#i got all the hw i really needed to do this weekend (so like 5 relatively time consuming things) in 6 hours by consuming many hot drinks

[amatopunkish]

i was so productive today! but at what cost?

i have spent 12 hours sitting relatively still and i have SO MUCH energy now and if i have to spend anymore time sitting still without any output for this energy i am going to claw my scalp off

[iwannaban0nym0us]

Ok, i've had a hell of a weekend (in a good way for once!)

So we had an off season robotics comp this past weekend and most of the senior leads couldn't make it so I was in charge of fabrication on my own for the first time,,,

Anyway, we barely had any time leading up to the comp and our telescoping arm was broken from the end of last season and so fab was like "ok, let's just duct tape it and do cube shooting" but design was very against that and decided to come in during lunches to get it done, and every time they would complain about it or push back the deadline fab would suggest to duct tape it

Now cut to Friday morning (day of load-in): I have a class in the shop and I find 2 design people still trying to fix the arm (that they supposedly fixed last week) and apparently it was fixed but it broke the day before and they just like didn't tell anyone

Now while that is still happening I have to go to my block 2 class and have a test, yay!

Next, lunch, that was a lot:

me and 2 friends had to practice our presentation that we were to give the next day at the comp about our team's outreach

then we see a message that says that programming hasn't finished packing so we go to check in on them and they are just finishing up packing

and then we stop by the shop again and find design still trying to fix the arm, and this time we bring a programmer with us to again try to convince them to just duct tape the arm (they say no and that it'll be done in 5min, it was not done in 5min)

after that I finally have time to eat but idk where my friends have gone but I do end up finding M on their own in the courtyard and so I go talk to them while I eat

I end up finding out that they just realized that A most likely does like them (romantically), and uh that's not something they're excited about

and so I give them an excuse to avoid A the rest of lunch and just talk to me and I also mention that the robotics comp is at the high school really close to their house and if they wanted to I'd be happy if they came

first class after lunch I have calc and at this point I have not had a break all day and so since my calc teacher spent the entire time talking to the board and going over the hw I end up just skipping half of class and it was an all around win-win scenario because, I missed nothing, he didn't care, I got a bit of a break, and I helped out some friends who had physics that block

then i've got one more class and it's pretty chill and i'm able to leave a few min early to go to the shop and start packing

then 3-4pm I frantically pack the van (w/ help) and try to make sure we don't leave anything behind and I also task some people w/ collecting tools from shop (since we can't do that till last minute because they're needed for classes. At this point as far as i'm aware the robot is working

then once we get there we have 5 of us to unpack all of the heavy stuff and move it all the way to the pit and get it all set up and all of that

and then,,, I find out that the arm is not working and so I try again to convince design to duct tape it but instead they spend at least another 30min trying to get it to work

at like 6pm they're supposedly almost done and so we put our team in for inspection and while we're getting inspected the inspector tries to trick us w/ a typo and we don't call him out because we're all too polite to flat out tell him he's wrong

after that we get part of the arm working but then find a new problem that they keep trying to fix until about 7pm when they FINALLY give up on the arm and agree to duct tap it so that we can go to a practice match

the practice match goes horribly wrong, everyone has a new role (except one guy) and so I don't realize that I know more about what needs to happen than other people (because I barely know what I should be doing) and so we forget how to set up our robot before the match and also don't plug in our controls right, but we do make it to a match and back to the pit just barely before 8 so that's something

unfortunately the day doesn't end there,,, I end up speing from like 8-10 coordinating getting 3 people to give a presentation the next day because the seniors who were supposed to give it were sick/not going in the first place so that was a mess

at like 11pm i finally go to bed (after literally doing stuff nonstop all day)

and then the next morning i'm back at comp at 7:15!

our programmers end up showing up just barely before our first match queuing time, along w/ the guy that might be able to get the arm to work, and so the arm stays duct taped

our first match i let the other guy human player (a drive team role) but I end up having to go up and make sure they do the pre-match stuff right and don't make the same mistakes as friday, oh and after the match they forget to turn the robot off

then for the 2nd match since stuff didn't go so great in the first one i human player and everything goes smoothly

as soon as that is over i have to go give that presentation on outreach which went pretty good

the rest of the morning is spent playing matches w/ a duct taped arm but in between matches people keep trying (and then giving up) on fixing the arm, then finally give up for good at lunch

then that afternoon M ends up coming and they watch a match w/ me explaining what is going on and then I show them around the pit and also the follow me to a strategy talk and then we play one more match (which I human player) and then M has to go, but it was really fun to hang out w/ them and things finally feel really good between us

the rest of the afternoon is pretty chill (which is good because the day wore me out) and we play one more match and then i go home at 5 and crash

and then the next morning i'm back at 7:15!

the morning starts of chill, lots of down time not that we'd given up on the arm, and we play a match that goes about as well as it can while still losing

then we have a match that doesn't go as well,,, we get hit hard and pull out some wires which cut power to half of our motors and then we have a very fast turn around time before our next match but we make it work, by the end of that we're ranked 37/42 which isn't as bad as we did during regular season but it's also not great

after that we have a bit of downtime before alliance selection, during alliance selection we're doubting we'll be picked but we don't rule it out entirely, AND THEN WE GET PICKED AS THE 3rd TEAM FOR ALLIANCE 2 (meaning we're with 2 of the best teams but also we were the 23 team picked out of the 24 teams picked, but then again this is better than the team has done since 2018!!!!!!)

as soon as that is done the tech leads go back to pit and i reinforce duct tape in a few spots and then I come back to talk to the drive team to hear the plan, then I rush to eat lunch well spam texting people and being very :DDDDDDDD

then the afternoon is hella hectic, we play 4 more matches, in the first one we lose because the alliance captain has their battery on the floor the whole match and we also have some wiring issues but at least our battery stays in the bot, after that they want to trade us off the team but we convince them to let us stay and we win the next 2 matches

and then for the last match (quarterfinals i think?) they tell us not to do much during the game because they think we'll get in the way, and guess what, we end up losing that match, so then we go pack up the pit so loading the van at the end of the day will be faster

so then we chill a bit and watch awards and once everything wraps at 4 we load the van and I finally get home at like 5 and can crash

i'm so glad that i had monday tuesday off because i could sleep in and like recover (oh and also do hw :/)

anyway i had a college board test today and then got to hang out w/ my friends for a bit and grab lunch before I came home to finish my hw, but really i'm chilling, my friends are doing ok, me and M are doing good, and i'm def still riding that robotics high

the lesson we really really really need to learn is that when we used the complicated arm that broke a ton we didn't do great but when we duct taped the arm and focused on one thing and made it simpler WE GOT PICKED FOR PLAYOFFS

[runfast-runfar]

Quarantine Days

8/30/20

✨My moms friend is here for the weekend and she brought her pup Dax who is soooo cute but omg a handful. I’ve always known when I get a dog of my own I want (a big dog... I’m a sucker for big dogs.. the bigger the better lol) but I want to adopt an adult dog. I’d never want a puppy I don’t think bc as cute as they are, they’re SO HIGH MANTAINANCE!!!? But he’s cute to have around for 4 days :)

✨Plus him and Thea are buddies. Well for the first day or so, then Thea is over him and just swats at him every 5 minutes lol

✨Anyways, woke up this morning at 8am and took dax on a walk. Then came home and did homework for a few hours in this pig sty of a desk (oops). Definitely need to clean this up soon!

✨Went on a run at noon and it was so nice out today! Little smoke, fresh air, perfect amount of heat with cool breeze :) perfection.

✨Then I walked downtown and got a coffee and met up with my mom and her friend. But they were getting lunch and I wasn’t really hungry so I ended up just walking home which was fine by me.

✨Came home and did some reading on my new hammock until I got too hot to stay out there. But Dax joined me for a bit while Thea was in her tent and it was so cute! He slept for like half an hour while Thea bird watched 🥰

✨Now I’m back in my room post bath, and am going to do another hour of homework before my brother and I go on a walk in a bit. Then no big plans, going to go to bed early ish bc I have SO much reading/hw I have to get done in the next two days!

✨I hope you’re all doing well! Happy sunday ☺️

[sparklesparklekoushi]

Choose Your Glucose Guardian! (Sawamura Daichi Ver.)

💕Hello! This is the first part to a fic in my captains series. I hope you like it. I really love this story and treasure it a lot, I hope that you enjoy it as much as I do! 

Minor Spoiler for the episode, The Flight of the Spineless. 

You can find the other parts of this series here: Ushijima Wakatoshi 

Tagginng @ceo-of-daichi because its Daichi 🥺💕

Without further ado, here it is!!

If y/n could turn back time, she would go back to her first year of high school. She would’ve lived  without regrets and did all the things she wanted to do. She would’ve joined the dance team earlier, she would’ve entered more competitions. She would’ve hung out with her friends more, supported them in every game they had. And most of all she would’ve followed her heart. She would’ve said yes to a boy from her high school, the muse of all her dance performances to this day. 

Oh how she wished she had let go of her fears, how she wished that she just said those simple words; “yes, I like you too.” Who knows, maybe she would be happier then than now… But, those days were in the past, but her days were nothing but downhill from high school, sadly. Sure, y/n was a good dancer, but then, the theme of longing in her dances never really made her reach her full potential. She was always stuck with the same feel, the same aura, no change, no variety. This made her somewhat, a boring dancer… something many dancers feared. As a student at a dance academy, she was once the top of her class… and now she isn’t the best. Her dances looked the same, her instructor would even suggest that she would go out and spend more time with the people around her, than to stay cooped up in the studio practicing to get better. 

Sure, she could do that, do better technical moves, have a better flow, be a lot more flexible. But that was never the problem. The problem has always been her lack of adventure and her lack of personal vibrancy. So here she sat, in front of the dance studio, waiting for her friend to walk her home as it was late at night. Sure it would’ve been a short walk or so, but she lived outside of the campus… and her best friend Hinata wouldn’t allow her to go out alone on a night like this. 

You see, y/n didn’t have enough money to get a dorm room on campus. She was raised by a single mother and she was ill. Y/n also worked part time at a local bakeshop on weekends and when she had off days or afternoons without classes to pay for her mother’s hospital bills. Not only did she have this on her plate, she also had an 8 year old sister to take care of… So at the age of 22, y/n is the only source of income for her family. 

At first she did really well, she won competitions and was even the talk of the town, but eventually she really did lose everything. She had to stay positive however, for her mother and her sister. 

“y/n!” A male voice calls out to her, snapping her out of her thoughts, Hinata Shoyo was there, panting heavily as he stood in front of her. 

She smiled “Hinata!”

He smiled widely putting his arm around her while taking her bag, “Now, let’s get you home! Your sister is waiting.”  

It was always like this, they would start on the path to her house, hand in hand as he held her things. They were both scholarship students at this school, but Hinata had so much potential, so he got a dorm room with a friend of theirs from high school, Miya Atsumu, a boy who was a year older than the two. 

Hinata was as bright as the sun, a promising and current volleyball player for a team in Japan. He was reliable, sweet, energetic and an all around sweetheart you would want to be with. He was the highlight of everyone’s days, everyone in their friend group loved him ever since they were in high school. 

First year, Karasuno High School, Class 1-5. This was a big step into the world of high school for you. First year, it left a sense of adventure and curiosity light up within you. This would be the best years of your life, you had hoped. You weren’t one to shy away from the sun, but you weren’t too reckless either. You were smart and kind, but that wasn’t the only thing that was great about you. You were born to dance, a star, a spark of joy on the stage. You couldn’t live without the music. You had always been able to dance to any type of song, any genre and you could do it. But, since it was your first year, you decided to play it safe and focus on your grades for the first semester.

So there you sat, with your headphones on as you listened to another song to choreograph for. Your feet tapping to the rhythm as your hands moved in small motions that symbolized dance moves. It was too early for most students to be there, but you wanted to get out of the house as soon as possible as it was your first day at high school. 

You eventually stood up, immersed in the music dancing to it and closing your eyes as the music flowed throughout your soul. The song was beautiful and light, a bright but sweet song that felt like the taste of first love. You danced and danced feeling the happiness flowing through the song, and eventually, it came to a stop. 

You opened your eyes to see a classmate of yours, so she seems, standing a few meters away from you, clapping. She had a beautiful smile and blonde hair, she smiled at you and clapped once more. 

You turned away to hide your blush and used your headphones as an excuse since you put them on your desk. 

The blonde girl, who is a little bit shorter than you, walked up to you and smiled, “You dance beautifully.” 

You smiled back, still a little bit flustered, “Thank you… I’m l/n y/n by the way.” 

“Yachi Hitoka, I’m from this class too.”

Eventually you learned that you two had a lot of things in common, and that you were seatmates. As the day went by, you and Yachi had become fast friends, despite her being shy when other people started coming in. 

Everyday would consist of you and Yachi hanging out happily together… all until she came rushing back to the classroom with two application forms in her hand. Both of you still didn’t have any clubs or orgs you joined so you were confused and excited that she had forms in her hands. 

“What is it Yacchan?” you asked her as you studied her worried features.

“y/n-chan they want us to be managers for the boys’ volleyball team!!!” She sighs sadly.

“What was I thinking? But then the senpai giving me instructions was so pretty that I got distracted…. If you were awake we could’ve talked to her together and maybe…”

You laughed slightly as Yachi kept going on about how she doesn’t know what to do or what she had gotten both of you into. You thought of it for a while, maybe this was the sign you needed to do things and stop studying 24/7… so it was one of the risks you actually took.

“Let’s do it, Yacchan!” You said, taking a form from her and filling it up. 

She looks at you shocked, “Eh? I thought you were going to apply to the dance team?”

You thought about it once more, “Eh, I’ll do it next year, I have 2 years left after that you know!”

She sighed and filled up her own form, knowing that she will never be able to convince you not to join. 

So on that fateful day, you became friends with the people who stand with you now. 

Hinata noticed that you had stopped replying to him about how your day was only to see you in deep thought.

“y/n? y/n-chan~~” he knew that if he called you that, there was a higher possibility that you would snap out of it and show him that cute flustered face of yours. He lived for that reaction of yours… but he would never tell you that. Or at least, he hoped, not for now. 

True enough what Hinata wished for had happened, "Yeah? Oh sorry…" your face was awfully red and you both knew it. 

He shakes his head, "It's fine, what were you thinking of?"

You sighed as puffs of clouds formed due to the cold, "I was thinking of how I first met all of you…"

He smiled a little, hiding a bit of pain that came with those memories. Because he knew that no matter what memory you had of high school you were thinking of… you would always backtrack to him. 

The person he wished would leave you and your thoughts. But he knew that he would always have a chance, as long as he was there with you and not with that man. 

"I see, were you thinking of how good looking I was then, up until now?" He joked as you made a face. 

"I swear, Atsumu is rubbing off on you." 

"Oh but that makes me funnier!" He held your hand tighter. 

Your face brightened once more in a rosy hue as you both found yourselves at your doorstep.

He smiled again and handed you your gym bag, "I'll see you on Sunday?"

"Yeah, you will. Don't worry Hinata, I'm not going anywhere."

He nodded as you said this and kissed your forehead. "Sleep well, y/n."

He watched you enter your house as you waved bye to him. He eventually walks down the street, back to the school dorms. 

