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im-fairly-whitty · 6 years

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Old Habits Die Hard

Coco One-shot Fanfic

An absolutely ridiculous (yet canon-consistent) one-shot of the Dead Riveras sneaking into the Sunrise Spectacular.

A writing request from @goodtimesbadmusic and @mayu-nakashima to go along with this fanart of a completely flabbergasted Imelda and Miguel. x)

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“Now approaching the De la Cruz Sunrise Spectacular, please make sure all tickets have been purchased well in advance.”

Miguel looked up at the box where the sky trolley’s recorded voice had come from, a sinking feeling in his stomach.

“Tickets?” Imelda asked, shooting a hard look at Hector, “we’re in the land of the dead and that serpiente is still charging people to hear him caterwaul into a microphone?”

Hector shrugged with an uncomfortable smile, making a non-committal noise.

It hurt Miguel to see how wounded yet eager he was every time Imelda gave him any attention at all, regardless of how barbed it was. It was like watching a stray cat be kicked every time it hesitantly tried to rub against someone’s ankles.

“Hector, we don’t have tickets, how are we going to get backstage?” Miguel whispered.

He was the only Rivera who had dared to sit close to him the entire trolley ride. No one else was brave enough to tempt Imelda’s confused irritation, having been so recently disengaged from Hector her rage was loose and fast, hitting anyone who got too close.

“If we can get to Frida we’re gold, chamaco.” Hector said, but Miguel could see he was gripping the edge of the straw hat in his lap just a little too tightly. “She already hates Ernesto for being a lazy performer, I can guarantee that once she knows he’s a murderer she’ll come up with some crazy idea of how to get us close to him no problem.”

“But how do we get to Frida then? Through Ceci’s window?” Miguel asked, thinking of how they’d gotten into the rehearsal a few hours earlier. Wow. Had it really only been a few hours?

“Through who’s window?” Imelda snapped from the other side of the trolley.

“Oh, Imelda, you remember Ceci Rodriguez?” Hector said, perking up with an unbearable bit of hope in his eyes, “She’s a seamstress for the production crew at the Spectacular, she finally got her dream job as a costume designer. Well, after death anyway. She’s helped me a few times over the years.”

For the first time during the trolley ride Imelda’s face softened, just a bit.

“Oh my, Ceci?” she said, an old memory lighting her eyes, “I haven’t thought about Ceci in years, she died so long before I did. Is she still as-” But imelda shook her head, swatting her hand in front of her face as if to push the memory aside. “No, that doesn’t matter right now, can she get us in or not?”

Hector scratched his goatee, “No, I think we’ll have to find a different way past security. I don’t think she’ll be at all happy to see me right before the show starts. Besides, I’ve already lost one of her dresses today.”

“You lost one of her what?” Imelda asked, somehow folding her arms even tighter.

Hector snapped his boney finger with a click, his face brightening. “That does give me an idea though.” He paused, looking at Imelda as a sheepish grin slid onto his face. “I, uh, Imelda, do you happen to remember the time I got us into that Mexico City fiesta for our second anniversary?”

Imelda’s face was stoney for a moment, but then something far back in her memory seemed to click into place and her eyes got very wide. For some reason Tio Oscar and Felipe suddenly looked very uncomfortable too.

“No.” Imelda said sternly, “You are not pulling that again, we are both far too old for that kind of thing.”

“What kind of thing?” Miguel asked.

Hector’s grin only got wider as the trolley shuddered to a halt at their stop.

***

“Imelda, please,” Tio Oscar whispered desperately, “we’re not sixteen anymore.”

“Don’t make us do this.” Tio Felipe finished.

The Riveras were all crowded into a back alley behind the Spectacular arena. Just around the corner from them was their target, a lone security guard standing watch at a back entrance.

Imelda pressed her boney palms to her eye sockets, either trying to ward off a migraine or simply doing anything to avoid seeing Hector beside her.

“Stop being cowards.” Hector whispered back in a mischievous falsetto, snapping open a fan in front of his face and hitching his orange purse higher onto his boney shoulder.

“Just hurry and do it before my good sense comes back to me.” Imelda hissed, still not looking at her estranged husband, who in Miguel’s opinion was rocking a strapless dress and high-heels uncomfortably well.

Ceci had never pulled up her fire escape, making a quick raid of the rehearsal hall’s costume department an easy one. Miguel could tell Hector’s excitement was building, but he couldn’t forget that Hector had collapsed again just minutes ago in wave of shimmering gold sparks. Not the mention that Miguel had glimpsed his own collarbone becoming visible when they’d passed a mirror in the dressing rooms.

They were running out of time and they all knew it.

“But-” Oscar started.

“Now!” Imelda snapped, jolting Hector and the twins into action.

Hector patted his long haired wig into place a final time and strode out into the open, hips swaying confidently as he sauntered into full view of the security guard. One of the twins whimpered, but another glare from Imelda sent them both scampering after Hector.

“What are you doing! Let go of me!” Hector cried in his falsetto, struggling dramatically as Felipe half-heartedly grabbed the strap of his purse.

Oscar looked back at Imelda for a moment and then grabbed the bag as well, escalating the tug of war into something that looked halfway real.

“Hey! What’s going on here?” Came the security guard's voice.

The twins looked up as they finally pried the purse from Hector and then took off down the street.

“My bag!” Hector howled, falling to the pavement with such despair that for a moment Miguel was afraid he’d been struck by the second death. But no, in a moment the security guard was at Hector’s side, looking panicked.

“Are you alright Señorita?” The guard asked uncertainty as Hector continued to sob hysterically.

“My-my-bag! It has my only photo of my son in it!” Hector cried, latching onto the guard's leg in mock-grief, “It’s all I have, please! You have to get it back for me! ”

Miguel look up at Mama Imelda beside him, who was now watching with a kind of fascinated horror.

“I, uh, of course Señorita.” The guard said, awkwardly trying to shake Hector off his leg. “I’ll get it for you, just, let me go por favor.”

“Bless you!” Hector cried, still holding onto the poor man’s leg, “A thousand blessing on you Señor, for helping a poor woman in need!”

By the time the guard successfully detached himself he looked only too happy for any excuse to get away. They all watched as he took off in the direction the twins had gone, just as Oscar and Felipe crept back to their hidden group from behind, having circled the block in the time it took for the guard to escape Hector’s clutches.

“One doorway to Frida Kahlo,” Hector said in his normal voice, picking himself up and cheerfully brushing dirt off his hem, “as ordered, courtesy of the Hector drama institute.”

Miguel couldn’t hold it any longer and burst into an uncontrollable fit of laughter, leaning against the brick wall beside him, then collapsing into giggles. Hector walked over, one hand on his cocked pelvis as he looked down at Miguel with mock-feminine seriousness.

“I don’t know what you’re laughing at little boy,” Hector said in falsetto, grinning as he offered Miguel a hand, “purse-snatching is a serious crime.”

“You were amazing!” Miguel cried, taking Hector’s hand with his now equally bony one and letting himself be pulled to his feet.

“You were ridiculous.” Mamá Imelda said, but Miguel was pretty sure her expression was the same as his Abuelita’s was when she was trying very hard to be cross at something she’d rather laugh at.

“We’d better hurry.” Hector said, swapping his wig for his real hair and goatee, stepping out of his high heels and shrugging off the dress to reveal his tattered trousers underneath. He accepted his mess of a purple jacket from Tia Victoria and pulled it on. “We’ve still got to find Frida and I don’t know when the guard will be coming back.”

Miguel gasped as Hector groaned and doubled over, a flutter of shimmering gold running through his bones. Miguel and Imelda both jumped to catch him as he nearly fell, steadying him until the pain passed.

“We need to keep moving if we’re going to get your picture in time.” Imelda said, looking self-conscious as she let go of Hector the moment he could stand on his own again. “You two ridiculous performers lead the way.”

“Thank you.” Hector said to Imelda, looking like he wanted to add something else, but instead he braced himself on Miguel’s shoulder as he turned to lead the way to the now unguarded doorway.

Miguel bit his lip, wishing he knew what to say, but for now all he could do was try to make sure Hector wasn’t forgotten before he could maybe work things out with Mamá Imelda.

“Come on Papá Hector,” Miguel said, supporting him as they walked, “let’s go get that photo.”

It may have been Miguel’s imagination, but it felt like Hector stood a little taller at the sound of being called “Papá.”

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I have waaaay too much fun with these if you can’t already tell x)

And hey, if you want more about Ceci you can check out my current fic “Cecilia de Verde” here, a Coco “no-murder AU” love story that I’m currently writing. :)

You can also read my more serious/thriller Ernesto revenge fic “For Whom the Bell Tolls.”

If you like what I do you can also buy me a coffee to help me justify my constant writing time vs. homework struggle. x)

- Wit

#wit writes #pixar coco #sunrise spectacular #coco #fanart #imelda #hector #miguel rivera #oscar and felipe #fanfic #one shot #request #drag

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coolmusicstuff · 4 years

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without live music..I’ll be needing stitches

I have to say, the one thing that I REALLY took for granted before the pandemic was the ability to experience live music, whether it was through a livestream on my phone, a full concert, or festival. The opportunity to experience my favorite artist in a different light was something that I always pushed off. The artist’s live music that I’m going review today is one that I regret the most not being able to see in person. I vividly remember hesitating to purchase tickets with the mentality of “I’ll see him next year”... the biggest “L“I took :( However, you can take my word for it.. I WILL SEE HIM LIVE ONE DAY!

Releasing his second studio album titled, SHAWN MENDES, he embarked on his world tour in March 2019 with 105 shows attracting THOUSANDS of devoted fans from all around the world. The set list comprised of 20 songs that were mainly from his most recent album, however, he did add in the classics such as “Stitches”, “Life of the Party”, and “There’s Nothing Holding Me Back.”

*****The specific set list I’m going to review correlates with the show in Antwerp, Belgium on March 10, 2019. See the full concert video here:

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The show opens up with a dreamy VCR sequence that I think set the tone for his first song, “Lost in Japan”. The song talks about a guy’s infatuation with a girl and how he wants to simply get “lost” with her. Compared to the original track, I think the live version adds more levels of synthetic sounds which you can audibly hear when he is singing.

I honestly do not know how I feel about it because it was fairly new for Shawn to have more of an automated tone to his music. However, his killer ad-libs and flirty facial expressions make up for it (this isn’t going to be the last time I mention this lol) I think I prefer his classic sound a bit more because it fits his style as this “acoustic dreamy guy” Check out his performance at the 2018 Victoria Secret Fashion Show to see what I mean:

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Nonetheless, he shows his natural sound PLENTY in this show as he progresses to his faster paced songs. The song that stuck out to me during this point was definitely “Mutual”. He busts out his guitar and sings his heart out during this song. CLASSIC SHAWN. He engages A LOT with his fans during this song by letting them sing in his place which is classic Shawn as well. It was during this song where I realized that Shawn really loves his guitar. No I mean it. The guy was really immersed into his strings and was just vibing with his live band for a good minute I would say.

The next highlight for me was when he went to the center stage and started playing the piano. He sang “Life of the Party” and “A Little Too Much” which are both slower paced. He really connected with the audience during this part because everyone was singing and making eye contact throughout this whole medley of songs. It felt a little more intimate than the previous highlight because it felt like it was just him and his fans.

Progressing to the last section of his show, I think the last three songs had the most impact throughout the whole set. I think the songs were just so personal that the lyrics themselves convey a lot, but when you had the live band, it sounds even more powerful because the strings and drums add to the story of the song. “Mercy” and “Fix You” (Coldplay cover) both have that similar sad love song vibes but “In My Blood” was the last song and it talked candidly about Mendes’s experience with depression and anxiety. Even when singing about something so personal, you can see that EVERYONE there were having a good time. I think that encompasses what a good show is.. being able to feel, watch, and sing along with your favorite artist and fellow fans.

Overall, I think this live show sums up Mendes’s persona nicely. It was flirty, intimate, personal, and very acoustic as well. I think every Shawn Mendes fan knows that his songs are the epitome of confessional ballads and big romantic gestures. I will always appreciate his ability to say all the right things in song form.

***Also I want to note that this guy has switched SO many times between his acoustic guitar, electric guitar, piano, and possibly more but I’m not sure at this point. I think it is safe to say that Shawn is versatile when it comes to playing instruments and especially during his tour, it was his trademark.

Over time, he released more relevant songs to himself like “Youth” or “In My Blood” which talk about more substantial social issues among the young generation. I think I would like to see him take on more songs like that in the future because the live version would be tear-jerking in my opinion. He has the ability to move people and I think discussing topics like mental health and violence through his songs honestly feels more raw and impactful than any school assembly I’ve been to. (Take note school administrators!) Check out the Youth lyric Video below:

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Anyways, on an ending note, this live show feels like you fell in love, broke up and put back the pieces only to break again, and you learn some important life lessons... and only then do you realize it has only been 90 minutes since you started feeling this way. You can thank Shawn Mendes for that. God bless :)

#shawn mendes #shawn foundation #live music #shawn mendes the tour #acousticvibes #piano #stitches

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justforbooks · 6 years

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When Leonard Cohen was twenty-five, he was living in London, sitting in cold rooms writing sad poems. He got by on a three-thousand-dollar grant from the Canada Council for the Arts. This was 1960, long before he played the festival at the Isle of Wight in front of six hundred thousand people. In those days, he was a Jamesian Jew, the provincial abroad, a refugee from the Montreal literary scene. Cohen, whose family was both prominent and cultivated, had an ironical view of himself. He was a bohemian with a cushion whose first purchases in London were an Olivetti typewriter and a blue raincoat at Burberry. Even before he had much of an audience, he had a distinct idea of the audience he wanted. In a letter to his publisher, he said that he was out to reach “inner-directed adolescents, lovers in all degrees of anguish, disappointed Platonists, pornography-peepers, hair-handed monks and Popists

Cohen was growing weary of London’s rising damp and its gray skies. An English dentist had just yanked one of his wisdom teeth. After weeks of cold and rain, he wandered into a bank and asked the teller about his deep suntan. The teller said that he had just returned from a trip to Greece. Cohen bought an airline ticket.

Not long afterward, he alighted in Athens, visited the Acropolis, made his way to the port of Piraeus, boarded a ferry, and disembarked at the island of Hydra. With the chill barely out of his bones, Cohen took in the horseshoe-shaped harbor and the people drinking cold glasses of retsina and eating grilled fish in the cafés by the water; he looked up at the pines and the cypress trees and the whitewashed houses that crept up the hillsides. There was something mythical and primitive about Hydra. Cars were forbidden. Mules humped water up the long stairways to the houses. There was only intermittent electricity. Cohen rented a place for fourteen dollars a month. Eventually, he bought a whitewashed house of his own, for fifteen hundred dollars, thanks to an inheritance from his grandmother.

Hydra promised the life Cohen had craved: spare rooms, the empty page, eros after dark. He collected a few paraffin lamps and some used furniture: a Russian wrought-iron bed, a writing table, chairs like “the chairs that van Gogh painted.” During the day, he worked on a sexy, phantasmagoric novel called “The Favorite Game” and the poems in a collection titled “Flowers for Hitler.” He alternated between extreme discipline and the varieties of abandon. There were days of fasting to concentrate the mind. There were drugs to expand it: pot, speed, acid. “I took trip after trip, sitting on my terrace in Greece, waiting to see God,” he said years later. “Generally, I ended up with a bad hangover.”

Here and there, Cohen caught glimpses of a beautiful Norwegian woman. Her name was Marianne Ihlen, and she had grown up in the countryside near Oslo. Her grandmother used to tell her, “You are going to meet a man who speaks with a tongue of gold.” She thought she already had: Axel Jensen, a novelist from home, who wrote in the tradition of Jack Kerouac and William Burroughs. She had married Jensen, and they had a son, little Axel. Jensen was not a constant husband, however, and, by the time their child was four months old, Jensen was, as Marianne put it, “over the hills again” with another woman.

One spring day, Ihlen was with her infant son in a grocery store and café. “I was standing in the shop with my basket waiting to pick up bottled water and milk,” she recalled decades later, on a Norwegian radio program. “He is standing in the doorway with the sun behind him.” Cohen asked her to join him and his friends outside. He was wearing khaki pants, sneakers, a shirt with rolled sleeves, and a cap. The way Marianne remembered it, he seemed to radiate “enormous compassion for me and my child.” She was taken with him. “I felt it throughout my body,” she said. “A lightness had come over me.”

Cohen had known some success with women. He would know a great deal more. For a troubadour of sadness—“the godfather of gloom,” he was later called—Cohen found frequent respite in the arms of others. As a young man, he had a kind of Michael Corleone Before the Fall look, sloe-eyed, dark, a little hunched, but high courtesy and verbal fluency were his charm. When he was thirteen, he read a book on hypnotism. He tried out his new discipline on the family housekeeper, and she took off her clothes. Not everyone over the years was quite as bewitched. Nico spurned him, and Joni Mitchell, who had once been his lover, remained a friend but dismissed him as a “boudoir poet.” But these were the exceptions.

Leonard began spending more and more time with Marianne. They went to the beach, made love, kept house. Once, when they were apart—Marianne and Axel in Norway, Cohen in Montreal scraping up some money—he sent her a telegram: “Have house all I need is my woman and her son. Love, Leonard.”

There were times of separation, times of argument and jealousy. When Marianne drank, she could go into a dark rage. And there were infidelities on both sides. (“Good gracious. All the girls were panting for him,” Marianne recalled. “I would dare go as far as to say that I was on the verge of killing myself due to it.”)

In the mid-sixties, as Cohen started to record his songs and win worldly success, Marianne became known to his fans as that antique figure—the muse. A memorable photograph of her, dressed only in a towel, and sitting at the desk in the house on Hydra, appeared on the back of Cohen’s second album, “Songs from a Room.” But, after they’d been together for eight years, the relationship came apart, little by little—“like falling ashes,” as Cohen put it.

Cohen was spending more time away from Hydra pursuing his career. Marianne and Axel stayed on awhile on Hydra, then left for Norway. Eventually, Marianne married again. But life had its burdens, particularly for Axel, who has had persistent health problems. What Cohen’s fans knew of Marianne was her beauty and what it had inspired: “Bird on the Wire,” “Hey, That’s No Way to Say Goodbye,” and, most of all, “So Long, Marianne.” She and Cohen stayed in touch. When he toured in Scandinavia, she visited him backstage. They exchanged letters and e-mails. When they spoke to journalists and to friends of their love affair, it was always in the fondest terms.

