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blackswaneuroparedux · 3 years

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No “wine-ing”: a season of ice and fire

A lot of you dropped very kind messages about my well being and I’m happy to say that my recovery from Covid is firmly on track and I’m close to full strength again. My exhaustion and tiredness has thankfully been ebbing away. I’m back running my daily 5 km before I start my work day and cycling to get back to full fitness.

So I managed to escape Paris before the travel lockdown and curfew was imposed before April 26. I’m a country girl at heart and I’ve always felt a little uncomfortable in big cities. I love Paris but I also get tired of it quite easily. So I headed to the chateau vineyard where I thought I could complete my recovery from my Covid illness and work remotely (the work never stops) without too many distractions.

Unfortunately - or fortunately as I prefer to see it - I was mud deep in trying to rescue our wine harvest for 2021 as frost struck over a few nights that left us reeling, and left much of the country’s wine growing region devastated. No region of France was spared as French wine producers fought valiantly over several nights to stop the frost from letting the buds finally come out to sprout. Wine makers fought with everything they could think of, and in the end resorted to fire to keep the temperature warm enough for the vines to survive the cold snap. It was a spectacular sight all across the horizons of many French wine growing regions including ours.

I’m just thankful to be there at the right place and the right time to help out.

I enjoy coming down to our chateau vineyard as it’s a welcome contrast to the busy city life of Paris. I just couldn’t wait to get dressed up (or dress down?) in tatty old clothing, rolling up my sleeves, and getting my hands dirty with any physical chores to do around the vineyard. I always have this urge to make myself useful instead being stuck behind a desk, bored to death in Zoom call meetings. I was looking forward to running and cycling in the open country air to bust a gut or two.

Mostly though I was looking forward to enjoying home cooked country food, be in the fun company of my two Anglo-Norwegian cousins and their French families, and together we’d be preening over the first shoots of the forthcoming wine harvest for 2021.

It is always an emotional moment at this time of year when we see in the vineyards the glistening tears of the vines (‘les pleurs’) that tell us that the new vintage is underway. As the temperatures rise so does the sap in the vines and where the pruners have trimmed the end of the branch, we see this beautiful sight that reassures us – telling us whatever happens, nature continues. The baby buds are beginning to come out timidly but soon the stark branches of the vines will be green again as these fragile leaves unfurl in the spring sunlight.

Back in 2020 many vintners (winemakers), not just in our region but across the whole of France, were unsure what 2021 would bring. Would 2021 be a challenging vintage or an easy one full of sunshine? With the growing season starting so early, the first hurdle - and one of the most crucial - is the fear of late frost. It seems to be more and more of a problem in recent years, this late frost burying any new growth like a fast moving avalanche. For many vintners they have 2017 written into their hearts in painful tears when frost devastated any hope for a healthy harvest and for some even brought financial ruin.

For me - at the time - it was a rude introduction to the vicissitudes of the wine making business by two wine loving cousins co-owning and co-managing an old family owned French vineyard. Family fortunes rise and fall according to the harvest. All the blood, tears, and sweat poured into running an efficient high yielding grape vineyard comes to naught when you realise that you are not the master, nature is.

The risk of frost has increased in recent years due to global warming, which does not just warm but makes the climate more erratic and temperatures more extreme. Good news for the moderately temperate climate for our wine making region where hotter drier summers have produced a string of good recent vintages (2015, 2016, 2018, 2020). But the negative side of this is that frosts have become more common right up until the end of the usual cycle – last year it was on 6th May.

Except this year, 2021, now looked like 2017 because of the devastation of continued frost on the vines. In talking to the French family of my cousin’s French wife, who have faithfully made wine for a few generations they ruefully pointed out past bad frosts. Apparently 1956 was legendary with a very cold winter frost some minus 20 °C following a warm period when the sap rose from the roots into the vine foot and branches. It killed the vines. The last disastrous late spring frost before 2017 was 1991. It seems to be striking significantly every two years now and a every year to a degree. Who would have expected the devastation again this year, 2021 some forty years on.

This year, particularly around April 7th and 8th, brought despair to vignerons right across France from Champagne to Cognac, Burgundy to Bordeaux as thousands of vineyards’ new growth was obliterated by frost (resulting in zero yield for harvest 2021). There may be some new growth and some secondary budding but this is a repeat of 2017 (if not worse) and few were able to harvest any grapes worth speaking of.

My cousins had been in contact with friends and other peers who are wine makers in other regions (friendships are built at trade shows overseas and other association events) and in totality the picture appeared bleaker than previous years. The scourge of frost had been catastrophic. Around half of the vines in Burgundy have been damaged, according to local producers. Some vineyard owning friends in the Inter Rhône region told us that the whole of the Rhône has been hit dramatically and that some plots are affected 100%.

According to the CNIV, the official French council for wine appellation, the frost has affected 80% of French vineyards. We already know that we will have a very low harvest in 2021. Nearly all French wine growers have just suffered a dark week in April.

It’s not just wine growers but fruit farmers too. It’s been like winter coming in spring. Below-freezing temperatures in the Drome and Ardèche regions of central southern France have led to fruit farmers losing up to 90 percent of their kiwi, apricot, apple, and peach harvest. Even in Bordeaux the severity of the frost damaged the growth on fruit trees such as apricots, peaches and nectarines, and field-crops such as rapeseed and sugar beet.

Desperate times call for desperate measures. How does one protect the vines from frost?

There have been a variety of ways vineyard owners have been dealing with the problem of frost. There’s no one size fits all and the solutions are often handicapped by the size of one’s vineyards, financial resources, and manpower.

Two solutions in fighting frost have been aeolian wind turbines and air fans. It takes the warmer air from higher up, and pushes it to the ground. These machines can raise temperatures by up to 2C. The problem is that some of these wind turbines and air fans are permanently set so they can only be set in one direction whilst others one can wheel around to move the air and stop frost settling. Both are very expensive solutions and the cost may outweigh the gain.

Air heaters are another solution. No less expensive though. One of our vineyard owning neighbours wanted to use paraffin fuelled heaters. But he said he would have needed 4,500 paraffin-fuelled heaters to cover all his 15 hectares at a cost of nearly €50,000 for the two worst nights, and even then growers it would protect only the vines for his finest wines.

Some of the vineyards also launched helicopters to fly above their vineyards, a method that can help to prevent frost by encouraging warm air to circulate. In effect they push the cold air around so that it does not sink down to the ground causing its damage. I was all for this solution as I’m an ex-army helicopter combat pilot and so I felt my old training could be put to use in civilian helicopters. But we ruled this out once we did the maths. At about 1600€-2000€ per hour one can only fly from 6am but this is the coldest time when the sun comes up. At best the helicopter’s range of effectiveness was a mere 10 hectares. So you don’t get more bang for your buck. But that didn’t stop some vineyards that we knew doing exactly that. These were corporate owned vineyards who tend to be well heeled and can afford to spare no expense.

There are less expensive solutions but are more costly in terms of manpower.

Some vineyards used water sprinklers, allowing a fine coating hitting sub-zero temperatures as the ice acts like a mini-igloo and protect it from outside colder temperatures.

Conversely, vineyard owners hit upon another relatively low cost solution of using candles. They usually last 12 hours and so in effect can be used for the two crucial nights of severe frost. We calculated that at 10€ a candle you would need 300 for one hectare alone. Of course the chief problem is that they need to be lit by hand and hope the wind was kind.

For the biodynamic wine producers they fell back on organic solutions. They sprayed their vines with a spray composed of pectins from apples which is supposed to lower the temperature around the vines. More common and perhaps more effective was spraying vines with Valerian to give the vines some added fortification to survive themselves.

By far the most common response by vineyard owners to combat the frost was to burn fires by burning hay bales amongst the vines. The smoke causes a blanket which heats up the atmosphere. In the old days I was told they actually burned rubber tyres! For it to have any chance of being effective you have to be aware of wine direction and make sure the bales are in the right places. It also helps if your neighbours do the same.

Speaking for our chateau vineyard, we had to make tough decisions to see how our chateau vineyard could combat the frost and minimise the damage to the future harvest. Although I own a small financial investment stake in the vineyard I have always deferred to my two cousins who actually run the vineyard with their married partners on a day to day basis. It’s their life long passion and I’m happy to play a small part in getting my hands (literally) dirty in building something from the soil up and for purely selfish reasons, just love being so close to nature itself. The fact that the French family of one my cousin’s wife - they actually owned the land and were reputable wine makers for generations - added invaluable weight to the wisdom of any decision making we had to do.

We sat around the kitchen table and talked through our options whilst nursing a glass of wine from a past vintage. My cousins and their kids especially thought I was a weirdo - they’re probably right! It’s not that I enjoy it (the mud, sweat and lack of sleep etc) but it was the challenge that really got me energised. If it’s a forlorn battle against the odds that’s when I really come alive. So I was quite jolly and full of vim whilst those around me were bleary eyed and groaning for bed and a hot shower as we were out in the fields in the dead of night. We ran it like a military operation - thanks to me ha! - I put everyone on detail and even the small kids saluted and got to work on their task. We made sure we had hot soup and beers constantly on tap for our staff and workers to take a food break and take a breather. Not that they needed motivating. Every one of our staff and also volunteers worked bravely to limit the damage.

So in the end we fell upon a series of actions which indeed many of our immediate wine making neighbours also followed suit. We sprayed, we watered, we burned. We tried everything to save our vines from further damage from frost.

We concocted an organic solution that had thyme, oregano, and wild sariette to which we added valerian and meadowsweet and a dash of yarrow and horsetail as well as honey; all of which help the whole organic solution to work. In effect this helps the vine to prepare for ice, by changing the composition of the sap a little, by enriching it with sugar. The infusion is then sprayed onto the vines at least 24 hours before the first freeze is forecast. The solution only works if the temperatures stay just below freezing but no lower, at around -2C or -1C maximum. With this solution on the plants, we could increase temperatures by 1-2 degrees. If it drops even lower, to around -5C, as we had in 2019, it’s not enough. It might save some plants, but not all.

We soon followed with watering the vines using our irrigation system we had on hand. It was labouriously time consuming.

When it was clear that this wasn’t going to work out because of the severe temperature drop we fell on fire as the saving solution.

It was all hands on deck as we also roped in some volunteers to help us start small controlled fires amongst our vines. We burned straw bales and piles of wood in very large jerry cans to save what we could. The aim was to create a blanket of smoke so that when the sun came up it didn't burn the vines because of the humidity. One vineyard neighbour of ours actually used a flame thrower and lit more than 700 small fires but had to start all over again because the fires didn’t last one night.

This was our experience too. We had a lot of hectares to cover and so little man power and so we just worked around the clock until we were able to light fires and keep an eye on them should they go out. We ran between the selected vines to make sure the fires remained lit throughout the night starting around 2am to 6am. I don’t think any of us had more than a few hours sleep over a crucial 48 hour window. We took turns to cook for everyone and made sure everyone was well fed on home cooking as well as hot showers and adequately winter clothed. I’m used to being sweaty and getting by on little sleep from my army days but it’s a measure of how far I’ve succumbed to civilian life that even I found it a little hard going.

I’m not very good at lighting fires as I tend to over compensate on the fuel lighter and I feared that I would burn the whole vineyard down by trying to start a small controlled fire. I got singed here and there but nothing to complain about. Others were just marvellous in their work ethic and shared bonhomie as we tried to save our vineyard. One person on our staff did get singed with flames and in his case we rushed him to hospital with minor third degree burns. We all felt like roasted chestnuts standing between the small fires. But what a spectacular sight the landscape was with all these lighted fires. This wasn’t just our vineyard but all across the landscape of neighbouring vineyards. It looked as if the whole region was on fire. It was quite hypnotising to look at. As to its effects, it’s harder to discern. I do know that even cities of Lyon and Bordeaux had a layer of smog that was visible to others from far away.

Looking back it was both exhausting and exhilarating to experience such a time. It’s the kind of rite of passage that either breaks you or makes you. For us it certainly brought us all together more tightly than before. With our neighbours too there was a collective sense of togetherness and rather than act selfishly or just worry about our own fortunes, neighbours lent a hand towards each other in terms of equipment, expertise, or voluntary labour.

Perhaps the more wealthy chateau vineyards’ expensive techniques were able to save their best vineyards but most who could afford creating smoke blankets from burning hay bales – they were no match for the frost with temperatures down to minus 5 in some areas. Hopefully insurance had been taken out, which involves a substantial expenditure each year. We are fortunate to have insurance and the damage done to our vineyard has been mitigated to some extent. But I do know for instance that many are not insured against the effects of frost because of the cost of the coverage and many French wine producers were already struggling financially.

It was reported that many chateau vineyards in lesser known areas (Castillon, Bourg, Blaye, Côtes de Franc, Graves, Satellites of St Emilion) who could not afford these payments and who played ‘Russian roulette’, this year lost for perhaps for the last time. For them it’s personally heart breaking. For French wine making it’s a cultural tragedy. It’s hard enough for small independent vineyards (often run by families or young couples with a dream) to survive - the economies of scale as well as being aggressively overshadowed by the high volume output and superior marketing power of wealthy corporate owned vineyards - but never really expected nature, or vicissitudes of global warming, to make it that much more harder to make wine.

Unlike Bordeaux, Burgundy, the Rhone valley, in the Champagne region, we heard that not many Champagne wine producers didn’t even bother fighting the frost because they thought it would have done little good. One of the reasons why so few people engaged in frost protection in Champagne is these wine makers have as their biggest buffer against frost is their Individual Reserve (RI). In case appellation requirements are not met in the vineyard, they can draw from it.

Indeed with sales still stagnating and small yield expectations, growers may have to dip in the RI because frost season is not over till after the Saintes Glaces, a period in the middle of May after which frost generally doesn't appear. But not every vineyard can do that.

To their credit, perhaps recognising the commercial and cultural role French wine has in daily life and international prestige, the French government had agreed to step in to help. President Emmanuel Macron tweeted a picture of a candle-lit vineyard and promised that help was on the way, “À vous, agriculteurs qui, partout en France, avez lutté sans relâche, nuit après nuit, pour protéger les fruits de votre travail, je veux vous dire notre soutien plein et entier dans ce combat. Tenez bon ! Nous sommes à vos côtés et le resterons.” (“To you, farmers who, throughout France, have fought tirelessly, night after night, to protect the fruits of your labour, I want to give you our full support in this fight. Hold on tight! We are by your side and will remain so." )

To that end President Macron has declared an "agricultural disaster" and Prime Minister Jean Castex has promised that the government will provide emergency relief to those who were affected. He has also removed the limit on the amount of financial compensation that can be provided. It said it would help the smaller independent vineyards and co-operatives with tax breaks as well as pushing banks and insurance companies to help out. It’s unclear if any of this will come to pass or indeed what effect it might have in the short and long term. We shall see.

It’s been estimated that at least a third of French wine production worth nearly € 2 billion (£ 1.7 billion) in sales will be lost this year. It's another blow for France's wine industry whatever assistance is given. The French wine industry has already been dealing with the knock-on effects of the Covid pandemic, with decreases in restaurant orders due to the country's series of lockdowns. Independent producers have been hit hard by the cancellation of wine fairs due to Covid. Then there have been the effects of the tariffs that former President Donald Trump imposed as a result of assorted disputes between the administration and the European Union. In late 2019, Trump hit French wine with a retaliatory 25% import duty, a cost increase that the Economist says contributed to a 14% drop in French wine exports in 2020. Last month in March, the United States and the EU announced a four-month suspension of the tariffs.

But that doesn't necessarily help winegrowers right now - especially since a significant percentage of this year's crop may already be lost. Tradition has it that it is well into May before vine growers can sleep easy without worrying about the risk of further frost damage.

Even though we did our best to save our vines we couldn’t save all of them and even had decide which ones to forgo even trying because we lacked manpower and resources at such short notice. I heard someone amongst ourselves say losing the vines that one has cultivated so lovingly was like the loss of a family member. It may seem puerile, but that is close to what many feel. Perhaps only winegrowers can understand this sentiment, but they have found themselves out in the vines in the morning with tears in their eyes. I’m not one for sentiment and displays of emotion but even I was a little moved to see the heart break in tear filled eyes of some of the older generation who have for decades given their sweat and tears to tilling the soil. We did our best to console one another and remarkably in that crucible we experienced together we all became closer.

What is clear is the tradition of wine - beyond national politics and international trade disputes - is under long term threat from something much more existential. There is a saying amongst the older generation of wine makers in our fertile wine making region who say, ‘wine history is climate history’. Wine making is about the vines, the ‘terroir’ (a French way of saying the earth or the soil), but also the climate. Nature is very much the master and wine makers are but humble servants of the soil. For those who don’t believe in climate change or think it’s overly dramatised by scientists or worse, a hoax, then I would say wake up and smell the coffee. Climate change is real as any wine producer or arable farmer will tell you. Wine can make you do or say many things, but it won’t ever make you tell a wilful lie.

The French wife of my cousin, whose family the vineyard had been for several generations, told us that the wine harvest time used to span her grandfather’s birthday - September 28 - but now, the bustle of harvest is over and cleaned up in time for his birthday party - that’s two to three weeks earlier than when her grandfather used to make the wine. As she memorably put it, things are “bien cramées” (really screwed up).

All of this means that wine producers will have to change their ways as the climate changes. All the measures taken to combat frost were in reality delaying tactics to fight a losing battle with the climate. The wine industry, not just in France but around the world, needs to evolve if it is to face up to increasing climate challenges. This might include planting more weather-resistant vines that flower later, and are therefore less vulnerable to late frosts and cold snaps.

Wine, in France, is built into the fabric of the culture. The many variety of grapes across the wine growing regions indigenously grow and adapt to the precise climate conditions of the region for centuries. Winemakers know the growth stages intimately: the look of the vines before they bud; the look of the vines as they mature over long seasons; and the fat, sugary, fragrant curve of the grapes when they’re ready to be made into wine.

