#it's the weekend where 1 hr of sleep gets stolen

[tkbrokkoli]

next week i plan to look even more sleep deprived. follow me for more tip!

[cityoflondon-rp-blog]

BASIC INFORMATION:

NAME: Louisa Brooks. AGE: 30. PLACE OF BIRTH: Bideford, Devon, The United Kingdom. RESIDENCE: Richmond upon Thames. OCCUPATION: Strategic Communications and Reputation Management Specialist at The PHA Group. FACE CLAIM: Eleanor Tomlinson.

BIOGRAPHY:

Born and raised in the small market town of Barnstaple in Devon, Louisa Brooks was keenly aware from a young age that she was somehow ‘better’ than the small-town life that her parents had been so keen to expose her to. Never one to be openly dismissive of the towns Pannier Market, or the tiny but over the top celebrations celebrating the saints of the town, Louisa learned early on that it was always best to simply smile and say nothing at all. Perhaps she was ungrateful; time and time again when she walked across the bridge into the tiny town centre, she heard tourists speak of how quaint and beautiful the place was, how much they’d love to live there, whilst she had to restrain the urge to scream in their faces to get out whilst they still could. It wasn’t so much that she hated living in the west country, it was just that she longed for a place where people at least one person didn’t immediately recognise her when she walked into her parent’s tea room.

She kept her mouth shut though, there was no point, as far as she was concerned, arguing over something that was so set in stone. She would never have been so rebellious to run away at sixteen, and at any rate, even if she was more than a little irritated by the town itself, there was nothing she loved more than her family. Family was the centre of Louisa’s world; not so interested in popularity at school, she devoted her weekends to spending time working at the tea room, quietly baking up a storm or taking orders from waiting customers, and when she finished school at sixteen she decided immediately to throw herself into the business, working full time under her parents, and working at a local restaurant in the evening. Her plan was double-edged; working two jobs would help her build up savings, and working for her parents would get them in her good graces. Her plan, as it formed in her head, was to wait to eighteen and leave Bideford for somewhere bigger: Bristol.

Eighteen came and went though, and she still didn’t have the funds to make the separation. That was when that funny thing called fate stepped in: whilst working in the restaurant, pitching the specials to table 22, the woman at the head of the table grabbed her arm – she’d seen how Louisa had worked, and how over the course of the evening she’d upsold most of the specials and half of the drinks. She had a gift for the gab, the woman declared, and would be a sure-fire in a sales environment. And then the woman left her business card underneath the sizeable tip with the words “call me” scribbled underneath her name. She waited a week before she called, and a week after that she was booking a train ticket to London, an interview secured under her belt to work for a corporate events company. Admittedly the role was in sales and she had zero desire to sell her soul to corporate events, but when the pay packet was proposed to her, and the idea of living in London had planted itself in her head, there was no way she could return to Bideford, to the tea room, to her family. Her name on the dotted line, and a small room in a run-down corner of Elephant and Castle secured, Louisa could finally breathe easy: she’d escaped, and better things were on the horizon.

He worked opposite her in sales; a man so cocky and confident that immediately she loathed him. It was a night after one of the events, with a bottle of champagne shared between them at 3am that something changed. She swore blind she would never mix business with pleasure, but perhaps it was the low lighting of the hotel, or perhaps it was the sweet taste of the Veuve Clicquot, but whatever it was when he suggested they retire to his hotel room, she found herself saying yes. At twenty-years-old, he swept her off her feet, and after their one night together began to wine her and dine her constantly, dragging her off into the post room for a stolen kiss, weaving his hand in hers under the table when they went out for work drinks – the relationship was clandestine, a secret kept between them away from the HR policies that would demand they declare their relationship. It kept things exciting, fresh, sexy. And yet they still got caught out by a nosy colleague who noticed they’d disappeared for twenty minutes. Louisa fully prepared herself for the inevitable breakup, she was convinced that he would get bored, that the relationship would be done to save face, and yet a month later, hand in hand they declared their relationship to HR, then to their friends.

A year later he proposed. Six months after that, they realised she was pregnant. The wedding was delayed until finally a year after giving birth to their daughter when they tied the knot in a quiet, intimate ceremony in front of their family and forty guests. Two months after the wedding the discovered she was pregnant once again. By now, she had been promoted, out of the role of Sales Executive and into Operations Manager for the events, but as time went on she found herself falling out of love with the work she was doing. Her husband loved it, he too had been promoted into Project Management, their home, whilst small was quaint and perfect for two young children, but her work was unsatisfying, and they had grown increasingly tired of her having to duck out for child care arrangements. The job offer in Reputation Crisis Management fell into her hand quite unexpectedly, after a networking session for young professional women and a couple of large glasses of rose wine. She was always good in a crisis, the sort of person people turned to when things needed fixing, she was used to dealing with demanding individuals…and quite like that, after working in corporate events for seven years, she handed in her notice.

