#scheduling pitfalls

[productiveandfree]

Elevate Your Freelance Game with Powerful Productivity Secrets

Many freelancers compare their careers to rollercoasters. It is a career of feasts and famines, of thick and thins, and of good and bad times. There are many pros and cons of freelancing, but for many, owning your own business and making your own hours makes it an ideal career.

To succeed, freelancers must refine their workflows and adopt strategies that help them stay organized, productive, and ahead of the competition. With the right approach, freelancers have fulfilling, sustainable career paths — they thrive on their own terms.

Optimize Your Freelance Workflow with Proven Tools and Techniques

Freelancing offers unmatched freedom and creativity, whether you do it part-time or full-time. But remember, if you want to have more ups than downs, use your downtime to find more work and reinvest in your business.

Freelancing requires juggling multiple responsibilities, from sourcing new work to meeting tight deadlines. Needing to wear so many different hats makes organization a top priority. Adopting techniques that simplify administrative tasks and reduce distractions can create a workflow that keeps you focused and efficient.

Streamline Administrative Tasks

Administrative duties can take up valuable time. Tools like HoneyBook or Trello can centralize client communications, invoices, and deadlines, reducing the mental load. Set aside a specific weekly time to handle invoicing, emails, and other repetitive tasks. That way, your energy stays reserved for creative work.

Another practical tip is to use automation tools like Zapier or Calendly. These platforms can sync your calendar with client meetings, automate follow-up emails, and ensure deadlines don’t fall through the cracks.

Minimize Distractions

Distractions are productivity killers. Stick with routines and boundaries like designated work hours and a dedicated workspace to help maintain focus. And even though working in your pajamas might feel relaxing, it’s often better to hop in the shower and put on comfortable clothes. For an added layer of focus, break your work into 30-minute intervals with short breaks in between. This method enhances focus and also prevents burnout.

Set Clear Goals

A solid workflow requires clear, actionable goals. Use project management tools like Asana or Monday.com to break larger projects into smaller, manageable tasks. Categorize these tasks by priority and deadline to tackle them effectively without feeling overwhelmed.

Advanced Time Management for Freelancers

Time management is critical for freelancers balancing multiple clients and projects; it’s key to achieving an optimum work-life balance. While traditional methods work, advanced techniques can help you manage your schedule more efficiently.

Unconventional Time-Blocking

Time-blocking is a popular method, but you can take it a step further by incorporating themed days or task batching. Assign specific days of the week to focus on specific types of work—such as client outreach, creative tasks, or administrative work.

Alternatively, batch similar tasks together. For instance, set aside two hours to respond to emails and schedule meetings rather than scattering these tasks throughout your day. That minimizes mental switching and saves time.

Avoid Task Fatigue

Freelancers often experience task fatigue when juggling multiple deadlines. To combat this, try the Eisenhower Matrix, a method that categorizes tasks based on urgency and importance. Address critical, high-priority work first while delegating or scheduling less pressing tasks for later.

Prevent Scheduling Pitfalls

Build a buffer into your schedule to handle overlapping deadlines effectively. Avoid over-committing by setting realistic timelines and communicating them to your clients upfront. Finally, seek ways to add more time to your personal schedule; don’t hit the snooze button and limit time on social media.

Master Contract Management and Client Relationships

Solid contracts and client relationships are the foundation of freelance success. Streamlining these areas ensures your projects stay organized, professional, and on track.

Simplify Contract Management

Freelancers often need help managing multiple projects, payments, and expectations. Tools like HelloSign or Dubsado make creating, storing, and tracking this information easy. Use templates to save time and read all agreements carefully. They should clearly outline payment terms, deadlines, and deliverables.

Consider pairing contract tools with project tracking software to make your life even easier. For example, the Notion platform allows you to link contracts to specific projects, creating a one-stop hub for everything related to your work.

Strengthen Client Relationships

Maintaining positive client relationships is vital for retaining work and building a strong reputation. Set realistic expectations at the start of a project and provide regular updates on progress. A quick check-in email can go a long way in keeping clients informed and satisfied.

Prioritize this: Create a curated email list to stay connected with potential, current, and past clients. This tactic helps you maintain relationships and keep your services in mind for future projects. Ongoing, open communication keeps you and your clients aligned, preventing misunderstandings and fostering trust.

Leveraging Productivity Strategies = Better Freelancing Outcomes

Freelancers who adopt these productivity strategies often have more time, less stress, and happier clients. Whether automating repetitive tasks, fine-tuning your time management, or simplifying contract management, these methods can transform your workflow.

We know this is a lot, so start small — pick one or two techniques and implement them this week. You’ll notice enormous business success with just a little effort and consistency.

Katie Brenneman

Katie is a passionate writer specializing in time management, marketing, and education-related content. When she isn't writing, you can find her with her nose buried in a book or hiking with her dog, Charlie. To connect with Katie, you can follow her on Twitter.

Share in the comments below: Questions go here

[frostycatblr-fandom-files]

Pacific Rim Events on January 12th, 2025...

AKA: Triple Event Day

Operation Pitfall will be carried out

Category IV Kaijus Scunner and Raiju emerge from the Breach as Jaegers 'Gipsy Danger' and 'Striker Eureka' are deployed to the Pacific Ocean to destroy it as part of Operation Pitfall - a high-risk mission with the intention of destroying the Breach via thermonuclear warhead

The first Cat. V Kaiju, Slattern, also emerges from the Breach

Cat. IV Otachi's (Jan. 8th) - unnamed and uncategorized - infant Kaiju escapes from the womb and self-strangles on the umbilical cord shortly after in Hong Kong

Newton Geiszler and Hermann Gottlieb Drift using the infant Kaiju's (secondary) brain; discover Operation Pitfall cannot succeed without Kaiju DNA that serves as the necessary key to enter/exit through the Breach

Gipsy Danger's pilots Raleigh Becket and Mako Mori kill Raiju; Striker Eureka's pilots Chuck Hansen and Stacker Pentecost deliberately detonate the warhead to sacrifice themselves in hopes of killing the remaining Kaiju and giving G.D. a chance of making it through the Breach with Raiju's corpse

Kaiju Scunner and Striker Eureka are wiped out; Slattern survives the explosion, severely wounded

G.D. trades Raiju for Slattern by tackling it into the Breach; Becket uses the nuclear turbine point-blank range to kill the Cat. V

Through the Breach and now within the Anteverse, Becket uses G.D.'s nuclear reactor to prime the Jaeger for self-destruction after ejecting Mori's escape pod first; ejects himself before the resulting explosion destroys both the Breach and Kaiju facility within the Anteverse

Becket and Mori both survive

The War Clock is stopped, and humanity wins the Kaiju War (August 10th, 2013 - January 12th, 2025)

[bisexual-horror-fan]

bex do your family and friends support you and mr bex being poly? like have you faced judgment? and what advice would you give to those who r judged by it from friends and family!!

Friends are very accepting and I'm out as poly to my family but he's not out to his. That is a big con I forgot to touch on.