That harvest point is crucial. Too long on the vine and the grapes have too much sugar in them, meaning the wine will be more alcoholic—not the subtle feel most winemakers in the region care for. Too long, and the acids that give wine some of its feel in the mouth may disintegrate. Not long enough, and they might not have developed the right balance of fragrant chemicals that give the wine its characteristic flavours.

Winemakers keep careful track of harvest dates, with some regions have records stretching back to the Middle Ages. In the 1800s, scientists and historians realised that those careful records could be used to keep track of how the climate in different parts of Europe has changed over time.

Grape harvest date records are the longest records of phenology in Europe. There are hundreds of years of records of what the summer temp was like, and we can use them like a thermometer.

Grape harvest dates reflect the temperature the grapes have felt over the course of the growing season, from about April until they’re picked. If the spring and summer are hot, the grapes mature faster and need to be picked sooner. If they're cool, the opposite is true.

Climate historians started to pull together ancient information from other sources, too. They matched up the patterns in the grape harvest data with records made from tree rings and the length of glaciers in the Alps. They used records like those to figure out that much of central Europe warmed up during the Medieval Warm Period, from around 900 to 1300. It had cooled down during the Little Ice Age, from about the 15th to the 19th centuries.

The historians saw that over the past few hundred years, temperatures wobbled around, skewing warm for short stretches and cooling down in others. But overall, climate rocked up and down around a fairly consistent average value - until recently.

Wine is first and foremost an agricultural product. The grapes used to make it are grown and harvested with intent to be fermented. This means that wine production is vulnerable to the effects of climate change from the tangible health of vines to the taste and quality of the finished bottling they create. So for this reason, all winemakers see themselves as being on the front line to see what happens with the weather, with the climate. The fluctuations we have today are more significant than any time before.

If you don’t believe any of this or think wine producers are exaggerating the dangers, then taste your wine the next time you open a bottle. The chances are it has a high alcohol content. This is no accident. Because of the changes in temperature world wide, the alcohol content of wines has bumped up from about 12% in the 1970s to about 14% today. Of course that number varies from region to region and is also due to the wine maker’s preference. But a large part of it is because grapes are maturing faster in the heat. The more sugar they accumulate, the more of it is converted to alcohol during the winemaking process.

Warming has also caused the boundaries of viable growing area to swell. Typically, successful vineyards have been found between 30 and 50 degrees latitude. But as global average temperatures continue to climb, the most ideal areas to plant are moving farther from the equator. Now, areas as far up as the island of Föhr and Stargarder Land in Mecklenburg, at the tip-top of Germany, are legally permitted to produce table wines. Belgium, whose vinous history has been overshadowed by its beer culture, quadrupled production between 2006 and 2018; it’s forecasted to become a champion, alongside Finland, Sweden and other boreal climes. Shockingly, even England has also successfully entered the modern fine wine scene.

With better wine from regions we know and new wine from previously uncharted areas, it may appear the wine world is becoming better off. In truth, however, this is a thin silver lining to ever-worsening viticultural challenges.

If the growing season becomes too hot, fruit will push through its life cycle too quickly and characteristics like tannins and anthocyanins, the compounds responsible for giving grape skins their colour, won’t develop properly. Muted acid and increased alcohol levels are also possible and often undesirable.

Variations between daytime and nighttime temperatures are in jeopardy as well. In warmer growing regions, that difference can be crucial to achieving freshness and encouraging certain flavour and aroma development.

Intense heat or too much direct sunlight can lead to dried fruit notes or create flabby and dull wines. Fruit that’s left too long on the vine can be damaged from sunburn or may simply shrivel. Vines may just shut down to protect themselves.

This is already happening in some places. Wine growers in northern Italy have already seen sunburnt crops with increasing frequency. The summer of 2019 in Southern Australia was the hottest since national records began in 1910, and it ushered in an 8% loss of white wine varieties, with Chardonnay dropping 12% to its lowest yield in the past five years. Growers in Priorat, Spain, reported devastating vine damage, scorched leaves and desiccated grapes when temperatures shot up to a record 107.6˚F.

Climate change is complicated, however, and, even though temperature is the most influential factor in overall growth and productivity of wine grapes, there’s more than rising mercury to think about.

Winter, and all of its prescriptions, is one of those other things. We typically talk about warming, yet, freezes during the winter or extreme frost in the spring don’t go away. They may become less frequent, but potentially more severe. A decrease in regular winter frosts may also encourage the spread of pests and insect-borne diseases that would normally die off during cold seasons.

Moisture is pivotal. Too much rain approaching or during harvest can lead to watery grapes and a weak vintage. Similar to mild winters, damp, soggy and humid conditions open the door to a variety of pests, fungi, mildew and disease pressures.

All of these intricacies and others work in conjunction with temperature to dictate what vines can successfully grow where and for how long—and all are increasingly unpredictable or totally upended in the face of climate change.

The people who grow, make and sell wine are tuned in to these nuances.

A greater number of producers are rethinking canopy management, vine trellising or pruning techniques, developing cover crops and extensive shading methods, increasing vineyard biodiversity and finding ways to reuse water.

Still, there are some challenges that cannot be overcome.

In the future, I expect growers to struggle with maintaining varieties in certain regions without major interventions. If they don’t make major changes, wine producers will see declining yields - already seen in Europe - and declining quality as the varieties become increasingly mismatched to the climate.

Producers have begun grafting new rootstocks and experimenting with different grapes. In South Africa, Vinpro, aided tests of drought-resistant varieties including Assyrtico and Marselan, for example. Australian producers have tried Italian grapes like Fiano, Vermentino and Nero d’Avola that thrive in warmer settings.

In Old World regions, where grapes and blends may be prescribed by law, the idea of swapping plantings is monumental.

Bordeaux is one such place, and, at a 2019 General Assembly meeting, it finally relented. The Union of Bordeaux AOC and Bordeaux Supérieur winemakers unanimously approved a list of seven “varieties of interest for adapting to climate change”: Arinarnoa, Castets, Marselan, Touriga Nacional, Alvarinho, Liliorila and Petit Manseng.

The approval of these new plantings signals just how committed the region is to preserving the future of fine wine.

Each of the various tactics being implemented worldwide take lots of time, tests and research. Some experienced wine producers think it would take about 21 years to change course because of how long it takes to plant vines, grow grapes, and then create and age a wine; finding sustainable farming practices for a plot takes trial and error.

Further, the methods being devised now may not be applicable down the road. Though there are several models in use to try and predict changes, they are attempting to track a nonlinear problem that’s dependent on a range of forthcoming scenarios.

Basically, the only thing we do know for certain is that it will get warmer, and that we may be able to anticipate that heat before it hits us.We have to be asking what we can do now to preserve the integrity of the grapes and vineyards we work with and look for where our opportunities are to continue making wine. The one line that works for everyone is to cut carbon emissions, that is the emergency action that needs to be taken.

We’re all starting to see this and we’re all affected. We know we can’t turn it backwards, and we’re not even sure we can slow it down. But we have to try.

Think on all this the next time you take a sip of wine.

#wine #vineyard #frost #climate change #environment #economic disaster #harvest #france #bordeaux #bourgogne #champagne #weather #wine business #personal #personal pics #family

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weraceasone · 3 years

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hi, just wondering if anyone could maybe sum up this interview with lando? or maybe screenshot it? i’d love to do it myself but given the fact that i don’t live in the uk i can’t access it... thanks

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/lando-norris-discovers-importance-of-fitness-hell-need-it-as-daniel-ricciardos-team-mate-bm6lnrdrg

hey Anon! I copied the whole article and put it under the read more!! I hope this helps🧡.

I hope you’re having a good day, Anon! 🧡

McLaren kicked off the 2021 car launches this week alongside their drivers for the season, Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo. The car looks pretty similar to last year, so it was hard to get too excited about it — or any of the other nine launches happening over the coming weeks, for that matter.

Of interest, however, were Norris’s comments about how he plans to approach the physical side of the job: by doing gym work and cutting back on pizza.

“I have tried to be more strict with certain things, whether that is with food and trying not to have a pizza as often,” the 21-year-old said. “I can still have a little treat now and then, but it is also the physical side of it, too. Trying to do more in the gym because I struggle with that part of it.

“I know I am in Formula One and I am in a very privileged position, but that doesn’t matter because I can still struggle to want to go out on a run or go into the gym and lift weights. I struggle to motivate myself, so I have tried more things and pushed myself through moments that I hate because I know that good things come of it.

“I am better prepared physically because of it. I am trying to think outside the box and dedicating more time to work out what is good for me and push myself to the next level.”

The Bristol-born youngster is heading into his third season in Formula One and has been honest in the past about how he does not enjoy the gym — but who does? Three sets of ten squats followed by 20 burpees is no one’s idea of fun. If you want time to go slowly, try doing a plank for a minute.

Yet F1 is extremely physically demanding and there is a reason Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen place great importance on their physical fitness. Hamilton, 36, is also not a fan of the gym, and seems to find new ways to keep fit each year: he has been cross-country skiing to get himself into shape for the new season.

Drivers can be in the car for up to two hours, sometimes in temperatures well above 30C and, aside from the mental toll that takes, their bodies are pushed to the limit physically. If they are not fit enough, performance will decline.

Verstappen collapsed in 2016 after a particularly hot practice session in Malaysia. Drivers can lose between two and three kilograms of weight each race as the demands of hurtling around the track at up to 200mph, putting the body through extreme G-forces, take effect.

If any driver wants to be a world champion, they have to be supremely fit. Michael Schumacher changed the way drivers approached fitness in the Nineties — they were already taking it seriously, but the German upped the ante.

Schumacher would push his body to the extreme during training, building his stamina and strength so that in races, where other drivers might drop off towards the end as they tired, he could continue to push to the limit all the way to the chequered flag. That, coupled with his immense talent, forced the rest of the grid to up their game.

So it is surprising that Norris seems to have only just realised that he needs to increase the physical side of his training, but I suspect that may have something to do with his new team-mate, as well as becoming more mature with age. Norris insists he does not feel any more pressure having Ricciardo in the garage than he did when Carlos Sainz was his team-mate, but he should.

Ricciardo is a seven-times race winner, extremely talented and, at 31, knows that the move to McLaren may be his last chance of a shot at the world title. The Australian is going to be pushing hard. He keeps himself very fit, and also finds novel ways of doing so, including whacking huge tyres in his garden in Perth.

Drivers are always given a bit of leeway in their first years, but Norris no longer has that luxury and he needs to step up and help McLaren challenge at the front of the grid again.

The team’s third-place finish in the constructors’ championship last year shows that the Woking-based outfit are moving in the right direction. Ricciardo is a good hire for the team, bringing with him not only experience but also a fun attitude. Those who worked with him at Red Bull speak highly of his light-hearted personality. That said, his nickname of the “Honey badger” is a nod to his ruthless streak and Norris will know that.

Norris is right to up his game, not only to improve his performance but to help the team and to try to challenge his team-mate. Perhaps they can find new ways to work out together and start a budding bromance to rival the one that Norris had with Sainz.

#elle answers

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rainandhotchocolate · 5 years

Text

Birthday girl

A/N SORRY I’M A MESS - here is the final version!! For the beautiful @siriuslyjanhvi‘s birthday - a lil fluffy fic about Y/N and Sirius. Y/N is highkey famous and Sirius decides to throw her a surprise bday party :))

Enjoy!

Birthday girl.

“Are you sure you had a good day?” Sirius watched Y/N, his eyes trained on hers as if he could read her mind if he stared hard enough. Y/N took hold of his hand and smiled up at him.

“I promise, it was the best birthday I’ve had.” Y/N gave his hand a squeeze, and stepped out of the car, swinging it shut. They were outside Y/N’s family home, a large white Victorian two-story which sat in a row of what seemed like a hundred other white Victorian two-story homes. It was on the outskirts of London, where you could actually have a back garden and a large swing set out front if you were allowed.

Y/N’s dad had put a large tyre on the tree out front instead, promising it would be ten times more fun than Kasey’s swing-set down the road. Y/N fell out of it and broke her arm when she was seven and was rushed to the hospital emergency room where they chastised her parents for bringing her in when it wasn’t an emergency. Her arm had healed by the time they’d arrived.

Four years later she’d received her Hogwarts acceptance letter. She also met Sirius that year, trying to set up a large bucket of water over the Gryffindor Portrait Hole.

“What are you thinking about?” Sirius had come over to her, wrapping his arms around her waist and leaning them both against Y/N’s car.

“When we first met,” Y/N slipped her hands along his arms and up to his shoulders, having to stand on her tip toes to reach.

“You mean when you destroyed my prank?”

“I think you mean when I artfully took over your prank and got you covered in water before your first class with McGonagall.” Y/N grinned up at him mischievously, and Sirius squeezed her a little tighter in retaliation.

“Come on, let’s go inside, get some birthday cake.” Sirius leaned down and gave Y/N a soft kiss, holding her a little tighter.

“Mmmmk, If we have to,” Y/N sighed, giving him a small pout. Sirius smiled but pulled away from her, keeping one arm around her waist.

“We in fact, do have to,” Sirius led her towards the large doorway, “Your parents might kill me if I didn’t get you home in time for family dinner.”

“I know I know, it just would be nice to have some more… Sirius time,” Y/N looked up at him with the biggest puppy dog eyes she could and Sirius looked down at her, frowning at her.

“Don’t make me regret taking you home like a good boyfriend, you know I’d like to have you all to myself as well,” Sirius winked, leaning over and kissing her forehead, “But I promise that we will have plenty of alone time over the rest of the summer, ok?”

“Ok,” Y/N conceded, turning to face the doorway, “How do I look?”

“Perfect, as usual.”

“Sap.”

“It’s your birthday, I’m going to be as soppy as I like.” Sirius winked at her, and then rapped three times on the door in front of him. It swung open almost immediately, revealing Y/N’s tall and balding father who was wearing a very tailored suit and a huge smile.

“The birthday girl is back! Come in, come in you two,” His eyes were twinkling, and Y/N narrowed her eyes at him as Sirius and herself walked passed him and into the main lounge. Y/N knew that look, that was the look when he wanted to –

“SURPRISE!”

Y/N took a step back into Sirius as about 50 people jumped out from behind the large blue couches sitting across the living room. There was a large flash as cameras started to go off, capturing her surprise and Sirius’ arm tucked around her as he stopped her from falling over.

“Oh, my god,” Y/N laughed, turning to Sirius, “Did you organise this?”

“With a bit of help,” Sirius was grinning at her, “Do you like it?”

“Yes! I’ve always wanted a surprise party, I just, I don’t know how you pulled this off,” Y/N moved into the room, a feeling of excitement building in her chest. There was something about surprises that she loved, that made her feel like jumping up and down.

“Believe me it was an ordeal, but you have literally always said you wanted one… so, enjoy,” Sirius kissed her cheek and led her into the room.

The large, white living room was covered in large balloons standing in every corner, and there was a large section of the room that had been converted into a dance floor, a DJ already at work and blasting music across the room. Y/N could see through the windows that even the outdoor pool had been decorated with flashing lights, and streamers covered the trees alongside large, ornate fairy lights. There was a table in front of her covered in every kind of food Y/N could ever dream of, macarons stacked in a huge tower, chocolate covered strawberries, a tiered plate of cupcakes, and multi-level birthday cake covered in buttercream icing and small flowers. Y/N could feel her mouth-watering but was instead led towards a smaller group of people to her right.

“Happy birthday, Y/N!” Lily rushed over to her, squeezing her into a hug and spinning her around on the spot. Y/N laughed as Lily put her back down and she was suddenly surrounded by 5 other people all coming to hug her.

“Were you surprised?” James asked eagerly, “We had to shut Peter up like five times before he let it slip.”

“I kept the secret!” Peter scowled, giving Y/N a quick hug and stepping backwards, looking a little awkward.

“You did, you did,” James ruffled his hair, still looking at Y/N, “Have you looked at your presents yet?”

“She literally just got here,” Remus rolled his eyes, snorting at James’ excitement, “Did you have a good day?”

“Even better with you guys here,” Y/N smiled at him, her heart swelling at the sight of all her Gryffindor friends standing in her living room. She was always unsure to invite them over, with her parents having such important people over all the time they were nervous to have anything that could interrupt their meetings, like rogue magic.

“You big ol’ sap,” Marlene pushed through the group, giving Y/N an even tighter hug than Lily’s, “So who is here? Anyone famous? Your parents know cool people right?”

Y/N rolled her eyes at Marlene. When they’d found out who her parents were, they were mostly very uninterested, except for Lily who shrieked a little louder and suddenly flushed as red as her hair. The Gryffindors were always hoping that they would bump into someone famous when they were in the muggle world with Y/N, even though it was highly unlikely they would even recognise any of them.

“I mean, a few I guess…” Y/N blushed, glancing around the room to see who else was there, turning back to see five very excited looking faces.

“Oh leave her be, you won’t even know them,” Sirius waved them off.

“I will,” Lily muttered, receiving a glare from Sirius.

“It’s fine,” Y/N squeezed Y/N’s hand, laughing at his protectiveness, “Come on I’ll introduce you to some people.”

“Yayayay,” Lily clapped her hands together, linking her arm into Y/N’s and letting Y/N direct her through the crowd. “Holy shit, is that…?”

“Yes, come on I’ll introduce you,” Y/N smiled at Lily’s extreme elation as they walked towards a small group of people. Y/N tapped a girl with long dark hair on the shoulder.

“Hey, this is Li-“

“Lily Evans! I’m Lily, I can’t believe I’m meeting you!” Lily gushed, eyes wide and intense as she stared at a very shocked Malia Obama.

“Uh, hey! I’m Malia,”

“Yeah I know,” Lily looked like she could start bouncing around the room.

“I go to school with Lily,” Y/N gripped Lily’s arm to keep her from moving from foot to foot.