The workload was far more demanding – clients called her at all hours of the day, weekends were spent rushing into the office to fix problems, and her relationship grew increasingly neglected. When they returned home from the end of a day’s work, there was no desire or spark with either of them, just exhaustion and an unspoken agreement that they would just go to sleep that evening. Between young children and demanding workloads, both of them grew distant, and whilst there were no hard feelings between them, they knew that the relationship was on borrowed time. They tried to fix it, couples therapy, dirty weekends away, date nights but whenever things seemed to be fixing themselves, work came back into the picture, or the kids became the priority. Eventually, they came to the same conclusion: they simply weren’t in love anymore. Louisa had always had a calm head, and her priority was always her children, and so together they sat down, and made some tough decisions. Eventually, they came out with an agreement; he would see the kids every weekend, he would only ever be half an hour away, both of them agreed to babysit or move around their schedules if they needed to, and they would still have a family day once a month. It wasn’t necessarily traditional, but it worked. He moved out, renting a flat out in Putney, and she remained in Mortlake, balancing work and family, and snapping at anyone who dared to suggest that her relationship was dysfunctional

And so, she lives out the daily grind, working hard at her job, always on the phone, rescuing people and companies from themselves. It’s not uncommon to see her standing behind a hotelier or a tech company at a press-event, jumping in whenever they go off script, and yet every night she goes home to her children. Her world revolves around her kids and everything she does is for them. Sometimes, when she spends evenings fixing other people’s lives she regrets the choices she made, the voice in the back of her head says she’s a bad mother, but most of the time she can ignore it. For now, she simply has to move on with her life, and wait for the chips to fall as they may.

POSITIVE TRAITS: Driven. Calm. Generous. Witty.      NEGATIVE TRAITS: Short tempered. Blunt. Proud.

SOCIAL CONNECTIONS:

RELATIONSHIP STATUS: Married but separated.  FAMILY: Jean and Stewart Foster – parents (NPC), Jack Foster - younger brother (name UTP - playable), James Brooks husband (name UTP - playable), Samantha Brooks, Jack Brooks – children (NPC) IDEAL CONNECTIONS:

#1 The baby brother. Her other half. The one who always knows what to say. Who knows her inside and out. When times are tough, he is the one she turns to without a moment’s hesitation, the one who she foists the kids off to whenever problems arise at work, the one who has been with her every step of the way throughout the separation. In other words, the one person who can always make the world right, even when hell seems all around

#2 The almost ex-husband. Sometimes relationships don’t work out. There is no rhyme or reason, the spark merely goes out and can’t be resurrected. He and Louisa parted on good terms, an amicable separation where both simply accepted that they’d just run out of steam. They continue to co-parent their children, and live a train ride away so they still see each other frequently. They still love each other of course, they’re just not in love anymore – not that it makes it any easier to watch him move on.

#3 Clients. The people who she’s employed to protect from themselves. Her phone buzzes most evenings with mini-crises that can be handled with a short phone call, but she prefers to take a hands-on approach. Regular client lunches, freebies to gallery openings, philanthropic events, anything that will help boost the client’s reputation – even if they’re a dirtbag away from the cameras. Hey, who is she to judge? She’s just doing what she’s paid for.

[moonprizmz]

Stolen from @ambulantics​ <3 (she said to do them in her tags, but also these are fun and I do what I want)

1: Let’s start with a tricky one; what is the real reason you are confused right now?

My emotions have been all over the place lately and I have to start applying for classes soon and have no clue which ones to pick and AHHHHHHHHH

2: Do you ever get “good morning” texts from anyone?

Nopw

3: If your significant other smoked pot, would you care?

Not really, just don’t do it around me please.

4: Do you find it easy to trust others?

Sorta, depends

5: What were you doing at 11PM last night?

Watching anime (NGE specifically)

6: You’re drunk and lost walking down the road; who is with you?

Pird most likely

7: What would you do if you found out you had been cheated on?

I honestly don’t know. I’d probably be devastated though

8: Are you close with your dad?

Yeah sorta, but I don’t get to see him as much as I would like for reasons

9: I bet you kissed someone last night, right?