People will judge you for it. Most people monogamous isn't just the default it's the only option. Lots of people don't understand it and don't want to. They view it as wrong or all as cheating. Some people won't take your other relationships seriously especially if you are married.

Lots of people assume you are only in it for sex, or constantly want to fuck or will fuck anyone. Or use it as an opportunity to "cheat" while having good cover for it. (Which some people do, saying they are polyam while very much not practicing it in reality just so they can fuck around without having to answer to it.)

I've personally experienced some judgement with it, especially in regards to some people just using me, I thought they really understood me but really they just said some nice talk to be able to get into my pants, booo.

All I can really recommend is to try to educate on good healthy polyam relationships but not everyone is gonna wanna listen or understand and that's something you gotta deal with as it comes. Ultimately remind them too that it's your life, your relationship, its between you and your partners, they have no say.

[damnyousubdermalirritants]

UPDATE: NOVAVAX NOW AVAILABLE!!!

Hi everyone, it's been about a year since I posted about updated COVID vaccines and it's time for another update if you are in the US:

THE BRIDGE ACCESS PROGRAM IS ENDING!!!!

If you are uninsured or your insurance does not cover covid boosters, please schedule a new booster appointment before the end of August because the Bridge Access Program (the way the government will still pay for your booster) ends in September. The updated mRNA boosters from Moderna and Pfizer are available now. Go Go GO!!!

Shitty, I know! If you can call your congressional reps, the FDA, the CDC, whomever to tell them you want this program to continue/be reinstated, that would be great. Also, while you're at it, call the FDA to tell them to expedite the approval for the updated Novavax booster (3017962640).

The new Novavax vaccine is designed for the JN.1 strain which is one of the most recent mutations of the virus going around. If you have insurance and can afford to wait, I highly recommend getting the Novavax booster when it becomes available.

We are currently in the largest Covid summer surge since 2021

If you haven't had a booster in the past six months you are essentially unvaccinated. New strains with different spike proteins keep evolving faster than vaccine development and distribution can keep up. All that said, getting Covid is not a moral failing. If you do feel sick, take a rapid test! If it's negative, test again a day or two later. It is better to know than not to know. Here's a refresh on how to take a rapid test correctly:

If you do get Covid, it is worth getting on antiretrovirals within the first week of symptoms to reduce the overall viral load your body has to fight. If your insurance doesn't cover Paxlovid or Remdesivir, here are other low/no-cost ways to access it:

If you get sick, rest radically even after you stop testing positive on rapid tests. Avoid exercising for at least eight weeks after the fact to reduce the risk of developing long covid.

Regardless of your vaccination status, masking with a KN95 or N95 respirator (or equivalent standards in your country i.e. FFP2/3 in the EU) is the most reliable way to protect yourself and others. If Covid protections are a financial burden, there is likely an active Mask Bloc near you doing free distribution of respirators and tests that would be happy to help you. Here's a global map of them from covidactionmap.org

Some quick tips: if you're wearing a bi-fold mask, flatten the nose-bridge wire completely, then mold it to your nose on your face for a better fit. The best mask is the one that you will actually wear regularly to protect yourself. I really like the selection of styles, sizes and colors from WellBefore:

As school is starting, getting you and your family boosted is one of the best things you can do to protect yourselves. Masking is perhaps even more important. If you can advocate for updating and regularly changing the HVAC filters at your local schools to MERV-13 or higher to keep the indoor air cleaner, that can also make a big difference. Better indoor air quality in schools helps protect kids from illness, allergies, wildfire smoke, and more per the EPA's website.

These are steps you can take to improve air quality at home as well. Corsi-Rosenthal boxes are low-cost and highly effective for cleaning the air indoors.

Here's a map of clean air lending libraries for getting access to air purifiers for events from cleanairclub.org

[bloomzone]

📕 𝟓𝟎-𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐚𝐜𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐜 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞

March 1st ! If you’ve been slacking, if your study habits have been messy, or if finals are creeping up way too fast this is it. I did a 20-day productivity challenge before, but now, with finals staring me down and less than 90 days to go, I need to actually get my flip together.For the next 50 days, I’m locking in. This isn’t about aesthetic study sessions or fake productivity or like those 10s filming study routine 💁🏻‍♀️ . It’s about deep focus, real progress, and making sure you n i walk into finals prepared, not panicked.

before we start! what are the ..

🔴 Things You Need to Avoid

When you’re pushing yourself to study, it’s easy to fall into traps that make the process feel harder than it needs to be. One of the biggest things to avoid is procrastination. It’s tempting to delay tasks and distract yourself with less important things, but the truth is, the longer you wait, the more overwhelming it becomes. Putting things off only builds stress and leaves you with less time to focus on what truly matters.Another major pitfall is burnout. While it might feel like working non-stop is the key to success, the reality is that exhaustion doesn’t lead to productivity. If you push yourself too hard without breaks or balance, you’ll find your focus slipping, and your energy drained. Instead, aim for deep, focused study periods with scheduled rest to recharge. The key is working smart, not just hard.u also NEED to stay away from passive studying. Reading over your notes without actively engaging with the material might feel like you’re making progress, but it’s not enough. True learning happens when you interact with the content whether that’s through active recall, practicing problems, or teaching the concept to someone else. It’s about getting the information out of your head, not just in.And then there’s multitasking, which can be deceiving. You might think that juggling multiple tasks or subjects at once is a sign of productivity, but in reality, it dilutes your focus. Instead, concentrate on one subject at a time and give it your full attention. By focusing deeply, you’ll achieve better results in less time.Finally, avoid over-planning. It’s easy to get stuck in an endless loop of scheduling and rearranging without actually doing the work. While having a plan is crucial, it’s more important to take action. Don’t get paralyzed by perfection; start moving forward, and adapt as you go.

💡 What You Need to Succeed

Success in a challenge like this comes down to preparation, mindset, and consistency. First and foremost, you need to set yourself up for success by organizing everything you need. Having your books, notebooks, and study tools ready at your desk isn’t just about being prepared—it’s a psychological trigger that helps you get into the right mindset. When you see your space ready for work, it subconsciously tells your brain that it’s time to focus.But it’s not just about the materials. Your environment matters. A cluttered space can lead to a cluttered mind, so make sure you have a clean, quiet place to study. This is where you’ll spend most of your time, so make it a space that supports your work rather than distracts you. Even something as simple as proper lighting and a comfortable chair can make a huge difference in your ability to focus.It’s also essential to have the right tools. Flashcards, sticky notes, mind maps, or even physical planners whatever helps you engage with the material actively is what you should have at hand. You don’t need to follow a one-size-fits-all strategy, but it’s about finding what works best for you. What will make the material stick? What will make you more engaged and less likely to zone out?Consistency is key, too. This isn’t a sprint y'all u need to commit to a study schedule that’s manageable and realistic. Establish a routine that you can stick to every day thats what my teachers say everyday whether it’s an hour in the morning or a few hours in the evening. Building consistency will help you develop the discipline needed to push through tough moments, especially when motivation runs low.Finally, don’t forget about your energy. Sleep, food, and overall well-being are the foundation of any successful study routine. Without proper rest, your brain can’t absorb or retain information. Make sure you’re getting enough sleep to let your brain recharge and consolidate what you’ve learned. Likewise, pay attention to your body when you're well-rested and nourished, you’ll feel more alert, focused, and motivated. Let's cb !

