#Best Places To Retire Mexico

[thistledropkick]

By request, here's a brief summary of the history between El Desperado and Douki! I wrote this for @novampiresremain but it might be of interest to someone else too?

Sorry for the lack of cited sources, but the English language NJPW website is still down, and I don't want to dig through the Japanese website for citations. This is written from my own memory, but most of the information comes from NJPW's website, Taichi's blog, various tweets, and wikipedia.

As a teenager, Douki wanted to train to be a wrestler, but specifically, he wanted to train to be a luchador. At age 18, he'd decided that in order to pursue his dream, he would move to Mexico by himself, despite a complete lack of wrestling training and zero ability to speak Spanish. Douki happened to know Milano Collection A.T. and asked him for some advice. (His connection to Milano is also why he still uses one of Milano's techniques, the Italian Stretch Number 32, as a finishing move. And if you ever listen to a Douki match with Milano on Japanese commentary, you'll hear Milano get very emotional cheering for Douki.)

At this time, Milano had recently been forced to retire from wrestling due to vision problems. Milano's ex-tag partner Taichi, brokenhearted and feeling abandoned, had run away to Mexico. Taichi was living at a house with other NJPW wrestlers and training at the CMLL gym. Milano advised Douki to go to live and train with Taichi, and Douki did exactly that.

Taichi remained in Mexico for about a year before returning to Japan. Douki kept training and wrestling as an indie wrestler in Mexico.

Outside of kayfabe, Mikami Kyosuke's excursion to Mexico and CMLL began in 2012. Within Desperado's kayfabe background, he's from Mexico originally. Regardless, he met Douki during that time period, and they've both talked about their time together in Mexico, a pair of broke wrestlers drinking cheap beer and watching funny videos online together.

(Outside of kayfabe, Desperado was a wrestler from NJPW, Japan's biggest promotion, wrestling in CMLL, a major promotion, while Douki was wrestling as a freelancer in the indies. Other wrestlers who also know Desperado from that time period have mentioned that he treated all other wrestlers the same regardless of what company they worked for. Sasaki of DDT has said that this is why he and Desperado originally became friends, and I suspect it's part of why Desperado became friends with Douki as well.)

Desperado returned to Japan in 2014, making his debut as Desperado early that year. Douki kept wrestling on the indies in Mexico, while making occasional trips back to Japan to wrestle in the indies there. He made his Japanese wrestling debut in 2015, but continued to wrestle primarily in Mexico, sometimes in Texas, and only occasionally in Japan.

In early 2019, Douki's old friend Taichi booked him for one of his own Taka Taichi self-produce shows - in a singles match against Kasai Jun. Douki fought with his usual fearlessness, but lost. Kasai won the match with his signature Reverse Tiger Driver, but modified - he added rotation to it, making it look very similar to El Desperado's Pinche Loco. After winning, Kasai prepared to hit an unconscious Douki with another Reverse Tiger Driver, but Desperado ran in to save Douki, who he called his little brother.

That match was the setup for Desperado and Kasai's first pair of singles matches, at TakaTaichi Mania II. Desperado wanted revenge for what Kasai had done to his "little brother" Douki, and he showed up wearing a half Desperado, half Douki mask.

During one of those matches, Kasai accidentally broke Desperado's jaw. As a result of the injury, Desperado had to skip the 2019 Best of the Super Junior tournament, which left NJPW scrambling for a replacement. Douki was still in Japan, since he'd also been booked on the same show where Kasai had broken Desperado's jaw, so he took Desperado's place in the tournament as a last-minute substitute.

He spent the entire tournament carrying Desperado's mask around with him, and taking out his anger on everyone around him instead of actually trying to win any matches. At first, he said he was just there for his "boss" Taichi and his "brother" Desperado, but he ended up being brought into Suzuki Gun by the end of the tournament.

Over time, Douki continued to grow as a wrestler, and became more and more competitive with Desperado. Desperado has always welcomed this, even when they were both in the same faction, and has also encouraged Douki in his own Suzuki Gun way when Douki has talked down on himself in the past. (I keep meaning to translate some tweets related to this, and I will get around to it eventually.)

In a strange way, Douki owes his current position to Desperado. I have to believe that Douki winning the Junior Heavyweight belt for the first time from Desperado, specifically, meant a lot to both of them.

@novampiresremain I hope that background information helps a little bit! If you (or anyone else) would like specific match recommendations involving these two, let me know and I'd be happy to provide some, although some relevant matches aren't available on NJPW World.

[mysteriouslyjovialcolor]

Mexico 2024

-I’m calm, I’m calm, I’m calm, I’m so calm

-I LIED, I AM NOT CALM

-Aaaaaaaah, okay let’s go (The race doesn’t even start until two minutes from now)

-Valterri holds the race record here as well? Asking once again why he’s in a Sauber

-Esteban from the pit lane? What happened there?

-Okay, okay, okay can’t think anymore, we’re starting

-Max!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

-Yuki???? Whaaaat??

-Carlos where are you going???

-Ohmygod Safety Car

-Alex out too!!

-Aaah so much chaos!!!!

-Oh that replay makes the crash looks so much worse then it looked before

-Oh wow, well done Checo. That was unexpected.

-“Unfortunately for Yuki Tsunodo, I don’t think he did anything wrong there” WHYYY

-“Sergio Perez is being investigated for a false start” I- I take whatever I said before back

-Cars weaving behind the safety car>>>

-I’m surprised Oscar hasn’t gained positions yet

-Franco has though!

-Ah Carlos!!

-The top three are so close together now!! Top four I think actually!!

-Oh god, not again with these two!

-Charles???? Ever the opportunist!!

-“Both Verstappen and Norris have handed this on a silver platter to Ferrari”

-10s penalty for Max

-Red Bull just catching Ls this week

-“10! That’s impressive!” This guy

-George and Lewis!

-Ferrari teammate drama incoming?

-Fernando Alonso retiring??? Oh his 400th race weekend?? So unfortunate

-“Keep it clean. You have a good place. Keep it clean” Oh we’re racing babyyy

-“Quite an impressive job the Haas team are doing” yessss!!

