#<- fun fact I first found this game because I was looking in the houseboat tag on tumblr so this is really a full circle moment

[resplendent-dwellings]

Another thing I think I'm going to do with this blog is share the challenges I've designed but don't have quite enough gems to actually buy all the items and submit in time. Like this houseboat--it's a fun challenge and I'm happy with this design, but I just won't be able to afford the items in time. But nothing stops me from screenshotting it and sharing it here--it's like a special super secret tumblr exclusive bonus design! I will say I'd definitely put something on top of the sideboard as well if I could, but you can't do that without buying it, so alas.

[natromanxoff]

20 - Rockin' in Rio

Greetings one and all A quick return from the Bondi Bard. Last weekend there was a surprise party for Gerry and Sylvia in San Francisco, and judging from the email I got from Ratty a good time was had by all, and a few of our old mob were there. I would loved to have been there but I was committed to go to the wedding of a good buddy of mine. James and his new wife Suze got married on the original Manly ferry, which has been converted into an amazing houseboat and is moored at Balmain. The ceremony was at 7pm, just as the sun was setting to the left of us, and the Harbour Bridge to the right, very picturesque. An Aussie band called Leonardo's Bride sang their top five hit to the couple (of course I can't remember the name of it) and the girl singer has an incredible voice, and is also gorgeous and a very charming lady, who is shacked up with a DJ mate of mine. Lucky bastard. The booze was good, the food even better and a fun night was had. I can hear that question again, "Whats this got to do with Queen?" Well I shall tell you. James worked as an engineer at Metropolis Studios in London, along with the lovely Heidi, where the Queenies did a lot of recording, he also did some work with the band, but did a lot on BM's first solo outing. The next link is even weaker. I spent a good part of the evening chatting with Rob Hirst, who is the drummer with Midnight Oil, and is also a fabbo chappie. And being a typical drummer, while the Oils are not working he is recording his own solo album, as a singer/guitarist.......sound familiar. We had a couple of drinks and swapped a few stories, and as his wife was with us we managed to keep them all clean.

Staying on the subject of drummers I had an email, via Jacky, from a drummer who didn't seem that amused by the joke I told in my last ramblings, they might hit things but they are really quite sensitive deep down. So I suppose I should say I'm sorry, well I'm not. But here's another little jest to piss him off some more. Q: Whats the most asked question to a person with an IQ of 2? A: What sticks do you use?

Onto Sonia's request for some info on our trips to Brazil. What can I say about Rio except that it is a fun city and we all had a great time there, maybe that's why we went back a second time. On the first venture there I was still looking after the kit, and on one night myself and a few of the crew hit the town and got very drunk on the local drink, I think it was made from sugar, which I can pronounce but I've no idea how to spell it. (Help me out Sonia) We were in a bar getting louder and louder when a Welsh Rugby team came in, and they were big boys, and they are also on the tipsy side.

I'm 6ft, Jim Devenney makes me look small and Bob Bickleman made him look small, and the rugby players are of equal size, so we now have a contest on our hands as to which team can sing the loudest and dirtiest rugby songs. To start with the Welsh were winning because they had a couple of good looking women with them, and even though it was loud it was also in good fun. Devenney then comes up with the great statement that rugby is a girls game, the Welsh reply that at least they don't need padding when they play, unlike Gridiron, to which our team say, "OK, lets have a game on the beach tomorrow morning." This to me sounds like a really daft idea as I hate Gridiron, Rugby and Soccer, so one of the lighting guys and myself decided to leave, which means the Queen crew won by default cause neither team turned up on the beach to play, and as the two of us were leaving the bar we took their gorgeous ladies with us. Sorry Wales.

Our second visit to Brazil, when I was traveling with the band, was for the first Rock in Rio which was a two week festival with a host of big names on, each playing two nights. We did the opening night with three Brazilian acts, then Whitesnake who had Cozy as drummer, then Iron Maiden and then us. The second show was at the end and our opening acts were the B52's and the Go Go's. After the show I ended up in my room with a couple of Go Go girls, and boy were they party hounds. Apart from the bands I've mentioned there were other big names like Rod Stewart, AC/DC, Yes, George Benson and more. It was fun because we got to see old friends of the road, but it was also a nightmare cause we were almost prisoners of the hotel, due to the fact there were far to many fans outside the hotel, so we hung around the pool most of the time. The press were paying guests with poolside views so they could use the room and snap rockstars by the pool, which, of course, put an end to that.

The only thing left to do between shows was to get out of Rio and Roger and I heard of a great place called Buzios (Hope I spelt that correctly) which I suppose is about 100 miles away. Deaky and Wally decided to come as well, and being wimps they took a limo, unlike us drum type people, we don't eat quiche, we're gonna drive. The locals were all driving around in beach buggies, they look like fun, thats us, lets go. A buggy is basically a VW beetle with a different body, and our gleaming white buggy turns out to be the biggest pile of crap ever allowed on a road.

I take the wheel and we're not too far into our journey when 1st gear goes on the missing list, I don't care, I'm a good driver, I can start in 2nd. The gearstick decides to loosen on us, so trying to get it in gear was like stirring soup, who cares, onwards and by now our buggy decides to dump the clutch, so when it came to pulling away I just pushed the stick, and whatever gear it went in was the one we drove in. At least we can see the funny side of it all. What else can God give us to make this mission harder, how about torrential rain, which is great fun to drive in when you don't have a roof on the car. Needless to say the buggy rapidly filled up with water. Five minutes of this downpour and we get our next treat, the wipers pack up, so RT has to stand up and lean over the top and wipe the windshield so I can see where I'm going. By this time we look like a couple of soaking wet tramps, but we are killing ourselves laughing as we watch the red mud flow down the hillsides into the river we are trying to drive through. As we go round a bend we both screamed out "OH F***" at the same time. A huge truck was heading in the opposite direction to us, and as it passed at high speed a tidal wave of red water engulfed us and our crappy little car. I have to be honest here, that did wipe out a bit of the humour. We got to our destination, found the hotel and as the drowned rats walked in, the wimps were sitting in the bar, very dry with very cold beers. Next time, I'm with you Deaky. You would think the first thing I would want was a shower, nope, top of the list was a nice quiet chat with the company that rented us our friendly little buggy, and after a couple of well placed words they didn't charge us. Once there we had a good time. Oh, I nearly forgot, we did a couple of great shows as well.

Loads of the usual stuff

Crystal

[nerdypanda3126]

It’s Complicated - Ch. 4

Read on Ao3 Ch. 1 Ch. 2 Ch.3 Ch. 5

Chapter 4: Pattern Clashing

He did it! He had slipped his bodyguard and now he’s free. True, it had taken ducking into an alley and transforming and running as fast as he could across the rooftops to put as much distance as he could between him and the Gorilla, and then detransforming at a subway station, but it’ll all be worth it. Marinette is going to be so surprised to see him. His stomach does a little flip at the thought.