You enter the house to see that your little sister had eaten the food you left for her to reheat. She left a note saying that she did not have hw and that you should rest. Your heart felt happier at the gesture. This made your resolve to do what you were about to do stronger.

But for a split second, you had thought of Hinata. 'What would he say?'

You didn't really understand how you felt about him. Whether you actually loved him or not the latter part being more confusing since you knew you were not over that person.

But either way, none of that would matter anymore. Funds were not getting easier to come by and you didn't want your friends to keep worrying and giving you money they needed as well… so you did what you thought was best. You signed up on a sugar baby app. 

You had been putting off checking the app in order to not sound desperate and to see who would actually wait. You honestly found this somewhat difficult to do at first, but your friend f/n had suggested it as a last resort. You didn’t really want to do this but she reassured you that the men on this specific app were not creeps and that they were pretty young and knew how to respect boundaries.

As you logged onto your phone you noticed one specific message that seemed to be interesting and mysterious. The man had the username onceavolleydad and he had no pictures of his actual face and name, but he had credentials and the app to prove his age and status. He was rich as he owned a chain of gyms around Japan. He also looked pretty attractive, or well, his body did. But that wasn’t what you were there for, it was his message that caught your eye. 

“(l/n) (y/n), what a pretty name for a girl who has the beauty of a lilac. I would love to know more about you and if you would at least, become someone I could talk to? I’d love to meet you on Friday night, 8pm, at a small coffee shop? I will be sending the address in the next message.”

You were interested, one because he seemed nice, and two because he mentioned your favorite flower. It could all be by chance, but you were one of those people who were interested in signs every now and then. You took a deep breath and nodded your head, you were going to do this, he was the one you were going to reply to. 

“ Hello, onceavolleydad. I would be delighted to meet with you then, maybe we could talk a little about the boundaries I have set and see where this goes?”

Within 3 minutes you get a reply; “Sure, I’ll see you later then.”

Wait… later??? You looked at your phone and noticed that it was indeed, Friday7:20 pm. With that you rushed to your room and got ready to go to the said address. You wore your best clothes, the ones that were cute and in season and penned a note to your sister saying that you had gone out with friends for a bit. 

As you walked down the street, you carried your pepper spray in your coat pocket and your phone in your other hand. You walked down street after street until you passed by your university and some other places you would normally go to. Eventually you had found the cafe, and were about to cross when some high school students started hitting on you. 

“Hey, pretty girl, mind giving me your number?” a student in their uniform smirked as they blocked your way. 

“No thanks, I’m not interested.” you said pushing them away as you try to make your way away from them. 

“C’mon beautiful lady,” one of them grabbed onto your arm as you let go of your pepper spray. 

“Let me go!” you struggled as they got closer to you. 

“Didn’t she say to let her go?” A deep voice said, you knew that voice. 

The boys let go of you and there you stood, face to face with him. 

The one and only, Sawamura Daichi.

The boy you loved and said no to in high school. 

“D-daichi-senpai?” You looked like you had seen a ghost. 

“Y/n, can I talk to you for a minute? Preferably in my car…?” he rubbed the back of his neck. 

“Sure, but I’m meeting someone tonight.” You mumbled, slightly ashamed.

“I know.”

You looked up at him, “What do you mean, senpai?”

“Well for one, I’m onceavolleydad…”

You couldn’t believe what you had just heard. Sawamura Daichi, your senior, wanted you as his sugar baby. You were confused, not even mad or anything, but confused. 

“Were you stalking me? Who told you I was on the app? You don’t even know (f/n)...oh god, what if Hinata knows?” 

Your questions made you fall only for Daichi to catch you. As he was always calm, he asked you to follow him to his car. You reluctantly agreed and you both sat there, silent at first. Why, why was he doing this?

You thought he pitied you, but when you looked at his eyes, that wasn’t the emotion they held. His eyes had this unreadable emotion, or at least in that moment, it felt that way. 

He was the first to speak, “Look, (y/n) I know this is weird, but no I wasn’t stalking you. I signed up for the app the same way you did, upon the recommendation of a friend. I happened to see you and thought, I thought I should give it a shot.”

You stared straight into his eyes, something he honestly loved about you. He knew better than to shy away from your stare. He knew that if he wanted you to know he was sincere, he would have to keep eye contact with you. He still loved you, he knew that you were just scared back then, and that you didn’t want to risk anything because of your family. 

And here you were, risking everything for them once again, something he admired you for. He didn’t know how bad your circumstances were, nor was he sure that you would actually tell him. But he truly did want to reconnect with you, even if it were to be just as a friend. He wanted to befriend you once again, step by step, no matter how long it took. 

As you looked into his eyes, you could see that he was telling the truth, there was no pity in his eyes, but his eyes did hold a warmth to them. They felt so calming, they felt sweet and full of love. He’s as genuine as he ever was. And this was one of the things that drew you to him, something that you loved about the once captain of your high school volleyball team. But you didn’t want to be attached once more. After all, wasn’t this a business thing? But if it was, wouldn’t he be looking at you with pity? 

You stopped staring into his eyes and looked down at your lap, as your hands fiddled with your coat ties. Daichi stared, thinking about how you haven’t changed as much as you were in high school. He still saw you as the woman he liked, the beautiful dancer he saw that day…

Daichi was walking down the first years’ hallway in Karasuno, looking for the other second years classrooms on the same floor when he saw you. There you were, in an empty classroom, dancing with grace and poise. He wasn’t going to stare long, he was going to leave. But, he couldn’t stop, he kept staring at you, enthralled by your beauty as you felt the song. Eventually, a girl who was in the same class started watching you dance and he pretended to do something. 

“Thank you...I’m (l/n) (y/n) by the way.”

He hears you say this as he walks away, hmm, (l/n) (y/n). Maybe I'll see her around. 

Your dance shook him and consumed his nights, he wanted to get to know you and how you could have such an effect on him. 

He eventually got the chance when Kiyoko had come in one day with you and your friend, Yachi and introduced you both as the new first year managers. He was over the moon and he almost lost his composure, something the other third years were quick to notice. As you studied what to do with Yachi, he couldn’t help but stare. 

Sugawara nudged him, “Hey, Daichi… do you know the first years? You keep staring at (y/n)-chan~” 

He abruptly stopped staring, as the older setter and ace laughed, “Shut it, both of you.”

“Daichi’s got a crush~” Sugawara teases as Asahi tries to calm down a stressed Daichi.

Eventually, you did become close friends. You were there when he got that injury from crashing into Tanaka. He could remember you crying over it as you were the one sent to watch over him. 

“Don’t cry (y/n)-chan”

You started crying more as he reassured you that he was okay, “B-but you g-got hurt Daichi-senpai. You’re bleeding, it must hurt a lot.”

He tried to laugh but winced as soon as he did, “Don’t worry (y/n)-chan, I’ll be fine. You’re here aren't you? So that means I’ll get better because you care for me!” 

You had finally stopped crying and you gave him a weak smile, “Okay Daichi-senpai, I’ll be here!”

Once you two had returned he felt content that you were feeling better, it even made him forget about the pain in his face and the tooth he lost. 

“You wanted to talk about your boundaries?” He said as his voice snapped you out of your own thoughts. 

You stared at him with wide eyes, “...Well that is, if you would still accept?”

You didn’t know what to say, you didn’t exactly think that you were going to reconnect in such a way. “Daichi-senpai I know you mean well but I-”

“But what? You don’t want to feel like you’re leeching off someone you know? (y/n) I chose you because I wanted to see you again, no matter what the circumstances were. I don’t know if you’re with anyone or anything but I can be a friend. Just a friend, I can be a shoulder to lean on” Daichi put a hand on top of one of yours.

There was a moment of silence, he knew you were conflicted. 

“Okay, I know I must’ve overwhelmed you, but I hope you know I'm alway-”

“I’ll do it. I’ll be your friend.” you held onto his hand for a bit and smiled.

He smiled back, he wanted to kiss you right then and there, but he knew that he would be a friend in your eyes. Hopefully, only for now and not in the future. 

He let go of your hand when your grip loosened, not wanting to make things awkward, “Alright, why don’t we talk about the boundaries we’ll set in the cafe over some tea?” 

Once you woke up the next day, you had a scarf on your bed next to your coat, a scarf that wasn’t yours…

You were on your way to the park as you and Daichi felt that it would be better to get some fresh air as the cafe was teeming with high school students trying to study for their classes. The air was cold, and you shivered a little. Soon enough Daichi had taken off his scarf. 

“No, Daichi-senpai, you don’t have to do this, it's completely fine.” you try giving him back the scarf but he starts wrapping it around you.

Once you had given up he gives you a bright smile, “There we go. That’s better isn’t it?”

He tucked the strands of hair away from your face and you both turned red as he realized what he had done. ��Ah (y/n) I’m sorry I didn’t mean to…”

As he heard your dorky laugh he was met with confusion, “It’s okay senpai. You didn’t mean any harm, I know.”

He laughed the awkwardness away as you two sat a little bit apart on a park bench. The air was awkward, but somehow calming at the same time. You didn’t know what to say but eventually you started talking about uni and other things, and you felt at ease… just like the way you felt with Hinata… 

You shook your head, he’s your friend, that's all there is to it. It was a Saturday and you were getting ready to work at the local bakeshop when you got a text from Hinata. 

“Hey (y/n)! Are you free after your shifts at the bakeshop today? Kenma and Akaashi-san are going to be visiting today.” 

You smiled, it had been a while since you’ve seen those two and you were always happy to see them. Akaashi and Kenma have been some of your most supportive friends, sure they were quiet, but they were always there for you. They were there for you when your mom slipped into her coma, they were there when you first failed a dance recital… but of course, someone who has been there since the beginning would be Hinata. To spend a day with your favorite boys would be wonderful.

“Yeah, I’ll be free by around 3:00pm, is that fine?”  you reply to him.

Soon enough the next reply comes in as you wave goodbye to your sister and leave the house. You had already arranged for a cousin to pick up your little sis to watch her for the day and she was on her way to your place. 

“Alright! We’ll come to get you then, wear something nice to work okay ;>” 

As you looked down at your skirt and sweater you chuckled and sent a selfie to him, “Is this good enough? xD”

You got a reply almost immediately, “No fair, why’d you send a picture?”

You put your phone in your bag after replying to him and head on to your workplace ready to start the day.

Work was tiring but fun at the same time. There were times that you would be serving the customers and times that you would be behind the cash register or even times when you would create latte art or frosting art to help the bakers. The cute uniform you wore at work was a plus too. It was one of those fun days when you would be serving customers. Most of the customers at the bakeshop you worked at were nice people. 

There was this nice high school couple who were now your friends, they went to a school nearby and they loved sharing stories with you, their senior. There was also the grandmother who loved stopping by to buy the best meat buns for her grandkids. There are so many nice people who come to your shop on a regular basis that it's like you all have this small community together. 

Today however, wasn’t one of those days. There was one customer that had found you cute and wouldn’t stop asking you for your number. Your manager had even tried to intervene by changing servers from you to a male co-worker but this customer would not budge. He would still try to get you to stop when you would pass by his table. You didn’t think that he would actually do anything, but you were wrong. As you passed by with an empty tray he grabbed your arm and smiled sweetly, something you found sickening.

“C’mon sweet cheeks, a number is all I ask for.” his grip tightened. 

You tried to get away from him as your co-workers were on alert, “I’m sorry would you please let me go? I’m not interested.”

He was about to pull you closer when someone stepped in front of you, “She said she wasn’t interested, so let her go.”

It was Daichi, he had saved you once more. 

Little did you know, someone else had wanted to save you…

Your three friends, Hinata, Kenma and Akaashi were on the way to the bakeshop you worked at. They were walking down the street when Kenma asked HInata about how you were. 

“She’s doing fine, but she still has the same feel, nothing has actually changed…” Hinata sighed  deeply, wishing you would notice his feelings. 

Akaashi looked up from his phone, “You do know, that she’s changed a little, right?”

Kenma nods in agreement as they kept walking, “She wouldn’t send you random pictures before. How could you have not noticed, Shoyo?” 

Hinata stopped in his tracks, and smiled as wide as he could. “She does do that now!” 

He then starts talking about how pretty you are and how much he loves you. You were the brightest light in his life, no matter what they would say. He wanted to be there with you, every step of the way. He was there when you felt like the world was against you. You were his inspiration during volleyball games. Whenever you had time to visit his games he would look at you and play the best he could. 

They walked down to the corner of the street and turned left, only for Kenma and Akaashi to stop walking in front of the bakeshop as Hinata kept going on about you.

“Hey, what-” He freezes when he sees you being held onto by a man who clearly is making you uncomfortable. He was about to step in when Akaashi stops him, he would’ve hit Akaashi if it weren’t for Kenma pointing to the direction of the bakeshop door, the one person Hinata couldn’t help but not want near you, no matter how selfish it sounded, was there, and he saved you instead of him.  

Sawamura Daichi was back into your life somehow, and he knew that it was going to be something that might hurt one of you in the end.

Daichi had stood in front of you and the customer, his other hand holding yours, it gave you a sense of comfort. He smiled at the customer, not a nice one, but a smile that asserted power the customer tried to put on a strong front but eventually muttered an apology. 

“Sorry, did you say anything? I believe this lady deserves a proper apology.” He said as your coworkers blocked off the man from leaving. 

The man looked down, “Okay, I’m sorry! I won’t be bothering her again…”

Daichi nodded and smiled at you before glaring at the man once more, “If you touch or try to harass my girlfriend one more time, I won’t be as nice.”

You blushed a little at his words and looked at him wide eyed, he only winked at you as the customer left the bakeshop. 

Soon enough you two were seated near the cash register, “Are you alright (y/n)? I’m sorry if I went too far I only wanted him to stop bothering you.” 

“It's okay senpai,” you reassured him, “I know you mean to keep me safe.”

“You know you can call me Daichi, we aren’t in high school anymore, and I preferred if you called me that…” his cheeks turned into a reddish hue. 

You hid your somewhat excitement and agreed, “Alright, Daichi.”

You then see Kenma, Akaashi, and Hinata enter the bakeshop and you waved them over with a smile. 

“(y/n)!” Akaashi gives you one of his rare smiles as he hugs you, “it’s been a while.”

Kenma gave you a nod and you did your weird handshake as Akaashi laughed and Hinata gave a weaker one. 

“Oh, I hope you don’t mind that Daichi is here?” you smile at your friends who were also friends with Daichi once. 

“I hope I’m not intruding,” he smiled as he caught up with Akaashi and Kenma, Hinata staying off to the side a little, wanting to talk to you about how this all happened. 

“So... How did you guys reconnect?” Hinata asked you with curious eyes. 

“Oh, we saw each other yesterday when I needed to go out for a bit.” You weren’t lying to him, technically. 

He nodded, “I see, I see. How did he find this place?”

Daichi overheard and smiled at Hinata, “I was recommended this place by some friends, Kuroo and Bokuto to be exact.” 

Hinata smiled weakly, still conflicted by the feeling of hating his former captain, or accepting the fate that has brought them to reconnect and hopefully be friends again. But then, he knew that the latter had more risks than merits. But he knew that Daichi never really meant harm towards anyone. In fact, Hinata has always admired Daichi for this, but he knew that this would mean that he could take you away…

You, Hinata and the rest of the boys spent the whole afternoon together at the park after your shifts were over. You enjoyed doing the simple things like getting ice cream together and going to bookstores and other small shops. When the day was over, Kenma and Akaashi bid the rest of you goodbye as you now walked with Daichi and Hinata on either of your sides. The silence felt slightly awkward but calming to you. But on the inside, you were panicking internally as these were the boys you loved beyond the bounds of friendship. 

