#(( Guess who finally remembered that Saturday is Fuck with Travis day? ))

[smiledotdeer]

“Are you bored? Looking for something to do? Feeling mischievous or even violent? I sure am!”

“Why not give ✨ Harassing Travis ✨ a try? Not only will you get to flex your  creativity and let out some pent-up frustrations, but it’ll earn you friendship points with me!“

"Did I forget to mention it’s absolutely free?”

“For those that are new or have forgotten, he resides at 3816 Nash Street and likes to frequent a bar in Pride called The Cackling Crow. Do with this information as you see fit!”

“I’ll be watching!”

#nightmare on nash street (fucking with travis) #charlie alpha lima (broadcast) #national public radio (dash commentary allowed) #(( Guess who finally remembered that Saturday is Fuck with Travis day? ))

[pinupghoul]

Weird personal post just for my own memory sake

So I broke my ankle for the second time in two years last Saturday during a roller derby clinic my team was hosting and I want to write out how it’s been so I could remember it in detail. Hurting yourself like this is something that people don’t really explain when you ask what it’s like. Maybe people forget which is why I want to write it all out.

When I broke I was going in for a hit. I was the pivot and wanted to get a girl I know is a hard hitter out of my jammers way. She hit me back (I’m convinced illegally since she was facing non derby direction) and somehow instead of just falling backwards I fell back but heard three snaps. I immediately knew I broke my ankle. I hit the ground and said “Carrie you just broke my ankle” no tears or anything. Refs and everyone took a knee and they splinted me up and I stood with someone’s crutches and was driven to the hospital. I wasn’t there very long and had x rays taken on my ankle and my knee. I had a break up on my fibula where I said it hurt the most and a break lower on the “knuckle” parts of my tib and fib. The doctor didn’t have to set anything so he put me in a splint and I went back to the clinic to score keep for the last game. The pain level was manageable to say the least. I didn’t take any pain meds the day of, the next day or the day after. I saw an ortho and he said I would need surgery to make sure my ankle is actually on right. They put a new splint on me and that was that. Still no medication. I had surgery on Thursday August 29th and right before that the pain was mostly in my upper calf, like a leg cramp kind of pain. I just wanted to stretch my leg and my toes out so badly. The worst part of course pre surgery is feeling the bones shift when you move around. 🤮 I was up most nights because of the pain and not being able to get comfortable but obviously I managed. The day of the surgery I went in around 10:30am and got my paperwork taken care of and was put into a room where I laid in a comfy hospital bed (my favorite) and the nurses sterilized me and set up my IV. I took my time in there to relax because I hadn’t been able to sleep much before this. Eventually I was wheeled into pre op and met my anesthesiologist. Real nice dude who walked me through my nerve block and everything. I’d never had one before and it was definitely interesting. They took an ultrasound machine to my leg and a needle as long as my forearm almost to get deep in my actual nerve. It didn’t hurt much except for one point it felt like someone torched my foot for half a second. It hurt bad but for only an instant. By then the drugs in my iv are kicking in and I’m feeling amazing. They take me into the operating room and there are tons of people in there. They were all so nice and happy and I got myself onto the table and they positioned my arms in a good spot and one of them put an oxygen mask on me and said “this is just oxygen” to which I replied “JUST oxygen?” And I breathed once, but it was hard to breathe deep, then I breathed in one more time normally... and then breathed in a third time deep........and then woke up in recovery. At this point I actually don’t really remember waking up in the recovery room. I don’t remember going from recovery to my last room. I do remember opening my eyes and someone asking if I can open both of my eyes lol when I got to the last room I remember being in, my friend Hanah came to get me and I had some jello which was the best jello I’d ever had and some water. I talked to her till I was coherent enough to get dressed and leave then we went and got some Thai food. I appreciate her so much. Because of my nerve block I actually couldn’t feel my leg for the rest of Thursday and all of Friday. So during this time I tried to do as much around the house and moving around as I could. However my leg was pins and needles-y kind of numb. Aaaanddd I was paralyzed. Literally. I couldn’t move my toes or foot AT ALL, which is terrifying. Finally by Friday night I could move my feet. The pain had begun because the pins and needles were getting worse and regular feeling was coming back.

Saturday Travis and I laid in bed and slept off and on until about 4pm. Sleep, wake up, have sex, fall asleep. Rinse lather repeat. Finally we actually got up and sort of cleaned the house a teeny bit then went to his friends house. Actually his fried Aaron’s parents lake house. We got there around 8pm and just sat out on the patio looking out on the lake. Real talk, it was so fucking nice. Throughout this time I’m regularly taking my medication because of the soreness I feel in my leg. It’s sore and I can sometimes feel the actual pain of the incisions. It hurts bad enough that I’m looking forward till the next time I can take sometime about two hours before I can take it again. The feeling of my leg being on fucking FIRE when I stand up started sooner and wasn’t as bad as the first time I broke my ankle. Thank god. A lot of it is just trying to get comfortable and not put too much pressure on any one sensitive spot.

Yesterday (Sunday) we went back to Aaron’s house around 1 or so and had food. I was pretty fucked up on medication but not totally out of it, just really really tired. We sat outside on the porch again and eventually went out on their pontoon boat and went around the lake for about an hour and a half. I’m so happy and thankful that Aaron and his family were incredibly helpful with me only having one leg to get on and off a boat with. It’s sort of embarrassing needing grown men to lift you in order to do anything. Also, I guess I should note that this time around I have been using almost exclusively a knee scooter. I think it’s been helping me in a lot of ways. Bending my leg more, wanting to be more mobile, etc. yesterday is also when I started supplementing my medication with cbd oil. It’s a 500mg tincture and honestly I don’t think it’s doing a damn thing for me. The pain is still very rough to get through without my regular Norcos.

Now today, Monday, Labor Day. Travis is off so we’ve been sleeping sexing sleeping again and slept off and on until around 1pm today. I have also discovered that my vibrator is like a little tens unit and makes the pain in my leg almost nonexistent when I use it! I’ve been taking collagen supplements and comfrey as well. Once again all I want to eat are burgers!! Big juicy cheeseburgers. And everything I’ve eaten has been the most delicious thing I’ve eaten which makes it even better. Food hasn’t hit this hard in ages.

Today the pain is more of a moderate to almost severe “discomfort”. If I said pain, I’d say mild to moderate. Manageable with one pill only. The swelling in my leg has gone down immensely. I can tell in how my splint is fitting me. I’m excited to see how I feel tomorrow for sure. Tomorrow I’d really like to go to the gym with Travis and do some upper body stuff or abs or whatever I can really. I just want to stay active and in shape where I can.

#me #text post #broken leg #roller derby #cast

[loquaciousquark]

Talks Machina Highlights - Critical Role C2E15 (Apr 24, 2018)

Hello hello hello! As @eponymous-rose​ is away doing Important Science, I’m covering TM recap duty tonight! Tonight’s guests: Marisha & Liam. Tonight’s announcements: 

This Saturday is International Tabletop Day! G&S is running special programming all day to celebrate.