He meets Kagami by the Ponts des Arts and takes her hand before he starts to run along the riverbank, just for the fun of it. For the freedom of it. He can hear her laughing behind him. It turns into a race between them, each trying to gain a lead on the other while still keeping their hands linked. Adrien falls back purposefully, letting her go to the full extent of their combined reach before he puts on a burst of speed, turning his head as he passes her to catch a glimpse of her face. Her eyes narrow at him and she smiles, accepting his challenge. The only thing missing is her fencing mask.

The race begins in earnest then, as she matches him almost step for step. The houseboat is coming into view, the last stretch. He sneaks a glance at her and she’s intensely focused on the goal, her eyes fixed to the destination. It startles him how quickly his game had become serious for her. He realizes he had been thinking of his races along the rooftops with Ladybug. The ones where there is no point really, no destination in mind, just a give and take between them, challenging each other while they played, declaring a "winner" only when they were tired.

With his head out of the game, he falls behind her by a few steps as they come up on the houseboat. They come to a stop together, both out of breath. He can feel the thin sheen of sweat that had broken out on his forehead. Maybe running here wasn’t the best idea. Kagami’s smiling at him, her eyes alight. She squeezes his hand lightly. The race had been fun for her, of course, mostly because she won.

Marinette’s voice floats down to him from the deck.

“Hey, Luka. I, uh… I brought you something.”

Without thinking about it, his hand tightens around Kagami’s. Marinette sounds so nervous. She finished it, then. He wonders what the final product will look like. Marinette is so talented, it’s bound to be something unexpected and perfect for Luka. She probably signed it somewhere hidden, like she did for his derby hat. When did he start clenching his teeth? He makes an effort to relax his jaw.

He catches Kagami’s eyes and smirks at her.

“Catch your breath yet?” She blinks back at him. Had he said something wrong? No, not wrong, just not Adrien. He had defaulted to his Chat mannerisms. He fixes his expression into something softer.  

“Ready whenever you are.” She answers him evenly. For some reason he gets the sense, like he usually does with her, that there’s something else behind her words. Something that he’s supposed to understand. He leads the way up the steps.

And Luka is shrugging on the jacket. It stops him in his tracks. Luka’s showing the design off for Marinette, twisting and stretching out his arms. She must’ve hit some sort of inspiration after Chat left her the other night. It’s a piece of art. He can see Luka’s stage character in the coloring of it, and the studs on his shoulders, but in the subtlety of the design he can also just see Luka. She had found the balance she was looking for.

Marinette circles around Luka then, and Adrien can see her face. She’s grinning. She’s lit up. She pulls something out of Luka’s hood, his stage mask, and Luka looks back at her. It feels like Adrien is witnessing something private, something personal, as Marinette’s cheeks turn pink. He’s clenching his jaw again. When Luka lays his hand on Marinette’s, something flares inside him, some ugly fire that works its way up from the pit of his stomach to squeeze around his heart. His feet finish the steps by themselves.  

“Hey, guys, mind if we come aboard?” His voice sounds wrong somehow, and he realizes it’s because his throat feels like it’s constricting. He feels a small satisfaction when Marinette pulls away from Luka. She does look surprised, that’s for sure. But she doesn’t look happy to see him.

Then she squeaks and steps back behind Luka, hiding her face into his back. Luka tucks one arm back behind himself and around her, almost like he’s shielding her, before he waves at them. The fact that Marinette would need comforting after just seeing Adrien claws at him. He bites the inside of his cheek and turns back to Kagami. Her expression is carefully neutral. She steps up next to him and threads her arm through his, curling her hand around his bicep.

He nearly chokes on whatever mix of emotions he’s sorting through. Kagami’s intention is crystal clear; she’s claiming him. He sets aside the discomfort he feels at that. But why would she feel a need to?

He can feel the tension on the Liberty. Everyone is glancing between him and Kagami and Marinette and Luka, and they seem to be holding their breath, waiting for something to happen. Nino takes a few steps off the ladder he’s on, and Alya moves closer to Marinette. They are protecting her, all of them. He feels like he’s intruded, somehow. Maybe he should just go.

Marinette steps out from behind Luka, then, and her shock seems to have settled. She smiles and waves, the same restrained smile she gives him in class, and starts to walk towards them. But as she does, she trips on something and tumbles face first, flailing her arms wildly to try to catch herself. Adrien steps forward automatically, breaking Kagami's grip, to catch Marinette before she falls.

"Are you okay?"

She looks up at him, stunned, before pushing off his chest to right herself. He catches a glimpse of her bright red cheeks before she looks away to hide her face. He’s seen that look before. The other night when he was teasing her about the hearts on her sketch. Is she embarrassed that she fell into him? That would make sense. But then why does he still feel the warmth from where her hands were on his chest, spreading through him and calming his nerves?

His hand is still on her elbow. He should probably move, pull away, give her space, something.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” She meets his eyes, finally, and her blush has cleared. She smiles at him. Her real, Marinette smile. The one he’s missed. He could float away, buoyed by her happiness. Marinette isn’t mad at him. The relief washes over him and he can breathe again.

“Dude! You made it!” Nino has made it over to them, and he pulls Adrien into a quick hug. Marinette rushes forward to take Kagami’s hand and pulls her over to the stage, and the girls are quickly laughing together. Whatever tension had been there when he arrived, whatever that was, had dissipated. Adrien nods along as Nino talks him through the plan for the concert, his mind tumbling. He doesn’t notice when Nino shakes his head and walks away.

The keyboard is set up for him already. He runs his fingers over the keys lightly.

“Glad you could join the band again.” Luka’s soft voice startles him. When Adrien looks up, Luka is offering him a hand. Adrien takes it, and forces himself to smile. Luka is infuriatingly impassive. He hasn’t taken the jacket off, and it doesn’t look like he plans to.

“Thanks for having me,” Adrien hears himself say. The appropriate response, he knows, the polite response. Luka retreats from the handshake first, tucking his hands into the pockets of his new jacket. Adrien nods to it.

“Is that one of Marinette’s?” Why is he making conversation about this? And can someone please come to get him out of it?

Luka smiles, and Adrien would almost call it wistful. Like Luka knows something Adrien doesn’t. Had Marinette confessed about the hearts to him? Or maybe Luka knows, like Adrien knows, how much it means that Marinette made him something special like that. Maybe he likes that Marinette had been thinking about him. For days, Adrien notes, eyeing the details he can see up close now. That jacket was definitely not a one night project. Marinette had lost sleep over it. He makes a fist by his side and squeezes as tight as he can before he lets it relax. It doesn’t escape Luka’s notice.

