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acehotel · 5 years

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“Patience Is A Vulture”: An Interview with Creative Growth Artist Ray Vickers

Ray Vickers thinks it’s “un-American not to have a pet.” It just is. The Oakland-born and bred artist also wants you to know about the exact Thursday he was born, his 120-pound dog named Ace (maybe our favorite dog name to date) and his popular series of dead rabbit illustrations. For this edition of Inside Job — a monthly artists’ series led by LAND Gallery’s Sophia Cosmadopoulos — Vickers chats about his nine years at Creative Growth, his artistic process and all the animals that he’s taken care of.

Creative Growth is an Oakland-based non-profit that serves artists with developmental, mental and physical disabilities, providing a professional studio environment for artistic development, gallery exhibition and representation.

Ray Vickers: Did you know patience is a vulture, ain’t that how it go?

Sophia Cosmadopoulos: I think the saying is patience is a virtue.

RV: I think it’s vulture. And if I found your phone and gave it to you, that’s called a good samurai?

SC: It’s whatever you want it to be. Is that some pepperoni on your drawing?

RV: Oh my goodness [brushes it off]. I told my mom and sister last week, a few days ago, if I see someone, a man, doing a horrible crime, I would take my belt off and spank him. If I see a man doing a crime, I would whoop him. I would hit him with his belt in my right hand and take my belt off and whoop him with my left.

SC: So a double whoop?

RV: Yeah, so what questions you got for me?

SC: Well, would you like to start off by introducing yourself? RV: I’m god. No, I’m not. I am Ray Vickers. V-I-C-K-E-R-S, period. We are in Oakland, California. I was born and raised out here, lemme see, about 31 years. I am 31. Been on this earth 31 years. I lived in Hayward years ago for a short period. But I have been in Oakland pretty much all these years.

SC: Yeah, I grew up out here too. But in San Francisco.

RV: It’s freezing out there, huh? I heard because it be by the ocean.

SC: It is definitely foggier. But now I live in New York where it gets really cold. Have you ever been out there?

RV: No, I can’t really travel because of my pets. I got my two dogs and I got my lizard. And nobody can really feed my lizard his worms. I have a bearded dragon and I feed him mealworms — they are about an inch. My mom will hold my lizard but she won’t feed him worms. So nobody will feed my lizard worms, nobody will walk my dog, he’s nine, he’s 120 pounds, he’s strong. So he used to pull me when I walk him, but he doesn’t pull me no more. So I take his leash and I put it around my waist and I take the leash and I put it around his neck, you know, a chain collar, but he doesn’t really pull me like he used to. His name is Ace.

SC: And what is your lizard’s name?

RV: Jax. J-A-X. He turned a year old on April 19, 2019. I got him when he was small but he’s still growing. He has autism, he don’t like changes. I kiss him on the lips. He don’t like changes. I chilled with him yesterday for about an hour, but I didn’t have time for him on Tuesday or Wednesday. So I picked him up yesterday and he was mad at me because I couldn’t hold him on Tuesday or Wednesday and he tried to bite me. But I told him, if he bite me, I am not going to feed him. It took about 30 seconds and he calmed down. Then I picked him up and I put him, you know, to chill in my pocket for a little bit. I let him sleep. I can pick him up and he can be on my shoulder, chilling with me.

SC: I have never heard of a lizard with autism.

RV: Yeah, it happens. They can have ADD, ADHD, all that.

SC: When did you first start coming to Creative Growth?

RV: Almost nine years, I believe. I come here four days a week: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday. But Tuesdays I am here from 9:30 to two o’clock because I leave to do my dog walking job, walking my friend’s dog for an hour. She’s a German Shepherd mix. She’s not big, she’s medium, she’s still strong. I leave today at 2:45, I do a dog walking job. But since the time change, unfortunately I don’t get home till about close to five o’clock, where it’s almost dark and dangerous. I hate to be out in a dark period. You know, I have a big dog and I have pepper spray but I still hate to be out in the dark, because that’s when a lot of badness happens. So I leave here every Tuesday about two o’clock on the nose. I am here four days a week.

SC: Can you describe an average day here at Creative Growth? RV: It has its days. It’s good. It’s like, me? I have autism and I say and do stuff without thinking, but I know how to control my impulsiveness here. Like if I saw you talking to somebody, I wouldn’t walk up behind you and talk to you, because I know how to control my ADD and everything. I wouldn’t just butt in and say something because I have R-E-S-P-E-C-T.

SC: And can you describe your artwork to me?

RV: I just draw whatever is in my head. Something simple, nothing fancy. I do dead rabbits that a lot of people like. I don’t know why people like them, but they do. They sell quick.

SC: When did you start making work about dead rabbits?

RV: Well I was watching TV and I had a freezer in my room. I was watching TV and I had a step, kinda like a stairway thing, a step stool, and it fell on my freezer, and my freezer had a dent in it and I looked at the dent, and I automatically thought of a rabbit. But the real part was, I was watching a show called Heroes, I don’t know if you heard of it, but about 30 seconds later, after the commercial, they showed a guy on there killing a rabbit. It was weird because right before that happened an image of a rabbit popped in my head on my freezer. So I started drawing them, and then everybody liked them. So I started making them out of wood and everything and on paper.

SC: And who is killing those rabbits?

RV: It varies. It could be those teddy bears killing them. Because you know those rabbits with the red eyes? I love animals, don’t get me wrong, but you know those rabbits with the red eyes? It scares the holy guacamole out of me. I ain’t gonna lie, it scares the crap out of me. The rabbits with the red eyes? That’s scary. I took my chances with petting a pitbull on the street more than once, I haven’t been attacked by one. But the rabbits with the red eyes? Wowee. I ain’t petting one of those. It would bite my fingers off.

SC: And what’s your process when you draw them?

RV: I just draw them, I just use the main colors, red for the blood, pink is for the ears — no, wait — pink is for the stomach and a purplish color for the ears. I use a hot glue gun to bring out the whiskers. When I see a rabbit with red eyes, it scares the crap out of me, I don’t know why. The next time I see a rabbit, I will leave it alone. As long as it’s cool with me, I am cool with it. Because I have ADD and everything — my mind, it never stops processing everything. Like September 11th happened on a Tuesday. There are just certain things that I can’t forget. I was born on a Thursday, August 20, 1987 and I still remember that I was born on a Thursday. And the 1989 earthquake, you heard about that one? I was two years old and I remember when that happened. There are just certain things I can’t forget, it’s like a gift and a curse.

SC: How long have you been working on your art?

RV: I was drawing as a kid. I was drawing Sonic the Hedgehog and stuff like that. But I didn’t start coming here till like about almost nine years. I was just at home with my leopard gecko. I was just at home watching TV playing PS2 with my leopard gecko on my shoulder. I was just sitting there watching TV with nothing to do and I heard about this place here and I started three days a week. Now I go here four days a week.

SC: Do you like going to exhibitions at Creative Growth or at outside galleries?

RV: Yeah I don’t go to all of them, just certain ones. I always say, if my work ain’t in it, I don’t come.

SC: What are your goals for your art?

RV: I want to go big, you know, platinum? Nah, just to sell, but I would never be cocky if I was rich because the most money I ever had, probably was about one thousand, three and a half, four years ago here. But I am not cocky with money or nothing like that. It’s like I am good at certain things, but I don’t be bragging about it.

SC: What do you do outside of the studio?

RV: I go to Comic Con. The next Comic Con I am going to is August of this year. I remember the first time I was there about three or four years ago, I was there from like 9:40 in the morning to literally 3:00pm. I walked around the whole day, never did sit down. What happened last year was, all I ate was a crummy little bag of trail mix peanuts. That’s all I had. I collect action figures. Like, when people say I’m too old to collect action figures — I’m 31 — they’re probably jealous because they ain’t got the money like I do. Because I’m 31 and I probably have 300 action figures.

SC: Wow, that’s amazing. Can you tell me a little bit more about yourself and how you grew up?

RV: I was born and raised in Oakland. Never knew who my dad was, real mom died when I was 16 and I couldn’t cry because I never lived with her, I was never close. So my main focus was watching Spiderman and cartoons in the 1990s and then going to Comic Con. I used to have a leopard gecko, now I have a bearded dragon, a bulldog and a Newfoundland.

SC: It seems like you’re a real animal guy. What’s your favorite animal?

RV: My favorite reptile would be a bearded dragon, still my favorite reptile. I like snakes too. Any animals, I am all for — any animals. I was learning something the other day — that caterpillars, I think it was in Australia — no, London, that caterpillars can actually make silk like spiders and they can silken up houses and trees and cars and all that kind of stuff. A monarch butterfly can fly 1,100 feet in the air. An armadillo’s shell is literally pretty much bulletproof, and they can actually give people leprosy. I was learning a lot of stuff on the animal shows.

SC: You’ve told me a lot about your lizard, what about your dogs?

RV: Both my dogs get along fine, but the bulldog, I actually found her four years ago by the bus stop. And I couldn’t leave her there, and I promised myself that I wasn’t gonna bring home another dog, because I had a Pomeranian, but unfortunately she had to be put to sleep because she kept having seizures. So I ended up bringing home the bulldog. I walk my dogs. I just walk, if it’s raining, I’m still walking. I don’t mind walking, because I walk everyday for an hour. Yeah, because today I got my two hour and fifteen minute walk in today. If it’s hot, cold, rainy, I’m still walking. Now if it’s thundering and lightning and hailing, I ain’t crazy. I am crazy, but I don’t get struck by lightning. I ain’t trying to get struck by lightning. I don’t wanna be in a coma for six months sitting on my ass. I would miss a lot in six months, I would be missing all my shows, my dog would be missing everything.

SC: That’s right, I heard that you have rescued a lot of animals, tell me about that.

RV: Yeah, the smallest dog I ever saved, like almost four years ago? Her name is Clara, our teacher Mady has her. She was real, real, real, real small when I found her, lemme see, that was about almost four years ago. She was probably not even bigger than my shoe. I found her by the bus stop and that’s when I had my long skateboard. And I couldn’t leave her there, she was with another dog, so I picked her up and brought her on the bus. And when I skateboarded here, she was in my backpack, because I never really fall, and then I said Mady, I got something for you, so I reached in my backpack and got it for her. I have rescued about four or five dogs total. I am good with animals. I hate to see dogs roaming the streets. Even this past Tuesday I was walking home, there’s this one dog and I thought it was a boy so I named it Homeboy, but I just found out this morning that she’s a girl, so I gotta change her name to Homegirl. She’s a chow mix. Whenever I see her, I always give her food.

SC: Do you ever bring your pets to Creative Growth?

RV: No. Well, my lizard is autistic, he doesn’t like changes. He’s only used to me. Like if anybody else try to hold him, he gets kind of spicy. But then if I hold him, he’ll come chill with me for like three to four hours. I be chilling with him. I got a thousand pictures of him. It’s un-American not to have a pet. Everybody should have one. I go to PetSmart. My mom says she’s allergic to snakes but she’s not, she just doesn’t like snakes. So if I could get a snake, a long time ago, I would have, but my mom doesn’t like snakes.

SC: Any last words, Ray?

RV: Patience is a vulture. And, if somebody tells you you are a horrible artist or you’re too old to do this or that, don’t listen to them because haters are gonna hate. And as Stan Lee would say, “Enough said.”

#yes #interview #creative growth #sophia cosmadopoulos #artist #art #ray vickers #ace new york #ace hotel new york #ace nyc #ace hotel nyc #new york #oakland

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purplesurveys · 5 years

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454

When was the last time you…

slept?: Late this afternoon; like around 3-5:30 PM. I did nothing but nap all day and it feels goooooodddd.

went to the beach?: March this year.

ate?: Before I took my last nap. I had rice and fried chicken.

drank alcohol?: Last Saturday in my org’s induction rites. I wasn’t knocked out, for a change hahaha. Gabie came over so I didn’t want her to just spend time there to take care of me.

done a drug?: Never.

called someone?: Yesterday.

got a call?: 1 in the morning last night.

drove?: Yesterday evening. My internship company had an outside event and they tagged me along for it, but it ended soooooo late that I ended up driving out super late even though I was already so sleepy :(

studied?: Roughly a month ago, when my semester ended.

sang?: I remember singing to myself while my girlfriend was on the line last night.

took a shower/bath?: Yesterday morning.

danced in your underwear?: I don’t think I’ve ever done this..

played a sport?: July or August 2018, when there was a table tennis area free for use in the resort we want to in one of our family trips.

went to the bathroom?: 20 minutes ago.

kissed someone?: Oh man, it was probably like 2 weeks ago. I’ve seen my girlriend a few times since then, but just haven’t had the chance to kiss her.

hugged someone?: Monday, when Gab picked me up from internship.

been on a date?: Monday.

had sex?: Last last last Tuesday.

been sick?: I have a cold and sore throat coming on because apparently, when I first came into my internship, it was in the middle of when everyone was catching a virus in the office. I turned out to be next. partied?: Start of May.

Wedding?: 2007. For some reason my parents’ friends just don’t invite us kids to their weddings.

What was the last…

show you watched?: Friends.

movie you went to?: Not a fan of going to the cinema. It was probably Rainbow’s Sunset but I went to watch it all the way back in January.

song you listened to?: I forgot but it was something on Lemonade.

