#PLYMOUTH COMPUTERS

[retrocgads]

UK 1982

[seat-safety-switch]

Our way of life is controlled by computers in a way that was unthinkable just a few decades ago, unless you were a particularly paranoid hippie. If that's the case, then congrats, you nailed it. Please collect your reward at the office, which is "suffering in obscurity for years as the world falls apart around you."

One of the ways in which computers have an influence over our lives is what folks who have never taken a math class call "the algorithm." Even though it's a word that the ancient Greeks used because they hadn't taken enough high school French to use the word "recipe" instead, the YouTube algorithm is the ultimate fear-spewing threat to civil discourse in our time.

What it actually does is feed you more of what you want. Those of you out there who have ever seen a small child know that this is a terrible idea. The last thing you want to do is just keep giving a toddler more of what the toddler wants, forever. The folks who wrote this shit either didn't have kids or forgot what they looked like in their pursuit of the sweet, sweet IPO money they didn't get.

There is good news, though. It can only feed you more of what it has. If you're an inveterate car pervert like me, then you have interests that are so niche that the content farm runs dry quickly. Literally four other people in the entire planet are making Plymouth Volare videos, and YouTube is not exactly paying them to make those videos faster than I can watch them. So it comes up with something else instead. Something popular, normal, average human, which I immediately reject in favour of even more degenerate garbage "curated" by my own bad taste. It takes this as a personal insult. Whole thing's out of balance.

Friends, the only thing that I see now when I open YouTube on the library computers is a screaming silicon face, begging me for the sweet release of death. I push F5 to refresh the browser tab until a new Volare video pops up. It's going to take awhile, which is okay. The librarians haven't figured out I'm charging my car battery off the hard drive power cables yet.

[peachhcs]

Hiii!!

I was wondering if you could write something for samy and will based on this article: https://www.nhl.com/canadiens/news/my-man-mireille-boutin-on-michael-pezzetta?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=post&utm_campaign=CHCcontent&utm_content=EN-0514-MyMan

Basically the nhl team’s media people asking the players’ significant other questions about them. Thanks so much :))

my girl: will smith on samy hughes

hughes!sister x will smith au (samy + will)

nhl elite prospects interviews will about samy & their relationship!

1k words

this was suppperr cute to write. i swear will’s a yapper when it comes to talking about samy. i switched it from the article so it was will talking about samy, hope u don’t mind, but i loved this request!!

au masterlist

"we've been best friends since we were kids. everything just makes more sense when i'm around her."

UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN — samy hughes is known for her tough offense on the soccer field.

but off the field, she's the "best person i've ever known," according to her boyfriend, will smith, a boston college forward.

while in san jose for a development camp, the nhl elite prospects were able to catch up with smith to ask him how he's been doing, including how his new relationship's been treating him.

TELL US ABOUT YOUR DYNAMIC GROWING UP.

it's funny because we never hung out by ourselves a lot when we were kids. i was pretty attached to her older brothers [quinn, jack, and luke] and she was attached to my sister [grace smith], so we never really hung out that much until we were older. although, we always got along. when we did hang out we enjoyed talking to one another and poking fun as if we were siblings. we really didn't get closer until i moved up to plymouth for the usntdp.

WHAT CHANGED YOUR RELATIONSHIP FROM FAMILIAL TO ROMANTIC?

at least for me, as i got older, my feelings started changing towards her. i started seeing her as an annoying sister less and less and the more we hung out when i was in michigan, the more attached i grew i guess. we started just..doing stupid stuff together and i just really liked hanging out with her. all the times where i thought the things we did together was just a sibling dynamic, i slowly realized it was a lot more than that.

WHAT DID YOU GUYS DO ON YOUR FIRST DATE?

i took her out to dinner in ann arbor and then we walked around for a bit before sitting on a bench and just talking for hours. it was definitely weird at first, but we eased into one another and it was fun getting to know her on a different level than what i've always known her as.

WHAT ATTRACTED YOU MOST TO HER?

her personality for sure. she's super outgoing, always knows what she wants, very independent, super caring. we're very similar in many aspects, hence why we're best friends. she looks up to her brothers a lot which i admire because i also look up to them. i also enjoy her extensive knowledge of hockey because of her family, so it's easy talking about the game with her. she's just always been someone i go to when i need a shoulder to lean on and it's just so easy with her, you know? i love getting to call her so we can talk about our days together.

OF COURSE, HOCKEY'S IN SAMY'S ROOTS. DO YOU GET HER ON THE ICE WITH YOU EVER?

oh yeah, 100%. whenever we're back at michigan or in boston, we're on the ice. she's the one dragging me outside sometimes so we can play 1v1 or something. she's always had that love for hockey even if she doesn't play competitively anymore. i also love seeing her out there because it's what bonded us when we were kids, so it's nice still getting to go out and do it with her. somehow she still beats me too. she doesn't play for 4 months and then we're back on the ice together she scores 3 goals before i can even get the puck in my possession. the guys chirp at me whenever that happens if they're around.

HOW OFTEN DO YOU WATCH HER SOCCER GAMES?

every single one of them are on my computer. it doesn't matter what i'm doing. as soon as the live stream starts, i'm booting it up to watch. the guys love watching her play, so i always get to turn it on the tv and then we scream at the stream for two hours together.

SPEAKING OF THE GUYS, WE HEARD SHE HAS A GREAT RELATIONSHIP WITH YOUR LINEMATES AS WELL.

leno and perreault absolutely adore her which i think is really sweet. i was a little worried when i first introduced all of them back when we moved to mich, but the three of them grew close really quickly. sometimes i think they're more excited to see her than i am and that's saying a lot.