“Yeah, it is,” Luka meets Adrien’s eyes calmly, but it feels more like a challenge. “She’s incredibly talented, isn’t she?”

Adrien swallows past the lump in his throat. “You know, she signs her designs.” Damn his burning curiosity. He just has to know. Luka nods, opening the left side of the jacket for Adrien to see. There it is, the curled script of Marinette’s unmistakable signature. She had embroidered it on the inside breast pocket. A good hiding spot. Also right next to Luka’s heart. Adrien feels sick.

He turns to look over to the group of girls, taking selfies. Marinette has her arm around Kagami, her other arm holding the phone out to take the picture. Kagami has relaxed, as much as Kagami relaxes, and she’s smiling. Marinette has that ability with people, to bring them out of their shells, to make them shine. Adrien wonders if he lights up like that around her, too. If any of Marinette’s spark has rubbed off on him, just by being her friend.

When he turns back, Luka has slipped away as quietly as he came. He’s sitting off the edge of the stage now, idly strumming on his guitar, his back turned to everything.

Adrien realizes when he sees the Kitty Section logo that this isn’t something he can do all night long. He can’t keep noticing the care that Marinette put into her work. He can’t play the keyboard with Luka in front of him, not flaunting exactly, but definitely basking in Marinette’s attention. Who wouldn’t bask in her attention?

But he can’t just leave. He came here with Kagami. She wanted to see him play. And if he stays and performs, even if Marinette does have her eyes on Luka, she might happen to glance over to Adrien. She might wave to him. She might dance to the band’s music. He pulls his eyes back to the keyboard in front of him. He had offered to play with the band. That’s why he was here.

He senses movement out of the corner of his eye. When he turns his head again, Kagami is waving to him from across the stage. He waves back automatically. She nods her head back towards the group, a silent invitation to come sit next to her. But his feet just feel glued to the stage. Marinette follows Kagami’s gaze until her eyes land on him. He can feel his cheeks heat up and his hand goes to the nape of his neck. His heart is pounding.

The only one he’s ever felt this giddy around has always been Ladybug. But he’s always needed the mask with her. He’s always needed to put up his front with Ladybug and keep his civilian life closed off from her. And he would have to, if he wanted to keep being Chat Noir. Not that anything with anyone else would be any easier, having to hide his superhero activities.

It hits him then that all he wants to do is transform and run. He needs to think. He needs to sort himself out. Maybe if he just goes for a quick run in the suit, it’ll give him the strength to do the second set with the band. Maybe he could ask Ladybug to meet him. If his feelings have changed, he’ll know as soon as he sees her. She’s his best friend, the one he trusts with his life. She would show up for him, he knows.

He taps Nino on the shoulder to get his attention.

“I’m not feeling well, can you cover for me for a minute?”

Nino nods, barely looking up from the sound system. “Yeah, dude, I’ll let the others know. Think you’ll be back by showtime?”

“I think I can make the second set.”

Nino nods again, and Adrien scurries off the deck as fast as he can without looking like he’s running. Why does he always seem to be running away from Marinette?

He calls for his transformation as soon as he’s ducked into a quiet alley. He pings Ladybug and takes a deep breath before he extends his baton to start his run over the rooftops towards the Eiffel Tower.

***

@celestethegoddess

[shirlleycoyle]

Virgin Cola: How Richard Branson Tried and Failed To Win the Soda Wars

A version of this post originally appeared on Tedium, a twice-weekly newsletter that hunts for the end of the long tail.

Everything has a story, and this story starts with a two-decade-old press kit, covered in plastic, that I acquired a few years back.

On the front, the kit made a claim that it would be important to keep around. “KEEP THIS MEDIA KIT,” the front of the thing stated. “Someday it will be worth a lot of money. Someday it will be known as ‘the first Virgin Cola media kit.’”

I’m not sure what they meant by someday, but I purchased this press kit for $9.95 at a used comic book store, and I’m gonna tell you all about it. It’s the story of how Virgin Cola became Richard Branson’s greatest cautionary tale, and why you’re probably not drinking it today.

1979

The year that Virgin introduced its famous “napkin” logo, which was directly inspired by the label’s signing of the Sex Pistols. The simple look came to life after its well-known founder, Richard Branson, realized the company’s original logo, designed for the prog era, made no sense for the Sex Pistols, a band it had signed in 1977. The logo, the story goes, was made by a graphic designer who sketched on a napkin during a meeting at Branson’s houseboat.

The Virgin Cola press kit in question. Image: Ernie Smith

How Richard Branson tried to make private-label soda into something exciting

In a lot of ways, the Virgin Cola story doesn’t really start with Virgin, but with the Canadian beverage manufacturer Cott, now known as the Primo Water Corporation.

You don’t know the company, most likely, but you know its beverages. Most famously, Cott was the company that came up with the Sam’s Choice private-label brand for Walmart, which the retailer first used with sodas but later expanded far beyond them. And outside of the U.S., it’s currently known as the manufacturer of RC Cola, the greatest also-ran of the soda world.

As a firm focused on private-label products (at least until its merger with Primo last year), Cott was a company that lived vicariously through other brands. And Virgin Group had a pretty good one that it was pushing really heavily at the time.

From its record-label and record store roots, Virgin was quickly becoming an empire, one that had gained a global reputation thanks to the founding of Virgin Atlantic Airlines in 1984, and by the ’90s, that napkin logo was slowly getting used on things as diverse as intercity trains, video games, and radio stations. Soon, that brand would be used for mobile phones, health care providers, and … uh, spaceships.

In fact, when the announcement that Virgin Cola was coming, a spokesman for Branson delightfully suggested that Virgin-branded marijuana was on the table. In 1994.

“If it were ever legalized and it were proved to the satisfaction of the BMA (British Medical Association) that it was harmless, he’d obviously consider it,” the spokesman told Reuters at the time.

But soda was different. People don’t buy Sam’s Club cola because they prefer it. They buy it because it’s the cheapest option. Like light beer, the driving factor behind purchase, in most cases, is marketing—lots of it. Despite the fact that cola isn’t all that hard to make and (despite what Coca-Cola has you believe) generally tastes very similar, you don’t see a lot of direct competitors with Coke or Pepsi for a reason.

Branson, whose video game arm had made a game based on a soda brand in 1993, saw the opportunity of going up against some of the largest brands in the world less as a threat and more of a challenge.

In the 2011 edition of his book Losing My Virginity: How I Survived, Had Fun, and Made a Fortune Doing Business My Way, he explained that realized that launching a line of sodas would actually be less risky than it sounded, even if it sounded like something that would prove a really terrible idea from the outside.