-Liam and Checo!! Oh I’m loving how much drama is happening here right now

-Wow Checo is really driving hard

-20s penalty. I will cry

-Oscar and Franco?!! Yessss! Omg this is so exciting!!

-Back to crying

-Yay Oscar! Mans just moves in silence

-So much crying. Why am I still watching?

-“This is turning into a nightmare weekend for Red Bull. A lot of it, no, in fact all of it, self-inflicted” Big sigh

-Hate when any of the Haas drivers pit and then they lose position and then sometimes they don’t regain position and then I’m sad

-Can’t afford to be more sad than this, need at least my midfielders to do well

-At least Max is back in the points. We can be somewhat happier.

-If you had told me that the multi-championship drivers (Lewis and Max) might be about to race each other I would think they’d be racing for top positions and not for p5 or p6

-Oh Charles potential undercut on Carlos? Him winning would cause so much drama, I feel it. (I secretly want it)

-“One more lap guys, come on, one more lap”

-So much pit stop strategy afoot

-I was distracted, how is Lawson p4??

-Not him still fighting Oscar

-“Mate think about pulling me out of this” I feel you Oscar (I actually don’t but I can empathize)

-Liam “cork in the bottle” Lawson!

-Yess Oscar!! Lewis too!! Double overtake!!

-Kinda expected there to be more of a fight between Max and Franco

-How has Max done a better recovery drive than Checo? What’s wrong with Checo’s car fr

-“I had a big misfire out of Turn 3” ???

-Nico back in points 🎶

-Aww Franco having car problems :/

-I guess the people are about to get what they want and Oscar is about to play the team game

-“McLaren not trying to use him to hold off Max Verstappen in any way shape or form” I’m so confused???

-Go Kevin Magnussen!!!

Ohmygodd Nico back up too!!

-Why do these two always run together?? It’s hilarious how evenly matched they look

-“Miserable Mexican Grand Prix for Sergio Perez” I feel for that guy, I really do

-“Taking away fastest lap” The things Daniel Ricciardo does to the sport

-“20s gap back to Russel” Mercedes?? Fight back??

-Franco and Oscar pt2! He’s so impressive, Franco

-“George, we are free to race here. Let’s give each other room”

-“There’s young Kimi Antonelli” He’s so tiny!

-Franco fast lap. I hope he gets to keep it this time.

-How is Lewis stuck behind George for so long?

-Aah no!! Nico lost a place :(

-Oh god Charles vs Lando incoming. I can’t watch this

-“We need your best driving now, let’s go” Aaaaaaaah

-Seriously, how is Lewis still stuck behind George?

-“In the olden days, they would’ve done something about this at Mercedes” Righttt

-Poor Franco, lost the fast lap again

-“This is not going to be the easiest fight in the world, up against Charles Leclerc”

-Aaaaaaaaaaah

-I’m actually going to cry

-OHMYGOD NO!!!

-That could’ve been so much worse tho, at least he got back in

-Haas is having such a good race, I’m so happy

-Have to acknowledge George’ defense…

-Finally!!!! Let’s go Lewis!!!

-If Carlos wins this race, it would be his second race with Lando coming 2nd (…I would have two pennies, which wouldn’t be a lot but it’s strange that it happened twice…)

-“Chasing down the man he started a bromance with” Carlando alive and kicking

-Liam Lawson fast lap lol

-“Only man to have won from pole position”

-Lol fastest lap contest

-“He’s not playing second fiddle to anyone is Carlos Sainz”

-Let’s go!!! He manifested this!!!! He got his one last win in Ferrari!!!!!

[three--rings]

So this whole Trump Racist Conspiracy on Immigrants Eating Pets thing...

It's the oldest smelliest Racist Uncle At Thanksgiving Shit. It doesn't matter the race or the location or the time period, people are accusing them of eating cats and dogs.

So, a personal story.

About 18 years ago I was working as a social worker and one day I was sent to a different county to help out in a public mental health clinic in a rural town that I normally didn't go to.

And lunchtime came around and the local workers were like, let's go each lunch. And there were not a lot of places to eat in this town. Like a McDonald's, a subway, and idk a few local places. They said we can go to the chinese buffet and me and my coworker were like cool let's go. And the psychiatrist there that day said he would go to lunch with us and treat us. Excellent!

So we go to this little chinese place and it's not, like, great. It's mediocre chinese all-you-can-eat buffet in a town with a dearth of asian people, yunno? But it's fine. It's edible. And we're all sitting there eating and we notice, hey, the psychiatrist doesn't have any food.

"Not eating lunch?" someone asks him.

"I don't eat Chinese food," he says.

"Oh?" Puzzled looks all around, like...this is a pretty weird statement, considering regardless of dietary concerns it's pretty easy to find something to eat, you know.

"No. You never know what that meat is," he says with confidence, with the air of someone older and wiser letting the young folks in on a secret. This man is probably late 60s, retired from normal practice. White, obviously, with a strong Texas accent (that pegs him as rural).

Silence and looks around the table. Nervous laughter. "Uh, what do you mean?"

"I mean I bet there no stray cats on the streets around here."

Longer silence as what this man is saying sinks in. Finally, my coworker, a black man who doesn't put up with much, says, "let me get this straight...you think we're eating cat right now?"

The doctor shrugs. "How do you know you're not?"

"You think it's easier for this restaurant to go catch cats and use them in the food than buying something at a store?"

More shrugging. Then he doubles down. "Hey I used to work in The Valley [the Rio Grande Valley, along the border with Mexico, an area with high poverty and like 90% hispanic] and I'll just tell you that there are no stray dogs down there."

Raised eyebrows and the looking down at your plates that happens when Racist Uncle starts going off. My coworker continues to challenge him a little, "No dogs. You looked everywhere..." etc.

