and even now, but we can't just stand here and pretend everything is okay. He stole votes and as soon as he secured his seat, this country got even worse. How are we suppose to live here? How can we try and stay positive after everything he has done. My family lives in Kosovo. He gave it. He just sold that land like nothing. He doesn't care about people. He acts like a human but even the facade can't cover his personality. No one can look up to us and that's okay. We don't want '99 again. We want peace. We all want, all of us, we want to breath not to feel pressured. We tell our kids to get the hell away from this country and to never look back. There is no future here. We all know that. He always breaks his promises. Kids grow up and become adults, what children is he talking about?! Where is their future if he is only building Belgrade? What about the South? East? West? Where are their rights?! We are all equal and we all deserve so much more. We have to pray and hope for the best, but in this life we are always going to be left down. " a woman gave her thoughts about protesting.

Other reason's why people want to dismiss Vučić:

He promised everyone 100 Euros when COVID 19 became serious in Serbia. He realised his mistake and ended up giving the money to retired people and people with special needs. Other had to register. He went from helping to you have to do this so I don't embarrass myself.

People were paid to come and cheer for Vučić when he would give speeches.

He lied about the respirators.

People believe that the number of positive patients fell just so that elections could happen.

After elections, Serbia became the worst in numbers of positive cases.

Before elections 50-94 cases, 10-20 respirator patients, almost everyone is cured, Serbia is almost done with COVID 19.

After elections 300+ cases, 120-130 respirator patients, 1000+ in hospitals, 1000+ in isolation, Serbia the most critical on Balkan.

He knew Novi Pazar was going to blow up. He did not do anything.

Belgrade hospitals do not have respirators.

Belgrade has a population of 1 million residents and yet doesn't have the medical needs.

He doesn't have a full government. What kind of country is Serbia then?!

Something that cannot be answered:

Why do people who die from other reasons are COVID 19 victims?

How come the number of cases grew?

Did the government lied all this time?

Was professor Kon right all this time?

Why are people not in hospitals if positive?

How to isolate if you do not have your own bathroom and kitchen?

Why are there no punishments for not wearing a mask?

Is there really a vaccine?

Is the virus real? Is it possible to make it disappear?

Opinion:

Vandalism is not the answer. People have every right to judge Vučić. He is not that bad, but he is not a sweetheart either. Luckily people are peacefully protesting and want to learn to have manners. The police is trying everything to not fight the protesters. Punishing other people for the damage is not right. Being called disgusting names from politicians needs to STOP! We are all people with a heart, we say and do things we should not but that is not the point. Being called a cri**na* is disgusting. Everyone is frustrated with the virus going on but we have to be reasonable. If you are someone who lost a loved one due to COVID 19, my heart goes for you and everyone you love and care about. This is a scary year. It's breaking my heart so many people died not only because of COVID 19. The virus is not the main problem here. People are. This going on in Belgrade is eye opening. It shows people want a break. They want freedom. They want, like every other country, to feel safe. I totally understand the point of view from some people. I ,too, also know there is no future in Serbia until someone really comes and actually cares for people. If territory and fake promises are more relevant then a person breathing, my God save us.

Comment's about Vučić

We are a small country and we never were known for good things, but honestly, how can we have that if we don't have a leader?

Lies and lies. Breaking promises. Being disgusted with people that don't like your way of ''handling" a country. Manipulate people and bringing them down. Having politicians spit on your people?

Is that a joke or is Vučić going to take this seriously.

Kosovo is more important than people?

How cruel do you have to be?

How disgusting that sounds.

We are told people are dying for God's sake and yet you talk for 2 hours and that is it.

Tito is rolling in his grave.

Liar!

Why does anyone expect something good from Vučić?

Oh Serbia, poor little Serbia.

- comments from different sources.

For more information of these protests, feel free to look them up. I gave my personal opinion and I missed a lot of information about this protests but I shared the ones that needed to be put here.

If you are someone from Serbia, feel free to speak and to be free. If you wanted a change and did not get it, either run or keep blessing this country. You deserve much more. You'll get past everything. Keep running. Fight peacefully. Be normal and be mature. I wish everyone so much and pray everyday we get some peace and actually feel like people.

Don't look up to politicians. Nušić told us everything we need to know.

Be safe while protesting! Keep yourself safe and don't let a politician ruin your life. Bring back the rights and the light we all need.

Bring Serbia where she should be.

Not underneath.

#serbia #protesting #safe #people #equal rights #belgrade #news #hope

[recalibr8]

The mEtOHd in my madness

I’d been out with my teen lads on a Friday. We got off the train and there was a young, crumpled woman sat on the platform, fat tears splashing into a puddle of sick on her trench coated lap. I offered her some tissues; I’m a mum, it come with the membership card. After a few sorries she asked “where did you stop?”. It took us a while to realise she meant, ‘where are we?’ She was out by 2 stations which on the face of it wasn’t bad. We pointed her onto the next train, gave her a mint (gold membership benefits) and my youngest shouted “take care of yourself” as we trudged up the platform. We agreed it was probably work drinks getting out of bounds and she’d be ok now she had tissues. But I kept thinking, “where did you stop?”. Where did I stop? Because I’m now AF af.

AF af. That’s alcohol free and doing pretty darn ruddy brilliant. Three months ago I upgraded my BrewDog to NannyState, went Becks Blue and am thinking in an offhand way about brewing Kombucha. I’ve teamed this up with going plasticlite, veganish and kimchi curious. So far, so middle class virtual signalling. But where did I stop?

I’ve been drinking since I was 5. I’d adorably finish up the beer in my parents’ guests glasses and well, kept going. Not in a Drew, Carrie or Liza rehab by 13 sense but I think I’ve probably had my fair share. I’m well aware that I knew, know and don’t know but suspect people who I love who have significant alcohol use problems and this is blog is in no way trying to say my needs are greater than theirs. I know a lot of highly creative endeavours and friendships were found in a gin bottle but also unforgivable abuses. And I know friends whose acts are based around the camaraderie of drinking. And I’d never tell anyone what they *should* do. But like all ex anybodies, I’m annoying about my sobriety journey right now. Bear with me.

But it’s not just me though. I see booze everywhere. For a dose related lethal toxin that’s very effective marketing. There’s a giant ad on Toots Broadway station entreating me to Go Bottomless and every other Facebook ad is for a spirit that promises to make evenings round the back of Catford Lidl magical. And many of these are aimed at women. A recent industry survey found ‘only’ 17% of women drank beer and this needed sorting out. Look out for more lady drinking adverts, they’re coming.

But I wasn’t alcoholic. Was I? Are you? You’re only an alcoholic if you have one more drink than you doctor. I’m

a doctor ... so let’s take a look.

*I’m really low on the alcoholic check list*

I’ve never drank alcohol in the morning, blacked out, been told by others I have a problem, had to apologise...

Ah, I have had to apologise once or twice. Nothing major, just ‘sorry, I was a bit wobbly/silly/rude/loud/insulting/gave you my shoes as a gift’. I once lost my credit and oyster card at the bar of a immersive theatre event though. I don’t know how I got home. I had to find the site manager the next day and he definitely had other things to do. Not long after my bag was stolen in SoHo because I was distracted. Not sure how I got home then either. Friends put me in an Uber after my MA showcase because I wasn’t walking very straight. Or being very nice. So I definitely remember getting home then.

These were all Thursdays or weekends. I’ve always been careful not to have any chance of affecting my work. But yeah, how clear headed was I for my family, myself? And much of this was stress drinking after a week of being a clever doctor. Just loosened up the joints a bit. Particularly if your slightly socially awkward. But I wasn’t a drunk, no. Maybe just a binge drinker. And that’s ok, isn’t it?

*Hangovers are just a thing*.

With only drinking at the end of the week, I was careful not to be hungover at work. But I had a Friday at home hangover where I didn’t get out of bed for the day. I claimed I’d been poisoned. I’d just had one too many Jaegerbombs. I vomited in the taxi. I’ve vomited in several taxis. That’s not a good look at any age. Hangovers are a funny meme, a cartoon of a dog in sunglasses, office banter. It’s your liver crying and your brain folding it’s arms in judgment. It’s not bad wine, it’s bad choices.

*Get kids used to drinking. Like the French. Then they won’t binge*.

My 13 year old buys old vodka bottles from charity shops. Wearing a furry hat, his comedy drunk Russian is not bad I used to have the deepest voice of my friends at 14 so it was my job to buy the booze for house parties. My mother always told me drink a pint of milk before you go out to soak up the booze. At 14. I had a few sexual assaults along the way but if I blame myself that’s victim blaming and I don’t want to be a bad feminist on top of everything. Med school in the 80’s/90’s was all over the drink. Freshers’ week was a booze insurance test. The circle line pub crawl, the Clint Eastwood Appreciation Society, the Med School pub crawl...end at Barts because Smithfield’s liscence meant you’d keep going all night.

*Booze always cheers you up*.

I’ve got to confess, my life has got a lot quieter. I’m going out much less, I leave early, I’m not champagne Charlie any more. I’m always, well, me. My dad was a depressed alcoholic, so was his dad (he ran a tobacconist and offie so that didn’t help) and his dad before him. And I have depression and PTSD. My moods are now not so high, but they are also not so low. This is very strange. I’m hoping this is a good thing. I’ve heard it is. This, this is the mEtOHd in my madness. The mood stabilisation. That’s the plan.

*Being a doctor is just one of those boozey jobs*

Fun quiz! Who do you think drinks the most? Enough to have a problem. Oooh, were good at guessing this in ED. Writers must be bad, farmers, journalists! yes, they’re always drunk, private invsestigators (?), airline pilots (like my dad, I saw what those guys put away). Ok...it’s.

Lawyers - reporting 33% with problematic drinking

Construction workers- 16.5%

Miners -17.5%

Then it’s Healthcare workers, especially doctors (oh no). A. 2012 study of American surgeons published in JAMA Surgery found 15.4 percent had an alcohol use disorder. Female surgeons (25.6 percent) were more likely than male surgeons (13.9 percent) to exhibit symptoms of alcohol addiction. Healthcare professionals in general it’s 10%

https://www.drugrehab.com/addiction/common-professions/

Performing artists and writers - 11.5%

Catering/hospitality -11%

So no pilots then? I think there’s something they’re not telling us or things are much better since the 80’s. 


 A 1998 study of junior doctors in Newcastle-upon-Tyne reported that:

* 60% exceeded the recommended safe limits for alcohol consumption

* 36% of males and 20% of females used cannabis 

The Sick Doctors Trust says “Since our working lives are spent helping others, it is easy to push aside our own problems, in addition to which, denial is quite common in medical staff. This is not deliberate, but a part of the whole illness of addiction. That addiction is a chronic illness which therefore requires treatment as for any other condition, is now well-established but there is still a tendency to feel that it is a sign of weakness, and that maybe things aren't 'that bad'.’

That some individuals are more prone to developing addiction is generally agreed. There is no single determining factor, but usually a combination of biological, psychosocial and environmental factors - a mixture of nature and nurture. There is now much evidence implicating dysfunction in the Dopamine transmitter system & it’s involvement in craving. There is also evidence to suggest that the effect alcohol has on an individual’s brain is genetically determined. A family history is present in many alcoholics- those having direct family affected being more at risk...

*Its a family affair*

I went to Adult Children of Alcoholics once. It wasn’t for me but what they said made total sense. I take responsibility for everyone, I’m primed for betrayal and disaster and I totally thrive in emotional drama. My dad wasn’t a nice drunk. He made my mum drink when pregnant ‘to keep him company’. She in turn gave babies a tot of brandy to keep them quiet as a stewardess and I can’t imagine my permanently shouting parents wouldn’t have liked us to be quiet babies too. So I’ve got pre and postnatal form. But I don’t have to fix them now. Particularly dad. It’s quite hard to fix dead people.

https://adultchildren.org/

*Booze: the solution AND cause of all of life’s difficulties*

Sick Doctors again “ Alcohol is the commonest substance of abuse in all doctors. Drinking will surprisingly continue despite negative consequences such as job difficulties, relationship breakdowns, financial problems, loss of driving licence; the alcoholic is driven by an irrational compulsion to continue, and frequently results in despair to the point of suicide. Fortunately, the depression associated with active alcoholism often abates when sober.”

http://sick-doctors-trust.co.uk/page/addiction

*I’m not an alcoholic*

and you probably aren’t either. But you might have problematic drinking. I did a survey as part of an UCLH research project. You can too. I lied a bit on it and still came out drinking more than 97% of women my age. Now an icon opens up on my phone every day to that says ‘DRINK LESS’. I stopped leaving my phone on meetings tables.

Drink Less. by Robert West

https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/drink-less/id1020579244

If you are thinking about getting help for problematic drinking or any other addictions including workaholism or have any burnout symptoms for more than 3 weeks, you can of course get staff support and occupational health. But/And there is the amazing NHS Practitioner Health Programme where doctors with any addictions are supported https://php.nhs.uk/ DocHealth is another equally good programme https://www.dochealth.org.uk/. I used the latter when it was MedNet.