“Oh of course! She never tells me anything about school,” Malia smiled at Lily, “You reckon you could give me any secrets? Y/N has so much dirt on me it's not funny.”

“I, well – “

“There’s nothing to say, anyway, I’ve told you its just a boarding school in Scotland, there’s not anything really to do except for roaming the grounds,” Y/N shot Lily a look as she stumbled on her words slightly.

“Well if you have any cheeky stories about Y/N, I need to hear them,” Malia sighed, “Are you from London as well?”

“I uh, I’m – yes! Outer London, Brixton. And if this helps one time Y/N tried to set up a prank for Sirius, and… well long story short she ended up covered in treacle tart and stuck in a large tree.

“Stop it! Ok, you’re officially my favourite of Y/N’s friends,” Malia grinned at Lily who stared back, starstruck. “I’m going to go grab a drink, lovely to meet you, Lily.”

“You too!” Lily called out as Malia walked back towards the large drinks table, “Holy shit I can’t believe I just met Malia Obama. What the actual fuck.”

“Yeah, honestly I felt the exact same way.” Y/N laughed at her, as they walked back towards Sirius and the others.

“You meet people like that all the time.”

“It doesn’t stop it being overwhelming, I promise you.”

Lily was clearly not listening because she rushed back to James, squealing. Y/N felt a hand reach out and twirl her around, meeting the face of her mother, beaming down at her.

“Happy birthday my darling!” Her mum leant down and kissed her on the cheek, still smiling widely, “I hope we surprised you.”

“You really did,” Y/N laughed, looking around the room at the huge array of her friends and family, her father standing in the corner, booming a laugh at something Barack had apparently said, who was grinning mischievously. She could see Sirius and James wandering around the sides, trying to pick out the most famous muggles, stopping momentarily to oogle at Cindy Crawford and Naomi Campbell who were wearing extremely tight silver gowns. In fact, as Y/N looked across the room at the stunning guests she suddenly started to feel very, very underdressed.

As if her mother knew exactly what she was thinking, she pulled Y/N away, moving towards her parents bedroom. This was always Y/N’s favourite room in the house, a soft blue coloured room with paintings hung across each wall and a huge walk-in wardrobe that Y/N used to hide in when she was little. Her mother winked at her as she brought Y/N into the wardrobe, turning on the soft, pinkish lights.

“So, I knew that we couldn’t give this to you earlier, as it would have given away the surprise, but I thought I might put something together for your birthday,” Her mother walked away and towards a large mirror, pulling it open. Inside was a gown, a black satin dress with a triangle dip across the bust and tulle in the skirt so it puffed out slightly. The dress was covered in small, shining stars that twinkled lightly as the light hit each one.

“Mum, you didn’t,” Y/N gasped, rushing over towards it and feeling the edge of the skirt. It was the softest thing she had ever held in her life.

“I have heard you ask for the past 100 years for me to make you something, darling, I promise I was paying attention,” Her mum grinned, “It was one of my favourite pieces to design.”

Y/N felt like a fish, opening and closing her mouth, trying to find the right words to say thank you. She’d asked her mum to design her something ever since she was five and her mum started her own business, even more so when it became one of the most popular formal wear boutique for the rich and famous.

“There’s matching shoes, get changed and lets make a proper entrance,” Her mum winked at her again, slipping out of the room so that Y/N could slip into her perfect dress. As expected, it fit perfectly, sliding across her skin, accentuating every curve in her body. The black satin shoes were the most comfortable heels she’d ever worn, and the small golden buckle matched the twinkling stars across her dress.

“You ready?” Her mum called from the other room.

“Yep!” Y/N took a deep breath. She would never get over dressing up. Wearing a uniform every day meant that she never had to think about clothes to buy or looking nice, but it made dressing up like this even more nerve-wracking.

Her mum peeped her head around the door.

“Lets go then.”

They walked, arms looped together back into the party. A loud wolf-whistle echoed across the room and Y/N saw Lily hit James playfully, as they saw her and her mother. The rest of the party turned to face her, and Y/N felt her stomach jolt as it went silent, everyone’s eyes on her. Her mother gripped her hand and smiled at her.

“You look beautiful, darling, I promise.”

“Thanks mum,” Y/N turned and gave her a tight hug, “Thanks for everything.”

“Of course,” Her mum sniffed into her shoulder, pulling away so she could dry her eyes lightly, “Come on, no tears tonight, it’s a celebration!”

Y/N laughed as she continued to sniff slightly, walking Y/N back down the stairs and into the swarms of people who had come to say hello.

After what felt like an hour of speaking to numerous people, and saying thank you to the immense amount of compliments she was getting for her dress, she slipped away, moving towards the back of the room to take a quick breather.

Sirius sidled over to Y/N who had leaned against the back wall, watching the guests move around the room.

“People watching?”

“Always,” Y/N smiled up at him, “Thanks for organising all of this.”

“Anything for you, love,” Sirius spoke softly, holding her hand and rubbing circles with his thumb across her palm, “I got you a present, as well.”

“What! You didn’t have to,” Y/N blushed, feeling her stomach squirm. She still got butterflies every time he did something like this, when she felt like she was the only person he’d ever look at with those grey eyes ever again.

“Of course I did! And anyway, I wanted to, close your eyes.” Sirius grinned at her, “Do it!”

“Ok, ok,” Y/N giggled, closing her eyes and standing perfectly still. She could feel his presence in front of her, his large chest and arms pressed up against her own. Her heart was beating hard in her chest as she felt his arms reach up and behind her neck before a cold chain fell onto her clavicle.

“Ok, open.” Y/N opened her eyes to face Sirius who was standing extremely close to her. “It’s not just a kiss is it.”

“Oh shush, look down.” Sirius rolled his eyes at Y/N’s teasing, but was still smiling nervously. Y/N grinned, looking down at the small pendant necklace he had clasped around her neck. It was a circle with a small black dog inside, laying down with his tongue out on a large carpet.

“Oh, Sirius, it’s beautiful,” Y/N gasped, moving it around in her hands. As she grazed a finger across the pendant she watched as the dog stood up and motioned barking, looking excitedly up at her.

“Yeah? It’s charmed, whenever I’m not with you, I’m, you know, still with you,” Sirius pulled a hand through his hair, still looking nervous, “Are you sure you like it?”

“I love it,” Y/N reached up and pulled him closer to her, kissing him softly and leaning her forehead onto his, “it’s the best present I’ve ever had, honestly.”

“Ok, good,” Sirius leaned in a kissed her again, biting her lip softly, “We should probably get back to the party.”

“Maybe in a few minutes,” Y/N grinned, pulling him back, letting his tongue flick onto hers, his body pressed up against her and pushing her into the wall. Happy Birthday Y/N, she thought, smiling into his kiss, never let this one go.

Sirius pulled away, giving a glance to someone to their right who had flashed a photo as they made out subtly in the corner. Y/N shooed them, annoyed that paparazzi would make it into her party but Sirius pulled her back to him quickly, placing a kiss on her forehead.

“Don’t let them get to you, and anyway I’ve got to make sure that all the muggles out there know that this beauty is taken,” Sirius chuckled as Y/N rolled her eyes, “Come on, I heard your dad say something about the cake soon, and I’ll be damned if I don’t get to tell every muggle-born in Hogwarts that I heard their old US president give a speech.”

Y/N took his hand and let her lead him back towards the party, grinning as she heard her dad begin to sing Happy Birthday very loudly and very off-key, groups of people swarming towards the food table as her mother lit the candles. Y/N stood in front of the cake, Sirius by her side, leaning against him as her party guests sang loudly, everyone smiling widely at her.

“Happy Birthday, my love,” Sirius leaned in, whispering softly in her ear. Y/N didn’t think she’d been happier in her entire life.

Taglist: @averytruerayofsunshine @siriuslyjanhvi @blushingskywalker @blackpinkdolan @thebabblingbookworm @cherrie511 @imlukesnirvana @avengersassemblee @maraudersandco @sly-vixen-up2nogood @katbernoulli @sirius-lysad @evyiione @minerva26love @aikeia @gollyderek @greatwombatblaze @songforhema @your-typical-giggle @myownviperroom

#rainandhotchocolate #sirius x reader #sirius imagine #sirius black x reader #sirius black imagine #marauders x reader #marauders imagine

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kongpeople · 5 years

Text

full moon | part four

full moon part 4

chapter 1 - chapter 2 - chapter 3 - chapter 4 - chapter 5 (not out yet)

pairing: richie x reader

age of the main characters: 17-18

word count: 3,134 (wow!)

warnings: smoking, cursing, sexual harassment, irresponsible driving

tense: 1st person

abbreviations: y/n : your name

prompts: 97: “ Don’t touch me. ”

music recommendations: goodbye (karaoke) by don’t hug me i’m scared, sweet dreams (are made of this) by emily browning, midnight in the garden by atli örvarsson

a/n: so many words wow hope you enjoy this long ass chapter! (i could’ve split it into at least two parts but it’s all for you 💜)

(goodbye (karaoke) by don’t hug me i’m scared LOOP ON)

I got through the already broken fence and stepped into the woods with ease. I could see the bloody balloon very well, surrounded by the fields of various trees and bushes, it was almost screaming to get my attention. I heard a subtle crack behind me, but couldn’t dare to get my focus off the flying object. Right away I noticed a big tree that no longer had the feeling of an unkept jungle. Inside the tree was a huge hole, pitch black inside, where probably five grown men could fit. The balloon suddenly stopped and levitated in place. Before I could proceed to overthink anything, a white gloved hand appeared from the tree hole. I watched as it clutched on the dirt, crawling out. When a red pompommed wrist showed, my nerves went loose and made me scream for my life.

I closed my mouth when the light caressing my closed eyes disappeared, and darkness surrounded me. I opened my eyes and just then felt the overwhelmingly intense cologne irritating my nostrils. Sound not hitting me yet, I tilted my head back and looked around. No longer was there a big tree nor the tree hole. Not even the bloody red balloon, but a bushy and disgustingly moist forest again. Looking up, I saw the face of Lucifer himself, Richard Tozier, gazing down at me, saying something in my direction. My hands were on his chest, while his on my shoulders, shaking me subtly. Just then, when all senses hit me, I heard his voice.

“(y/n), (y/n), jesus, do you hear me?” His tone was annoyed but also a bit worried, I guessed. I opened my mouth, trying to spit something out as well as going through everything that had happened. His hands were still clutched on my thin sleeves.

“I, uh, the tree, balloon...” I muttered. Richard’s brows furrowed, as he penetrated my eyes with his gaze, seeking an explanation. “Wait, you followed me here?”

He scoffed. “I found you screaming in the woods, talking about balloons, and you’re asking me about following you?” He’s avoiding the question. His hands finally left my shoulders and I took mine off his chest as well, missing the feel of a leather jacket on my fingertips left behind. I stumbled back and reflected on what had happened again.

“Let’s go back.” He pushed me in the right direction extremely cautiously and began to walk behind me, leading and watching my step.

A minute has passed, and I couldn’t gather my thoughts. The fact that Richard Tozier followed me to the woods hasn’t hit me yet, as the bushy forest disappeared and I was once again at the school backyard.

“Try not to die when I’m gone, okay?” And with that, Richard has passed me from behind, hands in his pockets, with no intention of going back to biology class. His head down and back arched, somehow with grace, he disappeared, once again, leaving me trembling.

(goodbye (karaoke) by don’t hug me i’m scared OFF)

***

“Anyway, we’re going to the shopping center in Augusta, you should come with us, (y/n).” Jane awakes my consciousness once again.

“Huh? Sorry, what for?” Her stare deepens as she raises her eyebrows at me.

“To try on prom gowns.” Jane repeats slowly, visibly not concealing her annoyance with me. “(y/n), you didn’t forget, did you? Prom is in three weeks.” She scoffed. I did forget.

“No, of course not.” I tried laughing it off, but my acting skills weren’t top notch. “Yeah, sure, I’ll go with you. I have something to get in Augusta anyway.”

“Great, so it’s settled.” Emma speaks up. “Wednesday after school, we’ll go by a bus.”

***

It’ll be good to take my thoughts off Richard for a while. Or so I thought, but didn’t realize how far away it would be from Derry. By the time we got there, I was already exhausted. Augusta, being the capital of Maine, population 18,594 as of 2017, has still been nothing compared to Phoenix. I glanced at the flashy, yellow sticky note once again, memorizing the address written down on it. Jane and Emma found themselves trying on the fifth dress since they got in the mall.

“Does it make my boobs look bigger? I think it does.” Jane fixed the corset. “(y/n), what do you think?”

I looked up from the note and murmured. “It’s nice.”

“That’s what you said about the other three.” She sighed.

“It looks very good on you.” Emma helped me out, clearly satisfying Jane with that. I glanced at the hung up clock and cautiously stood up from my spot by the window.

“Hey guys, I’m gonna go grab something from the library real quick. I’ll see you at the restaurant.” Jane let out a silent “oh, okay” and I left.

Leaving the mall, it was no surprise to notice raindrops falling down onto the uneven pavement. Asking around, I got to the destination on my sticky note. The library was extremely cozy. All woody and traditional. It reminded me of my favorite Hollister store in Phoenix.

“Are you looking for something?” An old lady sitting behind the desk uttered in a raspy voice.

“Yes, um, I’m looking for ‘The History of Derry’. Is there a chance I could get it?” I smiled lightly and found myself caressing my unpainted fingernails.

“Just a minute.” She stood up and walked to the nearest wooden shelf. After fixing her glasses and running her finger through the book spines, she grabbed one by it’s headband and handed it over to me. The book was a square covered in brown leather, with black painted words on top. I payed for it and left.

(sweet dreams (are made of this) by emily browning ON)

“Have a good night.” I exclaimed as I walked out, and concluded with surprise that it was already dark outside. The air was humid and the street lights were dimmed. I hid the book inside my messenger bag, and trying to recall the directions to the mall, I entered the dark maze of grey buildings and narrow alleys. The claustrophobic street opened as I found myself in a dimmed and moist crossroad between abandoned buildings, looking scarier than I recalled. A band of men standing next to their rusting cars, noticed an intruder, being me.

“Hey, where ya goin’, sweet cheeks?” One of them exclaimed as I fastened my pace. They laughed and walked towards me. A four pack of beer flew from behind me, landing in the men’s in front of me hands. I acknowledged that I’m being circled.

“What are you up to so late at night, huh?” He caressed my chin as I turned my head in the other direction, almost tripping over. My brain was frozen in place like a wheel that could no longer turn. I was paralyzed by my own fear. I knew exactly what was about to happen but I could do nothing to stop it. Soon, I would be nothing more than a news story of a young, innocent girl found dead on the streets of Augusta. There was no one here to save me.

“Don’t touch me.” I muttered through clenched teeth. They continued to laugh and circle me tighter, from time to time whispering something to me. Trying to get a glimpse of my predators, I felt dizziness hitting me. They were close enough now that I could see the sick, twisted grins of the two men in front of me. I spun on my heel, only to see that the others had expressions that matched. They would enjoy this. I could see it on their faces.

"I want her first this time Jared," the man closest to me said to one of his companions.

"No fair! You got the last one first!" he replied, outraged.

"Boys, since you can't seem to stop fighting, I'm going to get her all to myself." The oldest looking one said. Tears filled my eyes, blurring my vision.

"Aw, come on!" the other man said. He came over to me and wrapped around the middle of my body. That one griped me so tightly he was going to leave bruises, not that it would really matter in the long run. "Such a pretty thing," he continued, stroking my face with his fingertips.

"Mmm..." his breathing began to speed up. Quick gusts of hot air were being blown onto my exposed skin. "Now where shall we begin?"

As I was about to shout for help, a violent tyre squeal made everyone jump away from the sound. As the men rushed back, I turned face to face with the familiar, matte black Toyota MR2. As I stared into the blinding lights of the car, the driver doors opened rapidly and a black figure walked out. In the dimmed light, his skin looked paler than ever, his eyes darker than in the sunlight.

“Get in the car.” He spit out as he pushed me towards the vehicle. I followed his command numb headed. Inside the car, I felt a gust of cologne hitting my nostrils. The upholstery was nice in touch and warm. I thrilled to the sensation as I observed a peculiar scene. Richard appeared to be having a staring contest with my predators. As they backed out, he slowly spun on his heel and got inside the car. Trembling, he did an irresponsible maneuver, almost hitting the men, then spun the car around and drove off violently. Holding onto the cup holder as much as I could, I heard a small ‘what the fuck’ coming out of his mouth. I glanced at his tense face.

“You followed me. Again.” I spoke numbly. Richard inhaled sharply.

“I was driving by.” I gaped unimpressed and observed his maneuver.

“You should put your seatbelt on.” He laughed at my nervousness, revealing his teeth.

“You put your seatbelt on.” He scoffed, fixing his grip on the steering wheel. I pushed my back against the passenger seat and stared at the road with no expression, as Richard drove dangerously, earning honks from the cars he has passed.

(sweet dreams (are made of this) by emily browning OFF)

***

“Where in the world have you been?” Jane exclaimed as I got out of the black matte car in front of the restaurant we were supposed to meet at. “We’ve waited for you over 3 hours! What the hell, (y/n)?” As I was about to apologize to Jane and Emma, a voice interrupted me.

“Sorry, it’s my fault.” Richard came out of his matte black car and smiled lightly at the girls, pushing his hair back, and making them gape uncontrollably. “We ran into each other and started talking. I lost the track of time.” He sure knew how to charm anyone. Jane tucked her hair behind her ear and exchanged the smile. “I thought (y/n) would be hungry, so I offered her a meal before a ride home, since it’s already dark outside.”

Jane and Emma looked at each other knowingly and grinned widely.

“No, I mean, of course. We were already leaving anyway, right, Jane?” Emma spit out, to which Jane nodded energetically.