C.D. you played all the way through?: Lemonade, on my drive home last night.

website you went on?: This one.

thing you ate?: Rice and fried chicken from Jollibee.

alcoholic beverage you drank?: Soju + yakult, c/o Gab’s mix.

sport you played?: Table tennis, when we chanced upon said table tennis area in a family trip.

drug you did?: None.

thing you read?: This question. If that doesn’t count, my Facebook news feed.

thing you said?: "Okay.”

song you sang?: Hahahaha welp I suddenly thought of Hit Me Baby One More Time while on call with my girlfriend last night so I sang the chorus.

fast food restaurant you ate at?: Holy smokes, I don’t actually remember. I don’t eat in fast food chains anymore but we’ll often have food delivered. The last fast food I ate was Jollibee.

place you’ve been?: I was in Ascott Makati for that PR event I was talking about. It was a fancyish evening social party for one of their clients.

item of clothing you put on?: Shorts.

item of clothing you took off?: My pants from last night.

time you went to church?: Last Sunday, ugh.

prayer you made?:

thing you touched?: My phone. Put it down before taking this survey.

party you’ve been to?: It was a sem-ender party hosted by one of the orgs from my college.

Who was the last person you…

kissed?: My girlfriend.

hugged?: Also my girlfriend.

screwed?: See above.

called?: One of the national newspapers; it’s part of my job as an intern. We have another event coming up and they tasked me to call up the different national papers to confirm their attendance, since we sent out invites to all of them.

trusted?: I dunno, but I always trust Gab.

loved?: Same person.

had fun with?: My boss, supervisor, and a couple of my colleagues from last night’s event.

befriended?: I’ve had the same set of friends for a while.

became enemies with?: I don’t really like to waste my time like that.

touched?: ???? Like sexually? Gab.

wanted?: Most of these questions mean the same thing lmao it’s Gab again.

smiled at?: Probs Edi.

Where was the last…

place you went to?: Before I went home, I was in Ascott Makati.

store you shopped at?: I don’t.

pool you swam in?: In the resort we booked last Saturday.

beach you went to?: Somewhere in Cagraray, Albay.

place you went to the bathroom at?: Laurice’s, when I took a bath there last Wednesday.

show you saw?: I don’t know what this question means. I watched it at home, but it’s set in New York and I watched it on Netflix.

place you were happy at?: The resort I mentioned earlier and just hanging out with my friends there.

concert you went to?: I saw Paramore in the MOA Arena.

place you kissed?: My room.

fight you got into?: It was a fight on text, so I can’t really answer this with a ‘where.’

sleepover you went to?: It was in Laurice’s house in Laguna.

party you got wasted at?: 20:20 in Makati.

How was the last…

breath you took?: Tiring.

conversation you had?: It was chill. I just asked my cousin for a favor earlier tonight and he’s a really chill person in general, so.

sandwich you ate?: Really good! It had lots of mayo so I’m a happy camper.

crap you took?: Fine :/

sex you had?: Great.

nap you took?: Uncomfortable, sweaty, sticky. I HATE SUMMER

kiss you had?: It’s been a while, but it was short and sweet.

thing you watched?: Hilarious.

sound you listened to?: I dunno, I don’t really think anything of the electric fan whirring.

band you saw?: Best. Band. In. The. World.

party you went to?: Hectic, crowded, loads of fun.

survey you took?: Alright, but I’m tired now.

#surveys #survey

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canaryatlaw · 6 years

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alright, well today was fine. I had my late alarm set for 1 again but ended up waking up a little after noon, got in the shower and finished getting ready, I wasn’t going anywhere so it wasn’t very much effort. Made a dutch baby pancake for breakfast and ate that while I dove into my bar stuff. There weren’t any lectures on the schedule for today (probably because there were 3 yesterday) so it was basically a bunch of different types of practice questions around different subjects, and some practice essays (which I hate). I spent a little while making an instacart order because I don’t have the time or energy to actually go grocery shopping, but was running out of things like eggs and milk and my main snacks and fruit, and I wanted to make an actual meal, and I ended up on a recipe that was called a garlic cheddar chicken bake (though the amount of garlic in it was debatable) so I ordered what I needed to make that then went back to studying. I finished everything up for the day a little after 6, then started making the meal for dinner. It was more or less the broccoli, chicken and cheese rice dish I’ve made except without the broccoli and cooked in a different manner. But basically you just cut up uncooked chicken and put it in a baking dish with uncooked rice, then add a bunch of cheese and then chicken broth, and add some salt and garlic powder. I kinda laughed that garlic was in the name when they only used a 1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder, not even really garlic in the recipe, so I went ahead and doubled it to 1/2 teaspoon, which still felt like too little, but oh well. Then it bakes for like 45 minutes, and then you add more cheese and breadcrumbs to the top and put it back in for another like 10 minutes. I was actually fairly pleased with how it turned out, I was concerned it was going to be another situation where I’m trying to force chicken down my throat and basically seeing if I cover chicken in enough cheese it will actually be somewhat appetizing, but that seemed to be pretty successful. While eating I was trying to get a jump on practice questions for tomorrow, so I did a bunch of their practice question sets, which just means it pushes up the work I had after that for tomorrow but I’m still technically behind so I’m trying to focus on doing as much as I can. There’s been a few social events at church coming up that I could go to (and I mean, I’m an extrovert, so of course I want to go) but I’m trying to really focus on getting this done and doing it right. Once I finished doing most of that I moved over to the couch with the intention of watching some netflix, but first wanted to watch the youtube video of Barrett Willbert Weed singing “I’d Rather Be Me” from Mean Girls the musical on Jimmy Fallon, which I’ve watched like 30 points at this time but I can’t help it I love it, except when I opened youtube sitting right there in my recommended videos was the bootleg of the show that’s been floating around for a while, since youtube keeps removing it. It was called like “2 hours and 20 minutes of definitely not mean girls the musical” so I clicked on it to see if it was actually still up, and it was, so I tried to get it up on the youtube app on my tv but when I clicked on it there it said it had been taken down by a copyright claim, but it was still working on my laptop so I was very careful not to reload the page or anything that could compromise the feed I had. So I watched it on my laptop and I mean, holy crap, it was so good. I LOVED it. one would think now that I’ve watched it I wouldn’t feel the need to see it live, but on the contrary it just made me want to see it live that much more because there was so much magic going on on that stage that I definitely need to see it live. They did lift a LOT of dialogue directly from the movie (which I knew because I could quote the entire damn movie to you) and was definitely the most accurate movie to musical translation I’ve seen, likely because Tina Fey wrote the book, so very little was changed. I really liked using Damien and Janis as the narrators, that worked really well. And god, I fucking adore Janis. I knew I would love her just from what I’ve seen of Barrett so far but like, I was not prepared for how much I would connect with her. And like, seeing I’d Rather Be Me sung in the context of the show and what Janis is doing when she sings it was like, so powerful to me because she’s standing before this group of girls who has always treated her as an outsider and boldly declaring that she doesn’t care what you think of her, she likes the person she is and that’s not going to change. Like, damn girl, that’s some powerful shit. I could keep going on about it because there were a lot of great parts (I LOVED the portrayal of Karen, she was fucking hilarious) but I think you get the idea. I’m definitely going to make it happen to see it in July or August, depending when I’m in NY and what I’m doing during that time (i.e. bar studying or moving or who knows what else). After that finished I watched two episodes of 30 Rock because I wanted to see more of Tina Fey, which is always entertaining, and then I decided to start getting ready for bed, and here I am. Overall not bad. Got PT at 1:30 pm tomorrow and then I’m free to do plenty of bar stuff. I’m still unsure about moving and job stuff. It would be a lot easier if OPG was a concrete option right now, but it’s very much not, and that makes things much more difficult when I’m weighing my realistic options. Like if they are hiring entry level, I know I’m a shoo-in for the job, but they haven’t said a word (publicly, at least) about lifting their hiring freeze, despite what many office members told me last week. Sigh. And I’m just really concerned at this point that if I decide to stay in Illinois I’m gonna be really fucked over for the bar and the chances I’ll flunk it would be even higher, and then what? I’d be even more fucked over. Sigh, I don’t know, Part of my mind is already resigned to going back to New York because that feels like the most likely option at this point, but the rest of my mind doesn’t know. I’ve been going through the good things about going back though- bagels, my sister, good pizza, my nephew, getting to see friends on a regular basis, beach days, and much more, but as good as all of those are there are also a lot of negatives that come with it. If I do end up going there alone, I’m very concerned that I’m gonna be expected to just move back in with my parents and stay there on a permanent basis, even when I’ve told them a million times I’m not doing that, that living in that house is bad for my mental health and I wasn't going to do that to myself again, but I know how my parents work and they’ll say that they will do it, just stay here for now, then when I’m there they’ll just be like well why can't you just stay here?? and I’ll pretty much lose my mind. Plus one person apartment hunting on LI isn’t exactly my first choice. Sigh, I’m ranting, I know. Just more stuff for me to contemplate. But right now my eyes would like to be closed so I am going to oblige them and go to bed. Goodnight my dears. Have a lovely Thursday.

#daily journal #June 2018

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firemedicdiaz · 7 years

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Holy Survey Batman!

I was tagged by @southernbellestatues! Thank you for thinking of me, lovely!

Tagging: @mccoymostly @starshiphufflebadger @storiesfromstarfleet @medicatemedrmccoy @imoutofmyvulcanmind @auduna-druitt @pinkamour1588 @dolamrothianlady @startrekimagines @bkwrm523 and anyone else who would like to take part and has not yet been tagged! (I tried not to duplicate tags!)

Cutting for length!

1. Drink? Mostly water or iced tea (real brewed tea with ice, not the bottled crap that’s full of sugar).

2. Phone Call? Usually my mother.

3. Texting? Most often @starshiphufflebadger, but pretty well everyone I interact with texts me at times.

4. Last song you listened to? That latest Selena Gomez song that’s been going around. I don’t know the title or any of the lyrics, I just know her by her voice. It was on the radio on my way home from work.

5. Last time you cried? Monday night after a bad anxiety attack late at night. Cried myself to sleep.

6. Dated someone twice? Yes. Well, set up for two dates, he canceled last second both times with shitty excuses. Fool me twice...

7. Kissed someone and regretted it? Not particularly.

8. Been cheated on? Nope.

9. Lost someone special? Yes.

10. Been depressed? In my teens, yes - quite badly.

11. Gotten drunk and thrown up? More than once, I’m afraid. Last time was too much wine and I will regret it forever.

Favorite Colors

12. Sapphire.

13. Amethyst.

14. Emerald.

In the last year have you…

15. Made new friends? I’ve been working at a number of different clinics lately, covering vacays for other medical staff, and I’ve met a lot of wonderful new friends!

16. Fallen out of love? Yes.

17. Laughed until you cried? Many, many times. Most recently, an episode like that actually helped stop an episode of tachycardia... I have a heart condition called Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome and one night my heart rate spiked up into the 150s. My GF and I were watching an episode of Science of Stupid and we started laughing so fucking hard at one of the clips that we couldn’t breathe. I laughed so hard it increased the pressure in my chest cavity enough to stop the episode of tachycardia and return me to a normal heart rate. When I told my doctor this he just responded with “laughter really is the best medicine” and I equal parts love and hate him for it.

18. Found out someone was talking about you? Yes. More than once.

19. Met someone who changed you? So many people. My high school Latin teacher, my amazing girlfriend @starshiphufflebadger, my university sociology professors... I could go on.

20. Found out who your friends are? Yes.

21. Kissed someone on your Facebook list? Yup.

22. How many of your Facebook friends do you know irl? All but one, I think.

23. Do you have any pets? Two cats and a lot of fish. Also an errant pond snail or 3.

24. Do you want to change your name? I did at one point, but I’ve since grown quite fond of it.

25. What did you do for your last birthday? Went to a Music of Harry Potter show put on by our local symphony orchestra, played board games at a local game cafe, and went out for dinner with the wifey.

26. What time did you wake up? 9:00am. Yay for evening shifts where I get to sleep in!

27. What were you doing at midnight last night? Writing!

28. Name something you can’t wait for: Camping trip in August!!!

29. When was the last time you saw your mom? Around 5pm today.

What happened to 30?

31. What are you listening to right now? The thunder rumbling outside.

32. Have you ever talked to a person named Tom? Yes, I’ve had friends named Tom, and one of the doctors I work with is a Tom!

33. Something that is getting on your nerves? This fucking heat wave.

34. Most visited website? Aside from Tumblr? Haha.

35. Hair color. Light brown with some blonde peeking through.

36. Long or short hair? About a half inch below my collar bone.

37. Do you have a crush on someone? Only fictional characters - I’ve found my one and only true love and don’t need crushes to pass the time anymore. :)

38. What do you like about yourself? My compassion.

39. Piercings? Two in each ear lobe, my right helix, and my right nostril. I had my left eyebrow pierced right up until about two weeks ago when I had to take the ring out because it migrated.

40. Blood type? AB+, so I’m the least likely to die in a disaster because I can receive a transfusion from ANY blood type!

41. Nickname? Jules.

42. Relationship status? Common law.

43. Zodiac? Cancer, Dragon.

44: Pronouns: She/Her.

45. Favorite TV Show: Tough call... possibly iZombie.

46. Tattoos? A Chinese character (serenity) on my left ankle, a star of life on my right ankle, and a big script piece on my back that says “I will make poetry, and I will be loud, and you will listen to me”.

47. Right or left handed? Right.

48. Surgery? Six eye surgeries for retinal detachments and intraocular lens insertions.

49. Piercing? See question 39...?

50. Sports? I used to do folk dance, play rugby, and play roller derby, but because of school and work now I don’t have time for regularly scheduled organized sports, so I just like to swim in my spare time! I also LOVE skiing - both alpine and cross country.