So, do I feel amazing? Had I got amazing skin, lost weight, feel energised and hopeful. Urg, not really. I feel a bit scared actually. I’ve lost my social crutch and I’ve stopped going out. I’m worried I’m boring and people will think I’m weird. But....I can get up earlier to walk the dog, I’m moderately less tired and although I’m not skipping down the road happy, the depressive moment I had in spring could have been a lot worse. I think that’s actually amazing. And that’s why I’m doing this. I want to face the world honestly and openly. I want to enjoy my kids before they leave home which is frighteningly soon and weirdly, I want to know my liver replaced itself in a year so I’m literally a new person (don’t google Theseus’ Boat Paradox, life is complicated enough). Oddly compelling, that. So where did I stop? I stopped here. In a weird waiting room in my head. But with the promise of a new adventure through the next door.

But don’t stop doing you, babes. Keep telling me your booze bantz. They are hilarious. Any story that starts or ends with Baileys is only going one way. This clearly isn’t a lecture. Most people can do moderation. And do could I, mostly. And it’s the mostly that’s not good enough. Not for me. Not any more.

Online support - https://www.facebook.com/groups/joinclubsoda/?ref=share

Samaritans- https://www.samaritans.org/

BMA wellbeing including 24 hour support - https://www.bma.org.uk/advice/work-life-support/your-wellbeing

Tea and Empathy for doctors’ online support - https://www.facebook.com/groups/1215686978446877/?ref=share

Al Anon for children of alcoholics https://adultchildren.org/

https://www.alcoholics-anonymous.org.uk/

Dedicated to my husband who gave up the wine w*nker 6 years ago without any of this mid life crisis fuss. But I gave up meat and caffeine first so I still win.

[voyageviolet]

I actually sat down and read all of To Siri With Love since there’s been so much talk about it. I have a lot of thoughts about it; it has several problems that haven’t been discussed much because its biggest problems are so egregious. Writing all of that down would make one hell of a long post, though, so right now I’m just going to talk about the worst of it: the eugenics.

I don’t have page numbers for citations because I’m using the ebook version, but I’ll include the chapters the quotes are from.

Here’s the full quotation of the first time in the book that Judith Newman advocates eugenics against her son, in Chapter 8:

A vasectomy is so easy. A couple of snips, a couple of days of ice in your pants, and voilà. A life free of worry. Or one less worry. For me.

How do you say “I’m sterilizing my son” without sounding like a eugenicist? I start thinking about all the people, outliers in some way, who had this fundamental choice in life stolen from them—sometimes cruelly, sometimes by well-meaning people like me. The eugenics movement can be traced back to psychiatrist Alfred Hoche and penal law expert Karl Binding, who in 1920 published a book called The Liberation and Destruction of Life Unworthy of Life.  Its popularity fostered the first eugenics conference in the United States in 1921. The term “eugenics” means “the good birth.” Sample papers: “Distribution and Increase of Negroes in the United States,” “Racial Differences in Musical Ability,” and “Some Notes on the Jewish Problem.”

“Liberation” is such a wonderful euphemism, and in this context many people like my son—and undoubtedly some even less impaired—were “liberated” from the burden of life by those enthusiastic proponents of culling the herd, the National Socialists. An estimated four hundred thousand “imbeciles” were euthanized during Hitler’s rule, but not before they were the subjects of all sorts of medical experimentation. For a while there, Austria seemed to have cornered the market on brains in jars.

The idea of outright murdering “nature’s mistakes,” as the disabled were called, was softened somewhat in the United States. As the psychiatrist Leo Kanner was observing and defining autism, he was also lobbying for sterilization, but not death, of disabled populations. This was considered a progressive view at the time. (He believed there were all sorts of repetitive tasks autistic people could perform that would be good for society, and he wasn’t wrong here, that’s for sure. But we didn’t have computer programming at the time, so he proposed a population of ditch diggers and oyster shuckers.) Around the same time Hans Asperger, the Austrian pediatrician who was the first to identify autism as a unique mental condition, was concluding that “not everything that steps out of the line, and is thus ‘abnormal,’ must necessarily be ‘inferior.’”

That was an even more radical line of thought, and one society struggles with to this day. But wherever you stand on this question, when you start considering how the history of disability is inextricably intertwined with the history of euthanizing and enforced sterilization, you come away unsettled. I began to question my certainty that Gus should never have kids. There is a good success rate in vasectomy reversals, and surely there will be even easier, more reversible methods for men soon. And when there are, I’m going to be the first in line to sign him up. Kids at twenty or twenty-five? No. Thirty-five? I can hope.

I know this is a long quote, but I wanted to share it because I think it’s noteworthy that Newman is aware of the history of eugenics. She knows that it’s the ideology that Nazis used to justify the Holocaust; she knows that it’s been used in the United States to discriminate against disabled people. She knows that it’s a racist and antisemitic tool of oppression. And yet, she still wants to forcibly sterilize her son.

She reiterates her stance in Chapter 13, after watching her son go on a date.

Newman repeatedly emphasizes that vasectomies are reversible, as though that’s a justification for medical abuse. That’s not always true, though:

It's best to consider a vasectomy to be completely permanent. Although the procedure is reversible, and advances in microsurgery techniques have made vasectomy reversal far more successful in recent decades, it is not always a guaranteed success.

...

If fewer than three years have passed since the original vasectomy, patency success rates are around 97 percent and pregnancy success rates are 76 percent. But success rates can fall over time. In men who had a vasectomy 15 years or more before their reversal, the likelihood of restoring the vas deferens is 71 percent and chances of subsequent pregnancy hover around 30 percent.

Since Newman states that she wants to have power of attorney to make a decision about a vasectomy when her son turns 18, and since she later says that she “can hope” her son might have children at 35, it’s most likely that the lower rates of success would be the relevant statistics.

More importantly, though, I think we can all agree that abuse is still abuse even if the medical effects truly are reversible.

If the possibility of an unwanted pregnancy is such a major concern, wouldn’t the best solution be sex education, the same as any child needs? Newman has some thoughts on this in Chapter 13:

Nobody really thinks she has to teach her children about sex. I mean, not really, not in the way you might have to teach them, say, how to use a credit card (amazing how fast they catch on to that). Kids learn the basics of reproduction, what goes where, and then their natural curiosity takes over. They ask a zillion questions, of either you or their idiot friends, and eventually they figure it out.

This strikes me as rather irresponsible. Newman assumes that all parents share her position on this, but I find that very unlikely; at the very least, my own parents were much more proactive than Newman seems to be. Sex education is too important a topic to leave up to chance. Especially when you consider that a key part of autism is struggling with communication, it’s irresponsible to assume that an autistic child will be able to know the right questions to ask, and also that he’ll be comfortable enough to talk about it on his own.

Newman mentions trying to discuss sex with her son, again in Chapter 13:

... it was very distressing that he seemed to not understand anything about reproduction and sexually transmitted disease, never mind anything about affection and romance. Could I let him be in high school—even a high school for other special ed kids—with this degree of ignorance? But I just didn’t know how to broach the subject, because when I mentioned it—“Gus, do you know where babies come from?”—he’d say, “They come from mommies,” and then continue talking about the weather or sea turtles or whatever happened to be on his mind at that moment.

At another point in the book (Chapter 8), Newman describes a time when Gus’s brother teasingly asks him where babies come from, and Gus changes the subject. From this, and from the above quote, Newman assumes that her son knows nothing about sex, but she never considers the possibility that he might be embarrassed to talk about it. This may be because of her bizarre belief that her son can’t feel embarrassment.

From Chapter 6:

But what if you have a child who cannot be embarrassed by you—and doesn’t understand when he embarrasses you? What then? Nothing makes you appreciate the ability to be embarrassed more than having a child immune from embarrassment.

Later in the same chapter:

Do I want my son to feel self-conscious and embarrassed? I do. Yes. Gus does not yet have self-awareness, and embarrassment is part of self-awareness. It is an acknowledgment that you live in a world where people may think differently than you do. Shame humbles and shame teaches. One side of the no-shame equation is ruthlessness, and often success. But if you live on the side Gus does, the rainbows and unicorns and “what’s wrong with walking through a crowd naked” side of shamelessness, you never truly understand how others think or feel. I want him to understand the norm, even if ultimately he rejects it.

This is actually a fairly common misunderstanding for neurotypicals to have: that if an autistic person doesn’t show an emotion the same way that a neurotypical person does, they must not experience that emotion. Still, you’d think that a mother writing a book about her autistic child would make the effort to figure out if her assumptions were true, or at least that an editor might have brought this to attention. Since it seems that no one involved in the book’s publishing process seems to have figured this out, let me clarify: Autistic people absolutely feel embarrassment. In fact, I’d say it’s a major factor in the prevalence of depression and anxiety among autistic people because of the social rejection many if not all of us have had to deal with.

Back to the original point, however: In Chapter 13, Newman looks through her son’s internet search history (ignoring the “tiny flicker of alarm in Gus’s eyes” - because, after all, he can’t be embarrassed, right?) and finds the porn that he’d been looking at. Clearly, then, he has more understanding of sexuality than Newman realizes, but as far as anyone knows, he’s had to learn it from porn rather than his parents.

As anyone reading this probably already knows, Newman has faced a lot of criticism about her book. For the most part, she’s responded to it badly. Some of her reaction can be seen in this article from the Observer:

While Newman’s stories are meant to be humorous, one of the hallmarks of people with autism is that they think literally and have difficulty understanding jokes. Newman knew this and wrote it that way on purpose.

“This book really wasn’t written for an autistic audience,” she said. “It was written for parents, neighbors, people who may love and hopefully will work with someone who is on the spectrum.”

Setting aside the childish implication that anyone who disagrees with her book must not understand it, what stands out to me in this quote is how unreasonable it is to write a book about autistic people and which affects autistic people and then to say it’s not “for an autistic audience.”

A common mantra for disability activism is “Nothing about us without us” - that is to say, we have a right to be involved in things that affect us. In the above quote, Newman stands against this maxim. She assumes that she can say whatever she wants about without being criticized - and that she can communicate her ideas to all of the people around autistic people without any consideration for autistic people themselves.

Newman doubles down on this in a tweet from a few days ago:

Beginning to think well meaning people of #actuallyautistic are in fact enemies of free thought and free speech.  Which is not so good, coming from a group who say they’ve been silenced.

This tweet equates us with oppressive censors rather than people who’ve been hurt by her work. She portrays us as unreasonable for opposing eugenics against our community.

We might sigh a small breath of relief from this quote from the Observer article: 

“I am much less worried now and hoping to be a grandmother someday,” she [Newman] said. “That’s a result of my son’s growth and my own.”

That may be good news for her son, but it’s far too little too late for the autistic community at large. Her book is still being printed as it was written. We still have to contend with a critically acclaimed book that advocates for eugenics. There is a great deal of ignorance about autism in our society, and now the ideas in this popular book will be what some of that ignorance is replaced with.

#ableism #eugenics #to siri with love #boycotttosiri #OOPS this is still an enormous post #actuallyautistic

[iloveyounojutsu]

All Of Them for the ask meme. or whatever ones u wanna do kaskkaskj

1: Do you sleep with your closet doors open or closed?CLOSED

2: Do you take the shampoos and conditioner bottles from hotel?not really

3: Do you sleep with your sheets tucked in or out?i think in??

4: Have you ever stolen a street sign before?oh for sure i actually compulsively do things like that so my sister has to stop me sometimes

5: Do you like to use post-it notes?nope

6: Do you cut out coupons but then never use them?YEAH

7: Would you rather be attacked by a big bear or a swarm of a bees?bees i think

8: Do you have freckles?nope!

9: Do you always smile for pictures?nope

10: What is your biggest pet peeve?genuinely cruel people

11: Do you ever count your steps when you walk?i used to

12: Have you ever peed in the woods?nope

13: What about pooped in the woods?that’s my sexy sweet secret (no)

14: Do you ever dance even if theres no music playing?oh yes

15: Do you chew your pens and pencils?sometimes

16: How many people have you slept with this week?none in my life

17: What size is your bed?medium

18: What is your Song of the week?https://youtu.be/D2uLAWhFcuI , heard it in an edit and i cant get it out of my head? also https://youtu.be/b7cls_NxM1U

19: Is it okay for guys to wear pink?yeah

20: Do you still watch cartoons?yeah

21: Whats your least favorite movie?i hate old movies :/ stuff like little rascal and things like that idk so probably those

22: Where would you bury hidden treasure if you had some?i wouldn’t bury it

23: If you’re a girl, bra size? If you’re a guy, pants size?i have no idea i think a 34C it’s what this one says

24: What do you dip a chicken nugget in?nothing

25: What is your favorite food?OYSTERS

26: What movies could you watch over and over and still love?Room

27: Last person you kissed/kissed you?no one

28: Were you ever a boy/girl scout?hell no

29: Would you ever strip or pose nude in a magazine?fuck yeah if i was getting good pay

30: When was the last time you wrote a letter to someone on paper?when i wrote a letter to you for your package

31: Can you change the oil on a car?no i’m gay

32: Ever gotten a speeding ticket?i’m gay dont drive

33: Ever ran out of gas?actually yeah on a highway my mom was driving

34: Favorite kind of sandwich?turkey w mayo cheese n pickles

35: Best thing to eat for breakfast?cereal or a nutella pancake

36: What is your usual bedtime?LOL

37: Are you lazy?yes

38: When you were a kid, what did you dress up as for Halloween?nothing really, my parents never bought me actual costumes.