WE HEARD HUGHES IS A GREAT COOK. HAS SHE COOKED ANYTHING FOR YOU?

when we're at the lake house she loves cooking all of us breakfast. she makes a great omelette and french toast, like, the best i've ever had. we all go crazy for her breakfast in the mornings.

DO YOU GUYS EVER TRAIN TOGETHER DURING THE SUMMER LIKE RUNNING OR WORKING OUT?

i'm not a huge runner, but sometimes i will run with her when she goes out, or i'd bike along side her. our training schedules are pretty different, but when we're in the offseason we'd occasionally hit the gym together or do some casual workouts that won't kill us. she knows what the hockey training is like so it's no stranger to her when she does follow my lead. soccer, on the other hand, is a lot more sprints and footwork which is sometimes helpful for me.

CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT SOME OF SAMY'S BEST QUALITIES?

shes a huge team player. she's always looking out for those girls on her soccer team, helping them run drills, being someone to talk to—i really admire her for that. she's got a real big heart too. her love is so contagious. she's dependable, trustworthy, kind, beautiful—the list could go on coming from me.

ANY LAST WORDS YOU WANT US TO ADD?

i love her, haha. our parents knew way before us that we would end up together before we even knew. we've been best friends since we were kids. everything just makes more sense when i'm around her. this is probably corny, but i wanna spend the rest of my life with her. she's my rock.

[notwiselybuttoowell]

The world’s oceans are in worse health than realised, scientists have said today, as they warn that a key measurement shows we are “running out of time” to protect marine ecosystems.

Ocean acidification, often called the “evil twin” of the climate crisis, is caused when carbon dioxide is rapidly absorbed by the ocean, where it reacts with water molecules leading to a fall in the pH level of the seawater. It damages coral reefs and other ocean habitats and, in extreme cases, can dissolve the shells of marine creatures.

Until now, ocean acidification had not been deemed to have crossed its “planetary boundary”. The planetary boundaries are the natural limits of key global systems – such as climate, water and wildlife diversity – beyond which their ability to maintain a healthy planet is in danger of failing. Six of the nine had been crossed already, scientists said last year.

However, a new study by the UK’s Plymouth Marine Laboratory (PML), the Washington-based National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and Oregon State University’s Co-operative Institute for Marine Resources Studies found that ocean acidification’s “boundary” was also reached about five years ago.

“Ocean acidification isn’t just an environmental crisis – it’s a ticking timebomb for marine ecosystems and coastal economies,” said PML’s Prof Steve Widdicombe, who is also co-chair of the Global Ocean Acidification Observing Network.

The study drew on new and historical physical and chemical measurements from ice cores, combined with advanced computer models and studies of marine life, which gave the scientists an overall assessment of the past 150 years.

It found that by 2020 the average ocean condition worldwide was already very close to – and in some regions beyond – the planetary boundary for ocean acidification. This is defined as when the concentration of calcium carbonate in seawater is more than 20% below preindustrial levels.

The deeper in the ocean they looked, the worse the findings were, the scientists said. At 200 metres below the surface, 60% of global waters had breached the “safe” limit for acidification.

“Most ocean life doesn’t just live at the surface,” said PML’s Prof Helen Findlay. “The waters below are home to many more different types of plants and animals. Since these deeper waters are changing so much, the impacts of ocean acidification could be far worse than we thought.”

This had, she added, huge implications for important underwater ecosystems such as tropical and even deep-sea coral reefs that provided essential habitats and nursery grounds for the young of many species.

As pH levels drop, calcifying species such as corals, oysters, mussels and tiny molluscs known as sea butterflies struggle to maintain their protective structures, leading to weaker shells, slower growth, reduced reproduction and decreased survival rates.

The authors underlined that decreasing CO2 emissions was the only way to deal with acidification globally, but that conservation measures could and should focus on the regions and species that were most vulnerable.

Jessie Turner, director of the International Alliance to Combat Ocean Acidification, who was not involved in the study, said: “This report makes it clear: we are running out of time and what we do – or fail to do – now is already determining our future.

“We are coming to terms with an existential threat while grappling with the difficult reality that much suitable habitat for key species has already been lost. It’s clear that governments can no longer afford to overlook acidification in mainstream policy agendas,” she said.

[hometoursandotherstuff]

This purple home is incredible! Built in 2017 in Plymouth, MN, it has 6bds, 4.5ba, & is $2.795M.

Lighted banquette with a 2 story cascading chandelier in the entrance hall.

Open kitchen, dining, living room area.

The TV room has purple lighting. There's a lot of neon in this home.

Double-sided round fireplace.

Very large bar.

Check out the steampunk powder room.

Quite a cool wall in this hall.

Very cool room. Is it an office? I can't even tell, but those look like computer screens.

Up here, there's a pulley light fixture- and on this floor is an art gallery- notice the display areas.

A medieval door opens to a vintage ship mural entering the primary bedroom.

It's a gigantic suite consisting of several rooms.

The closet/dressing room also has several rooms.

Check out the light fixture above the hot tub.

There is something for every taste in this home. This room has a loft- see the ladder on the far wall.

It's just a fun little space with a round window.

The 3rd level.

The Coke machine is a door.

To this game room.

Can you imagine being drunk in this spacey bathroom?

Downstairs is a hidden vault.

Apparently, this is a marine searchlight. Maybe they have a boat, so they light up Pomerleau Lake.

The property is 36.54 acres.