51. Vacation? In less than a month I’m going camping. PSYCHED!

52. Pair of trainers? Most of my shoes are Sketchers because they’re STUPIDLY comfy and brightly colored. :D

53. Eating? Sunflower seeds.

54. Drinking? Water and coffee.

55. I’m about to? Fall asleep at my desk.

56. Waiting for? CAMPING!!!

57. Want? A lot. But right now I’d settle for a giant candy bar. I’m jonesing for something sweet.

58. Get married? To @starshiphufflebadger, if she’ll have me. :)

59. Career? Paramedic, full time BSc Biology student.

60. Hugs or kisses? Kisses!

70. Turned someone down? Yuuuuup. It was so awkward.

71. Sex on the first date? No.

72. Broken someones heart? I don’t believe so.

73. Had your heart broken? Yes.

74. Been arrested? No, but a security guard put me in a headlock once for a picture for a scavenger hunt...

75. Cried when someone died? Yes.

76.. Fallen for a friend? @starshiphufflebadger and I were BFFs for YEARS before we got together romantically. :)

do you believe in…

77. yourself? Not always.

78. Miracles? In some form, I suppose. I think miracles more as things we just can’t explain yet, though, and not anything divine.

79. Love at first sight? Nope.

80. Santa Claus? I used to believe in him, for sure, but not for a long time now.

81. Kiss on the first date? Yup!

82. Angels? Not the metaphysical sort, but I believe the kindest, most dedicated along us personify what angels are meant to be.

83. Current best friends name? Dani.

84. Eye color? Dark brown.

85. Favorite movie? Wonder Woman, for 100% sure.

#about me

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jacobhinkley · 6 years

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DJ Who “Turned Down Wall St.” Is On a Quest to Decentralize Music Festivals

Independent DJ Justin Blau (known on stage as 3LAU) didn’t exactly stumble into the cryptocurrency industry — to say so would misrepresent how much thought he’s put into his blockchain-based event network, Our Music Festival (OMF). But at the very least, his introduction to the space came through a touch of serendipity.

Blau became formally acquainted with blockchain technology and cryptocurrencies after a chance meeting with the Winklevoss twins at a music festival in 2014. The Winklevosses were making their own debut into the industry, as they were in the early stages of building their Gemini exchange at the time.

After hitting it off with the up-and-coming DJ, they invited Blau back to their penthouse, a welcome alternative to crashing at an exorbitant downtown hotel, Blau admitted in an interview with Bitcoin Magazine. That night — and the blockchain-centric conversation that dominated it — had Blau hooked on the young and novel tech.

“I very quickly saw all the ways in which blockchain [technology] could disrupt the music business and all aspects of the music business — from digital music to live music to manager and artist relationships — disintermediating the entire business as a whole. And I just found myself thinking about it all the time.”

Business moguls and financial thoroughbreds as the Winklevosses are, the encounter may have felt a little like looking into a rearview mirror for Blau. Before dropping out of Washington University in St. Louis to pursue a music career — a decision encouraged by one of his finance professors — he was in line for an internship fast track to Wall Street. Instead of following in his father’s footsteps for a career in finance, he set out to ride the momentum of his early days playing frat parties and college shows across the nation, a move that earned him the title “The DJ that turned down Wall Street” from Forbes.

So in connecting with the Winklevosses, the doors of the financial industry were opened to him again — only this time, the door was to a niche and highly stigmatized five-year-old field. Still, this same door opened up the possibility to reimagine his current occupation under a new economic model.

“After I performed my first ether transfer — I paid a Dutch company at 1:00 a.m. on a Saturday night in ETH for some animation work — I was like, ‘Holy crap, this is insane! Instant transfer of value. And that’s when I really started to dive in and learn as much as I possibly could and ask myself, ‘How could I be a part of it?’”

The answer became clear in August of 2017. After consuming crypto-related literature with voracious curiosity and attending blockchain conferences, Blau began mixing with some of the space’s leading innovators and professionals with help from the Winklevosses and some of his old college friends who had made their careers in tech.

“I just had all of these people who were very powerful, making introductions for me, and that’s when I started diving in deeper,” he said.

And Blau has found his place in the industry: on stage, both as host and performer, at the world’s first blockchain-powered music festival. Coming to fruition on October 20, 2018, Our Music Festival’s first iteration will be held at the Greek Theatre at UC Berkeley, with German-Russian DJ Zedd headlining, and Big Sean, Matt and Kim, and Charlotte Lawrence on the lineup, as well.

At its inception, OMF began as an effort to tokenize live music events. In essence, Blau explained, it’s goal was to decentralize the entire process, giving fans a degree of control over lineup curation and even a share of the festival’s revenue.

But as the space evolved and tokens entered the regulatory conversation, things became complicated.

“I think it’s important for any blockchain startup to be honest about the scope of the project,” Blau said in the interview. “It became really difficult to keep [to our original model], given the regulatory environment. We shifted to this utility token model, where the token represents demand for the festival as a product. And then we shifted again and asked, ‘So how do we do both?’ And that’s where we are now.”

For its inaugural year, the festival will be blockchain-related inasmuch as fans will be able to pay for tickets in crypto as well as fiat. They’ll also issue paper Ethereum wallets to all fans once they check in to the festival, a gesture in line with the educational insight Blau hopes the festival’s blockchain/crypto information booths will offer to its attendees.

Come next year, Blau hopes to integrate blockchain tech even further into the festival’s features. He wants to enable payments in OMF tokens, as well as to launch a reward system that allows fans to earn OMF by inviting friends to the festival, buying tickets early and committing data and feedback to the OMF ecosystem.

These tokens will also be used for discounts and promotions within the festival grounds, and Blau even intends to leverage them to give fans access to their favorite artists, backstage passes and VIP experiences.

In the far future, Blau wants Our Music Festival to tap into blockchain technology’s decentralized, peer-powered ethos to give fans a say in the festival’s lineup and a share of its revenue.

But to get there, Blau and his startup must reason and reckon with the industry’s technological and regulatory growing pains.

“We have to adapt as we go and that’s the biggest challenge for any company in an evolving space. Network scalability and regulatory environment are our biggest challenges,” he stated.

From a legal standpoint, Our Music Festival cannot offer revenue sharing, lest the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) sees these payouts as dividends and its OMF token deemed a security. On the scalability front, Blau believes that the Ethereum network needs to mature before the festival can fully decentralize and implement more blockchain-driven functions.

If the network fails for whatever reason and someone can’t get into the festival, it’s a huge loss for the technology as a whole.

“In year one, we’re only going to start rolling out features if we know we can execute them. Because our biggest risk is the fan experience. If the network fails for whatever reason and someone can’t get into the festival, it’s a huge loss for the technology as a whole,” Blau reasoned.

“Year one is really kinda a launch event. Year two, start building out some of the tech. Year three to year five, our primary goals are giving fans ownership and enabling fans to vote for the lineups for these events. And in the long-term, even let them create their own small events.”

Until the long-term becomes the immediate present, the festival will “gradually decentralize over time,” Blau said, espousing “a firm belief in minimum viable centralization … to bring [his] concept to the mainstream.”

Helping him in his efforts, OMF features a stacked team of both music and tech industry professionals. COO Adam Lynn serves as co-founder and president of Prime Social Group, a concert and event company responsible for 900 events, 19 festivals and 400,000 ticket sales annually. Kevin Edelson, the company’s CMO, has a history of PR work for Universal Music Group and Red Light Management, among others.

For smart contract and blockchain development, Our Music Festival leverages the work and talents of Zach LeBeau, Shreesh Tiwari and G. Thomas Esmay, the core team at SingularDTV, a blockchain studio that focuses on digital media and entertainment.

Blau hopes that in bringing tech and creative professionals together, OMF will catalyze blockchain integration into the music industry. As for Blau, he’s hoping he can serve as a guiding intermediary between both industries.

There’s a little bit of a disconnect between existing industries and blockchain startups and my goal is to be that bridge. To show the tech people and engineers what people like me need, to bring the music business a little more across the fence into the space. So that’s my personal goal — to be the bridge.

This article originally appeared on Bitcoin Magazine.

DJ Who “Turned Down Wall St.” Is On a Quest to Decentralize Music Festivals published first on https://medium.com/@smartoptions

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joshuajacksonlyblog · 6 years

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DJ Who “Turned Down Wall St.” Is On a Quest to Decentralize Music Festivals

“I just had all of these people who were very powerful, making introductions for me, and that’s when I started diving in deeper,” he said.

But as the space evolved and tokens entered the regulatory conversation, things became complicated.

In the far future, Blau wants Our Music Festival to tap into blockchain technology’s decentralized, peer-powered ethos to give fans a say in the festival’s lineup and a share of its revenue.

But to get there, Blau and his startup must reason and reckon with the industry’s technological and regulatory growing pains.

“We have to adapt as we go and that’s the biggest challenge for any company in an evolving space. Network scalability and regulatory environment are our biggest challenges,” he stated.

If the network fails for whatever reason and someone can’t get into the festival, it’s a huge loss for the technology as a whole.

This article originally appeared on Bitcoin Magazine.

from Cryptocracken Tumblr https://ift.tt/2M1KeFD via IFTTT

#IFTTT #Cryptocracken Tumblr

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specialchan · 4 years

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Most Islamophobia show via /r/islam

Most Islamophobia show

So there is a Netflix series called Bodyguard ) and HOLY CRAP this has to be probably MOST islamphobia show I ever watched!! Anyways, the show starts with a Hijabi women on the train and yk she has the uh cover her head and chest. Talking to the main character And basically they(production) portray her as this poor woman that's being forced by a some "most powerful people" to do horrible things so the main character helps her and take her to custody and shes helping the main character to Find out who these bad guys are so at this point I'm thinking that AT LEAST THERES ONE GOOD MUSLIM yk not that best represention, so heres the bullcraps comes from, AT THE END OF THE SHOW It turns out that SHE'S THE LEADER OF THIS WHATEVER ORGANIZATION 🤦🏻‍♂️ 🤦🏻‍♂️ so she becomes this poor woman into a evil looking women and basically this show is promoting that NO MATTER WE INNOCENT WE LOOK WE'RE TERRORIST 🤦🏻‍♂️ 🤦🏻‍♂️

😬 Also sorry for ranting

Submitted August 20, 2020 at 02:04PM by KaitouDoraluxe via reddit https://ift.tt/2CJDEAc

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nycrunning · 4 years

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The month started all around the New York City Marathon… There was a run and fun times with my best Judys Jenny Simpson and Emma Coburn a couple of days before…no big deal you know, we’re all team New Balance…

That was pretty cool… Then we got to the NYC Marathon expo, to get bibs and one million other things that we totally need will make my nyc apartment feel claustrophobic.

Then, the big dance happened. The NYC Marathon report is here. And the crazy video of that morning is here. It was amazing. I rested for a week. I also got a cold so I was barely running for two weeks. I then got a little surgery so I stopped for a few days. Then… Thanksgiving.. a month full of things but little running… and it shows in the numbers!!

DATA DOWNLOAD

Small Recap

Total Miles: 121. Lowest month this year. Nothing bad with that.

Downs: not being able to run after the marathon. I got a stoooopid cold and I felt miserable. also, it is frrrrrreeeezing

Ups: the marathon!!!!!!!!!

Balance: meh. I need to adjust to this cold weather. I am not INTO this.

October

was a kick in the face, LITERALLY

Runs were good, did a half marathon -the Brooklyn Half, here is the race report, plus here is the video, did a couple of weekend “last ten miles of the marathon” runs, all good, but, of course, I had to fall again. WTF SERIOUSLY ELIZABETH, YOU JUST NEED ALL THE ATTENTION DON’T YOU?

This fall was bad. Once I hit the ground I knew it. I felt all the blood all over my face instantly and I feared for my nose so hard. I didn’t even think I could have gotten a gash on my face or broken teeth or my lip, nope, I sat and touched my nose bones everywhere… IT WAS FINE THANK YOU OMG. I could still feel all the blood pouring down from my face, not sure where from so I assumed I had a hole somewhere in my face WHOCARESMYNOSEISFINE!! This was during speedwork so about 20 of my friends showed up 4 minutes later and they all looked at me so scared, I knew something was wrong…

On the first picture you can see all the blood that dripped from my face. My knees and elbow were badly scratched. I’d find out about two weeks later that I had a thin fracture in my nose and a bruised bone, the right knee.

I WAS PISSED. I had fallen literally a month before in Bruges, WHY THE HELL DO I KEEP FALLING? anyway, I know why, it’s fine. that was on a Tuesday, I couldn’t really run so I took a few days off. I was doing the Brooklyn Half that Saturday so I showed up to the start line unsure if I could run, and super traumatized about the fall… The half, actually, went fine. Again, here is the race report, plus here is the video, and I didn’t win anything but also didn’t crawl… Glad I showed up!

So, you know I was recruited by New Balance to run the NYC Marathon, right? well, that’s old news now but here are a few shots of that prep!

A few “last ten” runs, one last speedwork… and the marathon was around the corner, but you’ll have to wait for that report…

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Small Recap

Total Miles: 155 NOT bad, given I had a bad fall…>!

Downs: Training is done… we just now heal from this stooopid fall and taper, UGH. The taper felt more abrupt given the fall.. I was doing a lot less than I wanted to.

Ups: Felt good during the half.

Balance: only time will tell!

September

Heeeey October, what’s up? I am SO READY for this… but let me get to the recap first!

We started the month in Nice ->my husband was competing in the Half Ironman World Championships. Running in Nice was EVERYTHING -so amazing- and here are some pics! I truly enjoyed it. My runs were slow crap but the scenery was top notch -also, it was quite hilly. The food was RIDICULOUS. Love. The highlight was a 5K organized by Ironman, where I did horribly. My legs were crap all week. The next week I did a run in Brugge, in Belgium, where I… emmm… hit the pavement a bit and got scratched up a bit… it was no fun… I started hyperventilating and almost crying. Luckily Juan was with me and helped me relax… so scary, but the run was gorgeous.