📕 𝟓𝟎-𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐚𝐜𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐜 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐧

( starting March 1 – May 9)

0️⃣1️⃣ Week 1: System Reset & Strategy (March 1-7)

🔹 List everything you need to study before finals.

🔹 Identify weak areas & high-priority topics.

🔹 Create an adaptable study plan (structured but flexible).

🔹 Set non-negotiable study hours per day (📚 2< hours).

🔹 Organize notes & resources so you’re not scrambling later.

🔹 Test different study environments & methods to maximize focus.

0️⃣2️⃣ Week 2: Deep Focus & Active Recall (March 8-14)

🔹 No passive studying (no just reading or highlighting).

🔹 Prioritize active recall (practice papers, Q&A, teaching concepts).

🔹 Use visual memory aids (mind maps, charts, bullet points).

🔹 Track distractions & eliminate what kills your focus.

🔹 Keep a focus log: What breaks your concentration? Fix it.

0️⃣3️⃣ Week 3: Technical Subjects and theory based subjects (March 15-21)

��� Literature, history , philosophy... and theory-based subjects:

➖ Read critically, summarize, and debate ideas (not just memorize).

➖ Work on structured arguments & analysis for essays.

📈 Math ... problem-solving subjects:

➖ Use timed practice to simulate exam pressure.

➖ Write key formulas & rules on flashcards.

➖ Break down problems into step-by-step solutions.

🔹 Study difficult subjects when your energy is highest.

0️⃣4️⃣ Week 4: Writing & Expression (March 22-28)

🔹 Summarize topics in your own words every day.

🔹 Create one-page cheat sheets for major topics. (for revision nothing else 💁🏻‍♀️)

🔹 Write mock essays & structured answers (practice depth).

🔹 Focus on clarity & argument-building (make your writing strong).

🔹 Challenge: Can you explain this concept in 3 sentences?

0️⃣5️⃣ Week 5: Self-Testing & Performance Check (March 29-April 4)

🔹 Take full practice tests under exam conditions.

🔹 Time yourself: Work on speed & accuracy.

🔹 Identify weak spots and revisit them.

🔹 Grade your own work harshly—improve where needed.

🔹 Find patterns in mistakes and create strategies to fix them.

0️⃣6️⃣ Week 6: Memory & Retention (April 5-11)

🔹 Daily mini-revision of past weeks’ topics (keep everything fresh).

🔹 Use mnemonics, stories, & memory associations.

🔹 Sleep optimization for memory consolidation (good sleep = better recall).

🔹 Try retrieval practice before checking notes.

🔹 Apply concepts in real-life situations (where possible).

0️⃣7️⃣ Week 7: Peak Productivity & Stamina (April 12-18)

🔹 Push study hours (without burnout).

🔹 Use study sprints: 2-3 intense sessions per day.

🔹 Reduce fake productivity (low-value tasks don’t count).

🔹 Prioritize high-impact topics.

🔹 Simulate exam pressure—train yourself to think fast under stress.

0️⃣8️⃣ Week 8: Advanced Questioning & Strategy (April 19-25)

🔹 Study past exam patterns : what do they repeat?

🔹 Learn what examiners actually want in answers.

🔹 Debate answers with yourself or others (argue both sides).

🔹 Find alternative explanations for complex topics.

🔹 Challenge: What’s the hardest question you could get? Be ready.

0️⃣9️⃣ Week 9: Mastery & Confidence (April 26-May 2)

🔹 Final review: Focus only on weak spots.

🔹 80/20 Rule: What 20% of topics will help the most?

🔹 Do “last-minute style” studying—but without panic.

🔹 Take simulated exams with time limits (test performance).

🔹 Train your brain to stay confident under pressure.

🔟 Week 10: Exam-Specific Prep (May 3-May 9)

🔹 Prioritize final polishing, NOT cramming.

🔹 Review summaries, key formulas, & essay structures.

🔹 Optimize sleep & energy (don’t mess this up now).

🔹 Have a "cheat sheet" in your mind for each subject.

🔹 Last 3 days: Light review, no stress, trust your prep.

last tip !

There will be moments when u feel like giving up, when the material seems overwhelming or the effort too much. That’s when your mindset needs to kick in. The difference between success and failure isn’t about natural talent or born smart it’s about your ability to keep going when things get tough I'm talking about the material not burnout out .The truth is, hard work, perseverance, and adaptability are what lead to success not innate ability.Think of each week as a building block, each day as a step forward. Every time you study, you’re not just learning the material you’re evolving. You’re becoming more disciplined, more capable, and more confident. Even on the days when you feel like you’ve made little progress, remind yourself that you’re making small, consistent strides. These small changes compound over time

good luck !

@bloomzone

[lovelyyandereaddictionpoint]

Yandere Cheerleaders + Football Team

The thing about cheerleaders and the infamous football team is that they’re quite accurate to their stereotypes

Now not every cheerleader team is run by a head girl who’s a massive bully 

Or that the football team is filled with dumb jocks that are just as violent if not worse

But they’re nothing to scoff at 

They’re beautiful

They’re athletic

And they're disciplined with confidence that comes with successful games and competitions

Such perks might give them quite a bit of power

Power that’s doubled when they’re working together

If you’d like to be happy you’re better off not figuring out just yet 

Since your arrival to the University, you’ve noticed more of your things have gone missing

Maybe this move made you more frazzled than you thought

Because you’ve found that you haven’t been able to keep friends like you used to

At least not without some help

“So you’re the new student, huh? Welcome to Energi University. As cheer captain, I’m really happy to welcome you finally!”

As she drags you along throughout your schedule, you’re waiting for the punch line

The moment she switches to embarrass you or smile coyly as she says something underhanded about your appearance

But she doesn’t 

Only twirling her hair as she asks you where you learned to glow like you do

You find it odd but you’re not complaining

Movies taught you that she and her team were top of the food chain 

so if they liked you enough maybe it’d trickle to some friends eventually

“Looking for a partner? Me too. How about we uh work together, freshie. If we finish before class ends you can have my varsity jacket and I can have yours.”

It seems it works as the beefy but beautiful captain of the football team partners up during chemistry

Between the two captains, you think you’re making progress

Finally beginning to make friends

But you couldn’t be farther from the truth

Already you were skipping right into the pitfall that was their playground—Energi University

It started with the cheerleader’s captain, gorgeous, rich, and with a serious attitude problem

She was making her daily rounds with her two main girls

‘Putting the worms in their place’ as she’d report to her team

Until she found something interesting 

a glasses-wearing nerd had been holding a file, scrolling through someone’s social page with such dedication they didn’t even realize they were being cornered

And its not just someone—you

while her girls were exploring the use of pins on the human body, she was going through this fairly thick file

A file all about you

Filled with hundreds of pictures of you some with consent some not

Extensive organized lists of your likes and dislikes

And a neat report on your current whereabouts and social circle

By the end of it, she was intrigued

She’s never been one for reading but she just can’t put it down

Having to be brought back into the real world when her girls are done playing 

“Already? Ugh, let’s go find the next one this little report of his might be worth selling to those stupid jocks.”