39: What is your Chinese astrological sign?i have no idea

40: Are you horny?i’m cumrag is that even a question

41: Do you have any magazine subscriptions?nope

42: Which are better legos or lincoln logs?lego’s

43: Are you stubborn?yes

44: Who is better…Leno or Letterman?don’t know them

45: Ever watch soap operas?yep! not intentionally just there’s always a novella on somewhere here

46: Are you afraid of heights?quite

47: Do you sing in the car?yeah

48: Do you sing in the shower?sometimes

49: Do you dance in the car?yes

50: Ever used a gun?yes

51: Last time you got a portrait taken by a photographer?not sure actually

52: Do you think musicals are cheesy?i don’t like musicals actually!

53: Is Christmas stressful?quite!

54: Ever eat a pierogi?JFKFKDK idk what that is

55: Favorite type of fruit pie?… does pumpkin pie count

56: Occupations you wanted to be when you were a kid?archeologist

57: Do you believe in ghosts?no

58: Ever have a Deja-vu feeling?yes

59: Take a vitamin daily?nope!

60: Wear slippers?nope

61: Wear a bath robe?no

62: What do you wear to bed?leggings and a sweatshirt usually

63: First concert?i’ve never been to one!

64: Wal-Mart, Target or Kmart?WAL MART

65: Nike or Adidas?ooo tie

66: Cheetos Or Fritos?cheetos for sure

67: Peanuts or Sunflower seeds?FUCK that’s hard peanuts

68: Ever hear of the group Tres Bien?no

69: Ever take dance lessons?yeah! i used to take ballet and was also in a dance club at school (lol i cant dance though actually)

70: Is there a profession you picture your future spouse doing?whatever job you said you wanted!

71: Can you curl your tongue?yeah

72: Ever won a spelling bee?JDKFKFKFKFK i have a bad history with spelling bees i’ve never been in one cause i could never spell properly (i spelt teeth theeth out loud cause i cant spellfnfjkdkd)

73: Have you ever cried because you were so happy?YES

74: Own any record albums?no

75: Own a record player?no

76: Regularly burn incense?no

77: Ever been in love?am right now!

78: Who would you like to see in concert?big time rush, no joke

79: What was the last concert you saw?never seen one

80: Hot tea or cold tea?i actually dislike tea fkfkfkfkkd ive never found one i liked

81: Tea or coffee?coffee though i drink neither

82: Sugar or snickerdoodles?sugar

83: Can you swim well?i think so yes

84: Can you hold your breath without holding your nose?yes

85: Are you patient?mostly no but i can be if it depends

86: DJ or band, at a wedding?dj

87: Ever won a contest?HDJDNN i’m not sure

88: Ever have plastic surgery?no but i do want to in the future just need $9000

89: Which are better black or green olives?oooof i think green

90: Can you knit or crochet?nope

91: Best room for a fireplace?living room?

92: Do you want to get married?yeah!

93: If married, how long have you been married?not married, but me and you have been dating for over three months now

94: Who was your HS crush?technically you

95: Do you cry and throw a fit until you get your own way?GGFJFJFJKD SOMETIMES DONT CALL ME OUT

96: Do you have kids?my dog

97: Do you want kids?sure i guess!

98: Whats your favorite color?red, also deep green

99: Do you miss anyone right now?you ;; also my friend in colorado

#about me #LONG POST #LONG FUCKING POSTNFKFKFMF

[beautyindisguise00]

WHAT’S THE BIGGEST SURPRISE YOU’VE EVER HAD?

Friday night October 16 2020 @5:50pm

1. WHERE ARE YOU FROM? Wisconsin

2. WHERE DO YOU LIVE AND FOR HOW LONG? i’ve been in wisconsin my whole life of 24 years. lived in my hometown all the way til i moved to college. after i finished college i decided to stay in the town i went to college in for work purposes

3. WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE THING ABOUT WHERE YOU LIVE? the different options around town of where to shop, eat, and other fun things to do

4. WHAT DID YOU LOVE THE MOST ABOUT THE TOWN YOU GREW UP IN? the lake. i love the fact that the lake was only a 5 minute drive and i was able to go there whenever i wanted. but also, the memories of the town.

5. DO YOU HAVE ANY PETS? not anymore

6. WHAT WAS YOUR 1ST PET’S NAME? thumperlina for my big fat brown bunny

7. WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE SEASON? fall

8. WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE MOVIE? i watch a lot of movies so i dont really have a favorite

9. FAVORITE MOVIE IN THE PAST 5 YEARS? avengers infinity war. avengars endgame, crazy rich asians, knives out, and maleficent 1 and 2

10. WHAT’S A MOVIE THAT YOU LAUGHED THE HARDEST DURING? ouf, i dont remember

11. WHAT’S A MOVIE YOU CRIED THE HARDEST DURING? avengars, crazy rich, and also while you were sleeping but that’s a drama

12. WHAT’S THE BEST-ANIMATED MOVIE EVER CREATED? the good dinosaur

13. FAVORITE TV SHOW? my two all-time favorites are one tree hill and the office

14. FAVORITE TV SHOW THAT IS CURRENTLY ON? chicago pd and fire

15. WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE RESTAURANT? olive garden?

16. WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE FOOD? chicken alfredo, really good sushi, fried rice, curry

17. LEAST FAVORITE FOOD? any seafood --> shrimp, oysters, clams

18. WHAT TOPPINGS DO YOU GET ON YOUR PIZZA? pineapple and ham. hahaha yes, im that kind of person

19. FAVORITE BEVERAGE? coffee, strawberry lemondae

20. FAVORITE DESSERT? cheesecake or red velvet cake

21. IS THERE A DESSERT YOU DON’T LIKE? pumpkin pie

22. CAKE OR PIE? cake!

23. WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM? mackinaw island fudge, mint chocolate chip, strawberry cheesecake

24. WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE CONDIMENT? honey mustard

25. WHAT DO YOU GET FOR BRUNCH? crepes with nutella and strawberries

26. IT’S 4 AM ON A SATURDAY NIGHT, WHAT DO YOU EAT? fried noodles with two poached eggs

27. WHAT ONE THING DO YOU HAVE IN YOUR FRIDGE AT ANY GIVEN TIME? eggs

28. WEIRDEST THING YOU’VE EVER EATEN? duck and this one indian thing i dont remember

29. WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE BAND? one direction and tenth avenue north

30. FAVORITE SOLO ARTIST? liam payne, harry styles, niall horan, louis tomlinson, zayn malik. hahaha and ed sheeran, halsey, 

31. FAVORITE NONLIVING MUSICIAN? --

32. FAVORITE LYRICS? “and if the whole world was watching, i’d still dance with you” “baby im falling. head over heels. looking for ways to let you know just how i feel”

33. FAVORITE SONG OF ALL TIME? theres no way i could choose

34. FAVORITE ALBUM? again ^^

35. WHAT’S THE LAST SONG YOU LISTENED TO? currently singing like to the “while you were sleeping” ost  right now “it’s you” by henry

36. IF YOUR LIFE WERE A SONG WHAT WOULD THE TITLE BE? beauty in disguise 

37. WHAT SONG WOULD YOU PROBABLY BE CAUGHT DANCING ALONE TO? any of my current favorites right now

38. IF YOU COULD SING A DUET WITH SOMEBODY WHO WOULD IT BE? halsey. that would be so cool

39. IF YOU COULD MASTER ONE INSTRUMENT WHAT WOULD IT BE? guitar 

40. WHAT IS YOUR GO-TO KARAOKE SONG? ugh, i hate karaoke 

41. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU CURRENTLY READING OR THE LAST BOOK YOU READ? probably back when i was rereading one of the “to all the boys i’ve loved” trilogy 

42. WHAT’S A BOOK THAT YOU PLAN ON READING? prayer by tim keller. i just ordered it online and it should be coming in on monday

43. WHAT’S A BOOK THAT YOU READ BECAUSE EVERYONE ELSE WAS READING IT? twilight series. haha

44. WHAT’S A BOOK THAT YOU READ IN SCHOOL THAT POSITIVELY SHAPED YOU? mhmm...i dont remember. not that it posititive shaped me but the great gatsby was really interesting. also, when i was student teaching, i read number the stars with my kids and it was a great historical fiction book to read

45. WHAT’S A BOOK IN SCHOOL THAT YOU HATED? i didnt hate it, but there was this one book we read in ap lit and as a project, my friends made the movie version of it

46. WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE BOOK? to all the boys trilogies 

47. WHAT’S A BOOK YOU WISH YOU HAD WRITTEN? ^^

48. DARK CHOCOLATE OR MILK CHOCOLATE? i like both but if i had to choose, then dark

49. UNDERWATER OR OUTER SPACE? underwater like in a submarine or something were i knew i was safe

50. DOGS OR CATS? dogs for sure

51. KITTENS OR PUPPIES? ohh, puppies of course 

52. DOLPHINS OR KOALAS? dolphins! i really wanted to swim with dolphins when i was in florida but it didnt work out in our schedule 

53. BIRD WATCHING OR WHALE WATCHING? whale watching

54. WHAT IS YOUR SPIRIT ANIMAL? i dont really know. probably a sea otter. haha theyre so chill and they stick around with their peeps 

55. TO BE OR NOT TO BE? aint that the question to be answered

56. IPHONE OR ANDROID? iphone

57. TWITTER OR INSTAGRAM? insta

58. VINE OR SNAPCHAT? snap. i never had a vine but i remember watching a few vines. well i guess tik tok is the new vine now

59. WHO SHOULD EVERYONE BE FOLLOWING RIGHT NOW? Jesus. haha kidding not kidding

60. WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE APP? WEBSITE? probably youtube

61. WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE SUBJECT IN SCHOOL? psych 

62. WHAT WAS YOUR BEST SUBJECT IN SCHOOL? psych and math 

63. WHAT WAS YOUR WORST SUBJECT IN SCHOOL? ap lit 

64. WHAT SUBJECT WOULD YOU TEACH IN SCHOOL? psych or a lower level math class 

65. WHAT IS ONE THING YOU WISH YOU KNEW IN HIGH SCHOOL? enjoy what you love doing as much as you can

66. WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE YOURSELF AT 13? girl, be confident. you are beautiful. you are smart. and you are enough. dont worry about what others think and dont worry about the future because i got you. 

67. HOW TALL ARE YOU? 5′0

68. WHO IS YOUR FASHION ICON? eh, no one really

69. WHAT’S YOU FAVORITE FASHION TREND? well since right now is fall, i really like long cardigan with cute booties 

70. WHAT ARE 3 THINGS YOU ALWAYS HAVE IN YOUR BAG (BESIDES PHONE AND WALLET)? phone charger, hand sanitizer, and a mask. haha oh covid days

71. WHAT IS A CURRENT TREND YOU HOPE DOESN’T EXIST IN 100 HUNDRED YEARS? masks

72. WHAT’S YOUR MUST HAVE FASHION ACCESSORY? eyebrows done? haha my clothing fashion is pretty simple so i dont really have accessories but maybe a watch i guess 

73. HEELS OR FLATS? depends. on a day to day then flats but for special occasions then heels

74. DIAMONDS OR PEARLS? eh, i guess i like both 

75. BLOW-DRY OR AIR-DRY? usually air dry unless i need to be ready asap

76. WHAT COLOR DRESS DID YOU WEAR TO PROM? i didnt really attend my high school dances. my first and last hs dance was homecoming and that was only because i was on the homecoming court. i wore a red strapless dress

77. FAVORITE COCKTAIL? sex on the beach, mimosas, strawberry daiquiris, margaritas 

78. WHAT DO YOU USUALLY ORDER AT STARBUCKS? white chocolate mocha. either hot or iced depending on the weather 

79. COFFEE OR TEA? coffee. i tried to drink more tea but i always resort back to coffee. haha

80. HOW DO YOU LIKE YOUR COFFEE? i usually make my coffee at home. i just put in a mocha or caramel kcup then add in creamer. some days i’ll add in half and half or some chocolate/caramel syrup