“I should probably get home,” you chuckle lightly. 

“I’ll drive you-”

“I’ll walk you-” 

They both say at the same time as you laughed at them both. 

“Hmm, who should I have escort me home~?” you teased. 

The three of you laughed together, your laugh less tension filled than theirs. Once the laughter died down you stared out a bit, thinking of who you would choose. 

“Ah, I know, how about a game of rock paper scissors?” you set them up for a challenge and neither man wanted to fail. 

They both nodded, Daichi extending his arm out to make a fist, Hinata following suit. 

“Rock” 

“Paper” you put your hands on theirs, 

“Scissors…” both of them are now even more determined to hear your laugh and the words good night said to one of them and only one of them. 

You let go and they choose their stances once you say “Shoot!”

Daichi wins with rock, over Hinata’s scissors. 

Hinata pouts as Daichi laughs a little, and for a moment, it felt as if you were back in high school… Hinata felt like it was just yesterday when he had figured things out. 

“Oi, Hinata! Quit slacking off watching y/n & Yachi. We need to get this right!” a frustrated first year Kageyama Tobio yells to the orange-haired boy a few spots away from him on the court.

Hinata gets hit by a flying volleyball to his head, “Kageyama, you’re just like Iwaizumi san!”

The three girls on the side of the court laugh as they take notes and help the others. y/n looks up from her notes and smiles at him, giving him a thumbs up. 

Hinata turned red a little, he never understood why he felt this way, or why he would turn red whenever y/n smiled at him. Turning away to focus, he seemed more fired up than ever to those on and off the court. 

Daichi had gone up to you after the game and was joking around with you and Ennoshita. Hinata felt a weird growing feeling of annoyance in him every time you would laugh at Daichi’s jokes. He hated it the most when he would ruffle your hair and you would become flustered. 

“Oi, stop staring daggers into our Captain idiot!” Kageyama said as Yachi handed him his water bottle. 

Yachi looked into the direction the two boys were staring at and she chuckled. Hinata looked at the blonde and tilted his head in confusion. The girl just kept laughing as his growing annoyance still stayed, as if it was going to eat him up. 

She looked at Hinata and stopped laughing. Yachi took a deep breath and stared Hinata in the eye, “You need to listen to what I say, okay Hinata-kun?”

He looked even more puzzled but looked to y/n and Daichi once more…”Alright Yacchan what is it?”

“...Have you ever considered that you may be crushing on y/n-chan?” 

Hinata felt like he was hit with a volleyball of realization...and ever since then, his feelings have not changed. 

“Hinata, is it alright for me to take y/n home? Would you want a ride too?” Daichi asked as you and him stared at the tangerine haired boy. 

He smiled and shook his head, “No it’s okay senpai, I’m meeting Kageyama today.”

Technically not a lie, since he would call his close friend out tonight after all this. 

You pout and Hinata swore that he would’ve melted, “You didn’t tell me you were meeting Kageyama-kun.”

He laughed it off, “It was sort of last minute…” 

“It's okay!” you assure him “But you have to tell kageyama that we should all meet soon okay?”

He nods and you leave with Daichi after the older male waves and smiles to Hinata. 

He could already feel some of high school’s pain come creeping up at him. 

“Hey Kageyama, can we go drinking tonight?” He asks on the phone and Kageyama already knows what's up. 

[parkersvibes]

finding out peter is spiderman

read part one here

a/n: omg guys. i got so much feedback from you all on part one so i decided to make a part 2. and yeahh i really hope you guys enjoy. if you do lmk and i’ll do a part 3 (:

(i also apologize if the read more doesnt work )))): )

warnings: fluff, a smidge on angst

pt 2. peter parker x stark!reader

• figuring out he was spiderman

• alright you’re a stark

• but no one knows that

• but you’re really intuitive

• so there were little things you started to notice

• after uncle ben died there was some weird shit (if you want a part ab comforting peter ab uncle ben lemme know. he deserves his own part)

• like how he stopped wearing his adorable glasses

•and i guess started almost bulking up????

• he got WAY taller

• and usually you’re used to seeing him shirtless but this one time you walked in on him

• holy mother of god

• IT WAS LIKE HE GREW ABS OVER NIGHT

• BECAUSE FRESHMAN PETE DID NOT HAVE A 6 PACK

• freshman peter also got winded walking up the stairs

• AND NOW HE’S RUNNING LAPS IN GYM LIKE ITS NOTHING ??

• must be nice

• but then things got more sus

• all of a sudden he was skipping class more

• leaving early

• cancelling study sessions and skipping movie nights with ned

• and you and ned were clueless

• you and ned started hanging out more

• MR. LEEDS IS HILARIOUS LEMME TELL YOU

• he was like this little ball of happiness

• you found out his real name is Edward

• HOW CUTE

• and WOW HIS MOM BEING FILIPINA MEANT THAT YOU WERE BEING FED ALL THE TIME OH MY GOD

• ngl pete got a bit jealous

• one night,,, when pete cancelled YET AGAIN

• ned asked you, “hey y/n?”

• “hm”

• “why don’t we ever hang out at your place”

• “i told you ned, my family is just a lot yanno. plus your family and may are really cool”

• “okay but how come you don’t have any social media under your name?”

• “wdym?”

• “like you go by ‘y/n Smith’ but everything that pops up on the internet isn’t YOU”

• “pfff i told you,,, i dont believe in that stuff”

• “y/n, you know you can tell me anything”

• you wanted to be honest. this was one of your best friends. and you’ve been lying to them about your family for over a year now

• “ned i just. it’s complicated”

• “like peter’s family?”

• “nonono, i’m lucky to have both of my parents- well i have a step mom. my real mom wanted nothing to do with me. so she left me on the steps of my dads house. never came back”

• “oh shit bro, i’m sorry”

• “nah don’t worry. my dad is really cool and my step mom... she’s awesome.”

• “what’re their names”

• NATASHA WAS GONNA KILL YOU IF SHE COULD SEE HOW BAD YOU WERE STRUGGLING

• “well- uh- my step moms name is,,, um. well her real name is Virginia”

• THE WORLD KNEW PEPPER AS PEPPER NOT VIRGINIA

• “and my- my dads name is ehm... st, steve???”

• natasha was gonna have your ass

• “y/n,,,”

• “yeah”

• “you’re a horrible liar”

• “PFFF WHAAAT? NO IDEA WHAT YOU’RE TALKING ABOUT”

• “dude you left your spiderman fan tumblr open on my laptop that one night,,, and i MAY have done some snooping”

• okay you mightve had a slight obsession with the webslinger. HE WAS COOL. and what better way to keep track of him without alerting your family,,, good ol tumblr

• oh god ned, HOW MUCH SNOOPING”

• “enough to know that you have a weird obsession with that spider guy and that your last name isnt smith”

• so you told him the truth. you were a stark

• and well,,, he reacted with

• “okay cmon,,, don’t lie”

• so you showed him your late night dance parties with Nat when she was feeling goofy

• and your random snaps of steve when he was trying to figure out how to work technology

• videos of you reacting to vines with bucky

(if yall wanna see domestic life with the avengers just lmk)

• which usually results with THE WINTER SOLDIER ALMOST PEEING HIS PANTS. and trying to reenact it with sam or the other avengers

• “heyheyehy y/n guess what?”

• “what bucky?” *is in the middle of doing hw*

• “FRESHOVACADO” *bolts out of the room before you throw something at him*

• only the two of you getting vine and meme references

• (meaning getting in trouble during meetings bc you’ll make eye contact and start laughing)

• OH HIS FAVORITE IS THE “country boiiii, i love you,,, 😛”

• anywaayyy

• ned was SHOOK

• “nowayohmygodyoureanavenger”

• “no ned,,, only when they need me to be”

• *led to him asking 100000 questions*

• “does Mr. America smell like old man”

• “what language does Ms. Widow think in”

• “how many shirts does Mr. Hulk own”

• “so do they wear normal clothes or are they always PREPARED”

• “does your dad have to walk a weird way when hes in his suit”

• “do they ever chafe in their suits”

• “yes ned. we’re stocked up on baby powder”

• which you didnt mind bc it felt nice telling the truth

• ned WANTED TO TELL PETER SO BAD

• “ned no, i don’t want him to think of me differently”

• he understood. but still defended peter and said that hed still treat you the same

• anyway,,, peter started showing up with bruises and stuff which had you v concerned

• “pete what’s up? you’ve been avoiding ned and i and you have skipped out on every movie night since sophomore year started”

• “t’s nothing. dont worry ab it”

• “peter cmon, it’s just me”

• you figured maybe it had to do with ben??? but you gave him his space. you just wanted to be there for him yanno. you didnt want him to shut you out

• “Y/N I SAID ITS NOTHING. FOR FUCKS SAKE CAN YOU LEAVE ME ALONE???” he snapped (and not in the good way)

• and this was on your way to class so the whole hallway heard

• ouch

• so you left him alone. probably more than he meant. but it hurt

• i mean he was your first friend here, and now he yelled at you to leave you alone

• ned felt awful at first. trying to comfort you and tell you it wasnt your fault

• but then he started acting weird. whenever you brought up peter hed be super antsy about it

• you- “i think he got into another fight or something”

• ned- “pFFT PETER? FIGHTING? no way,,, i got-i gotta go”

• so you figured that whatever peter was hiding, ned knew about,, which also hurt your feelings

• so you closed off

• and wow could the super family tell something was wrong

• wanda- “little stark, i can feel your sadness all the way to my room”

• sam/bucky/rhodes- “okay what’s the deal, we’ve played 5 rounds of fortnite and you havent once rage quit even though you’re doing terrible”

• tony- “kid, what’s wrong? everyone here can tell you’re not feeling great”

• nat- “cmon. ive given you 3 opportunities to kick my ass and you havent once complained about me going easy?”

• thor- “lady y/n what is causing you distress? not once have you smiled, i even wore my hair in pigtails,,, and that seems to always do the trick”

• and you gave the same response every time “‘m just tired” “lots of homework”

• they noticed you werent going out on weekends anymore

• so tony figured that your friend group and you were having some Stuff

• pep gave him an idea of meeting his new prodigy

• now tony knew it’d be kinda sus because peter went to midtown but he figured that if the kid kept his mask on it’d be fine

• “dad i don’t wanna see another one of your weird maid robots”

• “wha- no i want you to meet someone”

• “dad college isn’t for another 2 years. if it’s your friend from MIT-“

• then right before your eyes was the insect boy that youve been admiring through the internet

• needless to say

• your jaw dripped

• “y/n meet spiderling, spiderling meet my daughter y/n stark”

• *seconds pass*

• “i uh- oH- um- sp-spidERman, h-hi. biG fan of you- your work”

• *silence*

• you- “oH dad diD you hear th-that? moM is calling mE”

• tony- “what?? pep wouldve called on the interco-“

• spiderman- “y/n”

• you- SHOOK TO THE CORE BECAUSE YOU KNEW THAT VOICE. THAT WAS THE VOICE THAT SOUNDED LIKE HONEY BUT COULD CUT YOU DEEPER THAN ANY WEAPON IN YOUR HOUSE

• you- “p-peter???”

• tony- *shocked pikachu face* “you know each other???”

• you- “so-something like that yeah”

• peter takes off his mask

• “ohmygodpeterisspiderman”

• “ohmygodyourlastnameisntsmith”

• tony- “im gonna let you guys figure this out” *walks backward slowly*

*insert silence*

• you- “so this is what you were hiding, huh?” with a cold tone

• “IM HIDING? YOU LIED ABOUT YOUR WHOLE HOME LIFE TO NED AND I”

• *yelling at each other for another minute. even though you couldnt hear what the other is saying*

• you- *yelling loudest “I DIDNT WANT YOU TO SEE ME DIFFERENTLY OKAY”

• peter- “you really thought id do that?” (heartbreaking voice)

• you- “i- once i got to know you, i knew you wouldnt but i was scared. i didn’t know how to tell you. for once in my life i had found someone my age who liked ME for ME. not for my name or money or my dad. and i didn’t want to change that. i’m sorry i didn’t tell you sooner”

• peter- “... i get what you mean. after ben died everyone gave me that look. except you and ned.”

• you- “why didn’t you tell me”

• peter- “everyone i love or ever cared about dies. my parents and then my uncle ben. so once i got my abilities i knew that the risk was even higher and i didn’t want to put you in that position. i wanted to keep you safe. but it seems like you know how to handle yourself” (referring to the fact that you grew up with THE EARTHS MIGHTIEST HEROS)

• y/n- “so how come ned found out?”

• peter *scratches back of neck* “well- he- i- May let him in my room and i happen to be crawling on the ceiling in my suit and he dropped the death star” *head hangs in shame*

• you had to giggle at that i mean CMON

• you stepped closer to him

• “pete you’re my best friend. you can tell me anything okay?”

• “no more secrets?”