In late July 2016, Cohen received an e-mail from Jan Christian Mollestad, a close friend of Marianne’s, saying that she was suffering from cancer. In their last communication, Marianne had told Cohen that she had sold her beach house to help insure that Axel would be taken care of, but she never mentioned that she was sick. Now, it appeared, she had only a few days left. Cohen wrote back immediately:

Well Marianne, it’s come to this time when we are really so old and our bodies are falling apart and I think I will follow you very soon. Know that I am so close behind you that if you stretch out your hand, I think you can reach mine. And you know that I’ve always loved you for your beauty and your wisdom, but I don’t need to say anything more about that because you know all about that. But now, I just want to wish you a very good journey. Goodbye old friend. Endless love, see you down the road.

Two days later, Cohen got an e-mail from Norway:

Dear Leonard

Marianne slept slowly out of this life yesterday evening. Totally at ease, surrounded by close friends.

Your letter came when she still could talk and laugh in full consciousness. When we read it aloud, she smiled as only Marianne can. She lifted her hand, when you said you were right behind, close enough to reach her.

It gave her deep peace of mind that you knew her condition. And your blessing for the journey gave her extra strength. . . . In her last hour I held her hand and hummed “Bird on the Wire,” while she was breathing so lightly. And when we left the room, after her soul had flown out of the window for new adventures, we kissed her head and whispered your everlasting words.

So long, Marianne . . .

Cohen died on November 7, 2016 at the age of 82 at his home in Los Angeles; cancer was a contributing cause. According to his manager, Cohen's death was the result of a fall at his home on the night of November 7, and he subsequently died in his sleep.

Daily inspiration. Discover more photos at http://justforbooks.tumblr.com

#JUST FOR BOOKS

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a-x-ce · 7 years

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My Anime Expo Experience

Finally writing this up before I forget because my memory is CRAP.

First con woot woot! This is mega long, probably don’t read it unless you absolutely MUST know about how this went.

The Good

Before I even got to the con I researched and planned and bookmarked and researched some more and came to the conclusion that for me, the highlight of a con, is to do things you can only do at that year. I looked over the panels, the premieres, and decided THAT was what I wanted to prioritize. They did not disappoint. I went to two premieres, the Welcome to the Ballroom premiere and The Ancient Magus' Bride premiere, for the first one we got to watch the first two episodes, and for the latter we saw the first THREE episodes. And they blew me away, especially Magus which by episode 3 already had me crying, I could not be more stoked for that to start airing. I then went to two panels which I HAD to go to, one being the FLCL panel, where we got to see the season 2 and (kind of) season 3 trailer a whole 5 minutes before they dropped that shit everywhere else (kind of lame) but what we got added on was “some” information in regards to the series, which made up for us not really getting to see the trailers before everyone else. And then I went to the Studio TRIGGER panel which was awesome! It started with them shooting fake money at us and if you got a special stamped version it got you access to their signing (didn’t get one but kind of didn’t care) and then followed into them playing a hilarious short video which was this bizarre mix of all kinds of shit and ended on them singing the national anthem?! It was funny as all hell. They pretty much spent the majority talking about Little Witch Academia which, I’ll admit, I kind of put on hold after like episode 5...BUT they spent that time giving us all kinds of back story and information on the various characters which was fascinating. Finally though, the main focus was them releasing information on their upcoming projects (which was why most of us were there) and the first two were kinda okay, nothing too much to get us excited, but boy, the hype they built around the last project got the room in a frenzy of excitement! Promare has the potential to be another classic anime for this studio, working with the people who helped bring Kill la Kill to life, as well as Gurren Lagann! You bet your asses I was stoked for this! 100% worth it. I also got free shit at all of these premieres, posters mainly, but I also got a cool Anime Strike pin when going to see Welcome to the Ballroom.

Another thing I ended up loving was actually doing shit in the exhibit hall. When I was sitting my butt in line for an autograph ticket to meet Miyu Irino I got to talking with my fellow line sitters, and one person I talked to gave me all kinds of tips and tricks to getting even more free stuff! She told me about 2 scavenger hunts going on for two of the booths, one got me a free Sailor Moon scarf, and one got me a free CD and a poster for a new game! They were a pain in the ass to get, but that’ll be talked about more in The Bad.

After having figured out you can just ask cosplayers for a picture I manged to get the coolest picture of a Guts and Casca pair and it’s the highlight of every image I took at the con. I wish I had taken more because there were a lot of cosplayers I wanted pictures of. I missed out on a Euphie and Suzaku and I’m still sad about it :’(

The last thing I’ll say I loved was the actual experience of trying to get Miyu Irino’s autograph. Not the actual getting his autograph, but sitting in line with other fans and con goers in the line to get tickets...to get an autograph...in which I met and talked with quite a few really cool and nice people!

The Bad

The sheer size of this event is ridiculous. It’s so ridiculous in fact they split events between the Convention Center and the Marriott hotel behind the Staples Center. And whoever ran this event was a dumbass and decided that the doors open at 8 am, but none of the major halls open until 10, soooooo, you had a 2 hour gap where hundreds to thousands of people flooded the main floor creating the most hazardous sight I’ve ever seen. Seriously, this was a fire martial’s worst nightmare if you saw this mess. Luckily I only saw this disaster on day 4 ‘cause I had spent the whole damn night on the street. Otherwise I came later on day’s 2 and 3 because to me coming early was meaningless.

And I did that because getting into the center on day 1 was absolute bullshit. I came a day early to pick up my badge thinking it would cut out waiting in line even longer. No, it didn’t matter. The mass of people outside waiting to get in, and the chaos of even trying to FIND the line TO GET IN, took hours! It was such a goddamn mess that they released a statement that same day saying they WOULD fix the issue. Luckily they did and getting in on day 2 and 3 literally took minutes. What a joke.

Staff for the most part was utterly clueless when it came to finding anything and I fucking hated it. When trying to find the line for Miyu’s panel I got run around the whole damn building, which in the end paled in fucking comparison to the run around I got put on trying to find the autograph booths which were different from the general ticket booths which in the end had ANYONE known fucking anything was a whole lot easier to find if they explained it better...

Lines for larger events were a NIGHTMARE. The Marriott is NOT designed for the sheer number of people lining up for the events held there. I thought it was bad for Magus, oh no, oh no no no, even the Lupin the III game premiere line was not remotely as horrible as what I caught just a glimpse of for the Tokyo Ghoul live-action premiere. That was capped off practically THREE hours before it even played, that’s how crazy popular this event was. I missed it because of that and ended up kind of disappointed.

Crowding. Holy fuck was this bad. Not even splitting the con between two buildings reduces the sheer number of people in EVERY given space. The artist Alley, crowded, the Exhibit Hall, FUCKING MEGA CROWDED! Moving in the Exhibit Hall was the worst. Add on terrible cell service, add on the fact that the ATM’s were few and far between (and sometimes not fucking working), add on the fact that some sellers use onsite conversion so if your card doesn’t automatically accept you making a purchase in like, Canada, you’re gonna have a bad time...the crowding even makes the fun things not all that fun.

The Disappointing

Cosplay gatherings. Oh boy were these underwhelming. I think the only one I ended up kind of enjoying was the Osomatsu-san gathering I went to on day 1, but aside from that the bigger they got the more chaotic they got, the ruder people become, and just overall super frustrating. What was even more kind of a bummer was that for most of the gatherings I saw the cosplayers walking around the convention at various points and could have MUCH EASIER asked them for a picture rather than deal with the crowding of gatherings. Not to mention when smaller gatherings were made up of people who had gone before and knew each other, as a newcomer you definitely feel left out. It gave off that click vibe and that was really disheartening. Some of these gatherings were definitely not “newbie” friendly which made them even less interesting and makes me not want to go to them again.

Miyu Irino. I have gone back and forth on this one, but after this much time I realize between his panel and the actual autograph this was one of the more disappointing experiences I had. First off, his panel. It lasted one hour, if it was not already bad enough that they split the line where premiere fans got to be inside the building, the rest of us had to figure out where the fuck the OUTSIDE line was. This was a pain in the ass, really, I was run around the whole fucking building to find this line, and by the time I did I was fortunate the line wasn’t too long, but I knew the reason for that was ONLY because no one else could find this fucking line.

So after getting let in late, we sit and we’re told right away we can’t take pictures or video. And originally I thought that was fine, maybe we’d hear some new content they didn’t want getting out. No. No we spent an hour talking about old roles and getting information that I’m sure we could have gotten through any magazine or interview in probably ANY Japanese source. We learned literally nothing about any new work, there was honesty no reason why we shouldn’t have been able to take at least 1 or 2 pictures. It was also incredibly frustrating seeing someone in the row next to us break that rule anyway and got warned THREE times and STILL got to stay and see the panel. Like why make a rule of no pictures to the point where you threaten to remove anyone breaking that rule only to not enforce it? Pointless.

But anyway, so we spend our hour listening to him talk about various roles, pretty much skipping the one series I was even there for (Osomatsu-san, he voices Todomatsu) and essentially we run out of time for the Q&A where only 3 questions were asked. And no one could even bother to answer one of Miyu’s questions on why Americans like Osomatsu-san, since the ONE person he did try and ask didn’t even watch the show! It was so disappointing.

So I was not all that disappointed at the time but reflecting on it, it was kind of a bust. But I did not realize just how much worse it could get. Because Miyu was one of the most popular guests for AX this year a LOT of people wanted to see him. So many in fact that while I heard lines could start for autographs anywhere from 2 am to 4 am, people got in these lines starting on day 2 (for his session on day 3) at 8 fucking pm. And it was the exact same way on day 3 (for his session on day 4) in which as soon as I go turned away from the Tokyo Ghoul premiere I had really nothing else I wanted to do so since I saw someone on twitter already experience night 2 I went ahead and got in line at like, fucking 7 pm! I was 5th in line...

So I stayed awake for over 30+ hours to get a ticket, which I wasn’t even all that crazy about, I’m not a fangirl so this wasn’t some life changing thing for me, I just wanted the experience. I enjoyed the hell out of the actual staying awake and getting to know people though. So at 8 am they opened the booths, and everyone with a handicap got to go before anyone so while I was 5th in line I got the 12th ticket (kind of bullshit but whatever, given how the rest of us literally had to sleep on the sidewalk seeing people just walk up last minute and get tickets was frustrating). But once we had those tickets it was another 2 and a half hours until the signing, which was in the Artist Alley hall, which didn’t even open until freakin’ 10 anyway. So again there was nothing to do but wait.

So finally 10 roles around and we can get inside, I have my ticket and I go to find the line for Miyu, and as I get in line and waiting we’re eventually told that he will not be signing anything that isn’t related to his anime work.

Now, this is where I’ll deviate to tell you why this pissed me right the fuck off. Because I live in NV I had to leave unbelievably early to get to L.A. within a reasonable time to check into my hotel. There really wan’t much time earlier in my week to make a run to wal-mart or somewhere to get my pre-chosen images printed for his autograph. So, we had to run around parts of L.A. which is a shit hole for traffic because Californians CANNOT DRIVE (seriously, that’s not a joke, California drivers are THE biggest morons on the West coast) and getting anywhere was a headache. Then the actual process of getting these pictures printed was also a nightmare, because the printing station cropped the images so badly they ended up looking like shit, until finally, after about 40 minutes I got ONE (1) good image of him. It was a picture of HIM.

And he was only signing material that was anime related...yeah. So, now that the picture I had a nightmare printing was not an option, the only other one available to most was that they gave you a pre-signed poster from Akito the Exiled. Which was shitty, it was pre-signed so you wouldn’t even be able to get it autographed and talk to him even a bit! Why the fuck would anyone be happy about that when people stayed awake for HOURS specifically to get an autograph FROM HIM???? Luckily for me I invested time and money into making my Kara and Totty ita bag and had at least ONE official Todomatsu item which I ripped right out of my bag. I was ushered through the line by multiple people and spent a total of maybe 15 seconds in his presence. I said hello, he said hello, he signed my badge, I said thank you, he said thank you, and the experience was over. That was it.

And as I was leaving the line I was then asked by others in the line what the hell was happening because other people were also being screwed over by not knowing what he would or would not sign (this was literally something they needed to tell us BEFORE actually getting in line for the autograph for fucks sake). I spent some time answering them and leaving. Where I proceeded to notice quite a few girls crying as they were the ones who were denied an autograph being ‘standby’ ticket holders. Miyu did NOT take ANY standby ticket holders on either day. So for anyone who sat up all night and managed to get their hands on one of the extra tickets, it did not matter. Which really, was kind of shitty seeing he really didn’t even do much while there. He had 2 panels, and two autograph sessions, one on each day. One of his panels wasn’t even a focus on him, he was included in the Akito the Exiled panel since he was a VA on it, but he was with others who worked on the show. And since our hour and a half Miyu exclusive panel was cut short to being only an hour since it started late!!! he spent even less time doing things he was signed up to do.

I decided that as a result unless it’s Tanaka-san or anyone else from One Piece I am never sitting in line for an autograph again.

Lastly, I learned that while it’s fun to meet up with people to hang out and try and do things together, you cannot let them try and control your experience. I missed absolutely everything I wanted to do on day 1 because I allowed myself to be guided around by another person. Which initially I was grateful for, as a first-timer I had no clue where things were, but that’s where my day 1 was fucked. There were things and ways to go about this that I planned that didn’t work out, and as a result I missed things I wanted to do. And I told myself at the time it wasn’t a big deal, but since I ended up so goddamn exhausted on day 4 I left early and missed even more stuff I wanted to do...so essentially of my 4 days I only truly enjoyed 2 of them to the fullest. Because on days 2 and 3 I put my foot down and decided no matter what I would do the things I fucking came to do regardless of anyone else and I ended up having a blast. It wasn’t even lonely doing those things by myself, because I had fun! And that’s what mattered.

So yeah, in the end I learned some valuable lessons for my first con, especially at one as big as Anime Expo! I know what I want to do next year, I now know what I don’t really care about, and I know what I absolutely will not be doing again. I hope from these lessons next year I can have even more fun and thoroughly enjoy my 4 days! Also there’s probably some stuff I missed in this post so not sure if I’ll do another part, most likely not since this got hella fucking long...

#Sab's random shit #Hella long post #my AX experience 2017

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adriennescomingbacktolife · 4 years

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(VIII)