81. WHO IS A PERSON YOU WANT TO HAVE COFFEE WITH? megan markle. odd but why not 

82. WHAT HISTORICAL FIGURE DO YOU WANT TO HAVE COFFEE WITH? general vang pao

83. IF YOU COULD LIVE IN ANY HISTORICAL DECADE, WHAT WOULD IT BE AND WHERE? probably the 90s

84. WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE COUNTRY TO VISIT? havent left mine yet. haha

85. WHAT’S THE LAST COUNTRY YOU VISITED? my own. haha

86. WHAT’S A COUNTRY YOU WISH TO VISIT? somewhere in the east. maybe like france or italy or korea or taiwan

87. WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE STATE TO VISIT? florida

88. WHAT’S THE LAST STATE YOU VISITED? michigan

89. WHAT’S A STATE YOU WISH TO VISIT? colorado, new york, california 

90. WHAT’S THE BEST VACATION SPOT? bora bora! ouuu someday for me i hope!

91. WHERE DOES ONE GO ON A PERFECT ROAD TRIP? honestly, anywhere. just gather your friends, pack up, stock up, and drive

92. FAVORITE CITY? right now, probably orlando 

93. PILATES OR YOGA? i like both but if i had to choose then yoga

94. JOGGING OR SWIMMING? swimming!

95. FAVORITE WAY TO WORKOUT? ugh, at home

96. LEAST FAVORITE WAY TO WORKOUT? at the gym lifting weight. i always feel so awkward

97. BEST WAY TO DECOMPRESS? shower, then dinner and movie in bed with a glass of wine

98. WHAT’S THE BEST FIRST DATE IDEA? dinner and a drive to a fun spot

99. WHAT’S LOVE? genuine love towards someone regardless of their flaws, always

100. MAJOR TURN ON? neck kisses, vlines, touching

101. MAJOR TURN OFF? bad hygiene, rudeness, cockiness

102. WHAT’S THE WEIRDEST THING A GUY HAS DONE OR SAID TO TRY AND IMPRESS YOU? stalk my facebook and screen shot my old posts and send them to me OR ignoring my non-subtle hints that i have a boyfriend and do not want to hangout alone to “netflix and chill”

103. WHAT’S THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT SOMEONE WHEN YOU MEET THEM? their smile and personality and how they made me feel

104. DO YOU BELIEVE IN LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT? nah

105. BEST GIFT YOU EVER RECEIVED? im not really a big gift person but my mom gave me a micheal kors winter jacket

106. LAST GIFT YOU GAVE A FRIEND? i bought some baby shower gifts to my boyfriend’s brother and sister-in-law’s baby, baby Grace :)

107. BEST GIFT TO GET FOR SOMEONE? like a generic gift? probably wine or a watch depending on the occasion 

108. WHAT’S THE BIGGEST SURPRISE YOU’VE EVER HAD? my boyfriend coming to visit me last christmas because i was so stress out and i thought we were suppose to meet up around christmas but he had his own plans that i was not aware of which then made me even more stress when i found out his plans but overall it was a very nice surprise and definitely helped me destress afterwards

109. WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE COLOR? white

110. LEAST FAVORITE COLOR? probably brown

111. WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE TYPE OF FLOWER? i dont think i have one

112. WHO IS YOUR FAVORITE COMEDIAN? dont have one either 

113. WHO IS YOUR FAVORITE ACTION STAR? chris evans, tom holland

114. BEST SUPERHERO CREATED? captain america

115. IF YOU HAD ONE SUPERPOWER WHAT WOULD IT BE? to teleport 

116. WHAT’S YOUR KRYPTONITE? too much snow. haha

117. BIGGEST PHOBIA? deep waters and heights

118. FAVORITE DISNEY MOVIE? dont have one 

119. FAVORITE DISNEY CHARACTER? ^^

120. FAVORITE HOLIDAY? christmas

121. WHAT’S YOUR BEST HALLOWEEN COSTUME? a dead bride. haha

122. WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE PLOT-TWIST? whenever my favorite characters in a tv show gets killed off

123. IF YOU COULD DO A FLASH-MOB WHERE WOULD IT BE? new york, like how cliche and iconic that would be

124. WHAT’S THE COOLEST THING IN YOUR BEDROOM? my pineapple lamp

125. IF YOU GOT A TATTOO WHERE WOULD IT BE? probably on my side or somewhere on my arm

126. WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE CURSE WORD? shiiiiiiiiiit

127. WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE BOARD GAME? exploding kittens not really a board game but close enough

#beautyindisguise00 #gettoknowme #q&a #survey #questionnaire

[englishforward-blog]

English Idioms Every Student Should Know

I was walking along the beach this morning with Sue, looking out over the waves at the beautiful sunrise and watching the dogs chase crabs in the shore break as the incoming tide rushed up the beach.

We were having fun discussing idioms and trying to see how many we could remember that related to the sea and the beach.

Here is a dozen that you probably know, and if you don’t, are great to learn as idioms to help you sound more like a native English speaker or somebody who has a good grasp of conversational English.

When you are really happy and everything your life seems to be going really well you can use “life‘s a beach “. This has quite the opposite meaning of the more well-known idiom, “life is a bitch “which means your life not going well at all, and things are hard.

As we walked up towards the rocks just on the inside of the bay, the Seine netters had beached their boat on the shore and were gathering the nets, sifting through their catch and throwing all of the smaller fish back and putting the bigger ones into the baskets to take to the market.

An idiom I was reminded of as I watched some of the fish flopping around on the beach is “like a fish out of water“ which is used to describe a situation where you are not comfortable in the surroundings you find yourself in, or you feel awkward because you’re very different from the people around you. An example of this could be when you walk into a party and everyone around you is speaking English fluently, and you can only grasp certain bits of the conversation, you may feel like “a fish out of water“.

When you are chatting with friends describing the opportunities that will be available to you once you have mastered English, an idiom to use is  “the world is your Oyster “and the expression means that you can do anything you want in life in a given situation, that you have no limitations at all when you have achieved what you set out. An example of using this idiom is “once I have mastered English and I am able to speak like a native English speaker the world will be my oyster “.

Let’s say that you arrive in America as an immigrant that knows little or nothing of the country’s culture and you feel completely unsure. An idiom you can use in a situation like this are ”fresh off the boat”.

Let’s use it in a sentence…”John Van Tonder arrived in the United States last week, and he doesn’t even know where he’s going to stay. He is fresh off the boat”.

Let’s leave the sea and beach idioms for a while and think about six idioms with examples that you can use in everyday conversation to help you sound more like a native English speaker. I’ll give you the idiom as well an example of how you could use them in everyday conversation.

“A blessing in disguise”– this can be used as part of a sentence to describe something that is actually good but that may seem bad at first.  Example: John’s bus didn’t stop for chicken pies on the way to the game. At first, he was very disappointed, but later when the passengers on the bus that had stopped to buy the pies all got food poisoning, he saw this had been a blessing in disguise”

“Bite the bullet”– this can be used as part of the sentence to describe a situation where you need to get something over with because it is inevitable. Example: “You have to pass your English exam at the end of the year so you might as well bite the bullet and put the hours you need to study so you can do well”

“Break a leg”– this idiom can be used by itself and it basically means to wish somebody good luck. Example: You hear I’m going to write my exam tomorrow, and shout out to me “Break a leg!”

“Call it a day”– this is used as part of a sentence when you decide to stop doing something. Some synonyms would be to admit defeat, stop trying and to give up, to surrender or to admit that you’ve been beaten. Example: “Jill has been studying really hard for the English exam and has pushed an all-nighter two days in a row. She is really tired and has called it a day”.

“Give someone the benefit of the doubt” – this can be used in a situation where you decide to believe somebody, even though you are not sure that what the person is saying is true. Example: “She was late because her flight had been canceled, and we gave her the benefit of the doubt”.

“Get your act together” – this can be used by itself or in a sentence. Example: “You better get your act together. If you fail another test you will not be allowed to write the exam “

To really understand English as it is spoken in real life you have to be familiar with idioms. Thinking of these idioms made me laugh as I thought of their literal translation.

“As cool as a cucumber” – this means calm or very calmly, especially when you’re under pressure. Example: “He was stuck in the elevator for two hours, but walked into the room as cool as a cucumber, as if nothing has even happened.”

“Kick the bucket”– this is a euphemism and an informal saying or slang meaning “to die“. Example: “Jim finally kicked the bucket at 97 years old”.

“A piece of cake” –  used when something is very easy to do. Example: “I studied really hard for the English exam and it was a piece of cake “.

“Storm in a teacup” – you could use this when there is a lot of unnecessary anger and worry about something that’s not really that important. Example: “We had a huge argument in class today about who’s team is going to win the Eurocup but it was a storm in a teacup”.

Learning idioms makes English really fun and will certainly help you sound more confident and more like a native English speaker.

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[feycreature]

1-100

 1. What is you middle name? thanks to u its viktor now2. How old are you? 163. When is your birthday? september 144. What is your zodiac sign? virgo5. What is your favorite color? red!6. What’s your lucky number? 147. Do you have any pets? i have 3 dogs named cooper buster and carly8. Where are you from? ohio9. How tall are you? 5′610. What shoe size are you? like a 911. How many pairs of shoes do you own? 412. What was your last dream about? i dont even remember13. What talents do you have? hahahhahahahaaaahahah,14. Are you psychic in any way? i can guess the killer in a murder mystery usually just on impulse15. Favorite song? currently, malfunction by steam powered giraffe16. Favorite movie? i never watch movies but i guess wonder woman17. Who would be your ideal partner? @nyalfons-heiderich18. Do you want children? NOPE19. Do you want a church wedding? nah20. Are you religious? nope21. Have you ever been to the hospital? ive been to the e.r (theres a story there if anyone wants me to share) but ive never been hospitalized22. Have you ever got in trouble with the law? i dont think so23. Have you ever met any celebrities? no, but my aunt made shoes for shaq once24. Baths or showers? showers25. What color socks are you wearing? im not26. Have you ever been famous? nope27. Would you like to be a big celebrity? not really28. What type of music do you like? anything tbh29. Have you ever been skinny dipping? nope30. How many pillows do you sleep with? theres 6 on my bed but i only use 331. What position do you usually sleep in? on my side, hugging a pillow32. How big is your house? uhhh 3 bedrooms, 1.5 bathroom, idk square footage33. What do you typically have for breakfast? changes all the time34. Have you ever fired a gun? yes35. Have you ever tried archery? i have an archery range in my basement36. Favorite clean word? quixotic37. Favorite swear word? FUCK38. What’s the longest you’ve ever gone without sleep? like, 2 entire days39. Do you have any scars? i have a scar on my forehead, from the e.r visit40. Have you ever had a secret admirer? nope41. Are you a good liar? probably not but i like to think i am42. Are you a good judge of character? ^43. Can you do any other accents other than your own? i can do a cheesey british accent and horrible excuses of australian and southern accents44. Do you have a strong accent? i dont think so45. What is your favorite accent? australian i guess46. What is your personality type? INFP47. What is your most expensive piece of clothing? uhhh i have a pair of sneakers that cost 80 bucks but with the power of Coupons i only paid 1048. Can you curl your tongue? ye49. Are you an innie or an outie? innie50. Left or right handed? ok well im left handed by nature but my grandma didnt let me be left handed so everything i learned before she died i do with my right hand, but everything else like using knives i do with my left51. Are you scared of spiders? yes52. Favorite food? buffalo chicken53. Favorite foreign food? sushi i guess54. Are you a clean or messy person? messy55. Most used phrased? “it sure is”56. Most used word? probably “sure”57. How long does it take for you to get ready? including showering? like 20 minutes58. Do you have much of an ego? i dont think so59. Do you suck or bite lollipops? both60. Do you talk to yourself? yes61. Do you sing to yourself? YES62. Are you a good singer? ive been told i am but i dont think so63. Biggest Fear? throwing up64. Are you a gossip? not rly65. Best dramatic movie you’ve seen? idk66. Do you like long or short hair? i like having short hair67. Can you name all 50 states of America? probably68. Favorite school subject? choir69. Extrovert or Introvert? introvert70. Have you ever been scuba diving? nope71. What makes you nervous? existing72. Are you scared of the dark? yes73. Do you correct people when they make mistakes? i try not to but i end up doing it anyway74. Are you ticklish? ye  a h75. Have you ever started a rumor? not intentionally76. Have you ever been in a position of authority? unfortunately yes77. Have you ever drank underage? nope78. Have you ever done drugs? uhhh ive gotten hotboxed against my will79. Who was your first real crush? uhhh the first crush who i was actually into was i think @remuuslupiin80. How many piercings do you have? none, unfortunately81. Can you roll your Rs?“ ye82. How fast can you type? decently fast i think83. How fast can you run? not very84. What color is your hair? brown85. What color is your eyes? brown86. What are you allergic to? cats, probably oysters87. Do you keep a journal? nope88. What do your parents do? my mom is a bartender and a catering driver and my dad services fireplaces89. Do you like your age? i mean, im not gonna be this age for very long90. What makes you angry? lots of things91. Do you like your own name? i picked it myself!92. Have you already thought of baby names, and if so what are they? i dont want kids93. Do you want a boy a girl for a child? ^^^94. What are you strengths? i can problem solve i think95. What are your weaknesses? everything96. How did you get your name? i looked at phoenix wright and thought “damn thats a cool name”97. Were your ancestors royalty? fuck if i know98. Do you have any scars? yeah this question is here twice99. Color of your bedspread? white100. Color of your room? green

#pull-like-hematite

[monstrousthingsrp]

Time Period Quick Reference:

Courtesy the lovely Erin (@incre-et-painture) we now have a handy-dandy little reference to help us all “flow with the times” without having to struggle between either spending precious time researching or winging it and hoping for the best! She actually lived in England during the period in which our game is set, so if you have additional questions about the setting she’ll be happy to help you out--

Although keep in mind that this is an alternate universe. As such, specific individual facts and historical events may be different. So don’t worry about getting bogged-down in the details; after all, this is a world in which The Cold War was replaced by The Worldwide Witchunt Wars. There probably was no Cuban Missile Crisis; there may not have even been a Space Race! We’ve left particular historical details vague enough that we can tailor them to suit whatever plot-points we all decide to develop.