Then we went to Paris for a week and it was also amazing… I run about 4 or 5 days but my runs were still slow. Maybe it was all the food, maybe it was my vacation mindset, maybe it was PMS (or all 3!). Again, and of course, Paris is amazing.

Anyway, the first half of the month was unbeatable… then I came back to NYC (yeah, nothing to sneeze at) and had two weekends to complete the month. Weekend 1 I did a 22 miler with 6 loops of the top loop (Harlem Hill) which is NO joke, oh, and a rabid pace. It an insane confidence booster.

Weekend 2 I run the Bronx 10 Miler -ha, in the Bronx!- and I PRed HARD. It was a bit shocking given my PR was from a flat 10M in nice weather but it happened. My pacing was ridiculous. These are my last 6 miles:

And it was so much fun… see the proof:

Anyway, it was awesome! time for the:

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Small Recap

Total Miles: 147 ha. Vacation in France. what else need I say?

Downs: more croissants please!

Ups: it was gorgeous over there, FAST over here.

Balance: time to catch up. that was fun but there is work to do now.

August

Full of PRs!

I have no idea how this happened. Yes, I have been training like a beast since December and yes, I always surprised when things turn well (to me, the key to being happy is always having low expectations!!!) but omg how did I run the highest mileage I ever did without intending or noticing? I did 216 miles. That is insane! Also, there was a little racing to be done… The month started with SUMMER STREETS!!!!!! Summer Streets is my favorite. I did all 3. It is the BEST.

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The first summer streets I did 10 miles because/but I had the Manhattan 7 Mile race the next day, OOOPS… SOMEHOW, I PRed, but that’s only because 7 miles is such an odd distance and because I was sick last year when I did it. My pace was actually good enough for top 20 (out 2435 women) and 2nd in my AG (out of 357) which is quite shocking! My expectations were so slow and I had so much fun that it’s shocking that I did well..

Then I did about 19.5 in summer streets, speedwork, many great workouts….

and did a 5K, another one of the PPTC Al Goldstein Summer Series which was actually decent! I came in 1st in my AG and 20 SECONDS FORM A PR. WTF! ALL I DO MAKES NO SENSE!

More workouts, more summer streets, more miles, the highest week ever in my life and then I did a half in the Rockaways with Andrea and Elizabeth. It wasn’t particularly good but a decent effort. Overall, a month I didn’t plan and couldn’t have foreseen!

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Small Recap

Total Miles: the MOST ever ever. woooot. didn’t even know this was happening while it was happening. blame summer streets?

Downs: that it’s over????

Ups: HOLY CRAP I AM STILL HIGH FROM ALL THIS RUNNING!!!!

Balance: MORE more more more please.

July

You’re so predictable, hot weather and all, but so so great. I love summer, have I told you that before? You’ll never hear me complain about the heat, unless I don’t want to wash my hair that day and it’s getting to be a sweaty mess, ever. The tiny layers, the sweatiness, the sprinklers, the sun, the colorful runners, the never-ending weekend morning runs that always come down to a sweat puddle in a brunch situation… omg the finest things in life….

so, July, I went to see a preview of this movie which was a blast and a true story about a girl who decides to run the NYC Marathon. It has very funny running moments. If you’ve seen it, let me know your thoughts!

On July 3rd I run a 5K, which was burning hell a bit balmy. I did ok. I started slow, you know, to warm up a bit more up the hill and the hammered down to get 1st in my AG. YEAH. Then I almost melted.

There was a LOT of running actually in July, fun runs, speedwork, tempos, long runs, always with the most amazing friends and all over the city!

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DATA DOWNLOAD

Small Recap

Total Miles: the most so far this year, so yeah, GOOD, and a even few miles ahead of he 1800 yearly miles goal.

Downs: there was a bunch of rain… like flash flooding. Two of my 5Ks got cancelled because of rain..

Ups: ALL OF IT! I LOVE SUMMER RUNNING!

Balance: MORE please.

June

was awesome and QUICK…?

It started with the Italy Run, a 5 miler in Central Park that was fun. I run it with a few friends and we had a blast. The next weekend, I raced the Mini10K, hot as always but also a blast, so how could I miss it? The next weekend I raced the Queens 10K, also always hot but totally manageable this year. Then the next weekend I raced the Front Runners NY Pride Run. Yes, a race every weekend. A little insane on the racing side but that is how I like my summers… There were also some amazing runs sprinkled in. Like, for example, that midweek run where we went up Riverside to see the goats munching on poison ivy…

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DATA DOWNLOAD

Small Recap

Total Miles: 157. Racing that much kills the mileage.

Downs: NOT ONE!

Ups: Racing! Love seeing all my friends at the races!!!!

Balance: July, here we come!!!!

May

was a quick one… It bothers me a bit that mileage goes down as soon as the weather gets nicer BUT that is only because I race much more and hey quality over quantity (plus mini tapers…!). You just can’t do it all -or do it all well, correct? So, I’ve been replacing my tempos by races this past month, I only got in a tempo or two, I just can’t do that many hard miles a week. But I always get my intervals in!

Early May I run the Sharon 5 Miler, which was super horribly hill fun!

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I REALLY need to get out of NYC more… I always say that and I then I get so lazy. Anyway, that was a super fun weekend out of town with friends. Then we had the Brooklyn Half, which was also awesome!

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Overall Small Recap

Total Miles: 134, I am getting behind on my 1800 goal!

Downs: just the mileage.

Ups: all the races and the runs and the friends. Life and running is GOOD.

Balance: I am in a good, GREAT, place. see below…

I have come to terms with WHERE I AM. For 3 years I haven’t PRed and I was pouting about it. I had a few PRs this year, yes, but it’s because it’s at distances I hadn’t bothered with before, it’s like they almost don’t count. A few months ago, I’d get a 1:40 half and I’d point it was about 4 minutes off my 1:36 PR. Now I KNOW that 1:40 is where I am. I am training hard, I am doing all that I should be doing, and HEY, I am older, THIS IS MY BEST. And it’s fine. I am happy with it. Not sure how to explain what changed in my perspective. I am not sure I can say that I will never get closer to 1:36 again -because the truth is not only I am not sure I can get there at all but if I could it is a very remote possibility I am not willing to chase. This, this right here today, is my best. And it sort of reset my goals and status quo of what I can and want to do. Hard RESET. Let’s go.

April

Just like that, we are back to RACING!!!! I started the month with a race I had heard SO much about, the Washington DC Cherry Tree Blossom 10 Miler, an epic run through a very scenic and historic course. The race was truly beautiful, joyful and fast. The race report is here and the video recap is there as well. There was a taper before, a recovery after and then I race the Hot Chocolate 15K in Brooklyn. Also Fun. Did pretty well and the speed is coming back (slowly). Training is good for the soul. And the race results ;-). Oh and I almost forgot: I did a relay marathon in a 200-meter track. That was fun and brutal and insane and fun. More here.

Of course, there were many other fun runs, speedwork sessions, group intervals and what not. See pictures below for more:

I ate everything with melted chocolate dip and washed it down with chocolate

DATA DOWNLOAD

Overall Small Recap

Total Miles: 127, CRAP. Three races really bring down the total with the taper and the recovery…

Downs: legs were sore

Ups: All the fast miles!!!

Balance: Good month overall. Hard work is starting to pay off!

March

was momentous!! On December 10 I started a training program (that I wrote obviously) that would take me through the NYC Half on March 17. It took 527 miles, 14 weeks, 101 miles at goal pace, 6 training partners, two continents as training grounds, and a lot of sweat to get there. The United NYC Half popped up and it was glorious. My race recap is here, and the race video recap is here if you are curious. It was not a PR or a particularly fast race but I felt strong and did amazing. I was able to crush the distance and come out happy. I love halfs. This one is super scenic and that helps.

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The other BIG thing is that I was in Buenos Aires for a week and the running was AMAZING!!!! I will post a video soon. Or maybe a “where to run” type post but for now, here are a few pictures for now:

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Running in Palermo was a total blast. Can’t wait to go back. I really will work on a post. 100%!

DATA DOWNLOAD

Overall Small Recap

Total Miles: 159, still ok, the taper and the post half recovery slowed me down! Though I am still somehow 31 miles ahead of the 1800 miles goal for 2019.

Downs: not one!

Ups: I had an insane 5-mile tempo that will inspire me all year. Running in Palermo. Finally managing to do speed by myself when I don’t have an option. This month was above the charts!

Balance: TOO GOOD

February

was cold and FAST. Did I tell you I have been training HARD?? I started mid-December, this is week 12 of 14. First race is the NYC Half in two weeks. Training is going amazing. The hardest part was the first 2-3 weeks… when I still didn’t think I could do it. It had been so long since I had a written-down-formal-training-program that I was a bit scared. But if my runners do it, why wouldn’t I? They inspired me. They ask for it, they pay for it, they’re not afraid… what am I waiting for??? So I did it to myself!!!!

So… it was aggressive. So far in these 12 weeks, I’ve run 83 miles under 7:30 pace. Which is what I think should be around my half marathon pace (though who knows?); that’d be around a 1:38 half, not a PR but I don’t think I am in PR shape. We shall see in the next few months… stay tuned.

February had a little snow, some cold days, some brutally cold days, lots of friends and runs, no races, and I don’t remember what else. It was chill, fun, and rewarding.

DATA DOWNLOAD

Overall Small Recap

Total Miles: 170. not bad. at all. for a short month

Downs: by the end of the month I was getting sick of the cold… as usual.

Ups: Training is going amazing!

Balance: Excited for warm weather and less laundry soon!

January

was something: it started REALLY HOT (the first day of the year I did speedwork in a sports bra!) and then it was record-breaking COLD. Running in the cold is so tricky… if you’re underdressed you’ll be miserable (and prone to injure stiff muscles), but if you’re overdressed you’ll also be miserable (and prone to not finish a workout either). Not only I spend way more time layering up but leveling each layer’s materials is a science I work at perfecting every day. Plus, add the wind-chill, the humidity, the area you’ll be running around, and the specific workout to the variables and it could literally cripple you in distress before you even start running… WHY DO I DO THIS TO MYSELF, HUH?

ANYWAY… so it was hot, then cold, then freezing, then back to cold that felt warm because after freezing cold is nothing. I am, somehow, still sticking to my crazy exhausting training plan, and it’s actually going great (some days better than others!). It’s mostly 4 hard workouts a week, but I built them slooooow, so it’s all safe. Painfully horrible BUT SAFE. It’s going well. Plus, I’ve had a few good friends jump in to help in, to pace, to train with, or just distract me from my thoughts of jumping into the reservoir. They are ALL faster than me. I swear. No joke, it’s super humiliating humbling, every week. My main pacer, Pamela Hunt, just won Runner of the Year at the NYRR Club Night. And there I am, trying my best, huffing and puffing, week after week. Why? Because I a not ready to give up. Not yet.

January was a challenging month on the personal side, most of you know. It was heartbreaking but also full of joy. I am trying to navigate all those super strong emotions. We learn something every day if we keep our eyes and hearts open. I am mostly thankful to get to go through this, and to know the people in my life are super strong and we hold each other up.

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Overall Small Recap

Total Miles: 147. Not bad! IF I am shooting for 1,800 miles in 2019, the monthly average should be around 158, so I need to up it up a bit. I think it’s hard to put on a lot of miles when I am training because I am currently doing 4 hard workouts a week, so I need more rest than usual…

Downs: just the world-record-breaking really really really cold temps

Ups: I have managed to stick to my training even in this cold weather!

Balance: starting the year STRONG! Let’s go!

November was a WIN The month started all around the New York City Marathon... There was a run and fun times with my best Judys Jenny Simpson and Emma Coburn a couple of days before...no big deal you know, we're all team New Balance...

#BIOMECHANICS #central park #central park running #New York City #new york city marathon #nyc racing #nycrunning #nyrr #running #running biomechanics #running in nyc

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diyunho · 6 years

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The Joker x Reader - 10 Things The Joker Randomly Does That Kind of Prove He Cares

1. J is in a good mood more often. It strangely happened after he met you: the first year he had two good days the whole year, the second year he had four and this year is about to have the sixth day and the year is not even over yet! A new record.

The King of Gotham calls you Insanity when he’s in a good mood; that’s the signal you can ask for pretty much whatever you want and he won’t say no.

“Hey Insanity,” J greets when you open your eyes in the morning.

You gasp. OMG, he’s gonna be in a good mood today, such a rare occurrence!

“Hi handsome,” you kiss him super-fast and don’t waste a single moment so you start your tirade:

“Can we spend the day at the beach?”

“Yeah.”

Jackpot!

“Can we make love instead of having sex?”

“Yeah.”

Jackpot!

“Can we hold hands more than 20 seconds?”

“Yeah.”

Jackpot!

“Can we say lovey-dovey things to each other?” “Don’t push it, Insanity.”

Crap.

But you remember your secret weapon and sweetly smile. J squirms, uncomfortable. “Ummm…maybe…no guarantees.”

Jackpot!

“Can we make out for more than 10 minutes before you undress me?”

“Yeah.”

Jackpot!

“Can I call you “my sexy Metal Mouth” after you undress me?”

“Don’t push it, Insanity!”

Crap.

Oh no, here’s the sweet smile again and your boyfriend fusses under the covers, uneasy.

“Ummm…maybe…just once…no guarantees…”

Jackpot!

2. The Joker never buys you flowers but he makes sure fresh ones are delivered for each room at the penthouse every three days. He likes to break a random one from the bouquets and places it behind your ear.

You’re usually reading a book but stop when he does that.

“Thank you baby,” and you smile in such a sweet way it catches him off guard. You go back to your reading and he sits there, staring and mumbling words. “Want me to get you anything?” you offer, turning the page; can’t really tell what he said.