VM Origins #6 is out at all available online comic retailers. The final touches are being placed on the comic collected edition; details to be released soon!

Wednesday Club airs tomorrow at 7pm PST.

826LA hit the $35,000 reward tier this week! This means Matt will be hosting another Fireside Chat soon. (Liam reveals that the vintage robe & a tiger ring Matt wore in the last chat were gifts from him after a certain jazz-hands-related event in the last campaign.) As a reminder, all donations are doubled up to $40,000 thanks to a generous critter matching donations. 

Pillars of Eternity is out in two weeks! Reminder that the characters of VM will be playable as voice sets in this campaign; the new portrait art for Vax was released this week. Check it out at versusevil.com/criticalrole! Liam extols Travis’s voice acting and the “finesse” in his performance and hopes that fans will be very happy with it.

Reminder: Dani Carr hosts Critical Role Recaps every week. 

CR Stats for Episode 15

48 natural ones this campaign so far ($4800 from D&D Beyond to 826LA!)

67 natural 20s so far, even without a Lucky rogue!

Over both campaigns & 51 initiative rolls, Ashley averages only 9.5 on her initiative rolls. :( However, she’ll be on Talks next week! Yay!

Beau is super into working for the Gentleman right now. As long as she makes friends in high places, she’s happy (in part because she knows they won’t last long). 

Liam doesn’t miss trap duty at all. (He’s enjoying being a screw-up wizard.) That said, he still enjoys watching Sam bring his magic touch to his old class. 

Beau fundamentally trusts that people will always act in their own self-interest, which is why she told Jester to take care of herself first. To Beau, selfishness & survival are synonymous--most people want to make sure they aren’t going to get caught or killed. That’s how she can trust untrustworthy people to work for the good of the group, and why she thought Caleb & Nott needed to be part of a bigger conversation.

Sam, of course, very briefly FaceTimes into the show with the knowledge that Liam called him a comedic genius. He wishes everyone to know that this is accurate, does a remarkable Howdy Doody impression, and leaves.

Caleb didn’t have any experience with the Zone of Truth spell before and paid close attention while it was being cast, but “nobody asked him any questions, so I guess it’s fine.” 

Caleb’s one-on-one with the DM hasn’t changed his playstyle or character interpretation yet, since it didn’t reveal anything significant. He does think it might have given Caleb a mildly different outlook on certain things/his mood a little bit, but no fundamental shifts yet. Beau’s one-on-one shifted her perspective a lot--she doesn’t respect authority at all, so being put in her place was a good check on her personality & took the edge off her wrecking-ball habits. Both Marisha & Brian talk about respecting someone willing to call them out on their crap.

Gif of the Week: this glorious thing by @scottc_miller on twitter. Poor everyone. Poor drunk Nott.

Beau is officially warming up to Molly. Awwww, my heart. “I don’t know if Molly’s warming up to Beau, but...” Brian: “Self-preservation, guilty until proven innocent...an optimist!”

Molly’s amnesia reveal hasn’t really changed Caleb’s opinion of him. He does trust that Molly told the truth within the Zone’s context, but he knows that may not be the whole truth. The only person who’s changed in Caleb’s estimation is actually Beau; Liam talks about a low score he rolled on an arcana check on the magical symbols, which Beau surpassed, and in the moment Caleb realized that meant Beau must have had some formal schooling. “A little checkmark went ‘boop!’ in a box.”

Beau is aware of her own terrible flirting with women, & Marisha references Beau’s strong preference to be in charge in her interactions. Marisha also talks about some of her Meisner acting classes/acting methods in how scenes are structured and it’s actually really, really cool. Liam segues into his first week in NYU at his very first voice acting class where they laid on the floor and did “pelvic thrusts” to loosen the diaphragm. Marisha recalls her college voice acting teacher telling her she was terrible and shouldn’t pursue voice acting because she spoke from the back of her throat. 

All of Caleb’s spells have been selected for RP reasons over functionality/utility. Liam knows it’s not the most optimal build &, as might be expected, doesn’t care in the slightest. You go, boo.

Liam and Marisha giggle over fighting such a classic old-school monster as a gelatinous cube. Liam honestly wishes Frumpkin could have been dissolved; Caleb emphatically does not. Marisha remembers finding the old cube mini with Matt which could be opened up so other minis could fit inside, and they sat in their living room for some time putting minis inside it. The pair that slays together stays together. Liam also remembers a Comic Con that had light-up gelatinous cube minis which he attended riiiiight after meeting Marisha. 

Fanart of the Week: this by @sephiramy! Look at how good everyone looks, awwww. 

Liam jokes that he personally excluded Quebec from the giveaways and it’s inexplicably hilarious, especially given Matt’s apologies for it on the regular show.

Beau’s hand going numb on the cube attack didn’t phase her at all; she’s still in the “adolescent” phase where she isn’t afraid of any bad things that might happen to her.

In re: screwing the DM with in-universe D&D choices: “Path of the Duck for the fuck.” 

When it comes to HP management, the rest of the party is trying to make sure they can get people up when they’re down, especially since Jester canonically dislikes healing. Marisha reflects on the last campaign where she & Sam often filled the blanks around Ashley’s healing, and feels everyone’s trying to fill a similar role now. Liam and Marisha would ideally like another healer, but neither Beau nor Caleb are paying much attention to maintaining a balanced party comp. 

The cat’s paw version of Caleb’s spell was always planned given his attachment to Frumpkin.

Liam talks about pre-stream puzzles from campaign one, including a complicated hydraulic puzzle that Taliesin’s dragonborn paladin sidestepped with one brute force elbow. He also remembers a child’s square puzzle that took “a group of adults an embarrassing time to solve.” 

Cast- and staff-wide digression into puzzle-shaming Gandalf for flunking the Moria door riddle. Gandalf the Grey--more like Gandalf the Bad at Riddles, amirite

Beau’s ability to solve the magic puzzle feels to Marisha like the lessons your dad makes you learn as a kid, even though you never think you’ll use them--(such as being made to learn to change your own oil despite thinking you’ll always use AutoZone), but then you end up using the skill later on and resent it the whole time. 

Caleb’s increased participation in discussions lately is an intentional choice on Liam’s part. 

Beau’s improvement in dealing with the rest of the M9 is due to her becoming more comfortable with them.

Caleb recognizes Fjord’s arcane power, but doesn’t question it at all due to the magical nature of their world. (Neither Liam nor Caleb trusts Fjord to be neutral good: “He spat saltwater out!”)

Marisha makes a great point about how everyone in a D&D party is by definition magical and special, but everyone in the M9 right now feels like they’re still discovering what that means. Liam points out that VM very much felt like strong, special people with greatness thrust upon them; M9 feels like a troupe of random carnies. 