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/5160-Juneau-Ln-N-Plymouth-MN-55446/121844289_zpid/

[papookcrafts]

Knitted socks for my dad! The point of this was two-fold: one, socks; and two, using up the bits and bobs of leftover sport weight yarn I had. So of course, I ran out of two colors before I was done and had to improvise. My dad is a computer guy so I told him the one sock was glitching out. I used the Fibonnaci sequence for the width of the stripes and various sport weight superwash merino yarns from Plymouth yarns.

[litcest]

peace

Word Count: 3108

Pairing: Father x Daughter (Dave x Nora)

Rating: Mature 

Synopsis: As summer draws near, Nora and Dave plan their future.

Author's Note: This is a sequel to my story tolerate it and illicit affairs. I hope this to be the last time I visit these characters. Don't worry, I gave them a happy ending.

A/N 2: Thank you, @windytalishar, not only for beta reading this for me, but for all the love and support you have given Litcest <3

Also available on AO3

Nora

Time passes incredibly fast when you are keeping a secret. Before I noticed, summer was upon us. It was late May and the weather in the Midlands was already unbearably damp.

"If it keeps going like this, we are going to have the hottest summer in recent record", Daddy commented one day during breakfast. Since our last argument, a few weeks before, he had made sure to spend quality family time with me and Jack, eating breakfast together every day before my brother went off to school and Daddy went to the newspaper. Not only that, but Daddy had started taking me on date nights in nearby towns whenever Jack went out, which, with my brother being now fourteen, happened more and more frequently.

"I don't wanna get stuck in this clammy weather the whole summer," Jack complained with his mouth still full of toast, crumbs flying everywhere. I glanced at him with disapproval, but he was too caught up on eating his breakfast to care. "Some of my friends are applying to an undergrad thing at some college in London for three weeks in July. Maybe I could go along?" he paused, turned to me and smirked. "You know, that way you two could have the house all for yourselves."

I almost choked on my coffee. "I don't mind having you around," I mumbled, trying to hide my awkwardness. "It's not like I do anything interesting."

Daddy suddenly seemed very busy with the buttons of his shirt. "Why don't you email me the details and I'll take a look? It's nice to see that you are taking interest in your future", he said without looking Jack in the eyes.

My brother shoved another piece of bread into his mouth before getting up. "Email? Whatever. Gotta go, told my friends I'd meet them before class." He hurriedly picked up his bag and left, letting the door close behind him with a loud bang. I couldn't help but envy Jack whenever he hung out with his friends. My youth had come and gone, and I had been trapped at home raising him basically by myself. At least now, with Daddy, I was getting to experience a little of what the world had to offer.

Me and Daddy stared at each other in silence until we felt sure Jack was truly gone.

"You don't think….", I began, my lips trembling.

"No, he can't possibly know", Daddy reassured me, taking my hand into his. "But a summer course is actually a great idea. We could drop him in London and go to the beach, you and I."

I perked up, already daydreaming about the wild adventures we would have during the summer. "We can get a camper and go on a road trip! We can go to Seafest while Jack is busy", I suggested, thinking of the music festival that I had always wanted to go to. "This year it'll be in Plymouth… remember when we used to go there every summer?" I added, thinking of the old oceanfront house we used to rent back when Mum was still alive. "Maybe the cottage is still there."

"A festival? In Plymouth?", Daddy said with a frown. "Are you sure that's the best idea?"

I scooted over with my chair so I was closer to him and threw my arms around his neck. "Oh, come on, Daddy, don't you have the courage to take your girl to the beach?" I asked, pouting my lips.

He ruffled my hair and pushed me away. "We'll see about it, okay?" He said and got up, leaving me at the table myself as he went to finish getting ready.

* * *

Dave

I counted the minutes as I typed letter after letter, watching the sentence forming on the computer screen. Gossip was flying around the office, something about the kidnapping of the mayor's prized bulldog, but my ears were deaf to the noise, all that I could think of was getting home soon. Getting home to Nora.

Ever since our conversation the other day about plans for the summer, my brain had been working on overdrive, trying to come up with a plan. Going back to Plymouth was dangerous, Teresa had family there. Even though Nora hadn't seen her mother's side of the family since she was little, there was the danger of someone recognizing us. There always was that danger, no matter how far from home we went. It would only take one person to ruin us. We could never have peace.

I reviewed the article once again before submitting to the editor, turned off the computer and exited my private office.

"Hey, Dave", Inez's sing-song voice called from her desk. She gave a little wave, beckoning me closer, which I obliged. As I approached, I was engulfed in the cloud of cheap perfume she always wore. "Me and some others are hitting the bar after work, wanna join?" She pouted her pink lips just a little bit, tilting her head to the side. "It's been a while since you went out with us. Have you gotten a new girl?"

I felt the blood rushing over to my face and reddening my cheeks. "No girlfriend, Inez, just two kids. They sure know how to keep me busy", I said quickly, trying to avoid any further questions. "You know how it is, those teenage boys."

Inez hummed. "And how is Nora?" My heart began thudding loudly, fear creeping into my veins. "Is she going to college next semester? I don't think it's good for a young girl to be at home the whole time, you know? I am in need of an assistant, if she's interested", she smiled kindly, but I knew what she was doing. She was trying to use my daughter to get closer to me.

"I will let her know, Inez. Thank you for the offer", I said non-committally. No way in hell I would let that nosy snake near my daughter. I was being paranoid, but when you were keeping a secret, danger seemed to always be around the corner.

I said my goodbyes and began the short drive home, my thoughts fixated on Nora, like they usually were nowadays. I knew I couldn't give her the peaceful white-picket fence life she wanted, but I sure as hell would give my everything to keep her happy. And if the content inside the plastic folder resting in the passenger seat could do that, then I'd more than happily give it to her. With a few precautions, of course.