“Yeah, so have a safe ride home, (y/n). See you at school.” She gave me a smile and passed me, giggling with Emma. I glanced at Richard, he seemed to be staring at me this whole time.

“A meal? Really?”

“What? If you’d rather stay with your best guy friends back there, you should’ve said so.” He spit out. “They sure seemed nice to me.” I rolled my eyes in annoyance as I followed him inside the restaurant. We sat down by the empty table with two seats. He handed me the menu. I glanced briefly at it, feeling his gaze on me.

“You know, I’m not that hungry.”

“Still, you should eat.” He didn’t move his stare off me.

“Why would you care?” I put the menu down. He thrilled to the sentence for a while. Before he could answer, a waitress with a punk hairstyle and heavy makeup approached our table.

“Hi there, how could I help you?” She says, swaying her hips and checking out Richard, as if I didn’t exist. He took a look at the menu for the first time and turned to the waitress.

“Cheese ravioli for this lady.” I looked away as he used his most seductive voice. She wrote something down.

“And something for you?”

“A glass of water would be great.” He smiled stunningly, making her blush.

“It’s on me.” The waitress winked at him and left, swaying her hips once again. He concentrated on me at last.

“What if I was lactose intolerant?” Richard laughed at my seriousness.

“Then I’d be in trouble.” He flashed his pearly white teeth at me and I looked away once more. I bit my lip awkwardly. I had so many questions buzzing in my head, none of them escaping my mouth. The feeling of confusion made me scream for a rest. I shouldn’t be afraid of him, definitely shouldn’t show him that. Who is he to me? No one, right. He’s no one.

“Why did you follow me?” A question rolled out of my mouth. His face was expressionless, making it even harder for me to read him.

“I already told you. I was driving by.” Does he take me for a dumbass? His eyes showed no emotions, yet lips formed into a thin line.

“Yeah, sure. Just like that time in the woods, right? You were just...” I crossed my arms. “Passing by.” Whatever he was doing, was not working on me. All of his lies and explanations. Richard smirked, looking down at his hands.

“I guess you could say so.” I scoffed in disbelieve. At this moment, the waitress trespassed our bubble of awkwardness and placed a glass of water in front of him. I gave her a death stare as she left. “You know...” He brought my attention back to him. “You’re so stubborn, why can’t you just thank me and forget all of this ever happened?”

“Listen.” I raised my voice, stern as ever. “I don’t know what it is that you’re doing, but I want you to tell me about Neibolt.” Richard stiffened. “I saw the way you reacted at the party when I said it’s name. I know you can tell me what it is.” His stare was no longer relaxed, brows furrowed and lips still formed into a thin line. “Please.”

He looked away for the first time. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I scoffed at his response.

“You’re kidding me, right? Of course you know what I’m talking about.” I exclaimed, but quickly hushed myself. “I want to know. I want to know what the Neibolt house is and why I’m having these god awful nightmares. I know it sounds crazy... but there’s something that pulls me towards it.” He sighed, as his gaze softened.

(midnight in the garden by atli örvarsson LOOP ON)

“See? Why are you like this?” My eyes widened, brows furrowed. “I tried avoiding you, keeping my cool, but you pulled me inside your world and now, it’s too late.” His tone was soft and vulnerable. Richard looked around as if someone was overhearing. “I want to know you. You seem like someone worth knowing. Every day, I feel like I’m surrounded by people with hard edges and sour faces, but I get the sense that you’re different. Too often people seem to think that they have the answers to everything. Their faces are trapped in permascowls and they can’t be bothered with anything besides their own narcissism. You aren’t like that. You still ask questions. You’re still looking for the answers...” The waitress cut him off, as she placed a plate before me. She smiled once again at Richard, but he didn’t exchange it, still tense. He sighed as she left.

“Weren’t you the one who told me to stay away from you?” I huffed, clenching my fists.

“I meant it would be better if we weren’t friends, not that I didn’t want to.”

I tried gathering my thoughts. Frustrated at not being able to answer him, I looked down at my plate and began to eat the already cold pasta. Did he just open up to me? I couldn’t believe he was the same Richard from school, cold and calm. I heard a chair squeak against the wooden floor as Richard stood up from his seat, hands in pockets.

“I need to go for a smoke.” He murmured and left. I noticed he left money to pay.

After a few minutes I couldn’t stand the tension and left a half full plate. As I walked out, I saw him leaned against his car, a cigarette in his mouth. He threw it out and crushed with his heel. We got in the car and he started the engine. His quietness was intimidating.

“Richard..” I broke the silence. “Please, I need you to tell me about Neibolt.” He fixed his grip on the steering wheel. I noticed he does that when he’s nervous. After a moment of silence, he spoke.

“Back there, in the woods, did you see a clown?” I wasn’t ready for such a question.

“I, uh, I guess. Yes? I think I did. I don’t remember much. I just know I saw a balloon, and when I followed it, it lead me to an old tree with a tree hole in it... Then something started coming out of it.” Richard fixed his grip again.

“Are you doing something tomorrow after school?” His voice was serious.

“No, I don’t think so.” Richard nodded to himself.

“Alright, I’ll show you something tomorrow.” As he said that, the car stopped. He got out the car and walked over to the passenger door, opening them. He leaned over to take my seatbelt off.

“I can do it myself.” I murmured coldly. I pressed my back against the seat, watching as he freezes before me. His side profile was right before my eyes, and I could smell his perfume very well. His jaw clenched as he took a deep breath. Richard backed out, almost embarrassed, and I got out of the car. We were outside my house. He closed the car doors behind me and once again glared at me. I exchanged the look, admiring his beauty. He truly is charming.

“Thanks.” I spit out looking down. I threw him an awkward half smile and proceeded to head home. I turned around at the doorstep and saw him leaning against his car, watching me. “I’ll see you tomorrow.” I spoke up once again, seeing his dark as night eyes and a hand raised goodbye last time, before closing front doors behind me.

(midnight in the garden by atli örvarsson OFF)

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kirynt · 6 years

Note

26 for Reylo?

Hello, my lovely! Thanks for submitting another prompt after my mishap with your first! I don’t know what to say - I sat down to write a little fluffy fic which then turned into kind of a long fluffy fic. I hope that you like it, and thanks for helping me get back into the groove with my writing XOXO Written after work so apologies for typos etc.

***

This is a dream, thought Rey. Or a nightmare. After Han had called her into his office just afterher lunch break, she’d slipped in some oil and cracked her head on the garagefloor. This was all some strange, concussion-fuelled dream. It was too strangeto be real. Why else would her boss’s wife be here, begging her for thisfavour?

“Please,Rey? Kaydel has come down with stomach flu this morning, and it’s too late toreprint the programs.” Rey stared in disbelief at Leia Organa as she wheedledand pleaded with her, trying desperately to clean the grime from her fingers onan old oilcloth. She flicked her eyes to Han who was sitting at his desk,studiously and rather suspiciously avoiding her glance. Han was never thisinterested in paperwork. Maybe she waslying in a pool of her own blood on the concrete ….

“I’ll coveryour expenses, of course, this won’t cost you anything. It’s a bitold-fashioned for my tastes, auctioning off a date, but I let the charitycommittee convince me and I assure you that it will all be perfectly safe andabove-board.” Leia was practically giving her puppy-dog eyes now.

“Leave thegirl alone, princess,” Han muttered, rifling through last month’s invoices.

“Oh, and it’sfor such a good cause, too,” Leia continued, completely ignoring Han, whileeyeing Rey speculatively. “It’s for the Jakku District Children’s Home andHospice, just think of all the good the money you raise will do ….”

That was alow blow as far as Rey was concerned – Leia knew she was a product of thefoster system herself – but low though it was, it was pretty effective. Plusshe was a sucker for the Organa-Solo puppy-dog eyes.

“Iunderstand it’s for the kids’ home, but Leia … I’m a grease monkey from nowhere.Who would possibly want to buy a date with me? I mean, look at me,” shereplied, gesturing grubby hands in front of grubbier coveralls. “I’m just Rey.”

“Settingaside the fact that Han and I both love you and think the world of you –“ Reyflushed at the praise while Han chuntered something which Rey could have swornsounded like daughter under hisbreath “– Anyone would be lucky to date you! I would never put you in anembarrassing position, either. Please trust me and do me this one littlefavour.” She reached up and patted Rey’s cheek, and Rey couldn’t help but smileback. Han and Leia were always so kind to her, what was this one night ofpotential awkwardness to her?

“OK, I’m in,”she replied, shoulders slumping a little in the face of Leia’s smile.

“Thank youso much, my darling. We’ll have a lovely time together getting ready for thegala and who knows? Maybe you’ll get to go on a date with someone interesting!”If Han’s sudden paperwork obsession was suspicious before, the gleam in Leia’seyes now was downright alarming now. Rey hitched a smile on her face, and letherself be led away by Leia, who was calling over her shoulder to Han that Reywas taking the rest of the afternoon off to prepare for the charity gala withher.

Rey sighed.She already had met someoneinteresting. Interesting, handsome, tall, smart, and about a million miles outof her league. But she couldn’t tell Leia that – the interesting someone washer son, Ben Solo.

She’d metBen at the garage more than a year ago, shortly after she’d started working forHan. A gorgeous black ’75 Ford Silencer had growled into the shop one day, andout from behind the wheel unfolded all 6-foot-something of Ben. Rey wasinstantly smitten by his broad shoulders, crooked smile, thick hair and tastein cars. Han later explained that Ben had bought the Silencer as a wreck andthey’d fixed it up together a few years prior, something about making up forlost time. Imagining Ben under the hood of a car seemed strange to Rey, though –he was always immaculately dressed like his mother (tastefully but expensively)for his job at Leia’s foundation. Not long after she’d first seen him, hereturned in a different car – this time a ’77 Millennium Falcon in need of someserious work. Rey couldn’t believe it. It was wild enough that Han owned one ofthese rare models when it had always been Rey’s favourite, so seeing a secondone almost blew her mind. Ben quietly explained to Han and Rey that he’d foundthe old car while away for work in the next state over, and that he’d thoughtthat Han and Rey might like to work on it as a side project. Rey was so excitedthat all she could do was squeal and gibber until Han sent her away to calmdown and help Chewie (his business partner) with a tyre change.

Things hadnot improved after that between Rey and Ben. His polite enquiries made her sonervous that she could barely speak around him; whenever he brought lunch infor the crew, Rey would take her portion and scuttle away so he couldn’t seeher eating like a ravenous toddler (a hangover from the foster home years). Yeah,some catch she was. Crushing hopelessly on her boss’s son, covered in greaseand brake fluid and goodness knows what else every time they met. Still, Benpersisted, making a point of talking to her whenever he dropped by the garage,alone or with his mother. His kindness and patience made her like him all themore.

Rey’smusings were cut short when Leia bundled her into the back of her town car,while giving clipped orders on her phone. She gathered that they would beheading straight to the Diplomat Hotel in downtown Coruscant, where the galawas being held, so that Rey could be gotten into some sort of presentable shapefor the evening’s auction. Rey gulped and wondered what she was possibly thinkingwhen she agreed to this for about the hundredth time, stumbling from the car tothe hotel lobby, then up in a glass elevator, finally being ushered into whatseemed to be one of the penthouse suites in the hotel.

As Reysoaked in the enormous claw foot tub, her mind drifted back to Ben. Surely, hewould be here tonight – he worked with his mother, after all. Perhaps thiscould be a blessing in disguise. Rey would finally be on a more even footingwith him, clean and dressed in something nice by Leia. The afternoon darkenedto evening as she was pampered, polished and pressed into the most beautifuldress she’d ever seen. Leia herself had reappeared, dressed regally in darkblue with a high collar, tasteful gold jewellery at her ears, fingers andwrists, directing the finishing touches on Rey’s ensemble.

Rey’s dresswas a confection. She had never seen (let alone worn) anything like it. It wasa silvery-white chiffon with black lined patterning giving the illusion offolds and ruffles in an almost Grecian style. Gems were embroidered at hershoulders on either side of a high boat-neck that allowed her collarbones topeep out. The billowing sleeves were slit to the elbow, the golden skin of herupper arms on display; the waist was cinched with an embroidered sash to matchthe shoulders; the skirt flowed gently to the floor and seemed to float aroundher as she turned in front of the suite’s full-length mirror. Her hair wascurled and bouncing around her face, her makeup had been kept simple. She feltgrown-up and beautiful.

She turnedat the sound of a slight sniffle behind her. Leia’s eyes were glittering, herarms crossed as she smiled kindly at Rey.

“You looklovely,” she murmured, reaching out to take Rey’s arm. Her heart startedpounding and she struggled to listen to Leia’s instructions as she steered herdownstairs. Leia left her with a reassuring hug in a little dressing roombehind the stage of the grand ballroom, where she could hear the noise of acrowd and the clinking of glasses, followed by the unmistakable voice of Leiaover the microphone.

Rey triedto remember her role for tonight again as she tuned out Leia’s auctioneering,and the laughter and applause of the audience as the evening got underway. Come up to stand beside Leia when I’mbrought to the stage, she repeated to herself. Smile, don’t be nervous, and look at Leia who will be right there withme the whole time. She shifted anxiously on her feet, thanking any deitylistening that Leia knew her well enough to put her in very low heels so she wouldn’thave to add tripping to her list of worries.

Then, justas the afternoon had sped past so quickly, an assistant was coming to guide herto the stage. She waited in the wings, her hands clasped tightly together asshe watched Leia charm $30,000 from a bidder in the audience for the honour ofa day running the Skywalker-Organa Foundation with her. Through her nerves, Reycouldn’t help but smile. As if sensing her smile while the applause and cheersfrom the audience died down, Leia turned to her and gestured for her to joinher. Rey took as deep a breath as she could over the hammering of her heart,and stepped out into the spotlight.

“Ladies andgentlemen, this is the wonderful Rey. A warm welcome for Rey, please!” Leia wasintroducing her to polite applause from the audience as she strode to whereLeia stood behind a lectern with a gavel. She could feel her face flushingunder her makeup as she managed a shy smile in the direction of the audience;she couldn’t see any faces with the lights in her eyes, only indistinct shadowsand sounds. As she reached Leia, she felt her soft hand slip into hers, givingher a squeeze as she beamed proudly up at Rey.

“Rey hasbeen kind enough to offer date with her lovely self to the lucky highestbidder. By day, Rey is an extremely talented mechanic; she specialises invintage automobiles and works for none other than Mr Leia Organa, but we won’thold that against her.” The audience laughed appreciatively and warmly, and Reysqueezed Leia’s hand again as she continued, “Rey likes Italian food, Frenchwine, and American cars.” Rey couldn’t help but give a little giggle at that –she always tried to snake Han’s lunch whenever he brought leftover pasta towork, and Leia would often give Rey little presents of bottles of nice wine orchocolates that she thought she might enjoy. Rey had never been spoiled in herlife, and would still stutter and blush any time Leia would produce gifts. Leiawould be kind and understanding, diverting their conversation to make Reycomfortable again.

“Let’sstart the bidding at five thousand dollars!”

Rey took anervous breath – this was the part she’d been dreading. What if no one bid? Fivegrand seemed an awful lot of money to her, even with her dressed to the ninesand talked up by Leia. To her surprise though, Leia found a bidder straightaway – and then another right after that. The bidding continued to rise asanother few seemed to get involved. The house lights had risen a little now sothat Leia could look out and see the bidders, and Rey took the opportunity toscan the crowd. With a pang, she realised she didn’t recognise anyone otherthan Han and Chewie, who were propping up the bar but who gave her very encouragingthumbs-ups as she glanced their way.

“That’stwenty thousand to the gentleman at table thirty, thank you! Do I hear twenty-two?Thank you, to the madam on the phone! Twenty-four?”

The amountcrept higher and higher, slipping past thirty and then forty thousand. Reycould scarcely believe it, and clung tighter to Leia’s hand. The biddersdropped away until there was only a dashing older gent toward the back of theroom, and the woman whose bidder was on the phone. They made it to fiftythousand.

“Well, wehave some serious competition for my Rey’s company, as well we should. I’mupping this to increments of ten thousand now.”

Thegentleman raised his auction paddle and called out, “Sixty!”

Leiagestured to the woman on the phone, who appeared to listen to instruction for amoment then raised her paddle also. The gentleman raised his again as Rey tooka moment to look him over – he seemed a dashing man with slightly silver hair,and a warm smile. A date with him would probably be quite nice. But the womanon the phone was not out of it yet, her platinum hair and tall statue easy topick even with the glow of lights still in Rey’s eyes.

The biddingwent past one hundred thousand dollars. Rey was shivering. Leia was lookinglike the cat who’d gotten the cream.

Then came apause. The older man had taken a moment or two to raise his paddle for onehundred and twenty thousand. Leia looked expectantly back to the blonde woman,who was now muttering rapidly into her cell phone. There was a tense moment ofsilence, then the blonde ended the phone call. She raised her paddle slowly,and clearly announced to the room, “Two hundred and fifty thousand dollars.”

The roomerupted into excited murmuring as Leia motioned back at the older gentleman. Hesmiled politely and shook his head.

“Well, that’sone quarter of a million dollars for a date with my Rey, once, twice and soldto our phone bidder! Congratulations, madam.” The blonde gave a gracious nodthen slipped away to meet with the auction officials at the side of theballroom.

“We’ll takea short break after that excitement and will return with more fun andentertainment shortly. Enjoy the open bar!”

The stagelights dropped and a curtain swung across in front of them, muffling thechatter and applause from the audience. Rey blinked, trying to adjust to therelative darkness. She still held Leia’s hand.

“You did sowell, my darling,” Leia said, patting her face and bringing Rey back toherself. “Are you alright?”

“Did thatreally just happen? Who was the lady who was bidding?” Rey whispered as stagecrew surrounded them, Leia weaving through them to lead her back to her littledressing room.