Marisha on why she’s playing a human in D&D when so many possibilities exist: “Some people like playing ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances.” She likes going from an all-powerful half-elven archdruid prodigy to a schmo who can just punch things really hard. 

While discussing impostor syndrome, Brian quotes David Milch: “So much of the accomplishment in art comes not from the discovery of one’s gift but from its acceptance.” He likes that the leveling system supports the slow growth of a character in an RP sense and allows the character to learn and accept his or her strengths. He likes that it’s not straight escapism, it’s the combination of one foot in reality and one foot in fantasy.

Liam points out that since their group is very theater- and story-driven, they often use the leveling process to support story choices and character growth over class optimization. Marisha relates it back to the choices in Disney movies, where sometimes the protagonist discovers their innate power & embraces it in order to succeed, vs. where sometimes a protagonist must overcome an innate feature and rise above it in order to succeed. She loves that dichotomy. (Brian feels Scanlan represented similar principles in the last campaign.)

Liam’s favorite moment of the last episode was Sam’s small drunk goblin irritation. 

In re: the rising from the floor at the end of the last episode, Liam hopes there’s a way to talk their way out of any upcoming fight, since Caleb’s pretty tapped. Beau: “This is fine.”

After Dark: I Know What You Did Last Summer Edition

On transferring from the relationship between Vax & Keyleth to Caleb & Beau--both Liam & Marisha have had some disputes about everything that went down in the High Richter’s house. Marisha: “I wouldn’t use the word ‘disputes.’” Liam: “What would you use?” Marisha: “...Clarifications?” They both are struggling with how much their in- and out-of-game relationships have changed over the course of the two campaigns. 

The crew photoshops Liam’s hairy V-necked chest onto Marisha live. What even. How.

Marisha does miss some things about spellcasting, but enjoys watching everyone else struggle with concentration checks and saving throws. 

Liam and Marisha both enjoy building characters and then assigning the classes that fit their story, instead of deciding what class to play first & building a character to that.

Brief aside where both Marisha (not Beau) & Caleb (not Liam) talk about how much they love Jester. 

Liam discusses in- and out-of-player knowledge when it comes to Fjord. Liam knows there’s an eldritch horror behind him, but Caleb has no clue. Marisha sees him as the altrustic half-leader who’s hiding a lot. Liam hypothesizes that someone was about to die, and Fjord saved whoever it was by offering himself to Cthulu. Liam doesn’t think Fjord is good-aligned. Marisha doesn’t trust his smarts. 

Marisha tells a story about Taliesin’s hair at C2E2. They were doing group photos when a family with a little girl came up who asked Taliesin his favorite hair color. He answered “I’m really into the peacock fade with the blue and the fade into green and the purple and the emerald,” and the poor girl was a little overwhelmed. (Marisha once answered her second-grade teacher’s question about her favorite color as “iridescent” and feels the teacher was more impressed with her vocabulary than her color choice.)

If they were pulled into Exandria today, Marisha would like to be a wild magic sorcerer or a paladin; Liam would be a wizard. 

If the M9 were stuck in a cavern with no food, Marisha would eat Fjord first since he’s probably already a little salted. 

Beau’s martial artistry is inspired by Ip Man. 

Liam steps out for a moment after a coughing fit, then returns in order to stand very, very close to Brian. Close enough that Brian’s ear rests on Liam’s stomach. Close enough that Marisha feels left out and both of them cuddle on Brian’s lap to end the show. I’m glad I’m not kidding. 

See you Thursday!

#critical role #critical role spoilers #talks machina #talks machina spoilers #long post for ts

[random-writing-things666]

Dumpweed Chapter 7

TW; small mention of violence

The next day at work was probably the most tense things have been in forever. Ruby hasn't said a word to me since that phone call, but I was invited to a blink rehearsal so I was kind of happy. "Hey, Ivory..." Ruby finally managed to speak up.

"Hmm, what's up?" I responded, sitting on the other side of Ruby's desk.

"I just wanted to apologise for getting mad at you." She apologised. "I was unreasonable, it was a stupid reason to get angry over." She finished off.

"I think I understand, I replied. I know you may have been a little late, but I should have invited you." I replied.

"I don't think it was stupid. You have famous friends now, and you're about to go on a pretty cool tour with your favourite band." She smiled lightly.

"I'm only going on tour because I'm banging the lead singer." I laughed.

"And rightfully so, I see that you two are made for each other. But before you go, we should go out on the town. This gal needs to get her jiggle on!" She giggled.

"I could do Friday night. We leave on Saturday morning." I smiled.

"Well, Friday night it is then!" She shouted in excitement. "Hey, do you think Mark will let us get ready at his place?" She asked.

"I can't see why not." I chuckled. "I will ask at rehearsal tonight.

I was at the blink rehearsal, watching them do their thing. "That sounded awesome!" I clapped, with a big grin on my face. Mark didn't seem as enthusiastic. "I'm glad you think so, but I can't seem to get this part right." He groaned.

"I think it sounded good." Travis spoke up from behind his drum kit.

"Yeah, I agree." Matt finished off. "You do have to remember that this is a rock show, people will won't care if you mess up one part."

"Dude, people notice." Mark argued back. "People always notice our fuck ups." He finished before storming out. I exchanged confused looks at both Matt and Travis.

"He'll be ok. He does tend to get stressed before touring." Travis spoke up.

"I'll go and check on him. See if I can make him feel better."

Mark was standing outside, leaning against the building. "Hey, are you alright?" I asked, putting my hand on his shoulder. Mark looked down and gave me a small grin before turning away and sighing.

"I don't know. I'm just being a fusspot I guess." He huffed.

"I'm no expert, but I thought you sounded good. You always sound good to me." I replied, leaning my head on his shoulder. "Even before you got into my pants." This caused Mark to bust out laughing.

"Well, I'm glad you think so." He smiled.

"Yes, and I think lots of other blink-182 fans would say the same, well maybe not the last part. And Matt, and Travis would say you sound great." I encouraged him, stepping in front of him and placing his hands in mine. "Plus, the Mark I know is confident." I finished off. Mark leaned in and pecked my lips.

"You're pretty amazing, y'know?" He whispered quietly.

"I know. Now, are you going to do back in and do the thing that made me fall for you?" I asked him.

"Yes, but you have to come with me." He replied.

"Oh and one last thing, Ruby and I are going into town on Friday night. Can we get ready at your house?" I asked. Mark smiled softly. 

"Good to see you guys have patched things up. Of course you can." He smiled. 

The rest of the rehearsal session was a success. I'd hazard a guess that we were all systems go now, Mark and I were parked out the front of my house. "Are you sure you don't want to come back to my place?" He asked, holding a hand in his. 

"I'm sure, but I will see you Friday night?" I offered. 