• “no more secrets”

• and you both pinky promise and your thumbs “kiss” bc IF THEY ITS THE ULTIMATE UNBREAKABLE VOW DONT @ ME

• peter parker gives you the biggest hug that maKES YOUR HEART JUMP BC PHYSICAL CONTACT WITH A PERSON AS PRETTY AS HIM MAKES YOUR HEART FEEL A CERTAIN WAY

• but you wrapped your arms around his neck and enjoyed the moment

• wow he is really cozy

• * the avengers are watching from the cameras in awe*

• led to MANY questions at dinner

• and so everything went back to “normal”

• it wasn’t until you went to bed that night that you realized peter said the L word

• WHAT

• so much for no secrets

taglist: @silver-winter-wolf @emmmmszy @everythingaboutnothingsstuff @rexorangecouny @wishiwasanavenger @marjoherbo @nologinisoksothatsit @mindset-jupiter @hpnjrph @soup238

some favs/mutrals: @h-osterfield @starksparker @stuckonspidey @sunshinehollandd @keepingupwiththeparkers @hey-marlie @spyder-bites

[inkskinned]

literally just a dumb unorganized list of school tips

source: im a grad student. i’ve had a lot of school. also i’m adhd & mentally ill and require +8 organization. this is mostly directed @ college students, but maybe high school students can use it too, fuck, idk, it’s been forever since i was stuck in that hell hole

just say “professor” either ur using the correct title for a person (will make them feel good) or you’re giving them a bigger title on the assumption they deserve it (which will make them feel good) and also prevents having to ever i mean ever use their names

talk at least 1 time a week in each class, aim for 1 time a day. even lecture classes. i fucking hate talking in front of more than 5 people, so what i would do is prepare a question about the hw/etc (even if i didn’t need it answered) to ask the professor after class so they saw me and got used to me and saw i was invested in their class. about 89% of teachers - if they see you try, they will pass you. i mean it’s literally that easy. i know people who went from like a c- but because they legit tried, their grade got bumped up to a b-. 

if u have to bring a laptop, pre-download the required material/screenshot it, and then turn off your wifi. it’s too easy to not listen.

physical writing will always give you more information recall over typing.

nobody cares about stupid shit anymore trust me they don’t remember that you were accidentally locked in a towel out of your room bc they have their own dumb shit that happened.... in college all the “cringe culture” turns into “god i wish that were me” culture ... wear ur onesie to a party trust me you make +800 friends and 799 of them will be girls telling you you’re adorable and they’d die for you

about locking urself out.... if ur like me and can breeze past post-it notes placed in obvious areas, don’t be a dumb bitch and rely on post-it-notes. while most schools offer 1 free lockout, dont rely on it - it once took 2 hours before someone could get to me. i was in a towel, which meant no phone. so like. anyway, what i do now is i put something on the handle of the door i have to open/unlock. i can’t just open the door w/out the thing falling down and making a loud “you dumb bitch unlock the door before u shower” sound. 

this works for all important don’t-forget it things. other obstacles i’ve used to remind myself to do something include: putting a chair with my wholeass posterboard in front of the door, an entire printer with a single piece of paper that just read “for the love of god check to be sure you have that essay”, and a recycling bin i kept forgetting to empty. guess what bitch finally emptied the bin once it was between me and a swift exit!

no offense and like the whole “it’s the best years of your life!” thing is great but in reality everything goes better scholastically when you treat it as “i came here to win, not to make friends.” i still did make friends, went to parties every weekend, was popular enough i’d be invited to several on one night - but i came there to win. when i put my scholastic life and my mental health first, i went from a 2.0 to a 3.98. yes you can, bitch.

you’re spending the money. don’t squander it. trust me when i say i know plenty of people who breeze through, bc you often can. but like. don’t. challenge yourself bc like. talk about an investment.

if you hate your major, change it. don’t make your life something you can’t stand. on that note, do NOT agree 100% to a track until you have at least some experience in the field. i cannot tell u how many ppl i know who got their whole masters/phd program done, walked into their new profession, and were like, Oh Fuck, I Can’t Live Like This.

college literally offers so many free things and if you’re not taking advantage of them whenever possible i get it but like. try to take advantage of them. this is everything from your gym (which probably has free classes dude) to clubs to like. sober events. these sober events are so ... fuckin good dude i’ve made mason jars with little plants in em... bee aviaries... candles.... go to the free stuff

oh ps on free stuff i wanna say about 4 of 5 days there’s free food on campus just look for things like job fairs, presentations, or discussion groups. also while you’re there at the job fair like. u know, go to the job fair in earnest

i took off 2 years to work and also to just. recover from my bullshit. and it took me 6 years and 3 schools to get my bachelor’s. it wasn’t easy but bitch i lived. there’s no such thing as “too long” to graduate if that’s truly what you want to do.

if on the meal plan, eat as clean as you can the first week. then introduce each part of the cafeteria’s possibly-food-poisoning-creating foods one at a time. give @ least 2 days between each experiment so you know for sure if you get sick what caused it. i literally never eat meat at school but you can still get sick off of unwashed lettuce/salad dressing that hasn’t been refrigerated properly/weirdass things you won’t even think of. this prevents like. dying in a public bathroom.

white loaf bread can be gross & boring. discount bakery section for your slightly chewy artisianal bread needs. if overstale, either toast it or dunk it into water and microwave it (unless u got an oven. use the oven if u can)

steal as many apples from the dining hall/events/etc as physically possible just do it they keep FOREVER and @ some point you’ll be like. fUCK i need a nutrition. ps if you’re keeping them in ur backpack (i wouldn’t keep more than 2) make sure to wrap w/a few paper towels so if you drop your bag you don’t get apple mush

write it all down bitch. “i’ll remember it” no you won’t. unless you are capable of remembering every idea on this list and in order, you won’t remember it. in general, if you write something 3 times, you will recall it correctly at least 80% of the time. i also read it out loud to myself, bc, you know, auditory recall

DO NOT just put your assignment at the top of your notes, unless you’re 100% sure that will work for you. in most cases, it’s much better to have a planner/agenda/place you expect to look for assignments. +7 points if you lie to yourself about deadlines and move them all up.

like not to sound too much like a DARE ad but like. if you don’t like it/don’t want it, don’t fuckin do it. the idea that “there’s nothing to do if you don’t party” is such bullshit. like i promise if you’re like “i am a grouch and want to stay in and binge netflix” about 45 ppl will show up in pjs like “bitch fullscreen it, im a grouch too.” there’s also like. the chance to just.... not overindulge. on wednesdays i have “wine wednesdays” where we sit around and drink a glass of wine while we do our hw. it’s chill and friendly instead of like. drink until u vomit. don’t feel like you either gotta slam the breaks or the gas pedal, is what i mean.

PLEASE know the signs of alcohol poisoning/overdose. most schools have a “Safety Always Matters Most” policy, which means that you can call for help w/out getting into trouble. if you think someone is in danger, act. this also goes for making sure ppl get home safe even if they’re just incapacitated, not poisoned. step in, dudes.

also just. notice when ur starting to rely on stuff too much. i’m super easily addicted to things, so i keep a healthy distance from liquor. i don’t let myself “drink to feel better” bc that’s a scary, scary thing to link to feeling better. if you or somebody u know starts drinking all the time/gets anxious if they don’t drink/drinks in the daytime .... get help. schools have counselling services for a reason.

you’re gonna get a cold/flu of some sort in the first 2 months just brace for it. in the meantime, drink vitamin c, try not to touch too many handles, and when people say “there’s something going around” believe them.

watch kaplan nike just do it 

if you can teach it, you know the material. a super good way of knowing if you studied the right way is to try and teach the material to a stuffed animal/imaginary class.

“i don’t know how to study” bitch me too the fuck. this is usually bc we’ve been taught that studying is just sitting down and staring @ ur notes. it’s not. it’s different for everyone, and you need to understand it’s 99% preventative care. if you don’t go to the class or do the homework, studying is going to fucking suck, bc you’re learning the material all at once for the first time. the place you should consider “studying” is “i’m confident in 70-90% of the material, but need to review.” do not let yourself fall behind .... just go to office hours and ask questions if ur not getting something. studying should feel like you’re remembering what you already knew but kinda forgot, not like you’ve been blindsided.

the whole “writing it down in ur own words” while u have been told this 700 times it really helps bc it means u gotta translate it through your own understanding. if you can’t, and it’s not bc the material seems too obvious to you to state in another way - ask yourself if you don’t understand the material. chances are u are missing a bit of info.

i know it’s like A Thing that Some People do but i never had the mental health points for it but i know some people just take 15 minutes after every class to review their notes. since i’m 100% early to every class ever, obnoxiously so, i try to do it before class. having the last class’s notes up in my head super helps. like. put down the phone i know you’re socially anxious me too but review those notes. chances are if u start flipping through pages other ppl will too. this is also fun bc as soon as you start this whole thing, at least one person will be like “is there a test?” no bitch there’s no test but im gonna be ready when there is!

literally so much of success is fucking posturing i could link about 800 peer-edited studies that show that when a student is expected to do well (and knows they are), they do well. like i literally didn’t change my appearance at all, never bothered to look nice (once winter hits i wear 67 layers all the time), but when i showed up after my 2 years off from school, i presented myself with the whole “i came here to win” vibe and people... really respected me? i mean in hs i remember ppl saying shit like “yeah, well, you aren’t gonna have the homework”. by the time i was in college i had an honest-to-god conversation which included someone being like “so tell me what you’re overachieving at right now” like they just expected it from me. wild.

i live by “bite off more than you can chew, and then CHEW IT” but it’s probably unhealthy. the truth is that i have a lot of energy all the time (lmao adhd!!!) and i used to get told i was “trying too hard” and for a long time (still???) i didn’t (i don’t?) know what that was, you know, bc i had a D average, clearly i wasn’t trying. it turns out i was just. putting all my energy into stuff that wasn’t making me happy like toxic friendships etc. when i decided “nope, all this energy is for me and my schoolwork”..... uhhhhh suddenly i was a golden child and everyone praised my try-hardness ... it’s a fuckt up system tbh

take at least 1 class just for fun. i try to do that every semester. it helps break up all the requirements. if you’re like an engineer and got no time or credits left to spend, try to audit your fun course.

make ur advisor love you i don’t care what it takes make them cupcakes show up to thank them i dONT CARE just do it 

the library isn’t always the best place. if i start getting anxious bc i pavlovian train myself that library=work, i find a new place to go to do hw. try to go outside if you can!!! not like where i live bc like it’s snow all the time but try. a little green really really really helps depression. 

if you’ve been in the same “Studying” place for 1 hour and haven’t done anything the chances are Something Isn’t Right. first, look @ ur body. are you not focusing bc of some pressing physical need? sometimes just taking a shower and coming back helps. are you uncomfy? are you too comfy and going to sleep? if body okay, look @ the material. do you not understand it? do you just need to switch to a new topic for a little bit? can you find a youtube video that will help you better understand it? make notes on what you don’t get so you can ask in the next class. if it’s not the material, it’s not ur bod, check the Actual Space. sometimes just getting up, going for a short walk to a new place, and trying it there actually? really works? if none of this is working.... try ur brain next. hardest to reset bc like, what, turn it on and off again? i use things like caffeine, a short workout, a nap, or a podcast all to just... give me a little boost. 

don’t be afraid to leave. i mean this about class, friend groups, and the college ur at. just get up on outta there if ur not feelin it. i cannot recommend “drop the class” enough. even if it’s a required course see if u can switch the times if u hate the professor day 3 it’s not gonna get better just get the fuCK out

don’t nap in the same position u go to sleep in, nap upside down w/ur head away from ur pillow. don’t ask me why but it works to 1. fall asleep faster 2. make sure u sleep okay at night and 3. wake up less annoyed 

on that note don’t ever do anything in ur bed in a sleeping position unless it’s genuinely sleeping in it. body will get confused. just sit up, lazybones.

when/if the library has those therapy dogs during finals week.... just go pet them make the time for it

ask before hugging people, but don’t expect a “yes”

get a backpack that fits and doesn’t hurt ur back u fuckin hippie idc how cool it is to wear ur backpack super low just don’t do it it’s not worth it

the tutoring center is a fucking goldmine.... free essay edits my dudes

bring a fan dorms are always hotter than u expect

switch dorms if u can if u realize ur in the wrong room/wrong roomate like just don’t bother with nonsense

when in doubt, follow preschool rules. tell ppl when they did something cool, just ask when u need help, and be confident even in your mistakes, because at least u tried

[ivyylai]

letters to Dad

7/2018 Did I really want the whole world to know each time I cried while doing homework or those times when the tears wouldn’t stop while I was driving your car. What about the pain I felt when I found your business card or a note with your calligraphy? Would that make them understand what a loss I had? Would they know that you were the best father anyone could have asked for? Would they know what a huge movie fanatic you were and how I bawled when I tried accessing the charter.net account only to find that I didn’t know the single most important question: your favorite movie of all time. I sat there and cried some more. I wish I spent more time with you. I wish I had stayed in the ICU that last night. 10/2018 I hate myself for wanting to go home because I couldn’t bear to see you attached to all the machines. I replay the moment I sprung up in bed to head to the hospital only to find that mom and I were too late. The past few months after were a complete blur to me, but I know that our family and friends were there. 11/2018 I work in the healthcare field now and I see patients who look a lot like you—the average Chinese dad dressed in Ralph Lauren polos tucked in with faded blue jeans and glasses with rubber nose pads. I wonder if they have someone like me, who idolized you, in their lives. Often times, I see older patients who come in with their daughters or sons, and they have binders filled with past medical history, recent lab and imaging reports. It makes me wish that I had the chance to do the same. It makes me wonder how scary it would have been to go through the illness alone— something that you put yourself through so that you wouldn’t make the family worry. I am angry that you pushed away your illness. I kept going to work and school and now i feel foolish for not giving you more time. The truth is that I was really scared of losing you or worse, watching my hero suffer with something that I couldn’t help with. You will always be a hero in my heart. P Now that I think about it, the average Chinese dad style is currently trending. 1/2019 These past months I haven’t stopped crying. Your passing has been the biggest heartbreak I have ever had to go through. I’ve cried so much and I don’t think I can stop. Everything makes me wish you were here Dad and I’m sorry that I can’t be stronger. 

 2/28/2019 Had a dream about you Dad. We were in the Monterey Park house, the one with a lot of staircases and patios. You were waiting to take me to school. I broke down crying because I was stressing out over hw and school. You tried giving me money but that wasnt the thing that made me happy. Then I hugged you and told you I love you and that you need to take care of your health. You assured me with your “ge thou la”. It meant you knew and most of the time— it meant that everything would be okay. You were really squishy. Then I woke up crying in pain. I wish I was able to tell you. I haven’t dreamed about you in so long. Maybe because I’ve been afraid of missing you or afraid of facing reality. I’m still numb and I’ll never stop being in so much pain. Dad I love you. I love you so much. Please take care of yourself and Grandpa. He passed away recently too. I hope you get to see your parents, brother, and sister. I hope you’re all truly happy up there. 

5/11/2019  A-bah. This year has been really hard on me. There were countless amount of days where I couldn’t find the strength to get out of bed and I stayed confined to our house while the world kept turning outside. I feel guilty for not being stronger, the way you would have wanted. Many times it feels as if my world stopped turning while everyone else moved on. Dad, I’ve been trying to fix it— I’m trying so hard to be happier, to do better things for people and for myself. But I’m still numb and I don’t know where to go from here. Dad, I’m really scared, lonely, and lost. I’m still hurt and I’m so sorry I am not stronger.

 5/12/2019 Dad, it’s Mother’s Day. I know it is silly to feel sad on Mother’s Day because you always told me that it’s a day dedicated to our hardworking and talented mother. Last year, mom had a huge surgery— and I remember you woke me up on the couch to make sure I spent the night with her while she was recovering at San Gabriel Valley Medical hospital. I spent the whole night with her then. Little did I know that you were actually trying your best to avoid the hospital because you were sick inside, ridden with unbearable amount of nerve pain and nausea. But the year prior to her surgery, do you remember when I paid for dinner after I got off of work at my restaurant job? We ate Korean bbq, which was also when you warned me to drive safely after only 1 shot of soju. I had just started driving then and I thought your comments were unnecessary. I will always treasure that memory with me as the ability to be financially stable enough to afford a nice dinner with my entire family, including my brother’s family. I remember you had so much fun that night and I hope you were proud of me.  I’m now president of my school club and I work with sick patients every day. It’s still extremely painful to know you are no longer here but I hope you are smiling as you see me make a difference in the world.  6/5/2019 Happy birthday A-bah. Today was a pretty good day at work. I thought a lot about how lucky I am to have been your daughter. Many people have fathers who were too busy working to give their children time. Some people didn’t even have fathers and some people had fathers who were unhappy with themselves so they inflict unhappiness upon their family. Not me, I was fortunate enough to be born to you, a humble, generous, good father who was sometimes too good to be true. You were always lenient with me and gave me time to learn from my own mistakes. You let me believe that I could do anything that I wanted. As a little girl, you spoiled me with toys and gifts every weekend, you fed me only the finest of foods even though we were not a rich family. You made me think that I was the luckiest little girl in the world and I still believe that. Any one who has ever crossed paths with you can would agree that you were a good man. One that worked hard to provide a beautiful home to his wife and kids. You were a humble man with a humor and you taught me what it means to be human: to not have all the money in the world but to live comfortably, eat just enough, and to be happy. I still miss your sashimi chef skills in the kitchen and I miss the loving phrase of “did you eat yet?” that you would ask whenever I came home from work or school. I hope I will be able to see you again someday. I’m trying my best to learn how to be comfortable and happy, something I didn’t quite understand before. Don’t worry Dad, I’m doing fine. I have our family and my friends to keep me company until I see you again. You are the best father I could have ever asked for and I am so grateful to have been your daughter.