Seven hundred eighty-five dollars. Win or lose, that was the amount Adrienne Levi was guaranteed after every appearance with Carnage Wrestling. And then the bonus during her four-match winning streak was four hundred eighteen dollars per. Maybe two hundred dollars worth of sold merchandise each show, but then she had to subtract how much it cost even to get made-- Adrienne buried her face into the crook of her elbow. Her Clearwater apartment had become a little sparse as a result of a recent liquidation. Maybe that was done in haste. Someone would have paid something for that ridiculous belt even just to melt it down. Spread across her kitchen counter, she stared at the pile of papers her mom usually helped with. This was pathetic, she knew. If she added this up all right, her pay and her expenses put her in the red: the plane trips, the Ubers, accommodations, bills, and a lease that was expiring very soon. Nathaniel Grant’s fun money had long dried up, and Levi had no one to blame except herself on that. She was a pretender. She was living it up in luxury hotels, wasting money on fancy dinners with her friends, and just really dumb purchases. Like the billboard ad near the Carnage Arena that had that doodle of Insidious with the caption Empire of Dorks. Not to mention the exposed clandestine meeting between Christopher St. James and Stan Summers, where they discussed their intentions and measured her value as expendable. With all of this mounting, it was becoming more apparent what she had to do. It was the logical choice. The realistic choice. The only choice. Scrolling through her business cellphone’s contact list, she hovered over Carnage Wrestling Front Office. Hesitating and delaying the inevitable, Adrienne looked through all of the new friends she had made. All of the people who believed in her. This past summer had been one of the happiest ones of her life. Adrienne considered calling Silvio Leon, but he seemed to have his hands full with a new arrival: Axton Gunn. Oh, she was a huge fan. So huge that she almost cried when he followed her on Twitter. She had all three of his albums, including a signed copy of SKULLFRACTURES that she had sniped an eBay auction for. And yet, things seem complicated and pretty much none of her business. She didn’t want to pile on. And Matt Knox was so buried in his hatred for Zane King that he was sort of scary these days. His propensity towards committing acts of violence wouldn’t solve this issue. Christopher St. James being in a body cast didn’t diminish his ownership of Carnage Wrestling. Not only that, but he’d also already done too much for her. Mitch Heart seemed distant. Rumor had it that he was dealing with his own plethora of difficulties. That left Kohaku Fujihara. They had conversed sparingly. Last month, he’d been dealing with these peculiar family issues, but he’d come out of it okay. Behind this charming exterior, he seemed to have this abundance of wisdom that was beyond his years. She pressed Call. “Hello?” Adrienne almost considered hanging up. Her finger hovered over End Call. “Moshi-moshi? Ade, that you? I see your name, so it’s either you or some creep who swiped her phone.” Instead, she touched the Speaker icon, finally piping up. “Yeah, it’s me. Sorry. Is this a bad time?” “No, not at all, I’m literally doing nothing but flipping through Netflix and wondering why nothing in thousands of options looks good. What’s up?” Her eyes welled up at the thought of confessing to Kohaku. He didn’t seem his chipper self, but she had to tell someone. Trying her best to keep her tone neutral, she still wavered. “I have to leave Carnage.” Silence on the other end. “I have to leave because I can’t afford it anymore. And I don’t think the new person in charge likes me very much. I saw something with him and some other guy that scared me. I’m on some sort of list.” Her words became disjointed and seemingly a million miles per hour as she choked back the tears. “I tried. I really tried, but I guess it’s over. All of the offers I ever get are gross. And Carnage is the only place that gave me a chance but now that guy isn’t owner anymore. And all of my money is gone. And I wanted to move, but I can’t. I can’t just keep mooching off others. That’s all I’ve been doing. But my mom said I could probably be a receptionist at the clinic she works at. Just have to pass a drug test. I just have to move on from this--” “Ade.” The voice on the other end is gentle, understanding, and steady. “First off, I want you to breathe, okay? Just take a few deep breaths.” Kohaku paused, giving her time to do so before continuing. “Alright. This is the part where a lot of people would freak out and start begging you not to go. I’m not going to do that. I’m not because, while of course, I want you to stay, this is something you have to decide for yourself.” She reached for a tissue, wiping away the sobbing mess she had become. “I don’t know what to do. These people depend on me or look up to me, but I’m not the person they think I am. You guys have been so nice to me, but maybe I’m the problem. I finally have a match that is actually for something and I don’t even have the means to make it.” Standing up, she hefted the cellphone in her hand. She spoke a little calmer now. “I promised my partner to meet her. If I lie to her, she’ll hate me forever and--” “Okay. Tell you what. I know you don’t want to depend too much on charity, but is it alright if I spot you a plane ticket out here? I think we oughta be talking about this face to face. You can crash at my apartment. The place is practically a giant fancy cave. Is that okay?” There she was, depending on another handout. But Silvio had said much the same thing. Knox, too. And here was another friend saying that she had to stand up for herself. There was a long pause from her as she stared at her wallet on the counter. The Queen of Swords card peeked out from the bifold. “You still there?” “Yeah.” Adrienne considered his offer. It was the only way she’d make the next Chaos. She had already told her mom that she’d drop by the clinic later. Angie wasn’t a dream killer here. She promised her daughter that she could try again in a few years. Maybe find a closer company to work in. That was the responsible thing to do. Surveying her apartment, everything that was hers could fit in her backpack. “Tonight?” “Yeah, I can do that, should be able to find something. I’ve got you.” “Okay.” At 5:28 PM, Adrienne boarded a Southwest flight to Baltimore. She’d never see Clearwater again. Standing in front of a ginormous glass panel window, Adrienne admired the view of the Inner Harbor. She’d been all over this place the last few months but seeing it on such a grand scale put it into perspective. Everywhere Adrienne had been meant so much. Whether it was the spectacular victory at the MECU Pavilion or how Silvio Leon gave her that little glimmer of hope with a simple card, she would never forget. With her hands in her jeans pockets, she rocked gently back and forth on the heels of her bare feet. “This is my first big chance.” Pausing, she considered the arrogance that could be attached to such a statement. Her back was to the camera, so her determined yet still soft voice was the only indicator of her tone. She continued much the same. “Not to say the others weren’t.” Turning around, Adrienne leveled her gaze at the camera. Her normal cheery disposition was replaced by one that seemed to be more morose. The Starfox t-shirt she had on was a size too big, but she preferred it that way. “A lot of folks here, they get their foot in the door and they’ve already staked claim to what they perceive is theirs. Almost like they’re entitled to it. Just because of who they are or what they’ve managed to achieve in the past.” She crossed her arms over her chest, her expression lilting to contemplation. “I could declare that I want to be the greatest champion this company has ever seen. I could say my name would ring through this vaunted hall of fame once I decide to hang up the boots.” Shaking her head, she followed up with a slight smile. “That just isn’t me. I don’t know what I’m going to accomplish here. Maybe all of the potential I have is just that. So I approach these opportunities a little differently. I see what is on the horizon. I see the allure of the gold.” For a moment, Adrienne’s dark brown eyes seemed dazzled at the possibilities. Or perhaps it was just imagined. “But right now, there is only the chance. One cobbled together with fragile partnerships with all intentions towards implosion if it meant that something more substantial was on the line. Seems common with this sport. My opponents are both well versed in being champions. They are consummate athletes. Perennial contenders. Always striving towards their next achievement.” She conceded to this with a slight shrug before continuing. “This is a competition, right?” Her thoughts moved onto Steve Matthews. Carnage’s Ace. The Technical Master. He had come into this company with the same fire and fury every long time veteran managed to conjure until they learned a little humility or just evaporated when they realized that not many cared about that championship they won twelve years ago. However, something irked Adrienne just a little, and so her voice became a little less friendly. “Steve, maybe I should be happy that you finally saw the error of your ways. I had mentioned prior to our previous encounter that I found you lacking of any real convictions. I found you to be opportunistic. You stood by as your partner threatened to choke me with the caveat that I may like it. You quibbled and cringed at his tactics and put up a good argument after the victory slipped from your grasp, but it seemed to be a minor agitation. It was only until Alex Winter put you in a precarious situation that you truly realized what type of person he is. Alex is a little boy, angry at the world for his inadequacies, and he will always point the finger at those who are in his way. His toxic masculinity created this illusion of persecution, where he couldn’t just apologize and move on. His fragile ego blamed others for his athletic shortcomings. And at WAR, he concluded that through your suffering, he could embrace that he possessed no redeemable qualities and get ahead in this world,” She paused and then quipped. “Behold, the age-old tale of man.” Her hands gestured vaguely into the air as if she were showing off a new wondrous invention. She wasn’t sure. She googled public speaking, and it said that hand gestures were cool to do. Or something like that. “And so here you are. Good guy Steve. Flashing your pearly whites, bringing cookies for everyone. That was real sweet, so I want to believe you. I want to believe that maybe your personal struggles have made you turn a new leaf. However, it seemed rather easy for JC to get on your bad side because he didn’t, well, talk about you enough. He didn’t appeal to your mastery of this sport because he was too tied up in his own to care. He got into your head and nearly took it off with that huge boot of his.” She held up two fingers. “That should have been your second lesson in humility. I don’t have the track record of JC. And I’m sure not willing to do the things Alex did to secure a victory. However, judging by your partner’s words lately, maybe he would be if it meant … just one more shot.” Pacing back and forth in front of the grand window, Adrienne now pondered about Eli Goode. An opponent she had just become familiar with, she knew that he hungered to recapture championship glory. “Hey, Eli.” She said as she waved at him just like last time. “Other than some somber musings, you haven’t been on the radar much. Seems like you don’t have much going for you lately. You didn’t help Kyra by becoming Ultraviolent Champion. I didn’t become a small sacrifice for your latest ascension to champion’s row. And worst of all, your idol Jack Michaels stole your thunder by taking your World’s title shot and your chance to punish Ken Davison.” She found Jack Michaels to be self-righteous and arrogant. The age-old tale of man and all. Eli was a terrific mimic. “Punish him by becoming the world’s champion and then devaluing the title because he doesn’t care about silly things like that anymore. You’d never do that, would you, Eli?” Adrienne let that question settle in just for a moment. “And now you have to suffer the embarrassment of possibly competing for championships below your reproach. Maybe your attitude has changed, but if you look over your career at Carnage Wrestling, you have always been consistent. So what’s going on through your mind? May I venture a guess?” Slightly exaggerating, she tapped a finger on her chin. “All you gotta do is beat us. Then Steve. Then you’re champion again. After all of that, only three title defenses, and you can take that Highroad to a better championship. One that only you deserve.” Putting a hand up towards the camera, she invited Eli to stop. “I’ll be honest, getting the duke over you last show was really cool. We all question our abilities sometimes. I do it constantly. I probably annoy my friends and enemies alike. But for you, its like a vicious cycle. You can’t seemingly understand that everyone here is just as deserved of these opportunities as you are. But you’re still a world-class wrestler, so I know that you’re gonna make it hard for me to do it again. That goes the same for Steve. But I’m not alone.” The Dragon Lady. Adrienne didn’t even know her real name, and she looked like she could have split Matt in two when he had even inquired about it. But well, she had her secrets, too. “My partner is none other than The Dragon Lady. Have you two seen her in the ring? She’s tough as nails. She’s determined as ever because through some dubious circumstances, she has yet to taste victory. I’ve talked to her recently, and she’s ready as ever to make her mark. And how about me?” She stared down at her feet. Adrienne wasn’t one to talk about herself. It wasn’t being humble or anything like, she just wasn’t sure what to say. She wasn’t any of the things that made a professional wrestler great. “I don’t know. I should be happy. I’m starting to be recognized by my peers. I even had a feature in that newsletter thing. That was cool.” Sighing, she wanted to level with the folks watching. She wanted to let them know not to place her so high. “This was the biggest risk I’ve ever taken. Coming to a new city, for a profession I’ve never actually done, and most terrifyingly meeting new people I wasn’t sure would like me. And I know right now there is someone out there just like me. I’m guessing that you’ve been through the same conflicts. That you’ve hidden the same bruises I’ve had to. And maybe you’re at the cusp of making that very same decision. I … can’t tell you what to do. I’m no role model. I’m just me. But I can tell you that you do have a voice just like me. For so long, like even now, I’ve been afraid to use it.” Adrienne stepped towards the camera. “I don’t want to be afraid anymore. And you shouldn’t be either. Whatever is paralyzing you, it can’t hold you forever. I’ve been struggling my whole life just to get to his very moment. To have nothing. And it's the greatest feeling I’ve ever had in my life.” And she left that one person, whoever they may be, one last question. “What would it take for you to get there?” Angie Straussler bundled up her daughter’s apartment steps with groceries in hand. There were more plastic bags in the trunk of the Oldsmobile. Setting one of the bundles of bags down at her feet, she knocked at the apartment door. After a minute, there was no answer. She knocked again. Ever since she was a little girl, Adrienne would almost run to the door to greet whoever was there. No such luck. Maybe she was out on a walk. It was a lovely warm evening after all, and she knew Adrienne was having a hard time leaving this place up in Baltimore behind. Digging into her purse, she retrieved the spare key to Ade’s apartment. Letting herself in, she was immediately impressed. Every trace of that bastard was long gone. However, something was strange. There was this air of finality about this she couldn’t put her finger on. She set aside the bags on the kitchen counter next to the stack of bills. Now it was time to figure this whole ordeal out. Adrienne’s personal cellphone was on the coffee table. Sitting down on the dusty old couch that her one and only child saved from the curb nearly a decade ago, she picked up the phone with a yellow sticky note attached to it—1988, presumably her PIN. Ade had two now. One for work that she could probably just set aside … and this one. The personal one. The one that Angie paid for under her plan. Entering the code, the screen immediately went to the recorder. Pressing play, Angie heard her daughter’s voice. Hi, mom. I’m gone, as you probably figured out by now. You know where I’m going. There was a long pause in the recording. Angie could hear shuffling in the background, presumably her daughter hastily packing. You asked me to move on. But, I can’t if I’m still here. You know, I had this plan. I was going to do it the right way. I’d ask my friends to make a trip down here so you could finally meet them. Silvio, Ko, Matt, and maybe Mitch. Probably not him. Anyway, we would have all driven off into the sunset living happily ever after. That day would have never come. My whole life, I’ve been let around by the wishes of others, and whether the intentions were right or not, the choice was never mine. There is nothing here for me. I don’t want to check-in people for their appointments. I don’t want to follow in your footsteps. I know you were doing what you thought was best for me. We’ve always been a team ever since the divorce. You’ve always been there for me even when I probably haven’t been the best daughter. But I can tell you that this is the first choice I’m making with a clear head. I’m afraid, sure. I could fail, but it will be my failure to own. I want to be with my friends. I want to pursue the career that everyone, including you, thought I would never succeed in. I want to be me. There’s just stuff I’m not sure about, things I’ve always wondered about that I need to know about myself. So goodbye. Please just let me go. I love you, mom. The recording stopped. Angie listened to it a few more times. Her mind ran through a gambit of emotions and plans and conclusions. Finally, she set the phone aside. Sighing, Angie resigned to the fact that her daughter would need to sink or swim. “Love you, too, Adrienne.”

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daveandtrev · 4 years

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How the heckfire did we get here? A journey into the 2019 Andre Johnson Sweepstakes League

To my collegiate brood who has become like family, to my partners in weekend rendezvous, to my loyal participants in chatting about all things sports – this article is a labor of love for you. Every year I get coerced into preparing another one of these but this year not a single inquiry. Perhaps the luster of this treatise has worn off, or perhaps we assumed it was inevitable – Dave would eventually wander his way into his cold, dark fantasy football laboratory and emerge with a new concoction of thoughts on the AJSL that he would be eager to spill in a few thousand words. If the last assumption was yours, well then you know your commissioner well. And in the end, this piece. My hope remains to both educate and entertain.

To let you into the mind of your commissioner, I view each season as a journey that bears a resemblance to all journeys. Hopeful sojourners equipped with all that they can carry in hopes of future glory. Along the way, pitfalls and roadblocks (injuries, underperformance) threaten the journey’s success and oftentimes we require a bit of help from unforeseen resources (waiver claims, trades). After many weeks, the landscape seems foggier – where again did we start? Where has the journey detoured from expectation, both in triumph and in defeat? Therein lies the premise of this endeavor: to grasp, understand, and wrestle through in order to get our heads around each season’s “happenings”. We know we will encounter humility and perseverance (by this point all of our best laid plans have been altered). I’m sure we will find a stroke of genius or two to keep our spirits high. And you can count on biased interpretation from a guy whose authority is summed up by “I spend a lot of time thinking about this”. Thrilling. With that, come and explore the highlands and the low country with me. Let’s open together the tome of the 11th edition of the Andre Johnson Sweepstakes League.

With the stage set, allow me to redirect you towards the stats, candid thoughts, definitive (hindsight) analysis and forward looking predictions that can only come from yours truly. Please react accordingly with nods and smiles. Lets take a look at my post-draft thoughts for context on where we thought this year would be headed from the journey’s inception. (Or at least close to inception – with our late draft, I formed the basis of these thoughts after week 1. So I did have a single data point to go by).

Tier I - The Julio Jones tier

As its namesake implies, I projected the teams in this tier to consistently perform above average while also maintaining “Joe Flacco in the playoffs” elite upside on any given week. As you can see, this does not include my own team. You know what that means -> “If you don’t like your own draft…”

Cristian

Phil

Tier II - The Matt Stafford tier

The talent is there. The ability is never in question. And most of the time, the job gets done. Are you excited about Stafford, either as a Lions fan or a fantasy owner? Sort of? I expect a decent performance with ups and downs along the way when im cheering on Stafford. And he’s the perfect description of my expectations for this tier. Above average in spurts, but right around average in the long run.

Soape

Trevor

Grundy

Dave

Tier III - The Peyton Hillis and Trent Richardson memorial tier

Before you dismiss the tier names and remember the downfall of these careers, first remember that both had studly seasons as members of the Browns. Hillis finished as the RB2 in 2010, Richardson as the RB8 in 2012. Its just that neither could find consistency over their careers and ultimately sputtered out without tasting prolonged glory. That’s the fear with these teams. We know any team can pop off for 150+ points, but can these teams hit 120 consistently? I have my concerns.

Scooter

Jack

Swave

Jason

And really, when we go back to careers like Trent and Peyton’s and remember that it was indeed the Browns that squandered such promise, let’s remember the wisdom that our tallest leaguemate passed out like a life preserver on draft night: The Browns, the Factory of Sadness themselves, will surely, inevitably, Browns. (Jason -> You may consider asking for this shirt for Christmas. I want to make sure you are clear on this during the next year’s draft.)

Let’s dig into the strengths for each team on draft day:

Tier I - The Julio Jones tier

Tier 3 RB’s

When you see Phil Stark make the championship, you go after the guys that got him there. Cristian pounced on 2018 stalwarts Davante Adams and DeAndre Hopkins, keeping them tied together for consecutive years. The next idea was to pack a bunch of mid tier RBs onto the squad and hope that one or two would differentiate. Or maybe better stated, the plan was hoping Chris Carson would fall in price as a result of never nominating him. In the meantime, he would purchase 3 contingency plans. Cristian wisely used the mid-draft break to gather his thoughts and recognize his hole at RB, determining to have at least two of Carson, Jacobs, Michel and Freeman. He bagged all 4, culminating in Carson for $18 late in the proceedings. This was a strategy that I suggested to Monica last year, resulting in a backfield of Jamaal Williams, Jay Ajayi, Alex Collins, and Lamar Miller. That turned out poorly, but I think the method has some merit and I was intrigued to watch this experiment get its second trial.

As for insurance on his receiving studs, Will Fuller and Dede Westbrook were two of my favorites. Nick Foles is known to love targeting slot receivers and Fuller is practically automatic when healthy with DeShaun. Even his backup (to the backups) at RB (Devin Singletary) seemed to be the starter on a run-first team when LeSean McCoy was released, further insulating the running back fortification that had been built up. Depth was not going to be an issue at RB or WR.

Moving on, TE was going to be a challenge, though Cristian had snagged Mark Andrews after week 1 and I figured he would plug the gap if Vance McDonald couldn’t. (As we know now, he could’t).

Probably the biggest change between draft night and my thoughts after Week 1 occurred with Cristian’s quarterbacks. Sitting next to him on draft night, I know he believed he overpaid for his QBs when Lamar and Kyler started going for less than Dak and Brady. As we flipped to Week 1, we saw that the rumors of Kellen Moore’s influence were manifesting almost instantly and that Brady was about to import Antonio Brown for week 2. Unreal. The two unexpected studs at QB catapulted my prediction for this team all the way to the top.

The Michael Scarns

America’s favorite boss is commemorated every year in the AJSL and typically gets a draft day listing towards the bottom as my flesh and blood juxtaposes right brain creativity with my left brained desire for structure. Not the case this year – Phil’s team was an early favorite of mine.

Grabbing onto a top-2 RB is a great way to set up your team’s upside. Then grabbing Melvin Gordon’s potential fill-in looked like a great step 2, especially after a Week 1 where Ekeler ceded hardly any work to Justin Jackson. (We weren’t certain what that split would be on draft night). Marlon Mack had limitations (doesn’t catch passes, maybe needs Andrew Luck to keep the offense on schedule?), but $5 was an easy price to pay to find out more. And I liked Guice as a great late round candidate – he’s a talent-heavy back who was ticketed for primary work.

I saw upside coming out in spades with the QB choices – apparently only Phil was paying attention last year when Josh Allen was the QB2 from week 12 onward. $1 to see if he could run it back? Wow. (And yes, I snagged Jameis for $2 myself, brain fart for punting on Allen’s rushing upside). Kyler Murray is someone I liked a lot for his role in captaining Kliff’s new offense and his rushing ability that we had all heard about. This pair cost $6. Would you be surprised to see this duo combine for 80 points during a week? Tremendous Upside Potential.