"Probably sooner, I don't think I can last two nights without you." He admitted. I looked away, trying to hide my blush. 

"Well, I'll be seein' ya." I grinned, pecking Mark on the lips. Only, the peck turned into a mini makeout session. 

"That felt like more of a 'please, stay and fuck me, Mark' kiss than a goodbye kiss." Mark smirked as he pulled away. 

"And, what are you going to do about it?" I bit back, returning Mark's smirk.

"I am going to make you wait." He smirked.

"You're a bastard." I chuckled. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight. I love you, Ivory." Mark smiled, kissing my cheek before I opened the car door and made my way to the front door.

I took a seat on the couch. It was oddly quiet tonight, quieter than it has been. I turned on the TV, only to mindlessly scroll through.  I pulled my phone out and started texting Mark.

Me: I should have let you stay. It's quiet as fuck here.

Mark: see I told you that you'd get lonely, try music. It helps me.

I smiled at Mark's advice and put my +44 CD in the player. It kind of felt like Mark was here. I sat back down and enjoyed listening to Mark's voice as I nodded off to sleep.

I woke up the next morning to someone banging on my front door. What the hell? I thought to myself as I dragged myself up, opening the door to see Robert, my ex on the other side.

"Robert, what the fuck are you doing here?" I swore.

"Hello, Ivory. That wasn't a very nice way to greet your friend." He chuckled, pushing past me into the house.

"What the fuck. Leave. Now. And you're not my friend, you're the jealous ex boyfriend who thought he could get his way by pushing me around." I was half angry and half fearing my life. Robert turned around and smiled an evil grin.

"Maybe I still could." He chuckled, clutching a hand around my neck.

"Please, Robert. I've moved on. I don't want you no more!" I yelled. This was a bad mistake, he raised his fist to hit me.

"Hey, asshole. Get the hell off of her!" I heard a voice shout. He was thrown off me too quickly for me to see who it was, but I soon saw Mark and Travis rushing to my side.

"Ivory, are you ok?" Mark asked, kneeling down to me. "Who was that?"

"Robert, my ex. Don't know what he was doing. We didn't get to those particulars." I sighed. "I didn't think he would actually figure out where I was staying."

"It's ok. You're safe now Ivory." You looked up to see Matt walking towards me.

"Yeah, but I moved out his place. I didn't think he'd figure out where I moved to. I had to leave him. He was violent." I was shaking at this point.

"It's ok, Ivory. He won't hurt you no more." Mark reassured me, he got up and then helped me up, leading me over to the couch. He sat beside me and just held me in his arms. "I won't ever let it happen." He cooed.

"Yeah, you have three mean looking punks to look after you." Matt pointed out.

"I'd hate to break it to you guys, but y'all don't look very mean." I joked. This made everyone laugh out loud.

"Very funny." Mark chuckled, still holding my head against his chest.

"So, what were you guys doing here?" I asked.

"I was wanting to bring you to a rehearsal, but I think we could watch some movies instead." Mark suggested, specially after that.

"Alright, let's do it." I smiled. Watching movies with all.of blink-182, no complaints here.

#dumpweed #blink 182 #mark hoppus

[bruneintherain]

HVFF London: here’s my (way too long, if I were you, I’d keep on scrolling) report! :D

Oh, boy… What. A. Weekend!!! Seriously there are no strong enough words to describe how utterly awesome this whole experience was. But enough gushing, there will be plenty more as I go on. Let’s start this report! :D (I have highlighted the different parts so you can just skip to what you wanna read about)

Friday 26th of May: F cancer party

 Overexcited and a little bit anxious, I finally arrived in London in mid-afternoon. I had wanted to go back there for a long time so I felt exhilarated. Hopefully I managed to navigate the tube quite easily.

But not much time to recover after I arrived at my hotel cause it was almost F cancer party time and who was I meeting before we went there? None other than my very awesome friend, who’s also my favorite fanfic writer, Janelle (@chronicolicity)!!! :D Peeps, I can tell you this was an experience. Who has never been a little scared about meeting fandom/internet friends? You’re always afraid you’re gonna disappoint them or they’re gonna turn out to be people you actually can’t have an actual conversation with. But THANK GOD that wasn’t our case at all! First, she was freaking GORGEOUS and as cool and bubbly as I pictured her. 10x better even! So having her there was simply awesome and actually quite reassuring since being alone in a foreign city is always a bit frightening.

But anyway! Enough babbling. We headed to the party and kept chatting away, not feeling time pass and enjoying beautiful London and the nice weather. At one point, Janelle basically stabbed me with her elbow because oh, look! Robbie and Italia had arrived! They were near the entrance taking pictures! Looking fucking inhumanly amazing!!!! Ughhh, why.

When we finally did get in, the music was insanely loud! Like way too loud. My chest was thudding really strongly and we basically couldn’t hear a word we were saying without having to shout in each other’s ears. But eh. I still got a cocktail (15 goddamn pounds! That’ll teach me to ask for something without asking for the price first…), a little F cancer cupcake

and we went to find a seat. It was selfie time cause Janelle and I together finally happened and it was past time to capture the moment.

Later, STEPHEN FINALLY ARRIVED!!! That was about time, dude! I was dying here! We were not super close but we still had a good view. He made his whole speech about his mother’s battle and how cancer sucks.

And then he took a picture with everyone’s finger pointed in the air.

All during that time, I thought to myself “Holy hell. I now know that man is real. Shit. He’s gorgeous.” And then it was back to the party and the usual music. I grabbed a champagne glass for Janelle but she ended up giving it to me so after that, I was slightly tipsy (not having eaten and all) and we danced a bit.

But we didn’t stay long cause apparently Stephen and the others were hidden away in the VIP lounge or had already left and we were hungry and eager to talk more with each other.

We then headed out and went for McDonald’s. I was really starting to feel the joy of this weekend and being in London with a dear friend. Sidenote: the F cancer shirt rocks but it’s so long, it can almost be a dress LOL.

Then back to the hotel to get some much needed sleep ;)

 Saturday 27th May: HVFF day 1

 Man, I did not sleep much. My alarm really kicked my butt. But I had to get up cause serious shit started that day!!! :D So breakfast and time to get ready.

I arrived at the venue and joined Janelle. We obviously both looked super cute. After they finally let us into the hall, we paraded around a little bit, spotting the different booths and which actors were already there signing, and then we went to get in line for John’s panel.

We managed to get pretty good seats.