[oddishfeeling]

i really had plans for this weekend to be all health n wellness based.. i was gonna go to yoga and therapy do all this “fill ur bucket up” type shit and then my dogs got into leftover valenties day chocolate.. the box was huge like 2 ft long. n so we rushed them to the pet ER & 5 hours & $500 later we brought them home. otis was throwing up charcoal the whole day. no yoga or therapy.

which means im going to need to pay special attention to how im dealing with my stress since i havent had a lot of time to wind down from the week before. i can still feel all the old tension in my lower back. doing 5 hrs of hw at the starbs earlier this evening def did not help.

i have a full social calendar this week too ((lol)) n idk how to feel about it i never do im just like . “got urself into these shenanigans again. shenan-againing.” n i deal n i go n its nvr as bad as i think itll be n im reminded i want these people in my life n realize how much i missed them only to be ultimately flung back into lonliness lol

anyways this is complaining under the guise of self awareness ill be the first one to say it lol

[thesportssoundoff]

“A cursed show in the middle of a treasure chest except all of the gold is getting corroded as hell” The UFC in Sao Paulo preview!

Joey

September 16th

Boy. Not gonna win a lot of fans with this one, I tell ya what. There's a certain air of "Whatever" with this card. The UFC committed to having a Brazilian fight night and you need a Brazilian to headline a Brazilian fight night except there's just one problem; a certain lack of Brazilians capable of main eventing a Brazilian fight night. They tried. They really tried to take this card and do SOMETHING with it but the reality is sometimes you can't make something from nothing. OH and this show starts at 10:30 PM. OH and it's just five main card fights. OH and there's like 20 things going on that weekend. OH and there's Conor/Khabib in two weeks. OH and there's injuries! OH and there's like EIGHT debuts on this thing. You see why this show might be a tough sell on a Saturday night? Chances are half the folks reading this will be asleep by the time the second fight rolls around. Despite all that, I got some stuff on this show so just bare with and God bless, ya got me here? If one wishes to be open minded (and honest about their MMA meth addiction), I can sell you on some of these fights which do represent some solid matchmaking in divisions where it’s hard to get it wrong.

Debuts: Marina Rodriguez, Andre Ewell, Agusto Sakai, Christos Giagos, Ryan Spann, Mayra Silva, Livia Souza, Luigi Vendramini

Fight Changes/Injury Cancellations: 7 (Glover Teixeira OUT, Thiago Santos IN vs Jimi Manuwa/Jimi Manuwa OUT, Eryk Anders IN vs Thiago Santos/Neil Magny OUT, Carlo Pedersoli IN vs Alex Oliveira/Elias Theodorou vs Antonio Carlos Jr CANCELLED/Belal Muhammad OUT, Luigi Vendramini IN vs Elizeu Zaleski/Keitlein Vieira vs Tonya Evinger CANCELLED, Mark Godbeer OUT, Ryan Spann IN vs Luis Henrique)

Headliners (fighters who have either main evented or co-main evented shows in the UFC): 9 (Eryk Anders, Lil Nog, Sam Alvey, Alex Oliveira, Renan Barao, Charles Oliveira, Evan Dunham, Thales Leites, Hector Lombard)

Fighters On Losing Streaks in the UFC: 6 (Luis Henrique, Renan Barao, Chase Sherman, Thales Leites, Hector Lombard, Alex Chambers)

Fighters On Winning Streaks in the UFC: 3 (Sam Alvey, Gillian Robertson, Elizeu Zaleski)

Main Card Record Since Jan 1st 2016 (in the UFC):  27-16

If you add Sam Alvey and Thiago Santos' fights together; they've fought 19 times. The other 8 fighters on this main card combined? 23 times

Thiago Santos- 6-3 Eryk Anders- 3-1 Sam Alvey- 7-3 Lil Nog- 1-1 Alex Oliveira- 5-2 Carlo Pedersoli- 1-0 Renan Barao- 1-3 Andre Ewell- 0-0 Marina Rodriguez- 0-0 Randa Markos- 3-3

Divisional Breakdown:

Light Heavyweight- 3 Welterweight- 3 Women's Strawweight- 2 Middleweight- 2 Lightweight- 2 Women's flyweight- 1 Heavyweight- 1

Too Low- Elizeu Zaleski vs Luigi Vendramini

The UFC has decided to bury poor Elizeu Zaleski onto the prelims for some reason and I lack the emotional understanding as to why. Perhaps it just boils down to not necessarily knowing what to do with him or whatever. ALL I know is that Zaleski has been the FOTN for 3 of his 6 UFC fights and got jobbed out of a POTNB the last time out as well. Let the dude shine and put him on a higher profile than the god damn Fight Pass prelims, dude.

Too High Up- Randa Markos vs Marina Rodriguez

I know, I know. Sam Alvey vs Lil Nog is on the main card and there are some clunky LHW/HW fights to be aware of. The UFC has these new Brazilian Contender Series dudes they're excited about who they want to turn into at the VERY LEAST competent mid level rankings fighters. I get all of that. I can EVEN be sold on the desire to find and develop new 115 lbers.  Still this fight on paper has serious stank ass potential. Randa Markos is more of a snoozy grinder (she's had nine UFC fights and been a bonus winner just once) who is probably the WORST kind of fighter if you wanted to show off somebody. Chances are this is going to go all fifteen minutes and we're going to be kicking off a 10:30 PM main card with a fifteen minute snoozy decision. Bad set up here.

Stat Monitor for 2018:

Debuting Fighters (Current number: 22-30):  Marina Rodriguez, Andre Ewell, Augusto Sakai, Christos Giagos, Ryan Spann, Mayra Silva, Livia Souza, Luigi Vendramini

Short Notice Fighters (Current number: 25-17):  Thiago Santos, Carlo Pedersoli, Ryan Spann, Luigi Vendramini

Second Fight (Current number: 34-26): Carlo Pedersoli Jr.

Cage Corrosion (Current number: 18-27):  Luis Henrique, Lil Nog

Undefeated Fighters (Current number: 25-20): Luigi Vendramini, Mayra Silva, Marina Rodriguez

Keeping An Eye On But Not Really:

The UFC Win Check Test The records of fighters who have 4 or more UFC fights (or three full calendar years in the organization) but 0 wins against people still in the UFC:  

Twelve Precarious Ponderings

1- For all the knocks and warts on this card, this has a REAL chance to shake up some things in a market that's really hungry for a shake up. The UFC has essentially ridden a healthy crop of aging Brazilians to get into the Brazilian fight market and then just got stuck RIDING the same wave over and over. They tried to develop new Brazilian stars but they all choked  in the process. Here's a study of sorts; Here's EVERY UFC headliner for every show in Brazil from 2014 to 2018 with when the Brazilian fighter entered the UFC:

2014 Gegard Mousasi vs Lyoto Machida (2007) Dan Henderson vs Shogun Rua (2007) Stipe Miocic vs Fabio Maldonado (2010) Andrei Arlovski vs Big Foot Silva (2012) Chad Mendes vs Jose Aldo (2011, PPV) Ovince St. Preux vs Shogun Rua (2007) CB Dollaway vs Lyoto Machida (2007)

2015 Frank Mir vs Big Foot Silva (2012) Ryan LaFlare vs Demian Maia (2007) Carlos Condit vs Thiago Alves (2005) Ronda Rousey vs Betche Corriea (2014, PPV) Dan Henderson vs Vitor Belfort (1997)

2016

Stipe Miocic vs Fabricio Werdum (2012, PPV) Lina Lansberg vs Cyborg (2016) Ryan Bader vs Lil Nog (2009)

2017 Kelvin Gastelum vs Vitor Belfort (1997) Derek Brunson vs Lyoto Machida (2007) Max Holloway vs Jose Aldo (2011, PPV)

2018 Eryk Anders vs Lyoto Machida (2007) Rocky Pennington vs Amanda Nunes (2013, PPV) Eryk Anders vs Thiago Santos (2013)

21 shows Number of Brazilian shows headlined by fighters signed AFTER the year of their debut in Brazil (2012)? 4 Number of Shogun/Machida/Belfort headlined shows? 8 Number of total unique Brazilian headliners/non-suspended headliners remaining in the UFC? 13/7 Record of Brazilian headliners? 8-12

That 7 is likely going to get a lot lower when Maia retires in two fights, Aldo bails at the end of his deal and Thiago Alves probably gets released in the near future unfortunately. Oh AND Cyborg could be gone too. Of those 13 headliners, only 3 were under the age of 30 when they headlined as well.

When the UFC decided to break through into Brazil,they probably couldn't have envisioned a scenario where the talent they were relying on to pack venues would be guys they signed in 2007, 2009 and 1997. It's not like they didn't try either as the UFC continually has signed a bunch of top Brazilian prospects over the course of 2012 through 2014 figuring at some point the multitude of shows they were running in Brazil would catch up with them. They went out and ran three different TUF Brazil's which to this point would have to be considered three absolute duds. Of the sixteen fighters who competed in TUF Brazil Season One, three fighters remain in the org, zero main evented and only two were even elevated to co-main event status on a show. Of the sixteen fighters who competed in Season Two? Only two remain in the UFC although those two are definitive hits in Santiago Ponzinibbio and Thiago Santos. Same act for Season Three? Four fighters remain in Paulo Costa, Antonio Carlos Jr, Warlley Alves and Marcos Rogerio De Lima. Outside of Costa, are ANY of those guys headlining? Consider this Brazilian card and then consider that Tonya Evinger vs Ketlein Vieira was a co-main event OVER Brunson vs Carlos Junior. This is why this Contender Series is going to be a big deal going forward for Brazil; they signed a TON of talent off the show in the hopes of finding something major. The only way you can run Brazil three times a year is if you have Brazilians of note. Gotta start developing them now because the clock's ticking.

2-  TO their credit, the dire straits of the Brazilian scene for the UFC is also the home to some creativity to try and shake it through. I won't give them immediate credit for Thiago Santos moving up to fight Jimi Manuwa since Santos is a fill in for ole trusty Glover Teix BUT this has a chance to work wonders for them if Santos can become the first male fighter to win in a Brazilian main event not named Lyoto Machida or Vitor Belfort since Maia in 2015. Throw in Cowboy Oliveira geting his first Brazilian co-main event spot (beggars can't be choosers here) and some new faces on the prelims slate/main card and there's ample reason to be at least HOPEFUL.

3- One thing Brazil doesn't lack is a collection of solid female athletes in MMA. This card alone features three important debuts; two DWCS signees in Mayra Silva and Marina Rodriguez PLUS the debut of former Invicta SW champ Livia Souza. Of the three, Souza is the most proven while I'm pretty intrigued to see what Mayra Silva brings to the equation as well. The UFC's future in Brazil may rest on WMMA.

4- I feel like Carlo Pedersoli embodies the downside to being "the short notice guy." He made his debut on short notice vs Brad Scott and won that fight convincingly IMO. Now his second fight out, he's again back on short notice vs Alex "Cowboy" Oliveira in a fight where it's going to be difficult (though not impossible) to pull off a win. Two fights, both short notice and both in enemy territory against more experienced competition. This is why "The SHort Notice Guy" struggle is real; taking fights like these consistently will keep you employed because you keep doing them favors but chances are that the more you take of these, the more you're going to be on a treadmill of being the short notice guy. Those fights are hard to win and even harder to win when you're doing it on the road. In a division like 170 lbs where you can't Eryk Anders your way through fights (step up on short notice, kill a dude, wait for the next short notice call knowing full well the scarcity of your weight class allows you such luxuries).

5- I don't use this word to describe many things MMA related but looking at this shell shocked version of Renan Barao is truly hurtful on a metaphysical level. Dude aged 15 years between the end of 2013 and 2014.

6- I'm not overly familiar with Andre Ewell so I won't try to disparage the man's reputation but this is as close to an attempted lay up as it gets for a dude who was the UFC bantamweight champion just four years ago. Then again what's four years in MMA time? Ten?

7- One of the concepts I'm beginning to try and find ways to articulate (and failing) is speed when it comes to weight classes. We see the "speed" difference in MW to LHW (a good MW can go five fights on the prelims, move up to LHW and immediately find himself main eventing) and I feel like the "speed" difference at 155 lbs/170 lbs is also of note. Cowboy Oliveira vs Francisco Trinaldo I feel like is a good example of that speed. Both are similar fighters but the key difference is that Cowboy Oliveira fights at 170 lbs and as such, has been able to fight guys like Cowboy Cerrone and Carlos Condit relatively fast (as well as almost securing Kamaru Usman on short notice) while Trinaldo had to win SEVEN fights in a row just to secure a "name" aka Kevin Lee on the prelims of a Brazilian card. Life's not fair at 155 lbs.

8- So this is the first card I can remember with two pre-fight retirements on it as Evan Dunham and Thales Leites are both claiming they're retiring. In truth a casual perusal of this card reveals about 3-4 other guys and gals who could or should probably retire.

9- Luis Henrique vs Ryan Spann is a really weird fight but one I'm oddly intrigued by. Spann is maybe not quite UFC quality but Henrique has come a long way down since racking up two straight over sub par competition. Losses to Arjan Bhullar and Marcin Tybura aren't career enders but maybe the move down to 205 lbs will freshen things up for him. Conversely Ryan Spann has finally made into the UFC after what feels like an endless process to get somebody there to notice him. He did so with a KO over Emmanuel Sordi on the Contenders Series. Spann is the sort of guy who traditionally does JUST enough to lose gracefully and so I imagine this will be another case of that. It's worth noting Luis Henrique is just 25 and that's practically newborn puppy in 205 lbs land.

10- Christos Giago is back in the UFC. Why.

11- All I'm saying is that I am 1000% here for Weegee vs Elizeu Zaleski and it should be the main event. I don't even know if Verdamini is any good nor do I really care.

12- So fighters who have taken a year off are on a three fight winning streak (And after going 4-11, they're rallying to a respectable enough 14-16 rate). Any chance Lil Nog and Luis Henrique can keep that up? That's also the only time that Lil Nog is getting any mention because I want that fight to go far away.

[your-dietician]

Best 4th of July weekend sales at Best Buy

New Post has been published on https://tattlepress.com/health/best-4th-of-july-weekend-sales-at-best-buy/

Best 4th of July weekend sales at Best Buy

We may receive commission from purchases made via links on this page. Pricing and availability are subject to change.

Best Buy’s 4th of July weekend sale is going strong and the savings are so deep! (Photo: Getty Images)

Folks, it’s been quite a year (make that 16 months!), making this 4th of July feel like an “independence day” in more ways than one. How to celebrate? We have a lot of catching up to do. Surf, sand, pool, play — sure. But also shopping. This weekend brings some of the best deals of the season. Ready to upgrade and save big on the latest and greatest in tech? You’ve come to the right place. 