You have to understand the power dynamics at play too. A psychiatrist in public mental health is the VERY TOP of the hierarchy. It's so hard to get a psychiatrist to come to the middle of nowhere and practice in shit conditions for shit (relative) pay. You don't usually get the best. So you have to treat them like royalty. What they says goes. They are treated with such deference. So we really were just in this situation of like...what the fuck do you do. Don't Piss Off The Doctor is a big rule. (I was really lucky that the clinic I usually worked at had a good young doctor out of Austin, who was bilingual and like...quirky? Always late? But provided good care.)

I did later find out this doctor had a reputation of the "don't be a female and find yourself alone with him" variety. Some people had been moved offices because they refused to work with him. But like, finding a replacement for him was virtually impossible.

Anyway, so that was the first time I had someone to my face talk about all the immigrants eating cats and dogs. And it wasn't even one of my patients! I heard a lot of shit at that job but never anything as blatantly racist as what that psychiatrist said. (Sexist? homophobic? okay yeah)

[mikhailwrites]

Waiting for Connection 15 / Ghost x Soap

Ghost is retired and plays milsim videogame. Soap is still in the force and sometimes plays that same videogame...

AN: It's a short chapter, but... just think of the exciting things to come from this!

Previous chapter | AO3

Ghost was right, of course. When they do the rematch, he gets his ass handed to him. First, Alejandro and Rudy flush him out of his hiding spot with outstanding teamwork. They don’t discover him, but it’s a close call. While relocating, Ghost runs into Roach, who’s been waiting and ready, and there’s nothing close about that encounter. It’s a quick and clean vendetta.

All the while, Soap takes out some AI enemies and gets to the holding cells. By the time Roach is putting a bullet into Ghost, John is well on his way to the RV. It wasn’t entirely fair since it’s been basically four-to-one, but Ghost did his best to make it harder. The truth is, he’s not sure he would be able to win this round even with Gaz, so it’s a well-deserved victory.

Just like the last time, they reunite after the match, and predictably, the mood is much lighter. There’s not much for Ghost to comment on as to future improvements; they really did well this time. Apparently the most challenging part was to get the AI-controlled VIPs to RV since they sometimes got stuck or the follow command stopped working.

“I swear I almost wanted to shoot them myself,” Soap says as he tells them of his little jungle adventure.

“Then the mission would fail. In any case, it couldn’t have been worse than escorting civilians for real,” Ghost replies, earning a hum of agreement from Alejandro. It seems he’s had his fair share of experience. Not that it surprises Ghost. He might not know what Alejandro did prior to joining the task force, but that doesn’t mean Ghost doesn’t have at least some idea. The man is clearly skilled, well-trained and experienced, and that, paired with the accent and some off-handed mentions here and there, paints an interesting picture. Special forces, most likely, and from that part of the world? That says a lot. Ghost had some joint operations in South and Central America. In Mexico, too, of course, but he would rather not go down that particular memory lane. In any case, he always respected his counterparts.

They talk about the mission a little longer before Rudy changes the topic. “I was thinking… It’s my birthday next month, and we wanted to hit the pub and have a few drinks. Wanna join us, Ghost?”

Simon sits back in his chair, thinking hard. He appreciates the offer. It’s just that it sounds like a lot of people at once.

“Come on, Ghost, last time I went to visit you, it’s time you returned the favour!” Soap joins in with a very low-blow argument. Technically speaking, it was John’s idea to visit him in the first place, but Simon happily agreed.

“I… I’ll think about it,” Ghost relents eventually because he has to give them some answer. It’s noncommittal; he can always refuse later.

“Great, we’ll hold a spot for you in any case. Just let me know if you want me to arrange a room on the base for you, it shouldn’t be a problem, but I’ll need a little heads-up,” Soap's voice betrays a smile. He wants Ghost to come, and Simon would be lying if he said he didn’t want to see him again.

They say their goodbyes and good nights, Simon takes off the headset and sighs. Sergeant appears out of nowhere, jumping onto his lap with an inquisitive meow. Simon scratches the cat on the neck, letting it sit. “What do you think, should I go?”

Stripey starts to purr, closing the big green eyes as his human continues with scratching.

“Some help you are,” Simon inclines his head but smiles softly at the creature. He should really start thinking about what he’s hoping to achieve with all of this.

[luvhughes43]

soccer royalty | trevor zegras x reader

luvhughes43 masterlist🌷

request: Trevor Zegras x Latina!reader where she’s the daughter, sister, and granddaughter of three famous soccer players from Mexico but when her dad retired they moved to the states to raise their family. Maybe shes very private with her life due to how famous her last name is in the Latino community, and when Trevor announces that they’re dating everyones freaking out because he’s dating soccer royalty and he’s just like “huh?” Because she never brought up who her family is. 

note: i know nothing about how soccer works

word count: 0.8k

soccer was in your blood. your father, grandfather, and brother were all accomplished and famous players. when your dad finally retired from the mexico national team, after helping mexico secure their first world cup win, your family name became cemented into the latino community. 

you grew up playing soccer in california, which came to no surprise to anyone. however, after an injury in your freshman year playing for the california golden bears, you were forced to quit the sport. after your injury, you sort of dropped of the face of the earth. you had felt so much pressure from your family, and families fans to be good at soccer, that now that it was all over for you, you were glad to just take a step back.

therefore, when you started dating pro athlete Trevor Zegras, you didn’t rush to tell him who your family was. he knew about your injury, and that your brother was on the mexico national team, but he didn’t know how famous your family was in the soccer world. 

trevorzegras

liked by ynuser, jackhughes, jamie.drysdale, and others

trevorzegras night out🌃🔥

tagged: ynuser

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fan1 BRO IS DATING YN LN???

ynuser ❤️❤️

trevorzegras ❤️❤️

fan2 does he even know who she is…

jackhughes congrats man🔥🔥

trevorzegras thanks jacky wacky

fan3 jacky wacky??😭😭

jamie.drysdale where was my invite??

ynuser you’re coming next time

jamie.drysdale next time where ditching trevy and going out on our own liked by ynuser

trevorzegras jamie.drysdale 🤔

fan4 hard launching yn ln is crazyy😭😭

Trevor sat next to you on his couch scrolling through his insta comments. he read through all the comments talking about your family and how famous you were in the soccer/latino community. 