The receiving room of Evans, Diggs and Cooper boasted plenty of star power and the aforementioned Kellen Moore effect made Cooper look even better after his week 1. The Vikes commitment to ground and pound had me concerned about Diggs volume (not his talent), and he was my pick to share the flex spot with Mack. Picking up John Brown late seemed like a great complement to sling-it-deep Josh Allen’s tendencies and I liked him to spot start during good matchups. I haven’t even mentioned former Antonio Gates caddie Hunter Henry playing with known tight end lover Phil Rivers. Even with his injury in Week 1, Phil’s early pickup of TJ Hockenson figured to fill that gap and potentially give Phil a dilemma when Henry returned.

Tier II - The Matt Stafford tier

Goffam City

With our team moving from 12 to 10 teams this year, we essentially added 28 players back into the player pool (16 rosterable players – D/K = 14 players * 2 teams). This boosts the floor of all teams to where there are so few holes on rosters. In this scenario, grabbing studs is even more important as they are the rare differentiators. I really like grabbing as many as you can on draft night and Joel did his best work here, nabbing Julio, James Conner, and Alvin Kamara (all while contemplatively swirling his whiskey). You really need to hit on your surrounding talent when you go for the studs-n-scrubs approach, and I thought Sammy Watkins and Duke Johnson were affordable pieces who could develop into plus starters as the season went on. Dante Pettis had the potential of a rising sophomore who was being treated strangely in camp (not running with the 1s in preseason games) but had the tools and pedigree (2nd round pick) to succeed here too.

Trey Burton wasn’t on my radar, but Jared Cook figured to be a new toy for Drew Brees. I liked having both options available. Quarterback projected to be solid if not spectacular with Goff and Russell, and I liked their affordability overall ($9 combined). Russell’s Seahawks were expected to be run heavy which would supposedly cap his upside. But as Joel (smartly) gathered, Russell Wilson is very good. At a $3 price tag, the rest of the league didn’t want to find out if Russ could overcome his circumstances (and we know how that turned out.)

Overall, I figured a few of these role players would pop to support the studs and position this team right behind the elite.

That’s My QB

Coming in costume on a mission to re-establish the formula of previous glory, Trevor handled sticker duty while deftly selecting top tier passing game options. Unsurprisingly, Trevor landed Keenan Allen at the top of his draft board, selecting the Chargers receiver for the 4th straight year. He also snapped the author’s own streak of AJ Green selections at three years by nabbing the injured Bengal for $15. The question was “How much would he cost?” for Trevor regarding Travis Kelce – the end result was never in doubt. Previous tight end connoisseur Monica was not present to make Trevor sweat, but her parting instruction on my leaving for draft day was stated clearly. “Make him pay up”. I feel like $38 was enough to do her proud. Godwin, Edelman, and Woods were added to create a super stable of receivers while also creating a likely mid season trade with a running back heavy team. (This is Trevor’s team, so readers will understand that I liked all of these players. #MandateForever).

Trevor treated running back like Cristian did if Cristian spent $10 less on everyone. The only luxury was Tevin Coleman (who wrecked his ankle after week 1). James White at $8 was my favorite selection – we know he’s got a solid 10 point floor and can add more if the other New England backs go down. Miles Sanders intrigued me as well – if Philly were to move away from their RBBC, Sanders would be the likely beneficiary.

Finishing up at QB, Lamar Jackson at $6 was good value on draft day and Week 1 showed us his upside immediately (and that Baltimore was going to be able to throw, which was still a guess on draft day). QBs who run have upside, period. Lamar runs a lot. Personally I always get a little queasy on guys like that holding up (I’ve been burned by RG3 and Kaepernick before) but $6 is so little risk, especially with guaranteed QBs on waivers.

Overall, this team was a running back away from jumping up to the next tier.

Coach Davis All Stars

Taking a page out of Phil Stark’s book in continuing to honor a beloved icon with his team name (as you can see, Phil Stark = trendsetter), the 5th iteration of the Coach Davis All-Stars hoped to finally launch Grundy into Diamond status on Yahoo and land him his first AJSL championship (Lord knows he’s due). With his whiskey in one hand, Grundy went toe to toe with the aforementioned Phil Stark to battle for the rights to Odell Beckham, culminating in an intimate staring-while-bidding contest. While the rest of us shifted uncomfortably in our seats, Grundy secured his man for $50, holding a different view from Cristian on what the Browns were about to do this year (cue Raybon). Following that bet was what I ended up pining over post-draft: the Dave Johnson/Dalvin Cook combination at running back. Punch drunk from a 5 hour adrenaline rush, I stumbled to the draft board knowing that this combo was going to absolutely work over the league. I envied silently and then shared my plight with a few passer bys, realizing once more why Grundy has the win percentage that he does. Great picks, friend.

How does this team land in this tier after my man crush on the running backs? Welp, I had reservations on Tyler Lockett (Russell may not throw much and Lockett wasn’t always emphasized last year even when Baldwin went down – his stats were good but he survived on deep balls and caught almost all of them. We know that doesn’t typically repeat in subsequent years.) While I liked Engram fine, I wondered who else would step up in the flex? MVS had talent but uncertain opportunity. I was 100% done with Donte Moncrief when he couldn’t perform with Andrew Luck (I bid $22 in 2016 for his services, still salty). Everyone else was a $1 flier. The flex can be an easy hole to fill if you nab a waiver pickup, but it’s a holeI downgrade for in post draft rankings (this essentially also means your depth is lacking).

With Rodgers a stud but Ryan a question mark for me (look at his previous years, dude finished QB15 in 2017 and QB18 in 2015. Not convinced he would be more than average despite spike years finishing QB2 in 2016 and 2018), I placed this team in the middle of the pack, content to wait for answers in my areas of concern. (Those running backs are still beautiful though, especially this guy).

WinningStreakToSAGA

Welp, here’s my draft day assessment. Dave, congrats - You aren’t in the Browns tier. But let me tell you, there’s going to be a hill to climb. At least we came up with a team name by week 4. Oh yeah, we threw a kick ass draft party too. Chin up, pal.

I came into this draft wanting to go heavy running back and was delighted to find my old friend Zeke Elliot available for a discount (had him going for $50+) with his contract situation in the air. Things sort of got hazy when I ended up with Melvin Gordon (thought he was worth $20 and grabbed him for $13) and then decided to run it back with Pat Mahomes. (Some had questions here – I think the elite QBs become worth the expenditure at some point and Pat Mahomes was the surest elite QB we’ve seen in a while. He ended up going for $30 which comes out to player #24 overall or a 3rd round pick in traditional snake draft. That’s where he was going in a 1 QB league, and we start 2….Really though, I was wearing his jersey and the allure of prior glory could not be overcome in the heat of the moment.)

I then made my big gamble on Juju, and as I’ve shared on the group text, this was prompted by that one article you read a day before the draft that comes back to mind as a player is being bid. I’ve done plenty of second guessing here, but my biggest lesson (as seems to always pop up) is to go over your plan before the draft. Read it and read it again. Know where you can take risks, and know where you want to attack. During the draft, there’s too much stimuli to reliably adjust on the fly.

Hilton was a calculated risk (we know his talent is good), Fournette was a calculated risk (we know his opportunity will be good), OJ Howard was on purpose and I perceived low risk. DJ Moore was a steal in my opinion as he was coming on last year with Cam. I was fine with Jameis, but was a bit sad I didn’t pick up a running QB with prices as low as they were.

Overall, tons of risks (Zeke, Gordon, Hilton, Fournette) and not enough real substance to bank on. I felt like I had undervalued assets, but I needed most of them to pan out to be successful. If not, disaster loomed.

Tier III - The Peyton Hillis and Trent Richardson memorial tier

Bob Kraft’s Day Spa

Scooter advertises his friendship with Bob Kraft in promoting his leisure activities, remembering the good ol’ days of R&R with Robert by his side. Classy.

Lets start with what we like. I liked the aggressive nature at QB and both of these guys fit as upside plays – Wentz has been reliable when healthy and was importing known QB-elevator DeSean Jackson. DeShaun had been suggested by some (including my beloved Evan Silva) as the overall QB1 over even Mahomes, citing his rushing upside and return of weapons . I like going QB heavy in the right situations when the league has decided that they aren’t as valuable. (As my Pat Mahomes pick suggests). George Kittle was a stud last year and figured to carry that over with the 49ers failing to establish a #1 WR in training camp. I viewed him as a differentiator at TE.

Antonio Brown highlighted the skill players (he was only in the middle of his diabolical plan to exit Oakland at this point) which was potentially a nice get but had its own question marks (new team, QB who typically throws short, weird preseason injuries/behavior). Kupp, Alshon, and Boyd were all fine but didn’t move the needle for me. Same with the Kerryon/Dame Williams combo at RB. And same with the depth (Fitzgerald/Marvin/LeSean/Lindsey). I didn’t see many holes on this team but I wasn’t sure where the upside was coming from. Kerryon was the best bet to smash followed by LeSean (great grab for $1) in my opinion.

Overall, the lack of high end skill players was my biggest concern for this team.

Da Bear Necessities

Jack Holmer went straight back to my childhood in the early 90s with his recollection of a Jungle Book classic, celebrating the simplicity of living as a predator in a tropical forest. “The Bear Necessities will come to you”. Words to live by, my friend.

Mike Thomas and Le’Veon Bell were the headliners of this draft class, and while Thomas’s domination is without question (never finished below WR10 on a per-game basis in his career), Le’Veon’s new situation was a bit murky (Would he get touches like he did in Pit? Would his O-line and QB help him like they did in Pit? RBs generally transition to new teams easier than WRs, but the Pit situation is unique for RB production) Assuming Le’Veon could pass those tests, the remaining core of Kenny Golladay, Mark Ingram and Joe Mixon gave this team firepower from every angle. Even better for Kenny G when we found out Matt Stafford intended on throwing the ball deep after Week 1. Ingram’s Ravens looked like world beaters themselves and showed that RBs attached to running QBs always have a place at the top of fantasy scoreboards. Mixon’s role also had potential growth under new coach Zac Taylor who was intending on implementing Rams concepts in Cincinnati.

Gallup was another who looked like a steal after Week 1 and I definitely liked the potential of Christian Kirk in that 4-wide AZ offense. Dave Montgomery was a luxury that could be waited on to contribute and Sutton and waiver pickup McLaurin also showed early promise. The skill positions looked above average right from the get go here.

Unfortunately for me, that’s where my optimism ceased. Darnold and Trubisky weren’t getting it done for me, and neither was perennial borderline-starter Austin Hooper. This team was the inverse of Scooter’s (who was strong at QB and TE) and I felt deserved to be ranked at the same level. Upside was probably easier to see here, but the holes were also more glaring.

Daniel and the Shew

This name would have made zero sense on draft day – more appropriately this team could have taken on Benjamin Feels the Brees as its moniker (though Yahoo’s character limit would have probably stopped the idea cold). Big Ben and Drew Brees gave Swave the oldest combination of quarterbacks and with both known for their home game prowess (and road struggles), they figured to mix in spiked weeks with untimely duds. Over the long haul, I expected average production with an acknowledgement of week winning upside under the right conditions.

CMC was the big haul and I loved Swave’s guts to go big here, spending a league high $59. No sense in leaving money on the table – and we know from Swave’s history that he likes to accumulate depth late in the draft. This was a pristine move for someone who likes to stock his bench – make sure you have at least one warhorse to supplement your depth. Well done here.

Flanking CMC was Aaron Jones and Adam Thielen, both with question marks (will Aaron Jones be a bellcow and will Minnesota ever pass?) but are clear top end talents when utilized well. I liked Cooks as a consistent play and didn’t mind the Josh Gordon/Calvin Ridley combo to fill the flex. I guessed he wouldn’t find many holes in his receiver unit, though I did wonder how much top end production we would see.

Derrick Henry rounded out the RB room and although I’m not crazy about his lack of pass catching, I liked his price ($7) as Swave could count any contribution from Henry as a bonus (and we know that Henry can go off). Lets all do ourselves a favor and watch the best run of 2018 unfold once more, this time with additional commentary. (Seriously, required watching).

Njoku and Ebron were going to duke out the TE position, and frankly, that’s a formula for a $20 tight end claim come week 1.

Overall, this team was CMC + a bunch of promising parts. I will say this about Swave’s previous teams – he typically is able to mine a gemstone out of his depth by the time the season ends. I believed that this would need to happen once again in order for his path to victory to truly open up this season.

WeAllRammedIntoDaPit

You knew this one was coming. But let’s keep on this roll and reminisce a bit more. After living in Indiana for 3 years, the existence of Pawnee is not a stretch for the imagination (testify, Trevor).

As with other teams taking on the moniker of unfortunate events, winning fantasy weeks can be a bit more of a challenge than initially forseen. (Ex: defeatedseason #G1, 5-9 final record. Duck Attack, 2-12. The Schiano Stink, 6-8. CelektnNameErtzMyHed, 4-10. Of course we had the declining HurricaneScooter that ended up as a rainshower (lost first 11 games) before regaining its strength with three late season wins. I can find one positive outcome – the Butt Fumbles of 2013 went 11-3 and made the championship game.) Hence, I needed to see overwhelming evidence of burgeoning breakout players in order to feel confident in predicting season-end success.

We learned a valuable lesson on draft weekend: The Pit, even when its presence is known, will still rise up and take its prey the moment you let your guard down. Tyreek Hill, established stud of Jason’s squad playing for the high-flying Chiefs, succumbed to the Pit of Misery, breaking his collarbone during week 1 and setting up an extended absence that really left this team shorthanded. After Tyreek, I had a hard time envisioning upside. Gurley had a chronic knee issue, Chubb was a 2 down back in 2018 rumored but not assured of gaining passing down work, Zach Ertz faced stiffer competition for targets with DeSean coming to town, Allen Robinson played for a Bears team that’s known for spreading targets around, Jarvis Landry had incoming target competition from OBJ, Desean Jackson was changing teams, Jordan Howard had busted before and Kenyan Drake had never been a featured back. Now to be fair, many of these players had paths to upside and consistency but I had questions about most.

My favorite picks were Cam Newton, who continues to create rushing-based upside, and Curtis Samuel who I liked to take a step forward this year as one of Cam’s two primary targets along with DJ Moore. Baker didn’t run much last year so his upside was tied to his offensive scheme and his pass catchers. I figured he’d be about average with a path to a strong season if the OBJ connection took off.

Overall, I felt like this team really needed to hit on quite a bit of its 50/50 players and get a speedy recovery from Tyreek in order to emerge alive from the pit.

Now that we are sufficiently anchored – where have the last 8 weeks taken us? Well for starters, the Bills are in prime wildcard position and the 4-12 Niners of 2018 are undefeated. The ship named “What we thought we knew” has been rocked. The remaining fallout is a muddied combination of 1) exactly what we expected and 2) typical unforeseen NFL chicanery. Of course this has trickled down to our fantasy scoring - look at this TE scoring list. Half of the top 10 were undrafted! And look who’s on top!

Lets get a handle on what each AJSL team is likely thinking going forward. (All ppg figures reference ppg while starting that player)

I like my odds of getting to the dance

The Michael Scarns: 140 ppg – Currently in the driver’s seat with 7 wins, The Scarns rode an unbelievable start by Austin Ekeler and a scintillating trio at the WR position (ranking #2 in the league for points at the WR1, WR2, and Flex postions) to pole position. Oh yeah, those ranks include only 2 weeks of recently-acquired Julio Jones. Gees. I expect both of the running quarterbacks (Kyler and Josh Allen) to have a few more spiked weeks and the return of Hunter Henry to boost this team’s floor even higher (currently ranked 8th in TE scoring). This is clearly the team to beat.

Coach Davis All-Stars: 144 ppg – Grundy leads the league in expected wins – weeks scoring above 130 – at 6 (I explain this a bit more below). Best case scenario Dalvin Cook has emerged as the consensus RB2 overall, averaging 22.3 ppg with 6 of 8 games over 20 points. The bedrock of Coach Davis’s finest is supported by a consistent QB duo (Rodgers and Ryan have Grundy pulling down the 2nd most combined QB points at 42.4 ppg), Dave Johnson (hoping he gets healthy again – Grundy is #2 in RB1 points) and Even Engram (11.3 ppg). The Browns have been a mess for OBJ (10.7 ppg – essentially turning him into a flex play) – if that gets straightened out, the Scarns may find themselves with competition.

I have the tiebreaker locked up, but I am terrified that I may not win enough games

Tier 3 RBs Patriots Defense: 140 ppg – Cristian finally got the team name right. The biggest defensive storyline in my memory has been impossible to compete with. The Scarns are 2nd in the league in defensive scoring at 9.6 ppg. Cristian is 1st in league scoring at 20.4, including 23.3 ppg with the Pats D (Cristian scored 0 defensive points in week 1!). Incredible – the Pats D has performed like a #1 defense plus a flex player (Flex average is 10.6 points across all teams). Unfathomable. Maddening to Jack, Grundy and myself who were outbid for their services in week 2. Elsewhere, the QB combo is solidly above average (ranking 3rd in QB1 and QB2 scoring) and Hopkins/Adams haven’t played close to their potential, signaling additional upside. RB2 has to get better (9th in scoring), though figuring out who to play between Sony Michel, Devonta Freeman and Devin Singletary has been an adventure thus far. This will start to improve and with the 2nd most points secured, Cristian really just needs the schedule to participate in order to secure a playoff berth.

2019’s guy getting screwed by the schedule

That’s my QB: 134 ppg – Ive estimated each team to have “earned” a win by scoring 130 points (typically this is 120, but the 10 team format seems to have inflated that number). That’s my QB has faced a team scoring 129 or more each of the first seven weeks until mercifully drawing Soape’s surrender squad in Week 8. Nobody else is even close to this mark - Cristian leads the rest of the league with five opponents putting up that many points, but everyone else is at 4 or less. So not only has Trevor seen plenty of points scored against his team, but its been a steady onslaught. The guy has put up 5 performances worthy of a victory himself (2nd only to Grundy, tied with Cristian) and has only won 3. Yeah. Here’s to friendlier shores, my friend.

Team wise, Lamar Jackson is insane at 25.8 ppg, QB1 overall. Mahomes finished at 27.1 last year (if my memory serves me), this is getting close to that level. Trevor leads the league in flex scoring (thanks, Edelman) and is 2nd at TE. The kicker is the kicker – Trevor sits in 10th here as well as RB2, the land of James White and Miles Sanders. That will likely putter on for a bit more, a chink in the armor that Trevor hopes will be overcome by Kennan Allen’s return to form and/or Travis Kelce starting to experience touchdown regression (currently only scored twice).