That’s just an excuse 

she’s combing over your photos again as she re-reads about the mundane drama in your life

“Babe, I thought you said you wanted to spend time with me? Not lose braincells studying!” 

Her boyfriend–captain of the football team is trying to draw her attention with kisses and inviting touches

But she’s just too focused

Eventually, he’s going to snatch it all away, taking a look at it

“Who’s this? Your latest victim?”

“Puhlease they don’t even know me…yet.”

The nights they spend together is searching you on socials as they filter through these words about your world

There’s just something about you that has them enraptured

For them it’s like when they first started dating, running off from their teams to gush about their latest finds about you

Texting all through the night about schemes to meet you

Whispering on the bus on their way to seasonal competitions

It isn’t long before the nosey teams start poking around

All it takes is a whispered mention of your name and they’re stalking your socials 

Some hire private investigators to tell all they can get their hands on

It’s like a virus how the whole team is eventually letting your distant lovely little life take up all of theirs 

At some point words and posts just aren’t enough

“Yo Cap, why don’t we just get them to come here?”

“Yeah! I know I can get my dad to extend a scholarship and dormitory if something happens at their old school.”

“Hmm, I do still have those lighter fluid canisters.”

“Oooh and I can get them out of the dorms for awhile!”

“Then  we can swoop in and be the knight’s of shining armor they’ll need!”

“C’mon, captain! Let’s bring them home, aren’t you tired of looking at them through the screen?”

“Don’t you think it’d boost our morale for the championship?”

“Yeah!!” Pleaassee!?”

What terrible captains they’d be if they let their teams down now

So the plan is set, you conveniently are stood up on a date when your dorm and campus is burnt down killing so many friends you made+

The mysterious fire destroying their security footage and all your belongings too 

Its natural you start looking for a new college, a safer option

“Hey (Y/n) why don’t you come to our next game? Forget about that horrible fire and cheer us on!”

“Wait how did you know–”

“Grapevine cutie! Now what do you say to a sleepover!?”

“Not after we do our victory party!”

“Oh, you’ll have to try our captain’s famous jello shot! It’s going to knock your clothes+ socks off.”

Both Captains will watch happily as the group swarms you 

Your questions about the slug you made plans with prior were drowned out in their shouting and giggling

Their goal wasn’t to make you worry 

After all, they had the power to dissolve all of that 

The Captains and their teams

“Now that we have them I don’t see any reason, why our teams won’t be planned for an all-around victory in the nationals.”

“Of course, though we could do it without them. Money and pure talent are a given for people like us.”

“Still there’s nothing wrong with sharing a good luck charm.”

“You are absolutely right..”

“Aren’t I always? That being said we’ll have to talk about the…hoarding issue.”

“Oh yeah, I wanted to talk to you about that. The next time one of your cheerleaders interrupts me, they’ll be dealing with more than broken legs.”

“And your players should know the next time they take my time with (Y/n) away they won’t just become paralyzed.”

[butch-with-a-deep-voice]

Long-Distance date/bonding ideas I've learned while making it work with my femme

Streamed Movie Night: Discord has a function that let's you stream video and gaming alike! I'd recommend Nitro because otherwise stream quality is gonna SUCK (and you need to do some weird fiddling to get services like Netflix to work) but you can enjoy movie night with your boo

Tabletop Simulator: If you both have about $20, and a computer with even a low budget graphics processor, this program is invaluable. The base games are neat but the real trove is in the Steam Workshop. Mod makers upload hundreds of boardgames from Catan to Azul to outright heavy ones like D&D and Warhammer. My femme and I now have a weekly boardgame night (she actively challenges me at strategy games and it makes me so happy to have a partner that does 🥰)

Coffee shop dates: Go to a place where the shop has wifi (or you have a really good data plan with your phone), pop your headphones in, and just video call. I promise you, there will be more people there who find it sweet than those who find it weird.

Spotify Jam Sessions: I don't know about other music apps, but we both have spotify and it now has a function that let's you invite others to a shared listening session. Music is really important to both my femme and myself, and the ability for us to literally listen at the same time and talk about the music is truly quite lovely.

Parallel crafting time: Admittedly, I'm Neurodivergent as hell, and parallel play baseline is big for me. But pop on a videocall and make some crafts together. Bonus points if you get similar materials and share what you've made together

Call every night: no seriously, even if you both are busy the entire day and can't talk, call for at least a half hour or so to round your day off. That lack of certain forms of intimacy means you need to be really on top of other forms. On top of affirming love for one another. If you're trying to make long distance work long term, calling to just. Be with eachother is so important.

Schedule Time: As an extension of the above, just because you're calling every day, doesn't mean ensuring you have dedicated time for eachother isn't important. I'm talking like. An afternoon/evening once a week type thing. Be together for a long period of time while you can't be physically together.

Technology has honestly made what I always thought impossible for myself feel possible. The advent of videocalling my femme every day helps so much of the potential pitfalls that could have happened, and the best part is its more or less free (I pay for discord nitro but I digress). Don't get me wrong I'm having my hard days still. The inability to hold her when I want to take care of her is particularly bad. I show care and love through things like physical touch and food so much. But getting creative, and being consistent have really made this feel possible and sustainable until we get to the "next stages" bridge.

If you have ideas you found fun/helpful please toss em in the replies, tags, etc. Always open to more date ideas with my girl 💕

[2productive]

a while back my brother asked me what was the biggest thing I’ve learned from motherhood and I told him it was how to give up control and just let things flow. if you have been following me probably anytime before baby, it’s not really a secret that I had a tendency towards being a workaholic and perfectionist, which has many benefits but also pitfalls. rigid routines, an unforgiving nature, a need for control and mastery. as I neared the end of my third trimester this intense feeling of uncertainty was overtaking me and I couldn’t handle it. I couldn’t handle the fact that I didn’t know when my baby would be born. would it be on the expected date or 2 days earlier or 4 days later? would it be at 5am or 5pm? as someone who lived by a schedule, it was rough to not be able to make solid plans and to live in limbo. soooo I had a big brain moment and decided to schedule an induction. now *I* get to decide when baby comes. *I* pick the day, *I* pick the time, I can once again gain a sense of control. my doctor approved the induction for 3 weeks from that day and I happily left my appointment feeling satisfied. the next day…..baby decided to come early. her time, not mine. gods time, not mine. the universes time, not mine. 3 weeks earlier than expected. naturally I was completely frazzled and felt unprepared thinking I had plenty of time to finish the details for getting my hospital bag together, I still had packages that were shipping, I was not in control and it made me so frustrated that I wanted to cry. I had never not been in control like that before.

and it was freeing.

everything went super incredibly mega ultra well and the obviously the world didn’t end. I was forced to sit back and let things unfold in their own natural timing and it was a big lesson for me that I didn’t want to forget. so I kept at it. I didn’t set an alarm for like 6 or 7 months, giving up my former 5am routine and actually woke up at like 11am for a month straight (wouldn’t recommend that actually lol). I go with the flow and simply relax now, just embracing the big picture of life itself rather than hammering in the fine details. there’s nothing stiff or rigid about my life anymore. I focus more on if I’m enjoying myself and having a good time rather than forcing tasks to completion. I’ve learned the art of “I don’t feel like it” and how to use it in a balanced way without being too lazy or too irresponsible. I’m really grateful that I spent my most formative years learning how to stick to the plan no matter what adversity comes my way and always find a way to get things done through sheer discipline alone. that has been a huge blessing to my life and it’s set me up for so much success. but now I’m grateful to learn how to break those rules too. I think I’m evolving into a more well rounded person because of it :)

[windvexer]

Are there any reasons you would advise someone AGAINST getting into spirit work? Or cons to consider before starting?