“As usual, when people warn me against doing something once my mind is made up, I grow increasingly determined to try it,” he wrote. “In this case we all recognized that it would be an inch-by-inch fight along the shelves of the supermarkets but, once we established that there was minimal financial risk if we failed, we decided to proceed.”

That gave him just the reason he needed to go forward with the idea of a soda brand. Working with Cott, a brand known both for stunt beverages and for efficiently selling the cut-rate brands, Branson could actually get his products into stores at a cheaper price than Coke at the time.

And while Virgin didn’t necessarily have the years of brand loyalty or marketing reach of its established competitors, it had something that the soda giants didn’t: Edge.

At the time that Virgin entered the market, Coke was smarting from a recent attempt to release OK Soda, a brand that tried for a subversive postmodern branding approach rather than one that tried to grab its audience in a way that regular campaigns do. It failed, and pretty spectacularly. The world wasn’t ready for non-advertising-advertising from Coca-Cola.

Virgin was very much known for a degree of subversion, but it was also a brand that wasn’t afraid to actually try to sell you something. So if it could pull off the marketing stunts it was known for, there was a lot of potential upside.

And, of course, limited downside.

Richard Branson driving a tank through Times Square. Image: Thierry BOCCON-GIBOD/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images

Five kinds of marketing stunts Virgin tried when selling Virgin Cola

Blind taste tests that favored Virgin Cola. Taste tests are not uncommon gimmicks when it comes to cola, and Virgin invested in a lot of taste tests as it tried to get into the market. One third-party one, done by The Observer in 1994, ranked the drink above Coke, and gave the drink credit for being “not too sweet.”

A top-heavy bottle modeled after Pamela Anderson. During a dinner with his wife and Pamela Anderson, the three discussed the idea of producing a plastic soda bottle that was curved at the top, nicknamed the “Pammy.” The next day, Anderson gave Branson the right to use her name for the idea for free, which created lots of press, both good and bad.

Richard Branson driving through 3 tons of Coke products in Times Square, using a tank. The gimmick, as part of Virgin Cola’s brand introduction to the U.S., is still considered Virgin’s wildest stunt ever. (He also shot at a giant Coke sign.) “It was before 9/11 so you could get away with things that would be unwise to try today,” Branson told Inc. of the unusual stunt.

A U.S. ad campaign to get the gay marriage conversation going. One 1998 U.S. ad featured two men getting married on a beach, an ad destined to get people talking, as it was also the first ad to feature a same-sex kiss. The same campaign, reports Ad Age, was said to have featured Joey Buttafucco saying, “I’m famous because some girl decided to shoot my wife in the head.” (That ad, probably for the best, appears not to have run.)

A UK ad campaign that sold Virgin Cola’s headquarters as the “home of hedonism.” Just a few years before Tank Girl creator Jamie Hewlitt’s distinctive visual style went mainstream as a part of the band Gorillaz, he designed characters for a series of ads for Virgin Cola that hinted at much the same level of cheekiness Virgin’s own brand did.

“At present the soft drinks industry in the U.S. is worth $50 billion (with cola accounting for just under half this figure), if we secure a 1 percent share of this huge soft drinks market we have already sold 100 million cases of Virgin Cola—now that can’t be bad.”

— A sample line from the Virgin Cola press kit I got a hold of. (Yes, the comma after the parenthesis, although not grammatically correct, is how it showed up in 1998.) The kit, which notes that “we are in the U.S. cola market for the long term,” also emphasizes that Coke and Pepsi’s advertising is so similar “that they could be Twins,” giving Virgin an opportunity to drive through the market with its much edgier brand. (For those curious: The press kit does not include a CD-ROM even though it would have been era-appropriate, but does include a slide of what Virgin Cola looks like. The press kit includes a news release, printed on paper, with an embargo of May 12, 1998, discussing the tank stunt listed above.)

Virgin Cola, as shown on a Virgin Atlantic flight. Image: Satomi Abe/Flickr

So why aren’t we drinking Virgin Cola?

As proven by his stunts, Richard Branson knew how to drive a tank. Unfortunately for Virgin Cola, Coke knew how to control an army.

According to Branson’s book Losing My Virginity, Coke apparently took the threat of Virgin Cola quite seriously, taking aggressive steps to quash what it saw as a potential long-term threat to its business:

Initially Coca-Cola head office didn’t take Virgin Cola seriously as a threat so we had no opposition from them. What I didn’t know was that based in Atlanta, in Coke’s head office, was an English lady working in a senior position for Coca-Cola. She warned the management there that Virgin had the power and the brand to rock Coke on a worldwide basis and she persuaded her directors to let her set up a SWAT team in England to try and stamp us out. Within days she and her team had moved to England. Retailers were offered unbeatable terms from Coke to take their cola over ours. Smaller retailers were threatened with removal of Coca-Cola fridges. The campaign from Coca-Cola was even more potent than the dirty tricks campaign from British Airways to stamp out Virgin Atlantic but Virgin Cola survived. Ironically this very same lady now holds a senior position at Virgin’s main clearing bank.

A less optimistic view of the firm’s business prospects comes from the U.K. marketing magazine Campaign, which notes that the Virgin Cola brand’s reach wasn’t what it could be in the UK, though it was careful never to imply sabotage, rather simply suggesting that Virgin’s brand was a “little more than an irritant” with a distribution reach of around 30 percent.

There were things to be proud of, though.

“Each cola maker is able to produce favorable, if widely varying market research sales figures, but Virgin’s latest suggest its rivals should be nervous,” the magazine’s Sharon Marshall wrote in 1997. “Although its national share is only around [3 percent to 5 percent], Virgin claims that where its cola is sold in direct competition with Pepsi, it outsells the boys in blue.”

And at the time, setbacks for the brand were not unheard of. One of Virgin’s earliest wins was when the British discount retailer Iceland took on Virgin Cola shipments at a cut-rate price. By May of 1997, though, the shipments were seen generally as eyesores and Iceland decided it no longer would distribute the beverage.

The uphill battle also became a story for Virgin Cola in the U.S. market, which Coke and Pepsi had even tighter control over. A 1998 Washington Times article noted that Virgin Cola had successfully convinced Target to carry the line, along with at least one major gas-station retailer, but it was by no means the scale it would need to get anywhere near its level of success in other parts of the world.

“Whether or not they even make a tiny, infinitesimal dent in the market is still too early to tell,” Beverage Digest editor John Sicher told the newspaper. “They’ve got a good product and they’ve made a splash with their marketing. But you have to remember they’re competing in the home market and against the flagship brands of two of the best marketing companies in the world. Their challenge is Herculean.”