“I’ll leaveyou here for the evening. I believe your date is waiting!” Leia was squeezingher hand once more, but then let it go as she glided back toward the stage.

“My date? Now?” Rey squeaked, jumping as the doorin front of her swung open.

There, astall and broad and handsome as ever, stood Ben Solo. He reached out a hand toRey, his tuxedo snug across his shoulders as she ran her eyes over his face. Shecouldn’t help but reach out to him too, allowing herself to be pulled into thedressing room, hearing the door swing softly shut behind her.

“Ben? I don’tunderstand,” she gasped, heart thrumming wildly in her chest again. “It was youthe whole time, on the phone?”

Ben gaveher one of his crooked smiles that she loved so much (that reminded her of Han,and Leia, and felt like home) and nodded.

“You spentall that money on me? It’s too much, why …?” she trailed off, realising againjust how much money he’d spent. “Did Leia put you up to this? Did she tell youhow worried I was? Oh God, we don’t have to go on a date if Leia paid for youto –“

Her nervousbabbling was silenced when he pulled her close, his large palm pressing intothe small of her back, sending tingles up her spine through the light fabric ofher dress.

“Sweetheart,you’re worth every penny,” Ben breathed, eyes flickering back and forth betweenhers as he kissed her cheek softly. Rey sighed and felt her face blushingfuriously.

“Rey, willyou go out with me?”

“Ben, I can honestly say I never thought you’d ask.”

Rey’s gown is of course this beauty

#rey #ben solo #reylo #reylo fic #kirynt writes #my asks #reylo modern au #wow it has been a long while since i managed to write anything even nearly as coherent as this

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newagesispage · 5 years

Text

FEBRUARY 2019

PAGE RIB

***** I am over the moon at the suggestion of a biopic of Dave Letterman starring Michael Shannon. Will somebody think about really putting this into production??? Please??

***** Criminal Minds will wrap it up after this next and 15th season. The season 14 finale on Feb.6 will have Rossi’s wedding. They will spend the last season chasing after ‘a worthy adversary’ rumored to be played by Harold Perrineau as they jump ahead in time.

***** I am so touched by shows like Grace and Frankie and Schitt’s Creek that look right past the usually discussed issues for interracial and same sex couples . Gee, just think, it’s like we are all the same.

***** If you haven’t seen Michael Bennet and his senate floor speech about Ted Cruz, government shutdowns and Trump, run to C-span and catch it. These things make me proud to be in a DEMOCRACY!

***** Can this be true?? The constitution of Texas states that one can’t hold public office unless they believe in a supreme being??

***** Julian Castro is running for President.

***** Kamala Harris is running for President.

***** Cory Booker is running for President.

***** HGTV is apparently working on a huge publicity stunt and ratings grabber. They have purchased the home whose exterior was used in the Brady Bunch. A show will reunite the cast, bring in some famous fane and remodel the inside to look like the Brady set. At the end they may give the house away.

***** Michael Shannon and Audra McDonald will team up to revive Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune on Broadway.

***** Rashida Jones and Bill Murray will star in Sofia Coppola’s’ On the Rocks.’

***** Why isn’t extreme ironing a bigger sport by now??** And can we make Petanque a bigger thing while we’re at it?

***** Craig Ferguson is selling his LA compound.

***** China has landed on the far side of the moon!!!

***** NASA’s New Horizons has went further than anyone has gone before for our first image of Ultima Thule.

***** Kentucky has introduced a bill to ban abortion in the state.

***** Told to a reporter: “It’s your job to speak truthfully and precisely, not mine.” –Kellyanne Conway** The new book, Team of Vipers, suggests that The Conways are working in concert. It is thought that she is valuable to Trump because she has no qualms about saying anything.

***** Super bowl LIII will host Maroon 5, Travis Scott and Big Boi. They will have no pre- concert interview. It is said that many artists turned down the gig because of the controversy. Maroon 5 has gotten some shit for performing but they caution us to just watch.** Roger Waters has asked Maroon 5 to take a knee during the show.

***** Natasha Lyonne is getting raves for her new show, Russian Doll.

***** Tom Sizemore was arrested for drug possession.

***** 6 NFL coaches were fired in one week!!!

***** Pentagon chief of staff, rear admiral Kevin Sweeney is out.

***** Rod Rosenstein is on the way out.

***** Jaymo’s, a Peoria company is suing Wendy’s over the use of their S’Awesome sauce.

***** We should enact the stop the stupidity act.

***** Why does it seem every other show on the air is sort of an entire season of a Twilight Zone episode?

***** There are more people in the Kremlin than in Washington who know what Trump said to Putin. – Tom Nichols

***** Members of congress can retire at full pay after 1 term. Children of congress members don’t have to pay back student loans. Is that true?? Can this be right??

***** Dupont is laying off workers.

***** Check out love your brain.com.

***** The Golden Globes were held and were hosted by Andy Samberg and Sandra Oh. My best dressed was Isla Fisher, Elizabeth Moss. Danai Gurira, Julia Roberts, Carol Burnett, Emily Blunt, Lupita Nyong’o, Patricia Clarkson, Jamie Lee Curtis, Jameela Jamil, Rosamund Pike, Jim Carrey, Alison Brie, Gemma Chan and Bradley Cooper. Worst dressed goes to Rachel Weisz, Julianne Moore, Layra Dern, Anne Hathaway, Maya Rudolph, Rami Mlek, Molly Sims and Heidi Klum. I was so happy for winners like The Americans (highlight of the evening!!!), Regina King, Lady Gaga, Mahershala Ali, Patricia Clarkson, Darren Criss, Bohemian Rhapsody, Rami Malek, Olivia Colman and Green Book. The Cecil B. DeMille award went to Jeff Bridges. The new Carol Burnett award started off with Carol herself. I was saddened that Bill Hader, Henry Winkler, Kieran Culkin, Keri Russell and Sacha Baron Cohen went home empty handed. The Fiji water girl got most of the press and gave much free advertising to her product. Some of the stars did not like her getting in their shots to push a product without their knowledge, both a clever and sad state of affairs.

***** The Kominsky Method will be back for season 2.

***** The Sag awards had their big night and gave the lifetime achievement to Alan Alda. Winners included Emily Blunt, Darren Criss, Black Panther, Rami Malek and Glenn Close. I was especially thrilled with some love goingto Jason Bateman and Patricia Arquette. Best dressed were Amy Adams, Yara Shahidi, Brian Tyree Henry, Sydelle Noel, Eddie Griffin, Holly Taylor, Sofia Hubitz, Emma Stone, Emily Blunt, Darren Criss, Laverne Cox, Timothee Chalamet, Robin Wright, Lily Tomlin, Chadwick Boseman, Matthew Rhys, Keri Russell, and Catherine Zeta Jones. The WTF award goes to Alison Brie.

***** The Oscar race is on. Best picture could go to Blank Panther, Blackkklansman, Roma, The Favourite, Green Book, Vice, Bohemian Rhapsody and A Star is born. Black Panther also got some love for music and costume design. Fingers crossed for Isle of Dogs in the animated category. Actor nods had a few surprises. Willem Dafoe and Rami Malek , Lady Gaga and Melissa McCarthy are up for leads and supporting mentions are for Mahershala Ali, Regina King, Adam Driver and Sam Elliott. I am so hopeful for Spike Lee and I want to hear that speech.

***** If you haven’t seen Trigger Warning with Killer Mike, you gotta check it out. He and Sarah Silverman should go on a tour of teaching acceptance for their fellow man.

***** So.. Fox news said that Ruth Bader Ginsberg was dead??

***** In sexual harassment news: Harvey Weinstein is hiring new lawyers.** Les Moonves is seeking arbitration with CBS.

***** Cher has sold her Beverly Hills cottage.

***** Cindy Crawford and Randy Gerber’s daughter, Presley was arrested for DUI.

***** CBS news has named its first female President, Susan Zirinsky.

***** What is happening to the butterflies?

***** Illinois has refused a concert permit to R Kelly and Sony has dropped him. The pressure is finally starting to pay off??

***** Get ready for biopics about Harriet Tubman, Elton John and Ted Bundy.

***** NY mayor Bill De Blasio has given healthcare to every resident of NY city.

***** 25% of Russians do not have indoor toilets. Putin and his buddies have about $1trillion tucked away from London to Miami.

***** Days alert: I wonder if Leo’s real name ‘Matthew Cooper’ is a nod to out actor Chad Allen from Dr. Quinn??!! It is also fun to see Judith Chapman take on the role of Leo’s Mama, Diana. The pair played Mother and son previously on The Young and the Restless. Is she really Diana Colville from John’s past??** So Stefan has been played by Tyler Christopher who asked for some time off and a sub was put in place who will take over in March. Since Christopher left, he has since decided that he will leave permanently so things are up in the air. Will Stefan and Gabi hook up? Days has been renewed for season 55. HOORAY!!!! Ratings are up 4%. **Loved the line when Chloe told Rex he should wear a cup. **Leo and Xander’s playful “lust” was so sassy!!

***** Happy Valentine’s Day!

***** Steve Buscemi will play God on tv’s Miracle Workers.

***** So, the new Conan format has ups and downs. I miss the band and the desk but I am Loving the fade in and fade out at commercials. I have always hated the, “We’ll be right back “ nonsense. I was sad to lose a half hour at first but Conan and Andy do seem refreshed.

***** Still waiting for the release of Apple Seed which is written, directed and starring Michael Worth. It is one of the final films of Rance Howard who stars with his son, Clint, Adrienne Barbeau and the other Father and son team of Robby and Zephyr Benson.

***** The January Bob Segar concert in Illinois at the Peoria Civic Center is the top selling concert ever at this venue. Old rock acts take note.

***** Bob Costas is out at NBC after 40 years.

***** Trial and Error has been cancelled. BOO!!!

***** Steve Carell will star in Space Force which he is co-creating with The Office showrunner Greg Daniels.

***** Despite some people I admire that are giving Alexandria Ocasio Cortez a talking to like she’s a child, I say ‘Give ‘em Hell!’ She could well be President so fight girl!!

***** Word is that Karen Pence is now teaching at the Immanuel School in Virginia. The school refuses admission to students who participate in or condone homosexual activity. The application for the school states that misconduct includes heterosexual activity outside of marriage, homosexual activity, polygamy, transgender identity and use of pornographic websites. The application goes on to state that ‘a wife must submit to her husband’ and a pledge must be signed to that effect.

***** There is controversy over the bill to give people a day off for Election Day. Many people will still have to work, the country never completely shuts down. How many fucking times do I have to say it: VOTE BY MAIL!!!!!!!!!!!

***** So, Scary clown told us Mexico would pay for ‘the wall’. During the campaign he gave actual ideas for that like Mexico giving us a one time payout or else he would not allow Mexican immigrants to western union money back to Mexico. Another idea was that there would be a great ta on that Western union money. It does not seem like they tried any of that and just decided we would pay for the stupid ‘wall.’ How about the money he makes off Trump merch which his website and hotels still sell to pay for it?? How about the $35 million that Trump sold in real estate in 2018? The ‘Wall’ go fund me did not reach its $1billion goal so the $20 million they did collect is being offered for refunds. Some of those people still want that money to go for its purpose so Trump is creating a non- profit. Can’t we use that money to help the border patrol agents and get the backlog in immigration court moving?? That we are still talking about this ridiculous wall and that it had a go fund me page is enough to boggle the normal brain.** I think Kimmel said it best when he suggested that Trump just tell the red hats that the wall has been built. They believe everything he says so why wouldn’t they believe that?? It would save the country a lot of headaches. ** What the Hell is with his new “wheels and walls” mantra??** Russia caused Brexit too? Putin is a menace.** Another sink hole appeared the White House. WTF?

***** The congressional budget office says the shut down cost the U.S. 11 billion

***** Trump is talking to Herman Cain about a job on the Federal Reserve Board.

***** The GOP is selling fake bricks that cost about 50 cents for $20 each to send to Senate Dems. Some have said that the Dems should sign them and sell them and give the money to government workers. ** Why are Russian jets fucking around on the North American coastline??

***** Roger Stone has been indicted on 5 counts of false statements, 1 count of obstruction and 1 count of witness tampering. The FBI officers who arrested him were part of the shut down and they still did their job!! He publically and privately claimed to have communicated with Russia. Predictions are that many more indictments are coming down the pike that involve many familiar faces.** Roger Stone has a Nixon tattoo on his back. I feel sorry for his cell mate.-Bill Maher

***** Bill Maher got some flak for comments after Stan Lee died. He wasn’t slamming Lee, but wondered about comic book fans putting away childish things. I suppose that could include weed but point taken.

***** Jared Kushner along with 30 other White House staff was denied top secret clearance but Trump advisor Carl Kline overruled that decision and gave it to them anyway. This has never been done before, this is a job for intelligent agencies.

***** Empire star Jussie Smollett was attacked in Chicago in what cops are saying was a possible hate crime. The attackers were yelling that this was MAGA country, poured bleach on him and put a rope around his neck. The actor was previously sent a letter full of homophobic and racist slurs which he FBI had been looking into.

***** Ellen page gave us some memorable, powerful words to chew on with her appearance on Stephen Colbert. I am sure she gave courage to many who suffer because of our hate filled administration.

***** Gwyneth Paltrow is being sued from a 2016 ski incident for 3 mil.

***** I gain more and more respect for Seth Meyers. I did not really understand the choice of him as host in the beginning. His notice of local stations, choice of guests and revolving drummers makes for a great show.

***** A Dutch company may have invented a small device that converts heat into cold and Forbes is saying, ‘it could save the planet.’

***** So looking forward to Ryan Murphy’s The Politician which will star Jessica Lange, Gwyneth Paltrow and January Jones.

***** I know that is has happened little by little and we go thru times in our history when things get worse and then things get better but… When did this country get so fucking corrupt?? I mean seriously.. Why is Brendan Dassey still in prison and why is there no real justice for Teresa Halbach? ** Why is Trump still in the White House?**Why are government workers being told to work for nothing?? Why is R Kelly still living it up?? Why are some states going backward in time when it comes to women’s health?? Why do many corporations care more about their own pockets than the children of their employees or the environment around them??** Why does our justice system so often punish big for small infractions and allow the powerful to do anything they want?? **Why is a wall a better idea than infrastructure or warm beds for the homeless or food for our children and why are so many children in cages??

***** How can it be that we are still in a world where people are not allowed to reach their full potential?? Why do so many selfish humans actually fight to live in a world where they actively hold others back? Shouldn’t we all be concerned about the greater good? We should all be allowed to see a Doctor when we are ill. We should all be able to excel in education if we choose .We should all be able to get a job to fit our skills and work ethic. Opportunities and the pursuit of happiness should be available to all. Why is this so fucking hard for so many to grasp in this world? Imagine!

***** Sundance premiered the new flick, Big time adolescence with Griffin Gluck and Pete Davidson. Pete has since made no bones about filming in Syracuse. He hated it.

***** Jeff Flake will join CBS news as a contributor.

***** Tom Brokaw is in a bit of trouble for saying Hispanics should work harder at assimilation.

***** The Tom Hanks/ Matthew Rhys film, A beautiful day in the neighborhood has pushed back its release date to Nov. 22.

***** People are illogical and self- centered. Love them anyway. -Hedy Lemarr

*****R.I.P. Bob Einstein, Millie Wiesehan, victims of the Torrance. Ca. bowling alley shooting, Captain Darryl Dragon, Jo Andres, Lamin Sanneh, Carol Channing, Sandra Harmon, Bradley Bolke, the victims of Mediterranean shipwreck, Lorna Doom, victims of the Florida bank shooting, Kaye Ballard, Willie York , Barbara Claman , victims of the mining dam collapse in Brazil and James Frawley.

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tamekas-talk · 2 years

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'ATLANTA' Season 4 Will Be The Last

'ATLANTA' Season 4 Will Be The Last After first airing in September of 2016, Atlanta is finally reaching its conclusion. FX CEO John Landgraf revealed that Donald Glover’s Emmy-winning series’ fourth season will be its last. Atlanta’s highly anticipated third season will premiere on Hulu and FX on Tuesday, March 24, 2022. “The new season is everything you’ve come to expect from Atlanta,” Landgraf told reporters on Thursday. With the second season having aired way back in 2018, viewers have had a long time to prepare for the surrealist comedy’s latest installment. On Thursday, Glover promised viewers that the third season was, in fact, written in 2019 before the pandemic, which he says might be hard to believe given how much the season seems to predict about the current state of the world. “It’s so frustrating. I’m gonna try and get FX to put a disclaimer before ,” Glover joked during an FX/Television Critics Association’s panel on Thursday. “It’s like we wrote all of this in 2019. A lot of this stuff is gonna seem like a parody of stuff that happened, but we actually prophesied most of the s— in 2020. The world is extremely predictable. We really just knew how a lot of this stuff was gonna pan out.” Glover also jokingly told reporters, “To be honest, I kind of wanted it to end after season two.” Glover departed his overall deal with FX last year in favor of a new contract with Amazon, adding more context to the show’s ending.

Glover, however, said the new Amazon deal wasn’t the reason for the series’ conclusion. “When the conditions are right for something to happen, it happens, and when they’re not, it doesn’t. The story was always supposed to be what it was.”

Glover will reprise his role as Earn Marks, as will Lakeith Stanfield as Darius, Brian Tyree Henry as Alfred “Paper Boi” Miles, and Zazie Beetz as Van. The series will reportedly take place primarily in Europe for Paper Boi’s tour. Both seasons three and four have already been filmed, and season four will be released later this fall. Atlanta has won two Emmys, both for Glover — one for lead actor in a comedy, and one for best direction, which was the first directing win for a Black director of a comedy series. Glover is already working on an adaptation of Mr. and Mrs. Smith for Amazon, which is expected to debut sometime in 2022. He’s also working on the music series Hive, which counts Malia Obama as a writer. watch trailer below: https://www.youtube.com/embed/Gq9slWovcCc Read the full article

#2022 #Atlanta #BowingOutGracefully #Comedy #DonaldGlover #Earn #Finale #FX #Huku #PaperBoi #Season4 #Streaming #TVTake #Writers #ZazieBeetz

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lrfmp2021 · 3 years

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Robot Toy Research

As well as the Star Wars replica toys that I researched, I decided to go in depth with others. I looked at Cozmo, an educational robot toy aimed at children which allows for programming and entertainment.