The retailer’s massive 4th of July Sale is dropping deep discounts on just about everything — from 4K TVs and wireless headphones to smart-home gear and kitchen appliances. The savings are massive this weekend, so treat yourself and scoop up what you need (or just really, really want) before it sells out. 

We’ve rounded up the top offerings at Best Buy’s big 4th of July Sale, with prices starting at just $10. Scroll and shop below:

Best TV sales

In case you need that summer vacation to the Rockies to be virtual, Sony’s latest and greatest is $250 off. (Photo: Best Buy)

On sale for $900 (down from $1,150), this Sony 65-inch Class X80J Series LED 4K Ultra HD Smart Google TV is the latest from this iconic manufacturer. Its massive 65-inch 4K display delivers images you can practically reach out and touch. Sony’s state-of-the-art Processor X1 powers this beauty for true-to-life visuals, while HDR (High Dynamic Range) settings make sure colors stay bright and black levels stay, well, black.

“This is an excellent product. We upgraded our TV to this Sony,” raved a five-star Best Buy reviewer. “The picture is great. Our last TV was a 65-inch, so side-by-side this TV is a definite upgrade. The sound system is great and the Smart TV process is very responsive to our wireless internet connection. The TV connected to my phone and the voice recognition was simple to set up….”

While some streaming TVs come with Fire TV or Roku built-in, this Sony 65-inch 4K stunner features Google TV. This means you’ll have instant access to popular streaming apps like Netflix, Disney+, HBO Max, Hulu, YouTube, Prime Video and more, but you’ll also get a wide range of gaming apps like NBA Jam, Fortnite and Crossy Road — you won’t get that with a standalone Fire TV or Roku device. Just sync a wireless gaming controller via Bluetooth and you’re all set to get your game on. 

Story continues

Check out more TV sales below:

Insignia 43-inch Class F30 Series LED 4K Ultra HD Smart Fire TV, $280 (was $320), bestbuy.com

Insignia 50-inch Class F30 Series LED 4K Ultra HD Smart Fire TV, $350 (was $380), bestbuy.com

Sony 55-inch Class X80J Series LED 4K Ultra HD Smart Google TV, $750 (was $950), bestbuy.com

Hisense 60-inch Class A6G Series LED 4K Ultra HD Smart Android TV, $450 (was $490), bestbuy.com

LG 65-inch Class CX Series OLED 4K Ultra HD Smart webOS TV, $2000 (was $2,200), bestbuy.com

Samsung 65-inch Class QN85A Series Neo QLED 4K Ultra HD Smart Tizen TV, $2,000 (was $2,200), bestbuy.com

Hisense 70-inch Class A6G Series LED 4K UHD Smart Android TV, $670 (was $700), bestbuy.com

Samsung 70-inch Class 7 Series LED 4K Ultra HD Smart Tizen TV, $680 (was $750), bestbuy.com

Best home audio sales 

These Samsung Galaxy Buds+ will outperform your Airpods, and for much less. How do you like them apples? (Photo: Best Buy)

It’s easy to get distracted by quirky design flourishes and exotic add-ons, but at the end of the day, earbud shoppers know it’s all about delivering excellent audio. That, and getting them at a great price. Well, get ready to check both boxes: These Samsung Galaxy Buds+ — on sale for $100, or $50 off, at Best Buy — offer crisp, clear sound and punchy bass. The battery life is amazing: You’ll get 11 hours per charge, plus an additional 11 hours with the included wireless charging case. That’s nearly a full day of use! In a pinch? An hour of playback requires just a three-minute quick boost. You’ll love this feature when you’re about to go for a run and your buds are at zero.

Calls sound crystal-clear thanks to three microphones that reduce ambient background noise even if you’re in a busy location. “Good sound quality and noise cancelation can silence a barking dog,” shared a Best Buy fan. Woof!

Check out more home audio sales below:

Insignia RF Wireless Over-the-Ear Headphones, $100 (was $120), bestbuy.com

Sony ZX Series Wired On-Ear Headphones, $10 (was $20), bestbuy.com

LG Tone Flex HBS-XL7 Wireless In-Ear Headphones, $130 (was $150), bestbuy.com

Sony WF-SP800N True Wireless Noise-Cancelling In-Ear Headphones, $98 (was $200), bestbuy.com

Google Pixel Buds, $130 (was $180), bestbuy.com

JBL Club One Wireless Noise Cancelling Over-the-Ear Headphones, $250 (was $350), bestbuy.com

Samsung HW-Q65T 7.1ch Sound bar, $400 (was $500), bestbuy.com

LG 5.1 ch High-Res Audio Sound Bar, $400 (was $450), bestbuy.com

Best tablet and smartphone sales

We haven’t seen a tablet presentation this impressive since Moses came down from the mountain. (Photo: Best Buy)

Been hankering to expand your computer arsenal with a tablet without going into hock? Here’s the deal you’ve been waiting for. On sale for $180 (was $230), the Samsung Galaxy Tab A7 weighs just over a pound and features 32GB of storage (expandable up to 1TB via microSD card). That’s got it all over Apple’s entry level tablet, which isn’t expandable. And unlike the iPad, the Tab A7’s 10.4-inch display has a full HD widescreen for immersive viewing.

Also out-Apple-ing Apple? The A7’s camera set is better than the one that comes with the iPad. It has an eight-megapixel selfie cam with a five-megapixel rear shooter on the front for video calls. “Mostly use for mobile gaming. Tried to play PS4 remote play, and it worked,” reported a satisfied gamer. “Sound is great and build quality is better than iPad. Speed is seamless.”

Score the Samsung Galaxy Tab A7 in gray and gold.

Check out more tablet and smartphone sales below:

OnePlus 8T 5G, $500 (was $600), bestbuy.com

Google Pixel 4a, $300 (was $350), bestbuy.com

Motorola Moto G Power, $130 (was $250), bestbuy.com

Samsung Galaxy Tab A, $120 (was $150), bestbuy.com

Surface Pro X, $800 (was $1,000), bestbuy.com

Lenovo Tab M10 Plus, $160 (was $200), bestbuy.com

Motorola Moto G Power, $70 (was $200), bestbuy.com

Microsoft Surface Duo, $700 (was $1,500), bestbuy.com

Best gaming sales

Grab a controller and make these your Dogs days of summer. (Photo: Best Buy)

Just because it’s fun-in-the-sun season doesn’t mean you won’t need to keep yourself flush with new gaming challenges. We’ve found a great one. Watch Dogs: Legion for Xbox One (also compatible with Xbox Series X) is now on sale for nearly 70 percent off — down from $60 to just $20. This action/adventure game and third installment in the franchise from Ubisoft takes place in a near future where London is on the verge of collapse. All-seeing surveillance state and private military are in control, while the fate of the city is in the hands of DedSec, a hacker group that wants to fight back for freedom. It’s as fun as it sounds, and an absolute steal at this price.

“This game is very fun to play,” raved a happy gamer. “The setting is amazing and the attention to detail makes it better…. I bought this for my grandson and he absolutely loved the story so much, he accidentally stayed up all night long playing the game. He said the storyline is very interesting and fun to complete. He also says he likes the fact that you get to choose strangers off the streets to work on your team. He has always loved technology so he absolutely loves this game and this view of what the future might be like.”

Check out more gaming sales below:

NBA 2K21 (PS4), $20 (was $30), bestbuy.com

SanDisk 400GB microSDXC UHS-I Memory Card for Nintendo Switch, $100 (was $180), bestbuy.com

Borderlands 3 (Xbox One), $10 (was $30), bestbuy.com

Dying Light: Anniversary Edition, $25 (was $40), bestbuy.com

Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle (Nintendo Switch), $20 (was $60), bestbuy.com

Assassin’s Creed: The Rebel Collection, $20 (was $40), bestbuy.com

Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege Deluxe Edition (Xbox Series X), $15 (was $40), bestbuy.com

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla (Xbox One), $30 (was $60), bestbuy.com

Best smart home sales

It’s time for an alarm clock that’ll have you starting the day plugged in, wised up and entertained. (Photo: Best Buy)

It’s 2021 — shouldn’t you be asking a bit more from your alarm clock? Elevate the mundane with the Lenovo Smart Clock. It’s powered with Google Assistant for seamless syncing to a smartphone. It can rouse you with your favorite tunes, the weather, calendar reminders and that podcast you love. 

“Replaced my old alarm clock and a Google mini speaker with one device,” shared a savvy Best Buy shopper. “…I tell it good night when I am ready for bed and it turns off my lights, tells me the weather tomorrow and what is on my calendar the next day just like a Google Mini can do. Plus the clock face can show the current temperature along with the time.”

Really, who couldn’t use all the help they can get rousing themselves from bed in the morning? So why not let the Lenovo Smart Clock do it in digital style, and for just $40 (down from $80) at Best Buy?

Check out more smart home sales below:

Google Nest Wi-Fi Mesh Router (AC2200) (two-pack), $189 (was $269), bestbuy.com

Google Nest Hello Smart Wi-Fi Video Doorbell, $150 (was $230), bestbuy.com

Arlo Pro 4 Spotlight Camera Security (three-pack), $500 (was $600), bestbuy.com

Google Nest Learning Smart Wi-Fi Thermostat, $200 (was $250), bestbuy.com

TP-Link Kasa Spot Cam, $40 (was $60), bestbuy.com

Ring Video Doorbell 3 Plus, $170 (was $200), bestbuy.com

Google Nest Mini Smart Speaker, $35 (was $50), bestbuy.com

Linksys Max-Stream AC1300 Dual-Band Mesh Wi-Fi 5 Router, $70 (was $100), bestbuy.com

Best vacuum sales

Trust us, this Dyson is a beast — save $100! (Photo: Best Buy)

The Dyson Outsize Total Clean Vacuum, which is on sale for $750, or $100 off at Best Buy, may not look like a power force, but this lightweight and cordless stick vacuum is actually a heavy-duty, deep-cleaning beast. It’s a Dyson, after all, so it’s built for powerful suction — but this one is also nimble and versatile enough to navigate the tightest corners. It even has a digital display that features a countdown clock, so you’ll always know when it’s going to run out of juice.

“The hands-down best cordless on the planet,” raved a delighted shopper. “I must say this vacuum is impressive and nothing short of amazing! This Dyson oozes sophistication and innovation while checking all the right boxes for corded vacuum replacement. This vacuum is the gold standard…. Be prepared to be shocked and in awe of the power and efficiency of this cleaning powerhouse. The real-time performance and battery gauge are extremely welcomed to this wireless cleaning solution.”

Check out more robotic vacuum sales below:

iRobot Roomba i3 (3150) Wi-Fi Connected Robot Vacuum, $350 (was $400), bestbuy.com

bObsweep bObi Classic Robot Vacuum & Mop, $394 (was $750), bestbuy.com

iRobot Braava jet m6 Wi-Fi Connected Robot Mop, $400 (was $450), bestbuy.com

Shark AI Robot VacMop Pro RV2001WD, $350 (was $480), bestbuy.com

iRobot Roomba i3+ (3550) Wi-Fi Connected Robot Vacuum, $550 (was $600), bestbuy.com

Shark AI Robot Vacuum RV2001, $300 (was $450), bestbuy.com

iRobot Roomba s9+ (9550) Robot Vacuum & Braava jet m6 (6112) Robot Mop bundle, $1,349 (was $1,550), bestbuy.com

Best home office sales

It’s two computers in one! Tablet or laptop, as you please. (Photo: Best Buy)

On sale for $249 (was $299), the sleek, incredibly thin Lenovo Chromebook Duet is more than just a laptop. It has a brilliant 10.1-inch Full HD touchscreen display (at 1920 x 1200 resolution) that works as a tablet but also attaches to its included keyboard case via Bluetooth for when you want laptop functionality. And shoppers love its long 10-hour battery life too.

“The device is lightweight. The screen is sharp, colorful, and bright,” shared a satisfied Best Buy shopper. “The keyboard has a very good feel, and the adjustment to it was very quick for me. The tablet by itself is very light — a joy to hold and use for long periods…The battery life is insane…”

Chromebook runs the latest version of ChromeOS, so you know you’ll get speedy results. And unlike Windows 10 or macOS laptops, with long loading times and complicated app downloads, you just log in to your Gmail account via Google Chrome and you’re good to go.

Check out more home office sales below:

Samsung Galaxy 4K Chromebook, $799 (was $999), bestbuy.com

Vankyo Leisure 3W Wireless Mini Projector, $80 (was $120), bestbuy.com

Samsung Galaxy Book Pro 360, $1,350 (was $1,500), bestbuy.com

Microsoft Surface Laptop Go, $630 (was $700), bestbuy.com

Epson EcoTank ET-M3170 Wireless Monochrome All-in-One SuperTank Printer, $350 (was $500), bestbuy.com

Canon imageCLASS D570 Wireless Black-and-White All-In-One Laser Printer, $150 (was $230), bestbuy.com

Epson EcoTank ET-3710 Wireless All-In-One Inkjet Printer, $310 (was $380), bestbuy.com

WD Easystore 5TB External USB 3.0 Portable Hard Drive, $110 (was $180), bestbuy.com

Best kitchen sales

At just $60, this baby will pay for itself with all the greasy, yucky oil you won’t have to buy. (Photo: Best Buy)

Sure, it’s barbecue season, but you can never have enough home-cooking convenience, amirite? On sale for $60 (was $120), the Insignia Digital Air Fryer lets you fry, roast or bake your favorite foods at temperatures up to 400 degrees — whip up anything from chicken to veggies to breaded tilapia!

The large five-quart basket can hold up to five servings, so it’s great for having friends over for hangouts. Its timer features automatic shutoff, so you’ll never have to stress about burning your food or blowing up your electric bill. This air fryer also has a sleek stainless steel finish with an easy-to-navigate digital display, while its basket and pan are dishwasher-safe, so fewer dirty dishes to worry about. If you’ve ever deep-fried something in oil you know how messy your counter and walls can get, but not when using this baby! 

“I absolutely love this item,” reported a savvy shopper. “In the beginning, I thought it would be difficult to use and that it would dry my food out. Surprisingly, it’s really easy to operate and it keeps the food flavored after it’s complete. I have several other recipes I want to try with my air fryer. I can’t wait!”