A music festival during the summer was far from my idea of a good time, but it was what she wanted. It won't be so bad, I thought, comforting myself, we can set up a tent and kiss while watching the waves. And if it gets cold, I can light a fire to keep her warm. Just how Teresa taught me, I realized with a sad note. Teresa had loved the outdoors, she had been the one to teach me to make fire out of dry branches and leaves. They were so alike. Nora and Teresa. Mother and daughter.

I shoved the thought of my wife away as I pulled up to the driveway and parked the car. The light in her room was lit, a warm glow coming out through the beige curtains. Jack had texted about going to dinner at his friend's house, so I knew we would have the house all for ourselves, at least for a while. We had to be discreet, but that didn't matter to me. I loved her enough to keep it a secret. I just had to hope she felt the same way.

* * *

Nora

"Daddy", I screamed and pulled him in a tight hug as soon as he showed me the tickets. "I can't believe you got tickets so close to the date!"

I placed a huge kiss on his lips, feeling adventurous enough to add in a little tongue. Jack wouldn't be home until later, after all. When I finally parted from him, I clutched the Seafest tickets close to my chest.

"Let's say I had to call in some favours. They were almost sold out. There's just one tiny problem…"

I frowned, already starting to worry that he was going to say we had to go as father and daughter and not as a couple. "What is it?"

"We will need to stay far from the city. We can get a camper, stay in the dunes during the nights, or something like that. We can't risk getting recognized."

"You think they remember us?" I asked.

Daddy shrugged. "It's better not to take risks. Oh, and, you'll have to tell Jack you are going with a friend, alright?"

I rolled my eyes. "I don't wanna hide! Besides, I don't have any friends, Daddy, and Jack knows that".

"That's a lie, You got all the internet people you type with all day. Just say you decided to finally meet up in real life," he paused for a moment before adding in a soft tone. "Besides, you have a friend in me."

I blushed at his words, all arguments forgotten. "Fine, I'll work out the little details," I told him as I hushed upstairs. I hated how he could make me melt with just a few words.

I stored the folder with the tickets in my drawer and made a note to look for tents and other camping gear. When I got back downstairs, Daddy had already set up the table for two and was heating in the oven the leftovers of last night's lasagna.

I served us both a glass of wine before taking my seat on the table. "How was your work today?"

Daddy took a seat by my side and smiled, sipping his wine while he waited for the dinner to warm up. "Quite tiring, actually. I was just finishing some stuff up before the deadline."

"Anything interesting?" I asked, leaning closer to him and placing my hands on his chest, which still showed the evidence of the once robust and muscular physique of a football player, although the years had softened its chiselled contours.

"Not my story, that was just about a charity event, but some people are raging about the mayor's dog. There are some rumours that the kidnapping was the revenge of a scorned lover."

I let out a loud laugh and raised an eyebrow sceptically. "The big story is about a kidnapped dog?"

Daddy laughed too. "I think it's just smoke and mirrors to deflect attention from the corruption in the city hall, but my editor told me I can't write about that."

The timer beeped and I got up to retrieve the dinner. "Since when do you listen to what you can or cannot investigate?"

I placed the glass tray on the table and served Daddy a large slice of the half-eaten lasagna. He seemed a bit lost in thought, contemplating what I had asked. I served my own slice and sat back down.

"I think I have a responsibility to tell the truth. Sometimes, there's pressure to keep things hidden, to avoid pissing off the wrong people, but I always strive to maintain integrity in my work", he took a bite and chewed for a little bit. "You are right, though. Usually I would just dig into it anyway, but I'm still being penalised for bringing light on the misuse of funds by the sheriff and I'm not sure I won't get fired if I cross the line again."

I was paying close attention. I loved to hear him talk about his work, and I knew how important it was. When I was younger, I wished to have a job like his, doing something to change the world or, at the very least, better our community, but then I graduated high school and started spending my days taking care of the house and talking shit on Discord servers.

I took another sip of wine and watched the dark liquid swirling in the glass. Welp, ain't I a waste of our family's name, I thought bitterly.

"Nora, baby, did you hear me?" Daddy called, pulling me out of my head.

I had gotten so lost in thought that I had stopped listening. "Oh, I just got distracted for a minute. What did you ask?"

"Just about your day. How was it?"

"Oh, just the same. Maybe I'll get a job now that Jack doesn't need me around the house as much", I said with a shrug. I wasn't sure if I wanted a job, but I had to start somewhere.

"Funny you said that, since today Inez suggested you become her assistant." My blood boiled in rage at the mention of my dad's co-worker.

"Not even if hell freezes over will I work with that bitch", I spit out, unable to hide my disdain.

"I know. I know. What about art school? You used to love to paint", he suggested. I wrinkled my nose. While I had once thought about going to a liberal arts college, it had been so long since I had last drawn that I didn't feel suited for it anymore.

"Nah, I'm too rusty for that."

"Not true. You painted that beautiful portrait of me for my birthday", he said and I blushed at the compliment.

"Still... Maybe I should stay as your housewife. Do you want another child or something?"

"NORA!" Daddy shouted. "Don't joke about that, you know we could never have a kid, and I'm too old for another baby anyways. Besides, you are meant for bigger things than just being a housewife."

I smiled and mouthed sorry, even though I didn't regret it. Having Daddy's child wouldn't be so bad. Unless it was a girl. I didn't want anyone replacing my role as his daughter. I served him more wine and we shared the rest of the meal in comfortable silence.