No

10: What are you listening to?

Lion Heart - SNSD

11: You can only drink ONE liquid for the rest of your life - what is it?

Chai Tea Lattes!!!!

12: Do you like hickeys?

Never had one but the idea is kinda hot

13: What time do you go to bed?

between 3-6am (it’s summer vacation here and I don’t go out ever)

14: Is there someone who continuously lets you down?

Not really

15: Can you text as quickly with one hand as you do both?

Probably not

16: Do you always answer your texts?

Generally yeah

17: Do you hate the person you fell the hardest for?

No

18: When was the last time you talked to one of your best friends?

Texting her right now but in person/over the phone, I think last week

19: Is there someone that makes you happy every time you see them?

Yeah

20: What was your last thought before you went to bed last night?

I need to stop sleeping at 6 am

21: Is anyone else in the room with you?

Nope

22: Do you believe what goes around comes around?

Yeah

23: Were you happier four months ago than you are now?

Yeah

24: Is there someone you wish you could fix things with?

Yeah

25: In the past week, have you cried?

lololololol yup

26: What colour is the shirt you are wearing?

Gray

27: Do people ever call you by your last name?

No 

28: Is anyone ignoring you right now?

Maybe

29: Do you have a best friend?

Yeeeee

30: Would it be hard seeing someone else kiss the last person you kissed?

Yeah

31: Who was your last call/text message from?

My mom/Pird

32: Are you mad at anyone?

Kinda?

33: Have you ever kissed someone older than you?

If a month older counts then yeah sure

34: How old will the last person you kissed be on his/her next birthday?

20

35: How many more days until your birthday?

I don’t feel like doing the math but my bday is in Feb.

36: Do you have any summer plans yet?

Maybe Little Tokyo/626 Night Market with fam, but other than that no. Oh and finally taking my fucking driving test (and hopefully passing first try)

37: Do you have any good friends of the opposite sex?

Yeah

38: Are you keeping anything from your best friend(s) now?

Yeah

39: Do you have a secret that you’ve never told anyone?

I don’t think so, at least not the big ones

40: Have you ever regretted kissing someone?

Yeah

41: Do you think age matters in relationships?

If you’re underage and even barely legal, yes, otherwise no just proceed with caution

42: Are you available?

Emotionally, no

43: How many people have you had real, strong feelings for since high school ended?

One

44: If you had to get a piercing (not ears), what would you get?

Naval

45: Do you believe exes can be friends?

It’d be nice

46: Do you regret anything?

Yeeee

47: Honestly, what’s on your mind right now?

School and people

48: Did you ever lose a best friend?

It feels like it

49: Was your last kiss a mistake?

No

50: Why aren’t you pursuing the person you like?

Because it wouldn’t be right

51: Has the last person you kissed ever seen you cry?

Yeah

52: Do you still talk with the person you LAST kissed?

Not right now

53: What was the last thing you ate?

Pasta salad

54: Did you get any compliments today?

No

55: Where are you going on your next vacation?

Probably Philippines 

56: Do you own anything from other countries?

Yeeee (still crying from all the money spent in Japan)

57: Are most of your friend guys or girls?

Uh I think it’s pretty even

58: Where have you lived most of your life?

SoCal

59: When was the last time you took a long drive?

Last weekend I think? (I actually drove for like 2 hrs not straight, but still I drove)

60: Have you ever played Spin the Bottle?

No (but like I always wanted to secretly, but only amongst close/trusted friends)

61: Have you ever TPd someone’s house?

Yeah

62: Who do you text the most?

PIRD

63: What was the last movie you saw?

Wonder Woman

64: What’s preventing your current boyfriend/girlfriend from going back to their ex?

I’m single

65: How many boyfriends/girlfriends did you have in 2011?

0 (not counting the “middle school bf” I had at the time, that wasn’t a real relationship)

66: Is the last person you kissed younger than you?

No

67: Do you curse around your parents?

No

68: Are you happy with where you live?

Not really

69: Picture of yourself?

I posted prom pics of me last year you are welcome to look for

70: Are you a monogamous person or do you believe in open-ended relationships?

Monogamy, I personally don’t think I could be in an open relationship

71: Have you ever been dumped?

Yeah I guess? But it was more along the lines of talking it out and then ending

72: What do you most like about making out?

Being physically close and intimate with a person I’m connected too

73: Have you ever casually made out with someone who you weren’t seriously involved with?

Once? In middle school but it was more the guy caught me by surprise and tried to eat my face for 5 secs before I pulled away all grossed out

74: When you kiss someone for the first time, is it usually you who initiates it or the other?