“hey … yn” Trevor started, tilting his phone so you could read his comments. you froze, completely unaware of how Trevor was going to react now that he knows the truth about your family. “why didn’t you tell me about your family?” he asked, switching over to google so he could search your family name. 

“I was going to tell you I just… i dont know” you trailed off which made Trevor snap his head in your direction and drop his phone on the couch.

“oh baby i'm not upset!” he announced, grabbing onto one of your hands. 

“i just, my whole life i’ve been attached to my familys name and i just… i don’t know. after my injury and everything i’ve just wanted privacy away from it all” you explained, and Trevor nodded along to your every word. 

now that he knew, you explained everything to him. the pressure you felt, the injury, your family's fame. he listened and understood, holding onto your hand the whole time you were talking to him. you weren’t ashamed of your family by no means, you loved them and you loved your community, it was just nice to have privacy. 

a few days later you walked into Trevors room for your weekly movie night. 

“what are you watching?” you asked as you laid down next to him.

Trevor set his phone down but you still heard the audio. 

“are you watching my dads soccer highlights?” you laughed, succeeding in grabbing Trevor's phone from him. on the screen was a twenty minute compilation of your dads “best moments”. 

you laughed again and Trevor huffed, grabbing his phone back from you. “what? he’s good?” Trevor said as he lightly gripped your waist and pulled you in to cuddle with him. 

“you’re cute” you smiled, pulling away to place a kiss on Trevors nose. Trevors smile lit up his face and you felt butterflies rising in your stomach.

“You’re cuter” he replied, pulling you down to place a kiss on your lips, his hands trailing down your sides. 

“mhmm, and by the way my family wants to meet you” you pulled away from Trevor who looked at you with wide eyes.

“they what?” he asked a little frantically which made you giggle.

you hummed in response, “yeah my brother is playing a game in a few weeks and since it’s off season for you…” 

“oh my god i'm going to meet your family,” Trevor said, pulling away from you and sitting up. “AND we’re going to a soccer game? what do i wear to a soccer game? do you think they’ll like me? where’s the game at? okay but what if-” Trevor went off on one of his tangents, nonstop asking you questions about your family, and how meeting them would be like. you answered his questions once he slowed down, happy that he was excited to meet your family.

ynuser just posted !

ynuser

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ynuser trevors first pro football (soccer) game🫡⚽️

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yourbrother trevorzegras so cool to finally meet you!

ynuser yourbrother you have to come up for a hockey game now!

yourbrother ynuser i’m down

trevorzegras yourbrother it was cool to meet you too! loved the game⚽️💯

fan1 trevor meeting the family🔥

jamie.drysdale looking good trevorzegras

trevorzegras had the best time! thank you so much for bringing me! I love your family❤️

ynuser i love you😭❤️

trevorzegras i love you more❤️

[deadpresidents]

Road Trip

On November 8, 1960, millions of Americans went to the polls in what would become one of the closest Presidential elections in American History:  John Fitzgerald Kennedy versus Richard Milhous Nixon.

That morning, Kennedy voted in Boston and Nixon voted in Whittier, California.  The candidates had spent months canvassing the nation, working to get every last vote – and every last vote was needed.  For the past several weeks, Kennedy and Nixon had criss-crossed the country, debated one another, and been working non-stop to be elected the 35th President of the United States.

After they voted that day, there were results to monitor, precincts to watch, election day problems to take care of, and many other things to worry about.  Imagine being on the cusp of the Presidency – with a 50/50 chance of being elected the next President of a superpower in the grip of the Cold War, with the threat of Communism and nuclear weapons hanging over your head, and the hopes of hundreds of millions of people pinned on either your victory or defeat.  Imagine being in the position of John F. Kennedy or Richard Nixon on November 8, 1960.  What would you do? 

John F. Kennedy put the control of his campaign in the hands of his younger brother, Bobby, and then took a nap.

And Richard Nixon took a road trip to Mexico.

Once Nixon voted that morning at a private home in a quiet Whittier neighborhood, he had been scheduled to head to the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles (where Bobby Kennedy would be assassinated eight years later) for the Election Day vigil and the long wait for the returns which would indicate whether he would be moving into the White House or facing an early retirement. 

Nixon was finished voting by 8:00 AM and hopped into his black Cadillac limousine to be driven to the Ambassador.  Several blocks away from the polling place, Nixon ordered the limousine to stop.  Along with a military aide and a Secret Service agent, Nixon jumped out of the limo and into a white convertible follow-up car driven by an officer from the Los Angeles Police Department.  Nixon took the LAPD officer’s place, got behind the wheel and ditched the press which had been following him.

Driving to La Habra, California, Nixon made a quick visit with his mother, making sure she had voted for her son in the Presidential election.  Nixon drove south along the Pacific Coast Highway, with no specific destination.  He stopped for gasoline in Oceanside and told a gas station attendant – startled to see the Vice President of the United States on a joyride on the very day that he stood for election as President – “I’m just out for a little ride."  Nixon confided that it was his only source of relaxation.

As the group of four men, with Nixon in the driver’s seat, reached San Diego – over two hours away from Nixon’s campaign headquarters at L.A.’s Ambassador Hotel – Nixon pointed out that he hadn’t been to Tijuana in at least 25 years.

As David Pietrusza wrote in his recap of Nixon’s road trip, "Richard Nixon – the ultimate control freak – was winging it on the most important day of his life."  Not only that, but the sitting Vice President of the United States and the man who many Americans were choosing to become the next President, impulsively decided to leave the entire country while those voters were still at the polls.

In Tijuana, Nixon and his party headed to a restaurant called Old Heidelberg.  Despite the fact it was owned by a German, Border Patrol agents told Nixon that it was the best place in Tijuana for Mexican food.  Joined at the last moment by Tijuana’s Mayor, Xicotencati Leyva Aleman, Nixon, his military aide, a Secret Service agent, and an average LAPD officer ate enchiladas in Mexico while John F. Kennedy took a nap in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts.