So just as with the timeline, view the following as a reference guideline, not a checklist to obey!

Technology:

This is probably the most important one for us, as unlike most Potterverse games we’re actually playing in a world where your character very well might have access to the sort of technology that we take for granted in our current lives -- albeit several generations older than what we’ve got on hand now!

Most computers operate using ethernet cords to connect to the internet, laptops weigh an extremely portable 52 pounds, basically, and camera phones are cutting edge technology. The pictures taken with them are notoriously grainy at this stage and definitely not the crystal clear video we’re used to.

Most mobile phones operate on a “top up” method where you pay for minutes. They’re called track phones in the U.K. Also, most people are paying per text message sent, but it’s still a popular method of communication. You can top up your minutes in most convenience stores and by calling into your provider’s number. There aren’t any smartphones, apps, and other things like that. Public payphones still exist, although they are fading out by this point.

Travel is done by taxi, bus, and tube. Lyft and Uber do not exist. Londoners love the Tube and definitely travel that way frequently. For frequent travelers, Oyster cards are refillable cards that are similar to the Metro cards we use in the US. In fact, 2004 was the first year that Oyster cards existed. They can also be used on the bus and train, but not on taxis.

Please also remember that trains are a popular method of travel for Europeans. They’re also very reliable and a great way to get around. (As for whether people would be comfortable sharing a carriage with someone who’s got stars by their eyes, well...)

Pop Culture: Sport

As much as it breaks my heart, Manchester United won the FA cup in 2004. (Mod Note: her Erin, maybe in this messed-up world West Ham isn’t a total lost cause? I mean, sport doesn’t have to have happened the same as it did in reality, and we’ve got so many crazy things going on here already -- wealthy Weasleys, werewolf-friendly Blacks, a living Regulus...stranger things could happen, right?)

For those of you interested in talking football, here are the league tables for that season. Please keep in mind that different teams are in different leagues so, if your character follows a team, make sure you know who they play. :)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2004%E2%80%9305_Football_League

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2004%E2%80%9305_FA_Premier_League

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2004%E2%80%9305_Football_League_Championship

Pop Culture: Telly

The Television lineup in Britain in real 2004-2005 contained the shows:

Little Britain

Spooks

Eastenders

Still Game

Dr. Who (the new series had just started, but the reruns were still extremely popular and well-loved by a majority of British people)

Casualty

The Doctors

Holby City

River City

Blue Peter

Strictly Come Dancing

And news is broadcast on the BBC News

For a comprehensive list, please see this article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_television_programmes_broadcast_by_the_BBC

Please pay attention to the years listed for each program to make sure that it’s applicable...and feel free to make up shows of your own that might exist in this reality! Just keep in mind that TV in England was a much smaller, lower-budget, more contained entity than the overwhelming glut of channels going on in America.

Pop Culture: Music

This will be a painful trip for some of us. After all, I think we’d probably all rather forget that Kelis ever proclaimed that her milkshake brings all the boys to the yard. However, it’s a sad fact that she did, and this is the time when it happened!

Now again, we are living in an alternate reality here, so feel free to make up other songs and singers and groups -- both mundane and magical; maybe the Weird Sisters and Celestina Warbeck don’t exist here (and maybe they do) but there are surely still some magical musicians (maybe some taking advantage of the “dangerous” aura their magic grants them, while others might try and downplay it) so please, let your imaginations run wild! Maybe this Brittany Spears never sang Toxic but rather Cursed...maybe this Goldie Lookin Chain wrote Wands Don’t Kill People, Rappers Do. Who knows, have fun! The following list is for reference so that you know what kind of music and what kind of bands (probably) exist in this world and this time. And, maybe, to give you all a trip -- pleasant or otherwise -- down nostalgia lane. Enjoy!

Here are the Top 100 Songs of 2004 in the UK:

01 Eamon ~ F**k It (I Don't Want You Back)

02 Eric Prydz ~ Call On Me

03 Anastacia ~ Left Outside Alone

04 DJ Casper ~ Cha Cha Slide

05 Usher featuring Lil' Jon & Ludacris ~ Yeah!

06 Frankee ~ FURB (F U Right Back)

07 Kelis ~ Milkshake

08 Mario Winans featuring Enya & P Diddy ~ I Don't Wanna Know

09 3 Of A Kind ~ Baby Cakes

10 Michelle McManus ~ All This Time

11 Britney Spears ~ Everytime

12 Michael Andrews featuring Gary Jules ~ Mad World

13 Destiny's Child ~ Lose My Breath

14 The Shapeshifters ~ Lola's Theme

15 Outkast ~ Hey Ya!

16 LMC vs U2 ~ Take Me To The Clouds Above

17 O-Zone ~ Dragostea Din Tei

18 The Streets ~ Dry Your Eyes

19 Busted ~ Thunderbirds / 3AM

20 Usher ~ Burn

21 Britney Spears ~ Toxic

22 Natasha Bedingfield ~ These Words

23 Ozzy & Kelly Osbourne ~ Changes

24 Boogie Pimps ~ Somebody To Love

25 Kelis ~ Trick Me

26 The Rasmus ~ In The Shadows

27 Band Aid 20 ~ Do They Know It's Christmas?

28 Nelly ~ My Place / Flap Your Wings

29 D12 ~ My Band

30 McFly ~ 5 Colours In Her Hair

31 Girls Aloud ~ I'll Stand By You

32 Cassidy featuring R Kelly ~ Hotel

33 Jamelia ~ Thank You

34 Peter Andre ~ Mysterious Girl

35 Maroon 5 ~ This Love

36 Eminem ~ Just Lose It

37 Rachel Stevens ~ Some Girls

38 Khia ~ My Neck My Back (Lick It)

39 Christina Milian ~ Dip It Low

40 McFly ~ Obviously

41 JoJo ~ Leave (Get Out)

42 Deep Dish ~ Flashdance

43 Lemar ~ If There's Any Justice

44 J-Kwon ~ Tipsy

45 Will Young ~ Leave Right Now

46 Sean Paul featuring Sasha ~ I'm Still In Love With You

47 Brian McFadden ~ Real To Me

48 Girls Aloud ~ Love Machine

49 Katie Melua ~ The Closest Thing To Crazy

50 2Play featuring Raghav & Jucxi ~ So Confused

51 Twista ~ Sunshine

52 Sam & Mark ~ With A Little Help From My Friends / Measure Of A Man

53 Robbie Williams ~ Radio

54 Blue ~ Breathe Easy

55 The Black Eyed Peas ~ Shut Up

56 Twista ~ Slow Jamz

57 Busted ~ Who's David

58 Ice Cube featuring Mack 10 & Ms Toi ~ You Can Do It

59 U2 ~ Vertigo

60 Girls Aloud ~ The Show

61 N*E*R*D ~ She Wants To Move

62 Christina Aguilera featuring Missy Elliott ~ Car Wash

63 Nina Sky ~ Move Ya Body

64 Anastacia ~ Sick And Tired

65 Maroon 5 ~ She Will Be Loved

66 Ja Rule featuring R Kelly & Ashanti ~ Wonderful

67 Goldie Lookin Chain ~ Guns Don't Kill People, Rappers Do

68 The 411 ~ Dumb

69 Usher ~ Confessions Part II / My Boo

70 Special D ~ Come With Me

71 Kelis featuring Andre 3000 ~ Millionaire

72 Keane ~ Somewhere Only We Know

73 Duncan James & Keedie ~ I Believe My Heart

74 Jamelia ~ See It In A Boy's Eyes

75 Natasha Bedingfield ~ Single

76 The 411 featuring Ghostface Killah ~ On My Knees

77 Franz Ferdinand ~ Take Me Out

78 Gwen Stefani ~ What You Waiting For?

79 Basement Jaxx featuring Lisa Kekaula ~ Good Luck

80 George Michael ~ Amazing

81 D12 ~ How Come

82 Kylie Minogue ~ I Believe In You

83 4-4-2 ~ Come On England

84 Jay Sean featuring The Rishi Rich Project ~ Eyes On You

85 Avril Lavigne ~ My Happy Ending

86 Rachel Stevens ~ More More More

87 Enrique featuring Kelis ~ Not In Love

88 Ultrabeat ~ Feelin' Fine

89 Jennifer Lopez ~ Baby I Love U

90 Green Day ~ American Idiot

91 The Streets ~ Fit But You Know It

92 Sugababes ~ Too Lost In You

93 Victoria Beckham ~ This Groove / Let Your Head Go

94 Ronan Keating ~ She Believes (In Me)

95 Shaznay Lewis ~ Never Felt Like This Before

96 Britney Spears ~ My Prerogative

97 Ashlee Simpson ~ Pieces Of Me

98 Busted ~ Air Hostess

99 Outkast featuring Sleepy Brown ~ The Way You Move

100 The Black Eyed Peas ~ Hey Mama

For the rest of 2004 in music in the real world, please go to this wikipedia entry: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2004_in_British_music_charts

Random Stuff:

Since the standard closing time for a pub is 11 PM, that’s when “Needles” closes. There are after-hours nightclubs, and people probably go to them, but Needles does its last call at 10:45.

Prostitution is not illegal in Britain, but running a brothel is. Basically, a person can sell themselves, but you can’t sell other people. (I just feel like this is useful information.)

Gun Control Laws had banned both automatic and semi-automatic weapons. Rifles were still allowed for those with hunting permits.

Courtesy Millie @theinvisibleboi: 2004 is also the year Facebook launched (although at that point it would have still been restricted to school e-mail accounts) and the Olympics were held in Athens, in case anyone wanted to feel old! (Probably wix would not be allowed to compete...but if anyone wants to create some kind of controversial Olympics history or event for this world, or otherwise alter history to conform to to AU, please feel free!)

Again, please use this wonderful collection of data that Erin has so helpfully provided us with for as general reference, not uncompromising and stone-set facts that you must know, utilize, and memorize! None of us are expert historians and unless you do something really obvious like reference an iPhone or One Direction, we aren’t going to call you out on it -- especially when an “error” might just be a difference between this world and our own. This is just to help you get in the “vibe” of the time period, not information that you’ll be tested on later. So don’t panic, stay loose, and feel free to get creative!

Thanks once more to Erin for putting this together for all of us, and remember that if you have questions about anything else regarding England in 2005, please feel free to message her and she’ll help out as best she can!

#hp au #hp au rp #hprpg #hp roleplay #bio rpg #world building

[mrs-entwistle]