As with all robot “characters” I have been looking at, Cozmo is designed with appeal in mind. To add curvature to suggest friendliness rather than hard edges, his “head” shape is a rounded cube with soft edges. As journalists from around the time of its mid-2010s launch stated, there is no doubt that his design is comparable to WALL-E’s, with an illuminated face design comparable to EVE’s.

The tyre tracks serve more than just an aesthetic purpose as they are physically used to manoeuvre the robot when played with by children (or its target audience). Tracks are superior to wheels and tyres when going up steep surfaces.

It is worth noting that a slight redesign with a black and gold scheme (and green eyes) was introduced, named Vector. I think Vector’s big bubbly green eyes help shake away the association with EVE. Additionally Vector’s eyes can change colour depending on the activities he is doing. I think it is a phenomenal feat to have the robots’ emotions display through their eyes and it adds to the cuteness factor substantially.

Lastly, I would like to state that I find it very intriguing to think about how these robots were entirely designed from the ground up to function as toys - in comparison to the Star Wars droids and WALL-E, who were designed to be appealing film characters first and foremost. I would be intrigued to learn about the process of designing such toys as I am sure the creators must have had to sacrifice appeal or aesthetic for functionality, as the character is the toy itself.

And so I did learn - “Designing Cozmo was a collaboration between engineers and animators. The robot was storyboarded and tested like an animated character for film or TV” (a quote from the creators about the process). I think that looking at the design process for this has been beneficial to me and it allows me to see how I would go about performing a similar feat.

I find the alternative eyes for Cozmo to be rather spooky. I find it intriguing that the three columns of inspirations for the eyes were cartoony open eyes, dot eyes and robot eyes. It is not a surprise to me to see BURN-E, EVE, and MO (all from WALL-E) as inspirations in the robot column. I was surprised to see so many potential iterations that went unused and, despite being just the eyes, seem to change the look of the entire robot. It goes to show to me how important it is to get these distinct features right, and that I prefer more simple eyes rather than overly cartoony shapes, but it needs a degree of cartoon-ness to give it the edge it needs to appeal to the target audience.

Lego Mindstorms is a Lego set with programmable parts. It effectively allows its target consumers (“10+”) to build their own robots (but with five sets of pre-designed instructions), and I think is extremely cool. As with Cozmo, it can be coded with a phone app and has a lot of playability (not to mention compatibility with other Lego pieces and sets), but at the cost of ~400USD.

As there are many designs and they are all fully customisable, I will not review them individually, but I do like how they vary from humanoid design/mech shape, to vehicular and even quadruped animal-shaped. It truly shows how many directions I could go into with a toy robot design. Despite Lego tank tracks existing, none of these use them and they use either wheel or leg-based movement.

In regards to the packaging, its simple box shape is just akin to other Lego sets, but I really like the design of the box and the strong unique “teal” shade that is dedicated to the Mindstorms range, and how it contrasts well with the magenta background around the robots pictured. As well as this, unique teal blocks are made for this set to match the theme. Whilst I am a huge fan of how this set encourages customisable building and replayability, I do not think that I could achieve such with my own creation, though I could contemplate a Transformer-style modular rebuild system.

#research

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butsomeofusarelookingatthestars · 7 years

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In Your Footsteps: Part 4

You’d never dreamed that something like this could ever happen to you. You had everything…your dream job, a loving boyfriend and the perfect life. But, all that would change with one note and your life would become a living nightmare.

Part 1 (x), Part 2 (x), Part 3 (x)

Things escalate even more in this part as the pieces start to fall into place.

It was the morning after the strange occurrence at Luke’s apartment and you’d decided to finally return back home in order to prepare for your early shift tomorrow.

Your boyfriend had been a bit annoyed by his smashed light, deciding to stay at home today to get it fixed. You’d played down the incident to him, knowing how protective he could be. So, he just assumed it had been an accident or some kids had been messing around with a ball.

You’d pondered telling him about your concerns, but it seemed so silly. You had no actual proof anything was wrong, just a feeling.

You bent down to collect the mail that had been dropped inside your hall, flicking through it with only mild interest. It was the usual, bills and bank statements.

However, a gold envelope caught your attention. It was an invite to the annual medical ball. The event all the hospital staff looked forward to as a reward for their hard work. You smiled as you carefully placed it on the table, already looking forward to enjoying yourself at the occasion.

However, your smile suddenly faltered as you glanced down at the remaining piece of mail. A small note had been concealed under the other mail, containing strangely familiar handwriting that sent chills down your spine.

Why are you ignoring me? Did you not appreciate the flowers I left you? I made sure to get your favourite orchids. You’re an ungrateful bitch, spending time with that man who doesn’t deserve you. Why won’t you let me in? You have to let me in. I need you.

Your heart thudded rapidly against your chest as your breathing became unsteady. Your vision blurred as your eyes glanced nervously around the room, widening as they fell upon the orchids you’d left sitting on the side. Immediately, you rushed forward to grab them, tossing them into the bin as if their very presence was toxic.

Something was definitely wrong.

After the unnerving incident last night, you’d called Luke. You’d finally decided to share your concerns with him, thinking that the new note showed a definite escalation in aggression.

But, as you called him you realised that he was packing to leave for a case. You didn’t want to worry him. He had to be completely focused on his work. After all, as an FBI agent, lives depended on him. He’d picked up on your strained tone, inquiring what was wrong. But, once again, you’d shrugged of his concerns and blamed your unease on the stress of work.

However, that was far from the truth. In fact, the hospital had become somewhat of a sanctuary for you. Work was a useful distraction from the worry that constantly plagued your mind. For once you had no complaints at all about your hectic schedule.

“It’s always a pleasure to see you Doctor Y/L/N.”

The friendly elderly man grinned at you from his bed as you waved goodbye. Neil was one of your favourite patients. His good-humoured nature and charming personality could easily brighten up you day.

It had been the light-hearted conversations with your beloved patients that had been a gift to you this trying week. Their jokes and entertaining antics had taken your mind off the strange events that had recently unfolded.

You actually found yourself looking forward to the medical ball next week. Your biggest worry at the moment was if Luke would make it home in time to accompany you to the event.

It would be a great opportunity to enjoy some time together and introduce him to the rest of your colleagues. If nothing else, the sight of him in a tuxedo sounded extremely appealing. It felt incredible to have a sense of normalcy return back to your life.

Unfortunately, it wouldn’t last.

It was late at night by the time you finally managed to leave the hospital.

Although, you’d been more than willing to extend your hours even more given your slight trepidation at being alone in your apartment. However, the well-intentioned intervention from your attending had resulted in you being ordered to take the rest of the night off. The hospital cared for its staff and, although the career was naturally demanding, they didn’t want you suffering as a result of long hours and work overload.

The car park was pitch black as you navigated through the rows of abandoned cars. You made a note to yourself to request a car parking spot closer to the hospital. The eerie quietness of the building was beginning to creep you out. The dim light closest to you began to flicker, obscuring your vision of your surroundings. They definitely needed to get that fixed.

You hastened your pace slightly, eager to get into the comfort of your own car. However, just behind you, you heard something rustling in the shadows. You froze for a moment, listening intently as you strained your ears to detect more noise. But, only uneasy silence greeted you.

You nervously wrapped your coat tighter around your body. Before you hurriedly walked off towards the direction of your car. Goosebumps erupted over your skin as you once again experienced a wave of fear. There was no rational explanation for your distress. But, deep down your instincts were telling you that you weren’t alone in the car park. Someone was watching you.

Your breathing rapidly accelerated as you quickened your pace even more, desperate to reach the safety of your car. A loud ring almost made you jump out of your skin.

You quickly picked up your phone, refusing to slow down as you strode towards the back of the car park.

“Hey, I thought I’d check in. I’m miss you.”

Even the sound of Luke’s calm voice couldn’t ease your anxiety.

“Are you okay?” Luke sounded confused. No doubt, detecting your heavy breathing as a source of concern.

“I’m fine. I’m just walking to my car.”

“Was work okay?”

“Yeah. It was fine.” You could almost see him frown in response to your curt reply.

Luke sighed softly as if trying to compose himself. “You seem to be using that word an awful lot lately. What’s going on Y/N?”

“Nothing. Can you just please stay on the phone until I get in my car?” You despised yourself for the pleading tone in your voice, knowing your panic would be an immediate source of concern for your boyfriend. But, in that moment, your safety trumped your dignity. You could just sense something was wrong.

“What’s wrong?” Luke asked, his tone was deadly serious. You knew you couldn’t lie anymore. Maybe you should just tell him.

“I have something to tell you. Luke I- Luke?” You almost hissed in anger as the connection cut off, the poor mobile reception in the car park to blame.

A sudden movement in the shadows caught your attention. You broke out into a run as you sprinted the final metres to your car, flinging open the door as you frantically threw yourself inside.

Immediately, you locked the doors. Only then could you rest your head on the steering wheel, holding your hands to your chest as you tried to slow down your breathing. You felt as if you were going crazy.

Time to calm down and stop overreacting.

Once you’d finally composed yourself, you went to start the car. But, there was a problem. You frowned as you realised the car wouldn’t move. You could only curse in frustration as you reluctantly unlocked the doors and stepped outside to investigate the issue.

You scanned the outside of the car for any noticeable damage. It had been working fine this morning and you’d never had any issues with it before. However, your eyes widened in horror as they dropped down to rest upon your tyres. All four had been slashed.

A raspy gasp left your throat as you realised that the damage had been intentional. Who would do such a thing?

Your heart stopped and your blood turned cold as you heard footsteps behind you. You were frozen in fear as they came to a stop. A scream was trapped in your throat as a hand rested upon your shoulder.

“Y/N?”

You audibly sighed in relief at the sound of Grace’s concerned voice. You spun around to face her, your eyes filled with tears.

“Oh my god! Are you okay?” She gushed, outstretching both her arms to pull you into an embrace. “What’s wrong?” She asked, pulling away to examine you quizzically. You knew Grace, there’s not a chance she would accept any of your excuses.

“Someone’s slashed my tyres.” Your voice was barely even a whisper as the tears began to roll down your cheeks. “Grace, I- I-” You could only stammer, before sobs began to wrack through your body. All the stress and fear finally catching up with you.

Grace’s arms wrapped around you in a comforting hold as she soothingly shushed you.

“Right, you’re staying at mine tonight Y/N. Everything’s going to be okay.”

You had never been so grateful for your best friend as you curled up on her couch, pulling the cosy blanket she had given you up around yourself protectively.

Grace had offered you her bed, but you’d just shook your head. There was no way you could sleep after tonight events. Even though you tried to tell yourself that it was just a coincidence or a freak accident, you remained unconvinced. All your instincts were screaming at you that there was something more sinister at play.

You jumped in surprise as your phone began to buzz noisily.

“Are you okay?”

Your throat constricted at the sound of Luke’s concerned voice. All you wanted was for him to be sat beside you right now. The only thing that could truly comfort you would be his strong arms wrapped around your waist. But, that wasn’t possible. You had to be strong by yourself.

“I’m f-”

“Don’t use the word fine to me again Y/N. I know something’s wrong.” His low warning tone was unfamiliar to you. He’d never directed frustration at you before.

“Please don’t profile me Luke.” Perhaps the vulnerability that crept into your voice softened his attitude, because his voice was considerably kinder the next time he spoke.

“I don’t have to be a profiler to know something’s troubling you Y/N. I’m your boyfriend and I care about you. Just let me help you.”

You bit your lip in an effort to hold back the tears. “I’m okay Luke. I’m staying at Grace’s tonight-”

“Grace’s? Why?”

“I’ll tell you when you get back, okay? I just- I just can’t do it over the phone.” There was a momentary pause, before he conceded.

“Okay. But, you promise you’ll tell me when I get back?”

“I promise.” A small smile grew on your face. “I love you.”

“I love you too.”

“Trouble with the girlfriend Alvez?” Rossi quipped, frowning at the younger agent’s troubled expression as he hung up the phone.

Luke shrugged his shoulders as he turned away from his team. “Something like that.” He muttered quietly, his eyes clouding over as he gazed at the evidence board.

It frustrated him that there was clearly something upsetting Y/N. But, she was miles away and at that moment he couldn’t help her. However, he could help the poor woman who had been abducted by their unsub. Besides, the sooner they caught the aggressor, the sooner he could return back home to help Y/N.

“You see something?” Reid asked quietly, taking it upon himself to assist his friend. It unsettled him to see the usually calm and confident agent rattled.

Luke just shook his head, slightly confused as his dark eyes raked over the distressing evidence. Photographs of flowers, jewellery and other various gifts littered the board. Phone logs and threatening notes were plastered across screen. There was something about this stalking case that was bothering him more than usual.

Of course, any case that involved a predatory unsub targeting a vulnerable female victim usually disturbed him. Even though he was a behavioural analyst, Luke didn’t think he’d ever understand how a man could abuse a woman like that. It truly sickened him to think of men using their strength against women to hurt them. But, there was something about this specific case that was deeply alarming to him. He just couldn’t put his finger on it.

“I’m not sure Reid.”

TAG LIST:

@fandomking221b @paralelopipedd @milkandcookies528 @wadewilsonnn @just-a-human

#criminal minds #luke alvez #criminal minds imagine #luke alvez x reader #luke alvez imagine #in your footsteps #miniseries

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meaganborromeo-blog · 7 years

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The Unexpected

“Jesus, who would want to work this early, this should be illegal.” I groaned when I woke up to the loud buzz of my alarm clock on the side of my bed, but then immediately my mood changed from grumpy to happy when I saw my dog sleeping near my feet his name is Bobby he is a Golden Retriever, and he has been with me for 5 years already.

I arrived at work 10 minutes late, due to the flat tyre. I work at a News Paper Company as a Journalist. when I went inside the conference room I could tell that everybody’s tired because of all the requirements we’ve been complying over the week, some look like they are interested but deep down they’d rather be at home sleeping, I know because I’m one of them and the other half are just on their laptops pretending to act busy, or whatever. I could care less. I am seated next to a very dear friend of mine Sally. Sally is the kind of friend that you would like to hang around, she’s open minded and understanding not like most of the people here. “Hey! Wanna go out tonight?” She said in a whispering tone. “What? What’s there to celebrate?” I asked in a blind manner. “Duh! It’s Saturday, we should chill, you should chill you’re too focused on your work.” Sally said it like it’s the most oblivious thing in the world to do during weekend. “Let me think about it” I responded.

7:45 pm

“Hey, we’re on the way to your house get ready. You can’t say no.”

From: Cher

Great! Just great! All I wanted was too sleep, now my friends are coming to pick me up. 20 minutes later they arrived and we all went to our favorite spot, it’s a pub just 15 minutes away from the city. And it’s a nice place to chill considering no one really goes to this place, the night went well with a lot of talking, laughing, and constant sharing of different ideas high school friends are always the best people to be with, when suddenly my phone buzzed and saw the caller ID. It was Sally..

‘Oh dear, I totally forgot about Sally.” I said dreading.

‘Hey Sal! What’s up? Why did you call?” I asked in an innocent tone possible. “Where are you!? Oh My God, you have to come here at Gastro’s. Your ex is here!” Sally panicked through the phone . “Which ex is it?” I asked. “It’s Daniel!”

Oh sweet potatoes. It’s HIM. That’s impossible. He’s working abroad, this can’t be him. Sally is probably drunk, or maybe her eyesight is poor. But then I realized Sally doesn’t drink nor does she have poor eyesight, I was just describing myself, but I kept on convincing myself any other way, I went silent for a while when Sally spoke again. “You there? Are you coming or what?” “I’ll think about it Sal, I’ll call you back.” I told her in a straight and shocked tone.

When I went back to the booth one of my friends Al asked me, “Where have you been? You just missed a phenomenal dance number from Jake he was dancing to Britney Spears’ song. “Nothing, my friend just called she informed me that Daniel is in town.” And everybody’s eyes were on me, ‘THAT IS BAD NEWS” Jenna said to me. “I know, we haven’t seen each other for a year after we ended that non-existing relationship of ours.” But the conversation about Daniel was cut off when Jake again danced to another song, everybody was laughing, and they were ordering bottle after bottle. You know the part where you start to get drunk and all your confidence just seems to be on full boost? That’s what I’m feeling. I logged on to facebook and messaged Daniel.

“Heard you were back in town, you didn’t tell me. J”

I did not expect a reply, but a few minutes later my phone buzzed signaling a new message. “Yeah, sorry I didn’t want to bother you since you’re so busy with work.”

“Where are you?” he messaged again.

“I’m at the Pub.” I responded.

“Call me. I want to hear your voice.”

And me being the foolish girl that I am called him. I still have his number, and I’m shocked that it is still existing.

We talked and talked until I was so drunk to tell that I was drunk and started to say things that I shouldn’t.

“You know what, things could have been better for the two of us if you weren’t such a coward. If you just said that you loved me back, but No, because you were so hung up with your ex who’s moved on completely with her life, I wouldn’t really say that I wasted my whole year loving someone who couldn’t love me back because at some point you made me so happy. I was fine when you left, and now you come back and mess my whole system up all over again. But I know now why certain things had to happen.” I said it all in a flash, I was raging with emotions all the unsaid things that I wanted to say, came out abruptly and spontaneously. Damn alcohol is making me question my whole entirety as an individual.

“I like you. I loved you--” he said.