Of course his entrance was quite colorful, just like John. A lovely drag queen introduced him and John entered in a dress. Oooh, John :)

His whole panel was pretty freaking awesome and hilarious. His answer to his choice death on Arrow was the one who made us both laugh the hardest cause… Dying while having sex with Oliver on the salmon ladder?!? OMFG John!!! Your obsession with Stephen never stops! :’D

And after a little song, it was finally over. As for me, it was time for my Emily autograph! Yayyyy!!! :D

 I arrived at Emily’s booth and there wasn’t much of a line, which was good. She took time to speak to everyone which was lovely. I, of course, watched her and thought to myself: “There she is. She is so. damn. beautiful!!! Does this woman ever look bad??”. Then it was my turn and just after saying hi to her, she said “Nice to see you again”. My brain froze for half a second. “You don’t recognize me, do you?” She said: “Yeah, I do. You were in Birmingham last year, or were you in Paris?” …….. SHE ACTUALLY REMEMBERED ME WTF!!! I could not believe it. It might sound crazy but I thought that was super flattering. But anywayyyy. Ignore my Emily-related freakout. You just know the depth of my love for this woman.

So I said it was my 3rd time meeting her and that it was so good to see her gain. Then I handed her her gift: a Sailor Moon mug. She said: “Ughh, you know I love that shit, right?” DUH! I knew! I told her she was my hero as a kid and she answered that it was the same for her. She also said that a fan stopped by with the name Serena and when Emily exclaimed “Serena!”, the other girl didn’t understand the reference and she was like “Okaaay”. We had a good laugh about it. Then I gave her the autograph to sign. She messed it up at first so she cursed and fetched another photo. She laughed and told me she liked to swear. While she was writing, I told her that she looked amazing and she thanked me. I said: “You always do” and she answered “Aww, that’s very sweet”. When she finished signing, I brought up her cover with Travis and said it was awesome, she said “Thank you so much, we’re getting a lot of… really good responses” and she started laughing really hard. When I said that I really hoped she was gonna sing more, she confessed that she hasn’t listened to it yet and that Travis, one her bestfriends, was like “WTF!”. So I told her that her voice was so clear and beautiful and she thanked me once again and said it was nice seeing me again.

Time passed quickly but it was such a sweet moment. She was so cute and energized, I loved it. I love her. She is the best and I am definitely not done cherishing every damn moment I get seeing her.

 After that, I had time to chill and parade around. I finally bumped into Ju (@felicitys) <3 I love that woman. We barely said “Hi” and she started talking non stop about Josh and how awesome he was while I was standing there waiting for a hug trying to catch everything she said :’D I love you, Ju. Then she finally hugged me (I’d been waiting a year for this to happen again!) but she had to go back to her hotel for lunch while I was waiting for Janelle to eat.

 So we had lunch, then I decided to check out Colin’s booth to get a selfie. Janelle had already gotten a selfie with him before and was still quite in awe. But I mean, have you seen Colin?? Major Handsome reporting for duty! (Gee, that was so cheesy…). The line was a bit longer but when it was my turn, I still completely took my time. I asked if he recognized me, and he looked ashamed and basically didn’t answer. I told him it was okay and that I was the one who gave him macarons last year in Paris. He said: “Oh, yes! I am sure they were gone in 10 minutes”. Guess he didn’t get to share some with his wife then ;) I asked if we were gonna see more of him on Broadway and he said he hoped so. I also complimented his dancing and singing skills, especially after the video of him on stage during the Chicago MD Paris con that went viral. He blushed and laughed. He’s so damn cute that way!!! And then I asked him a very important question for my friend Janelle actually: “If Tommy was still alive and a part of Team Arrow, what would be his codename?” That was a good question and he pondered for a few seconds. So I decided to help him and asked if he liked Lancelot. Let me explain: on the show, Tommy had a dog named Arthur. And in Arrow, Oliver/Tommy/Laurel have some similarities with Arthur/Lancelot/Guinevere. He remembered the name of Tommy’s dog himself too, and was super proud (ughh, I love him). When I was done explaining, he said he loved the idea and totally approved. He said Lancelot was a beautiful French name and I concurred. I said he was far handsome enough to be called like him and he blushed again and thanked me. Finally we took our photos:

I said how much I loved him and Tommy, that we missed him and asked for a hug that he happily gave me. And that was it! After that, Janelle (having witnessed the whole thing) couldn’t believe how cool I was being and how long I talked to him. I couldn’t believe it myself and after walking away, I became all giggly thinking about the great convo we just had. I. LOVE. COLIN DONNELL!!! Bless him and his flawlessly handsome face and incredible eyes!!!

 After this excitement, we joined the line for Josh Segarra. That’s when Ju came back and I introduced her to Janelle. These two got along, no surprises there. And we took some selfies cause we were all looking fab and we love the memories.

We met with some other fandom friends as well and had very pleasant and lively discussions while waiting in line. Janelle was planning to ditch me to go the the Gotham panel because she wasn’t entirely sold on Josh. But as soon as she heard all the good things about him and saw how he was acting with the fans and how good-looking he was, she was like “Eh, you know what, I’ll stay after all.” I KNEW IT!!! I knew you’d fall for him too, girl!!! She became as giggly and dreamy-eyed as the rest of us :’D

I also bumped into Johanna (@emilybuttrickards), that I had wanted to meet in some while as well, and she was so great!!! As cool as I pictured. So nice. My only regret is that we didn’t get to hang out more… But hopefully it’ll happen in the future ;)

But unfortunately, Josh had to eat lunch himself, then had ops and he wasn’t coming back until quite a while when I, myself, had all my ops to go to. So we decided we’d try again tomorrow.

 Janelle and I stopped by Lord Mesa’s booth. I wasn’t about to miss out on meeting this incredible, sweet artist! We took some time going through his drawings and we finally made our choices.

Then we approached him so he could sign them and got to talk a little bit. I said how awesome his drawings were and how incredible it was having an artist such as him in so many fandoms. He really appreciated it and assured me he’d keep on drawing until he couldn’t anymore. We also asked about his drawing on Oliver’s birthday cake and he told us that he had a much bigger idea planned, with all the characters, but that they just ended up asking for something simpler. He also said that he told the producers that if they ever needed something from him in the future, they should always assume that his answer is yes ^^ He was so sweet. Janelle photographed me with him and then we were on our way.

 It was time for my Stephen op. /!\ It was happening!!! I was gonna get to see the man up close!!! /!\ That goes without saying that I got some butterflies in my stomach. As the line advanced, I was getting closer and closer to him and HOLY SHIT how fucking gorgeous is this man!!! Seriously, what kind of magic ingredient did his mother eat during pregnancy?? That’s just not fair… Anyway, it was my turn and we said hi. I had to focus cause these things go super quickly. I handed him the pink tiara and the wand, keeping the blue one for myself, and I told him to pretend he was a pretty princess for me. Obviously, I didn’t know what face he made until later. Then I thanked him and he put his hand on my back guiding me towards the exit when I was going the wrong way. Very hard to keep a clear head when you’re standing next to him.

I picked my op and BWAHAHAHAHA!!!! It’s so funny!!! He looked dead inside!!! :D

It wasn’t what I was expecting but I didn’t mind because it was still hilarious. And at his booth the next day, I got to get the story behind that look ^^

 Since I still had some time before my Stephen/Emily op and because Janelle told me there was barely a line for Charlotte and Italia, I ran to their booths.