“No, I have stuff to do!” he sulks, slowly walking away. What J actually said was that you look very cute with that flower but got pissed at himself since you almost heard him. A very unique way to give his girl flowers but it counts; gets a solid E for Effort.

3. He is reeeaaally straining to do something nice for you once a month.

It’s July, 95 degrees out there; scorching hot and The Joker places his jacket around your shoulders. He saw that in a movie once and figured chicks dig it.

“I’m so hot already,” you try to give it back and see he’s getting angry and then it hits: must be that one nice thing he does monthly. “On the other hand, the air conditioning in the car is going to be full blast and you know I get cold easily.” You keep his jacket and J keeps his cool.

For August he plans to outrun every single nice thing he ever did for you: since you can’t swim he’s going to push you in the river, leave you in there for a bit and save you before you drawn. My God, you will love that for sure!

4. He takes you to casinos because you like to gamble.

His business partners own your favorite so they close out and seal a whole room just for you two to play the slots machines.

“Baby, I’m not winning!” you stump your foot, pouting.

J loses his shit.

“Why is my girl not winning, hm?” he yells at the guys.

“Well, sir, it’s just luck,” one comments and The Clown Prince of Crime is not happy with the answer.

“My woman needs no luck, SHE HAS ME ! If she doesn’t win in the next 15 minutes, you’ll see what happens !!!!” and J hands you over another stack of 100 dollars bills because you like to play maximum bet and you run out of money pretty fast.

Fortunately, you win $100,000 and it makes you so excited you jump up and down, clapping and laughing. The Joker is excited too for a different reason: he keeps on glaring at your cleavage and your boobs almost bursting out of the tight fabric.

You don’t collect the money because you don’t need it: you just like to win. The blue eyed devil just KNOWS you will be this enthusiastic next month also when he will toss you in the river to let you drawn. You will certainly jump up and down after he saves you.

Probably J’s gonna have a huge surprise regarding his plan, but for now we’ll let him believe in his dream; gets a solid D for Delusional.

5. The Joker goes insane if he only gets a hint somebody is disrespecting his Queen.

Once he shot somebody because the man said “hello” to you and J didn’t like the tone of his voice. Actually, the dude had a cold; that’s why he sounded weird. Oops!

Another time J thought a guy was giving you the evil eye and stabbed him on the spot.Actually, the dude just had corrective eye surgery and was blinking faster than normal. Oops!

Today is legit though. Both walked in at the meeting right when two smugglers were talking garbage about his Princess. They were saying you look average, not that attractive and The Joker could do better.

He absolutely lost his marbles ! Beat them to a pulp while screaming:

“My woman is not that attractive?! By whose standards you pieces of shit ?! Every time I look at her, my pants are getting tighter !! Do you understand what I’m saying?! I like her and that’s the only standard there is!” and he keeps on kicking them and punching them, completely out of control.

After he’s done and your henchmen take bodies away, you have to ice his bruised up hands; the skin is scraped too.

“Thank you,” you kiss his knuckles and emerge them back in the iced water, smitten by his actions. “Nobody did this for me before, you’re my hero,” you point out, drunk on euphoria.

“This town already has a hero; goddamned Batsy takes all the glory! The bastard is selfish, hates to share the spotlight!” J rolls his eyes.

“Who cares about him?! You’re my hero,” you kiss him and have to say: “I think your pants are getting tighter,” and he growls:

“Either I need new pants or I need to get laid.”

“We’ll go with the second option, OK?” you sweetly smile again and he’s feeling warmer even with his hands in ice.

“If you insist,” he sighs, hating the fact that he did two nice things for you this month instead of just one.

6. The Joker can’t cook but once a week he makes breakfast in bed.

Takes him an hour and a half to finish and you are famished. Finally shows up with toast, a boiled egg and salt.

“What took you so long? I’m starving!” you whine, seeing there is almost nothing on your plate…again.

“You can’t rush these things, Kitten ! It has to be perfect, OK?” he raises his voice and you realize you talked too much.

“It is very good,” you take a bite of your toast. “You are getting better and better at this!” you praise his aptitudes and strike his ego.

“I am basically a chef,” J concludes and you peck his cheek, mesmerized by how he has such an outstanding opinion about himself.

“And my hero,” you add and he takes a deep breath, pride making his chest go up and down faster. “Batsy can’t even compare to you.”

“Precisely, Pumpkin. He’s just a psycho out of control.”

“Indeed,” you agree, wanting to emphasize that nobody is sexier than your sexy Metal Mouth but you already used the opportunity when he was in a good mood the other day so you shut up.

7. J is aware you love his purple coat so he custom ordered an outfit for you made of the same crock material, this way you match.

It’s a two piece ensemble: a very skimpy little bra and an equally flimsy thong, only for him to see. You were thinking you’re getting a halter top and a skirt or something? Ha! Forget about it!

8. The Joker comforts you when you cry.

“Seriously, Kitten, you’re not ugly,” he caresses your hair while holding you in his arms.

“I am ugly!!” you continue to bawl, making a mess of his favorite silver shirt.

“Hey, look at me,” J lifts your chin up, forcing your eyes to meet, this way maybe he can save whatever is left of his shirt also. “When I wake up in the morning and I see you, I don’t get scared. If you were ugly, I would freak out. But I don’t, which means you look fine.”

“You mean it?” you sniffle, squeezing him harder.

“Absolutely. It could be much worse.”

“So now I look bad and I could look worse in the future?!” whaling restarts.

He walked right into this one unprepared.

“Nahhhh, it can’t get worse than this,” he kisses you and then adds since you cry your eyes out. “ What the hell, I’m teasing; calm down woman! Crying makes you very ugly!”

You stop instantly.

I guess he was prepared after all.

9. He gives you massages even if you don’t ask for them.

For some reason, his hands always slip in your undies.

“That’s not my back,” you utter and J is quick to respond:

“My bad, Pumpkin.”

For some reason, his hands always get to your boobs afterwards.

“That’s not my back.”

“My bad, Princess.”

“Did you just say my Bat?” you tease and your butt gets pinched.

“Hilarious! Want him to come and give you a massage too?!”

“I wouldn’t mind,” the reply makes The Joker turn you around and you get pinned under his body.

“Watch it, you bad girl!” he snarls, smelling your freshly washed hair.

“Did you just say Bat girl?” you giggle and he grinds his teeth:

“Are you starting to get a kink for Batsy?”

“Me?! No way! I like my hero,” you stretch your neck to kiss him and he purrs, wanting to get the most out of it.

“I am your hero; remember that next month in August,OK?”

He is surely referring to that nice thing he’ll do for you when you’ll be pushed in the river to drawn and he’ll save you in the last moment. Oh, yeah, you’ll enjoy it tremendously!

10. J learns French just for you.

Spent the whole day fussing around with the dictionary, three laptops and five books until he realized he got what he wanted out of it.

“Princess, I’m done,” your boyfriend announces, victorious.

You can’t wait to hear everything, you’re gonna lose your mind. The Joker takes a deep breath and pronounces with perfect accent:

“Voulez vous coucher avec moi ce soir?” (Do you want to sleep with me tonight?)

That’s all he knows.

Holy Commissar Gordon! That’s sooo hot because it’s the only French you know too. Plus the answer:

“Oui, (yes)" you wink at him and he is totally turned on.

“Oh my God, Y/N, you didn’t tell me you speak French fluently!”

“Surprise,” you grin, signaling him to come closer. “We gotta compare notes, don’t you think?”

“Definitely,” J licks his lips, ready to comply since his pants are getting tighter.

Hmmm…either he needs new pants or he needs to get laid. I suppose you’ll go with the second option one more time.

Also read: MASTERLIST

http://diyunho(dot)tumblr(dot)com/post/153664676321/joker-x-reader-masterlist

#the joker x reader #the joker fanfiction #the joker imagine #the joker jared leto #the joker #jared leto #joker #joker fanfiction #joker suicide squad #the joker suicide squad #the suicide squad #mister j #mistah j #mr. j #dc #dc comics

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makeuptips10-blog · 6 years

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20 Best Books to Read If You Want to Work in Fashion

New Post has been published on https://www.claritymakeupartistry.com/20-best-books-to-read-if-you-want-to-work-in-fashion/

20 Best Books to Read If You Want to Work in Fashion

Whether it’s becoming a stylist, an editor, a store owner or a designer, fashion is a notoriously difficult field to break into. Obviously, any hands-on experience you can get—fashion internships, volunteer work, being an assistant—helps tremendously, but unexpected inspiration can also be found in books written by women and men who have made it in the industry.

From honest memoirs written by Vogue bigwigs Grace Coddington and Andre Leon Talley to advice books written by successful designers, entrepreneurs and bloggers, these books will give you an inside look on how to do what you’re dying to do: get a job in the fashion industry. Who better to learn from than people who have been in your shoes and made it to where you want to be?

To that end, we’ve rounded up some the most inspiring and useful books out there to help you land the job of your dreams.

A version of this article was originally published in August 2014.

The Vanity Fair Diaries by Tina Brown

Former editor-in-chief of Vanity Fair, Tina Brown, divulges all the details of her eight years working for the magazine.

The Vanity Fair Diaries, $17.85 at Amazon

Photo: Amazon.

The Big Life by Ann Shoket

Ann Shoket, who was editor-in-chief of Seventeen magazine from 2007 to 2014, wrote a book perfect for millennials just starting out in the fashion industry.

The Big Life, $14.77 at Amazon

Photo: Amazon.

My Journey by Donna Karan

Renowned fashion designer, Donna Karan, gets very, very personal in this detailed memoir about her life, her marriages and her career in the fashion industry.

My Journey, $11.60 at Amazon

Photo: Amazon.

I’ll Drink to That: A Life in Style, with a Twist by Betty Halbreich

If you’ve ever wondered what it was like to work as a personal shopper, specifically at Bergdorf Goodman, then read Betty Halbreich’s memoir immediately. She spent nearly 40 years of her life doing just that.

I’ll Drink to That: A Life in Style, with a Twist, $10.13 at Amazon

Photo: Amazon.

How to Set up & Run a Fashion Label by Toby Meadows

Even if you’re the most talented new designer out there, you definitely need to know about the business aspect of fashion, like PR and marketing.

This guide will teach you the ins and outs of the fashion industry from e-commerce to sustainability, so that you can start your own label and become a successful at it.

How to Set up & Run a Fashion Label, $24.50 at Amazon

Photo: Amazon.

The Teen Vogue Handbook by Teen Vogue

If you want to learn about every position in the fashion world, from photographers and models to bloggers, this is your one-stop shop.

Full of profiles of newcomers, descriptions of jobs and advice for school and your career, the Teen Vogue Handbook is the ultimate behind-the-scenes look at the people running the industry.

The Teen Vogue Handbook, $10.55 at Amazon

Photo: Amazon.

Fashion 2.0: Blogging Your Way to The Front Row by Yuli Ziv

In an age when fashion bloggers reign, it’s important to know the ins and outs of the business before you set out to become the industry’s next top blogger.

From the founder of Style Coalition, you’ll learn all the secrets behind starting a business, networking and staying successful.

Fashion 2.0: Blogging Your Way to The Front Row, $9.99 at Amazon

Photo: Amazon.

Nice Is Just a Place in France: How to Win at Basically Everything by The Betches

Not just for someone who’s going into the fashion industry, but really for anyone who needs a little inspiration to, well, not take people’s crap, this is the perfect book.

Nice Is Just a Place in France: How to Win at Basically Everything, $9.29 at Amazon

Photo: Amazon.

Grace: A Memoir by Grace Coddington

How the heck does one become the creative director at Vogue? Well, that’s exactly what you’ll read about in Grace Coddington’s memoir. Plus, who doesn’t want to read all about brushing arms with Anna Wintour on the reg?

Grace: A Memoir, $16.59 at Amazon

Photo: Amazon.

I Just Graduated … Now What? by Katherine Schwarzenegger

For those of you who have graduated high school or college and thought, “Holy crap, what now?” this book will answer all your questions.

You’ll read about the experiences of people who have been there, from Eva Longoria to John Legend.

I Just Graduated … Now What?, $14.94 at Amazon

Photo: Amazon.

A.L.T.: A Memoir by Andre Leon Talley

Who better to inspire you than one of the most striking people in the fashion industry, Andre Leon Talley?

In this memoir, Andre will share his experience on how a North Carolina man became a staple in the fashion industry.

A.L.T.: A Memoir, $49.50 at Amazon

Photo: Amazon.

Secrets of Stylists: An Insider’s Guide to Styling the Stars by Sasha Charnin Morrison

To survive in this competitive industry, you’ll need to know some serious tips.

If you’re interested in the styling world, this book will help you with everything you need to know from how to create unforgettable looks and landing a choice job to working with the pros, all taught by celebrity stylists themselves.

Secrets of Stylists: An Insider’s Guide to Styling the Stars, $8.50 at Amazon

Photo: Amazon

The End of Fashion: How Marketing Changed the Clothing Business Forever by Teri Agins

Written by Wall Street Journal reporter and columnist Teri Agins, this book explores all aspects of the fashion industry, from manufacturing, retailing and licensing to image making and financing.

You’ll also get an insider look at things you probably didn’t even know happened, like Donna Karan fighting with financiers, the rivalry between Ralph Lauren and Tommy Hilfiger and the commitment to haute couture that sent Isaac Mizrahi’s business spiraling.

The End of Fashion: How Marketing Changed the Clothing Business Forever, $12.31 at Amazon

Photo: Amazon.

The Fashion Designer Survival Guide by Mary Gehlhar

For anyone who is interested in becoming a fashion designer, this is the book you must get your hands on.