I was really having a hard time hearing what he was trying to explain since two of my friends who’s extremely drunk was starting to bug me off, telling me to go back because I’m missing the whole fun.

I woke up to the sun shining to my face, I must have forgotten to tap down the curtains last night.

Wait.

What happened last night.

What did I do last night.

I asked myself as I try to remember the events last night, and a few minutes later my mind started working. “I drunk called Daniel last night.” I spent the whole day thinking about what I did, I embarrassed myself. I keep on face palming myself for the stupidity I committed, I remember asking him until when he was staying here in the country and he said he was here until November, that’s three months. This town is not big enough for us not to cross paths. I just prayed he wouldn’t remember it.

*After two weeks*

“Hey Sal! Let’s go out for coffee, I’ll wait for you in Starbucks.” “Okay, I’ll be there in 30.”

It’s a gloomy day, my kind of weather, somewhat dark and cold. I was walking down the streets of Rosario Avenue, when I saw a man getting out of a Car. He was wearing a black V Neck shirt that was fit paired with a black jeans and black shoes that matched his fair skin tone. I was definitely checking him out but when I got closer as I walked I realized it was Daniel, I panicked because I was dressed like a homeless person. I was wearing sweat pants, and a loose shirt with my hair in a messy bun looking like I just got into a break up and is too depressed to make effort to look good. I walked to a different direction hoping Daniel didn’t see me, I was walking like a penguin in an attempt to avoid him but it was too late. “Mia! Mia! Is that you?” Daniel called as he ran over to me, He looks like Zac Efron from the movie Baywatch as he came towards me. “Jesus, Mia! You’re checking your ex out!” I mentally scolded myself, I was staring at him I didn’t realize I was in the middle of the road when I heard a car honking its horn out on me and Daniel was there to pull me out.

“Hey, are you okay?! You did realize you were standing on the middle of the road right?’’

I was still in a moment of shock. My mind stopped working for a while.

“Focus Mia! Focus! Work that brain of yours!” I mentally said to myself.

And I was now back on track, I realized I was under Daniel’s hug, well not literally a hug but more like under his protection.

We were on that awkward position for a minute or two when we both realized what was happening.

“Hey, uhm it was nice seeing you but I have to go. I’m having coffee with Sally.” I said very fastly

“Great! I’m coming with you, it’s been a year since Sally and I saw each other also. Daniel said excitedly.

Well who am I to say No? it’s not like I own Sally for me to be territorial.

“The God’s must really have strong hate for me for making this my fate” I thought to myself

“You sure?” I asked.

“definitely.” He answered positively.

When we got to Starbucks we were both greeted with the smell of freshly brewed coffee and it made me smile.

“I know how much you love the smell of coffee, it’s what you do whenever you get to Starbucks.” He said in a slow voice.

I was surprised, since he still remembers the smallest details about me.

“You go look for a booth, I’ll order for us.” He said in a demanding tone.

“but you don’t know what I want.” I replied.

“Java Chocolate Frappe.” He winked.

And it made me smile again, wow this man has good memory. I can’t even remember what I ate for dinner the night before.

I found a perfect spot near the window with two couches facing each other bounded by a long table, I liked the weather, and the place was not packed with people. There were a few customers and it was just perfect, I prayed he wouldn’t open up the “Drunk Call” I made a few weeks ago.

Daniel came back with our orders in hand, I said thank you politely and we started talking to each other by asking each how we were doing with our lives.

“So I heard you are dating someone. He is one lucky guy” he said looking down at his cup.

My mind was puzzled..

“Should I say yes?”

“Say yes! Don’t make him think you’re still hung up on him!”

“I am still a little hung up on him.”

“No Mia, you will not ruin this.”

Oh goodness, I’m fighting with my conscience.

“Yes he is.” I said proudly, I felt guilty for lying. But all in the name of pride I will not ruin it.

“I’m glad you’re not a jealous girl now, back when we were dating you get so jealous easily over everyone.” He said in a joking way.

I felt offended with his words but didn’t made it look obvious.

“I’m not a jealous woman, but if you are in a relationship and you find yourself at a party talking to a member of the opposite sex there are some guidelines you must follow. Never make physical contact, with these body parts.” I said while doing a hand gesture pointing out to my entirety.

“Pay attention because certain regions will require repercussions. Like that time when we were at the club with your work mates and those newly hired girls were dancing all over you like I was not in the counter sitting while keeping an eye on you.” I continued to talk.

I can tell through his facial expression that he was amused because he has that smirk on his face while trying to hold back his laugh and oh my god does he looks so hot when does that. He looks like a God who has been sent to Earth to bless the eyes of humans.

“Mia, focus! You have a ‘boyfriend’ remember?!” I mentally slapped myself.

I realized what I was doing was wrong, right when Daniel was about to speak my phone rang.

“It’s Sally, I have to take this. Excuse me.”

Daniel just nod.

“Sorry Mia, something came up. Harold came over at my house, we’re going to the Hospital to visit his Grandma. I promise to make it up to you tomorrow over lunch okay?” Sally hung up immediately without any hint of being sorry. I knew Sally was lying, I can sense it from the way she talks and not to mention Harold’s voice on the background. I just hope for the best for the both of them because I’m not yet ready to watch over a kid.

I put my phone on my pocket with a sour face.

“Are you okay?” Daniel asked.

“Sally just ditched me for Harold, nothing new.” I responded.

“Oh, that’s bad. Well at least they’re going strong, they’ve been together for 4 years now.” Daniel said with a little jealousy.

I just stayed silent.

And then there was awkward silence.

I was looking at the passing cars by the window when Daniel decided to break the deafening silence.

“There’s something I need to ask you..”

Oh dear, he’s gonna open up about the drunk call.

“Hey Daniel, I really need to go. Something came up, it was nice catching up with you!” I said as I walked directly to the exit when he got hold on my hand.

“I’ll drive you home.” He offered with a smile.

Goodness. The charm. That smile. So. Irresistible.

“Oh no, you don’t have to go through much hassle I’ll just grab a cab. Bye!”

I am indeed good at walking away..

When I got home I was greeted by my dog Bobby, how I missed my baby. It’s been a while since we last took a photo together..

I reached for my pocket to get my phone but it was nowhere to be found. Great!

It’s been a week since I lost my phone, and honestly it felt good to be away from social media. I only have my laptop with me now, I arrived at work stress free, when the security guard Arthur told me that my Boss Linda was looking for me.. I felt nervous, especially when Arthur said I go directly to her office as soon as possible.

I was at the door, my heart was beating fast and was praying for my life, I needed this job more than the job needed me.

I finally decided to get inside with a timid smile when I saw Linda and Daniel talking together.

“Finally you’re here!” Linda said in an ecstatic voice. “Daniel here has been waiting for 20 minutes now.”

“ I am confused. Someone please explain to me what is going on.” I said straightly my eyes felt like they’re about to bulge out.”

“I’m here to return your phone but on a certain condition?” Daniel said in a commanding voice with a hitch of smirk on his face.

“Whatever condition that is I’m not taking it, you can keep my phone if you like I’m better without it.” I was about to walk out from the office when Linda called me.

“Mia! Don’t be rude. I did not hire you to walk away from your boss when we still got something to talk about.” Linda said in a strict way.

“Mia, I know you’ve been working hard, it’s just that..”

“Are you firing me?” I said in an exaggerated way.

“no, definitely not, you are one of the best employees I have. I just want you to take some time off from work, you can’t say no. or I’ll fire you.” Linda continued.

“Where and what am I supposed to do with the time off?”

“Sally, Harold, and I are going to Hawaii for two weeks. And you are coming with us.” Daniel butted in.

“Linda this is absurd, you know the team needs my assistance. I’d rather work than be on a vacation spree.” I said as I could not believe the foolishness they are committing.

“Mia, my word is final. Jhon will take over your place while you’re gone. Now go on.”

I was left with no choice.

Jesus why.

I fell in love with Hawaii, their beaches were majestic and as blue as the sky, maybe I needed this vacation after all, can’t believe this is our last night. Harold has finally proposed to Sally and is having their wedding 3 months from now. Daniel and I had our share of closeness throughout the vacation but then I had to remind myself why we broke up, why there should be a gap.

All four of us are dressed to the nines, on a fancy yacht restaurant to celebrate our last night in Hawaii, after we ate dinner they started to talk about weddings, children and everything that coincides with the word “Marriage”. And so I excused myself to escape the questions..

I went outside the yacht’s mini balcony which faced the sea and all the beautiful lights shimmering in different colors, the sky was full of stars also.

As I stood there I realized that the thought of marriage is such a huge responsibility , it’s a lifelong commitment it has to require so much love for you to be able to decide that you want to be with that person for the rest of your life.. And as for me my life is still on the process of exploring what lies ahead.

I felt a presence coming towards me and when I looked at my side I saw Daniel, he looked apologetic, I was curious to what was on his mind. Right when I was about to say something he cut me off by saying “Sorry.” And that the reason why he came back here is that he wanted to get back together.

And so I explained to him. “No matter how hard you try to fit the two puzzles together if it doesn’t fit, you don’t force it. Some things are better left the way they are.”

But is he really worth the second the chance..

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0zrockbitway · 7 years

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WOULD YOU RATHER: INAZUMA EDITION

made by @inazuma-eleven-translations found here!!

1. Eat the ramen at Rai Rai Don Noodles (when Tobitaka takes over) OR Eat the giant Mochi Mochi Kinako Mochi

mmm I’d like to eat both but....I love ramen more than mochi and I also probably would not be able to finish a giant mochi

2. Have a sleepover with Natsumi, Aki, Haruna and Fuyuka OR go on a date with Kidou

I sadly do not think I’d fit in with the girls lol I love them tons but ??? Can I just chill and talk with Kidou and maybe not call it a date tho

3. Babysit Yuka with Gouenji OR help out at the Sun Garden

I wil do anything for Sun Garden kids

4. Play video games with Kyousuke at the arcade OR hang out with Yuichi while he’s in hospital

gOD I wana kick Kyousuke’s ass in games but I have a feeling he’d beat me instead

5. Go see the penguins with Sakuma OR go see the big cats (lions, tigers) with Genda

Penguins are fun and all but big cats!! also I’m pretty sure Genda would like try to imitate them or try to get their attention which’d be fun to see

6. Help Inaguni Raimon build their boat OR help the GO Raimon kids rebuild the old club house

I can’t build anything but I will help the new kids

7. Let Aphrodi do your hair OR let Kidou buy you a new outfit

I want the angel to bless me with nice hair I trust him

8. Go for a run with Kazemaru OR go snowboarding with Fubuki

I’ve never been snowboarding before and pretty sure I’m just going to keep falling down but hey its snow so it can't be that bad and I’ll have a cool coach to help me out

9. Go for a drive with Hiroto OR go for ice-cream with Midorikawa

A tough choice...I want both...but since it’s hot as heck right now lets go get ice cream

10. Eat Natsumi’s cooking OR have to share all your food with Kabeyama for a whole day

I want to try her cooking lets go

11. Make chocolate with Max OR go to the movie with Handa (he pays)

we make the chocolate and then eat it afterwards nice

12. Sleep on a park bench with Fudou all night OR help an extremely busy Midorikawa with his assistant job

I’d love to help Midorikawa but my lazy ass would rather sleep outside. at least I’m not alone-

13. Go stargazing at night with Tengawara OR visit Taiyou in hospital with the rest of Arakumo

I love Arakumo more and I’m pretty sure Taiyou would brighten up my day somehow

14. Bring Sasuke for a walk with Tenma OR play with Aria and Lutte at Shindou’s house

me, a dog person, spending time with dog

15. Do one of Kidou’s intense training regimes all day OR do laps with tyres around your waist with Endou

I think...Endou would motivate me more even though I’d probably be unable to move. His energetic-ness would rub off on me probably?? Kidou is too strict and I’d be too demotivated

16. Have several special moves OR have your own keshin

I wana show off some cool moves bro can I get a soul tho

17. Attend Raimon OR Teikoku

In game, Teikoku is rather...strict. Really strict. They prepare you for life and I’m pretty sure I’d be constantly stressed, let me attend a regular ol’ school. also kids get lost in Teikoku??? you need a sense of direction for that place

18. Attend one of Shindou’s piano recitals OR let Kirino teach you the art of flower arranging

I wana hear my boy play!!

19. Kiss Kageyama OR eat his legs

do I have to comment on this one

20. Go on a date with Minamisawa OR go to a reptile exhibition (snakes etc…) with Kurama

oh boy you had me at reptile, please let me gush about reptiles with Kurama

21. Eat a bunch of Jeanne’s candy OR let Okita Souji dress you in a yukata

never worn a yukata before so !!

22. Go shopping with the managers from the original series OR the mangers from GO

Why....can’t I go with all of them;;

23. Do military training with Gassan Kunimitsu from early morning OR train late into the night with Kaiou Gakuen aboard a ship

I’m a night owl I’d probably die in the morning anyway let me sleep in also I’ll get to hear nothing but sea/pirate puns it’ll be great

24. Go fishing with Hamano OR go shopping for CDs with Hayami

I wana find out what Hayami listens to also give me cd recs

26. Let Kirino design your keshin OR let Kariya name your special move

please let that boy name my moves so I can forever tease him about it please

27. Eat popsicles with Gazel OR plant tulips with Burn

It’s time to plant!! Always wanted to try gardening and it’d be a fun experience with tulip boy

28. Go surfing with Tsunami OR grab a coffee with Tachimukai

I surfed once in my life and I will do it again and probably not succeed

29. Go to the zoo with Kishibe OR drink hot chocolate with Yukimura

I’m sorry my hot chocolate bias is showing but also my son

30. Play ping pong with Shinsuke and Tenma OR play electric guitar with Kariya and Hikaru

I played guitar hero for this also these two seem more my style to hang out with, probably get along with them more-

31. Go to karaoke with Hakuryuu OR go to an onsen with Shuu

HMMM I WANT BOTH but...I’m too shy for karaoke;; I’d listen to Hakuryuu sing tho lol but Shuu probably knows the best spots for onsen

#memes #idk what to tag this as uhhh #would you rather #about me

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whitestonetherapy · 7 years

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It’s not brain surgery..... is it? (6.6.17)

When driving in France recently our route took us by a huge engineering plant in the rust-belt that borders the beautiful city of Rouen. I have no idea what is produced there, but the structure is massive, a maze of piping, funnels and furnaces. There are conveyor belts and walkways extending for what seems like acres in all directions.

I’m fascinated by the complex design and coordination that must have been required to construct a monster like this. Someone had to design it all and actually understand what each bit of the maze must do... then translate that understanding to paper in schematic plans. It’s easy to imagine there were lots of changes - disagreements on what pipe goes where and what walkway points this or that way. All of this had to be settled and agreed, so presumably there was lots of paper. Then the work would have begun, all built to a final set of specifications, all of them meeting industry regulations. It must have involved thousands of people and maybe tens of thousands in the supply chain. The whole plant would have been built from the now-hidden foundations upwards, connecting all the different layers from bottom to top and side to side. All the materials assembled at just the right points, all cut exactly to size and bound together by many teams working to the over-arching plan, all to the nearest millimetre. Wow.

Now I’ve got no idea if this plant is, or ever has been, operational. It looks old and defunct to me, but as I’ve never built a factory my opinion definitely doesn’t count for much. I find it enough to know that there are people out there who can make sense of things on such a scale, and that ultimately something will be produced that is useful - maybe electricity, medicines, or tyres, or…well…you get the point.

For whatever reason, this plant always makes me think of a huge, rusty human brain whenever I see it. It does look a bit like one in outline. I like to imagine someone may one day press the ‘on’ button and the whole thing will crank up and start thinking rusty thoughts. Ok, I admit a production plant is probably not the best analogy for a brain - it is far, far too ordered and simple - but there is something about the process of building such a plant, and connecting all bits of it to run properly, that is reasonably analogous to healthy neural and psychological development.

As a practitioner I think it’s helpful to have at least a basic understanding of neural development throughout the lifespan. Work in this area increasingly allows therapists to ground their clinical work in ways that are measurably effective, and, I think vitally, if we work in an integrative way (as I do) it may help us choose the right therapeutic approaches to help our clients. This is pretty exciting stuff.

A few things have recently reminded me of the importance of this topic. One was reading a good article in an industry mag Therapy Today by Sally Brown titled “The neuroscience of depression”. The other was someone telling me they had a relative that used to shout, it’s not brain surgery! as an admonishment when, as a child, this person could not make difficult decisions. Hmm. The third was someone else telling me how ineffective they happened to have found the short course of CBT favoured by the NHS (and this is something of a repeat theme).

We know that experience shapes circuitry within the brain. We know that what we call 'experience’ is, from a neural perspective, patterns of activating / firing brain cells. And we know that this pattern establishes synaptic connections within the brain that impact upon structure and functioning.

A stimulus, let’s say a smile on the face of a mother, sets off neural activity in a baby’s brain. Synaptic connections are created and the stimulus is associated with feelings of wellbeing in a neural network. It is in this way that experience shapes the circuitry of the brain, especially so with repeated experience. This is the idea that ‘neurons that fire together wire together’ (Hebb).

So, the physical and psychological experience of our imaginary baby begins to manifest as newly established neural connections that in turn play a role in determining how this baby will react to future experiences. Let’s say the mother in this story did not smile and turned away repeatedly (or worse), this would impede the development of those neural connections thus limiting the potential of the baby to feel emotions associated with wellbeing. Over time, as the brain develops, these neural pathways form the basis of the young child making predictions about themselves and their environment.

Sticking with my slightly dodgy power plant analogy, let’s look at the brain itself.

Brainstem

Like the Rouen plant, the brain has a few levels that need to work together. Physiologically, the Brainstem is the ‘basement’ of the mind and the oldest part of the brain from an evolutionary perspective.