Check out more kitchen sales below:

Margaritaville Bahamas Countertop Blender and Frozen Concoction Maker, $160 (was $210), bestbuy.com

Ninja Foodi, $200 (was $230), bestbuy.com

Frigidaire Mini Fridge with built-in Freezer, $179 (was $265), bestbuy.com

KitchenAid Pro 5 Plus 5-Quart Bowl-Lift Stand Mixer, $430 (was $500), bestbuy.com

Keurig K-Elite Single-Serve K-Cup Pod Coffee Maker, $130 (was $170), bestbuy.com

Bella Pro Series Combo 19-Bar Espresso and 10-Cup Drip Coffee Maker, $150 (was $200), bestbuy.com

Yummly Smart Meat Thermometer, $89 (was $129), bestbuy.com

LG InstaView Four-Door French Door Refrigerator, $3,150 (was $3,500), bestbuy.com

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[iwannaban0nym0us]

time for a ramblely post about my life because i'm actually really happy rn

so my partner holy shit they're so amazing i don't even know how to explain it but everything they do just proves how incredible they are,, like we haven't said "i love you" to each other but i feel 100x more loved by them they i ever did by my ex who must have told me they loved me at least 100 times

ok btw i have no idea where this post is gonna go it's probably just gonna be a bunch of random thoughts all lumped together

so uh the reason i've been fairly inactive lately is because it's robotics comp season! Our first comp was last weekend meaning that the week leading up to it I was super busy trying to help get all the things to work (they still didn't lol) friday and saturday were insanely long days that were fun but also so tiring

we barely got things working in time on friday to clear inspection and make it to one practice match and then on saturday we had the worst possible schedule (first match of the day, a random match, last match before lunch, then 2 10min turn arounds, and then last match of the day) the most stressful part of the day was when in the last match before lunch we overextended our arm, pulled out all of the electronics, broke the extension spool, and got 25 penalty points. we spent lunch trying to fix all of that and also change out wheels (we didn't have a chance before because of our shit schedule) and also someone thought it would be a good idea to swap intakes but then we had to unswap intakes because the new one was too big and then the two very fast turn arounds after that were hella stressful

we actually ended up wining our last match of the day tho and i'm very proud of that since i took lead on the strategy talk before the match

then sunday we had a better match schedule and won one lost one so we ended quals 39/42 and therefore didn't go to playoffs, and me being the so so smart person that I am decided that since the other goalie was out sick it would be a great idea to go to my soccer game that afternoon (after 2.5 long tiring days of robotics)

And so I did and by the end of the game i felt like i was gonna fall asleep and i don't know how i managed to make several good saves and we only lost 5-0 (2 of their goals were super lucky tho) I am really glad i went since i got to see an ex-teammate and teammate who might quit the team soon for running and i hadn't seen either of them since last season

this week i've had a bit more time and monday i was so so so tired that during my freeblock which i usually use for hw since i have no free time i just hung out w/ my partner and was like half asleep the whole time, me and my partner also skipped an assembly on burnout because we were both too tired (they had a vaulting comp at the same time as my robotics comp) also tuesday i skipped soccer because of the weather so i got a whole afternoon off

over the next 2 weeks i'm only gonna have 5 days of school because we get next wed-fri off for conferences and then i'm at robotics the following thurs-sat which i think is kinda funny

uh anyway shifting gears,,, thursday i had my gender and sexuality class w/ my ex and since the teacher was out we spent the whole time in small groups talking about quotes from our hw reading and I ended up w/ a friend and my ex and ofc my ex felt the need to read out each of the quotes which normally would be like whatever but for some reason that day i just could not deal w/ their voice or their strong opinions on stupid things

there was one point where their voice had gotten to me so much that i just kinda zoned out and then they had the audacity to ask me if I was ok and that threw me for a fucking loop because when we were dating the only time they would notice something was off was when i was tired not when something was actually going on, like the day where they caused me to have a mental breakdown i was very clearly not ok that afternoon and they didn't say a single thing despite us having class together and so for them to say something now despite me having made it clear we're not friends ??????????

also i was in this state where I was torn between why does their voice still hurt me so fucking much and why don't i hate them more they did some really shitty things to me and i'm just so confused how i can feel both of those things about them and aaaa i just want them to go away

ok this has gotten long enough and i have some things i need to do so i'll probably reblog this later to talk about yesterday :)

[runfast-runfar]

Saturday things 🏃🏼‍♀️

1/26/19

✨ slept in until 9am which was good seeing as I didn’t go to bed until 2am lol

And then did hw for a solid 5 hours 🙃 I took my first human bio test at ~3pm and got 34/40. Not bad but I was hoping to get an A.

Next test 🤞🏼🤓

✨ I had like 4 cups of tea today and gotta day, I’m digging this vanilla tea :) soooo yummy!

✨ made some pasta for lunch and Thea was being a little smush 🥰🤗

✨ then at 4 I went on a run and it was amazing! 6 miles which is the longest run in a while I’ve done! Saw Murphy 🐱 and he’s the biggest asshole cat.. don’t pet him if you want to keep your arm (or face!) but he’s quite the looker hehe :)

I froze my climbing membership for next month so I could save myself $100 and squirrel away some money. So I’m focusing on running for the month of feb. (definitely unfreezing my membership March 1st but some time switching it up might be good for me anyways!)

✨ came home and showered. And then thea had her mid year checkup today at 6pm. It’s an in home service which is great and I love them. But I’m super torn with vaccinating. Like I personally feel we over vaccinate pets. Annually giving them vaccines is too often. It’s been scientifically proven many, of not all vaccinations, can have close to life long immunity. Think about us, we get vaccinated for most things only a handful of times in our lives... and animals are more than half our size smaller... their immune systems are the same as humans. So idk I’m just torn. I want what’s best for her and I know there are sooo many risks with vaccinating pets every year (or even every 3 years like some now say to do?!) but anyways any fellow pet owners give me your personal experiences/what you do for your babes!?

✨ anyways, made myself toast for dinner, and now I’m watching one day at a time in bed :)

✨ I have my intern shift tomorrow from 7-1 (first weekend I really don’t want to do it tbh) but then my bro and I are going climbing tomorrow! 🤗🧗‍♀️

✨ things are okay lately. But I have something I need to talk about with someone, some stuff from my past that I’m super ashamed of tbh but it’s a root for some current problems I’m dealing with. But I know whoever I tell about it will end up hating me. And I don’t want to lose any of the people I’m close too. I finally have these people I love and trust and it’ll ruin it. But I feel like I’m drowning and have the worst anxiety I’ve had in a while and it’s all rooted and entangled in this fucking issue from a year and a half ago. 😒

But that’s life I guess.

Hope you’re all well and having a good Saturday!

[abbyccpsarts]

Process Journal

Link to my Learning Agreement

2.10.20

This week I organized all of the Polaroids I’ve taken thus far into mini books to help organize and protect the film. I’m still working on finalizing the list of “bucket list” items I want to complete, as well as what the journal entry prompts will be. Besides the pretty big gap in research that I have with this, my project doesn’t feel “substantial” enough right now, if that makes any sense.

Some of the photos below!

(above is from the museum I went to, below is from my trip to Israel!)

Additionally, I did a critical response workshop with fellow Arts Scholar Adriana Alonzo:

Critical Response Process-w/ Adriana Alonzo

Statements of Meaning:

- Likes how this project has an air of “fulfillment”

- “Fun” premise; Makes it real life, not a HW assignment

Artist as the Questioner:

Research angle: the mental health benefits of traveling, journaling; Research the individual aspects of your project

- Logging mental health over a long period of time

-follow up research on the ones I enjoyed

Neutral Questions

- How many “experiences” do you plan having; do you know

Goal between 10-12; subsections within each “header”; don’t have final list

- How are you going to set up website?

Current plan is to have a gallery, but also direct links to each experience; A more clean cut design than the original scrapbook

- Any research on website?

Probably gonna have a page about that; be the home screen? (maybe not)

Permissioned Opinions

- Do you like the experiences I’ve brought up?

“It’s cute! I think the mix you have is good; always people to relate, like you want”

2.12.20

I had my advisor conference today with Heather and she gave me some really great advice on avenues I can go down for the research end of things. One thing Heather said that is really sticking with me is what she said about making this an experiment of sorts—I’m not just going to complete these bucket list experiences, but having a common theme/experiment throughout that will help me connect them. What if this experiment was prose related? I wanted to add in a writing element other than journaling originally so this could be my opportunity to do that.

I’ve also decided to use Wix for the final web format. It’s easy to use but also has the opportunity for “advanced tinkering,” as I like to say.

2.17.20

I’ve had a breakthrough today—I was hanging out with my writer friend and I remembered a while back she was talking about how one of her english classes had them do an assignment where they had to “people watch” for thirty minutes once a week and write down some of the conversations they overheard. My friend used this to help better her dialogue in her writing. I’ve decided to emulate this but take it a step further: I’m going to go to places I’ve always wanted to go to, but I’m going to people watch at these places—write down snippets of conversation I might overhear, etc—and then choose a subject/person to write a short story about. This allows me to not only experience new things, but try and put myself in a new mindset, context, by writing in these places about someone/something else. Because there’s a new, more time-consuming and creative-consuming element to this capstone, I think it’s wise that I aim for 5-6 total pieces/experiences instead of the originally intended 10-12. 

2.19.20

I had my first look presentation today and overall I’ve gotten some really good feedback from everyone. I still need to thoroughly go through the flashcards I got from everyone, but so far everyone seems to like the direction it's going, even giving some great suggestions for what format the stories should be in (flash fiction maybe? Or even dabble in poetry as well) and how I could narratively tie all the stories together. Below is the google document I used to succinctly point out the differences and similarities between this “new” capstone and the old one.

A Collection of Stories Inspired by People (or Wizard) Watching

SIMILAR ELEMENTS

Still In a web format

Still involves me going out and trying new things; simply asks me to be more engaged with my surroundings and other people there

Still involves reflection/journaling on my part

Still involves a photographic complement

DIFFERENT ELEMENTS

New narrative element- I’m writing a short story about a person experiencing the space I’m in;

Possibly contrasting and/or complementing that story to my own personal emotions tied to that space

Story is going to be the main focus, while my own thoughts are going to be secondary

RESEARCH

Fairly new idea, so I’m working on curating a new list of sources, but I’m going to primarily focus on researching the benefits of people watching, actively being creative in a new space (seeing how that affects my writing process), etc

2.21.20

Today I started messing with Wix a bit. I’m definitely jumping ahead on my schedule and ignoring what I should really be doing (research!!) but I’m giving myself some breathing room to get my thoughts and such accumulated to this new idea. I don’t want to share any pictures of my website bare bones until 

2.24.20

My goal for this week (on top of research) was to compile a rough list of the places I want to go for writing this story. A lot of the preliminary reserach I’ve done on writing/being creative in a new space suggests having a “control;” this means, in regards to this particular project, that I need to write in a space I’m familiar with and see how that differs from writing in a completely new space. Then there’s also the question of how I’ll write at the beginning when I’m first introduced to the new space, and then how’ll write once I get slightly more acclimated to the space. Regardless, here are my ideas for where to people watch/write as of today:

(1) Starbucks route 1 [serves as my control for this “experiment”]

(2) Bookstore/Restaurant (I’m visiting one next Thursday for a comedy show)

(3) “Somewhere” in NYC (visiting w/ scholars—write during free time?)

(4) Center of a campus (not UMD— maybe Towson? over Spring Break?)

I don’t want a totally “complete” list yet, as I want opportunities to present themselves as I go along, but I still think it’s good to have a basic list of things to do. I think the first thing that I’ll end up doing is either the Starbucks one (my control) or the bookstore/restaurant since I’m attending a comedy event at one next Thursday.

3.1.20

I haven’t really made much headway in research, writing, or anything to be honest. I had a pretty busy weekend—worked most of Friday and all of Saturday— and now I’m starting to get a little bit nervous. I’m switching up my weekly plan a bit and having this week be primarily research and working on my annotated bibliography. Then maybe I’ll have a good idea of how I want to go about people watching for the comedy show this Thursday. 

3.4.20

Last week we had arts scholars alumni join us for our weekly discussions. While I was expecting a plethora of great advice from each of them, It was also great to hear about how they each struggled, and that changing your mind is okay. 

3.10.20

Tonight we heard that school is going to be closed down for the next month or so because of the current worldwide health situation (it might be a pandemic. we don’t know yet). As much as I hate to admit it I’m more annoyed than anything, but I understand how paramount safety and health is over any frustrations I might have. I know we’ll adjust accordingly. I hadn’t really thought about how this was going to affect my capstone until now. Hopefully I’ll still be able to travel to new places. Everything’s pretty hectic right now so we’ll see what the next few weeks bring.

3.25.20

Creativity; Time Management Chosen Technique: Incubation. While I’ve utilized “taking a break” while I’m working, (going to take a walk, etc) I’ve never really considered it in the context of “this is my time to let my thoughts marinate.” I really enjoyed reframing my mindset while taking incubation breaks and found that it allowed me to not only work longer, but more effectively.

3.31.20

It’s been an interesting month to say the least. I’m going to have to change my capstone quite a bit in light of the rest of the semester being online and not being able to travel to write my pieces. I’m really not quite sure what I’m going to do, but we’ll see. I have nothing to show at this time. I have my research but I haven’t dived into writing because I’m unsure of what direction to go in. Perhaps after I talk with Heather I’ll have some more direction.

4.5.20

Curation Rapid Prototyping Exercise: essentially, my sketching revolved around the various menu tabs I want for my website.

- An Artist’s Statement/Process page (BTS)

- Research page

- A central page for someone to visit that organizes all of the pieces onto one “table of contents” that links to each pieces individual page

- An individual page for each piece

- A contact page?

Second Advisor Meeting: 4/9/20

I met with my arts advisor (Heather!) over ZOOM today and thank god because I can salvage this capstone. I honestly with I’d reached out to her sooner. We’ve found a way to salvage my research and redirect/reword it to fit the current situation. I’ll be writing about rooms in my house that I’ve changed emotions for. It plays into my research on the Differential Susceptibility Hypothesis (our susceptibility of change due to environmental factors) and change itself. I want these pieces to encapsulate a clear before and after, and how that may have negatively or positively affected me.

Second Look Presentation: 4/17/20

Going into the second look presentations I felt more grounded in what I wanted to write about and the literary mediums I was going to write about. However I still feel like I’m lacking focus. Heather’s feedback on my central question really had me think about how I can clarify and specify the focus and the audience of my capstone. I’ve decided to rephrase my central question as: What’s new? It proposes that something has changed, but it allows me the flexibility to offer different answers with each prose. I intend to add some context to this question on my Wix page (perhaps in the process section?). 

4.21.20

For my show and tell I’d like to share a screenshot of the brainstorming process of my pieces right now, alongside a few little rough excerpts. I’ve also thought of doing a mini photo shoot to provide visuals for each of these pieces if I have time.

[luckyomikujis]

it was just another pretty chill day! i felt rather productive and got a lot done, so i’m happy with that :) time felt like it was going by so slow though, which is good and bad depends on what i’m doing. also, HAPPY POCKY DAY!! but i didn’t eat any pocky cause i forgot :(

11/11/2019 - Monday

woke up before my alarm at 6:44am and then went back to sleep until my 7:04am rang

ft’ed val, made brekkie, wrote my to-do list for the day and got ready!

took a quick shower, cleaned my tattoo, got dressed and ended up with a lot of time to relax before class!

went to japanese and there was literally nobody else in class mainly cause we weren’t doing anything special snd there was no quiz in class either

finished class and went to my dorm, registered my bank account with the front desk, made lunch and ate!

then went to 7-11 with magsia to pay for my health insurance and then went to shinjuku for some thrift shopping

went into some really cool shops and looked around everything was pretty expensive, so we didn’t buy anything

went into book off to buy a guitar for magsia, but this one only had books, cds and dvds :(

had to head back cause i promised val that we would ft at 3pm my time and 10pm her time

stopped back at 7-11 to get chicken katsu sammie :) it was a good snack yummy

realized that val was busy and not gonna call, so i took a power nap and then did hw

ft’ed val when she got back from boba and we did hw, updated playlists, and sang to each other hehe

finished up some review, got ready for bed, and now i sleep!

it was a pretty chill and relaxed day! i wish i would stop spending so much money or eating out :( but i know that i’m only going to spend some more money this weekend :( i need to take out some cash, but the bank is going to charge me for doing it so often ughhh other than that i had a good day! i did get a little salty at val when she missed our ft call, but i quickly got over it cause we talked it out, so we’re all good! i’n excited for my newly updated playlist!! lots to listen to YESSS

today was a 4🧥/5🧥

[sixspeed]

WEEK 5

weekend recap

saturday

went on a hike/adventure with cindy, went to sabercat creek hiking place (secret garden) took a shortcut down, ended up taking a longer time than if we actually just went down the normal way.

she’s scared of plants and fungi??

aaron’s grandpa died, he was kind of sad

sunday

did some guitar research. a bit too much.

went to mt, we are learning ch 10 but we’re on ch11, that’s weird

tried to do math hw at night, failed

talked to aaron, the dude asked me if he should move on? and honestly yeah i think so. for him it still kind of hurts? and he said he wanted to balance it, to talk to me. it doesn’t hurt for me at all? also talked about what we wanted from a relationship, what we want to get out of it. i don’t think i want one or need one lmao.

monday

learned that “5 minute” was omitted from the syllabus and we have 5 min quizzes that are 25% ha HA

25 quizzes, 30 participation, ends 2 weeks before APs

kind of sad that my grade is stuck where it is now.

got into uminn!

maybe try plan? i like todoist though. cons: todoist premium ends eventually :(

struggled to turn in grad night forms but did it !!