Written by Mary Gehlhar, consultant to hundreds of designers, including Zac Posen, Twinkle by Wenlan, Rebecca Taylor and Cloak, you’ll get behind-the-scenes insight and essential business tips on creating and sustaining a successful career as an independent designer.

Also, you’ll gather tips from some of the industry’s most well-known names, like Donna Karan, Tommy Hilfiger, Cynthia Rowley, Diane von Furstenberg, Richard Tyler and top executives at Saks Fifth Avenue and Barneys New York.

The Fashion Designer Survival Guide, $14.85 at Amazon

Photo: Amazon.

D.V. by Diana Vreeland

The autobiography of one of 20th century’s greatest fashion icons, Diana Vreeland, is a must-read for anyone interested in the fashion industry.

The one-time fashion editor of Harper’s Bazaar and editor-in-chief of Vogue reveals just how she became the icon she is.

D.V., $15.75 at Amazon

Photo: Amazon.

#GIRLBOSS by Sophia Amoruso

Sophia Amoruso’s story is one for the books, so of course the Nasty Gal founder wrote all about it.

From stealing books and selling them on eBay to starting one of the most successful online clothing boutiques, Amoruso will teach readers how to become a #GIRLBOSS and get things done.

#GIRLBOSS, $13.38 at Amazon

Photo: Amazon.

In My Shoes: A Memoir by Tamara Mellon

Written by the creative mind behind Jimmy Choo, Tamara Mellon outlines her struggle between “financial” and ��creative.”

From the lows (depression, rehab, etc.) to the success she is now, you’ll be inspired after reading Mellon’s story.

In My Shoes: A Memoir, $32.80 at Amazon

Photo: Amazon.

The Glitter Plan by Pamela Skaist-Levy, Gela Nash-Taylor and Booth Moore

Written by the founders of Juicy Couture, you’ll hear the story on how FIDM students became millionaires after starting a business to make the perfect T-shirt with only $200.

Talk about inspirational.

The Glitter Plan: How We Started Juicy Couture for $200 and Turned It into a Global Brand, $8.48 at Amazon

Photo: Amazon.

Man Repeller: Seeking Love. Finding Overalls. by Leandra Medine

Thanks to Leandra Medine, blogger at Man Repeller, we know you shouldn’t have to sacrifice the quirky way you dress to get a man and that’s exactly what Medine outlines in her novel.

She shares details of the night she lost her virginity right down to the pair of white tube socks she forgot to take off, proving you don’t need to compromise even your most repellent qualities to find your way into that big, white dress.

Man Repeller: Seeking Love. Finding Overalls., $16.69 at Amazon

Photo: Amazon.

If You Have to Cry, Go Outside: And Other Things Your Mother Never Told You by Kelly Cutrone

After seeing her reality TV show a few years back, people may or may not be terrified of Kelly Cutrone. But, that’s one reason to listen to her.

This woman has years of experience and isn’t afraid to keep going until she gets exactly what she wants, and she’ll teach you how to do the same.

If You Have to Cry, Go Outside: And Other Things Your Mother Never Told You, $8.79 at Amazon

Photo: Amazon.

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auburnfamilynews · 6 years

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It was Saturday, Dec. 8, 2007, the millionth day of a 100-year, shadow-of-death drought that the Associated Press voted the state of Alabama’s top news story that year, bigger than that horrible tornado in Enterprise, bigger than the governor going to federal prison for bribery. Nearly 2 million residents were living under water restrictions, including folks in Tallapoosa County who wondered if they’d even be able to take baths by the end of the year. In August, Lake Martin was already at winter levels. The thing was a puddle. Alexander City and Dadeville started showing up on the date lines for national stories about how God had given up on the south. Islands were turning into peninsulas, people were planting peas and okra where they used to dock their jet skis, black widows were mysteriously swarming swimming pools. And yet in the midst of despair… a miracle.

Saint Shannon McDuffie and I are at the Chappy’s Deli in Auburn. It’s April. Shannon’s from Dadeville. We’re about the same age. One of the houses she cleans on Fridays is in Auburn. I wrote and told her if she could spare an hour I’d buy her lunch. So I’m buying her lunch—chicken salad and anything else she wants. Coffee? Desert? Anything to keep her talking about it. She seems cool with it. Smiling. Laughing. Great laugh. Great accent. And she’s a Bama fan! She brought all the magazines and stuff that had been written about it and there’s nothing about how it happened to a Bama fan, even though it might obviously explain why, of the two faces she saw in the wallet, she only recognized Christ’s, staring out from a copy of what looked to be the Lord’s Prayer that somehow hadn’t disintegrated.

“So, like, you had no idea who he was?”

Shannon shakes her head. It’s emphatic.

“It did not register to me at all who that was. Because everything had, like, 80s (dates) on it. I didn’t know. I’m like, ‘who is Patrick Fain Dye?’”

Her chocolate Labs sat and waited as she dug through it. Once upon a time, Patrick Fain Dye, of Graystone Ave. in Auburn, born Nov. 6, 1939, was an honorary Alabama state trooper. He was 5’11, 195 pounds, an Auburn University employee and a Delta Frequent Flyer. He got a government employee discount on Chevron gas, and he could use either an American Express or Visa to reserve a room for half-price at the Terrace Garden Inn.

She put the cards back in the wallet. It was nice—alligator. The expiration date on the driver’s license was August 4, 1985. So it’d been down there, what, at least 20 years? More? She could still smell the leather.

“It was in Emerald Shores. It’s across from Stillwaters. The water was real low and I was back there taking my dogs and looking for old bottles in the lake and I found this bulge.”

The bulge was a pair of green and blue Madras golf pants.

“They were actually folded with the crease and all still in them.”

Still folded!

But of course they were just pants, old muddy pants; the wallet she fished out was what mattered. So she dropped them. She left them. Repeat—she left the pants! Just left them there in the muck and started the hot walk back to the house in Holiday Shores. Her in-laws were over. They’d get a kick out of it. It was the only thing she’d found out there, but an old wallet belonging to some old man named Patrick Fain Dye… the name was starting to sound familiar… was obviously better than some old Coke bottle. She called for the dogs.

“I walked back and I was telling my husband and his parents about it, and they’re like ‘that’s Pat Dye from Auburn! You better go back and get them pants!'”

Pat Dye! Duh!

She hopped on the golf cart and floored it. She picked up the pants and heard a jingle. Inside the other pocket were keys to a Toyota latched to an Auburn football helmet keychain. And a handkerchief.

People had been finding all kinds of things that fall. Old coins. Lost rings. So one of the local magazines, Lake Martin Living, had the idea to compile a list of the coolest, weirdest treasure for one of their drought stories. The Woman Who Found Pat Dye’s Pants heard about it and was like, ‘oh man, do I have something.’” She wasn’t super into football or anything, but she knew the pants of Auburn’s former football coach would have to be hard to top. Better than a Bicentennial license plate. Better than an old buck knife. Totally unique, right? Totally perfect. So she called Lake Martin Living… and they go “nah.” She picked up the phone… with Pat Dye’s golf pants from the 1980s and his wallet and credit cards and handkerchief and Toyota keys next to her, all of which she’d found in Lake Martin’s corpse… and they told her thanks, but no thanks.

The rejection understandably weirded her out. Ditto the few folks she’d told. How do you pass on that? How do you not include Pat Dye’s Pants in the list of cool things your readers have found in the amazing, disappearing lake? How do you not top the list with that? How do you not make it your cover? How do you not call the Smithsonian?

Gail, the wife of the man who owned the Piggly Wiggly where Shannon worked, wasn’t giving up on getting it out there. She called Auburn.

Um, yeah, hi… this girl Shannon McDuffie who works at the deli inside Piggly Wiggly found Pat Dye’s wallet, looks like he lost it or something… and the woman who picked up just kind of laughed: “Oh, again?”

Click.

And so The Pants (and everything that came with them) just sat there. They just sat there. Months went by, and hardly anyone outside of Clan McDuffie and some friends and Gail knew about the pants. Shannon would come home from Piggly Wiggly everyday and heat something up in the microwave and turn on the TV and they would just be there, maybe in a box, maybe in her closet: Pat Dye’s Pants. She and husband Derrick would go to sleep at night with Pat Dye’s Pants sitting there. She’d head out in the morning and they’d just be sitting there, Pat Dye’s Pants, home alone. She’d leave Pat Dye’s Pants to go to work, to go to the movies, and—praise the Lord— to go take a photography class at Central Alabama Community College taught by Kenneth Boone.

Boone owned the other local magazine, “Lake Magazine,” plus a few local papers. And he was a photographer. Shannon was working on becoming a bit of a shutterbug herself.

“He was teaching a photography class in April 2008. It was a beginners class, anybody could go. I told him about it at class. I said ‘guess what I found in the lake.’ He said ‘wow, we need to do a story on that.’ So that’s how this all came about.”

The photo on the cover of the July 2008 Lake Martin Alabama edition of Lake Magazine is perfect.

“I went a bought a new outfit for it,” Shannon says.

Here it is.

Boone took it. He set the whole thing up. Thankfully, he had some connections. After Shannon shared her secret, he made some calls. A few weeks later, he and Shannon and Pat Dye’s Pants hit the road for the most famous Japanese maple farm in Notasulga. And it was great.

Shannon showed the Pants to Coach. He remembered them. She showed him the wallet.

“Was there any money in there?”

Ha!

“I don’t have any idea how I lost’em,” he told Shannon. “But we’ll make up a good story.”

They walked around for an hour. Coach gave her the tour. Then he made a deal with her: Let him have his pants back, let him auction them off at the Blue Jean Ball, the annual charity thing he hosts every year for Auburn’s nursing school—it was coming up in September—and he’d have her and Derrick down as his special guests.

Kenneth Boone told them to stand next to each other. They stretched the pants out between them and said “cheese.”

Click, click, click.

Clicks, clicks, clicks.

It went viral, obviously. ESPN. The Washington Post. EDSBS. Rick and Bubba. Some old WordPress.com blog called The War Eagle Reader.

I thought it was the greatest story I’d ever heard. I wasn’t alone.

“Hello?”

“Yessir, this is Matt McDonald, you had contacted my office this morning about Coach Dye’s pants.”

Matt McDonald is a big Auburn fan. Huge. He attended AU for a few years in the mid-90s and owns some pharmaceutical industry companies down in Fairhope, which is how he developed friend-of-a-friend connections with the nursing school years back… which is how he found himself at Pat Dye’s Blue Jean Ball in 2008. The theme? Blue Hawaii. Hula dancers. Tiki torches. An Elvis impersonator. The eagle. And Pat Dye’s Pants, mounted in a custom-made shadow box alongside their former contents, ready to fund some nursing scholarships.

Dye called Shannon up in front of everyone.

“I’d been partying with him and dancing,” she says, flipping through the photo album.

They stood next to the shadow box, leis around both of their necks. He introduced her as the woman who’d found his pants. People howled. Matt got ready.

“I was like, holy crap, that’s cool,” Matt says. “I didn’t even know the story about the pants.”

Several big bids later—they started off at $5,000—he became a part of it.

Shannon captioned the picture she took with Matt: “Matt McDonald bought them 4 $8,000! Wow! Who knew, right!”

The night he paid $8,000 for Pat Dye’s Pants was actually the first time Matt met the man. They’ve since become pretty tight. They hunt together. Dye will have Matt’s family up to the house some during football season. Matt’s actually been one of the sponsors of the Blue Jean Ball since 2013 or so. He bids on stuff every year. He usually wins. He’s got a Toomer’s Oak clone (that Dye himself actually came down and planted in Matt’s yard). He’s got a cool hand-carved eagle Dye used to own. He’s got one of Dye’s shotguns. He’s got one of Bo’s shotguns, autographed of course. But when people step into his home office, nothing gets them talking more than the $8,000 pair of muddy pants

“So you’re writing about them or something,” he asks.

“Yeah. I mean, kind of like you, I just thought it was the greatest story ever. Had I found those things, I think I probably would have passed out. It would have been such a shock. It was such a hilarious story, but such a cool thing at the same time, at least to me. Because the 80s were such a ripe time for college football lore, and Auburn at the time was right there in the middle of it. I’m just like, what was happening when he lost them? What was going on? It’s like something out of a movie. I mean, we’d just won the Sugar Bowl and should have been national champs and we’re gearing up to play Miami to start the season. Because best I can tell from everything that was in his wallet, it had to have happened in either 1983, but probably 1984.”

“Yeah,” Matt says, “I’m pretty sure you’re right.”

The 1984 Pat Dye Invitational Golf Tournament, held Sunday and Monday, July 15 and 16, was probably the biggest they’d had since Dye arrived, the most attended. Who’s going to turn down two paid days at Stillwaters skiing and playing golf and stuffing yourself with barbecue chicken in the name of covering college football’s preseason No. 1, interviewing (via teleconference, but still) that year’s Heisman frontrunner? No one. Definitely not Jon Johnson, that’s for sure. Jon has been the Dothan Eagle’s sports editor for the past 22 years. In 1984, he was the Plainsman’s, and one of probably 200 or so media members who absolutely took Auburn up on the offer.

“Auburn would have sports writers from around the state come up there (to Stillwaters) and just entertain them for the weekend,” Jon says. “Alabama did the same thing when Perkins was there and Curry was there— invite them and treat them to dinner and lunch, and you played golf, and then at night they’d sit around and tell stories and have all the assistant coaches there, too. And, of course, something like that you never see these days. You can’t do it anymore. Basically it was a big socializing event for a couple of days for sports writers and coaches.”

And that year, as fate would have it, for Joe freakin’ DiMaggio.

“Everyone got word (DiMaggio) was down there, and the most unique thing that I remember about it was… well, it’s kind of taboo to ask for autographs. That’s just not something you do (as a journalist). But this was different. I remember vividly people getting in a line to shake his hand. Guys who were with television stations, sportscasters…”

Guys like Jim Fyffe…

And sure, Jon, too.