When Nixon’s press secretary Herb Klein was asked about the missing candidate, he had to tell reporters that Nixon often took some private moments on hectic days such as Election Day.  Really, though, Klein had no clue where Nixon was, eventually admitting that the Vice President was "driving around without any destination”. 

After lunch in Tijuana, Nixon and his companions headed back north towards the United States border crossing.  The LAPD officer took over driving duties as Nixon sat in the convertible’s passenger seat.  A shocked Border Patrol guard shook hands with the Vice President and asked the man who was currently on the ballot for the Presidency, “Are you all citizens of the United States?”.

Nixon and company drove to the Mission of San Juan Capistrano, which Nixon called “one of my favorite Catholic places” on the day he faced the first successful Catholic candidate for the Presidency in American History.  Nixon took his three companions on a quick, informal tour of the Mission.  “For a few minutes, we sat in the empty pews for an interlude of complete escape,” Nixon later recalled.

The missing candidate and his three road trip buddies arrived back in Los Angeles before the election results started rolling in.  Nixon had to explain his trip to reporters who had been searching for him all day.  “It wasn’t planned.  We just started driving and that’s where we wound up.”

In his Memoirs, Nixon didn’t go too far into explaining why he escaped on Election Day, but a paragraph about that day is pretty illuminating:

“After one last frenetic week, it was over.  Since the convention in August I had traveled over 65,000 miles and visited all fifty states.  I had made 180 scheduled speeches and delivered scores of impromptu talks and informal press conferences.  There was nothing more I could have done.”

Except escape to Mexico while JFK slept.

[callsign-speedy]

my up to date thoughts about the mexico gp (everything in brackets is an afterthought)

- absolutely mental first lap feel bad for tsunoda.

- awh poor albon

- lando/ max incident absolutely mental. dangerous from max but rb engineer calling it whining…? it was a dangerous move and he deserved the 10 second penalty. frankly he deserved to give the place back but hey ho🤷‍♀��

- poor alonso having to retire didn’t hear the reason though, (if anyone did let me know in the comments please)

- hilarious comment ‘that’s a first world problem’ after leclerc mentions his water spilling while zig zagging to keep his tyres warm

- perez 10 second penalty as well for that start. how did no one see that at rb

- oh my god another 10 second penalty, will verstappen finish in the points? god i hope not🫣(absolutely shocking finish from max, thought i did expect it. well done verstappen)

- no 5 second penalty between lawson and perez, which might be the only good news they get today

- oop lap 26 and max’s tyres aren’t holding up. if lando holds on and waits he can overtake easily while max pits and takes his penalty.

- mental that this driver (verstappen) took a 20 second penalty and is still in 11th place. such a once in a generation talent

- piastri seventh, in the points. we’d like higher but for lap 31 we’re happy for now (we being me)

- take that back max is now 9th, feel like i’m watching history. i can despise his team but he’s such a talent that i can’t be anything but awed by the man. i’m not a redbull fan but by god am i a max verstappen fan

- lovely norris in 3rd and piastri up and on but gets overtaken again by hamilton.

- russell front flap broken, bad news for mercedes

- misfire for sainz out of turn three, whats happening there ( i did miss it, please let me know if it was mentioned)

- oop max’s tyres aren’t working again by his own words😁

- max overtaken lawson, nice work but lets see what these tyres are saying

- hopefully piastri holds off max

- poor franco and his steering, hopefully all stays well. the power steering system apparently but i’m hoping williams work that out

- russell can take carry on with that front wing, good for him

- piastri has just pitted so McLaren clearly don’t want him trying to hold off max and we’re higher than rb in the constructors championship and oscar is no wherenear the championship like lando is so no reason to scrap the car fighting max and hamilton is defending quite well 8 second gap to lewis i think

- max has reported he has no grip and perez in 17th, not good for redbull

- piastri back down the 12th so we’ll be fighting hard to get back in the points, but piastri is flying on his new tyres so thats a possibility and it is being said that with max hurting on his new tyres piastri can close the 20 sec gap between them and fight him off by the end of the race (clearly that didn’t happen but we tried our best and we’re in the points with a crucial constructors championship fight so i’m happy with that)

- piastri in 11th now so we can do it, especially with the way he’s chasing gasly down

- and on lap 44, oscar has chased down gasly and overtaken, we’re officially in the points

- norris has officially just taken fastest lap

- hamilton 0.607 from russell and closing, will there be an overtake?

- driver of the day voted for ✅ oscar ofc, some good overtaking there and i can’t think of anyone else to vote for tbh

- piastri 0.646 from hulkenberg hopefully we see a overtake

- oscar 6 seconds from nico, seems like he’s a P8 this race which is still okay he’s in the points and much higher than where he started

- lando’s a second from charles hopefully he can overtake take him in 10 laps

- 0.557 hamilton from russell, mercedes don’t want to tell george to give it up but hamilton might just do it himself (and he did)

- oop lando 0.667 from charles, can he overtake him?

- charles leclerc off the track, nearly into the barriers in lap 63, overtake from norris over charles, charles won’t be happy but he still has points and he’s still in the podium, so look up and on leclerc (P3, he’ll be upset but he’s up there so hopefully he doesn’t beat himself up too bad)

- 1.19.858 fastest lap for lando, an extra point which is vital for the constructors and drivers championship

- norris reporting wind has picked up, typically means rain is coming, how will they fare (thankfully it held off until the end of the race)

- lap 65 it’s a double ferrari podium and norris in the middle so far, if it stays like that… who knows🤷‍♀️( it did)

- hamilton trying an overtake on his teammate and no dice, shame for lewis having to sit and wait again

- and hamilton had overtaken on lap 66 with extra pace

- bit of damage for lawson taken from colapinto, sending him into the pits

- and race control have noted franco/liam incident in regards to colapinto taken off track and coming back into lawson (colapinto received a 10 second penalty)

- bit of jovial joking with perez being told there may be debris in turn 12 and being told he can check the highlights later, and he is ‘watching them now’

- being mentioned norris racing down the man he ‘started a bromance with’🤣

- norris 5 seconds from race leader sainz with 1 lap to go, can’t see him coming up to sainz now

- perez is being boxed for an attempt on fastest lap in what i assume is an attempt for an extra point but as far as my understanding goes it’s only given for top 10 and perez is 17th so…? (can anyone explain that to me)

- and race leader and pole holder carlos sainz wins the mexico grand prix, well done smooth operator and well done tifosi

- in more exciting news for me, norris in 2nd and a podium for mclaren, also tightening that gap between lando and max so thank god for that, well done lando and well done papaya army

(didn’t see who got driver of the day so if you know, please let me know and any errors i’ve made, don’t feel scared to mention them in the comments)

[adobealmanac]

El Tecolote (The Owl)

From the Nahuatl Tecolotl. In New Mexico, there is a story to be found about the owl. A magnificent creature it is, but as magnificent it is equally feared. You must know the right generation to hear this tale, and I hope to document it here.