No, there's no particular reason anybody shouldn't get into spirit work.

Choosing to get into spirit work can change your life. But so can choosing to get into hiking, or crochet.

I don't see any special cons in spirit work as opposed to magic-at-large, but here is some advice:

"Spirit work" is not currying the favor of spirits. It rather is developing skills like psychism and divination to allow for communication; learning magic of various types (sometimes to manage spirits, but often to aid spirits); learning the modes of communication between spirits and accurately interpreting their messages and behaviors; and depending on where the path takes you, auxiliary skills such as astral travel.

An intense daily offering and meditation schedule may curry favor, but these are not necessarily the steps to be able to work with spirits.

In short, spirit work is not the same thing as spirit devotion. And currying the favor of spirits isn't that hard. Just be a good neighbor, really.

So it's not really a con, but more of a pitfall: if your interest is spirit work, don't accidentally focus on spirit devotion and just expect that venerating and tending to a few spirits is going to somehow grant you powers in lieu of the work necessary to earn those skills for yourself.

Other activities, like practical spellwork, energy work, astral travel, and divination - all oriented around the idea of trying to connect to and build relationships with spirits - is probably going to be more helpful to you than pouring all your energy into a strict offering and meditation schedule.

[dropoutconfessions]

i’ve been thinking a lot about the tma/tme concept and the fact that it’s a term used to describe institutional bigotry… and i wonder about dropout’s place as institution. obviously it’s part of the tv and film industry, and that is definitely an institution. but i see dropout as this interesting liminal space in some ways, especially being a smaller company. amazon and netflix and hbo and all of those larger conglomerate monopolistic companies i would absolutely lump in with the institution. dropout though?

this is my weaker thought, but apart from d20 it’s nonfictional media. add to that its genre of comedy but also specifically improv puts it in a much smaller niche—especially as televised improv content isn’t a terribly common type of comedy media in the us outside of standup (vs for instance the panel show culture in the uk). it’s a specialized type of job, and i can see why it would be a lot harder to intentionally hire specifically diverse cast without making them “diversity hires”, especially if they’re trying to add even a single minority demographic (no one wants to be the first and only… and that leads into tokenizing even unintentionally)(also what are they gonna do send out a casting call for specifically trans women who aren’t masc? that feels like…not a good look). you’ve also got the issue that a lot of things fall into now with purity culture—having to be out as anything to play/write/be part of something. and aren’t we trying to make people stop assuming gender and sexuality on sight? adding to that scheduling issues, type of content performers are interested in actually doing, pay, and already in-production shows that could affect scheduling and rollout, it feels like it could be a lot to juggle when trying to get new talent in

as for d20, my bigger thought, it’s not just improv but roleplaying as well. the stories that they “write” and “tell” may have a beginning middle and end, they may hit certain story beats (by virtue of the players’ choices or the gm guiding them to certain things), but they’re ultimately a very loose and nebulous type of story that can’t be planned perfectly. i’ve seen people complain about the “plot” of various campaigns and it’s like…yeah dog this is a choose your own adventure book about a yeti, not the pulitzer prize in literature

in that i find it hard to apply institutional diversity issues, because it not only necessitates writing or even playing but essentially partway being a given character (and when it comes to real life minorities and issues that doesn’t get a pass the way that, y’know, portraying a half-orc rogue or something would). this is where, yeah obviously hire more trans women is the thing, because just as having more black cast made for a fantastic table full of black performers being able to talk about being black, more trans performers would be able to talk about being trans, would be able to be trans, in-story or not. again though, having the stars align to hire new trans people for d20, as a pc, for any given new campaign given all of the factors listed above (as well as, according to beardsley, being able to shoot at “3am in a warehouse”) might be harder than we realize. how often in hollywood media do we hear about actors (or even production staff) attached to a project that ultimately drop out/get recast because of scheduling conflicts? even on a reoccurring role with potential seasons to be greenlit?

but as for rep outside of player characters, i definitely see the pitfalls of attempting that. not only do the npc’s all have to be played by the gm, but they often only develop as real characters if the pc’s interact with them more (ayda being a perfect example of essentially only being a fetch-quest npc until the players paid more attention to her, and so she was developed into a very real character outside of on-the-spot improv). brennan, as far as we know, is a white cishet man with no disabilities. sure he can create characters that have features that aren’t any of those, but he also has to be them to some degree, and this is where the phenomenon of liveplay as a relatively new broadly accessible media comes in. in a home game you can say or do or sound like something in an attempt at diversity and if it falls flat or comes out maybe not quite right it’s just between you and the table. but this is a show being recorded for millions to watch in perpetuity, so the erring on the cautious side is always how that will go

tldr; this was a long and rambly way to say not a whole lot, just that i’m not sure how tma/tme makes sense to apply to something smaller than the industry as a whole, especially when dropout are at the top of the list of trying to be representative and inclusive, even if they can do better (and also to be clear this has nothing to do with the argument about whether they should hire more trans women—they should and can do better)

I do not think Dropout is the institution. I think it is large enough to be considered part of it. Like, I know this blog is not popular for several reasons, but it still has 700ish followers. They sold out Madison Square Garden. Most irl queer spaces that tend to be transmisogynistic are like, 10 times smaller than my blog. You do not have to be the entire institution, to be institutionally transmisogynist. You just have to follow the patterns of the institution. Which like, everyone does, just a little, because humans are socially influenced.

Second, transfem doesn't mean not masc trans woman. Masc trans women are transfems as well. Case in point: me.

Third, yes dropout is primarily an improv company, and while a lot of their cast is UCB allums (of which there are not that many transfems), one of, if not their largest productions, is Dimension 20 and its side shows. There may not be the most transfems in LA doing improv, but there are, a lot of transfems in the ttrpg online spaces, and as Dimension 20 has always done with other creators, it'd be a great way to platform them on a popular show.