KBrO4 = kay bro!

https://www.amazon.com/Yamaha-FS800-Concert-Acoustic-Limited/dp/B01GRO2D3E/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1548746874&sr=8-4&keywords=yamaha+fs800

https://www.amazon.com/ChromaCast-Acoustic-Guitar-6-Pocket-Sampler/dp/B00A716FB0/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1548746211&sr=8-2&keywords=chromacast%2Bcase&th=1

tuesday

song of today: nights like this

joined squat and squad yesterday — saw ronuk and kristine! i have 9 friends in there and i guess we’ll just never…talk about it.

was going to read chem textbook but just did lab calculations. will do them today during read or 5th per.

probably spent too much time looking up guitars, found a cool guitarist named yvette

maybe switch to plan?

in my brain, my cringe moment with joon always comes up, with that document i sent to him about rice and culture. more fondly however, i think of my conversation with walter. i probably need to get more in tune with things and not cry? every time. lmao.

i also don’t like talking to aaron about like extracurricular stuff? like great, his harvard interviewer really loved him. i shouldn’t seek someone out just because they’re going to a good school. also the kid is doing usabo chem only, and physics and maybe i should start studying for usabo!!

also maybe i should exercise.

today we thought there was going to be a five minute quiz but there really wasn’t.

so i think i have to fix my life now… how should i go about doing it?

wednesday

took awhile to wake up today. i was supposed to wake up early and study for 5 min quiz, but i didn’t.

lazy day.

i messed up on my quiz though, i forgot improper integrals and also the domain restriction!

*** you don’t need to add restrictions if they don’t ask for it!

it was easy though, probably need to review and get good since it’s 25% of grade :(

i completed HG Count during lunch though!

fry is absent today. we had the same sub during econ, he was kind of a yikes. we went to get our gov books and i bumped into prey who took an interesting picture of me!

when is a trig sub necessary?

after school: i binged stevie and ally videos and im SAD and i also want a girlfriend :(

also i’ve been lw seeing random gay couples around ????????????????

like HOW do you do that what th e fuck

OK how much time do i waste on the internet looking at gay stuff? ?????????????

niki is getting laid off :(

also i was checking my MIT portal and then bam i get an interview request

thursday

sooooo i failed a trig quiz. i also got a 99/100 on my cs final! :)

without me was playing near the A wing. tiffany wants to go somewhere out of state?

FUCK I didn’t write my applicant update. i had the excuse of waiting for grades to update. my lit grade finalized and ima sad boi.

friday

for keynote on tuesday ig: go to terminal and enter

Mac/Linux: nc towel.blinkenlights.nl 23

Windows:

pkgmgr /iu:"TelnetClient"

Restart command prompt

Telnet Towel.blinkenlights.nl

FRQs to do

2016 Q2

** 2016 Q3

2015 Q5 C13

2014 Q1

2014 Q7 Rate, Half-ilfe

2013 Q3 Rate

2013 Q2 moles

keep your head up keep your heart strong - lil bev’s fave song

????????? went to sleep early

[thesportssoundoff]

“When In Doubt, Use Lightweights”  A UFC 216 Preview

Joey

October 2nd

Before I begin with the usual, I suppose I have to start by addressing the atrocities that occurred last night/this morning in Las Vegas. I lack a really eloquent way to simply say that this shit, every bit of it, really needs to stop. No matter your political beliefs, interpretation of the constitution, opinion on firearms or whatever, nobody should have to go to a place of entertainment with a cloud of "Am I going to survive tonight?" hanging over their heads. We should all be better than this shit. We should demand more from our representatives and one another. Thoughts and prayers are nice but some action in the other direction would be nice. Let's make this place a tolerable place to live in for a little while.

The UFC returns to Las Vegas and this is a very peculiar card. The buyrate, the true be all and end all which determines the success of a show, will probably not be through the roof. At the same time, the UFC is giving two new guys the opportunity to headline a PPV with a really solid developed undercard beneath it. Beyond that, there are guys who CAN be bigger stars sprinkled throughout the show. It's a really good show as of right now with potentially one more fight to get added for some good old fashioned depth. It's survived a few knocks which speaks to its depth thus far although we still have THE DREADED MID WEEK FIGHT CANCELLATION to worry ourselves about. If you've got some money laying around to spend on a show, one with two title fights, a shot at history, a HW fight for people who like big people and a very pivotal 155 lb fight is the sort of show you should be into.

Fights: 12

Debuts:  1 (Poliana Botelho)

Fight Changes/Injury Cancellations: 3 (Paige Van Zant vs Jessica Eye cancelled, Andrea Lee vs Kalindra Faria cancelled, Abel Trujillo OUT, Bobby Green IN vs Lando Vannata)

Headliners (fighters who have either main evented or co-main evented shows in the UFC): 12 (Tony Ferguson, Kevin Lee, Demetrious Johnson, Fabricio Werdum, Derrick Lewis, Evan Dunham, Beneil Dariush, Will Brooks, Lando Vannata, Bobby Green, John Moraga, Thales Leites)

Fighters On Losing Streaks in the UFC:   3 (Will Brooks, Matt Schnell, Marco Beltran)

Fighters On Winning Streaks in the UFC:  7 (Tony Ferguson, Kevin Lee, Evan Dunham, Demetrious Johnson, Ray Borg, Walt Harris, Brad Tavares)

Stat Monitor for 2017:

Debuting Fighters (Current number: 28-26)- Poliana Botelho

Short Notice Fighters (Current number: 17-28)- Bobby Green

Second Fight (Current number: 23-30)-  Tom Duquesnoy, Pearl Gonzales, Magomed Bibulatov

Cage Corrosion (16-8)- Evan Dunham

Twelve Precarious Ponderings

1- Looking at this main event, it's a pretty perplexing challenge to determine just what this interim title means. Despite his talk this weekend, you can't help but get the feeling that McGregor vs Diaz III is more likely than not going to be the fight that comes next for Conor. The actual title will likely be held up with a money fight, a fight that revolves around getting the most dollars possible which is absolutely fine from a business sense. It does little though to prevent the UFC from taking on the bad smell of boxing's mistakes; ya know where you'd have the "actual" champ, an "interim" champion and then a champion emeritus in case a guy decides to retire then unretire. It doesn't even help that to SOME (not all but some) Kevin Lee is just a guy filling in a spot best reserved for Khabib Nurmagomedov. That's unfair given that Lee has been fighting top competition for a while while Khabib has been injured or incapable to take the call to fight but you can't change narratives once they're formed. It's not easy to rewire the already formed opinion/mind of fans. It also isn't entirely out of the realm of possibility that the interim champ defends his title AT LEAST ONCE before the actual champ fights and no, not due to injury either. The reality is that this is a great fight but discovering its worth is complicated.

2- How confident should the UFC be in Ray Borg making "the walk" as some would say. He had a bad weight cut which either did or didn't lead to the illness which got him yanked (given how it happened vs Ian McCall in a similar situation, I'm going with yeah there) and is opting to go SANS nutritionist on this one. Some of you fellas might need to go back and watch some Magomed Bibulatov just in case.

3- Is Mighty Mouse done until the spring if he wins? Pettis vs Cejudo in December means the winner is probably the #1 contender barring Joe B getting healthy and getting a title shot in the winter.  Could be the last time we see the P4P best for a while.

4- Similarly I think there's ample pressure on Werdum and Derrick Lewis here to do something big. Miocic may be out for however long this contractual snafu takes to fix up and so the winner might need to be really impressive to keep pace with Ngannou, Overeem and Alexander Volkov.

5- The last time Tony Ferguson REALLY struggled, not counting a first round vs a replacement guy with a funky style, was Danny Castillo. Castillo was able to take advantage of Ferguson's wacky submission game and basically try to grind out a decision win. I'd argue Ferguson has improved ten fold since then BUT Kevin Lee has some Castillo in his game. He's very good at getting a fight to where it needs to be, he's determined and relentless and his submission game is way better than Danny Castillo's ever was. I'm not saying I'm picking Lee to win BUT I think stylistically he's got a fair shot to pull off something here.

6- Tom Duquesnoy is getting a very moderate step up in competition as the UFC pits him vs Cody Stamman as THE featured prelim bout for UFC 216. It's a winnable fight for Mr. Duquesnoy and a good showcase of whether or not his wrestling is up to par to compete vs a big physical 135er. Stamman had no problems taking Terrion Ware down so this is one to keep an eye out for.

7- Kevin Lee has scrambled with some very good grapplers so I don't expect him to be overwhelmed in that regard. What I am curious to see is whether Lee's propensity to panic in exchanges will come out. Going way back to the Jesse Ronson fight, there were moments where as soon as things got a little hectic, he'd shoot in for a takedown and just try to muscle people around. That's great against guys who aren't expert neck grabbers but if/when Ferguson senses a panic TD, he's going to snatch a neck, give up the takedown and force Lee to defend against his d'arce. Hard to do for 25 minutes.

8- Do not forget Ferguson had a 25 minute fight at high altitude where he was so bored he decided to salsa dance----anybody suggesting Lee has any sort of cardio advantage is someone who you shouldn't listen to.

9- A tale of two completely different stuttering hype trains on the UFC 216 prelims. We can begin with "Groovy" Lando Vannata who is better than he's shown thus far. Lando is 1-2 in the UFC but I'd caution that David Teymur is low key really great and losing to Tony Ferguson on a week's notice is nothing to be ashamed of. Vannata is just one of those guys who has this overly relaxed malaise to his game which costs him when he's going one strike for every four landed vs composed strikers. You can maybe win that way at 185 or 205 lbs where power > skill but not so at 155 lbs. Lando gets Bobby Green in what SHOULD be a showcase for Vannata given how Green is not the kind of guy who overwhelms you with pressure and isn't going to give you a lot of things to be concerned about. He does everything well but never well enough, at least since he hurt his knee, to give you reason for pause. On the other hand you have WIll Brooks who came into the UFC with a ton of fanfare straight out of Bellator. The results? 1-2 with a caveat. His first loss was Alex "Cowboy" Oliveira in a fight where Oliveira missed by like six lbs. That one you can wrap up and discard. The loss vs Carlos Oliveira? A lot harder to discard and much differ to wash away. Brooks is struggling and the UFC seems to have recognized that because Nik Lentz is like THE easiest touch for him. It's a guy who does everything Brooks does except not as well, not as athletically gifted and without the power to give Brooks cause for concern. This is as close to a gift wrapped win as it gets.

10- This main card is currently lacking a fight by the by. So who gets bumped up? They've already advertised Will Harris vs Mark Godbeer and Thales Leites vs Brad Tavares as the main fights of note for the FP portion. Do they bump up Moraga vs Bibulatov? How about maybe sneaking up the card the fight between Brooks/Lentz?

11- Brad Tavares is under 30, he's on a winning streak, he's one of the longer tenured UFC middleweights in the world and he's on the prelims. Why? The last time he finished a fight was in early 2011 against PHIL BARONI. Dude needs a finish in the worst way.

12- Walt Harris vs Mark Godbeer is the tipping point for this card. If it sucks, run for the hills. IF it's good? Haboy.

Must Wins

Kevin Lee

There's no doubt in my heart of hearts that Kevin Lee would not get another opportunity for this shot outside of a collection of circumstances like this. Look at the 155 lb landscape as it currently stands; McGregor vs Diaz III is coming. Eddie Alvarez/Justin Gaethje likely gives you a back up option off of that. Dustin Poirier and Anthony Pettis is a really great fight between two really great exciting fighters people wanna see. Russian LWs like Khabib Nurmagomedov and the smashing machine Mairbek Taisumov exist. Kevin Lee is a great fighter but if he wants to keep the public's attention, he pretty much HAS to win.

Derrick Lewis

Any UFC HW from ages 35 to 45 will always be given ample opportunities to redeem themselves. Look at Andrei Arlovski. Look at Travis Browne. Look at Overeem. Look at etc etc etc forever until the end of time. HWs are an ageless commodity for some people---so if Werdum loses? NBD. Sometimes good fighters lose am I right? Now Derrick Lewis is a different story. For some people, Lewis has always been sort of a "when the bubble bursts" guy. His wins while violent aren't always impressive. His focus and cardio can come and go in stops and starts. More often than not, a fight ends with him literally crying. Still he's fun in a division that needs fun and he's one of the more amusing guys out there. So a win for Derrick Lewis would be cool.

Mighty Mouse

HISTORY Is on the line, dudes!

Five Can't Miss Fights

1- Kevin Lee vs Tony Ferguson

Even if the title wasn't on the line, this would be the best fight on almost any card (outside of some combination of Ferguson, Alvarez, Gaethje or Poirier). It's a genuinely great LW fight.

2- Mighty Mouse vs Ray Borg

I feel like your feelings on Mighty Mouse say a lot about you as an MMA fan. For me, we should all band together and watch as our marvel of joy and bundle of asswhoop goes out there to do his deed. <3 Mighty Mouse.

3- Lando Vannata vs Bobby Green

Lando is must see entertainment, the sort of fighter who fights fearlessly and does shit that should cost him a fight every time he fights. Bobby Green is a similar minded fighter. Assuming it's not a staring/jaw jack contest, this should be good.

4- Tom Duquesnoy vs Cody Stamman

Duquesnoy is VERY similar to Lando Vannata in the sense that each and every fight he has, he's so careless (in a good way) that he seems to welcome an element of danger. He's really fun to watch and Stamman showed me a lot vs Terrion Ware. It's a great test for Duquesnoy because if he's going to make it at 135 lbs, the top of that division has a lot of dudes who can wrestle their ass off.

5- Magomed Bibulatov vs John Moraga

I've seen glimpses of Bibulatov and wasn't overly impressed BUT Moraga seemed to rediscover the tricks which made John Moraga a #1 contender once. He gave a limited opponent all kinds of fits in New Zealand and looked to bee back to his old ways. Great test for Bibulatov and Moraga, when he feels like it and is on, is a fun dude to watch.