“I got his autograph on just a piece of notebook paper. I kept it in my wallet for years and years.”

But beyond Joltin’ Joe being there, and the guy who hosted the Ray Perkins Show being photographed in an Auburn hat and a Bo jersey—David Housel threatened to send a print to Perkins—Jon doesn’t remember anything wacky happening. No skinny dipping. No rumors about Coach Dye dropping trou or anything. Just fun.

After finishing 18 holes on Monday afternoon, Jon hopped in the car a happy camper. He got back to Auburn and wrote his weekly column. Here’s how he ended it:

“Dye had said at his press conference he didn’t want anyone to leave on Monday without being able to say they had a good time. He didn’t have anything to worry about.”

Shannon took a copy of the magazine with her to the Blue Jean Ball. Coach signed it for her.

She slides it across the table.

To Shannon, thank you for finding my pant! War Eagle, Pat Dye

“Wait, he just wrote ‘pant’ — not ‘pants,’”I tell her. “There’s no ‘s’ on there.”

We laugh. She’d never noticed.

Not long after the magazine came out, Shannon opened up her mailbox to something from Brad Cotter, the country singer who won “Nashville Star” in 2004.

“His cousin or aunt or something, I know her, and they’re big Auburn fans, and she just thought it was amazing and she told him about it, and he sent me an autographed photo that said ‘If you find my pants, please don’t tell anyone.’”

Since then, it’s mostly died down. But every now and then, someone will still say something.

“Yeah, I was known for a little while around my little town as the girl who found Pat Dye’s pants. They’d keep coming and asking me ‘did you find any pants lately?’ They just kept asking me ‘did he say why he lost them?’ Somebody said that somebody might have gotten mad at him and thrown them into the lake while they were out on a boat.’”

I tell her if we’d gotten there a little earlier, we could have slid into the back booth and asked David Housel. He always does Chappy’s for breakfast. He has to know.

“I have my own theory, though,” I tell her.

She nods along.

“Yeah, if it’s what I’m thinking, Joe DiMaggio was actually there. I’m thinking of starting the story with ‘while Pat Dye was on top of the world, his pants were at the bottom the lake.’”

The check finally comes.

“Well, if you talk to him, tell him I said ‘hi.’ I’d actually like to get back in touch with him and see what he says now. ‘Hey, it’s been 10 years, remember me?’”

I work mornings in the same building where Pat Dye records his weekly radio show. I’ve heard the man recount entire touchdown drives, down by down, from games played before half of us were born, games played in forgettable seasons.

But in 1984? It was great to be an Auburn Tiger going into 1984. It was great to be Pat Dye.

He was coming off what should have been a national championship season. He had at least another year and maybe two with the best player in the country. He was gearing up to open the season against defending national champs Miami in the Kickoff Classic at the Meadowlands, then take on No. 4 Texas at Austin, back to back. He was telling reporters waiting to play golf at Stillwaters that Auburn had a “legitimate chance at the national title.”

Sure, he’s 79. But feeling a breeze, losing your keys, losing your wallet, asking for a ride home, canceling credit cards… all at the same time, all during what is arguably the peak of your coaching career?

Surely…

I’ve talked with him before. Been out to his house. Called him on the phone. But for a kid who in, say, 1984 thought Pat Dye was a god, it’s always pretty nerve wracking.

I took a deep breath. I caught him in the hall. He was wearing khaki pants.

“Hey Coach, remember your golf tournament at Lake Martin in 1984? Joe DiMaggio was there?”

“Yeah, yeah… Joe came down and was there at the press conference we did at Stillwaters.”

“Coach, I’ve been doing a little research… do you think that could have been when you lost your pants?”

He stops, turns around, looks at me.

“Well… it had to have been somewhere around then.”

“So that sounds right? It could have been?”

“Yeah, yeah…”

“Coach, I actually talked with Shannon McDuffie the other day, remember her? She’s the one who…”

“Yeah, yeah… from Dadeville? She didn’t even know who I was. Her husband had to tell her.”

“Did you know she was an Alabama fan?”

“Well that don’t make no difference.”

If you like TWER, please consider supporting my work via Patreon. Thanks!

Related: Pat’s Dry Field.

from The War Eagle Reader https://www.thewareaglereader.com/2018/08/the-fall-and-rise-of-pat-dyes-pants/

#IFTTT #Blogger #auburn #auburn fast #wareagle #AuburnFamilyNews #war eagle #sec #football news #aubu

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rtracy13 · 6 years

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Part II: Where in the world is Carmen San Diego? AKA Where has Rebecca been the last 6 months

The end of Rebecca’s running leaves of course the question then of so where the heck have you been then for the last 6 months? So here is the medical student side of my story.

Every interview day at least on person will ask you “So where are you from?” which is a hilarious question to ask medical students. Did you mean: Where was I born and raised? Where is my school? Where did I drive in from yesterday? Or where I am currently on rotation? Seriously, there is actually a different answer for each of these questions, which one are you interested in…

So my name is Rebecca Tracy. I am originally from the suburbs outside Chicago, if you are familiar with the area I’m about 20 min north of that giant shopping mall with the IKEA (almost everyone seems knows where the IKEA is rather than my hometown). I got my undergraduate degree and masters in global heath from the University of Notre Dame where I competed for the cross country and track teams and I am currently a student at Marian University College of Osteopathic medicine in Indianapolis. I did my SLO auditions in EM at SUI in Springfield, IL, WMed in Kalamazoo, MI, and at SLU in St. Louis, MO, with a bonus EM rotation at Lakeland Health in St. Joseph, MI, this past December.

So that’s the short version of where I’ve been. I’ve put somewhere around 30-35,000 miles on my car the last 6 months. I’ve lived in Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, and Missouri and I’ve visited Arizona, Kansas, New York, South Carolina, Georgia, and Pennsylvania as well in that time. If that hasn’t clued you in, I’ve pretty much just been living out of my poor car that would love a good wash when it stops being negative degrees outside. Over the last 6 months I have learned so much and met so many amazing people and have never been more exhausted or excited about finally becoming an EM resident this summer.

Highlights version of my medical adventures

My adventure started in July at SIU. I was the only visiting 4th year and the only medical student formally in the department. I had to do all my simulation cases alone with the visiting student clerkship director acting as my ‘nurse’. I may not have ever felt as much like a blubbering idiot in my life, but somehow that seems to make information stick so much better sometimes. Bob, the simulation dummy, and I parted in agreement that he really needs a cardiologist and rehab cause I am really tired of having to give him CPR. I had an absolute blast with the residents and faculty. I left excited about how much I had learned and how much more I still have to learn in the future as a resident. Both exhilarated and completely intimidated – pretty much my sweet spot.

From there I went to Western in August. Pretty sure I tried more types of beer in Kalamazoo than in the prior 6 months of 2017. My favorites were Bell’s cherry coffee stout and this thing called a PB&J which is a combo of a peanut butter milkstout and a blueberry stout. Yes, I did do more than drink beer in Michigan. I had a great time in the department and Wmed has resident run response vehicle which is basically their own fully stocked like an ambulance vehicle to respond to 911 calls. Of course because I am a giant white cloud my shift with the resident on the vehicle came right after he nearly delivered a baby in the hospital parking lot and got ROSC on a patient who overdosed and coded. I got to see the guy faking seizures at least. Another great month where I was both excited and intimidated with just how incredibly smart the 3rd year residents were and how good they are at handling when chaos abounds.

September was a two-part journey in finally finding myself where I think I always knew I belonged. The first part of the month I was at a sports medicine office, which I had a blast at. We saw mostly high school athletes, did lots of concussion testing, and I got to stand on the sidelines for some Indiana high school Friday night football, which yes they take very seriously here. The second half was spent at Doctors Hospital and Grant Medical Center in Columbus, Ohio doing orthopedic trauma surgery where I gave in to what I knew all along, I was meant for EM. Long and short I got my ass kicked daily, held my own (most days) being pimped to death about anatomy and fracture classifications, and came home and cried a lot when I did actually get to come home from the hospital. Not because it was hard so much as it was very apparent that when I saw myself in the future as a doctor is wasn’t in an operating room and I was having a bit of an existential crisis about it right as applications were about to go out. I loved setting fractures and trying to understand the engineering it takes to properly support a broken bone to heal properly, but half of that I get to do in EM anyway and I still get to keep doing all the rest of medicine. I went a month without listening to a heartbeat and it solidified that I loved all the rest of medicine too much to only focus on the bones and athletes. So ultimately I came back to where I was day 1 of medical school wanting to be a lifelong learner, jack of all trades, and there ready for action on the worst of days, as an EM physician. And damn it felt good to finally say it with conviction.

So first 2 weeks of October I went back to where I first really fell in love with the ED at Memorial Hospital in South Bend to help organize some of my mentor’s research projects. I wrote three papers. One we are almost ready to publish the other two might be done by the time I’m a second year resident… maybe. I got to help teach some medical students in the department when I wasn’t writing and it just reaffirmed that EM was exactly where I was supposed to be.

The latter half of October and early November I worked at SLU in St. Louis. for better or worse this was pretty much the ED you think of when you see TV shows about medicine very high acuity and very sick people. We saw and managed a lot of drug and alcohol related problems and GSWs. Definitely met some of my most interesting patients and learned a lot about how to managed some very very sick ones. It was challenging and a steep learning curve but I got to do some of my first major procedures here too – I put in a chest tube, lots of ultrasound guided IVs and a do a couple of paracenteses.

Second half of November I was supposed to do a pediatric EM elective back in Indy but ended up with a “vacation” which is a fancy way to say I spend 2 weeks traveling all over for interviews. This was so not a vacation. It was pretty exhausting to be somewhere new almost every three days. Exciting sure, but exhausting. We will find out the fruit of that labor in (holy crap) 67 days when I get to open up an envelope with the name of my future residency program inside.

Finally, December I went up to St. Joe Michigan and rotated at Lakeland health. Realized the community hospital I had a blast spending almost half my time working at in Niles was 2 miles from the turn around point on the Sunday long run in college that most of us would have rather been taken to the hospital than finish, made me feel right at home. Learned about hypothermia and that if you are “cold then dead” we might be able to fix that but if you are “dead then cold” well we can’t really help you there. It was a really good month.

Probably the coolest realization of the new year so far thought was that my last shift at Lakeland was my last shift of 2017 and the last time I will work in the ED as a medical student till I reenter it as a resident! Again another holy crap this is real moment. 67 days!!!

#SeriouslyWhereAmI

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winterskeletonlive-blog · 6 years

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#Watch Winter Olympics 2018 Skeleton Live Streaming Online Link

Watch Winter Olympics 2018 Skeleton Live TV>>>>

The 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea are right around the corner! That means it's time to watch sports you might not have seen in four years. To help you feel at least a little more informed—either to impress your friends or fake your way through a conversation with an actual expert—SI will be providing rookie's guides to each of the 15 sports. These will be published daily, Monday through Friday, from December 4–22. What is skeleton? Skeleton is not a competition where each athlete is put through an X-ray machine so they can see who has the most bones. That would be so much more boring than what skeleton actually is—men and women flying down a bobsled track at 90 mph with their face an inch off the ice. It’s basically just like luge, except instead of laying on their backs, the competitors are positioned face-down, head-first. The sledder’s lower legs dangle off the back of the sled so they have to make sure they don’t hit the ice while also staying as flat as possible to maintain peak aerodynamic flow. You can steer by shifting your weight. How was the sport invented? Skeleton traces its roots to an ice track in the Swiss resort town of St. Moritz, where British and American tourists began sliding head-first down a track called the Cresta Run before the turn of the 20th century. (You can still ride the Cresta Run—if you a member of its club, and not a woman.) When did it come to the Olympics? St. Moritz hosted the Winter Games in 1928 and 1948, so skeleton was included due to its history there and the Cresta Run was used as the track. It didn’t return until the 2002 games in Salt Lake City. Why do they call it skeleton? I always thought the name was derived from the dangerous nature of the sport, but it actually comes from the equipment. The first sleds used in skeleton were the bones of a bobsled. How does the competition work? A total of 50 people will qualify, 30 men and 20 women, though the field won’t be set until mid-January. There are only six medals awarded—gold, silver and bronze for men and women. The winner is whoever clocks the fastest time after four runs. Is it dangerous?