Fourth, Jawbone O'Shaughnessy, Tracker O'Shaughnessy, Arthur Aguefort, Wally Kugrich, Esther Sinclair, Alejandro Ortiz, etc. were all plot important npcs from the first 2 seasons of dimension 20. Brennan has no issues portraying POCs, lesbians, neurodivergent people, people battling and living with lifelong medical conditions, etc etc. In fact he has actively played a transfem npc in Unsleeping City Chapter 2. So we have evidence that it's not like, an issue for him. And even if it is, that'd be cringe af. Minorities are still people. Dropout hires sensitivity counselors and does research into these seasons to represent things safely and accurately, it's not that hard to do the same for playing minority characters. Brennan straight up played a guy name Nikhil in Battle for Beyond, he's played minorities before (the character's sister was named Malini, I know South Asians when I see them, yk)

But yeah no, Dropout is doing a comparatively good job, but the bar is in hell and we'd like one of the few groups we think might actually listen to us to improve.

[femmefatalevibe]

How to be more disciplined?

HOW TO CULTIVATE SELF-DISCIPLINE:

Know Your Why: Always Keep The End In Mind 

Keep Small Promises To Yourself. Make Them Non-Negotiable. 

Create And Consistently Log Your Progress 

Take Temptations Out Of Sight 

Find Indulgences To Help You Focus On Your Goals 

Know Your Why: Always Keep The End In Mind 

Decisiveness drives discipline. You need to clarify and define your goals. State them clearly with their authentic purpose in mind. If you seduce this end goal into your life, what desire are you truly fulfilling? Ex. If you want to lose 10 pounds: Is it to feel healthier? Look better in a bikini? Fit into a certain pair of jeans? No matter how superficial, identify the genuine reason why you want to achieve a certain goal. Whatever reason elicits a visceral and emotional reaction. Sometimes, especially during a busy work day, your reason could be as simple as wanting to lessen your anxiety and ease into a more relaxed state. Any purpose that resonates. Once you have an emotional response tied to a goal, it becomes infinitely easier to motivate yourself to take small steps towards achieving it. Where energy goes, energy flow. Simon Sinek goes more in-depth with this concept in Start With Why.

Keep Small Promises To Yourself. Make Them Non-Negotiable.

Think of performing self-discipline rituals as confidence-building exercises. This action helps you trust yourself, establishes a sense of integrity, and builds self-confidence. For example, if you stick to your meal and workout plan for 5 days a week, you build trust in knowing you're more powerful than your cravings and are capable of taking good care of your body. If you complete a project on schedule (personal or professional), you prove to yourself that you’re efficient, build confidence in your ability to finish tasks you start, and self-affirm that you follow through on your ideas. Finishing that book this month reflects confirms that you value yourself enough to expand your mind, learn, and expand your knowledge base. Eventually, through enough consistent repetition, these rituals into unconscious habits that you do effortlessly in daily life. 

Create And Consistently Log Your Progress 

You can’t manage what you don’t measure – your finances, calorie and step counts, workouts, productivity, etc. Tracking data related to your habits – such as your spending habits, eating or workout patterns, writing word count, and task completion – on a given day or week – allows you to understand and analyze your current behavior. What habit cues, environmental or other situational factors are keeping you from sticking to the current task at hand? Do you leave your running shoes stuffed in the back of the closet? Junk food in the house? Work from bed or with your phone by your side? Are you avoiding certain emotions? Does this data change when you’re stressed or tired?  

Awareness is the first step towards redirected action. Analyze these data points to see your pitfalls and strategize how to help yourself. 

Take Temptations Out Of Sight

Set yourself up to win. Get the phone away from your workspace, remove any junk food or soda from the house, delete apps, or silence notifications from people who distract you from your goals. Self-discipline becomes significantly easier when you have to take additional steps to indulge in your vices. Replace these temptations with helpful cues to help you build healthier habits that lead to self-discipline. Give yourself visual cues to move you toward your goals. Keep a journal with a pen next to your bed. Leave your workout clothes and shoes out near your bed. Write a quick to-do list right before finishing work for the following day, so it’s easier to jump into the first task right away the next morning. Cut up some produce or do a 30-60 minute meal prep once a week to eat more healthful meals. Find ways to make it easier to stay on track than give in to temptation. 

Find Indulgences To Help You Focus On Your Goals 

Self-discipline shouldn’t feel like deprivation – of certain foods, pastimes, or activities you enjoy. Buy cute workout clothes you feel confident in. Create the most dance-worthy playlist. Make it a priority to buy your favorite fruits and vegetables every week. Rotate a selection of your favorite healthy meals. Leave your sunscreen out – front and center – on your bathroom counter. Find a big, beautiful water bottle to keep on your desk. Purchase aesthetic notebooks, pens, planners, journals, and other office organization items. To make self-discipline feel like second nature, you need to marry indulgences and your desire to meet your goals. Discover the habits that work for you and find small ways to make these tasks more enjoyable. 

Go easy on yourself. Build one habit at a time. Self-discipline is like a muscle. It requires time to build and grows in increments. Try to stay on track and more focused than yesterday. Your only competition is your former self. Find pleasure in the process. Focus on the immediate task in front of you while also keeping your future self in mind. 

[izloveshorses]

i feel like my biggest takeaway from andor (s2 specifically) is... it's something you just gotta accept as it is. it wasn't the cassian origin story™ we were expecting, and tbh it wasn't even a real rogue one prequel™ either.

don't get me wrong, i'm disappointed that it wasn't exactly what we wanted it to be. and i'm annoyed by tony gilroy's misunderstanding of one of my favorite characters of all time. but it was never going to be perfect. we've had almost ten years to craft what we envision cassian's backstory. of course some of us were going to be disappointed. but... i think there's more to the show than that? cassian sort of became a vessel for a larger narrative.

i think they decided to tell a beautiful story about grassroots rebellion and how to start a fully functioning revolution from the ground up, and when you look at the broader picture, they did that really well. and the quality of the filmmaking, the cinematography, the set, the costuming, the writing... it's beyond almost anything we've seen coming out these days. let alone for disney, let alone for star wars, of all things. sure, it suffers from the shorter seasons, three ep release weeks, etc, but i think those are just pitfalls of the state of modern tv. and with all things considered, they fit a lot of story into a tight schedule. and i can't believe The Mouse greenlit this radical as hell show.

as for the character choices and rogue one tie ins..... i am cherry picking what i liked and moving on. tbh i already forgot about the baby thing today, didn't remember until logging back on here after work and seeing a post about it lol. i am looking at things i didn't like and saying 'wow that was stupid! anyway.' maybe i've just been online too long, maybe i've been hurt real bad by other shows in the past, maybe life is just really hard rn and i just want a good goddamn show to look forward to, but i just don't really care to focus on the bits that made me mad anymore. obviously there are some things i cannot forgive (killing cinta, for instance) but the rest.... i am looking away... i do not see it...

we've survived a long time without much more than a single movie to work with. and we've lived off of 'everybody lives/nobody dies' aus for nearly ten years now. i think we can do the same here <3

[nous-teleios]

Establishing a healthy relationship with ritual purity

Ritual purity is one of the many ideas that perennially appears in most religious and spiritual paradigms throughout the world. Many people struggle to integrate it into their daily lives, and some even disregard it altogether, so here I'll elaborate on some points concerning it, give some practical advice, and the theory behind it.

Why is ritual purity important to the Gods?