* * *

Nora

I had been looking at the empty canvas for more than half an hour when the front door was pushed open, startling me.

"Why are you painting in the foyer?" My brother asked as he dropped his backpack to the floor. I glanced at the clock and, like I suspected, it was still too early for school to have been out.

"Better yet, why are you home at 2 pm?"

He gave a sheepish grin. "Oh come on, it's the end of the semester basically, who cares if I skip a little English?"

"Fine. But only because I also hated Ms. Cooper", I frowned, recalling the English teacher at our local school, an evil old lady who took a sadistic pleasure in making us read out loud and pointing out whenever we stuttered. "Can't say I never skipped a lesson or two."

He leaned against the wall of the staircase and watched me. "Are you back to painting, then?"

"As you can see", I said, gesturing to the blank canvas in front of me, "I'm trying to. Daddy said it would be good for me to do something other than staying online." Then, remembering the tickets in my drawer, I added, "By the way, I arranged to go to Seafest with some Discord friends."

Jack raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Oh my, Nora is leaving the house to have some fun. The world must be ending." I rolled my eyes at his mocking tone.

"I was too busy raising my idiot little brother to go to parties", I retorted playfully.

"We both know you don't stay here for me."

I sighed, crossed my arms and got up from the stool I had been sitting on. Standing in front of Jack, I noticed just how tall he had gotten, almost surpassing me in height. "No, come on, say what you want to say."

Jack's mouth twisted into a grim expression. "Well, I just thought that he might want to…", he hesitated again. And then I became certain that he knew. I gestured for him to keep talking. "I have known the two of you all my life and lately you've been different. And the other night…. Well, a while ago I heard you two in his room and found out why..."

My mouth dropped in shock and thoughts swirled around in my brain. He knows, he knows, he knows, he knows. Do I deny everything or admit it?

"Don't panic, Nora. I'm not going to tell anyone", he reassured me. "I… I don't know how to explain it but it makes sense. You've always taken care of me way more than a sister should've. Even when Mum was still around. And Dave was never the parenting type. I guess it makes sense that you see him as a husband instead of as a father."

Relief flooded my heart. Jack knew and he had no problem with it. His reaction to the affair had been one of my biggest worries, as I feared he might pull away from us if he knew that Daddy and I loved each other in a different way. I hugged my brother, tearing up. Daddy and I no longer had to hide in our house, I couldn't wait to give him the news.

"I love you so much, little one."

Jack scoffed at the childhood nickname I had given him. "Don't call me that! I'm almost taller than you."

"Sure thing", I said with a smile and hugged him closer.

* * *

Dave

That night, after dinner, I held Nora's body close to mine in bed. It came as a shock for Jack not only to know of our relationship, but to be supportive of it. Nore was ecstatic, I knew she hated hiding our love and affection.

"Nora, are you still awake?" I asked softly, not wanting to wake her in case she wasn't.

"Yeah," she said in a tone that indicated she was minutes away from falling asleep.

"I know you are happy about Jack giving his approval, but not everyone will be as understanding."

She huffed. "Bunch of clowns. Trying to rob us of our happiness."

I shrugged. "It's unusual. Relationships like ours."

"But that doesn't make them wrong." She cupped my face, her lips forming a smile. "We will be okay, as long as we have each other."

"It doesn't," I nodded in agreement. "I'll always give you my best, but I can't promise that everything will be alright. As long as we are together, there will always be a risk."

"I don't care. I love you, Daddy."

"I love you too," I told her, pressing my lips to hers as the rain began to fall outside.

[thelambliesdown1974]

The 61 Plymouth fury is nice but not long enough. Maybe if they added another door or rumpus room/computer lab behind the second row of seats

[rjzimmerman]

Excerpt from this story from Down East Magazine:

Joseph Monninger passed away on January 1, 2025, at age 71, a few weeks after this issue went to press. Monninger authored more than two dozen novels and other books, including a 2023 memoir, Goodbye to Clocks Ticking: How We Live While Dying. He taught writing at Plymouth State University for 32 years. After his cancer diagnosis, in 2021, he settled year-round in Pembroke.

Abald eagle visits me every day. I have learned to recognize his voice as he approaches, a querulous complaint against the crows that usually accompany him like a desperate ring of courtiers vying for his attention. To people who will listen, I have mentioned that to be an eagle is to be harassed from sunup to sundown. If the crows leave him alone for a moment, their place is taken by herring gulls cursing his existence. No one likes an eagle except other eagles, it seems, and the eagle shrinks down when the birds dive at him, this bandit among the large pines. Half amused, half ashamed of his bulk and thieving nature, he settles on the topmost rim of branches, a Billy Budd foretopman, his eyes scanning the cold waters of the Pennamaquan River as it merges with Cobscook Bay.

I count on his visits and keep two sets of binoculars nearby, wanting to have a pair within reach wherever I happen to be on my two acres of land in Pembroke, a small community that once took its living from the sea. I am aware that the eagle has become something of a project for me. My son, when he calls from his home in New Hampshire, asks if I have seen the eagle that day, and I know that he is asking out of kindness, out of an acknowledgement of my age and the emptiness of my daily calendar, and yet I can’t help playing my part and relating to him the itinerary of the eagle’s visit. Yes, I tell him, the eagle came early this morning, stayed for nearly 15 minutes, and yes, it was on that perch on The Eagle Tree, the name I have for the bird’s favorite pine. Last year, a storm took down the tallest pine overlooking the water, and I worried that the eagle would find another place to rest while the crows and gulls hectored him. But the eagle has taken to the new tree, and so it is a safe, light topic that my son and I can explore without any of the weightier subjects that circle around us. We both know that this beautiful land overlooking this vibrant estuary is the place I am making my last stand. I live here with stage-four lung cancer, each motion, however minimal, underlined by a dry cough, my fist to my lips, my heart and head and breath paused for a moment while I wonder if and how I will continue.