1-154

1:Full name?I don’t feel comfortable putting my full name on the Internet, sorry!2:Age?21.3:3 Fears?Dying young/alone, insects, and heights. 😣4:3 things I love?Video games, Christmas, and antique stores! 5:4 turn ons?A bright mind, a kind heart, a good sense of humor, and beautiful blue eyes.6:4 turn offs?Rudeness/disrespect, no communication, lack of affection, and caring only about sex. 7:My best friend?Jeremy and my bf Stephen :’)8:Sexual orientation?Pansexual!9:My best first date?I honestly don’t even know? 10:How tall am I?About 5'2", I think.11:What do I miss?Stephen while he’s at work!12:What time was I born?I’m actually not 100% sure? I wanna say sometime around 6-7 am but I’m not positive.13:Favorite color?Blue! 💙14:Do I have a crush?Yes, on my boyfriend 😎15:Favorite quote?I’m never good at answering this question, I can never really think of any quotes 😅🙈16:Favorite place?Antique stores are guaranteed to be a favorite place of mine, no matter what. 17:Favorite food?Anything involving chicken and cheese, tbh. But my favorite treat is always brownies. 😍18:Do I use sarcasm?Quite heavily, yes 😂19:What am I listening to right now?Don’t Fear The Reaper - Blue Oyster Cult20:First thing I notice in new person?I tend to notice everything at once. I’m a quick judge of character and I’m very good at taking things in.21:Shoe size?6.22:Eye color?Brown.23:Hair color?Also brown!24:Favorite style of clothing?Anything that looks like it came directly from Stevie Nicks or Marc Bolan. 😎 I love ‘60s and '70s-esque clothing. It’s the best!25:Kiss someone that starts with the letter “R”?Nope. 27:Meaning behind my URL?I’m John Entwistle’s wife 😘28:Kiss someone that starts with the letter “M”?Nope again.29:Favorite song?That’s waaaaaay too hard of a question, my dude. 😂 Anything by The Who, I’ll just say that.30:Favorite band?The Who, for sure 🤗❤️31:How I feel right now?Very nice! I’m super cozy and content and quite happy. :’) 32:Someone I love?Stephen 😊33:My current relationship status?In a relationship 🌈💕34:My relationship with my parentsMy relationship with my mom is great, we’re as close as can be- but I essentially have no relationship at all with my dad. 35:Favorite holiday?Halloween and Christmas are tied, I can’t pick between them. 😎🎃🎄36:Tattoos and piercing I have?None at all.37:Tattoos and piercing I want?I want a little crescent moon tattoo for sure, and maybe a tiny feather as well.38:The reason I joined Tumblr?It was in 2012 when I was going through an extremely tough time and I had started homeschooling due to an unfortunate decline in my health. I lost all my friends at school and was looking for a way to meet new people with similar interests and occupy my time. 39:Do I and my last ex hate each other?Hate is a strong word. I don’t think he hates me, and I don’t hate him. But I don’t have anything good to say about him though; I’m pretty bitter about how things ended. 40:Do I ever get “good morning” or “good night ” texts?Whenever I’m not physically with my bf, he always sends me those and vice versa. :’)41:Have I ever kissed the last person you texted?Noooo, lmao.42:When did I last hold hands?Yesterday. 43:How long does it take me to get ready in the morning?Lmaoooo oh boy. It tends to take me at least an hour and a half to two hours. 😅😂🙈44:Have you shaved your legs in the past three days?Yeah.45:Where am I right now?On Stephen’s couch with one of his sisters while she helps assist me on a difficult part of BOTW 😂46:If I were drunk and can’t stand, who’s taking care of me?Probably Stephen m and his family, honestly.47:Do I like my music loud or at a reasonable level?Depends on how I’m feeling, but usually I prefer it loud. B)48:Do I live with my Mom and Dad?I live with my mom. But as of lately, more than half of the time I’ve been staying with Stephen and his family. 😌💕49:Am I excited for anything?My future. :’) 50:Do I have someone of the opposite sex I can tell everything to?Yes! A couple people.51:How often do I wear a fake smile?I try not to, but I do sometimes.52:When was the last time I hugged someone?Early this morning. 53:What if the last person I kissed was kissing someone else right in front of me?I would be more than devastated. But I don’t need to worry about that because that would never happen.54:Is there anyone I trust even though I should not?Probably… 55:What is something I disliked about today?My day has just begun, so nothing yet!56:If I could meet anyone on this earth, who would it be?John Entwistle, even though he isn’t alive anymore. 57:What do I think about most?Stephen and our future. 58:What’s my strangest talent?My excellent impressions. 59:Do I have any strange phobias?I have a phobia of ants that most people think is strange and “funny”.60:Do I prefer to be behind the camera or in front of it?I am fine with either, actually. I love being the subject and also the photographer. I don’t have a preference. 😁61:What was the last lie I told?Probably that I’m fine. 62:Do I perfer talking on the phone or video chatting online?Depends on the person! Probably talking on the phone, though. 63:Do I believe in ghosts? How about aliens?I 100% believe in ghosts. And I love to ponder the idea of aliens, but I’m not 100% sold on the idea. I love reading about the concept of them though. 64:Do I believe in magic?Nah. 65:Do I believe in luck?Sort of!66:What’s the weather like right now?Sunny as FUCK I hate Florida lmao67:What was the last book I’ve read?Gyo by Junji Ito 68:Do I like the smell of gasoline?Yessss, it’s gr8 👌🏼69:Do I have any nicknames?Everybody calls me Kait. And Stephen has a bunch of personal nicknames for me 😊70:What was the worst injury I’ve ever had?A fractured ankle, I’d say.71:Do I spend money or save it?I definitely spend it….. 😅72:Can I touch my nose with a tongue?Nope, I can’t.73:Is there anything pink in 10 feet from me? I don’t think so :o74:Favorite animal?Cats and bats and red pandas 😎75:What was I doing last night at 12 AM?Cuddling with Stephen.76:What do I think is Satan’s last name is?Trump LOL77:What’s a song that always makes me happy when I hear it?Kokomo by The Beach Boys78:How can you win my heart?You can’t, it’s already won 😘79:What would I want to be written on my tombstone?“She has returned to the cosmos from whence she came” 80:What is my favorite word?Groovy.81:My top 5 blogs on Tumblr?I don’t wanna list just 5 because I love so many blogs, and I don’t like playing favorites 😭82:If the whole world were listening to me right now, what would I say?Something rambly about peace, I’m sure.83:Do I have any relatives in jail?Not that I know of!84:I accidentally eat some radioactive vegetables. They were good, and what’s even cooler is that they endow me with the super-power of my choice! What is that power?Probably invisibility.85:What would be a question I’d be afraid to tell the truth on?I’m actually not sure? I’m openly honest about most things but I would probably be afraid to discuss my sexual ventures with my family if they were to ask, for example… 😅86:What is my current desktop picture?I don’t have an actual computer but my background on my iPad is a picture of John Entwistle smiling, and my background on my phone is a photo of me and Stephen at the beach that my mom took of us.87:Had sex?Yes.88:Bought condoms?Also yes.89:Gotten pregnant?Definitely not!90:Failed a class?Yes lmao 😅91:Kissed a boy?Yessss.92:Kissed a girl?Nope.93:Have I ever kissed somebody in the rain?Not yet!94:Had job?Yes. 95:Left the house without my wallet?Many times, lmao.96:Bullied someone on the internet?When I was very young; it’s not something I’m proud of. 97:Had sex in public?Nooooo, lmao.98:Played on a sports team?When I was in school, yes- the basketball team 😎99:Smoked weed?Nope.100:Did drugs?Also nope.101:Smoked cigarettes?Yeah.102:Drank alcohol?Mhm. 103:Am I a vegetarian/vegan?No I’m not. 104:Been overweight?Not really? Maybe a little when I was a preteen.105:Been underweight?Nah.106:Been to a wedding?Yes!107:Been on the computer for 5 hours straight?Most likely LOL.108:Watched TV for 5 hours straight?Also definitely a yes, especially in the past when I’ve been sick.109:Been outside my home country?Not yet!110:Gotten my heart broken?Many times.111:Been to a professional sports game?I think so?112:Broken a bone?Nah.113:Cut myself?Yes.114:Been to prom?No.115:Been in airplane?Not yet, I’m kinda scared to. 😅116:Fly by helicopter?Also no 😅117:What concerts have I been to?Art Garfunkel twice, Paul McCartney three times, The Who, The Beach Boys two or three times, Brian Wilson twice, Air Supply, Joan Jett (she opened for The Who), Ringo Starr twice, The Monkees, a Led Zeppelin tribute band, a Beatles tribute band a few times, Stevie Nicks, and I’m seeing Paul Simon in a few months 😎118:Had a crush on someone of the same sex?Yes lmao119:Learned another language?Yes!120:Wore make up?Also yes.121:Lost my virginity before I was 18?Nope. 122:Had oral sex?Yesss 👌🏼123:Dyed my hair?I used to dye it black for a few years. 124:Voted in a presidential election? No, actually.125:Rode in an ambulance?Yes :(126:Had a surgery?Thankfully not.127:Met someone famous?Yes, Ringo Starr 😎🌟128:Stalked someone on a social network?I think everyone has at some point to some extent 😅129:Peed outside?Lmao no 😂130:Been fishing?Actually, I have not!131:Helped with charity?Yes.132:Been rejected by a crush?So many times lmao 133:Broken a mirror?Accidentally! 134:What do I want for my birthday?I actually am not sure tbh? I haven’t really thought about it…as long as I get to spend it with the people I love, I’m happy :’) 135:How many kids do I want and what will be their names?At least one or two, but I haven’t thought of names, really 😌136:Was I named after anyone?My middle name is in honor of my great grandma.137:Do I like my handwriting?Yes, it’s decent sometimes! 138:What was my favorite toy as a child? Nintendo 64 LMAO I have always loved it 😎139:Favorite TV show?That '70s Show and Always Sunny.140:Where do I want to live when older?I dunno, wherever my life takes me! It would be rad to live in England though 😎141:Play any musical instrument?Sadly not, lmao.142:One of my scars, how did I get it?I fell down onto the driveway when I was little and scraped my elbow and the scar is still visible. 143:Favorite pizza toping?Pineapple ;;;;;;)144:Am I afraid of the dark?Nah.145:Am I afraid of heights?Oh yes, absolutely 😅146:Have I ever got caught sneaking out or doing anything bad?Lmaooooo kinda? 😂147:Have I ever tried my hardest and then gotten disappointed in the end?Yup, happens all the time.148:What I’m really bad at?Living 😅149:What my greatest achievments are?Getting my art to Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey tbh 150:The meanest thing somebody has ever said to me?People say mean shit to me often, I don’t know what the worst thing has been though honestly 😅🙈151:What I’d do if I won the lottery?I would grab Stephen and my family and go shoppin 💃🏻152:What do I like about myself? I like my artistic talents and capabilities and I especially like my fashion sense and music taste 😎153:My closest Tumblr friend?Jeremy 😁154:Something I fantasise about?My future, yo! ✨

Thanks v much!!! This took awhile 😅💕

#about me #long post

[notwanderlust]

Lyft Log 14 - Clumpy Semen

122 cool girl, headed to some squirrel restaurant in Rockridge.

123, 124 two separate couples. latino couple mostly silent, other than the guy singing to himself. asian couple was amazingly friendly, and loved the Bolt, and the guy was retiring his ‘97 Jetta soon to replace it with an electric car.

125, 126, 127 drove back from SF without a passenger because I didn’t want to drive in the city. first passenger, white old school oaklander, headed to pick up his car from a night before of drinking, front seater.  black guy headed to the old laundry mat I used to go to. two asian guys headed to a mediterranean restaurant on Lakeshore Ave. at one point, the white guy: “do you think oysters are annoyed by their pearls?”

128 very cute girl, new to the Piedmont neighborhood, heading to Bar Cesar. “have you ever crashed a party you weren’t invited to and knew nobody at?”

129, 130 two separate girls, one picked up at Ba-Bite. was surprised to hear i hadn’t been there yet. other lady going from one residence to another, but not sure where it was. curious what she was doing.

131 Marcus. front seater. a bizarrely weird coincidence that I know this person, but he didn’t recognize me.  we talk for too long before I realize that I know him and just met him about two weeks before. friendly and engaging conversation regardless.

132 large man. quiet.

133, 134 one asian guy, another couple, both headed down Telegraph.

—

135 pulled up to a guy and girl, both clearly drunk. the girl shoves the guy into the car and mumbles some words related to the conversation they were just having. he is slurring his words. i am uninvolved. we leave and he immediately calls her. “why are you with me?” he slurs. we drive on. “it’s not like that Megan.” “no. yes. no. but it’s...” “ok. whatever.” he gets out and I can see him call her again as he stumbles through his front door.

136 friendly woman, headed home from a friend’s house. quiet.

137 boho woman, super friendly. lives across from MacArthur BART.

138, 139, 140 two roomies, millenials and funny. amazed by the Bolt, the girl’s dad works for and has a Tesla. picked up Marquen (spelling?). very outgoing, borderline boisterous, and entirely genuine. the conversation rockets forward with him in the lead, and the other two with contributing banter. “do you ever smell your own semen? it smells like bleach?!?” “and then I looked down at it, and it was like... clumpy?” (me: “when’s the last time you went to the doctor?!” uproar.) “my ex-wife had the best pussy.” “I love when it’s shaved.” “um. shout out to hairy pussy.” (me: “shout out to his ex-wife.”) we drop off the couple and he continues talking. about the packers, religion, his kids, the bar we’re headed to... he’s a very efficient and entertaining conversationalist.  we pick up a girl on the way. he rolls down the window and screams at the bartender of the place we’ve stopped at. the bartender waves back. he interrogates the new passenger. turns out they have common Laos relations. we drop her off, and I mention web design to him, and he is ecstatic to know this about me, as he is looking for help with his new personal training business.

141 girl headed from one end of alameda to the other. quiet.

142 group of 3 drunks headed to a different bar. fun and respectful.

143 couple, headed home. best described as white trash, and that’s being respectful.

144, 145 black woman and then a black couple, headed past Lake Merritt. phone died at the very last turn of the last ride. lucky.

[somethingimworkingon]

Sneakers Unboxed: Studio to Street, at the Design Museum, London

“Sneakers Unboxed” is a brilliant name for an exhibition. It cleverly plays on the YouTube phenomenon of videoing yourself unpacking (unboxing) stuff, particularly tech or fashion items, live-reviewing and examining the product in detail in the process. In the 15 or so years since they first started to appear, unboxing videos have become a wildly popular and surreally lucrative online trend. Children unboxing toys is one huge subgenre, but trainer unboxing is right up there. If you need an intro, I recommend gamer Matthew “Nadeshot” Haag unboxing a pair of the Nike Air Max 97 Satan Shoes, made in collaboration with Lil Nas X. Launched in March this year, the initial release of 666 pairs (of course) sold out in less than a minute.