Despite the challenges, Virgin put on a strong face, as highlighted by the press release I currently have sitting on my coffee table, pledging it will someday be worth a lot of money.

“I am so excited by the thought of Virgin Cola taking on Coke and Pepsi in their home territory,” Branson told CNN Money in 1998. “I have always believed that you can never truly be an international cola until you have launched in the home of the colas—America.”

Certainly, a man whose company owns an airline, a chain of record stores, and a line of cinemas is able to do quite a bit of vertical integration all by himself. But the problem is that the soda industry is everywhere.

Perhaps it was inevitable that Virgin would get crushed.

Richard Branson has evolved, gracefully, into an elder statesman of the business world. The marketing is perhaps a little less stunt-driven than it once was (OK, minus the whole flying-into-the-edge-of-space thing), instead replaced by Branson using his considerable business knowledge to highlight what he’s learned over the years.

He still brings up Virgin Cola frequently—mostly as a cautionary tale. Speaking to NPR’s How I Built This podcast back in 2017, he noted that he’s learned to be thoughtful about instances of failure. He explained that the real problem was that Virgin Cola had little in the way of advantage, maybe a slight difference in taste, but the brand was going up against other companies with brands that were just as good, if not better.

“So since then what I learned from that was only to go into businesses where we were palpably better than all the competition,” he said.

Branson has founded hundreds of businesses over the years through Virgin. He can’t shed tears for all of them—he’s not built that way. But unlike the drink itself, Virgin Cola the idea seems to have had a lasting effect.

(Of course, the real question: Can I sell this press kit for an obscene amount of money?)

Virgin Cola: How Richard Branson Tried and Failed To Win the Soda Wars syndicated from https://triviaqaweb.wordpress.com/feed/

[pudgy-puk]

k so, i have here a microcosm of all my thoughts and feelings about our current localization style, good and bad. it’s all in the astrologian lvl40 quest, “slings and arrows.”

for those of you who have not done the quest, here is a rough approximation of how it goes down in english: jannequinard, the AST “guildmaster” in that he is the person you get your quests from, boredly enjoins you to meet with your actual teacher, leveva, who has left to do the serious training work in limsa lominsa (under guard of jannequinard’s manservant, quimperain). this is because, as has been established by this point, jannequinard is an utter dilettante, a younger son of the count of durendaire, apparently content to fritter away his family’s reputation, his share of the family fortune, and who knows how many years of his own life in hobbyist pursuit of sharlayan astrology and whatever pleasures, games, and distractions take his fancy. and whether or not one is fond of his characterization, it at the time is a new and interesting way to characterize a guildmaster/teacher in this game. most of the rest of the guildmasters are if not fully masters then at least basically competent and interested in the field (cf. alka zolka of SCH and erik of MNK; they both were intelligent and competent people whom the audience was encouraged to more or less respect, even though neither of them were scholars or monks); to have a guildmaster who is so unserious is a relative novelty. 

jannequinard, consistent with his characterization in english as a lazy, lecherous dilettante, prefaces his excuse for not coming along to do the work in limsa lominsa with “As much as I would like to indulge myself on the pillows of Rhotano pleasure barges[...].” this would be the first time a player has heard of such a thing, but it is an interesting and amusing bit of worldbuilding, of characterization of limsa lominsa. as a pirate town only recently cleaned up and made semi-presentable in polite company (by merlwyb’s efforts), brothels, bars, and other eh recreational areas on houseboats as show of luxury is consistent but interesting--it’s fun, especially if one is (as i am) fond of jannequinard as a ridiculous but endearing character. at this point, i am wholly on board with this quest, and looking forward to seeing where it leads.

but then, you as the player arrive in limsa lominsa, rendezvous with quimperain, and learn two things in quick succession. the first is that your teacher leveva is nowhere to be found. the second is that the people to whom you speak in searching for her (v’kebbe and carvallain) have both seen her and both made comments (carvallain indirectly, and v’kebbe very directly) that indicate that a significant portion of the workers on those barges are in fact trafficked, not there of their own free will, and that leveva is very much at risk for such abduction and trafficking. the rest of the quest is thus underlaid with this upsetting tension, that failure to locate leveva in time will result in her being abducted and sold into what amounts to sex slavery. it also renders jannequinard’s comments earlier much harsher in hindsight. v’kebbe and carvallain both speak of how the barges work in a casual way, as common knowledge, and this very much alters how jannequinard’s blasé comment about how much he’d like to spend time (and probably money) there comes across. it is one thing to seek sex with willing and knowledgeable partners, paid or not; it is quite another to do so with partners who have been trafficked, who one knows are or might have been trafficked yet does not care. that’s a major shift in the perception of a character who, until now, was characterized as an irritating, absurd fop, but pretty much harmless. and after this quest is concluded, none of this is ever brought up again.

this is because all of the brothels and sex trafficking business is an invention of the english localization. there’s no mention of anything like that whatsoever in JP/DE version, it’s just shady characters in limsa lominsa who threaten leveva, and jannequinard makes zero mention of any barges, pleasurable or not. therefore, there cannot be any followup on the upsetting issue raised--about how limsan characters we are supposed to like and regard as team good folks (more or less) don’t seem to care about sexual trafficking, about the disturbing implications for jannequinard’s character, whom we are supposed to find endearingly ridiculous, not callous or malicious. 

and, ultimately, there’s my issue with the localization, good and bad. i was totally on board with ridiculous limsan lewdness and corresponding spoiled-airheaded-nobleman ribaldry. it was fun! it informed the setting! ...until it took a turn into distressing, serious stuff that deserved serious consideration, not flavor text to be dropped like it never happened, because in other versions of this game, it didn’t happen. the english localization team has a lot of good ideas on how to enliven the translation, and flesh out the setting and make characters interesting. but they have got to stop doing so carelessly, dropping matters with serious implications in casually where they will have no space to address them. 

[victoryroadhq]

Welcome to the world of Pokemon, Caroline! You have been accepted for the role of Tabby Fagin. To get started, please consult the new trainer checklist.

OOC INFORMATION

NAME: Caroline, Caro

AGE: 28

TIMEZONE: EST

PRONOUNS: She/her

PRIOR EXPERIENCE: I’ve been roleplaying for about five years now. You can find a list of my accounts here.

OTHER: Nope!

CHARACTER INFORMATION

CHARACTER: Tabby Fagin

WHY DID YOU CHOOSE THIS CHARACTER?: As someone who both loves dogs and likes them better than people, I relate to Tabby a lot. And while I think she already has a lot of solid character growth, I think her position in life where her family gave up everything to help animals in need kind of makes her a bit harsh on the rest of the world. I think it’ll be really interesting to see how she ends up opening up to people and whether or not she makes mistakes when it comes to who she can trust when she’s so naturally skeptical of literally everyone.