A key structure within it is the Vagus nerve that regulates critical organs (heart and lungs etc) and the muscles in the face and head that allow social interactions. This nerve plays a key role in shaping our physiological responses to situations of all kinds, whether threatening or pleasurable. It also plays a role in down-regulating the sympathetic nervous system too, without which we would spend much more time in fight/flight/freeze modes. The regulating capacity can be knocked offline due to trauma or extreme stress, as sometimes seen in those with PTSD.

In short, the brainstem governs critical physiological functioning, and helps control over/under-arousal. David J Wallin in his book Attachment in Psychotherapy suggests those suffering the effects of trauma may need help to ‘effectively modulate’ their levels of physiological arousal. The work here would focus on body, nonverbal experience and the nuances found in the therapeutic relationship. Note how this differs from the approach of short-term time-limited cognitive therapies offered, sometimes remotely, by the NHS (more on this below).

Limbic System

Next up we arrive at the limbic system - the ground floor of the power plant. This is the ‘emotional brain’ where we process feelings. There are two key structures:

Firstly, the Amygdala which acts as a sensory gateway and is well developed at birth. Within fractions of a second the amygdala can appraise sensory input (a snarl, a gunshot, a shout etc) and signal to the brainstem to activate fight/flight physiological responses. The appraisal the amygdala makes depends on personal history, as the amygdala registers experience and holds ‘emotional memories’.

Secondly, the Hippocampus which provides the capacity to sequence and contextualise our experiences. The amygdala cannot do this, and makes no distinction between, say, a Lion on the TV and Lion in your sitting room. The Hippocampus therefore acts as an important brake that engages the parasympathetic nervous system ‘downstairs’ in the basement and allows physiological calming depending on whether the Lion is real.

Crucially, the hippocampus is not developed at birth. Full functioning only becomes available in the second or third year of life. It’s easy to see how early experience and learning processed by the amygdala can result in context-free equivalence between safe and threatening situations, and be powerful and overgeneralised. Again, ‘what fires together wires together’.

From a physiological standpoint, these key structures within the brain can and do change in size, depending on the psychological state a person is in (over some time). Sally Brown cites studies that show in a sample of people with depression the Hippocampus was 19% smaller on average. Whether this is the cause or effect of depression remains unclear, but Brown quotes Schmaal: “We think that the association between a smaller hippocampus, especially in people with recurrent depression, is a result of prolonged and / or recurrent stress.”

Further studies show that psychotherapy does help. There is good evidence that different modes of therapy treat ‘different areas of the brain’ (more on this below). This can help practitioners ask important questions: What therapeutic approach is the right one for this person? Will cognitive approaches, for example, be as effective as deeper relational therapeutic work exploring sensations, feelings and impulses that are a reflection in the body and mind of these early pre-verbal experiences? But then cognitive or behavioural approaches might help develop strategies which reduce over/under arousal of the amygdala etc.

So maybe both are necessary as both do different things. Alan Schore (a leading light in this field) suggests as much. Sally Brown quotes him and I paraphrase: “For me there are two forms of psychotherapy. There is symptom reducing, short-term psychotherapy, then there is a second form of longer terms psychotherapy, which is growth-promoting.”

Austerity notwithstanding, what a shame the NHS doesn’t take notice of this and offer a much greater range of longer term talking therapies where it is indicated this may be a more useful approach.

Neocortex

Back to the brain. Now we are on the top floor of the power plant. The cerebral cortex is the higher and upper floor of the brain and is also the last to emerge from an evolutionary standpoint and in the individual. This part of the brain helps us make sense of experience and our interactions with others and the world and its function continues to mature throughout life. The areas towards the back of the brain govern our perception of the world through the senses. The front areas are responsible for thought, raising mental representations to awareness, planning, memory, language, reasoning and much else.

The most advanced area is the prefrontal cortex which has two distinct regions. The first (dorsolateral) has strong connections with the hippocampus and the reason-oriented ‘left brain’ hemisphere. The second region (middle prefrontal cortex) houses the orbitofrontal cortex, which sits behind the eyes and plays a vital role in emotional regulation. It is a convergence channel through which bodily, emotional and cognitive channels pass.

Behind the orbitofrontal cortex is the anterior cingulate which may be the seat of maternal behaviours and for conscious experience of emotion. Finally, there is the insula, a small area vital for ‘interoception’ - how we know how we feel. It is also suggested that this is the area responsible for the ability to impute the mental state of others, and involved in the observed phenomenon of firing ‘mirror neurons’. A key area for the quality of empathy then.

The neocortex is essentially where we find memory and our predictive power. Through experience (body, emotions, thoughts) neural patterns are laid down that help us make associative predictions about situations unfolding and future, potential situations.

Joining it up

So, we can see how the brain is built from the ground up in layers. But as with the Rouen plant, one side has also to work with the other side with all the funnels and walkways linked up.

The right-hemisphere (right-brain) is specialised to respond emotionally and nonverbally and has dense neural connectivity to the limbic system. The left houses conscious thought and represents experience in a linear way through language (the voice in your head as you read this).

There are some powerful arguments (Damasio, Siegel) that the higher cortex/left-brain structures are often dominated by sub-cortex/right-brain processes. This suggests that neural traffic tends to be directional, coming from the ‘basement upwards’ rather than the ‘rooftop downwards’, with the sub-cortex ‘amplifying’ and the neocortex ‘moderating’. This seems to call for a ‘basement upwards’ approach to psychotherapy. Again, Wallin suggests should be grounded in body-work and including focus on non-verbal aspects of the therapeutic relationship and Alan Schore points also in this direction.

Brain Physio?

I hope that the mental health services offered by the NHS keep pace with discoveries in the field of neuroscience. This should involve a much greater investment in longer-term relational therapies (as well as continuing investment in time-limited cognitive therapy, for which waiting times are far too long). In my mind this is in no way a choice between approaches, but an acknowledgement that there is a clear need for the former, a current lack, and, I hope, a serious commitment to redressing the imbalance.

As mentioned earlier, psychotherapy of all modes can be helpful and Sally Brown cited several studies; one showed that over-activity in the amygdala was reduced to ‘normal’ after 8 months of psychodynamic therapy, and another study showed over 14 weeks of CBT a reduced over-activity in the amygdala and increased activity in the prefrontal cortex. She quotes Siegle: “Cognitive Therapy teaches you to step in and use your prefrontal cortex rather than letting your emotions run away with you.” This work perhaps helps the higher cortex/left-brain to regulate the arousal of the sub-cortex/right-brain processes. Maybe this is partly what Schore had in mind when talking about ‘symptom reducing’.

In the future as technology advances further, perhaps the idea of working directly with the brain might become even more explicit. Maybe there will be such a thing as ‘brain physio’ where certain therapeutic approaches are known to have greatest neurological effect in certain areas of the brain. For example selecting certain approaches that best strengthen, say, the anterior cingulate or insula regions, and another approach to develop strategies which regulate the over-arousal of the amygdala. I am actually not sure at all how I would feel about such a development like this for various reasons, but I do suspect that this is what already 'happens’ through the course of effective psychotherapy. Would it be such a giant leap to introduce an element of intentionality to proceedings?

Here is Schore again: “The right hemisphere is really the core of the problem. It’s selectively involved in processing negative emotions in depression, pessimistic thoughts and feelings and outlook on life, as well as sensitivity to pain. And if you have connectivity that is poor within the hierarchical apex (bottom up) of the limbic system into the amygdala there is a poor ability by the ‘higher’ aspects of the brain to regulate the lower aspects of the right brain.”

For me these factors come together to make a strong case for an integrative approach to therapy, ensuring psychological foundations are solid from the ‘bottom up’, and a ‘top-down’ approach to our work to help alleviate symptoms and develop more helpful patterns. These things are not in competition but seem to complement each other and likely work on different parts of the brain.

The Personal Consultancy framework may help with this (Popovic & Jinks, 2014) allowing, as it does, the integration of both the reparative and generative modes of therapy & coaching into a clearly demarcated framework of practice. This is a reasonable proxy for the type of division of labour that Schore and others are talking about. More on this on my website if interested.

#counselling #psychotherapy #whitestonetherapy #wellbeing #therapy #therapist

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gizedcom · 4 years

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Incredible pictures of monster storm systems over America by photographer Adam Kyle Jackson

When it comes to weather, there’s only one thing we all like more than talking about it – and that’s looking at it.

Especially when things get dramatic.

And so it’s little wonder that storm-chasing photographer Adam Kyle Jackson, from Texas, has garnered almost 60,000 followers on Instagram – because he posts absolutely jaw-dropping pictures of extreme weather.

Storm-chasing photographer Adam Kyle Jackson, from Texas, has garnered almost 60,000 followers on Instagram. This incredible image was taken in Perryton, Texas. One of his followers commented: ‘Wow, wow, wow’

The stunning image on the left was taken in Abilene, Texas. Adam captioned it ‘one 30-second shot into pure darkness’. He described the image on the right – taken in Perryton, Texas – as ‘the calm after the storm’

The pictures Adam is most proud of include these two, taken in Roswell, New Mexico. The image on the right, in particular. Adam said: ‘[It’s] a perfect bolt that filled the frame, did not spider off into the clouds and split the sunset downburst perfectly down the middle’

His portfolio includes breathtaking images of lightning strikes in the likes of New Mexico, Nebraska, Kansas, Monument Valley and his home state – and the most mesmerising storm-cloud formations.

The 39-year-old explained to MailOnline Travel that a love of dramatic weather formed and as he grew up in Texas.

He said: ‘Having grown up in West Texas witnessing extreme thunderstorms every spring and summer, I grew a natural affinity to the weather and to the chase.

‘I recall standing on the back porch with my mother as a child watching a tornado touchdown in the distant horizon and us frantically running to the truck to go alert my dad who was working in the cotton fields, unaware of the potential danger.

‘I have been chasing storms for over a decade now with the primary goal of staying safe while photographing lightning, mammatus clouds, and Milky Way thunderstorm photos.’

Almost inevitably, though, things haven’t always gone to plan.

This breathtaking image was taken in Big Bend National Park in Texas and produced using one 30-second exposure

The picture on the left shows a ‘nice little wall cloud and its tail hovering over the Oklahoma/Texas border’. Adam said that it transformed into a ‘baseball-hail-throwing monster storm from hell, with winds of close to 150mph’ and ‘multiple tornadoes’. The mesmerising shot on the right was taken in the inimitable Monument Valley

Adam said: ‘I lost situational awareness once in Nebraska where my cell phone signal was poor, and the radar update was delayed. I was driving in between two hail-producing 70mph-plus-gust mesocyclones [a region of rotation within a thunderstorm] where one shifted course rapidly and boxed me in merging with the other storm.

‘I suddenly found myself in the core of the new storm with extreme hail and wind losing complete visibility of the road. I stopped the truck and as I did, one extreme gust seemed to have shifted the pickup truck perpendicular to the road.

‘I think my heart stopped at that moment and I vowed to never be “in” the storm ever again and since then have done so with zero incident.’

Tornado warnings were issued for this supercell outside Tecumseh, Nebraska. The rainbow contrasts strikingly with the ominous darkening skies

Adam said of the image on the left, taken near Houston: ‘Chasing tornados can lead you to some interesting places, where you often don’t get a photo of a tornado but find a beautiful supercell in a pasture – that went on to produce a tornado while I was getting a necessary Red Bull’. The lightning image on the right was taken in Perryton, Texas

His training has helped.

Adam, who’s a photography contributor to the official City of Houston Visitor’s Guide, continued: ‘I have completed the official “National Weather Service Skywarn Spotter Training” and registered with the Spotter Network. Regardless of the motives for being in or around the storm, the training stresses we always maintain an escape route, situational awareness, and form of communication to notify others of potential hazards and of your location in the event of an emergency. Never put yourself or others at risk, especially for a photo.’

A big truck helps, too.

Adam drives a black Z71 4×4 Chevrolet Suburban with modified suspension and 33-inch tyres ‘to battle the unruly and often mudded-out backroads’.

This image was taken in Galveston, Texas, and was apparently the only one during the shoot – ‘out of hundreds of lightning strikes’ – that worked

The striking picture on the left is of a supercell over Elkhart, Kansas. The picture on the right of a supercell was taken in Bassett, Nebraska, with a vehicle in the shot ‘to show the sheer scale of the thing’

The ‘go-to’ spots he drives it to for good storm pictures include northeastern New Mexico and West Texas.

In these areas, Adam said, ‘storms can pop up as single cells and rage into the late evening as monster multicellular systems producing large hail, beautiful lightning displays, and the occasional tornado’.

He continued: ‘Some of my best photos are taken just outside of Clayton, New Mexico, and Lubbock, Texas, where I’m from.’

His favourite storm photos are within his Roswell, New Mexico, ‘lightning series’. And his overall favourite picture from this set is presented here – an image of a ‘perfect bolt that filled the frame, did not spider off into the clouds and split the sunset downburst perfectly down the middle’.

Fancy having a go at taking storm pictures?

Then heed Adam’s do’s and don’ts.

He said: ‘Do decouple from the tripod and go handheld. I have captured my most dynamic weather images this way.

‘Do take the widest-angle lens you have and make use of cropping in post-processing. This will ensure you bring home the data to work with later versus leaving it in the field. I shoot most of my shots at 14mm ISO 64. With this method, one shot can often yield two or three good images from the same exposure cropped multiple times.

Adam said that if you want to take great storm-chasing pictures, ‘don’t frantically drive around from thunderstorm to thunderstorm’. Instead, ‘pick a target and stick with it’

The image on the left, taken on Follets Island, in Texas, shows a supercell forming over Christmas Bay. The image on the right was taken in Kansas. Look carefully and you’ll spot a house bottom right

‘Do plan using weather models, moonrise and moonset data, and sunrise and sunset data. Also, once you’ve selected a general geographic region to target for your photoshoot, utilise Google Earth to roam the country backroads before you get there. I often use Google Earth to plan out visual interest of the image such where the contiguous wheat fields are, avoiding wind turbine farms and the blinking red lights.

‘Do experiment with daytime lightning shot captures using the high-frames-per-second mode of your camera. Nighttime lightning photos are relatively easy to capture. Set up your tripod, get your exposure dialled in, and set it for 30 seconds and hope for the best. Daytime lightning takes a bit more finesse and a steady hand, but also the challenge is worth it visually since not all the scene is clearly in view and properly exposed.

‘Do plan for photos after the storm. There is nothing prettier than taking photos of the mammatus clouds and crazy lightning on the backside of a supercell during the golden hour sunset.

‘Do be there early and don’t frantically drive around from thunderstorm to thunderstorm. Pick a target and stick with it. The weather models can be wrong and I’ve often watched other professional spotters’ live feeds where they are staring into blue skies with little white puffy clouds 30 miles away and me thinking “what on earth are they doing there when the crazy storms are right here right now?”

‘And sure enough, just like clockwork, the storm I was on inevitably dies and I’m playing catch-up to get in front of some of the craziest storms you’ve ever seen.

‘Trust your instincts, give yourself time, and network with others who have been doing this in some cases 30-plus years. They know what they are doing. If there is a cluster of storm spotters reporting on the Spotter Network GPS in an area, you might also want to be there too.’

Adam recommends using Google Earth before a storm-chasing escapade to scope out the country roads. This image was snapped in Kansas

On the left is a picture of a multi-tornado-producing supercell storm system right overhead in Rock County, Nebraska. Adam captioned the picture on the right, taken in Texas: ‘I’ve always wanted to take the kind of mammatus photo that would make your mama proud… well I hope you’re proud mama’

Adam kicked off his ‘don’ts’ list with some important safety tips.

He said: ‘Don’t be “in” the storm to take photos of the storm.

I made this mistake early on and often got rained out, exposed to crazy winds, and the car battered senselessly by hail, all the while getting zero photogenic weather scenes for my efforts.

‘My favorite storms to track move to the southeast while I comfortably and continuously move to stay a few miles ahead of the storm to the southwest. Make sure your parked vehicle is pointing in the direction of your escape route always.

‘Trying to turn around on muddy roads with limited visibility is a difficult task, especially in a frantic bid to escape the storm.

‘Don’t get caught up in the thrill of the chase and forget to take the photos. There is a big difference between chasing tornados and building a weather photo portfolio. Some of my best weather photos have been taken nowhere near where a tornado would have formed.

I used to take photos on my cell phone all over the country and now regret every minute of it

‘Don’t stand in the road and get power lines or weeds in the ditches in your shots. Get a little muddy if you must and walk into the field to get the clean shot. Ideally line your shot up with something that shows scale on the horizon, a road for perspective, or reduce the foreground in the shot to capture more of the storm.

‘Don’t take every photo in landscape. Switch often between portrait and landscape. Portrait shots help capture the sheer size and scale of the cumulonimbus cloud towers, especially when there is something of known size on the horizon to demonstrate scale. Most of my weather shots are portrait.’

The biggest mistake amateurs make, said Adam, is not using a ‘full-frame DSLR camera’.

He said: ‘I used to take photos on my cell phone all over the country and now regret every minute of it. Storm photography requires serious dynamic range due to frequent inadequate lighting conditions and extreme contrasts between the highlight (lightning) and shadows (cloud bases) in the scenes.’

Becoming obsessed with the ‘rule of one-thirds’ and the foreground are other errors Adam sees a lot.

He added: ‘You are there to photograph the clouds and hopefully lightning. Some of the most visually appealing storm photos include only a sliver of foreground. The foregrounds out in the country often include telephone poles, weeds, and just plain dirt, none having visual appeal.

Instead of thinking rule of one-thirds, think of demonstrating scale of the approaching storm by using the horizon line to your advantage.’

Follow his advice – and you’ll no doubt end up on cloud nine.

To see how your pictures might look if you follow Adam’s counsel, visit his Instagram page.

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The post Incredible pictures of monster storm systems over America by photographer Adam Kyle Jackson appeared first on GIZED - Breaking News Worldwide.

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