The other

75: What part of a person’s body do you find most attractive?

Hair and if they have more toned arms

76: Who was the last person you talked to last night before you went to bed?

Pird

77: Had sex with someone you knew less than an hour?

Never had sex

78: Had sex with someone you didn’t know their name?

See above

79: What makes your heart flutter and brings a big cheesy smile to your face?

Kpop idols when they’re trying their best to speak English/the language of the country they’re performing in that isn’t their own

80: Would you get involved with someone if they had a child already?

Not at the moment since I’m still pretty young, but I wouldn’t be opposed to it when I’m older

81: Has someone who had a crush on you ever confessed to you?

Yeah

82: Do you tell a lot of people when you have a crush?

Not really

83: Do you miss your last sweetie?

Yeah

84: Last time you slow danced with someone?

Prom last year

85: Have you ever ‘dated’ someone you’ve never met?

No

86: How can I win your heart?

Be a generally good person that can make me laugh and I can chill with and has something they’re passionate about

87: What is your astrological sign?

Aquarius

88: What were you doing last night at 12 AM?

Anime

89: Do you cook?

lololololol (I could probably follow a fairly easy recipe though)

90: Have you ever gotten back in touch with an old flame after a time of more than 3 months of no communication?

No

91: If you’re single right now, do you wish you were in a relationship?

Kinda

92: Do you prefer to date various people or do you pretty much fall into monogamous relationships quickly?

Not super experienced, but I think I’m too awkward/uncomfortable with dating around so probably monogamy

93: What physical traits do you look for in a potential interest?

I’m not really super specific or picky, but taller than me (doesn’t have to be by a lot) and maybe have nice hair

94: Name four things that you wish you had!

MONEY, a driver’s license, more freedom/independence, a clear purpose in life (whoops, got too deep?)

95: Are you a player?

No

96: Have you ever kissed 2 people in one day?

Yeah

97: Are you a tease?

I guess?

98: Ever meet anyone you met on Tumblr?

No

99: Have you ever been deeply in love with someone?

Yeah

100: Anybody on Tumblr that you’d go on a date with?

Idk

101: Hugs or Kisses?

Both

102: Are you too shy to ask someone out?

Yes

103: The first thing you notice about the opposite sex?

Hair

104: Is it cute when a boy/girl calls you babe?

Yeah

105: If a sexy person was pursuing you, but you knew he/she was in relationship, would you go for it?

No

106: Do you flirt a lot?

Not really? I don’t think so? 

107: Your last kiss?

2 months ago

108: Have you kissed more than 5 people since the start of 2012?

No

109: Have you kissed anyone in the past month?

No

110: If you could kiss anyone who would it be?

Won’t say

111: Do you know who you’ll kiss next?

Nope

112: Does someone like you currently?

Probably not

113: Do you currently have feelings for anyone?

It’s confusing

114: Do you like to be in serious relationships or just flings?

Serious relationship (never had a fling, but I’m pretty sure it’s not for me)

115: Ever made out with just a friend?

No? (it was an ambiguous time)

116: Are you happier single or in a relationship?

I think in a relationship, but I’m trying really hard to learn to be happy with just me

117: Your own question that you want me to answer. Just write it.

Would you like to be able to actually start/finish all these art projects you said you would do and have them turn out actually nice? Heck yesssss

[atlaswanders-blog]

Per Aspera ad Astra

Latin -” Through hardship to the stars...”

I’ve..

- Sized up the Amazon and hopped ships from Colombia into Brazil exploring the beauty of a simpler life and admired how differently people live (We city people have no idea)...

- Lived illegally in Brazil and almost became a resident thanks to Lula offering amnesty 

-Snowboarded the French Alps and Purenees (& tore my rotator cuff when my board skipped on a rock at the bottom of a black diamond)

-Worked as an international courier to deliver motherboards twice to Guadalajara City, and film reels to Vienna for the Last Samurai- so healthy to get out!

- Flipped airbnbs for friends in Williamsburg & Bedstuy, and painted apts in Harlem and Bushwick when i was “freelancing”...