Sneakers are also an extremely lucrative industry, and one where the resale value of goods is often higher than the original price tag. One exhibit in the Design Museum explains StockX, the online marketplace and trading platform, which tracks the growth and changing trends of the secondary sneaker market. The most expensive launch of 2020, for instance, was the Jordan x Dior Jordan I Retro High, originally retailing at $2,000 but now valued at over $15,000.

Sneakers, ditto, have in recent years become wildly popular. Everyone wears them. 15 years ago summer footwear still meant sandals. For fashionistas, casual comfort was ballet flats. In 2021, whether you’re wearing a long dress, a tiny skirt, or pants of any kind, you’re almost inevitably finishing your look with trainers. This exhibition, therefore, has universal relevance, and it presents a bit of something for everyone.

There’s an introductory section including top ten sneaker-producing countries (number one: China) and top ten sneaker-consuming countries (number two: China). There is a section about the history of sneakers and music, including clips from the 2005 film Just for Kicks where Run DMC talk about how their 1986 hit “My Adidas” became the first endorsement deal between a musical act and a sportswear brand.

And there are sneakers. Lots and lots of sneakers.

Now, the thing with sneakers is you want to get up close with them. You want to see the details of stitching and fabric. Especially with new technological developments in materials, and examples like the Adidas x Parley Project (2015), below, a shoe made from illegal deep-sea gill nets and plastic waste collected by the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society.

You need to get close.

You want to see into their soles.

Which, unfortunately, is not so easy when everything is displayed in glass cabinets and some of those cabinets are quite deep. You’re looking at something that’s comparatively small, placed up to a metre away, there is glare and reflection and the lighting is not fabulous (I filtered the hell out of my pictures before posting them to Instagram.) While the curators have put together a great collection of items to show, I’m not sure they’ve actually done a great job of showing them.

Adidas IKEA Ultraboot (2017) customised by Edmond Looi

Back in 2012 the Design Museum, then on the South Bank, held a Christian Louboutin retrospective. I wrote about it on my shoe blog: “Here’s the one problem I had with this otherwise marvellous exhibition. It’s a matter of scale. Louboutins are a treat, like truffles or oysters or Ladurée macaroons. Louboutin boutiques are little boudoirs, opulently designed to show off a couple of dozen sexy shoes. Stepping into one is like visiting a particularly mouth-watering (and particularly expensive) chocolate shop or charcuterie, where you can nibble 98% cocoa bonbons or acorn-fed pata negra at fifty euros a mouthful. You indulge, you sigh happily, you leave. This exhibition is more like an all-you-can-eat buffet. Here a six-inch stiletto, next to it a spiked ankle strap, then a multi-coloured trainer covered in Swarovski crystals, then another, and another and another – at first it is bewitching, then bewildering, then you just want a bit of a lie-down.”

I had a similar sensation walking through Unboxed. There’s lots to look at, but it’s not easy to view, and you come away dissatisfied. In fact, I came away ready to buy the book – assuming there’d be a big, glossy exhibition catalogue where one could see close-ups of the shoes and read about them in a more leisurely fashion. However, the accompanying book is not that kind of book. It’s a collection of quotes from sneaker designers – which I’d be interested in except the quotes are things like, “I find myself more inspired when I interact with other creatives and share ideas,” “I am mostly inspired by the things around me. By the ordinary processes of everyday life and how we interact with the products we own and love.” Hmm.

Shaquille O’Neal’s size 22 Reebok Shaq Attaq "Orlando" (2016) 

This spring I’ve been teaching a project on “The Future Fashion Exhibition” at Condé Nast College of Fashion and Design and it’s got me thinking more than ever about what makes a successful exhibition.

An exhibition is a show and tell. You’re telling a story and showing artefacts to help with the telling. This makes sense if your exhibition is about a cultural phenomenon, such as, say, Alice in Wonderland (full disclosure: not seen it yet). You could do an exhibition about a general history of shoes, present it in vitrines and as long as the lighting was good it should work fine. However, sometimes the artefacts are the story. And an exhibition about sneakers quite definitely falls into this category. As I said earlier, you need to be able to examine the details, up close and from different angles – the way a talented YouTuber unboxes their goodies.

If I were the Design Museum, next time I’m planning an exhibition about footwear design I’d consider doing it digitally, using AR to enhance the experience. You could still have the physical display, but adding augmented reality would allow the visitor to really get into the shoes (literally – why not use try-on technology like the Wanna Kicks app?) You could examine the materials and construction of the pieces, and have the creators/designers/collectors talking about their passion in pop-out videos. 

You know – think outside the box.

[robertkstone]

2017 BMW 230i First Test Review: Back to the Future

In the early ’80s, I rode to school with an older kid in his 1973 BMW 2002. “Natch,” it was Inka orange. We lived in a hilly neighborhood where there were no straight roads, and he knew them all. I was amazed at the pace in the twists and turns that the little European car with about 100 horsepower could achieve. Body roll? Plenty, but it also had grip (Pirelli P5000 tires?), and with each corner dispatched, there was a certainty of outcome. The thing that stood out to me then was that this nonmuscle car (perennial high school faves) could do things those couldn’t—namely stick to the road like the lines painted on it. At the time, I did not know cars could do that. Hence, the rewards of “driving a slow car fast rather than driving a fast car slow” remain to this day.

2002 Reincarnated?

When BMW replaced the frumpy 1 Series in 2014 with the sleeker, more elegant 2, many thought BMW missed an opportunity to resurrect the “2002” model line—literally call it the “2002 Turbo” or something similar. Not just for gratuitous nostalgia, but because there’s a genuine lineage here. Like my friend’s ’73 2002, this front-engine, rear-drive two-door four-passenger 230i has a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine (now turbocharged), a manual transmission (now a six-speed rather than four) and orange paint (now Valencia orange). With more than double the horsepower of the 2002, certainly the 2017 230i is a rocket in comparison. Yet it goes around corners with the same tidy poise and predictability.

The last time we tested a 2 Series was the year it replaced the 1 Series. It’s interesting that when news editor Alex Nishimoto wrote about the then-new 2014 BMW 228i equipped with the optional M Sport package, he also pined for a 2002. “The bottom line is that the 2 Series is a huge win for BMW enthusiasts everywhere, and even if it isn’t the reborn 2002 that BMW’s marketing campaign says it is [and still does], it still marks a return to form for the roundel brand,” he said. We might disagree on the through line, but we agree that the 2 Series hits all the historical brand values when most of its other Series no longer do.

What’s new with 2?

The reason we’ve not tested a 2 Series (four-cylinder turbo or six-cylinder turbo) since is because not much has changed in the three years hence. Besides all-wheel drive for both 228i and M235i variants added, the (ZTR) Track Handling package was also added to the 228i in 2015. In addition to a shuffling of standard and optional equipment, a convertible was added in 2016. Our 2017 230i car has the ZTR option, too, and as it did then it now replaces: standard suspension with adaptive M Suspension (springs and adjustable dampers lower it by 10 millimeters), standard vented discs and single-piston calipers with M Sport Brakes (larger front discs with two-piston calipers), all-season run-flat tires on 17-inch wheels with Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires on 18-in wheels, and a variable-ratio steering rack replaces a traditional one. It’s a $2,300 stand-alone option that truly enhances the car’s performance and driving experience.

For 2017, two new engines made their debuts that necessitated a model name change, dropping 28i and 35i for 230i and M240i. In this case, the 230i’s new 2.0-liter turbo discreetly increases the output from 240 hp at 5,000 rpm to 248 hp at 5,200 rpm and torque from 255 to 258 lb-ft at the same 1,450-4,800-rpm plateau. In spite of the modest bump in power, according to the EPA, fuel economy is essentially the same. However, our in-house EQUA Real MPG results show a vast improvement. For the six-speed manual 230i, government estimates are 21/32/25 city/highway/combined mpg where our real-world results showed 29/38/32 mpg, or between 19-36 percent better than the EPA’s results. Also, the smoothness of the new engine’s power delivery and the reignition after an auto stop/start are vastly improved over the outgoing engine. The direct fuel injectors still make it sound a little diesellike at idle if the windows are down.

Performance

At the dragstrip, we matched BMW’s 0-60-mph downright quick estimate of 5.8 seconds but fell short of beating our previous 5.0-second best in a 228i. Why? Despite having plenty of grunt to break the 230i’s sticky Pilot Super Sports from their grip on the pavement, the 2014 228i coupe was no doubt aided by the optional eight-speed automatic that has closer ratios and also benefits from built-in launch control. It’s the same story in the quarter-mile test, where the 230i crossed the finish line at 14.4 seconds at 96.4 mph, or about a half-second and 2 mph behind the 228i. After blasting down the quarter mile a dozen or so times, associate road test editor Erick Ayapana felt that the manual shifter’s throws from gear to gear were unusually long for such a sporty car and likely added to the time deficit. He also noted that the 230i had maintained the 96- to 97-mph finish line speeds, which shows there’s ample engine/turbo cooling to maintain power even when pushed to the limit. His repeated stomps on the firm brake pedal from 60 mph resulted in consistently short 106-foot stops: “Great brakes, with no unwanted body motions or funny smells.” We found the brakes’ sublimit responses linear and easy to live with even in stop-and-go traffic.

In everyday driving, the 230i feels confident, plenty powerful, and as quick as the numbers suggest—the long-throw shifter, less of an objection. Even in Comfort mode, lag time between applying the throttle and the car responding is very slight and at such a low rpm that it goes largely unnoticed. The throttle also has a sharper response available in Sport and Sport+ modes. We also appreciated the ability to configure Sport mode: either Driveline and Chassis or just Driveline (with the chassis/dampers defaulting to Comfort). And although it is an effective fuel-saving mode, EcoPro really sucks the life out of the car by drastically reducing throttle response. In the same way BMWs once were exceptional with the ride/handling balancing act, so too is the 230i with its adjustable dampers. Even the firmest Sport+ mode is compliant and sure footed.

It’s worth mentioning that the 230i has automatic hill-hold brakes (about 2 seconds worth), and the manual transmission has an automatic rev-matching program that blips the throttle as the driver guides the shifter into a lower gear (even if skipping gears) to smooth the process. For less experienced drivers, these both also reduce lurching and clutch wear. If these simple features will help sustain interest in manual-transmission cars by making them easier for more people to live with, then we’re all for it. Be warned, those who find it rewarding to successfully dance on three pedals while downshifting—the only way to disable the match-rev feature is to disable stability control. Seems like it would be easy to make a check box in My Vehicle > Vehicle Settings menu to enable/disable this feature, no? Please, BMW, make is so.

Putting it all together

Our figure-eight test, sometimes called a racetrack in a bottle, combines acceleration, braking, and cornering; rise, and repeat. Here, the 230i outperformed the 228i by a sizeable margin, with a best lap of 25.1 seconds versus 25.8 seconds. What’s more is that the Track Handling Pack-equipped 230i gripped the skidpad with 0.95 g average lateral acceleration to the M Sport-equipped 228i’s 0.90 g best. The 228i was slightly faster in a sprint to 60 mph, but in combined performance, the automotive equivalent to competitive swimming’s “individual medley,” the 230i shows overall dynamic gains we can measure and a driver can feel.

Incidentally, it’s our practice that these figure-eight laps are completed with stability control disabled (when possible) so we can separate sound/lacking mechanical engineering from electronic “help.” Notes from the track indicated inherent goodness with all systems off. As with the outstanding BMW M2, the lesser 230i might be the closest thing to a traditional BMW that BMW currently builds. There’s a delicacy and adjustability and willingness to play in this car. It was powerful enough to attain 70 mph across the middle, and the M-spec brakes/tires did an excellent job of slowing the car for 40-ish-mph corner entry. The ability to trail-brake (blending slowing and turning) into the skidpad did not go unnoticed nor unappreciated. The fact that the pedals are properly placed for DIY heel-toe matched-rev downshifts is encouraging, too. I did, however, find myself rather busy with the steering. BMW’s notoriously inconsistent variable-ratio steering option that’s (unfortunately) baked into the Track Handling package is to blame. BMW, please make this a stand-alone option or change the rationale. The quicker ratio should be determined by increased steering angle and not decreased road speed. At any rate, exiting the skidpad, the car transitioned into a mild oversteer. That was entertaining because I could just stand on the throttle and easily ride it out with a “dab of oppo.” This is a fun, old-school BMW that actually reminded me of a 2002. We also tried a few laps in Sport+ mode with its “dynamic traction control” and stability control enabled (and thus the matched-rev feature). True, it was less taxing to manage the car with the safety net, but it was also slower and less revealing.