I stopped by Charlotte’s first. There were just a couple people before me. When it was my turn, we talked for a long time. I started by saying, as always, that I loved her and that I really missed her in the show. My biggest regret in s5 was not having her once (which was true but I have a lot of other regrets too LOL). Her scenes always brought a lightness to the show that was much appreciated. She was so happy and kept thanking me. She said she missed the show and that they should try to bring more balance between the supernatural aspects and the actual people and their relationships. I also said her chemistry with Emily was amazing and she agreed, saying it was crazy and even a bit scary actually. I also told her she looked amazing and that she was basically a goddess and she said “Oh stop it, it’s all about good lighting”. Before our picture, I asked if I could hug her and she happily obliged.

I said that I loved and missed her again and she gave me another hug because she was just so moved.

Bottom line: Charlotte is a lovely person, a total ray of sunshine and you can totally tell how much she loves and appreciates the compliments she’s given. She’s a true class act.

 Then I arrived at Robbie and Italia’s booths and Janelle met me there. She was gonna get a selfie with Robbie, I wanted Italia. After I paid for my ticket, I looked at Italia, she noticed me and I said: “I am here for you”. She answered: “Then come to me!” So I joined her at the table while Robbie was still talking to someone else. She loved my outfit: “Wow, what’s going on there? We’re matching”, we even both had fans. I said she looked gorgeous and she thanked me. Then I said in a lower voice: “Don’t tell him that, but my favorite thing about your husband is you”, to which she answered: “Aww, I love that! I want that on a t-shirt”. And by God, if I ever meet her again, I WILL GET HER THAT SHIRT!!! She’s so much fun, having no problem with me shading her husband a little bit ^^ I love her. We talked a little about Designated Survivor and how awesome her character was. I said I wished her a very long, successful career and she really appreciated it. Then she got up to take the selfie but Robbie was in the way (about to take his own picture with Janelle xD), so she told him: “’Scuse me, man. Not everything is about you. We have business here”. That made me laugh quite hard. She’s just so funny. I LOVE HER!

I thanked her again and we said goodbye, never not smiling.

 And FINALLY! It was time for my Stephen/Emily op!!!!!!! :D I was so excited about my idea. So when my turn arrived, I showed them the picture and I am pretty sure Emily laughed. At first they took the pose without the map, so I stopped them and handed it to them. We took our places and BAM! That was it. I thanked them and was on my way, super excited to see what came out.

And well, I wasn’t disappointed, IT’S SO GOOD!!! :D

I just love their faces!!! I should have changed my expression but eh, I don’t care. These two were all that mattered and I looove the result!!!

 I went back to Janelle for a few minutes and we took some selfies with my tiaras:

 But then it was already time for my Emily op. So I went back downstairs and got in line. I decided to use the same props I used for Steve. I arrived in front of Emily, gave her the tiara and wand, and told her to face me as if we were about to fight. We were looking into each other’s eyes and I could tell Emily was fighting a laugh. Once the picture was taken, she gave me back the props and said “I kept twitching because I was looking into your eyes” and laughed. I basically died. I WAS LOOKING INTO YOUR EYES TOO, GIRL!!! And what beautiful eyes they are!!! Anyway. She’s such a sweetheart :’)

I went back to pick up my photo and was really bummed because my hair got in the way and my face ended up hidden:

So that sucked. But Emily looks super cute and I appreciate that we actually saw a lot of her bomb-ass outfit. The photographer still could have given me a heads up though… Cause that whole story ended with me buying another op for the next day. I know… There’s nothing I wouldn’t be prepared to do for this woman and that’s bad LOL.

 And that was it for Day 1. It all went so quick but at the same time so much happened! Laughs, good company and gorgeous people. I mean, that’s a perfect combination. And once again, however tired I was, I still felt super hyped and didn’t fall asleep until approximately 1:30, which was bad since I had to get up at 7:30 ‘-_-

 Sunday 28th of May: HVFF London day 2

 Last day, and quite a big one. There was gonna be a lot more running and hurrying around.

I had breakfast with some lovely ladies I met the day before and who were staying at my hotel, Soph and Evangelina. Then I got ready:

And Janelle delivered the bad news that the tube line was closed… Since I was not from London, I decided to take the bus but that was a stupid-ass idea since the itinerary I took was super long and made no sense since I could’ve arrived to the venue faster just by walking. I am a dumbass. But that’s not the point. I still arrived on time and joined Janelle in the crowd before they let us in.

 We got in line right away for Stephen’s panel. Another round of selfies was mandatory because we, again, looked cute (especially Janelle, you were FIRE, girl!):

Then Steve arrived and they quickly went to questions. So I got up and ran to get in line.

Lots of lovely surprises during his panel since so many people crashed, the first one being none other than EMILYYYY!!!! <3

They exchanged hugs, laughs and cheek kisses. All of those were greatly appreciated because who doesn’t love when these two are this adorable with each other? They’re also really funny together which is always a good thing.

She didn’t stay long but that was okay cause JOSH is the second one who crashed! Woohooooo!!! These two also have a great dynamic and having them both on stage was truly a pleasure ^^

And… It was finally my turn to ask a question (sorry the picture is moving a lot and the framing isn’t great but I was trying to not look at my phone).

I really appreciated Stephen’s answer and I was just happy that I had the guts to get up there and did not completely lost my English.

I went back to my seat next to Janelle and the panel ended beautifully, with Steve thanking everyone for coming out this weekend, despite the horrors that happened in Manchester.

 Then I ran upstairs to get in line to buy Stephen’s autograph. I easily waited an hour but it was okay cause I met some other lovely people, including the incredible woman running the Starling City Journal twitter account:

And I FINALLY got to buy an autograph! But now wasn’t quite the time to meet Steve since he was about to leave soon and the Arrow panel was also nearby.

 So Janelle bought me lunch (I swear, this woman’s sweetness knows no bounds!) and we ate on the balcony before the panel started.

The Arrow panel started 20 minutes late and wasn’t so great since the moderator kept asking dumb questions, like if the actors would appreciate a love triangle between Oliver/Felicity and Black Canary… Dude, eww. Love triangles in general suck, but just no. No one wants that.

But Josh and Emily were extra cute. Especially cause Josh kept gushing about how great Emily was and he made her and Katie dance a little. I mean, HOT DAMN, Josh!!! You’re something else <3 Emily also repeated that she doesn’t want Felicity to get a mask cause she’s already a badass and should stay that way. YOU GO, GIRL!!! Tell it again!!! I love her for that, so much.