CHARACTER BIOGRAPHY: Nope, I wrote it so I’m pretty cool with it.

POKEMON

HAVE YOU BEEN EXPOSED TO POKEMON PREVIOUSLY?: I used to watch the anime on WB Kids every Saturday morning until Misty and Brock left and broke my heart. At one point I tried to watch the Black & White anime, but I couldn’t get over how they pronounced Unova and had to stop. I’ve also played almost every game ever, but I only got to Hoenn recently. Somehow I managed to miss two whole generations of Hoenn games, but I got Alpha Sapphire a few months ago and finished it.

WHAT BABY POKEMON WOULD YOUR CHARACTER BE MOST INTERESTED IN HAVING?: Riolu, hands down. It’s a perfect intersection of Tabby’s interest in dark-colored and doglike Pokemon. A lot of the baby types are very cutesy and pink which just doesn’t fit her aesthetic. I think she’d also be interested in having a Fighting-type since most of the Pokemon she covets are Dark-type and it’d be good to cover more of her bases.

WHAT EEVEELUTION WOULD YOUR CHARACTER MOST LIKE TO HAVE?: I think Tabby would hands down be happiest with the idea of having an Umbreon. I think not only does it go with her whole facade of darkness and tough-looking Pokemon but leveling up via friendship would appeal to her. I also think she would never, ever want a Sylveon given the creepy skin bows.

WHAT LEGENDARY OR EVENT POKEMON WOULD YOUR CHARACTER MOST LIKE TO HAVE?: This is going to sound really depressing, but I think Tabby would most want a Celebi. I think the idea of having a Pokemon that could wander across time would appeal to her because some childish part of her would think it could go back and keep anything from happening to her mother.

IN CHARACTER QUESTIONS

In lieu of a writing sample, please answer the following questions in your character’s voice so we can get a sense of their characterization.

1. Do you believe that people are simply good or evil?

I don’t think people are evil in the way that our justice system portrays them to be. I don’t know why we care so much who is or isn’t smoking pot when there’s far worse things out there happening that we don’t try to stop. I do think there are shades of bad in this world that are unredeemable, shades of violence and abuse in particular. But by and large I’d say the largest evil currently facing our society is apathy. People claim to care so much about things, but not enough to leave the house once a year to vote or to even fill out a census. I think so many people in life just accept their circumstances and grind their life out in quiet depression and I’ve just never really understood that. And then there’s the rich. There’s people in this world that have more power than any president or prime minister because they have so much money they don’t need. And there’s no excuse for that level of greed and neglect towards other’s pain and suffering. Honestly, if you have enough money to put a dent in world hunger, or the housing crisis, or even some poor kid’s cancer bills, and you don’t - well, you’re the fucking devil.

2. If you could travel to any other region in the Pokemon world, where would you go and why?

I’d like to see Alola. My parents went there on their honeymoon and there are a bunch of pictures of them out by the sea with drinks in their hand, my dad said they carved their initials out on a tree somewhere and I’d like to find it - if they haven’t turned it into a parking lot by now. And I’d also really love to get my hands on a Rockruff, they’ve just always looked so cute when I see them on TV. We’ve never gotten on in the shelter though, so I’ve never gotten to up close and personal with one.

3. What Pokemon type do you believe best represents your personality and why?

I’d be a Dark-type. The analogy works in the fact that like 99% of my clothing is black, but I’m not really going on aesthetic. I just think Dark- and Ghost-type Pokemon get a bad rep because people see them as remnants of a bad situation, as shadowy vestiges of something that came before. And I guess maybe it’s that my dad could have looked at me the same way but he didn’t, he found the light in the situation and used it to his advantage. And I’m really no real stranger to the shadows either, I liked hanging out in the sewers back in Castelia City. It was down there that I first started battling and figuring out how much of a rush it gave me and then I’ve always been good at finding hiding places when I’m running around playing Robin Hood in the streets. I’m not really afraid of the same things other people are, any creatures lurking in the shadows should be afraid of me.

4. You have chosen to leave home to raise Pokemon on the road, braving rain, cold, and heat. What do you think you can gain from being on the road that you couldn’t get from staying in your hometown?

I’m used to being cold or damp, I literally lived on a houseboat. I don’t know, a lot of days I feel pretty sad about having left home if I think about it too much. I miss my dogs and my bed and just the general atmosphere of the city, none of the towns in Kanto really compare. The cities they do have are so bright and fun, I miss people wearing neutral colors and not smiling at you when you get on the train uptown. But I left because I needed to try my hand as an actual trainer, not just take down some weird doctors in the sewers. I guess as much as I pride myself on independence and not needing people, maybe being with my dad all the time kind of enabled me to just live his life and not have to figure out too much about what I wanted to do with mine. 

5. Professor Oak can never remember his grandson’s name, signifying a possible larger issue with their relationship. How would you describe your relationship with your own family?

I really only have my dad. There’s like a smattering of aunts who used to babysit me when I was younger, but they all disappeared when our bank account did - so I wouldn’t call them family. I think my dad is the best person in the entire world. There are a lot of people that wouldn’t be able to even handle raising a kid by themselves - let alone one like me. I can be difficult, I definitely realize that. I like to do things my own way and I don’t like people trying to help me or telling me what to do. But my dad just has the most patience of anyone I’ve ever met and has the biggest heart in the world. It gets him into trouble sometimes but I wouldn’t trade him for anyone. He’s my rock.

[mikeyd1986]

MIKEY’S PERSONAL BLOG 103, May 2018

Last Saturday morning, my parents and I drove down to the 9 Grams Cafe and the Armstrong Playground, Mount Duneed for Hunter’s 2nd birthday party. I was feeling a bit nervous about it considering I hadn’t seen certain family members for years and so there’s always social difficulties: remembering names, feeling socially, awkward, wanting to fit in and belong plus dealing with other’s peoples personalities. https://www.facebook.com/ArmstrongMtDuneed/

Thankfully it wasn’t too bad despite the gale force winds threatening to blow all the food, presents and decorations away. We literally had to tie and tape down the black balloons and giant number 2 balloon a few times. Because I only knew a handful of people, I was huddling around near my parents, aunties and uncles. I actually had a really good laugh with my Mum, Auntie Kathy and Auntie Gaye which helped to reduce those anxiety levels and made me feel more included on this special occasion.

When it comes to kids and being a Dad, I feel like Dr. Alan Grant from Jurassic Park who was lumped with John Hammond’s grandchildren. You could tell that he was very hesitant and desperately needed an instruction manual to look after them. I think the distance and lack of connection with my own Dad explains why I’ve always been so reluctant and awkward around kids. I literally don’t know what to say or do around them.