Firstly, you must understand the culture of spirituality in New Mexico. Witchcraft is unspoken. Brujos are unwanted, until you need them. Witches are believed to be solely evil here. They are closer akin to flesh pedestrians than they are to the modern witch, atleast in folklore. That is.. until you seek one out. Then, they are simply a means to an end.

Here is one of those tales: Isabella once visited her friend Ramira. Isabella did not know Ramira was a witch. Both went to bed late in the evening, after spreading the chisme (gossip). They retired to the bedroom, and shared the same bed. Around midnight (the best time to practice mischief and execute revenge, as the old folks say) Isabella saw Ramira get out of bed, and light a candle. She pulled out her eyes (leaving only her witches eye in place), and sat them in her filigree silver box. She began to shrivel up, becoming the size of a rat. She flew out of the chimney, riding inside of a dried chile pod. Evidently, Isabella could no longer stay in the house. She quickly dressed, and ran to her home as fast as she could. As she was running, she saw a large owl perched atop the old cottonwood. El Tecolote was a fearsome sight in New Mexico, as it was the sign of a nearly-advanced witch. The stages of witchcraft in NM would follow a simple path of: - The Dove, or apprentice - The Owl, or practitioner - The Dog, or old hag -The Fox, or a backstabber or vengeful spirit It is understandable now why owls were often feared, as many believed them to be witches in their prime. Owls were thought to be their preferred form. Their hoots are bad omens, telling of misfortune and loss. If they were seen standing for prolonged periods of time it was a sure sign of evil nearby. While owls are certainly not witches in disguise (although I would love to transform into an owl; it would make traffic easier to navigate) it may be worth noting this story if you plan on traveling through NM at night. If you see an owl during your travels through our region, do beware, and maybe skip that sketchy motel on the side of the road, as it may not be as convenient as you first thought.

[moonisagremlin]

okay, so i'm re-reading ALL of the TF2 comics for my little zine project, and i have discovered interesting things and silly things.

starting with the WAR! update comic:

-The Bitch connects her microphone to different speakers to talk to both RED and BLU team.

-Meet the Spy is canon in the comics.

-The Bitch can read people pretty well i guess.

-The BLU soldier and the RED demo are besties. They met at a projectile weapons expo. They knew eachother for six months before the WAR! comic.

-The Bitch doesn't have any friends (whomp whomp).

-The Bitch: "In my experience, Miss Pauling, nothing kills a friendship faster... than a healthy competition."

-Saxton Hale is... just. like. that.

-Wait, did the first design of Bidwell have a moustache?

-Saxton FUCKS. (With The Bitch. What the fuck.) ((he also tries flirting with Miss Pauling.))

-monke lore:

poopy joe was an american monkeynaut that sadly passed away in a tragic explosion that occurred moments later after the launch. mann.co was involved in this accident but they keep denying it for legal reasons (during the comic they're going to be under senate investigation soon, and it seems that they were in BIG TROUBLE, so Helen asking for weapons was actually a great way for them to dispose of those weapons involved in the accident).

-(RED) Demoman lives in a mansion in New Mexico with his mum.

-He only has one morning off a week.

-He has three jobs

-His mum is quite mad at him because his dad (rip) had 26 jobs (and somehow managed to be with his family)

-He makes 5 million dollars a year (with the current inflation that would be around- 48,980,957.43$ ????? WHAT??????)

-Demo is halfway to retirement, around his 30's

-He was raised in a home with a bad economic situation :c

-His dad killed the (obviously not real) Queen of England

-The mum misses demo's father :(

-The Eyelander is a haunted, pattern-welded damascus steel and harmonically balanced sword slowly-forged for generations in the bowels of captured english kings

-Not only did Miss Pauling gave him The Eyelander, also multiple cases with weapons that we see in-game (the scottish resistance, for example)

-Miss Pauling calls him Mister DeGroot, which is kinda weird considering they're coworkers and know eachother, but i guess that during this time they weren't really close because demo only knew her as "that wee lass that works with the angry lady who's always screamin' at us while we fight".

-BLU soldier lives in a really secured appartment with lots of locks in his door. He also has two little doors in which he can take his arms outside to necksnap people.

-He lives miserably. He doesn't let ANYONE enter his house. Only the tomato soup wholesaler or the delivery man from the rib place.

-He has BOXES filled with cans of food, so he's house really looks like a fucking bunker.

-They both fought the police together???? Friendship goals honestly.

-Neither Demo and Soldier wanted to fight eachother, they did it to defend themselves from the other one. Demo was made sure that Soldier betrayed him first, and Soldier was manipulated into believing that his best friend said he was a civilian thanks to a poorly-made robotic voice of Tavish. This all led to both of them fighting eachother for their own safety.

[adrianicsea]

HELP MARK PATTON COVER HIS MEDICAL BILLS!!!