Holy crap, yes. Not only are you hurtling down the track at speeds of over 90 mph, the sled can weigh as much 90 pounds (though there are rules limiting the combined maximum weight of the sled and its rider). The last thing you want is to lose control of a heavy object with sharp metal blades and get trapped in a frozen tube with it. The only protection the sledders wear is a helmet, which has a chin guard in case you dip you head to low and scrape your face on the ice. Who is good at it? The U.S. has won the most Olympic medals (eight), followed by Great Britain (six) and Canada (four). Switzerland, Italy, Latvia, Germany, Austria and Russia are the only other countries to medal but sledders have represented countries all the way from Argentina to Australia. Laura Deas is "motivated" to win a skeleton Olympic medal for Great Britain after failing to qualify for the 2014 Games in Sochi. The 29-year-old from Wrexham is the top ranked British women and is fifth in this season's world standings. In January the GB team will be selected for the 2018 Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea, on 9-25 February."I'm feeling as confident as I could be at this moment, knowing selection is out of my control," she said."I know I'm having a good season, I'm consistently in and around the top six which is in the target. With three races to go I am feeling pretty good."Deas is seven places above Britain's 2014 gold medallist Lizzy Yarnold in the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation (IBSF) rankings. When asked if she could can win a medal in Pyeongchang in what would be her first Olympics - if Deas makes selection on 22 January in Stockport - the Welsh slider said: "Absolutely."That's what I have been aiming to do for a long time, the fact that I missed out on Sochi... four years ago has really given me that extra motivation to want to be there, to become an Olympian and ultimately be on the podium."Deas missed out on a European medal by 0.01 seconds at the latest round of the World Cup in Innsbruck, Austria, this week - finishing fourth of the Europeans and sixth overall in an event won by Elena Nikitina. In November 2017, Nikitina was stripped of her Olympic bronze medal and banned from future Games by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), for breaching anti-doping rules at Sochi 2014. But the IBSF has allowed the Russian to compete on the world circuit after lifting its initial ban. Nikitina is appealing against the IOC decision at the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

The IOC has banned Russia from competing at the 2018 Winter Olympics, but Russian athletes who can prove they are clean will be allowed to compete in Pyeongchang under a neutral flag."It's frustrating because I want to be competing on a level playing field, and it's frustrating to know, with evidence, that it's not the case at the moment," Deas said."But at the same time I know it is counterproductive to get too caught up in it."Although I'm trying to stay up to date with what is going on, I don't want to become obsessed with it because I think, in the long run, that doesn't help me and my performance."Granted, we don’t have winter in Nigeria, but there’s no denying we’ll be the envy of other country at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeong Chang, South Korea. Our bobsled team, which is the first out of Africa, is already taking media attention (They were even on The Ellen DeGeneres Show!).And right now it seems we have another bit of history waiting to be made as Simidele Adeagbo is one race away from becoming the first woman skeleton athlete from Africa to take part in the competition.Adeagbo is a retired track and field athlete, having held the National Collegiate Athletic Association All-American and triple jump school record for four times. Her interest in skeleton was sparked six months ago when she heard about the amazing Nigerian bobsled team. Determined to shatter the glass ceiling in athletics, she went for a trial in August and was successful. Because there are no ice tracks in Johannesburg where she lives, Adeagbo prepares by watching videos of past runs and also using tips and tricks compiled by other athletes. When she can, she travels to Canada where she trains on ice tracks that run as far as 1.5km long.But with these preparations, there can be changes in the weather which make skeleton quite unpredictable. The 36-year-old, who is in love with Davido’s ‘Fia’ because it reminds her that what she’s doing is “for the continent and for people back home”, isn’t disturbed by this. Although she injured her chin in her last competition, there’s no stopping her from the fifth race in Lake Placid, New York, which will see her achieve that dream of qualifying for the Winter Olympics on January 11, 2018.Russian Elena Nikitina, who is banned from competing in the Winter Olympics, won the latest leg of the women's World Cup skeleton as Olympic champion Lizzy Yarnold suffered another disappointing day. Yarnold was 16th in Innsbruck - the third race in a row she has failed to make the top 10 - and was again outperformed by team-mate Laura Deas, who was sixth. The event doubled as the European Championships, in which Deas missed out on bronze by 0.01 seconds. In the men's race, Latvia's Martins Dukurs won another great tussle against South Korea's Yun Sungbin.Lölling’s stellar 2017 also included a storming run in the mixed team event at the IBSF World Championships in Königsee (GER) in February. With her Germany 1 team lying fourth after the men’s skeleton and two-women bob runs, Lölling posted a new track record of 51.23 to catapult her team into the lead ahead of Russia. She then looked on as Johannes Lochner secured gold with the fastest run in the two-man bob leg. Five days later, watched by IOC President Thomas Bach, 22-year-old Lölling became the youngest ever women’s world champion in her sport. Jumping into a 0.06-second lead over compatriot and defending champion Tina Hermann on the first run, Lölling maintained her position when the second run was cancelled due to heavy snow.Staying ahead on the third run, Lölling beat Hermann on the fourth by 0.25 seconds. Sochi 2014 gold medallist Lizzy Yarnold of Great Britain completed the podium, nearly three-quarters of a second behind the young German.

It was left to team-mate Hermann to sum up her performance: “Jacqueline is on incredible form. It was pretty clear that it would be really tough to beat her here.”Lölling was just 12 when she took up skeleton in 2007. Three years later she appeared in her first international competition: a European Cup meet on the Olympic track in Cesana Pariol (ITA). She won both races. Still only 15 when she claimed her first national title in December 2011, Lölling earned a place on Germany’s team at the first Winter Youth Olympic Games in Innsbruck in 2012. The competition was reduced to a single run because of bad weather, but the German teen’s superiority shone through, as she won gold by nearly a second from Austria’s Carina Mair and Canada’s Carli Brockway. A bronze medallist at the 2012 World Junior Championships in Igls (AUT), Lölling traded up to gold in 2014 in Winterberg (GER) and retained the title the following year in Altenberg (GER). That second world junior crown earned her a place at the 2015 IBSF World Championships in Winterberg, where, having just turned 20, she won silver behind Yarnold. Rising to the top. The German prodigy made her World Cup debut in the 2015/16 season, gaining podium finishes in her first three races: a third place in Altenberg and second places in Winterberg and Königsee. Lölling finished fourth at the European Championships in St Moritz (SUI) and was runner-up to Hermann in the national championships. She then scored two more podium finishes to take second place behind her compatriot in the overall standings. Her senior career took off to a flying start on 6 January 2017, when she won the World Cup event in Altenberg. A week later, Lölling claimed the European title by 0.16 seconds from Austria’s Janine Flock in Winterberg, followed by her world championship double. Her winning streak continued with a third victory in the World Cup final at the Alpensia Sliding Centre, which doubled up as the PyeongChang 2018 skeleton test event. Lölling was fastest in both runs, setting an inaugural track record of 52.75 on her second run. This ranked her first in the overall World Cup standings with a total of 1,591 points. Lölling now has her sights set on Olympic gold in PyeongChang. Judging by the start of her 2017/18 IBSF World Cup season, that goal is well within her grasp. Third on the opening weekend in Lake Placid (USA), she followed up with wins in Whistler (CAN) in late November and Winterberg in early December to place her at the top of the standings. Though Germany is the world’s pre-eminent force in the luge and bobsleigh, it has never won an Olympic skeleton title and has just two medals to its name: a silver for Kerstin Szymkowiak and a bronze for Anja Huber behind Great Britain’s Amy Williams at Vancouver 2010. In Lölling, they have an athlete who is fully capable of ending her country’s title drought at PyeongChang 2018.From a 17-year-old snowboarding star to a gold-medal-hungry women’s ice hockey team, Team USA’s athletes competing in the 2018 Winter Olympic Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea, are looking to make a mark. The official roster for Team USA will not be finalized until weeks before the 2018 Winter Olympics start Feb. 9, but the first competitors in the 15 Winter Olympic sports have already been chosen — and they each bring a unique story to the games. Maame Biney is a 17-year-old who already made history as the first black woman to qualify for Team USA’s short track speedskating team. Making his return in 2018, Gus Kenworthy is a freestyle skiing star who could become the first openly gay male athlete to compete at a Winter Games. And Chloe Kim is a 17-year-old snowboarding phenom who is the favorite to win gold in the sport for Team USA.Matthew Antoine slides back into Olympic competition after earning bronze in Sochi in 2014 and completing several years of successful international appearances. The Wisconsin-based athlete is looking to get another medal in the Winter Olympic sport this time around. He may be joined by contenders John Daly, who took a break from the sport after Sochi, and Nathan Crumpton, who is hoping to make his first Olympic appearance.

With a successful 2015-16 season, Annie O’Shea became the fastest of the women’s team and is poised to be one to watch in Pyeongchang. Olympian Katie Uhlaender is also trying to best her fourth-place finish in Sochi.The Olympic sport of skeleton is not for the faint of heart. Sprinting down an icy track, diving on a tiny sled head first, rocketing toward the bottom at speeds of upwards of 90 mph -- what kind of person would subject themselves to such danger for Olympic gold? His name is Matt Antoine. In 2002, Antoine was just like the rest of us, watching the Olympics on TV. The sport of skeleton caught his eye, and a year later Antoine headed to Lake Placid, New York to give it a try.“You’re kind of at the mercy of the track your first few times down,” Antoine said. “After the first run I knew this was something I wanted to pursue and I was going to keep going after.”He was hooked, and although he was cut from his first skeleton camp, Antoine kept sprinting down that icy track toward an Olympic medal. As a member of Team USA during the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Antoine took home bronze – the first skeleton medal for an American in 12 years.“It was an amazing experience in 2014, especially having family members there,” Antoine said. “Being an Olympic athlete, having your support system of your family … it’s not just you, it’s about them as well. Antoine said sharing that moment with his support system meant “just as much or more to them than it did for me.”Now, nearly a decade and a half after his first run, the Phoenix resident is preparing for his last.“I’ve always approached the sport that it could end tomorrow and so in my prep for 2018 I’m definitely looking at it like it’s probably my last Olympics,” he said.

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joementa · 7 years

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The News About More Bruce Archive Releases Has Made Me A Lot Happier.

I’ve said this so many times before that I’m sure it will annoy you when I type it yet again, but there aren’t many things I love more than summertime and listening to Bruce. Combining the two of them together is mind- and soul-blowing for me. Unfortunately there is no E-Street Band tour this summer, and I think that’s a big driver of some serious summertime blues this year. Last summer was a great time to be a Bruce fan. He had just wrapped up a successful tour playing The River and was in the middle of playing more shows in Europe and America. His autobiography was getting ready to be released. The American summer shows were just ridiculous – I saw five of them. The first one was four hours long, and the shows only got longer from there. I’m not joking.

This year is a lot different since there’s no tour. Summer and Bruce go hand-in-hand to me, and I’ve had to turn to the ever increasing number of Bruce archives releases to keep me sane. I think it’s barely working, but the key is that it’s working. There are some incredible shows from the archives release series so far, many of which I’ve already written about and I know that I recommended them to you. You should have bought them if you haven’t already. They’re worth it.

This week was a very exciting week to be a Bruce fan. On Wednesday, Brad Sterling from Nuts.net, who mixes the Bruce archives series, gave an interview with E-Street Radio and said that they have a specific plan for future releases, with each new release scheduled for the first Friday of the month. As soon as I heard this, my first thought was (naturally), “well, how many months do they have this planned for? It better be infinite.” The answer isn’t infinite, but it’s still long. They have a schedule for the next TWENTY FIVE releases. Heck yes. Count me in for all of them.

After hearing the answer to my first thought, my next thought was (naturally), “so, what’s the first release going to be?” The answer made my jaw drop. Not one…but TWO shows from 1977. No, that’s not a typo. I didn’t mean to type 1975 or 1978. I typed 1977. Holy crap. This is a year in Bruce’s history where many of us thought that there wasn’t ONE show taped from 1977. Now we know that AT LEAST two were. I can only hope that more were!

1977 is a significant year in Bruce’s history for a couple of reasons. First, as I mentioned, we haven’t heard much from it before. As far as I know, I haven’t heard a single song from that year, let alone a complete show. This also was a year of transition for Bruce. He was under an enormous amount of pressure to follow up Born To Run, and shows from 1977 showed him working on songs for his next album. He also gave what some consider to be his best show ever, March 25 at the Boston Music Hall. I wasn’t born when this show occurred, so I cannot vouch for it, but it has popped up on tons of “best Bruce shows” lists that I’ve read (and I’ve read A LOT of them). That should count for something. I hope a tape of that show exists.

I just feel lucky to know that we’re getting some shows from 1977. I love listening to live shows, especially bands that put on great live shows. DMB is one of my favorite bands, and they’ve released a ton of live shows. Pretty much every show of theirs from the past 20 years has been recorded and you can find a copy of almost all of them. And a ton of shows from their early days were recorded straight from the soundboard and are available FOR FREE. Pearl Jam is pretty similar too. The same can’t be said for Bruce. There aren’t a lot of recordings from the early days, and even some of the more recent tours are hit or miss. It wasn’t until around 2000 that they started recording every show. So let’s be thankful for what we can get. I know I am.

The shows chosen for the 1977 archives release are the first two shows from the tour, February 7 in Albany NY and February 8 in Rochester NY. The two of them are being released in a bundle together, called Action In The Streets 1977 (you technically can buy just one show if you want, but why would you do that? You need both). There are some really special songs in these shows. Bruce played a lot of songs that were still in development for his next album, including “Something In The Night”, “The Promise”, “Rendezvous”, and “Action In The Streets”. It’s crazy to think that only ONE of those four songs ended up on his next album (“Something In The Night”), and the version on the album had different lyrics than what he sang in the 1977 tour. Oh, and “Action In The Streets”? It’s a song I personally have NEVER heard before, has no known studio version, and hasn’t been played by Bruce and The E-Street Band at all since 1977. To say I’m excited to hear that song is a complete understatement.

Needless to say, this past week has been very exciting to be a Bruce fan. There have been a few articles written about the archives release schedule and the first release.

Here’s an article by Erik Flannigan: http://blog.nugs.net/2017/08/04/action-in-the-streets-1977/

Here’s an article by Jonathan Pont; go the August 4 update, titled “Action In the Streets”: http://backstreets.com/news.html

The link to order Action In The Streets 1977 is right here. The digital versions are available NOW. CD’s ship on August 28th (which means you’ll have a few hours of Bruce shows for when you’re stuck in Labor Day traffic): http://live.brucespringsteen.net/packages/2,792/Bruce-Springsteen---The-E-Street-Band-mp3-flac-download-Action-In-The-Streets-1977.html

Last week I promised some info on summer music, but I’m going to have to back off of that promise. The news about the Bruce archives is just too good to pass up. I will do my best to get something in the next few days so you are all prepped for the weekend. In the meantime, make sure you order Action In The Streets 1977.

#music #concert #live music #tape #bruce springsteen #bruce

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