I know my team isn’t bad. I’m not sure if my team is actually good.

WinningStreaktoSAGA: 127 ppg – Still don’t like handicapping myself in these papers, but this is certainly the appropriate category. The strength of the team is RB (Zeke and Fournette help me rank 3rd at RB1 and RB2 scoring.) That’s really it – Pat Mahomes played 3 games with his head on fire (28.9 ppg) before succumbing to an ankle injury and eventually a kneecap dislocation (15.9 ppg during that stretch). Fameis is fine when I trust him (18.5 ppg) but like so many of us, I have bailed during his breakout games. OJ Howard was a disaster (and truly one of my most confident draft choices), though Darren Waller should alleviate that position going forward. The biggest issue has been the Flex where I rank dead last at 7.3ppg. By sheer regression you would think this would start to move upward. The team needs more firepower from somewhere other than RB to make noise, but where will it come from? A bunch of question marks among traditionally strong performers (Mahomes, Hilton, Juju, Melvin Gordon) leave this team relying on breaks/hot streaks/good luck in hoping for an extended season.

Daniel and the Shew: 125 ppg – CMC and Aaron Jones, good Lord! The only thing keeping Swave from sweeping #1 ranks in RB1 and RB2 are missing Aaron Jones breakout games (missed a 23 and 41 pt game) for the allure of Derrick Henry (be strong Swave!) As is, CMC’s otherworldly 27.0 ppg has Swave pacing RB1 scoring and the Jones/Henry combo sits in 4th for RB2. Justin Tucker has proven to be worth the $2 (I think?) by leading Swave to #1 in kicker scoring. The problem has been QB, (Daniel Jones sucked for 4 games with 11.4 ppg), TE (6.5 ppg aggregate with TJ Hockenson still not finding his week 1 stroke) and WR2 (Brandin Cooks 7.2 ppg in a broken Rams passing game). DJ Chark should help cover Cooks and Brees return allows Minshew (respectable 17.7 ppg) to cover Jones’s old spot. Never say never to a team with the best player in the league – especially a team who has already banked 5 wins thus far.

Da Bear Necessities: 120 ppg – Mitchell Trubisky is the excess weight on a sinking ship. I admire Jack’s loyalty, he’s a fan’s fanatic. But I think we’ve seen enough. He’s averaging 10.6 ppg (again, aiming for 20 ppg) and even removing the game he was injured mid-game still brings him to 12.7 ppg. Not to be outdone, Sam Darnold checks in at 11.6 ppg. Holy cow. Its also not helping that Le’Veon hasn’t found his groove (11.7 ppg). In brighter news, Mark Ingram has been solid (14.9 ppg) and Michael Thomas has been phenomenal (18.4 ppg, Jack leads all teams in WR1 points.) I’m keeping track of waiver transactions and how many make an impact – Jack leads the league in playing 9 different players purchased from the waiver pool (not looking at K/DEF in this analysis). Only 1 in 13 attempts has said waiver players hit either 10 pts for RB/WR/TE or 20 pts for a QB. Tough sledding here. I do think Le’Veon finds a higher gear and that Golladay’s presence in the lineup improves in the second half of the year, though the biggest jump will come when Jack finds top 20 quarterback play. (QB 20 sits at 15.3 ppg for the record).

A long ways from the Whiskery Phil League

Bob Kraft’s Day Spa: 124 ppg – This is the other team suffering from a fickle schedule’s seasonal musings: Scooter has accumulated 4 expected wins, only winning 3 times. And the upcoming schedule is unforgiving: 5 of the 6 remaining games are against the top 6 in total points scored. No rest for the weary. The path to overcoming the schedule rests on the shoulders of DeShaun Watson, who is neck and neck with Lamar Jackson at 25.1 ppg. Cooper Kupp is the other standout at 17.3 ppg, giving Scooter the #1 ranking at the WR2 position. The biggest hole attempting to be filled is the other WR spot – the one Antonio Brown is supposed to be filling. The fill-ins have averaged just 8.3 ppg, a league low for that position. Unfortunately with Kerryon hitting IR and the Chiefs backfield never really settling on one player, I see the Day Spa shuttering early, and truthfully, good riddance (to the spa of course.)

This pit is bigger than I thought

WeAllRammedIntoDaPit: 116 ppg – Rough year. The pit dwellers are top 3 in scoring in only one category: Kicker (2nd). Jason has tried to replace an injured Cam Newton to the tune of 11.5 ppg and Baker Mayfield was almost worse (13.0 ppg). Nick Chubb got the pass down work we were hoping for and has prospered (18.3 ppg). GurleyMan has been at least startable (13.0 ppg). Allen Robinson has overcome the Trubisky trainwreck (14.6 ppg). What the heckfire happened to Zach Ertz? (8.4 ppg even with all of the injuries at receiver in Philly.) Tyreek’s injury didn’t help and neither has Mahomes’ – but his presence lifts this team’s ceiling and positions it as a postseason spoiler down the stretch.

Fantasy football is a waste of time and fundamentally unfair (until next year)

Goffam City/Little Mermaids/Just Here for 2020: 114 ppg – There are years where it all feels like a bad dream and that’s been the case so far for Soape. Kamara and Conner have staved off injury (to self and team’s QB) to post a respectable 15.7 ppg each, but you’re hoping maybe one of these gets to 20+ ppg on draft day. Somehow Soape’s WR2 position has only 1 game scoring over 10 pts all year (and that was 10.4). Yikes. That WR2 position owns a league low 6.7 ppg. I wrote down “TE is a STEAMING TRASH HEAP” in my notes after seeing the 4.3 ppg average. Also this team’s defense scoring is league worst (5.8 ppg). The one bright spot? QB2. Russell Wilson surprised most of us and has been lethal when allowed to throw, scoring 23.3 ppg after costing a mere $3 on draft day. Well done on that call, Joelseph. Good luck on beating the real-life Dolphins win total.

6,277 words. Are you stuffed? Thanks for sitting by the fire and chatting with me in the midst of our journey – the road to glory becomes narrower with each passing week. May the road rise up to meet you. (Well really, three of you. I’ll take the other spot.)

Indubitably yours,

Dungeonmaster Dave

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airoasis · 5 years

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"Flight Into Terror" | Father Ted | Series 2 Episode 10 | Dead Parrot

New Post has been published on https://hititem.kr/flight-into-terror-father-ted-series-2-episode-10-dead-parrot/

"Flight Into Terror" | Father Ted | Series 2 Episode 10 | Dead Parrot

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load of floppy hair on this in the back of what you doing the end head shave it off no I did not you are not able to do away with arms lengthy sufficient treats do not you remember what they called you him in there Joe due to the fact of all that thick black hair developing between your toes that used to be simply a clinical condition this is your pilot speaking fasten your seat belts we can shortly be kicking off Oh who did that ah anyone messing there what’d you get Dougal considering that this the reward store again at the airport what do goodwill have already got a tape dispenser back at the condominium what did you purchase that one for ah this is no traditional one time what most likely top notch already i can suppose of thousands of you surfers Gilligan the place did you appear what’s this do squeeze it there’s a funny story cell Duggal it is a canine toy what no it can be no longer cat it can be a funny story cell children this is a toy for puppies this is something individuals give their puppies on the birthday critically Ted it’s a comic story phone we simply depart it to any individual and tell them on the cell and they’ll try to make a cellphone name on them children who would think this can be a mobile even a dog is aware of is not the telephone k we will comply with fluctuate all correct no we is not going to agree to change given that you’re very very fallacious look to the snapshot on the package now not even give you a clue why do you suppose the canine looks so pleased he is comfortable for the reason that anyone has given him a yellow robber mobile that makes a noise no no he is laughing on account that any individual’s trying to make a cellphone call on the cell so the puppies should not have the identical form of sense of humor so they’re no longer as evolved as off why just buy whatever clever like this for illustration no put a coin in that that’s splendid what’s it I inspiration a cash field but you understand what anything like this to be so handy to make it a cheap and cheesy but looking of their pure type now come on now the comic story it all right here we go Oh God before taking off the do candidate when the be match considering the fact that of the plane crash yes for Harvard you just fell out of the aircraft if the vigor does disappear it can be Monday and you just fell out and you would be falling for a while and a long time and a while a bit of bit higher Ted no lugal no longer rather no tell you what maybe i’ll give Larry complex he developed a fear of flying in the end those crashes he was in he went to hypnotherapist to treatments informed me I could give him a call whenever I was feeling frightened historical for this God well what used to be that little bit of Tropes god I wish it wasn’t so nervous you realize Larry advised me once you are more chances being trampled by means of a herd of stampeding donkeys then you have not been killed in the aircraft crash no he’s no longer determining up okay father bear oh hi is very good oh yeah i’m a very enormous fan of his own proper or must I say oh no ass there’s no point out of it thus far you need me to take about to look the copper k okay can i have a look too Oh nineteen sizes same coming brother pleasant Dougal seem don’t contact some thing we do not want an action replay off the ceiling immediate all right reasonable enough head down these are the fundamental controls who over right here we’ve the gauges 4 engines one to it I was most effective asking when you’ve ever been in a prepare dinner position before no but on the bridge on the ceiling 31 and it was humorous but I was looking on the manage of the whole lot oh and nothing occurred at all proper hello come on although what you are funny let me simply come on now the jokes over and then who are you what do you imply Who am I you’re blind i am the man you may have been messing with portions of avenue i’m going to pay for the whole journey now not recognize why you are laughing then what is the massive giggle about i’m listening to comedy on these it is mr.Bean all proper yes i’m blind in point of fact it can be higher it is a extra up to date factor you already know considering Paris rice that is lovely fascinating but I I think your different senses make presents I hear that with blind individuals there their different senses turn out to be more alert to be able to communicate I believe which you could odor thing from ten miles away in there they hear things before they occur no no Sixth feel of any sort and that i believe on your case can be hits and casinos you only received the 4 good that was once a different one lacking that I do not know about audio sensor alternative hahahahaha might you go away now be satisfactory I do exactly that they thank you to mr. Pilot da roca no longer see the connection shouldn’t be correct Isis move the historical toilet is them is the bathroom top quality bathroom so do you have a first-class ticket no then i am afraid you must go throughout the best way howdy boss can i’ve a fast word yes get home correct what’s wrong do that method and mild trouble Ted wash well it sounds as if any one are pressed a button within the car after which somebody with the gasoline I believe I believe the individual would have emptied one of the crucial gasoline tanks by way of mistake so anyway there’s not a major makes to the airport proper so that will mean what exactly an emergency touchdown or something yeah an emergency landing correct correct however the factor is Ted we do not truely have sufficient gas to make it to a place the place we are able to make an emergency landing and also there is best two parachutes on board no where’s a 2nd do this before you lift on what you say the identify of this movie was once once more no no no no it’s tremendous not so no so like that is absolutely taking place sure this is happening now to us it’s yeah Duggal here is a mad guest simply all of a sudden versum did you press the button discover hiya come on did you do Bert I did you hello Ted have you ever heard the information yes no what do we do it has any individual press the emergency button no good mustn’t someone supply it a go cautious Ted I might be affine for fallacious use is obviously an emergency I think essentially the principal factor is to preserve your the monks account now not a phrase about this we get back inside nothing occurs what does it do not and that i needed it before father who will get the parachute backyard that’s a tough decision oh you are correct there k possibly we will have to just not tell any individual about them pull them off the plane got here to by no means existed no do but i don’t believe we will have to do this i have a like this my expensive basically I suppose what we should do is this so in no more than 200 phrases why you will have to get a parachute so good we will have to simply write about how excellent we are yes I acquired my housekeeper pregnant a couple years in the past will drive her to depart the country will have to I mention that no i wouldn’t are you going to take marks off it spelling errors only if we grow to be in a tie-damage concern who own the copyright on this what well say if I was once to survive and wish to write my autobiography could i take advantage of extracts from this thing i will write or would you own the copyright as far as i do know you possess the copyright approach frankly chances about surviving are very very lengthy will have to we no longer just have just a little of an historical professional I imply might be God will aid us we all acquired pens and paper and the whole thing can i exploit my computing device laptop and i do not think you are allowed to use them at inter harmful aren’t they they interfere with the radar yes but we will crash anyway correct right I see what you imply melted yes users can do blah you are very calm all together you long past mad or some thing no just I’ve continuously hated flying but now that we’re in an emergency trouble all my fears just converted attention to affirmative motion have you learnt what I imply I do it until you realize all proper then hands down ah father O’Shea you did not stop writing i’m afraid you are disqualified up really a long way the cave do you wish to have to go first i have not written this down considering it comes from the guts frantic Gallaher I’ve known you and being your acquaintances for decades and now I suppose it can be primary to claim i really like you i really like you more than any individual I’ve ever adored I don’t want the parachute proper well executed for the cave he’ll be only a cure and that i consider I must get the parachute given that i’m pleasant correctly I suppose I must get each the parachutes in case one among them doesn’t work the wellknown ones Oh father play the fucking Jew proper i have not written whatever on account that i am not superb at that kind of thing however I did a drawing right particularly good can we have a appear what do you think good it’s me within the neck with a canine how how does that support you win a parachute what tv parachute I wasn’t listening it is Derek why would I wish to parachute the planes in obstacle and there is a competitors to peer who gets a parachute ok father Jack are you next father Jack where’s father jackals parachute the parachutes have long gone you ah ok I simply consider that we’re all going to die google it I just wanted to assert i do know regularly i’m slightly short of you generally i’m now not as patient as they should be however sooner or later we’re the satisfactory of associates what do you imply i am just seeking to say i do know often I act like perhaps you get my nerves but I consider secretly I believe it can be really humorous what’s funny you know the way you mix matters up and generally you aren’t getting what is going on on who are you talking about again you what about me i am simply looking to say Google I such as you thanks very much do you saying that to you i assume set it there hello we’re all enjoying you understand the section tubing stabilizing godets no you realize what a shell diversify efore two decades no you understand the Chet wrench three ply shorts a case no you already know who i am you’re the pilot high-quality i know what I did there I started to bake you realize what a gasoline reserve is good i’d imagine it from form of normal back up to the most important gasoline tanks that is exactly it now we’ve a gasoline reserve however the line connecting it to there nothing on the wing engines area that line is broken if we would by some means fix that line we might stand a hazard even sticky tape would do but I’ve requested round and there’s none on the airplane that’s 4 you’re improper Google provide us whatever you bought there your whole issues are over i wouldn’t make any calls father and interface with radar to ladies the sticky tape bridge that each one you need to do is get out of the plane climb onto the Queen’s we beneath the fuselage and fix the road and then had been saved sure so I just climb out of the aircraft ample cling on however I climb out of the aircraft yes i wouldn’t trust any one else father you have already proved that you would be able to maintain a level head then i’ll do it what Ted doodle i like all this when the whole lot’s going ok I maintain imagining all the horrible things that can occur and now that one of those things that honestly occurred it’s just a rush I feel fearless like Jeff Bridges in that movie i have not seen that one no longer many humans have doogal is normally a foul reference anyway let’s go captain father i’m not a captain and i am not any individual who climbs under planes to fix gasoline traces I think from now on or something we wish to be satisfactory there might be a priest very brave man fuck i am simply doing a funny story Dougal geeky kid good I higher get back to the cockpit just right success solitaire wait with a nigga yes I sealed up the knife with a oh exceptional I’ve gotta do that we’re going to live the whole lot’s absolutely again to average mentioned it can be simply your totally average day they protected our backyard airplane trip ah what am i doing on the 2d weed all correct right thanks very so much good neglected i’m still not gonna bother jack oh i am hoping he is very well and father clearly I hate seeing him like this i beginning to loosen his grip now some thing we are able to gentle the sandwich i cocked them into the form of an plane i do know thank you mrs.Doyle I suppose Ted and me have had ample of airplanes to do with a lifetime ha ha ha ha ha have not we dead your mother talking the emergency is over we will be touchdown in 20 minutes .

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batterymonster2021 · 5 years

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"Flight Into Terror" | Father Ted | Series 2 Episode 10 | Dead Parrot

New Post has been published on https://hititem.kr/flight-into-terror-father-ted-series-2-episode-10-dead-parrot/

"Flight Into Terror" | Father Ted | Series 2 Episode 10 | Dead Parrot

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lewishamledger · 6 years

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Onwards and upwards

As the 2018-19 football season kicks off, we ask a number of people connected with Millwall FC – from fans to a member of the board – for their thoughts on the club’s past, present and future

As told to Luke G Williams

Michael Avery from the Millwall Supporters’ Club assesses how Millwall did on the pitch last season, and their prospects for next season “Where do we begin? After promotion from League One and a start where Lady Luck seemed to be flirting with our opposition, it seemed like we may be looking over our shoulders for the 2017-18 season. The trap door was just behind us creaking, but there were teams who were destined for the hangman’s noose before us.

“Our season changed on January 20, 2018 at Elland Road against Leeds United. After months of away fixtures where we would cruelly have points we deserved snatched from us, our boys in navy finally faced their demons and got the three points. The 4-3 away win was the catalyst we needed, and we never looked back.

“The trap door disappeared out of sight and we were now looking up. Away wins kept coming and coming and before we knew it we were talking about unbeaten streaks, daring to dream. The team many fancied for the drop now looked like they would leave the Championship via promotion to the Premier League.

Lady Luck was on our arm, but unfortunately for The Den faithful, she was seduced by a team from west London and left us for the soon-to-be promoted Fulham.

“Last season was fantastic, and we would love to replicate it, but we have to be realistic. I don’t think Millwall will go down, instead I think we will be comfortably mid-table.” Mark Baxter, a Lions fan for 50 years, explains what the club means to him and his favourite Millwall memories

“I’m Camberwell born and bred and so that made it a choice of Millwall or Crystal Palace for my local club. My dad was a Millwall fan and I’ve stuck with them ever since. Millwall isn’t a glorious, glamour club; it’s a club that’s handed on to you. You either stick with it or go looking elsewhere for trophies.

“Most of my mates growing up supported Chelsea or West Ham or Spurs, so I stood out as a Millwall fan, but supporting them meant I could go and watch live football locally, which I loved.

“The amount of trouble down there in the 70s was ridiculous so I stopped going for a bit. My dad said he would give me a slap if I went! I came back to Millwall around the late 80s and I’ve had a season ticket pretty much ever since.