Value question

Were it ours to build and live with, starting with the $34,145 base price, we’d definitely opt for the $2,300 Track Handling package because it does nothing to reduce the ride comfort while truly enhancing performance. We might skip the aluminum interior trim ($350), Oyster Dakota leather ($1,450), and wireless charging ($500). However, nearly all of the other options on our test car’s considerable tally feel pretty vital to the enjoyment and livability of this particular 230i. Because heated front seats ($500 as a stand-alone option) are also marital aids, you might as well get the Cold Weather package ($700), which includes them plus a heated steering wheel and headlamp washers for an extra $200.  They come standard on some economy cars, so it’s outrageous to pay extra for a rearview camera and parking sensors in the poorly named Driving Assistance package ($950) that should be called Parking Assistance, but we would. Coughing up $2,950 for a universal garage door opener, intelligent key with push button start, moonroof, power front seats with lumbar, ambient lighting, and satellite radio, all of which are contained in the Premium package, would be OK with us. Navigation for $1,950, Xenon headlamps for $900, and $875 for the Harman/Kardon audio upgrade seem fair, but $300 for Apple CarPlay doesn’t. All told, the car as it sits is $48,070. As we might configure it: $45,770. That’s still pretty big sticker for a fun and useful little car that reminds us of a BMW 2002. Interestingly, you could actually get a Concours-ready ’73 2002 for that money. Hmm. Decision time.

2017 BMW 230i BASE PRICE $34,145 PRICE AS TESTED $48,070 VEHICLE LAYOUT Front-engine, RWD, 4-pass, 2-door coupe IFTTT

#IFTTT #PerformanceJunk WP Feed 3

[apostatemages]

You want a lot of questions?! Even numbers! All of them. Because I'm horrible ?

Right, well, first off, fuck you :)

second, this is going under a read more

third, I’m leaving out the ones I know you already know/I don’t want to answer

2: Do I have any nicknames? Ninzz3: Zodiac sign? Aquarius4: Video game I play to chill, not to win? Tomb Raider Legend. I got every achievement possible in it years ago so it’s like a comforting, familiar walk for me.5: Book/series I reread? The only one I constantly reread is Memoirs of A Geisha, which I’ve read over 25 times, but I have read 1984 and the Call of Cthulhu several times as well.6: Aliens or ghosts? If I had to pick one, aliens. Because my space parents are always dicks to me and the other ones figured out how to paralyse me7: Writer I trust enough to read whatever they write? I don’t have one of those because I’m not a huge reader in the conventional sense and most of my favourite authors are dead.10: The word that I use all the time to describe something great? Awesome or nice11: Favourite song? Right now it’s Darkwave Surfer or Innsmouth, both by Aural Vampire12: The question you ask new friends to get to know them better? What books and movies they like. It’s always a good yardstick 14: The last person who hurt me, did I forgive them? Yes. I could never stay angry at you for long15: Last song I listened to? Right now I’m listening to Burning For You - Blue Oyster Cult. Before that it was Jane - Jefferson Starship16: TV show I always recommend? It depends very much on what the other person is asking for, but in a more general sense? Buffy, AHS, Xena, Parks and Rec, Breaking Bad, Brooklyn 99. I’m not a huge TV watcher, I never saw any of those on TV when they were on, only on tape, DVD or streaming services. 18: Movie I watch when I'm feeling down? Girl Interrupted, Memoirs of A Geisha, Star Wars, Practical Magic, The Matrix. These always bring me out of a bad mood19: Song that I always start my shuffle with/wake-up song/always-on-a-loop song? My alarm is Gimme Shelter - Rolling Stones21: What am I most afraid of? Onryo34: Someone I always think about? You!35: Am I excited about anything? My moon phase tattoos, which I’m getting in just over a week37: Favourite TV shows as a child? Buffy has been a firm favourite for as long as I can remember. All my favourite kids shows were like... Mona the Vampire and Arthur, 38: Do I have someone of the opposite sex that I can tell everything to? No, not really. I’m weird about men39: Am I superstitious? Yes41: Do I have any strange phobias? I wouldn’t say any of mine are strange. Irrational, perhaps, but not strange.42: Do I prefer to be in front of the camera or behind it? I love taking photographs of people, but I rarely get the chance. To be in front of the camera it would have to be a stranger paying me to do it, or someone I trust very much.44: Last book I read? Right now I’m reading Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. One of my best friend’s brother recommended it to me.45: Last film I watched? In Her Shoes50: How do I destress? If I’m really stressed out I’ll just pull a fanon hux and fuck myself until I pass out. I’m too boneless and sated to care about anything else51: Do I like confrontation? A sick little part of me does take pleasure in it when it’s someone I don’t really like54: Do I sleep with the lights on or off? On because I see things in the dark and it scares me55: Play any sports? No, but I enjoy swimming and gymnastics.59: Afraid of heights? As much as any sensible person is.61: What was the last concert I went to see? I’ve never been to one, not as such. I saw a live performance when I was a kid by some singer that committed suicide a few years after. 62: Am I vegetarian/vegan/pescatarian? No. But I could probably be vegetarian if I needed to be?63: What occupation did I want to do when I was younger? I wanted to be a vet.64: Have I ever had a friend turn enemy? Not as such, but I’ve had friendships turn so toxic that I’ve had to end them.70: Can I sing? I’ve been told I can so I guess, yes. I don’t feel I’m very good though.71: Something I wish I could do? fucking anything, lol73: Have I ever skipped school? Yes. Once I went out and smoked weed with a couple friends and went back into the school, where I then held onto a sink and had an existential crisis because it wasn’t weed, it was fucking skunk!!77: What is my current desktop picture? A picture of Rey on a speeder, half naked78: Early bird or night owl? Night owl for sure79: Sunsets or sunrise? sunset80: Can I drive? Yes81: Story behind my last kiss? I was leaving for my train home, it was a goodbye kiss.82: Earphones or headphones? Headphones84: Story behind one of my scars? I have a chickenpox scar in the middle of my forehead. And one on my left middle knuckle from trying to punch someone and hitting the wall because they moved.88: What makes me really angry? People who have lots of money asking me why I can’t just, like, buy the things I want??89: Kindle or real book? Real books, I detest kindles.90: Favourite sporty activity? If walking doesn’t count, swimming or climbing. I can’t do much of either these days because CFS92: What was my favourite subject at school? Geology. I’m a dirty rock lover94: What was the last thing I bought? A case for my new phone, because my other one got broken, oops96: Can I cook? If I follow a recipe exactly I’m great, but if I don’t... It’s pretty disastrous.97: Can I bake? Same rules as cooking.103: Sexual orientation? This is a question that perplexes me too! I have figured out that I’m gay mostly because I am unable to trust men enough to even form true friendships with them without doubting their motives. They always want sex from me, most have gone to ridiculous lengths to get it from me, and when I refuse? They force their attentions on me. 106: Last time I cried? Last week. I had a breakdown when the above finally occurred to me during therapy, among other similarly unpleasant revelations107: Guilty pleasure? ???113: Favourite accents? I dunno, I like lots of different ones.114: A place I have not been but wish to visit? Maine!117: Am I religious? Yes, I am. I consider myself pagan but I’m not sure what subset I fall into.119: Do I like the deep ocean? I suppose so, It’s interesting! There are lots of strange little creatures down there that could be my friends.121: Am I allergic to anything? No, not that I know of.122: Can I curl my tongue? Yes123: Can I wiggle my ears? No126: My current project? Your birthday gift. After that I plan to start a Star Wars tarot deck.128: Do I admit when I wrong? Yes, I try to. Sometimes I’m so stubborn that I don’t realise I’m in the wrong but the moment I do I try and apologise129: Forest or beach? I love both very much. I couldn’t choose one. 130: Favourite piece of advice? ‘Stay afraid but do it anyway’131: Am I a good liar? When it suits me. Acting like a bad liar makes it all the more convincing when you need to do it for real.133: Do I talk to myself? Literally all the time, I basically respond to my own thoughts by talking.135: Do I like gossip? I despise it136: Do I keep a journal/diary? I keep several: One for mind stuff/events/feelings, one for dreams, one for sexual fantasies, one for magical information, one for ideas, and one for general information. I also keep notes on my calendar. Whenever I go on a trip I keep a journal specifically for that and save all my ticket stubs and leaflets and photographs.137: Have I ever hopelessly failed a test? I must have at some point but I can’t say I remember.138: Do I believe in second chances? I’m a bad for giving people extra chances when I really shouldn’t.139: If I found a wallet full of cash on the ground, what would I do? Take the money and then put it in a lost and found.140: Do I believe people are capable of change? I suppose so. At their very core, perhaps not.141: Have I ever been underweight? Yes. Quite severely - about 90lbs146: Have I ever been overweight? Never. I’ve been more muscular but that doesn’t really count. I had an extra 20lbs of muscle a few years ago.147: Do I have any piercings? I have my ears, a labret, and the left side of my nose. I had my nipples pierced for about a year149: Do I have any tattoos? Three right now, soon to be four. runes on either wrist, and script that reads ‘destiny rules’ on my left shoulder150: What is the best decision I have made in life so far? To not go to college. I would certainly have killed myself by now if I had151: Do I believe in Karma? yes 152: Do I wear glasses or contacts? glasses, contacts in this house would be a very bad idea because of all the dust and fluff155: Who is the most intelligent person I know? The friend that recommended Brave New World. I’m quite intelligent but he makes me feel very, very stupid.158: Have I ever pulled an all-nighter? Yes, many times159: Which do I value more in others, brains or beauty? Brains, obviously. I’ve known some very beautiful people that are just horrible.160: What colour mostly dominates my wardrobe? No single colour, actually. I have a lot of white, blue, purple/burgundy, and black. Also earthy, light tan colours.161: Have I ever had a paranormal experience? I’ve had too many to list!162: What do I hate most about myself? That I’m so jealous. Especially of people with more money than me, I think about that almost every day and it makes me boil with rage.163: What do I love most about myself? That’s a very hard question to answer without seeming narcissistic. I guess I like that I’m a loyal friend, willing to deal with a whooooole lot.165: Do I believe in fate? Of course, or I wouldn’t have that destiny rules tattoo would I166: Favourite animal? Hard to say. I like snakes, spiders, dogs, cats and all sorts170: One of my favourite quotes? Just one? Awwww. ‘We live on a placid island of ignorance in the midst of black seas of infinity, and it was not meant that we should voyage far.’ - H.P Lovecraft171: Do I hold grudges? No, I don’t. Or else I would become the very thing I fear.172: Do I trust easily? No, not at all! It takes a long time for me to trust a person, if I ever do174: Best gift I’ve ever received? Hard to say. In terms of sentimental value, these: your japor snippet, Noodle and Leia, the velvet dress, Agnetha, my tattoos, the Kylo bear... those are all I can think of right now. In terms of usefulness, these: my previous phone, drawing tablet, TV, leather coat and trousers, that sort of thing.175: Do I dream? Yes, often.176: Have I ever had a night terror? Many times thought it happened more when I was a child.177: Do I remember my dreams, and what is one that comes to mind? I remember them vividly when I do, and I remember one where I missed a train. The station was underground and all steel, grey and sterile. Someone told me to run through a tunnel that reminded me of the book tunnels in Apocrypha, in that it stretched out in front of me as I ran through and in the gaps was Holly, riding a unicorn. It was very odd.179: If I were immortal, what would I do? If it meant I didn’t have to eat anymore then great! I could do anything I wanted.180: Do I like shopping? I would, if I actually had money. 181: If I could get away with a crime, what would I choose to do? Murder182: What does “family” mean to me? People that love you unconditionally and are there for you when you need them185: If I could master one skill, what would I choose? Sex, because then I would be able to do what I love and be boss at it186: What is my greatest failure? Boy, let me count the ways187: What is my greatest achievement? I don’t actually know. I can’t say I’ve achieved anything of note. I’ve done some cool stuff, but are they achievements? Probably not.188: Love or money? Love of money is the root of all sin, but money cannot buy love189: Love or career? Love, I couldn’t give a shit about careers194: If I could choose my last words, what would they be? See you next time195: Would I ever want to encounter aliens? I have done. Some, I would never choose to meet but the others I don’t mind196: A movie that scared me as a child? The Ring, thanks to that shit I have a psychological complex about onryo197: Something I hated as a child that I like now? Being spanked201: A nightmare that has stayed with me? Always the onryo, I remember every nightmare I have about them very vividly203: Do I judge a book by its cover? everybody does to some extent, right? it has to catch your eye in the first place204: Have I ever had my heart broken? I’d say so, yes. I am recovering.205: Do I like my handwriting? I guess so. It changes a lot, I never think about it206: Sweet or savoury? savoury208: Do I collect anything? I collect lots of things; bottle caps, coins, vhs tapes, etc etc209: Item of clothing or jewellery you’ll never see me without? My japor snippet and my siberian blue quartz pendant. And my various piercings. I’ve had the same earrings in for about 3 years now. 211: How do I handle anger? badly212: Was I named after anyone? Inanna, the Sumerian goddess of love, fertility, sex, and war.213: Do I use sarcasm a lot? Yeah...214: What TV character am I most like? Probably a strange mix of Andy and April from Parks and Rec215: What is the weirdest talent I have? I don’t have one, now that I think about it. I have hyperextended elbows216: Favourite fictional character? Tough one, tough one. Right now it has to be Kylo. But the most enduring would have to be Padme. I have a sticker of her on my bedroom door that I put there in 2000.

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