Preparing a pure body, space, and mind before a ritual is a sign of respect, first and foremost. As you'd never invite an important guest into a messy house, you'd also not invoke a deity into a messy room. If you went to an important dinner and the other person appeared dirty, underdressed, and overall in a state of neglégé, you likely wouldn't see that as polite or respectful in that setting. Thus, preparing a pure space and body are outward symbols of devotion and respect.

Why is ritual purity important for you?

Taking the time before a ritual to neaten up your room, take a shower, pefrom and ablution, perhaps even perfume yourself, and the space helps you get into the proper headspace for the ritual. It takes away the mundane thoughts by the virtue of having you focus on a task that is inherently related to a divine matter. I also found that it motivates me to maintain cleanliness even when I'm not otherwise feeling well.

How to ritually purify a space/yourself?

Depending on your tradition, you may already have specific ablutions and requirements in place for doing this, and if this is the case, definitely stick to those. A general method, however, would be to set the intention to cleanse on both a physical and spiritual level and then just clean/declutter your space as you usually would. After this, it would also be good to perform some kind of a banishing ritual (the LBRP always does the trick, but stuff such as spritzing with moon water can also work).

As for your body, make the same intention as you did above and take a shower.

When is ritual purification necessary?

If you have recently washed yourself or cleaned your space and altar, obviously, you don't need to do it again. You should, however, symbolically do a gesture of cleansing, such as waving away the stagnant energies with your hand, declaring an already clean space pure before ritual, etc. If you have recently showered, washing your hands and face with the intention of purification would also work fine.

How to avoid the common pitfalls?

The first and most important thing to note is that, if you are, for some justified reason, unable to purify yourself and your space, you can still say your prayers or make your offerings. The Gods will always hear you in your time of need and will always help you. A good way to compensate would be to just pray for them to cleanse your space and you. HOWEVER, this doesn't mean that you should just go lazy and not try and make yourself purify before a ritual. This is an important branch of discipline and health, and neglecting it in the long term will have negative consequences for you.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It is important for you to establish a good relationship with spiritual hygiene and to make a good regiment and schedule for getting it done. It is one of those things many people struggle with, but upon doing it, you will inevitably see the benefits in the long run.

[sos717]

Let this be a future reference for anyone attempting to “call me out”?

@truenotnew if only you had done your research babes. I wasn’t going to do this at first but this is an incredibly dangerous way to go about addressing things you find to be problematic in YOUR community. And if you truly wanted to be a genuine person and call out what you find to be wrong, you have to do a background check on the people you’re LITERALLY BERATING.

Mind you this is quite literally the FIRST thing you read on my page (but I can tell you didn’t):

Notice: the giant red circle

I think some of you people are hallucinating an entirely new dimension when you do things like this especially considering I’ve gotten asks specifically asking why I’m “teaching ND wrong” and everytime I respond with “what im telling you is not a practice and its not even ND, it’s just the nature of experience, it’s not even “manifesting””

Besides that, you go on wayyyy too confidently making really juicy statements about ignorance and saying that I do this for dopamine and… money? Please tell me where my courses are, you better run me a check because It must be somewhere I can’t find. Tell me where I’m being monetized 😭😭😭. I don’t even have any platform I use but tumblr. On top of this I have the most sporatic and inconsistent post schedule, I disappear for weeks at a time so I promise you it’s not for clicks 🤭. You also go on to say that our or my responses to anons or askers are rude, wow, I’ve never gotten that, you wanna know why? Because I’m not 🤷‍♂️, I see people in a position that I was once in and just want to help, I know it sounds kind of new for people to just help because they want to help but here I am. I was on here when my posts got 0 interactions, to when it gets 1k to when it gets 20, it’s never been about some useless clicks girl WHAT 😭😭😭.

This being said, the main point of this is to make you recognize that if you want to call someone out go ahead! But make sure you have your details correct! When you out out a statement that has insanely bold assumptions, they sure a hell better be true, otherwise it’ll look like your doing it for clicks… 🤭

(This is off topic but I noticed you focused on ND and yet your page has bible quotes in it, as if ND has any relation to the Bible, hmm, is that not..misleading?)

[vampiricsheep]

gonna make a critical post about the new chapter release / gw2 / anet (and I suppose technically NCSoft since their business interests definitely drive a lot of this), don't like don't read etc etc

---

Im deeply disappointed with the most recent expansion's conclusion. The story had a lot of potential and, like SotO and icebrood saga, petered off drastically as other projects were prioritized and deadlines limited what's humanly possible to produce on the other side of the screen. I don't resent the devs for not wearing themselves to the bone with crunch time to deliver, but I don't like that something so lacking in substance was sold as - and priced as - a full expansion when the amount of content was more on par with side stories.

It isn't new for anet to introduce more threads than they can tie off neatly in an expansion - indeed, it's one of the largest pitfalls HoT experienced. Anet has repeatedly said they treated HoT as a learning experience and have come a long way since then in producing expansions; certainly, that holds true (in my mind) for PoF and, while EoD still struggled with this, it did so far less than that first expansion. This is why I find it so disappointing for them to overpromise on these two newer expansions - in a vacuum, it would be annoying enough and feel cheap, but with that context it's doubly irritating, as it feels they're frequently patting themselves on the back without making meaningful improvements.

This release schedule also feels untenable. Paradoxically, the effort to pace things out makes it tiring to stay up-to-date while each story beat feels painfully lacking in substance. Instead of being excited to play a new chapter, it feels like a chore. That isn't how a game is supposed to feel - this is a hobby, a pastime, it's supposed to be fun!

I did enjoy Janthir Wild's story, to an extent, but it doesn't deliver well as a story, and that's deeply disappointing when it's billed as one.

I suppose it's just another reminder not to pre-order games, no matter how much you love the franchise.

[bikefuckersoftheworldunite]

«Pironi seeks victory to dedicate to Villeneuve»

[Notes: I used image to text converter to convert the scans to text but since the issue is from 1982 i had to clean up the text by adding the missing letters and stuff like that manually. so, there might be some mistakes. I also don’t speak Italian so this is google translated, but I attached the text version in Italian under the cut. The article is from La Stampa Sera; date: 12/06/1982; link to the original issue scans in source]

MONTREAL — Yesterday afternoon, during a moving ceremony, the Notre Dame Island circuit was officially named after Gilles Villeneuve. It was the mayor of Montreal himself, Jean Drapeau, who presented the official resolution of the municipality that renamed the track in memory of the late driver. The ceremony was attended by almost all the drivers and also by a large crowd that applauded the decision of Canadian politicians for a long time.

It is in this atmosphere that tomorrow, in memory of Villeneuve, the drivers will battle to the limit of their possibilities for the eighth round of the F.1 world championship. Yesterday the official tests were disturbed by the rain but there were still some indications of what could happen during the test.