 Then it was time for my Amell cousins duo op *insert smirking face emoji here*. My Amell sandwich moment was happening!!!!!!! Oh, and let me add that JANELLE was the one who made it possible cause she noticed they were selling them when she picked up our tickets and SHE FREAKING SURPRISED ME WHEN I WAS STILL ON THE TRAIN TO LONDON AND I BASICALLY DIED AND HAD TO MUFFLE MY GIGGLES OF JOY BECAUSE I WAS SURROUNDED BY PEOPLE!!!!!! Thanks again, you beautiful woman, this was the best surprise of this whole weekend and I love you for it! :-* :-* :-*

Anyway, they seemed to be running a little late but it was finally my turn. I arrived in front of them, said hi and asked them to embrace me while giving the camera their CW smolder. Steve laughed and said “sure thing”. Not gonna lie, and Janelle will happily call me a perv after writing that, but I still remember what it feels like getting touched by these two. And HOLY SHIT that’s quite a nice feeling!!! I mean, when it comes to standing between two men, the Amells pretty much make the best candidates.

But let’s move on! I went to pick up my op and HAHAHAHAHA!!! It’s probably the best next to the Stemily one! :D

We could make a good meme with this one. Steve looks like he spotted someone he dislikes and he is about to bad-mouth them to me, and Robbie looks like he’s staring at the horizon like in a bad soap-opera, or like he smelled something funny :’D I just LOVE this picture!!! I love these men.

 But actually no time to rest cause my op with Hayley Atwell was next. She didn’t accept any special poses or hugs so I just went to her side and smiled. Before leaving, I said she was awesome and loved Agent Carter and she thanked me ^^ Here is the result:

  Finally, my second Emily op. I brought the same props as yesterday but wanted something a little different. When I entered the booth, I noticed that Alisha and Carina were both there with her, laughing away. What a nice surprise that Emily had friends with her there J

It was my turn, and I explained to Emily that I wanted another photo since the one from the day before was messed up. She “aww”’d at me and grabbed my arm very tight while I put my arm around her waist. I said “let’s just make a cute/funny face” and she happily obliged. When it was over, she laughed and I thanked her. I made sure to excitedly wave at Aisha and said “Hi, Aisha!”, which she did right right back to me with a big smile. I JUST REALLY LOVE AISHA, OK!!! She’s so cool!!!

I came to get my photo and was really happy to see that this one turned out great! :D

We’re so cuuuuuuute!!! And hello, full body shot of Emily in yet another bomb ass outfit! That’s always a good thing to own J

 But again, no time to rest cause I had to leave at the earliest at 5pm and I still had to catch Stephen to get his autograph. So I went back upstairs and got in line. Janelle joined me a little later after she was finished with David Mazouz, aka Brune Wayne. She was, once more, the FREAKING GREATEST FRIEND EVER because she took care of looking for a taxi for as soon as I was done with Steve. I knew this meant I didn’t have time to get to Josh before leaving ( :’((( ), but I just couldn’t afford risking missing my train, especially with part of the tube being closed.

But anyway. I DID IT!!! I managed to get Stephen’s auto on time :D So I arrived in front of him and………………… This man just isn’t real. WHERE THE HELL DID HIS FACE COME FROM?!? I mean, obviously I’d seen him at the photo ops and I had seen plenty of him on screen, but there just isn’t any preparing yourself for his beauty up-close!!!!!!!!! I want in on the perfect gene pool! I know everyone says the same thing, but his eyes are really SO. DAMN. BLUE. I mean wow!

But okay, let’s get to the dialogue. He asked me how I was and I said “Awesome. Best weekend ever” and he was happy to hear it. I presented him with my Oliver Queen journal and he began to sign. I just looked at him and asked: “Did you eat?” Cause I was legit worried! He just never stopped running between ops and autos. This man is a machine! So he answered: “Uhhh, not enough”. Poor man :(

He finished my auto and then I showed him our picture together. He smiled and said “Oh, that’s great”. I replied: “You look dead inside, though” and he looked up, at ME, and said: “No, but I made this face on purpose!” with a stupid smile on his face. GAHJDKSKKFD I AM NOT ALIVE AT THIS POINT!!! But I managed to answer: “Oh, that’s great then. I love it”. He was happy to hear it. Before leaving I thanked him for what he was doing and said it was everything, for what he abundantly thanked me before he shook my hand. GAHHHH THIS MAN!!!! Obviously I didn’t want the moment to end but there were already so many people waiting, I had to go :’(((

Bottom line: I am in love with both Stephen and Emily. Don’t make me choose. I won’t and I can’t. I love them both dearly.

 I joined Janelle and, as I said, she took care of the taxi for me because SHE’S THAT GREAT!!! I unfortunately didn’t have time to say goodbye to any of the other girls, but we still took time to take one last photo:

Then we both left the venue. She came with me in the taxi, to pick up my suitcase, and then to the tube station. When it was time to say goodbye, I swear I was fighting myself not to burst out crying! We hugged and said goodbye the French way and we went our separate ways :’((( I WAS SO SAD JANELLE!!! SO EMOTIONAL!!! Goodbyes suck!!! The fact that we live so far away from each other sucks major ass! But thank god we still text regularly and will meet again cause you’re just such a fucking awesome, marvelous, beautiful friend, I am not about to stop pestering you ;)

 So that’s it, fam. That’s my whole report. It’s again ridiculously long and it’s about time I shut the hell up. That was one of the best weekends I’ve ever had and amongst all the lovely celebrities I met, it was the company that mattered most :)

So until next year, everyone! :D Cause there’s no way I’m not doing THAT again! ;)

Xoxo

#HVFF London 2017 #Arrow #Arrow cast #Stephen Amell #Emily Bett Rickards #josh segarra #Charlotte Ross #Robbie Amell #Italia Ricci #Hayley Atwell #Mine #Mine: HVFF London 2017

[babesboatsandbivalves]

Boat Life Lessons: Vol 1

First of all, I need to disclaim this entire blog as anything remotely close to a source of expert advice or opinion. It is not. For those of you with any experience with boats/sailing, please humor my ineptitude and laugh with me as I learn by doing. Writing things down helps me to remember, and my goal is to share with you in a way that's not technical, mostly topical, and at best, might make you smile the next time you find yourself in similar straits.

So now, I trust I will make at least one person #facepalm reading this list of 5 Things I've Learned Since Moving onto a Sea Cadillac with a Stranger Last Saturday (11/11).

Please let me know if you're that person.

5 Things I've Learned Since Moving into a Sea Cadillac with a Stranger Last Saturday

Said stranger seems to be (so far) a laid-back, kind, experienced captain... thank you universe

The day you think you'll leave port is not going to be the day you actually leave port

The importance (and volatility) of wind maps

The Boatyard has better oysters than McGarvey's

Do not flush tampons down the boat toilet

1.  Said stranger seems to be (so far) a laid-back, kind, experienced captain... thank you universe

There are a hundred really good reasons not to fly across the country to meet a complete stranger you found on a Crew Finder forum on Facebook, or to move onto a sailboat with that stranger after a handful of phone calls to sail said boat across the Atlantic... especially when your sailing experience is 100% limited to Lake Travis in landlocked Austin, Texas. 