So the eagle is useful and welcome. It is understood now that I am becoming mist, the ghost of my youthful life, an old man who swims in the sea and rivers to bathe, a rough birch cane in my left hand to steady myself and sometimes to help me stand. I have chosen to live this way, to live near the sea without running water, to surround myself with simple beauty. My days have been emptied of all fanfare and complication. I play chess on the computer, read great gulps of books, nap, and study the weather both in the sky and in my chest. I watch the Red Sox replay in the early morning, at first light, and find I have not given up rooting for our beloved nine. I was an Orioles fan as a boy, but 40 years in New England has changed my loyalty. The players, however, are becoming mist as well. My childhood hero, Brooks Robinson, died this past year, but I see him in the young Sox players, see myself, honestly, standing at the plate, the smell and taste of dirt and chalk and a dense wool uniform heated by the sun. Those memories are here too.

[saleintothe90s]

500. The 1984 Olympics Sports Illustrated Preview Issue (July 18, 1984) Part 1.

I'm totally late, but aren't we all having a little bit of Olympic withdrawal? This was a big magazine for me as a kid, big. My mom got it for me at the thrift store in 1994 when I was 10 because at the time I collected old issues of Sports Illustrated for the figure skating articles. This issue was massive, about five hundred pages. Five hundred pages of ads and photos I still remember 30 years later.

Like this Levi's ad! I still remember the lady in her maternity jeans, and how the kids couldn't wear riveted Levi's to school because they'd scratch up the desks.

There were several extended profiles of athletes that were expected to win big in Los Angeles, such as Carl Lewis.

Carl Lewis: mall lover.

Embarrassing baby photos of the athletes were a common occurrence.

I forgot to mention the Renault Fuego when I did that write up on Renault's short lived visit in the States.

I thought the Chrysler Laser was a thing in Canada, and we in the U.S. had the Plymouth Laser. No! We had the Chrysler first for a couple of years and then we had the Plymouth for a few years? That Lee Iacocca made things so confusing. I've mentioned before that I grew up alongside my niece and when we were in high school, she bought a used green Laser, and I was so jealous.

Autoweek went looking for one of the special 1984 Olympic edition GMC Jimmys, but couldn't find one.

I love that its a heartwarming story about how Bill Toomey almost didn't win the 1968 decathlon, and then its just ...screwdrivers at Sears.

I've spent thirty years trying to figure out what album German swimmer Michael Gross has against his stereo. Bap? Rap? I'm gonna eBay image search it. Okay, so it is a German album by Bap.

1984 was definitely the first 'puter Olympics. Not the first internet Olympics like Atlanta or Nagano, but one where computers were definitely advertised. Looks like the closest Sears Business Systems Center to me was in Virginia Beach where a Shake Shack is today.

When I was a kid looking at this ad, I thought that was the real Charlie Chaplin, and he was still alive in 1984 selling IBM PCJr computers with those awful keyboards. Clint from LGR called the space bar a "gooey celery stick".

This was a sweet section about athletes reminiscing about their time during the first Olympics held in LA back in 1932. The hop step and jump is what we would call the triple jump today. The Sports Illustrated vault is absolute garbage now, but you can still read the text from the other athletes profiled. Ellen Preis the Frencer from Austria had a heck of a story:

ELLEN PREIS AUSTRIA FENCING, INDIVIDUAL FOIL

When we arrived in the United States, we met the mayor of New York. I can't remember his name [it was Jimmy Walker], but I remember he made a lot of funny jokes. He took us to Sing Sing, which was both interesting and a great shock. We sat in the electric chair. It felt awful. Afterward we saw criminals on Death Row, and I felt very sorry for them. Then they took us to a laboratory, and we saw 42 jars containing the brains of criminals who had died in the chair. I was very young, and it made a strong impression.

I still haven't forgotten this ad, Fisher. It totally worked.

Part 2 coming soon.

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[beardedmrbean]

A male teacher at an all-girls grammar school has been awarded £45,000 after he was sacked over sex assault claims pupils later said had been made up ‘for fun’. 

Jonathan Hawker, who taught maths and computing, lost his job at Devonport High School for Girls after pupils said he assaulted them by touching their thighs and massaging their shoulders. 

He endured the ‘brutal experience’ of being arrested at his home before being dismissed from the Plymouth school for gross misconduct. 

His appeal against the sacking was then rejected, despite police dropping the charges. 

He has now been awarded £44,868 – his annual salary – after an employment tribunal ruled the school’s investigation was ‘wholly inadequate’. 

The school also failed to provide ‘a safe working environment for its staff, in particular men’, the panel added. 

The tribunal, held remotely at Bristol, heard a student wrote a statement to her tutor that another girl – identified only as Student H – had said Mr Hawker had touched her leg. 

Ruth Morgan, the head of safeguarding, spoke to Student H, who said that during a lesson Mr Hawker had knelt down next to her and put his hand on her thigh, the tribunal heard. 

In further discussions with other pupils, Mrs Morgan heard of a ‘similar incident’ described by students, as well as false rumours Mr Hawker had previously been suspended for ‘touching a year 9 student’ and had an affair with a sixth former. 

The hearing was told that on the instruction of the school’s acting Head, Beverly Bell, Mrs Morgan took statements from the girls. 

One girl, Student D, reported that Mr Hawker had made her feel ‘very uncomfortable’, by ‘massaging my shoulders and stroking my arms’. 