But baby Hunter seems like a good kid. He’s filled with boundless energy and has a cheeky smile. He was running around the playground, climbing onto the equipment with no issues at all. All the adults took it in turns to keep a close eye on him as he didn’t seem to have an off switch. We all sung “Happy Birthday” to Hunter three times as a group before having some cake and departing the playground.

Later on that afternoon, we drove down to Queenscliff Harbour to check out Gaye and Clint’s new houseboat, The Catamaran. It was difficult for me adjusting to the swaying motion of the boat even though it was tied down and moored. I guess I’m just not used to it. But I did try to relax and enjoy the experience. The interiors of the boat were really glamourous with plush red leather seating, a mini kitchenette and row of bar fridges, a dining area, downstairs galley, a front deck and top deck upstairs. We all enjoyed a couple of beers and wines each before checking into the Seaview House. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catamaran

The Seaview Guest House is an old English-styled motel featuring rustic wooden furniture, narrow corridors, low pile carpet runners, floral-patterned bedspreads, heritage coloured walls, floral print wallpaper and a selection of abstract and landscape paintings. The motel itself contains guest rooms with ensuites, TV, Wifi, central heating and cooling, a lounge area, dining room, cafe and art gallery. Outside my window of the guest room, there were some beautiful oak trees with large green and brown autumn leaves. A pile of these were all piled up at the foot of the building and scattered across the pavement. It was such a lovely place to stay the night in.  http://www.seaviewhouse.com.au/

Last Saturday night, we went down to Gaye and Clint’s place located in Clifton Springs to help them set up their shed for a garage sale tomorrow. Considering they’re actually selling the property and retiring on the houseboat, this was pretty much an “everything must go” affair. The shed was really dusty, dirty and cluttered with junk. Admittedly, I felt a little lost and uncertain being in there with Rod, Warren and Clint.

A big part of my autism is needing structure and clear instructions when doing a task. Thankfully that’s exactly what I was given which made it easier for me. I can’t stand the thought of standing around awkwardly and not being useful. I ended up putting all of the Styrofoam blocks in a big pile together, sorted out the extension leads into separate piles and putting some items out on the fold-out trestle table. I felt pretty proud of myself seeing how I arranged all of the handbags, lamps, towels, throw rugs and cushions out, ready for the garage sale tomorrow morning.

Later that night, we headed off to the Springs Bistro at Clifton Springs Golf Club for dinner. After feeding the dogs, Clint took me for a spin in his two-door red Nissan Coupe sports car. I really know next to nothing about cars so everything Clint was telling me about the features of this car went in one ear and out the other. However, the rev was really loud and fast. It felt like I was in the passenger seat of the Batmobile or an Aston Martin from the James Bond movies.

Being a Saturday night, the bistro was really buzzing with people so it was a good thing that Gaye booked us a table in advance. I ordered a beef burger with onion rings and a side of chips. I find that it can be really challenging dealing with my family but tonight we had plenty of laughs together. I was able to let go of some of my emotional issues at least for the time being. Even in the most stressful and dysfunctional of circumstances, we all have to stick together somehow.

Last Sunday morning, we checked out of the Seaview Guest House and had breakfast at the Panache Cafe & Creperie Edgewater, which is just a few minutes walk away. It is a French-styled cafe with beautiful lead-lighting, wooden tables and chairs, interior brickwork with torn plaster walls and large market umbrellas outside. I ordered the sweet crepe with strawberries and vanilla ice-cream which was absolutely delicious! https://panachecafeandcreperie.com.au/

Later on that morning, we drove back down to Gaye and Clint’s place in Clifton Springs to help them out with their garage sale. I felt a little out of my depth being one of the “helpers” but I just tried to be myself and decided to adopt my door greeter role from work. Greeting other people is something I can definitely do even when they’re total strangers to me. There we met a bubbly lady named Rosalyn Dodds who was quite easy to talk to. She is a friend of Gaye and Clint’s.

I decided to buy a few things to help contribute to Gaye and Clint’s sales including a table lamp with a bright purple shade and a sky blue coloured cushion. I was technically broke today but I really wanted to buy something even for a few dollars. My parents ended up buying a large floor rug, twin lamp shades, an extension lead, a handful of old records, some cushions, a throw rug and an antique tick-tock wall clock.

On Monday night, I attended my first Zumba class in probably over a year at YMCA Casey ARC in Narre Warren. I still remember back in 2016 when I tried my very first Zumba class and was literally shitting myself at the back of the group fitness room. Back then, my anxiety levels were in overdrive and I was very self-conscious about my body. I was also really worried about people looking at me, keeping up and messing up the dance moves. Five years ago, I wouldn’t be caught dead doing a Zumba class. All this shows how much I have progressed not only with my fitness goals but also my personal development.

I think I’ve really learned to not take life as seriously and be comfortable having a laugh at myself. It’s honestly the only way I could ever actually enjoy a Zumba class. I know right off the bat that I can’t dance to save my life and so I’ve already accepted how uncoordinated my dance moves probably look to most people. Plus I’m not there to be a technical Latin dancer. I’m there to burn off calories and have fun.

The instructor Geri certainly helps to make Zumba accessible to everyone. Nobody really gives a shit about how you dance or what you look like so being judged is not a concern for me. Of course it’s still pretty challenging for me both keeping up and articulating the dance movements at least to some extent. If I get really stuck, I always try to follow along with the person in front of me. But I had a ball tonight. I was shaking my hips, swinging my arms overhead, wiggling my chest and man boobs and sweating a whole heap. https://www.fitnessfirst.com.au/find-a-class/zumba/

On Tuesday morning, I started the first week of my Employ Your Mind - Phase 2 program at WISE Employment in Cranbourne. This phase of the program is very different compared to the first phase for several reasons: you work in a group rather than 1 on 1, you do individual work on a project of your choice and start working on the Thinking Gym, which are computer-based puzzles designed to help improve your cognition skills.

Of course for me, meeting new people is still a barrier for me and initially my social anxiety was flaring up a bit when I met the other learning coaches and EYM students. But once I was settled in, I was generally fine and more relaxed. We started the first session by introducing each other to the group in pairs. Then my learning coach went through the guidelines and group expectations.

The computer program that is used in Employ Your Mind is called HAPPYneuronPro. Each of the puzzles or games in the program focuses on a different area of thinking including long term memory, working memory, attention, reasoning and problem solving and thinking speed. I found these games to be a little difficult but mostly enjoyable and educational.

The last part of today’s session involved doing a mini project called Introduce Yourself. We each had to present information about ourselves regarding character strengths, general facts, interests, goals and thinks that we’ve discovered during Phase 1. For me, this has always been an area I’ve struggled with...oral presentations in groups and just public speaking in general.