(originally posted january 13th, 2023)

mark patton, an actor and lgbtq+ activist best known for playing jesse in a nightmare on elm street 2, has been hospitalized for complications relating to HIV/AIDS, and his agent has put up a gofundme to help raise the money to get patton to better hospital facilities.

anyone who’s familiar with the elm street movies or mark patton’s history can tell you that he’s had a very rough go of it; after being outed against his wishes in the aftermath of elm street 2’s release, his fledgling career was tanked, and he proceeded to lose many friends and loved ones throughout the AIDS crisis. patton himself contracted HIV and retired quietly to mexico in the late 90s, where he lived in obscurity until a critical and fan re-evaluation of elm street 2 took place in the mid 2010s.

patton has since re-emerged to the convention circuit, where he raises awareness for lgbtq+ people and for HIV/AIDS. he’s a very important queer horror icon, and one who’s very dear to me personally as well. i know i have a pretty decent following of horror fans, so i hope that if any of you have the money to spare, you’ll consider donating to him. even if you can’t, i hope that you’ll share this post!

full gofundme text/description, written by patton’s agent/manager peter valderrama:

[id: three screenshots of a gofundme description. it reads:

Hey guys! This Peter Valderrama, posting for Mark. I have urgent statements here from and about Mark Patton I appreciate if everyone reads carefully I know it is a bit long but it is a serious matter If you can help or share in anyway it is appreciated very much. As Mark Pattons manager, I've been asked on his behalf to help post this Information and get this statement to be seen!

As his fans know very well, Mark takes his events very seriously and values any opportunity to meet with them in person- especially after the last few years with covid seriously crippling those opportunities.,

Mark was truly looking forward to this show for quite some time but sadly his health has taken a drastic turn for the worse.

He has been ill for quite some time now- originally it was thought to be aftershocks of covid and some hefty infections that could potentially be tackled with care and rest. But now it is quite clearly AIDS related ailments that he is managing.

He has been quiet for his own privacy but with the cancellation of his events at the musicbox theater and horror house shop he has decided to release his news in the hopes that his community could help him.

Mark is currently in a Mexican hospital where they speak very little English- and they are completely overcome with covid cases there.. He needs to be transported to an American hospital down there where he can be receive more specialized care in a safer setting. For this, we humbly need to ask for help.

Mark himself has asked in a statement below that we share his current news and ask everyone in the horror community to please help with his fundraiser in any way that they can.

"Basically I am asking for help I will not be embarrassed…. I just want to be healthy and at home with family.

I need to move to American Hospital in Mexico where they can give me the treatment i desperately need.

The American Hospital is $300 dollars a day with nurses, doctors and meds. The Mexican hospital are overwhelmed with Covid and I am too compromised to remain here.

I feel very stupid for being overly optimistic. I thought I would be flying to Chicago today but I promise that when I am well enough to fly to USA I will.

I have faced these medical challenges before and I know I have a lot of fight left in me- but the last few years have been crippling for me financially. I have always lived Month to month and I have been struggling with medical visits since October.

If anyone is able to contribute it would mean a life saving option for me to be recovering in a place that can cater to my condition.

Thank you all

Love,

Mark"

end id]

[piecesofscully]

The Patron Saint of Healing

Written for @txf-fic-chicks-blog ‘s anniversary.

The staccato clicking of her heels against the concrete rings like gunshots through the parking garage. It’s always quiet this time of night, when the sliced moon is high and normal people are at home on their couch, watching shows with their loved ones before retiring to bed. And this Tuesday evening is no exception.

Now that she is alone (she would never call herself single), the nights bleed into each other, one blending in to the next and to the next. Her time off work feels lacking of purpose. Her apartment, while fully furnished, feels empty.

The quiet of the night should be peaceful, relaxing even, but it unsettles her. She’s forgotten how to be by herself. This doesn’t feel right, and she regrets the decision to leave him every day but she can’t go back. Not yet. Not until he gets a grip and pulls himself from the darkest depths of his worst enemy: himself.

But God, she misses him.

The walk to her SUV is short, and she nearly misses the items sitting propped against her windshield and windshield wiper. A small, plain black box and a single red rose.

She stands in place, momentarily confused, staring at the gifts. Then, suddenly, the realization of what day it is comes rushing back to her. She glances around, looking to see if he is still there, watching her. When she is satisfied that she’s alone, she grabs the gifts and climbs into the safety of her SUV.

It somehow feels quieter in there, but it’s comfortable. Intimate.

The rose’s petals are velvety between her fingertips, and she brings it to her nose. The scent is luscious and familiar, bringing an immediate smile to her face.

“A rose to symbolize my love,” he’d say, just like he has every year before on the anniversary of her going into remission. “My love for you, your health, your life. Your cancer was one of the worst days of our lives, and your remission the best. It’s worth celebrating, Scully.”

She runs the rose across her lips, not admitting to herself that she wishes it was his kiss. She inhales deeply one last time, then places the flower aside.

The box is small, the size that would normally imply a ring. But the exchange of gold rings happened long ago in a small dusty New Mexico town’s chapel, when she wore a dress of lace and he wore a suit of linen. Their bellies were nervous and their lives were dangerous, but their eyes shone with so much love that their hearts felt like they could burst at any moment. Her nights were not so quiet then.

She rubs absently at her bare ring finger, the gold band that belongs to her nestled at home in her jewelry box. Not forever, just for now, she reminds herself.

The box fits perfectly in her palm, and the top slides off easily. Out tumbles a trinket, no larger than the pad of her thumb. She holds it between her fingers, turning it each way, examining it closely.

Saint Raphael.

“His name means God’s healing,” he would say if he were there with her. “The patron saint of healing.”

He’d then tuck her close to his body, slowly listing off all of life’s events that she’s been present for, all of the beautiful experiences they’ve been able to have together, all of the love that they’ve created over the years. All of the things she’d have missed if she hadn’t gone into remission.

She doesn’t realize she’s crying until tears fall to her hand. Her heart aches for him in a way she’s never experienced until right now. He symbolizes so much to her, so many parts of her life, and it feels wrong to spend today without him.

She doesn’t want to do this alone. Not anymore.

Before she can change her mind or rationalize why she shouldn’t, she pulls her phone from her pocket. It rings one solid ring.

“Mulder, it’s me.”