“Millwall is in my blood. For Millwall fans, I think the club is part of their being. We don’t win much in the way of trophies and the ground is quite a hard place to get to, but if it’s in your blood and your heart you keep going. You’re addicted to it.

“And then you get those great moments – there was the goal Gary Alexander scored at Wembley, which was one of the best goals ever scored at Wembley by any player for any club.

“That was particularly special because I know Gary, he’s a local boy, my wife grew up knowing his family. To see someone you know score a goal for the club you support at Wembley was quite a moment.

“Plus the FA Cup final at Cardiff in 2004, of course. I never thought I’d see that day. I went in a minibus with all my mates and my family, including my mum who was in her 70s then. That was quite a day, a really big occasion.”

Micky Simpson, current “fan on the board” and founder of the Association of Millwall Supporters, on his role and the development saga surrounding Millwall’s stadium

“The easiest way to describe my role is that it’s a fan liaison role. It’s about giving the fans a voice within the club. I take fans’ concerns to the relevant people, including to the board if needed, depending on the level of concern.

“These concerns might be about ticket allocation, transport issues or police dealings with the fans. Or I might take ideas to the board. There’s no job description set in stone as such, but I do pretty much anything and everything I can to support the fan base.

“Then there’s other things I do. Just yesterday I was chatting to a guy in a caff, a Millwall fan, near the ground and I was able to take him into the stadium to meet [former player] Jimmy Carter and take some pictures pitchside. Meeting and talking to this Millwall legend pretty much made a 50-odd year old man cry with happiness.

“I try to use my role to do good and make sure there is a connection and communication between the fans and the club. I use Twitter and various forums to do that. The role works and I think it shows a lot of forward thinking on the part of the club to have this role.

“I just hope that with a new mayor and cabinet in Lewisham that we can now move forward as a club with the development of the stadium. It’s hard to believe that a club as big as Millwall weren’t originally placed at the centre of the regeneration plans for the area, rather than treated like a nasty boy in the corner. That never would have happened to Arsenal or Manchester United.

“If the media were to look at Millwall without blinkers on, they would see that we are a very strong community club with our heart in the local working-class community.”

Peter Garston, former “fan on the board” and still a member of Millwall’s board of directors, on why he believes the club’s community work deserves more attention

“I am a lifelong Millwall fan – my first game was in 1969. For me it’s more than a football team; coming from a dysfunctional family as a child, Millwall was my first real family, to the extent that I named both of my children after players, Harry after Harry Cripps and Alfie after Alfie Wood.

“In 2005 I was voted on to the board of directors of Millwall as “FOTB” by my fellow fans, an honour I will never be able to repay. In 2016 I decided to stand down and was honoured that chairman John Berylson asked me to remain on the board as a director. He also invited me to become a director of Millwall Holdings. Then last year I was offered the position of trustee on the Millwall Community Scheme – I still hold all these positions.

“I have followed Millwall through many ups and downs; I was a travelling fan during the 70s and 80s and that experience, along with the board positions I hold, has enabled me to have an all-round overview of the club.

“I have seen many things during my time – both good and bad – but the one thing I can never understand is the media’s inability to report on the excellent work we do in the community week in week out – work we have been doing for many years.

“With over-50s clubs and Irish clubs to name but a few, we are truly all-inclusive. As fans every year we also raise considerable sums for every cause you can mention. Recently we raised thousands for the young girl Isla Caton who was suffering with a rare form of cancer and whose family were all die-hard West Ham fans, while our contribution to Help for Heroes annually is immense. I just wish there was more balanced reporting to reflect this.”

Ayse Smith, editor of Millwall fanzine The Lion Roars on the club’s current prospects on and off the pitch

“The Lion Roars magazine is now in its 30th year of publication, and hopefully we will have an amazing season – on and off the pitch – to report on.

“Last season we were one of the favourites to be relegated, which I thought was a bit harsh, and a bit silly really, as newly promoted teams normally do really well in their new league as they are still flying high with momentum from the previous season. Despite that, we exceeded even our own expectations.

“This coming season is going to be tough though. The team is pretty much the same as last year, and although they have united amazingly, expectations are going to be higher, from us fans at least. We are again one of the favourites to be relegated, and I hope this spurs the players on to prove our critics wrong.

“The current progress of the compulsory purchase order (CPO) and redevelopment plans on Millwall’s land is unclear at the moment. The council have not said that they will not apply for a CPO again, and the fact the newly elected mayor Damien Egan and MP Janet Daby were both on the council cabinet and voted in favour of the CPO in the first place, is quite alarming to me.

“Drawing up plans and architects’ fees are hugely expensive, and although Millwall have already paid for these in their bid to redevelop the land themselves, I don’t think they can afford to spend any more on it unless the council gives us the go-ahead to redevelop the land to provide the much-needed homes that Lewisham borough needs.”

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thebladevsnature · 6 years

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Own T shirt Brand , How?

We work with a lot of great people across the country, print custom clothing for their companies and non-profit organizations, but we also have the great privilege of helping other people go beyond just clothing for an event or team, to help launch their own clothing line. In fact, we are asked to print for so many starting clothing brands that we wanted to create a quick peat leaf from our Top 4 tips for starting our own clothing brand based on countless conversations over the years. We hope you find it useful ... and that your own line of t-shirts / clothing will inflate if you follow these tips! 1- Keep your costs low! Serious. It is absolutely not necessary to spend a lot of money when you launch your own line of t-shirts or clothing ... and you do not have to buy items from 500 to 1000 as \\\\\\\\ legitimate. We recommend starting small and focusing on quality for quantity. When we say 'quality', we mean the quality of the shirt and the quality of the ink. Your brand must be consistent, so we recommend using a nicer T-shirt and minimal ink colors (to keep costs low compared to adding more ink colors). You can advertise the fabric mix and how soft it is - and people will notice it too! If you want to see some of the options of our favorite t-shirts and ink processes, you can buy one of our trial kits with soft T-shirts to make the decision process easier. And before you decide to buy hundreds or thousands of clothes, you can start getting smaller to see what people really think (I know, it's crazy to hear us NOT spend a lot of money, but we want to see you WIN do not break!). Simply creating a Facebook, Instagram or Pinterest page for your new clothing line and placing preliminary images can go a long way, because you can measure interest and keep your inventory before you order.

2 - customized, adapted, adapted (logos, labels and bags) Logo - Choose the right logo and design for your new brand. You can go somewhere like 99Designs.com to design logos or t-shirt designs, you can use a freelance designer or you can do it yourself, but think of a good design. Your first customers can buy the shirts because they are your friends, but outside of your friends you'd better have a cool design or mission behind the brand. Selling stories, so creating a brand with a story behind it (and a mission to focus on) can go a long way with people. Again, your family and friends are likely to purchase a shirt from your obligation, but you must go further. Make something worthwhile to give and share about ... and make something that people think is cool. First consider placing a picture of the shirt on Facebook, Instagram or other social media (and asking if people would actually buy it), and then adjust the question and go from there. Labels and labels - Do not settle for Canvas, Next Level, American Apparel or other brands on your shirts. You can easily mark your shirts $ 5- $ 10 or more if you have your own tags on the shirts. A few places where you can search for custom tags are: The Dutch Label Shop, Wunderlabel or ClothingLabels4u. In each of these places you can buy the shirts from us, buy the labels from them and then quickly sew the labels as soon as you receive the shirts. You may have to buy a few hundred labels at the front, but that's good ... just keep them handy when the orders arrive and quickly sew them in when the orders arrive. Another good option is to make a heat pressag. Here are a few places where you can search for vinyl with a heat press or logos with screen printing that can be cut out, and applied to the inner neck of your shirts: Heat Press Nation or FM Expressions. Bags - Consider the presentation of your brand. We have our Monster Pack poly bags from StickerMule and LOVE them. They are cheap, but you put your best foot forward when you have to send a shirt. 3- Make it a party One of the best ways to show that your brand is relevant and cool is that people actually touch, feel and see it. So you have to think of a way to get people around your clothing line ... and in the age of social media this will also create opportunities for your first fans to share their experiences through photos and video. If you create a start event for your clothing line, you can not only create a nice buzz, but you will also get valuable pictures of your clothes that are shown while people wear them. Here are a few of our best ideas for a successful launch party: - Create an online event and invite friends. - Costs to participate, so that you can pay part of the costs of food / drinks. But do not stop eating, if you launch a clothing line, would not it be great if people really wear your stuff or keep it at the launch? Including the option to buy a t-shirt or sweater as an add-on in the ticket price, this can stimulate initial sales and create more photo opportunities with people carrying your new merch! - Create opportunities for the best photos and let people feel like celebrities one night. Give a step and repeat so that everyone can make his photo with your brand behind it. - Talk about why you decided to start your own clothing line ... but do not play your own horn. Let someone else draw attention, imagine and encourage people to buy merch ... then you just talk about the fun stuff. From there you can be creative and have fun. If people have fun, they will probably buy earlier ... and if you can make a great first party, you can also make a good second party or a future! 4- Sell them online As we mentioned in the first point, before you go insane, try to create a custom e-commerce site and get a mortgage on your property for the inventory, starting with a small question and question. Place some photos of the mockups of the t-shirt on social media and receive feedback. See what people really think. Then invest in the right amount of t-shirts / garments that you feel financially comfortable. To make selling easier, however, you must get an e-commerce site. Our only and only suggestion for this is Shopify. You can start your site for free for 14 days to try it out and then sign up for the service at super fast speed every month. Serious !!! Just do this and do not waste time searching. We do not transfer money to Shopify - we just love them and have actually built this site on Shopify (with some custom devs). Make your life easy and focus on selling the shirts ... not hosting a website, buying an SSL or anything else that most web companies need. https://atlantatshirtkings.blogspot.com/ https://www.reddit.com/user/atlantatshirtkings https://atlantatshirtkings.tumblr.com/post/172341149246/atlanta-t-shirt-kings-is-georgias-most-advance

#startup

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sentrava · 7 years

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The Ultimate Guide to Gothenburg: What to Eat, See & Do

Young, progressive, hip, clean, innovative—these are all adjectives I’d use to describe Gothenburg, Sweden’s second largest city and the jumping off point for all west coast road trips. It’s a little bit casual, a little bit cosmopolitan, and a whole lot hipster. In fact, one of its residents told us about the university town: “Gothenburg is not just a beer city—it’s a beard city.” In that respect, it felt a whole lot like home.

But it’s really a place you need to hit the ground running before you can fully appreciate its distinct vibe. Here’s what you can expect from what many refer to as “Little London.”

WHERE TO STAY IN GOTHENBURG

On the front end of our trip, we stayed at the Clarion Post Hotel as part of the Volvo Overseas Delivery Program. This former central post office is one of the city’s finest design hotels with a lobby lined with crystals and an inviting rooftop pool on the 13th floor that offers a full panorama of the city center.

On our return, we spent three nights at Hotel Pigalle, one of Gothenburg’s chicest boutique hotels. And while it’s designed to mimic Paris in the early 1900s, the hotel itself has actually only been around a couple years (yet it already landed on Conde Nast Traveler’s coveted Gold List). Keep your eyes peeled for fun little design accents like strands of pearls and amusing artwork (Karl Lagerfeld as an owl, anyone?).

HOW TO GET AROUND TOWN

We spent most of our time on foot to hit up all the central attractions. Despite just 500,000 residents, Gothenburg is a pretty large city size-wise so if you’re there more than a day or two, you’ll need to turn to additional methods to see the sights.

You could rent a car, but honestly you don’t need it. We talked to Gothenburg residents in their 30s and 40s who had never even bothered to get a driver’s license — the public transportation is that good. We found the tram and bus system very easy to navigate, not to mention reliable; each stop listed the time of the next arrival down to the minute, and we never waited more than five.

You can purchase tickets at any of the sales kiosks or the tourist center, as well as download the app and pay on your phone. Gothenburg’s visitor card (available in 24-, 48- and 72-hour increments) also includes all public transportation: buses, trams, ferries, trains. Like everything else in Sweden, the transportation truly runs like a dream.

If you’re in a pinch, there are also plenty of taxis—some of which are even Teslas (#OnlyInSweden)—and we wound up calling one to go to the airport when we were in danger of missing our flight.

WHERE TO GET KILLER INSTAGRAM SHOTS

Dorsia. This burlesque-inspired hotel may be the sexiest place in all of Gothenburg with its bold artwork and red velvet accents. We didn’t stay here, but we did settle into the living room one rainy afternoon for cocktails as we sipped our way through the extensive gin menu.

The Palm House. This green house is located right smack in the middle of the well-manicured lawns of the Garden Society of Gothenburg, an urban oasis that dates back to the 19th century and boasts thousands of roses. It was raining throughout most of our time in Gothenburg, but that didn’t stop us from seeking shelter indoors and enjoying the exotic plants (and the warm temps) of the indoors Palm House.

Gothenburg Museum of Art. I’m not typically a museum fan, but I couldn’t help but love the modern art filling Gothenburg’s stately museum. We saw paintings from famed Scandinavian artists such as Edvard Munch and marveled over the sculptures. There was even a Ping Pong installation where I got to use my skills to school SVV in the art of table tennis.

Upper House Spa. A protruding outdoor hot tub that hangs 19 stories above the ground and boasts killer views of Liseberg and the city beyond? I almost couldn’t believe it myself. But this three-level spa housed in Gothia Towers is one of the coolest places I’ve visited ever. (Pro tip: Stay in the on-site hotel, and your spa bill and fitness classes will be 20 percent off.)

Haga. The old town may be one of the more touristy sections in the city, but it’s also the oldest. The entire block is lined with cute, colorful wooden houses, many of them some hundreds of years old.

Gothenburg Botanical Garden. A 20-minute tram ride from the center of town, Gothenburg’s botanical garden (Botaniska Trädgården) is one of the largest in northern Europe (not to mention, most beautiful). Spanning more than 400 acres, this gorgeous slice of greenery took us more than an hour to walk through thanks to its more than 16,000 species of plants to fawn over.

WHERE TO EAT & DRINK

Jerntorgets Brygghus. There are a handful of craft breweries within Gothenburg—it’s a scene very much on the rise—but only a couple you can actually visit (and even those are either reservation-only or have odd days and hours, like open every other Friday). Luckily, we found this friendly taproom on the fringe of the tourist district, Haga, that stocked everything we could want and more.

SK Mat & Människor. This contemporary restaurant helmed by restaurateur Stefan Karlsson has an open kitchen so you can watch the chefs in action as they whip up your meal (translated in English, the restaurant’s name means “food and people”). Awarded a star in the Michelin guide, it’s a great excuse for a date night, as well as the prime spot to sample all the regional delights. We had the tasting menu—three of the four courses of which was a different kind of fish from West Sweden—complete with wine pairings.

Feskekôrka. Built in 1874, the “fish church” is exactly as it sounds: a Gothic-style, church-like structure that houses a fish market. Insider, there’s also a second-floor restaurant, Gabriel, that overlooks the market and serves one of the best meals we had in all of Sweden (make reservations as the dining area is small). It’s known for its Swedish oysters, which taste like the ocean itself, but I was a huge fan of the “fish burger,” which was baked cod in casserole form and drowned in butter.

Saluhallen. Little has changed in the city’s resident market hall in Kungstorget since 1889 when it was completed. It’s still a popular spot for locals to grab lunch on the go from any of the many stalls or pick up meat, artisan cheese, spices, wine, chocolate, or other delicacies for dinner or to take as gifts.

Da Matteo. I embraced the concept of “fika” when I lived in Scandinavia more than a decade ago and was thrilled to learn that it’s still very much alive today in Sweden. On our first morning in Gothenburg, we stopped by the iconic Da Matteo roastery in Magasinsgatan for a latte and cardamom bun (and then returned on days two and three, as well!).

Forssén Öberg. This champagne bar offers a wide selection of bubbles by the glass or bottle, plus a bevy of seasonal Swedish dishes (read: lots of fish). We had the three-course tasting menu complete with champagne/wine pairings. I know what you’re thinking, and you’re right: We did not eat poorly on this trip!

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Mr. P. We visited the modern brasserie in the art museum twice: once for cocktails (so good!) and again for lunch (also, delicious). Just don’t pass the chance to visit the adjoining modern art museum while you’re there.

Kafé Magasinet. You know those days when you’re playing tourist so hard and nothing sounds better than sitting down for a spell with a large beer for company? That’s how we felt after walking what felt like 100 miles around Gothenburg one day. We saw the entrance to Kafé Magasinet’s courtyard as we were tooling around Haga and mentally bookmarked it for when we needed a rest. The interior was every bit as lovely as we could hope when we returned an hour later, and the spacious café has both indoor and outdoor seating and serves fika, food and a full bar.

Food trucks in Magasinsgatan. Like so many other big cities, Gothenburg has a burgeoning food truck scene. There are always a couple ones in rotation parked right out front of the da Mateo in Magasinsgatan.

Atelier. On our final night at Hotel Pigalle, we headed up to the fourth floor for a feast in the on-site restaurant. I’m not sure what I loved more: the décor (a hodgepodge of patterns and textures occupying a cozy space with a slanted ceiling) or the meal (a three-course tasting menu of regional specialties and our first meal of the trip that wasn’t all seafood).

FOODS YOU MUST TRY

Swedish meatballs, with lingonberry sauce

Västerbottensost, a decadent savory cheese pie

Cod bake with brown butter, preferably from the Fish Church

Langoustine, saltwater crayfish

Kardemommebulle, cardamom buns

Any fresh-caught fish with dill sauce, the Swedish herb of choice

With its seven Michelin star restaurants, Gothenburg definitely lived up to its reputation of being a culinary destination, though as evidenced above, we found more to do there than just eat and drink.

Any favorite Gothenburg spots that I should put on my list for next trip?

This post is part of a campaign with Travel Mindset and partners Visit Sweden, West Sweden, Gothenburg & Co., SAS Scandinavian Airlines and Volvo Cars USA.

PIN IT HERE

The Ultimate Guide to Gothenburg: What to Eat, See & Do published first on http://ift.tt/2gOZF1v

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reclaimerrob · 7 years

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The Power of Xbox

(2017) The Xbox One X showcase event at the Galen Center

As much as I have enjoyed talking about the technological power of the upcoming Xbox One X for the past year, this article will instead focus on the powerful impact Xbox has had on my life for more than fifteen years, and how and why I grew to become so attached to not just a “brand” but also to a community and lifetime of great experiences and memories.