And it is Didier Pironi himself who promises a fiery attack in tomorrow's race. "If the weather conditions allow it, that is, if it doesn't rain," says the Frenchman, "I won't do a race like the one in Detroit, on the defensive. I hope the tires work well and that I can make the most of the Ferrari's power. It would be the greatest joy of my life to get a victory on this circuit. It goes without saying: I would dedicate it to my late teammate. We argued, it's true, but that didn't mean I considered a friendship that had lasted a long time over. I'm sure Gilles would have liked to see me, him, winner, or in any case, see a Ferrari in first place. There are many pitfalls, many opponents, but I'm optimistic given how the last races have ended."

Pironi's statements are quite demanding. However, many drivers believe that the Ferrari "driver" is one of the favourites for the Canadian Grand Prix. The series of placings obtained so far, the excellent performances of the car that is growing day by day and is increasingly competitive, constitute a demonstration of quality that has never failed so far. Ferrari also has some small technical secrets with innovations that have been introduced in recent times. One of these, for a special type of cooling of the air that is expelled from the turbo, constitutes an authentic secret of the 126 C2. Many are now copying the system that evidently uses a pump that nebulises the liquid, i.e. water, in the air and allows it to be cooled and obtain significantly lower temperatures for the engine. In this way, the turbo engine prepared in Maranello almost never breaks down and offers very high level performance.

The Ferrari driver's main rivals should be Prost and Arnoux, Patrese with Brabham, Lauda and Watson with McLaren and, obviously, the Alfa Romeos of De Cesaris and Giacomelli. The driver from Brescia is trying to 'fine-tune' his car which yesterday did not provide excellent performances and relegated him far back in the grid. "I also want to have a good race - said the Italian driver - because I'm tired of hearing only accusations against me. If I'm not given a fine-tuned car, what can I do? It's just a matter of finding a balanced solution in the preparation of the car and then I'll show that I'm always a top-place man".

A race, therefore, that looks very heated. There are many contenders for victory and it must not be forgotten that the points up for grabs will also be decisive for the world standings. This year, as in the past, the standings will be drawn up on the basis of 11 results, that is, half of the scheduled races in the World Championship plus three. When this limit is reached, the discards will begin and then the best placings will be good. However, no one has yet reached an acceptable quota (Pironi has the highest number of placings in percentage with 4 results, among the first six in seven races disputed) while Watson is still the leader of the world standings. Even the Irishman, quietly, has begun to raise some hopes. But yesterday he was clearly inferior to his teammate Niki Lauda.

MONTREAL — Ieri pomeriggio, nel corso di una cerimonia commovente, il circuito dell'isola di Notre Dame è stato ufficialmente intitolato a Giles Villeneuve. E’ stato lo stesso sindaco di Montreal, Jean Drapeau a presentare la risoluzione ufficiale della municipalità che ha ribattezzato la pista in memoria al pilota scomparso. Alla cerimonia hanno preso parte quasi tutti i piloti e anche una numerosa folla che ha applaudito a lungo la decisione dei politici canadesi.

E' in questa atmosfera che domani, nel ricordo di Villeneute, i piloti si daranno battaglia al limite delle loro possibilità per l'ottava prova del campionato mondiale di F.1 Ieri le prove ufficiali sono state disturbate dalla pioggia ma si sono avute comunque alcune indicazioni per ciò che si potrà verificare nel corso della prova.

Oggi si tenterà di cambiare le posizioni anche perché se il tempo rimarrà bello tutti potranno scendere sotto i tempi ottenuti ieri. Molto attesa alla prova è la Renault turbo che su un tracciato da oltre 180 km all'ora non avrà difficoltà a mettere in fila le macchine ‘avversarie. La pole position è contestata sia dall'Alfa Romeo, che ieri è stata la vettura più rapida con Andrea De Cesaris, che dalla Ferrari ieri terza nella graduatoria finale.

Ed è lo stesso Didier Pironi a promettere un attacco focoso nella gara di domani. «Se le condizioni meteorologiche lo consentiranno, cioè se non pioverà — afferma il francese — non farò una corsa come quella di Detroit, in difesa. Mi auguro che le gomme vadano bene e che io possa sfruttare al massimo la potenza della Ferrari. Sarebbe la più grande gioia della mia vita ottenere una vittoria su questo circuito. Non c'è neppure da dirlo: la dedicherei al mio compagno scomparso. Abbiamo litigato, è vero, ma non per questo avevo considerato chiusa un'amicizia che durava da tanto tempo. Sono sicuro che Gilles avrebbe voluto vedermi, lui, vincitore, o comunque, vedere una Ferrari al primo posto. Le insidie sono molte, gli avversari tanti, ma sono ottimista visto come sono finite le ultime gare».

Le dichiarazioni di Pironi sono abbastanza impegnative. Tuttavia sono molti i piloti a credere che il «driver» della Ferrari sia no dei favoriti del Gran Premio del Canada. La serie di piazzamenti ottenuti sinora, le ottime pertormances della macchina che cresce di giorno in giorno ed è :sempre più competitiva, costitui scono una dimostrazione di qualità che sinora non è mai venuta meno. La Ferrari ha anche qualche piccolo segreto tecnico con delle innovazioni che sono state apportate negli ultimi tempi. Uno di questi, per uno speciale tipo di rof‘freddemento dell'aria che viene espulsa dal turbo, costituisce un autentico segreto della 126 C2. Sono in molti ora a co‘piare il sistema che si avvale evidentemente di una pompa che nebulizza il liquido, cioè l'acqua, nell'aria e consente di raffreddare la stessa e ottenere delle temperature nettamente inferiori per il motore. In questo modo il propulsore turbo preparato a Maranello non si rompe quasi più ed offre presatazioni di altissimo livello.

I maggiori rivali per il pilota della Ferrari dovrebbero essere Prost e Arnoux, Patrese con la Brabham, Lauda e Watson con le McLaren e, ovviamente, le Alfa Romeo di De Cesaris e Giacomelli. Il pilota bresciano sta tentando di ‘mettere a punto la sua vettura che ieri non ha fornito delle ottime performances e lo ha relegato molto indietro nello schieramento. «Voglio fare anch'io una buona corsa — ha dichiarato il pilota italiano — perché sono stufo di sentire soltanto accuse nei miei confronti. Se non mi sì dà una macchina a punto, come posso fare? Si tratta soltanto di trovare una soluzione equilbrata nella preparazione della vettura e poi dimostrerò che sono sempre un uomo da primi posti».

Una gara, dunque, che si presenta accesissima. Sono molti i pretendenti alla vittoria e non bisogna dimenticare che i punti in palio saranno determinanti anche per la classifica mondiale. Quest'anno, come già nel passato, la classifica sarà stilata sulla base di 11 risultati, cioè la metà delle prove in programma nel Campionato mondiale più tre. Quando sarà raggiunto tale limite cominceranno gli scarti ed allora saranno buoni i piazzamenti migliori. Nessuno comunque ha raggiunto ancora una quota accettabile (è Pironi ad avere il maggior numero di piazzamenti in per‘centuale con 4 risultati, fra i primi sei in sette corse disputate) mentre Watson è sempre il leader della classifica iridata. Anche l'irlandese, quatto quatto, ha cominciato ad alimentare qualche speranza. Ma ieri è stato nettamente inferiore al compagno di squadra Niki Lauda.