So arguably the most important thing I learned this week is that Ben-- Captain Ben, formally-- is a kind, rad person; someone I already call friend.

Over beers and oysters and milling around in a boat together for a week in Annapolis, here’s what I can surmise so far (Ben, thank you for humoring me):

Ben grew up on a surfboard in Cape Town. He got started sailing ~12 years ago delivering boats around the South African horn, and has since racked up 160,000+ nautical miles at sea delivering, chartering, and racing boats around the Atlantic and Indian oceans. No big deal.

Through his job-- delivering boats around the Caribbean and beyond-- he's no stranger to skippering with novice crew. Even more, his crowd-sourced crew come from various walks of life: 52-year old ladies seeking adventure; 19-year-old boys seeking the same; military retirees, vagabonding couples, soul-searching singles... a revolving door of characters with whom he’s had to share limited space. So it's no small wonder that a marina regular described him to me as “a cross between Jesus and Captain Ron, yannoe?“.

Ben has dreams of buying his own boat, and making his way through Panama to the Pacific in the foreseeable future. His favorite show is Food, Booze and Tattoos on Netflix, because it reminds him of home. He spends about 1/4 of any sentence speaking in onomatopoeias ("we were trying to get there quick, right? Like tchk-tchk-tchk")... which he attributes in part to growing up near cultures where whistles and clicks are the language itself.

Other confidence-boosting details, Mom:

His first priority is safety. "We're not going out into fuck-all weather just to make dates work."

His #1 Rule: Don't fall off the boat.

We've had candid conversations about hard things: respect, trust, setting expectations, how we communicate/take feedback, personal space. Critical when your home is sub-300 sq ft.

This gig includes a lot of alone time at sea as we swap between watches. So it's been cool to be able to get to know each other before taking to the water... but for Ben, planning for a few days to acclimate/evaluate each other is just best practice; an MO that's helped him avoid some otherwise sketchy crew.

So, so far so good. Taking everything a day at a time. Especially because:

2. The day you think you'll leave port is not going to be the day you actually leave port.

It's only the second time this has happened to me personally, but the pattern seems apt (the first was when an imminent squall postponed our boat voyage from Whittier, AK to the oyster farm by a week). Now on this exceptionally gusty Sunday in Annapolis, we should have left 4 days ago.

But the more reliant you are on a boat, the more bound to favorable conditions your plans must become. Favorable conditions that must come into magical alignment include:

Legal conditions: For us, this means the owner of the boat closes on the boat, finalizes paperwork, makes sure that all the toys, bells and whistles are aboard

Mechanical/electrical conditions: We're prepping a brand new boat for it's maiden voyage. So making sure before we're out there in the middle of endless blue for the first time that the boat itself works and functions as it's been sold to.

Wind/weather conditions: Perhaps the most obvious, but also the most important. Favorable in our case means the wind itself is not going to be gusting at 40+ knots (like it is today), completely against you, or at least "off the beam", meaning the wind is at least coming at an angle that isn't diametrically opposite your heading (stay tuned for edits/corrections).

Our situation has been such that the most favorable few days of wind (that would have sent us safely cruising south through the open Atlantic) occurred while awaiting the first two conditions to be met. So although I arrived a week ago, only two days ago did the legal stuff get sorted, and only yesterday did we realize the port thruster wasn't working... yay new boats!!!

Today, Sunday 11/19 it looks like we won't be setting off 'til tomorrow, the 20th, when weather finally looks agreeable enough to scoot down the Chesapeake, then hug the eastern seaboard to the Carolinas. We'll wait out some ugly bouts of low pressure, and then set off south toward Grenada.

But again. One day at a time.

Looking at the weather charts, it looks like it's going to be a hell of a ride down... 

3.  Always do your research before you leave port... and do it often

On the boat, Ben checks the wind forecast every few hours on his iPad the same way that some people check Facebook. He's looking for critical changes in forecasts that dictate how and when we'll leave. But with everything being up in the air (lol)/anyone's guess, there are several apps in particular that he trolls regularly throughout:

Navionics - for plotting a course, navigating underwater channels and routes

PocketGRIB - for forecasting areas of Low and High pressure, wind, precipitation, etc.

WindFinder - another wind forecasting tool, different datasets

PredictWind Offshore - another wind forecasting tool, but my favorite... because color

I asked him to explain Sunday's PocketGRIB predictions along the route:

And another video of Ben purely to showcase him saying ‘Bahamamamas’:

4.  The Boatyard has better oysters than McGarvey's

In the 5 days of prep and idle time here in Annapolis, Ben and I may have eaten somewhere in the ballpark of 40-45 oysters between these two Happy Hour hideouts... for about $40-45.

McGarvey's (James River oysters, wild) - These wild harvested oysters are toothy to bite but almost bland, and definitely not briny (because a river, perhaps?)... their shallow, round shells don't retain their liquor well once opened, so eat hastily lest they get too dry as you admire them. Found a good few anemones still attached to the shells, a testament to their natural habitat of the shallow, brackish river estuary.  ​(That said, below is a picture of the... third... time we got oysters from McGarvey’s. This time, Ben ordered 2 doz to go, still in shells. And then magic

Boatyard (Chesapeake Bay oysters) - Also wild caught oysters, but the taste and presentation overall wins me over (I am a shucker, after all...) Clean cuts, light brine (further out into open salt water), and lots of liquor. These oysters tasted like kissing the Chesapeake itself. And the cucumber mignonette!!!!!

And last but not first:

5. Do not flush tampons down the boat toilet.

I repeat: do not flush tampons down the toilet. FYI, a boat toilet is called the 'head', so do not flush tampons down the head. So now you know. Just don't do it. Because then, you'd have to have that awkward conversation with the boat captain, whom you just met, at 9 in the morning over coffee, that not only are you on your period, but that your Shark Week weapon of choice is now jamming the brand new $800k cruising yacht's toilet macerator. And you've been here 1 day.

Luckily, this is not his (Ben, the captain's) first rodeo. On our way back to the boat, we pass a dock-neighbor who's getting rid of some coat hangers. Ben suggests using one to make a hook of sorts, and 5 minutes of fishing later, I triumphantly retrieve a *thankfully* white wad of cotton from the depths. At that moment I'm caught in a strange mix of feeling fucking awesome and fucking disgusting as I realize I now need to disinfect EVERYTHING around me in this tiny fiberglass bathroom.

And that's just Day 1.

Honestly, that should be the case for every toilet I KNOW. I KNOW. Never again.

Fuck tampons anyway (this girl gets it)

#Dufour460 #yachtdelivery #caribbean #Annapolis #sailboat #womenwhosail