Essentially, this is a follow-up to my article “The Best Week Ever” that I wrote just after returning from my first week in Los Angeles for Xbox FanFest and E3 2015. Those memories, and that write-up, continue to be special to me to this day. I hope to expand on some of what I discussed there, while also reflecting on the incredible time I had doing it all over again in 2016 and 2017. I realize I am not alone at all with some of the feelings I’ll express throughout this write-up, so I hope to also give a voice to others as well who feel the same way about what Xbox has done for gaming.

(2017) Playing Forza Motorsport 7 on an Xbox One X developer kit

Origins

I will never forget playing Halo for the first time with a friend in 2001. I remember running around on Blood Gulch - the legendary multiplayer level that lives on to this day throughout the sequels - and being instantly fascinated by the Warthog vehicle, not to mention the physics and lighting the game had. That same friend and I eventually played through the whole campaign together and it was an absolute blast. I can still vividly remember the two of us running for our lives during that final level, laughing so hard as the Warthog we were in flipped over and he drove off without me. I was running on foot for the remainder of the level trying to catch up as we both eventually made it to the end just in time.

(2017) Playable at the Xbox One X showcase event! The Flood are back!

It was 2002 now and I was in high school. Although it had been a couple of years now since I was the new kid in town I still did not know that many people, but luckily a couple of friends of mine had an older cousin who was a senior at my high school. He and his friends would have Xbox LAN parties quite often and I was invited to come over and play Halo with them one time. I remember being at this stranger’s house with around twenty people, not knowing anyone but my friend, and us all bonding over Halo on multiple occasions from that point forward. That first occasion though, there was a point in a huge multiplayer match where I was put on the spot to win a match for my team and overcame some incredible odds and I remember one of the guys on the other team saying, “This guy plays way too much Halo…” I laughed and told him it was only my third time playing and that all I have at home is a GameCube. Everyone seemed to a get a kick out of that, and we all became friends.

Unfortunately, less than a year later those people were all graduating, so a lot of things were changing for them. A lot was about to change for me though too, as I was about to turn 16 and get my first job. After a few weeks, I had saved up enough money to finally get an Xbox of my own and be able to play Halo in the comfort of my own home (and not in split screen)! That first major purchase I made was a new Xbox and a copy of Halo in June 2003. A couple of weeks later I upgraded from dial-up AOL to cable internet so that I could get Xbox Live and again experience the magic of online gaming that I had last truly enjoyed on the Dreamcast. It was also at this point that I decided I was going to go all-in with Xbox and it has been my only console ever since.

(2017) E3 at the Los Angeles Convention Center

More than a decade later, in the late spring of 2015, I was still just as hardcore of an Xbox gamer and fan. I had always been up on the latest news and games for Xbox, but I had never taken the big step of going to see any of these events I followed so closely for myself. Going to an event like that had always felt like something that wasn’t for me, or that it wasn’t feasible - which was actually true in the case of when I was invited to Xbox 360’s Zero Hour launch event in 2005 by a very nice man at Microsoft by the name of Arne.

I was 18 years old at that time, and so my main concern was that I would not be able to rent a car to drive out to the Mojave Desert location of the event. I had also never even come close to considering flying anywhere before in my life - all of which had been spent in Minnesota. Traveling was just not something my small family of my mom and I had ever done at this point, and due to the way technology was at that time there were not the conveniences of airline phone apps, Airbnb, and Uber to make a trip like that easy to understand, or even possible for me. And so, I had to politely decline and I still regret to this day not being there for that historic Xbox launch event, which is still held in high regard by many on the Xbox team.

Ten years later, I had gone on a couple of trips with friends and so I was a bit more comfortable with airports and renting a car. I had now finally decided I was going to attend my first gaming convention at some point, meet my heroes, and be a part of the fun. Initially, I was going to try for PAX in Seattle (because it was basically the only public option in the USA that I knew Xbox would have a presence at with its team and lineup of games) but the tickets vanished and were already being scalped for inflated prices before my page to purchase had even loaded. Around a day or so later, the upcoming Xbox FanFest event was announced and I knew right then that I had found what I had waited all of these years for, and thus The Best Week Ever was in the works.

When I left Los Angeles in 2015, I thought it would likely be several years before I was able to come back again, but I decided sometime in the early months of 2016 to try for it all again. Not only did I want to relive the amazing time I had experienced in 2015, but I had spent nearly every day interacting with Xbox fans like myself on Twitter ever since my trip. A whole new side of the Xbox community opened up to me after that trip, especially after my write-up on my experience sort-of went viral thanks to so many great people reaching out to thank me for writing about how it all went. I had never expected anything like that to happen; I had written it for myself, to be able to retain all of those memories in detail and to share with a handful of people I hoped would read it. I have always loved writing and sharing things online, so I felt compelled to write it all down even if it ended up being just being for myself. Instead, it went far and wide, and suddenly I was frantically going back to proofread it all again as I realized many more people would be reading it now!

(2017) Tom (@xboxsuperfan) and I in the Xbox booth. Thank you for the FanFest 2017 pin!

Some people might laugh or wonder, “Why get so worked up over Xbox or gaming?”, and as I spent the last few weeks thinking in my head about all that I wanted to write in this article, I felt like addressing that. To me, in the face of that question I instantly picture all of the people who are shown on the news crying and screaming over sports, or over a celebrity. I'm not going to judge what anyone else is passionate over, but in my opinion if there's something to be completely invested in and passionate about it would be that which allows you to have countless different experiences for essentially your entire life, especially when they are experiences that put you in the center of it all.

With Xbox, it is us, or in my case here, me, playing through these games. I have had these experiences that are personal to me, I have invested the time to complete so many games, adventures, stories, and the specific details within them. I spend time each day reading the latest news in the gaming world and I often read something that makes my day or gives me something more to look forward to. I have spent thousands of hours of my life with these consoles, having had amazing times whether I’m in an intense multiplayer match that becomes borderline stressful, am in the midst of an immersive 40+ hour story, am laughing at a game’s humor, or am getting emotional from a game’s story, etc. These are years of experiences and memories, so how could someone not become invested and attached to something like that if they opt to allow themselves to do so? If you are reading this article, I am likely preaching to the choir, but I wanted to put that out there as I am bluntly honest with how passionate I am for Xbox and gaming in general.

(2017) The Xbox One X's Scorpio chip

The 2016 Experience

In 2015, I went into Los Angeles knowing basically no one who would be there aside from those who worked at Xbox, so I spent much of the trip quietly taking it all in aside from brief interactions with those I met in line for a game at E3 or while kayaking in San Diego. However, 2016’s experience would usher in an entirely new Xbox FanFest experience for me, and also affect the way I would go about many of my days back at home in Minnesota throughout the year.

Leading up to the 2016 flight to LAX, myself and others bonded on Twitter for several weeks over a common anxiety of hoping we would even get into the experience this time around. Tickets were again going to go out to 500 lucky fans who lined up at a Microsoft Store in Los Angeles, except this time it was easy to tell that the demand was going to be much higher than in 2015 based on how the posts and tweets regarding the upcoming FanFest were receiving multiple times more likes and replies than the previous year’s announcements did.

I flew into LAX already quite sleep-deprived not only because I was worrying about FanFest, but also due to having a job interview on the eve of my trip. After stopping at Target to buy a sleeping bag and pillow, I checked into my first Airbnb and relaxed for a few hours. In the early evening I headed out to the mall the FanFest line was going to be at. There were already hundreds of people there, and over a thousand people total would end up arriving by the end of the night. In all, I was there from 5pm Saturday to the early afternoon of Sunday afternoon, and in that time I made several friends for life. Although it was stressful, especially considering my lack of sleep and same day flight, it was an amazing experience that ranged from incredible anxiousness to absolute shock and joy.

Around midnight, everyone was given a numbered ticket and a several-hour random drawing commenced and it had all become a less than 50% chance of getting in. It was also around this time that I once again saw Major Nelson (Larry Hryb), Aaron Greenberg, and Bonnie Ross as they and other members of the Xbox team walked up and down the gigantic line that spanned two levels of the mall the Microsoft Store was located in.

After meeting Phil Spencer, the head of the Xbox team (thanks to a very nice introduction by Aaron) the fatigue and stress of it all started to hit me and I was starting to feel like the FanFest experience truly was going to be once in a lifetime. I didn’t ever regret trying again, especially not after getting to meet so many great people and the chance to meet Larry, Aaron, and Phil again, I was just so tired and started to feel some doubt. I was sitting there on the ground in the line trying to stay awake and was borderline delirious when I quickly handed a couple of thank you cards to Aaron Greenberg as he passed by due to thinking this might be the last time I saw him, and because of how nice he and some others had been to me the year prior.

I honestly can barely remember what it was like to experience that moment through my own eyes due to how tired I was and how much of a surreal experience it was for me. The video above speaks for itself, but I am sure you can tell I am quite stunned by what is happening. I never thought I would ever, ever, have Major Nelson holding a microphone to my face for hundreds of thousands of people to listen to us go back and forth - and especially not in the middle of the night in Los Angeles with the historic Nakatomi Plaza directly behind me. As a kid, I rented the first Die Hard movie from Blockbuster probably twenty times, so I was excited simply to see the building from the movie all night long.

An hour or so after that amazing moment with Major, one of my new friends in line had her ticket number called. At this point, she was one of the only people around us in that part of the line that had won in all of the hours of the tickets being called, and she was adamant that I take her ticket and walk up to the front as the next winner. At first I said no way, she had waited in line just like I had, and then her boyfriend at the time, Mitchell, was saying they had already agreed that if either of them won they were giving it to me based on what they had seen of me, and then my interactions with the Xbox team in the last couple of hours. I still wasn’t going for it, it was too much to take, and then people around in line who none of us had even talked to began yelling “Go Rob! Do it man!”.

Even writing about it now is overwhelming to think about more than a year later. It was so nice of them to do that for a complete stranger they had only known for a few hours in the food court area of this giant mall (which was now mostly completely darkened). I finally hugged and thanked them both, traded tickets, and walked up to the front of the line to get my FanFest credentials and entered the new line that was for the winners thus far. I had now won entry into something I had waited a year for, but all I could think about was that unbelievable act of kindness as I stood there in this new group of people.

Unknown to me, just a few feet from me now, was someone who I would become great friends with online over the next few months thanks to someone else near us asking everyone who could hear her to friend each other via Snapchat’s location-based friend finder feature. Jonathan and I would finally meet in person exactly a year after this moment, on the first day of FanFest 2017. Ultimately, it was that initial act of kindness by Kelsey and Mitchell that made this friendship happen as well. Thanks to a common bond in Xbox, a person from Minneapolis and a person from Miami became great friends over the past year where we chat every day about gaming, other hobbies, and life.

Thankfully, in the next hour or so, Kelsey, Mitchell, and Jeff - the three main people I had hung out with throughout the night, all had their tickets become winners. My original ticket had eventually become a winner as well, but who knows what might have been different if things had not went down as they did. I think of little things, like the fact that someone in line encouraged me to high-five the ticket caller as I went in to turn in my winning ticket just as she was about to pull the next winning ticket out of the bowl. If she had not stopped, pulled her hand out, and high-fived me, everything that followed might have been different.

What happened that night was a powerful showing to me in how one act of kindness can affect so much. I have actually come across people in various social media outlets and Reddit talking about what they saw that night in regards to me being given that winning ticket, one man even listed it as his favorite memory of E3 2016. These are people discussing that amazing moment that occurred within the line for a gaming event, so it seems I was not the only one touched by what happened.

The following days were incredible, as expected. Myself and others were able to play games like Forza Horizon 3 and Halo Wars 2 many months before they were due to launch, and experience the various fun times that FanFest had planned for us, including a hilarious panel with the cast of Gears of War 4. I don’t think I have laughed that hard since that night, I had tears from how funny things became between Rod Fergusson (Studio Head for The Coalition), John DiMaggio (voice of Marcus Fenix) and some of the questions the crowd was asking (most of which consisted of asking for Gears of War 4 spoilers, or if John remembered something minor that happened from decades prior). Overall, it became yet another “Best Week Ever” and the memories of it would join 2015’s and become part of an almost daily reflection on how fun it all was.

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(2016) Mitchell and Kelsey surprised me on my final night in Los Angeles by bringing me to the Griffith Observatory, which they knew I had wanted to see all week. We all watched the sunset from there that evening, with a lot of great laughs and sights all around.

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Looking Back

As I reflect on my life with Xbox, another reason I went for more of a "play-it safe" type lifestyle is that I would more easily avoid the bad, hurtful situations that come up in life. Of course this means missing out on some things, but I have felt it was a fair trade-off to have a mostly peaceful life. Unfortunately, a person cannot hide from all of the negatives that are bound to happen to us in life, and I have learned that as well - as we all have. However, getting through those tough times when they come is when my love for Xbox has grown even stronger over the years. I can remember so many times when Xbox was there for me either as a way to pass time during a bad time, or was there in my mind as something to look forward to and think about as inspiration to get through a rough time. The below examples are nothing in comparison to what many people have gone through, but when I look back there has always been a couple that stick out to me just due to their timing and how into Xbox I was at the time.

In 2004 I was forced to change high schools right in the middle of the year after my high school of the last two years refused to provide anymore parking passes for out-of-district students. Seeing as though I was no longer willing to drive to school, park a mile away, and then walk on the side of the road while crazy high school drivers nearly hit me as I walked on the shoulder of the road to school (my only option) I changed schools right in the middle of my junior year in early 2004. It was quite a scary thing to try and do, but I ended up liking my new high school even more.

It may sound weird, but what inspired me to just do it and get through it was the looming launch of Halo 2 later that year. I often had a Halo novel with me in my backpack (there were only 2 or 3 Halo books at this time) and at other times, usually lunch period, I would go to the library and check up on what was going on with all of the cool stuff that was happening with the marketing of Halo 2 leading up to its launch. I don’t think I felt too stressed out or bothered by the big changes back then, but as I think back to a younger me going through that and going to a school where I knew no one, it was nice to have something I could think about that would comfort me and give me something to look forward to as I went forward with something that was going to change so much of my daily life.

I remember in the summer of 2005 my car breaking down on me on the freeway on a Sunday morning that was getting hotter by the minute. There was barely any traffic, no one was stopping to help, this was before I (or most people) had a cell phone, and I was a long way from home. I walked several miles along the road, until there was no shoulder left, and then had to go through a winding forest, and then back to some more roads until I made it to a payphone. It doesn’t seem like that big of a deal when I think back to it, but it was for me in the moment, and I remember the whole time, while being so thirsty and hot, thinking about how it was going to be awesome in November when I get that Xbox 360 on launch day. It makes me laugh to think about how that was the main thing going through my head during that several hour walk.

Life delivered a major curveball two years later in mid-2007 when my mom was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. As the best mom in the world (of course) and my only family, this was such a shocking thing that I don’t remember ever thinking that she wouldn’t be okay - as if my mind couldn't comprehend any other outcome. Thankfully after two surgeries to remove her thyroid, she was, and has been, okay ever since. It was a scary time where I would often think about Halo 3 as hopefully that “light at the end of the tunnel” later that year. I would think about that day, now just a couple of months down the road, and picture everything being okay and playing the game I had waited three years for and that all would be right again. Thankfully, it was a joyous launch day by the time it came around and the cancer scare was relatively in the past by then, where it hopefully stays.

In 2009, I started college in the fall and I remember Halo 3: ODST coming out a couple of weeks into my first semester and it was great to once again have something fun to look forward to as I went through something that was stressful for me due to how different my life was now that I was adding full-time college to my plate along with work. I was excited about it though too. I had not taken many chances in life, so the decision to go to college despite not knowing exactly what to go for and all that, was a big deal to me. I did not simply go right after high school, so it was something I thought about for quite a while. Although I worked that first job of mine for nearly nine years, from early 2003 to late 2011, I do also regret not having had the confidence and courage I enjoy now to try and branch out to something else I might’ve enjoyed better earlier in life, instead of spending all of those years at the same place.

The newfound confidence in recent years to try and find something that is best for me when it comes to how I spend over forty hours of my life each week comes in large part to my experiences over the past two years in Los Angeles. The amazing treatment and comradery I have experienced from the Xbox team and fellow fans and friends has shown me that things can be better, and I continue working towards a life that makes it so I feel a bit of the FanFest magic each day of my life at home in Minnesota. Thankfully, I believe I have made good progress on this front and my life is better for it.

(2016) Aaron Greenberg and I before the 2016 media briefing

2017: The Year of the Scorpio

Based on the way Xbox’s 2016 media briefing ended with the teaser of Project Scorpio, Xbox’s next console set to launch in late 2017, I knew right away I wanted to be there again in a year to see my first console reveal live in person. Like many, I have watched these happen so many times throughout life, whether it be via gaming magazines back in the day, on the computer, or, for the last several years, via the Xbox console itself where the briefings were conveniently streamed right to our TV.

Due to my experiences in 2015 and 2016, I already understood how (at least for me) being there when the game is first announced/shown to the world and being there for its big moments and reveals makes the actual launch of the game back at home much more exciting. Games like Forza Horizon 3, while being an all-time great game, hold an even more special place in my heart because I will think back to being in the Galen Center when the game was revealed during the media briefing, and then I remember standing in line for over an hour to play it at E3 with the wheel and fully-immersive seat and screen experience with dozens of people watching me play from behind the whole setup. So the idea of being there when a new console is revealed and available to play for the first time ever was a huge thing for me for a lot of reasons.

(2017) With @nickytwit, and a perfect photobomb by @MissAEternity

Fortunately, Xbox FanFest’s tickets were handed out via an online system this time around, several weeks prior to E3 instead of a physical line just a day or two beforehand. Although the online system had a bumpy start due to an even higher demand than before for FanFest admittance, 500 winners were again selected and I was lucky enough to get in one more time. I was so thankful for this chance because it had been a rough few months prior to that time in late April. I did not want to see my hopes of seeing the reveal in person fall through because it all really had been my “light at the end of the tunnel” through the worst times of my life, but more on that in a bit.

(2017) @Dapper_Tux and I at the briefing and Showcase event!