- Lived in a 3000SF loft in one of the last affordable live-work spaces in the Downtown LA Arts District that should have been landmarked- where we paid less than $1/SF- but were then subjects to Eminent Domain thanks to the City of Los Angeles and the monster machine of gentrification severing off our end of the building, widening the 1st street bridge so as to incorporate a lightrail- where my bedroom, kitchen and bathroom use to be

- Received a $500 tip and a glass of Cristal Champagne- and could almost pay my rent after working that night in Hollywood

- Jumped on a last minute light to Miami to deliver missing hardware (screws) for an installation project that needed to be finished b/c FedEX wasn’t working over the weekend- but got to visit my aunt & uncle for 3 days

- Sold a 5 ft. schooner ship sculpture I built from parts from 3 disassembled pianos (Wurlitzer & Steinway), which paid for January rent in a Bushwick loft and my trip back to LA to deliver to an inspiring collector.

- Drove from Dallas to LA straight in under 24 hours 4x- even breaking down on one of those trips only to be towed by twin brothers who helped replace my timing belt and got me back on the road to make it under 24 hrs. There ARE kind people out there!

-Drove from Denver to NY in under 24 hours only to arrive for my move and to watch the 2009 World Cup Final- Spain beat the Netherlands! Who needs sleep?! Naps are the best!

- Trekked the Salkentay trail for 5 days to climb Macchu Pichu & not only looked like a spotted cow (severely sunburnt & peeling in the face) but a map  of constellations due to the 50+ bug bite trail left on me. All despite, what a TRIP!

- Volunteered at a school in Port-Au-Prince for 6 weeks only to understand how complex Haiti’s history, how so many live piled up in camps with no hope, children going hungry unless they make it to school, and how there’s discrimination even between shades of color / “blackness”

- Moved 3x in 5 months while in crutches due to a horrible soccer injury (nightmare) and resorted to messing around with graphic design and designing fake album covers in my sedentary stage- only finding a depressing job at a non-profit in Chelsea scanning medical documents of disabled children. Eye-opening to be temporary disabled working for the disabled.

-  Climbed part of the Great Wall with both my parents (!!!) after talking about for more than 2 decades- Hello dreams!

- Watched my very sick pitbull/boxer Einstein slip off a chair, vomit blood, slip in it from exhaustion, and have a heart attack while my cat Zen intensely meowed and circled the scene. #HORRIBLE

- Worked as someone’s personal driver for 2 months driving them around in a Porsche Panamera 2015 ( It was 2014, and I realized I know more about sports injuries than I do about sports cars...and am more of an SUV/mobile locker kind of gal)

- Formally said goodbye to my grandmother - perhaps the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do. First it was the walker, then the portable toilet, the hospital bed, the wheel chair, the oxygen tank, creating an excel spreadsheet to organize her medication, and then writing her eulogy. They don’t make grandmas the way they use to.  

-Fallen asleep on the train only to have my bag stolen with my laptop, external hard drive, camera and watch- only to get my laptop back (which no longer resembled mine) but working with an NYPD and Lowjack investnro- and informing them I had figured out that the IP address showing up thru Dropbox could be googled to locate the one of 2 addresses/buildings where my computer was being held hostage. Turns out the kid had bought the laptop from someone in Union Square- who needed $ for a suit to attend a job interview. My laptop was full of WIP cover letters...

- Been attacked by a guy with a knife in Bogota the night Obama won the election ( My English friend was more afraid I was going to be the #~!@#! out of the guy. I had thankfully just trained with an El Salvadorean boxing coach for 3 months only cuz my neighbor was dating him. He was also already training his son.

- Helped a lovely Russian lady with stage 4 cancer find an apartment rental in Bedstuy.  She reminded me of my adopted Russian grandmother Helen (who spoke Chinese). It wasn’t easy jumping thru so many hoops, The lease signing was conducted bedside in a a Park Slope brownstone where her daughter had years before apprenticed with a painter.  She had also just shaved her head. Stella invited me over for dinner twice while her daughter was visiting from London.  Sadly, 3 months into her lease the Landlord wanted to sell the brownstone, so there were difficulties. I tried to visit, but saw her thru the window sleeping. 2 weeks after minimal & delayed responses and a text of “I’m dying”, the Listing Agent called me to give his condolences and to inform me she had passed.  )o: #RIPDearStella

- Met a musician at a wine bar I was working at in Fort Greene, whom I later recommended to an Argentinian multi-instrumentalist to secure a collaboration and help produce a music video! (Scenes on Hancock St- behind where I lived, and recruiting my boss’ kids seen playing on the sidewalk, and a Turkish taxi driver friend’s friend #HELLOPOTENTIAL  #JAZZHOP <<<”Cause there ain’t no stopping us...”

“Not knowing when the dawn will come, I open every door.” - Emily Dickinson

 #MeasureYourWingspan #GoBigOrGoHome #Flotsam&Jetsam