Every time it feels like the spotlight is focused directly on me and I always seem to get flustered, anxious and shaky. But I think I did pretty well considering it’s only a small group of us. I would have been much worse in front of a larger group, on a stage, with a microphone and no notes in front of me. No thank you! http://www.fifeemploymentaccesstrust.com/employ-your-mind.html

On Tuesday night, Mandi Herauville, Rodney Millar and myself did a wet session together at P3 Sports & Recovery in Berwick. It was my first time visiting this place even though I’ve driven past it many times in the past year or so. I was feeling slightly apprehensive about it seeing as this centre is mainly designed for athletes and sports people but honestly who cares? I deserve to recover just as much as anyone else. I suppose you could say that I’m from a fitness background considering my participation in Crossfit and Strength Training.

In a way, P3 does have similar facilities compared to a traditional aquatic centre such as swimming pools, a spa bath and a sauna room. But the difference is that there is more of a focus on hydrotherapy and being able to recover from sport-related injuries and soreness. There are also plunge pools, a 12 metre swimming pool and a hydrotherapy pool. There are so many benefits from using these facilities from increased blood flow and muscle strength to reduced joint tension and relaxed muscles. http://p3sportsmelbourne.com.au/wet-therapy/

Of course being my first time being at P3, the usual questions flooded my mind: Where am I going? Am I heading in the right direction? But that stems from my need for clarity and certainty in new situations. But it didn’t take long for me to find my way around and bump into Mandi and Rodney. I think the most challenging part was adjusting to the sudden change in water temperature. It’s not everyday that you’re suddenly jumping from a hot spa into an ice cold water pool and visa versa. http://p3sportsgoldcoast.com.au/wet-therapy/

My cheeky side really came out tonight as I was making jokes about my sexuality. I’m a gay man and of course I’m going to be appreciating the masculine form of the male species. There were whole sports teams worth of guys flooding into the wet therapy area and I was not complaining at all, just saying! (IT’S RAINING MEN. HALLELUJAH. IT’S RAINING MEN, AMEN!). I’ve become so relaxed about being gay now that it doesn’t bother me if other people know. I don’t exactly yell it from the rooftops either.

There was a 3 minute timer constantly ticking over as you generally “cycle” between pools. You really had to be switched on and ready to move when the timer hit zero. It was certainly a different experience to your typical aquatic centre type pools. The added bonus is that the water contains magnesium chloride, which is similar to the Epsom salts used in baths to relax and soothe your muscles. Despite the blokey atmosphere, I really enjoyed tonight’s session at P3 probably due to the company of Mandi and Rodney. It certainly made things far less daunting for me. http://p3sports.com.au/try-the-magnesium-hydro-pool-or-a-session-in-the-recovery-lounge/

On Thursday morning, I had an appointment with my support worker Ally Lamb at Colourfield Cafe Casey Central in Narre Warren South. I was feeling pretty drained today, probably due to how eventful work was last night and also the sudden change in weather (insert “WINTER IS COMING” meme here). But it still felt good sharing my thoughts and feelings with Ally today. People can really drag you down sometimes but it’s important to build yourself back up again. I still have moments where I get upset, emotional and overwhelmed at work but I’m learning to deal with it better. https://www.dss.gov.au/our-responsibilities/mental-health/programs-services/personal-helpers-and-mentors-phams

I decided to finish off my Mother’s Day shopping and get some groceries at Woolies. But that, I had to drop into Centre Management. I actually won a prize advertised on the Casey Central Shopping Centre Facebook page for Mum. It was a homewares gift pack from Habitania - Casey Central including a clock, bird and succulent. I’ve also got my mum a pink poinsettia plant, notepad and weekly planner, a coffee mug from The Pancake Parlour, a teal coloured cushion, some lavender scented bath salts and an animal door stopper (corduroy dog). http://caseycentral.com.au/

On Friday morning, I attended a Vinyasa Flow yoga class with Dell Brown at Just Be Yoga and Meditation in Beaconsfield. I was actually intending to do a yoga class last night but I was feeling really off for some reason. My energy levels crashed sometime in the afternoon and even though mentally I wanted to go, physically my body said “No Way!”. So I made the decision to wait until tomorrow morning and hopefully I’d feel more up to going.

It was a really wise decision despite the torrential rain and traffic on the roads at 9am. Considering how cold and wet the weather conditions were, it was a large turnout in the studio this morning. I still wasn’t 100% but I had enough strength and energy to get me through today’s class. I heard that sudden changes in weather temperatures can affect a person’s mood and energy levels and I can very much attest to that.

We did several flowing sequences (Downward Facing Dog, Plank, Chaturanga, Seal or Updog), a Sun Salutation (Standing Forward Fold, Half Lift, High Lunge, Warrior 2, Revolved Triangle pose, Reverse Warrior), balance sequence (Tree pose, Dancers pose) and some supported handstands into the wall. https://www.livestrong.com/article/332693-what-are-the-benefits-of-vinyasa-yoga/

I was actually really proud and impressed that I was able to pull off and hold an L-Shaped handstand into the wall with no assistance needed (thank you Aaron Petty!). I think patience, practice and confidence have had a huge part to play in that considering I could barely place on foot on the wall a couple of years ago. https://www.doyouyoga.com/how-to-do-l-shaped-handstand/

Later that morning, Mum and I treated ourselves to a Classic Victorian-styled High Tea at Baked Bakery Cafe and Patisserie in Narre Warren South. We only decided doing this a couple of days prior to celebrate Mother’s Day and I’m glad we did. The staff at the Bakery were all very accommodating and polite with Irish chef David being our host. We enjoyed a glass of sparkling non-alcoholic champagne, a teapot of English Breakfast tea, two types of scones: white chocolate and cranberry, cheese and herb, a selection of finger sandwiches, brownies, jelly slices and green macrons. All of this for $25 per person. Easily the cheapest high tea I’ve ever had with excellent service and beautifully presented food and drink.

On Mother’s Day, my parents and I went out to dinner at The Pancake Parlour (Fountain Gate). I wisely decided to book the table a week in advance as I knew how packed the restaurant would be for Mothers Day. I couldn’t help but spoil Mum with everything she does for me. Luckily I bought a large gift bag to put all the pressies in. I ordered the Royal Canadian pancakes with bacon, eggs, pineapple and banana fritter. It was a good night out enjoyed by everyone especially my Mum. https://www.pancakeparlour.com.au/

“Open to everything happy and sad. Seeing the good when it's all going bad. Seeing the sun when I can't really see. Hoping the sun will at least look at me. Focus on everything better today. All that I need and I never could say. Hold on people that slipping away. Hold on to this while it's slipping away.” Moby - Slipping Away (2005)