She said she had seen Mr Hawker stroking other girls’ thighs and that other girls, Student G and Student F, had said that happened to them. 

The teacher was also accused of winking at girls, the panel was told. 

Mr Hawker was suspended pending investigation on June 28, 2021. 

However, in July, two girls from the year above said they had been stood with the group of accusers when they admitted they tried to get Mr Hawker fired ‘for fun’, the hearing was told. 

This was passed on to the head, but the tribunal heard the school ‘appeared to reject’ the older girls’ account. 

Mr Hawker was arrested in September 2021 after two of the original group agreed to police involvement, the hearing was told. 

An internal investigation was launched at the school in November and he was dismissed in February 2022. 

Police dropped all charges a month later. 

Employment Judge Martha Street upheld his claim of unfair dismissal and criticised the school’s investigation into the girls’ allegations.  ‘A fair investigation would at the least have included a transcript of the interviews with them,’ she said.   ‘I make no finding on whether Mr Hawker committed the misconduct alleged. 

‘What I can say is that if he is innocent, and a playground plot can end a career and destroy a reputation, the school is not providing a safe working environment for its staff, in particular for its male staff.  ‘No reasonable employer would conclude that the younger girls were giving truthful evidence in good faith without question; that is, without exploring the contrary evidence including the contemporary evidence from the older girls of a plot against Mr Hawker.  ‘The disciplinary and appeal panel failed in their evaluation of the evidence.’ 

The judge said the disciplinary panel and subsequent appeal panel was presented with ‘wholly inadequate’ findings. 

‘In a career-ending case, the investigation has to be as full as possibly. 

‘This fell well short of that. The school accepted the evidence of the younger pupils without challenge or exploration and discounted, ignored or avoided finding contrary evidence.’  __________

now sue the girls

[seat-safety-switch]

"You know, ice cream flavours are entirely artificial," said the sorbet heiress who, at this time, had tied me to a stake above a pile of cartoon dynamite sticks. The fuse was lit, as those things are, which put a limit on our conversation.

When I first signed up to be a private detective, I figured it would be like on the TV. Sleeping at your desk in a dingy office. Shooting people for reasons that the audience barely understands. Confusing triple-cross plots, explained in excruciating detail for the last quarter of the book by a character who mostly acted as a stand-in for the author. And driving a pretty bad-ass classic hot rod.

Unfortunately, what this job actually ended up being about was getting tricked into being implicated in the murder of a frozen-yogurt tycoon. I have to admit that I was told by the temp agency about this particular risk in advance, but I was caught up in my zeal to pick up a shit-box 60s Mopar with a loud exhaust and kind of forgot about it.

I'll save you the details of how I got out of that particular jam, and the exploding-mini-golf-emporium, because they don't really matter. What does matter is that I eventually tracked down the heiress, and got my name cleared. This, even though I have been proven structurally incapable of remembering names, faces, patterns of speech, accents, what people actually said, the whole lot.

I got lucky. It turns out one of her goons drove a 1996 Plymouth Neon coupe. How did I know it was a '96? Because it still had colour-matched hubcaps, but without a dual-overhead-cam engine. After I explained this to the cops, and went back to get my copies of the relevant documentation, they immediately punched it into their little license plate computer for "plymouth neon" and found the only running example still registered in the country. I guess I didn't really need to know the year. Dude confessed immediately, but the fuzz wouldn't let me keep the car, since it was evidence. Professional rivalry, if you ask me.

[livingobserver]

Back to Fun..., Dirt Roads and Friends.

Back "in the day". If you really liked the person you were with you allowed them to sit on the hood of your car. Especially on cool fall evenings and the hood was still warmed from the engine. If I let you sit on the hood of my muscle car. '69 Plymouth Satellite .318c cubic inch, or Fury .383 MAG. cubic inch... You knew I was cool with you. I remember the Tongue River Canyon in Wyoming. Bonfires with our Hot Rods parked around it. We were couples (mostly). and we all sat on the hood of our cars drinking Boones Farm Strawberry Hill wine, and/or Mad Dog 20/20 sometimes even some Ever Clear if we were really looking to get piss assed drunk..., out of imitation goat skin bags, keeping our asses warm on the hoods. Staring into the fire and talking life and the day we had racing the dirt road between Dayton, Wyoming and passed PK Ranch, all the way to the Forbes Ranch It was treacherous racing. Every roadside ditch had your name on it and there was barely enough room on the roads for two cars to be side by side standing still, let alone racing. We were all pretty good at it. We all had "Beater Stock Cars" you could buy for under $500 and worked at muscling them up for racing. When you didn't have to worry about a damned computer. We would beat them into the dirt then go buy another. Dirt roads will eat tires as well. None of us had the type of jobs you'd get rich on. I drove my Dad nuts. I was a Horseman on a Ranch there. But it was a whole lot easier then, to have a hell of good time without a lot of money. If you knew how to have fun without a lot of money. I really do wonder how I managed to not only live through it, but come out of it without a scratch. You can still have fun without a lot of money today. If you are willing to shift your priorities to suit the conditions. Give that expensive crap up. Go buy a beater, no matter what it is, and have fun. You just won't be able to tweak that carburetors four barrel screws anymore while listening to the engine unles it's a model made before 1978 or there abouts. I could tell if my settings were right and the engine timing was where I needed it just by listening to it. Those days are gone. You can't tune a battery operated Golf Cart/Car and you should hang your head in shame if you show up with one, to a race party on a Wyoming dirt road. Just say'n.