For 2017’s trip I decided to not rent a car this time and try going all Uber and Lyft for transportation to and from LAX, and all of the trips in between. I had never used either of these services before and I was a bit anxious of trusting someone else to drive me around in the crazy traffic of LA because I’m used to always being the driver for anywhere I go, but it was certainly the right call. In the two previous trips, worrying about the car, and then driving in unfamiliar, sometimes hostile driving conditions, was a big source of not only anxiety, but cost, as parking prices in LA are steep! The 2017 trip to LA was so smooth and perfect I almost feel like it didn’t happen yet because it all happened so effortlessly and there was never a time I was worried about anything during the trip. Los Angeles finally felt like a home away from home.

(2017) Finally, @DocCupCake84 and I have taken a picture together!

Additionally, thanks to all of the amazing friends I have made at FanFest and/or on Twitter because of Xbox, I flew into Los Angeles this year feeling like I was in a city full of friends. I know this is not particularly the safest mindset to have in the city of LA, but trust that I used that positive mindset of mine responsibly! This year at Xbox FanFest, not only was I able to meet up with my friends from 2016, who almost all got in again this year (either to FanFest and/or E3 itself), I was able to finally meet many others for the first time too.

(2017) After two years of close encounters at Xbox FanFest and E3, two fellow Xbox fans finally meet up!

We all were able to see the Xbox One X revealed to the world, and play games like Crackdown 3, Forza 7, Sea of Thieves, Assassin’s Creed Origins, Super Lucky’s Tale, and so many others games before release - including Halo Wars 2’s new Flood expansion! This love of Xbox that I have had for so many years has grown exponentially over the last two years. It was taken to a whole new level in 2015, and then again in 2016, and then again in 2017.

(2017) Friends from 2016 join with new ones from 2017 for the Xbox media briefing!

Throughout the rest of the year when I'm back at home, I am thankful for every reply or like I receive on Twitter, and the interactions become better each year, or even each month. It’s an amazing feeling to quickly tweet something out about how I'm going into my first day of work at my new job, and then throughout my whole shift I can feel my phone regularly vibrating with one notification after another of people liking it or offering words of encouragement. Needless to say, the experiences I’ve had at Xbox FanFest, and the people I’ve met there, have increased my opinion of people in general in a huge way.

(2017) Major and I meet again, this time at the 2017 Showcase event

With everything the internet and social media exposes us to, it is easier than ever to become jaded at what the world is like, or perceived to be like. Many people even continue that negative mindset to entertainment mediums as well, moving instantly to criticize a new game or movie, sometimes even just from something someone else said. It is as if being negative seems to be what is perceived as “smart”. I have always gone into any game, movie, or anything else entertainment-based with an open mind because I am looking to enjoy it, not hate it, and it is nice to have that positive mindset now extend to society in general in some ways, especially when it comes to the potential new places I will find myself in if it seems worthy of a trip or adventure.

SO COOL to be featured on #XboxDaily! The other moment was meeting @majornelson, @aarongreenberg & @PlutonForEver on the 2015 briefing day! pic.twitter.com/9efMdfm3Xx

— Reclaimer Rob (@ReclaimerRob)

June 15, 2017

Before I conclude this year’s article with some of my favorite pictures from 2016 and 2017's Xbox events, I want to discuss the greatest thing Xbox helped me get through this past year. 17 years ago this week, on July 4th, 2000, I met my best friend in life when a 13-year-old me picked out an 8-week-old kitten. I talked about Oreo in my 2015 article as well, and how my trip that year had some anxiety in it due to leaving him for so many days and his history of health problems. In 2006, I remember pouring myself into the early Xbox 360 title “Full Auto” as Oreo was at the vet overnight due to a urinary tract blockage - a common issue in male cats. Thankfully, it never affected him again, but due to that same issue being the cause for my first cat to be put to sleep at the same age six years prior, it scared me to death.

Another scare started again, in late 2010, as Oreo was diagnosed with diabetes and on the brink of seemingly death based on him having to be forced to eat at home for the first few days so that I would give him his insulin shot safely. I remember so many nights he would be laying there on me for hours and hours as I played the newly-released Halo: Reach and I would wish for time to go by so that this could all be behind him too. Oreo and I had a bond that I believe would be quite rare between a person and a cat. He watched me grow up to almost the age of 30 and he was always so smart and caring for everyone in the house. I would sound like I was exaggerating if I tried to go through all of the cool things he had done over the years to express the care he had for his family.

The worst hit to him though was in the late summer of 2013 when I brought him into the vet thinking he was going to need to go back onto insulin because of his recent lack of appetite again. Instead, after a surgery to try and figure out what was wrong, he was found to have gastrointestinal lymphoma. Because of his history of diabetes, he could only have the chemo pill part of treatment, and not the steroid pill as well (as the steroid would trigger diabetes). It seemed at best he would live 19 months, and that would be if he had the steroid as well.

During that horrible week in 2013, I had just gotten into the band M83 a day or two before the visit to the vet, so I remember all of those drives back and forth to the vet with him listening to their music and simply having the worst time of my life - thinking Oreo was probably going to have to be put to sleep any day, because back then I tended to expect the worst. His fur had been shaved on his underside, he had stitches, he was on several medications, and yet he was so full of life and loving. He was always seemingly less bothered by it all than I was.

(August 2013) Oreo and I at his first oncology appointment, days after his diagnosis

Throughout my entire teenage and adult life, people who have known me knew me for two things: my love for Oreo and my love for Xbox. Besides my first cat being put to sleep when I was 12, who was very much like Oreo and who Oreo “replaced” several months later, Oreo’s looming death was my first personal encounter with a close death, and it scared the hell out of me. In what the oncologist once described as a “miracle” Oreo continued to live beyond the 36 month mark, despite him only being on half of the usual treatment for the lymphoma, and not even on the chemo for the final year of his life because I decided it was affecting his appetite too much and I didn’t want him to spend a single day in discomfort from that point on. He continued to live, and even gain weight, until finally last October at the age of sixteen and a half it was clear that things were going downhill and I decided to have him euthanized at home so he could at peace and around all those who love him.

It was the scariest day of my life, and during that final day or two prior when mostly all he would do is sleep, I would lay there next to him and when I couldn’t take it anymore I would open up my Surface Book and stream an Xbox One game to my screen so I could take my mind off the surreal reality of what was finally happening. Mafia III happened to be the game I was playing at the time and I am so thankful for that game being as fun and engrossing as it is, because it truly helped me get through a personal hell.

I knew I wanted to and should appreciate every last second with Oreo in those final days, but it became torturous to lay there next to him and fixate on what was happening as I waited for time to pass to see if things would change Xbox was there for me to bring a little bit of peace even in the midst of all of that. It also helped to think about all those good memories of 2015 and 2016 in LA, a sense of happiness I did not have back in 2013 when this lymphoma saga had all begun and hit me so hard. I filled my mind now with thoughts about how good times have happened before, can happen again, and just focused on the fact that Oreo had lived a long, good life, more than almost any animal could ever dream of - and I think that for any animal who has a nice home of their own. I know many people will say he’s “just a cat” but to me, an only child who grew up the way I did, he was like a brother to me, Then, as he needed more care over the years, like a child to me as well.

I bring all of this up in full detail not only because I have never written it all down since it happened over eight months ago and I felt like doing so because he was a huge part of my life along with Xbox, but because something truly special happened for me on the night of the Monday night FanFest event this year.

We were given special access to the Galen Center floor the night after the Xbox media briefing. The floor had been transformed into a “Showcase” of dozens of gaming kiosks for the media and other insiders for an event earlier in the day. The Xbox team had done this in 2016 as well and streamed a show involving it hosted by Larry Hryb and Graeme Boyd, but it hadn’t been open to FanFest and I had hoped for an entire year that it was what one of the surprises for 2017 would be because it is exactly the type of thing I love: an environment where you get to chat with the Xbox team, and easily play some great new games (and also free drinks!).

(2017) Major Nelson, Jonathan (@miamiprodigy:), and I in the Xbox booth at E3

The Galen Center has been the scene of so many special announcements and memories, that even being in that building is a treat for me, but to have an event like this happening on the floor itself, and to be so close to the stage all the magic has happened on, over the years, was yet another one of those “best ever” type experiences for me. I arrived at the Galen Center about an hour early, was interviewed on camera by someone from Xbox about how much I love Xbox, at 8pm it was time to go in. About fifteen minutes later I entered through the Galen Center's doors one more time and made my way towards the small tunnel that led out onto the floor, a floor that would be filled with everything from the new Xbox console, to my most anticipated game for nearly two years (Crackdown 3) and all of my favorite people in the gaming industry. As I walked through the tunnel and was just a moment away from my eyes seeing all that awaited us fans for the next four hours, M83 came blaring onto the speakers. It didn’t even hit me at first, but then it did and I got a huge smile on my face.

I had said on my Twitter a few weeks prior to the trip, that in previous years I would worry about Oreo when I was away in California, but this year he would be there with me now. For over three years now, M83 had been “our band” in my mind and two days after he was put to rest I got an email alert that M83 was having a big concert in my hometown that night (which only seems to happen every few years). I ended up going and it will likely forever be the best concert I will ever attend, as they played all of the songs I was hoping for and that were sentimental to me.

They started playing one of my favorite bands ever, @M83, the instant I walked into the magical @GalenCenter. Sooooo cool!!! #XboxFanFest pic.twitter.com/elaqO8Za0M

— Reclaimer Rob (@ReclaimerRob)

June 13, 2017

(A glimpse of the scene there in the Galen Center near the end of the song. DJ: @Jen_Lasher)

To be in Los Angeles, and be at such a crucial moment in my trip where I am at basically my peak happiness in a land of exclusive Xbox experiences and my heroes in the industry, and then to hear M83’s Midnight City come blaring onto the speakers the exact moment I walk in… That was really touching to me. Maybe it is just a coincidence, but for my own peace of mind I will always think of it as something more. My three trips to Los Angeles were filled with such amazing and unexpected times of happiness that it does not surprise me that something extraordinary could happen as a part of it all at just the perfect time.

(2012) Oreo and I on July 4th, the 12th anniversary of the day we met

Thank you for reading, and thank you to Xbox and its amazing community for helping make the highs and lows of life more fun and easier to get through. For me, that is the true power of Xbox, and I know the best times are ahead, especially once this November arrives!

- Rob

Twitter: @ReclaimerRob Gamertag: Reclaimer Rob

A highlight from 2017's post-media briefing event, recorded by @miDnIghtEr20C:

YES!!! This is a GREAT video! #XboxFanFest @aarongreenberg signing @ReclaimerRob's hat on his back! What a great time. Double A Ron 😎 always pic.twitter.com/rbrMXivpgd

— ✖️ miDnIghtEr20C ✖️ (@miDnIghtEr20C)

June 12, 2017

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cpuvathingal · 7 years

Text

The story of Pearl Jam is the story of friendship. It’s the story of love. It’s the main reason why they have been among my favourite bands as they have spanned my college years thru young and old adulthood in Chicago. They have spanned my high school friends, among my best friends to my post-college friends, among my best friends.

Today is January 14, 2017 — Derek’s birthday. He’s in Iceland now, on an epic adventure starting in Los Angeles — that has already taken him to San Francisco, Sausalito, Portland, Seattle, Vancouver, Atlanta, London, and Dublin — taking him all over the world. For his birthday, he watched the Northern Lights in a van (down by the river) in the middle of nowhere. It was listening to the song “Society” that Eddie Vedder sang in the movie “Into the Wild” where the seed for minimizing one’s life and traveling the world was born.

While today is January, 2017; yesterday was August, 2016. And so I find myself at Wrigley with my best friend.

And Eddie, Jeff, Stone, McCready and Matt.

A little over three years prior in June, I moved to the Bay Area, settling in Sausalito. I had planned to be back in Chicago the middle of July to see Pearl Jam at Wrigley Field with Derek, their number one fan, who had also bought a ticket. He’d fly in from Santa Monica. We had been looking forward to it for months. Besides being his favourite band and being one of mine, there was the added appeal of Chicago where we had met in 1999, as well as being the home of the Cubbies (at that time going thru a terrible year except for the games I attended, sitting at my season ticket seats). But that trip never happened. Two of our best friends — my brother George and our buddy Tad, themselves best friends — were celebrating co-bachelor parties in Los Angeles that weekend. So of course, we went. The story of that weekend is yet to be completed, but I believe that weekend — the weekend we didn’t see Pearl Jam — will end up being the most important weekend of my life.

That show we missed in July 2013 became a memorable one, a raging storm sweeping through Chicago after only a few songs were played. The concert was delayed by almost three hours. Inspired by a Bruce Springsteen concert Eddie had attended four years prior to that night that was also hit with inclement weather, he remarked “Even God don’t mess with the Boss. There’s God, then there’s the Boss.” The band stayed. The fans stayed. And both the ballpark and the city were still standing. Pearl Jam rocked that night playing till 2 AM, but we missed it.

So on August 2016, I found myself back at Wrigley Field with my best friend.

“I change by not changing at all… “My God, it’s been so long, Never dreamed you’d return! But now here you are and here I am”

There were so many iconic moments during the show. From a wheelchair and using a speech machine, Steve Gleason (a former safety for the New Orleans Saints famous for blocking a punt on the night the Superdome reopened for the first time after Hurricane Katrina, and friend of McCready) introduced his favourite song “Inside Job” to all of us after giving us his thoughts on Wrigley Field (“If you want my opinion, this field is sacred ground”), pointed out the central theme to the song (“Everyone with a heartbeat faces adversity”), and despite the fact he suffers from ALS he exclaimed “I feel fucking awesome!” to all of us. Lou Gehrig would have been proud, even if he would have never dropped the F-bomb.

Amidst the music, Derek and I talked a lot. It was like an old movie reel. I remember so many things; and of course, I’ve forgotten a lot too. More than anything, he advised me.. “Love ain’t love till you give it up, bro! Why wait to tell her you love her? Better now before it’s too late.”

She loved him, yeah, she don’t want to leave this way She feeds him, yeah, that’s why she’ll be back again Can’t find a better man Can’t find a better man Can’t find a better man Can’t find a better man

In an era as politically charged in the history of our country, I love how Pearl Jam respects the military. Eddie invited US Army Sargent Kyle Johnson and his girlfriend to the stage, who had surprised her boyfriend with the tickets, when he serenaded them with “Just Breathe”, after which Johnson immediately got down on one knee to propose to her. I think even Eddie’s jaws dropped. Ours certainly did. She said yes. It was awesome.

Pearl Jam rocked six songs from Ten, their first and in my opinion, still their best album — “Even Flow” rocked showcasing the awesomeness of Mike McCready, the most underrated guitarist in rock music. McCready’s done it over a hundred times before; and I hope he does it a hundred times more. Pearl Jam also performed “Alive”, “Black”, “Jeremy”, “Porch”, and “Release”, my favourite song from the album, but one of my favourite lines of any song in the history of songs is the closing to “Black”:

“I know someday you’ll have a beautiful life I know you’ll be a star in somebody else’s sky But why, why, why can’t it be, can’t it be mine?”

I get a tear every time I hear it, cos I’ve lived it so very many times before.

They would end up playing nine covers among their 34-song epic set, including the Beatles, Bob Dylan, and Cheap Trick. And while crowd favourites “I Believe in Miracles” (by the Ramones) and “Baba O’Reilly” (by the Who) brought down the house like they always do, it was Pink Floyd’s “Comfortably Numb” that took everyone on a ride. Derek had told me they would play the classic, and throughout the night, I waited in anticipation song after song. They did not disappoint, McCready paying homage to Gilmour note for note in a classic rendition. Before the song, Eddie commented upon listening to the during his younger days, “It was like heading into the sky and seeing a whole world of possibilities.” At that moment, my world of possibilities contemplated what a Cubs’ World Series Championship mean to me and the city. I was most definitely by that point, comfortably numb.

After two encores, the lights came on at Wrigley at 11:00 PM while the energy the crowds remained a fever pitch. And though curfew was about to be broke, no one wanted to leave. I looked all around me, a massive smile broke out as looked at all the people in the ballpark, for this lovefest of song and music. Derek and I gave each other a massive bro-hug. There was no one else on the planet I wanted next to me with Eddie, Jeff, Stone, McCready and Matt, not to mention thousands of our fans. “I know we have to leave, but I really don’t want to.” Rock on, Eddie.

All of a sudden, the big screens changed to a video of the Chicago Cubs. An Evanston native and lifelong Cubs fan, Eddie wrote a song about our favourite team, at the behest of Mr. Cub Ernie Banks. Written and sung in a singalong fashion, “Go All the Way” brought many to the brink of tears envisioning something that has never happened to anyone attending the concert.

“We are one with the Cubs With the Cubs we’re in love Yeah, hold our head high as the underdogs We are not fair-weather but foul-weather fans We’re like brothers in arms in the streets and the stands”

Could this be the year? “Someday we’ll go all the way.” Why can’t someday happen this year?

Of course, Pearl Jam closed with “Baba O’Reilly”, with the lights on like they were in Los Angeles when Derek and I first saw them together three years ago.

And then we saw DaveRisner.

It’s January 14, 2017 again. It’s your best friend’s birthday.

SET LIST — 20 August 2016 at Wrigley Field in Chicago, IL Low Light Release Rain (The Beatles cover) Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town Do the Evolution Last Exit Lightning Bolt Sad Amongst the Waves Even Flow Light Years I Got Id

Mind Your Manners Unthought Known Masters of War (Bob Dylan cover) I Am a Patriot (Little Steven cover) Daughter (w/ “W.M.A”) Jeremy Better Man

Encore: Bee Girl Just Breathe I Believe in Miracles (Ramones cover) Let Me Sleep Inside Job Comfortably Numb (Pink Floyd cover) Interstellar Overdrive (Pink Floyd cover) Corduroy Porch

Encore 2: Go Black Surrender (Cheap Trick cover) Alive

Encore 3: All the Way Baba O’Riley (The Who cover)

Please follow me on http://SecretOfMySucCecil.com/my-blog/

If you would like to purchase or inquire about custom art, please visit http://secretofmysuccecil.com/my-artwork-for-sale/

GO ADVENTURE. GO TRAVEL. GO LIVE.

ALWAYS BE EPIC.

[contact-form] Pearl Jam with Derek — 20 August 2016 The story of Pearl Jam is the story of friendship. It's the story of love. It's the main reason why they have been among my favourite bands as they have spanned my college years thru young and old adulthood in Chicago.

#Chicago #Cubs #Pearl Jam #Wrigley Field

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