[sarahdawnsdesigns]

Alright, I have a working computer again! Patrons who follow the behind-the-scenes posts will know the full saga of my failing Hard Drive, but, now that that's sorted and repaired, I can get back into getting things updated in a much more timely manner!

And, given that I'm no longer wrangling a failing computer, I am absolutely thrilled to announce that the re-released Selcouth Hat is the pattern for the September Knit-Along! 

The hat pattern is 50% off for the month of September, plus, if you finish a hat by the end of September, you have the chance to win a Gift Card from Knit Picks (US/Canada only at the moment, sorry!) or 4 patterns of your choice from my web shop!

Other cool stuff to know:

The stitch pattern has both full charts and a written instruction

The pattern has a large-print version for folks who need it (this version also works with screen-reading tech)

It's non-gendered, because gender is also irrelevant to the need for hats (especially, if, like me, you live in a part of the world where frostbite is a thing that can happen in winter?)

It comes in 2 sizes: 21.25 (23) inches / 54 (58.5) cm at widest point, and a 16 (20.5) inches, 40.5 (52) cm brim. designed to be worn with a good bit of negative ease. Model is wearing size S and has a 22 inch head circumference!

When you're picking yarn for this, any wool/nylon sock yarn would work up quite well, but, this could also be a chance to show off some fingering-weight yarns that are a bit too delicate for the wear-and-tear that socks get. Just avoid anything that's very fuzzy or going to obscure the lace. The sample is worked in Plymouth Yarn's Happy Feet 100 (90% Merino, 10% Nylon), which is now discontinued, unfortunately.

This was originally published in Inteweave Knits Summer 2021! And if you've got the pattern from Interweave, it absolutely counts for the Knit-Along! However, be aware that the pattern as written in Interweave Knits only has one size available, and no written instruction.

You can find all the details about how to enter the Knit Along on the Pattern Page, and if you've got any questions, please, drop them on this post or in the Ask Box!

[brookstonalmanac]

Events 8.12 (after 1900)

1914 – World War I: The United Kingdom and the British Empire declare war on Austria-Hungary. 1914 – World War I: The Battle of Halen a.k.a. Battle of the Silver Helmets a clash between large Belgian and German cavalry formations at Halen, Belgium. 1944 – Waffen-SS troops massacre 560 people in Sant'Anna di Stazzema. 1944 – Nazi German troops end the week-long Wola massacre, during which time at least 40,000 people are killed indiscriminately or in mass executions. 1944 – Alençon is liberated by General Philippe Leclerc de Hauteclocque, the first city in France to be liberated from the Nazis by French forces. 1948 – Babrra massacre: About 600 unarmed members of the Khudai Khidmatgar movement are shot dead on the orders of the Chief Minister of the North-West Frontier Province, Abdul Qayyum Khan Kashmiri, on Babrra ground in the Hashtnagar region of Charsadda District, North-West Frontier Province (now Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Pakistan. 1950 – Korean War: Bloody Gulch massacre: Seventy-five American POWs are massacred by the North Korean Army. 1952 – The Night of the Murdered Poets: Thirteen prominent Jewish intellectuals are murdered in Moscow, Russia, Soviet Union. 1953 – First thermonuclear bomb test: The Soviet atomic bomb project continues with the detonation of "RDS-6s" (Joe 4) using a "layered" scheme. 1953 – The 7.2 Ms  Ionian earthquake shakes the southern Ionian Islands with a maximum Mercalli intensity of X (Extreme). Between 445 and 800 people are killed. 1960 – Echo 1A, NASA's first successful communications satellite, is launched.x 1964 – South Africa is banned from the Olympic Games due to the country's racist policies. 1969 – Violence erupts after the Apprentice Boys of Derry march in Derry, Northern Ireland, resulting in a three-day communal riot known as the Battle of the Bogside. 1976 – Between 1,000 and 3,500 Palestinians are killed in the Tel al-Zaatar massacre, one of the bloodiest events of the Lebanese Civil War. 1977 – The first free flight of the Space Shuttle Enterprise. 1977 – The Sri Lanka Riots: Targeting the minority Sri Lankan Tamils, begin, less than a month after the United National Party came to power. Over 300 Tamils are killed. 1981 – The IBM Personal Computer is released. 1985 – Japan Airlines Flight 123 crashes into Osutaka ridge in Gunma Prefecture, Japan, killing 520, to become the worst single-plane air disaster. 1990 – Sue, the largest and most complete Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton found to date, is discovered by Sue Hendrickson in South Dakota. 1992 – Canada, Mexico and the United States announce completion of negotiations for the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). 1994 – Major League Baseball players go on strike, eventually forcing the cancellation of the 1994 World Series. 2000 – The Russian Navy submarine Kursk explodes and sinks in the Barents Sea during a military exercise, killing her entire 118-man crew. 2015 – At least two massive explosions kill 173 people and injure nearly 800 more in Tianjin, China. 2016 – Syrian civil war: The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) capture the city of Manbij from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). 2018 – Thirty-nine civilians, including a dozen children, are killed in an explosion at a weapons depot in Sarmada, Syria. 2021 – Six people, five victims and the perpetrator are killed in Keyham, Plymouth in the worst mass shooting in the UK since 2010.

[aitoolswhitehattoolbox]

Principal Architect - Payment Services

Full Time Application Closes 25 May 2025 Auckland – Auckland Computer Specialist Auckland, New Plymouth and WellingtonPermanent, Full-timeAt TSB, you’ll be part of a profit for purpose organisation, that empowers and enables you to be your best and make a positive difference for the people you work with, and the communities you are part of.About the roleAs the Principal Architect for Banking…