[cherryxkoch]

[cis woman she/her] Welcome to Aurora Bay, [CHERISA “CHERRY” KOCH]! I couldn’t help but notice you look an awful lot like [LAURA HARRIER]. You must be the [THIRTY-TWO] year old [ARTIST]. Word is you’re [ADVENTUROUS] but can also be a bit [FLAKY] and your favorite song is [CHERRY BOMB by THE RUNAWAYS]. I also heard you’ll be staying in [SEABROOK QUARTER]. I’m sure you’ll love it! 

INFORMATION:

fullname. cherisa "cherry" koch

nicknames. cherry.

gender. cis woman

pronouns. she / her

d.o.b. october 13th, 1991 | ( 33 years old )

astrology. libra ☀ sagittarius ☾  leo ↑

birth place. santa fe, new mexico.

hometown. santa fe, new mexico.

current residence. aurora bay, california. ( @aurorabayaesthetic​ )

occupation. artist.

religion. spiritual.

tattoos. several ( here, here and here ).

piercings. three holes in ears, helix.

marital status. single.

sexual preference. proud pansexual.

family. antoni koch ( father ), nora koch ( mother ), four brothers, three sisters.

children. none.

CHARACTER INSPO:

angela montenegro ( bones ),  mabel mora ( only murders in the building ), gina linetti ( brooklyn nine-nine ), daphne sullivan ( white lotus ), phoebe buffay ( friends ).

PERSONALITY:

+ adventurous, carefree, fun. - flaky, gossipy, insecure.

BIOGRAPHY:

( tw: age difference, abortion mention )

being the youngest in a family with seven siblings meant that the spotlight was rarely on cherisa from an early age and she liked it that way. by the point that she was accidentally conceived, her parents were well and truly over the whole "parenting" thing and she was free to do whatever she pleased. the daughter of a polish history professor and an african-american art teacher, cherry was raised in a house full of love and art. after her father decided to move the whole family west from louisana upon his retirement to follow his dream of owning his own horse ranch. their family bred and broke horses in the middle of the santa fe desert, where there was nothing but empty land for as far as the eye could see but they made the most money with guided tours of the best tourism trails in new mexico. her childhood was filled with tourists, coming and going, taking a break from their lives and she loved it. hearing about all their stories and where they'd come from. personable, bright and cheery, she spent all her life chatting to whoever would listen.

not particularly interested in anything academic beyond devouring a good book, cherry always preferred things more on the creative side of life. she enjoyed painting, sculpting or putting together art constructions with the random pieces of materials laying around the ranch. she decorated most of their land with her art pieces, a particular enjoyment of the guests that stayed with them.

at the age of seventeen, she was matured into a beautiful young woman and with that came wandering eyes and flirtatious glances from the men who frequented. it was one particular gentleman that visited often that cherry fell head over heels for. the small glances across the room, the lightest touches from a hand - but nothing ever came from it. she went away to college, studying art but when he returned for the summer of her junior year, there he was.

she didn't mind that he clearly had taken his wedding ring off for the visit, as evident by the tan lines around his finger. her college girlfriend didn't need to know that she spent the whole summer completely smitten over a man twice her age, but eventually they gave in. they were together just for a week, in secret and away from the prying eyes of her family. but it was enough to completely unravel her.

when he left, cherry realised that she was pregnant. too ashamed to tell him, to ruin his life for whatever small love they'd shared. she contemplated keeping it, but knew that her life was only just beginning and so she made the hard choice on her own. never telling a soul. it bled into her art, this heartbreak was hard on her on so many levels. eventually, she graduated - choosing to continue on with a masters degree at southwestern college in california.

away from school, she was producing art in most mediums. her speciality was large installations that included welding, electrical work and major construction. cherry chose a nomad lifestyle, moving place to place every year or so - never wanting to settle down too long. she was in constant search of inspiration. her latest residence is aurora bay, where she's renting out a studio space where she is creating art and creating trouble.

POSSIBLE CONNECTIONS:

born and raised in santa fe, new mexico but has moved from place to place after she graduated from college. never known to stay in one place for too long. ( possible connections: old friends, interstate flings, chance encounters )

is currently renting an art studio space in aurora bay where she’s making her art. she specialises in large-scale metalwork sculptures from scrap materials. to get extra money, she also teaches small art classes in her studio. ( possible connections: art buyer, art student, fellow artist )

owns an old vintage 1967 mustang that she got when she was twenty one after selling her first sculpture back when she was living in nevada. she takes great pride in it and knows a little about cars because of it. ( possible connections: motorheads, mechanic )

very much online, posting her art and occasionally some thirst traps. uses online dating apps to find dates or hook ups. ( possible connections: hinge dates, instagram followers, mutuals, art fan. )

above all, cherry loves love. with anyone. she falls head over heels time and time again so her romantic connections would be plentiful. while she’s not necessarily a relationship person, she’d definitely try and make it work with the right person. she’s a proud pansexual as well, so all romantic connections can be any gender. ( possible connections: ex-hook ups, friends with benefits, serious lovers that didn't work out )

her favorite haunts around town are the reef bar as she is a regular for an art work wine, dancing her cares and the night away at oasis nightclub (or crying in the bathroom depending on how the night is going) or at the all-nighter diner eating a vegan burger at 2am. ( possible connections: run-ins, drinking buddies, people she overshares with because she's drunk )

CURRENT CONNECTIONS:

besties with @ponderosus and @lemielewis

is getting married to @ziggykyeons if they're both single at 40

previous hookup and ex-something of @dxnielibxrra

close friends with @lucianaxalvarez, @cricketcampbell and @esmaxdemirci

psychologically damaged by @borawinters

casually hooked up with @xlalitax

is christine daaé to @mackmontgomery's phantom of the opera, also her tattoo artist

roommates with @erickxng in seabrook quarter

close friends with @finn-brooks and @javicastillo

always talking art with @leomlarson

flirts with @pcrdita while he fixes her car

[mysteriouslyjovialcolor]

Mexico 2017

-ooh (could be a) championship deciding race

-ohmygod Sebastian is on pole!

-Seb, Lewis, and Max is actually a great lineup!

-Stroll is here!

-why is Daniel p16

-Pierre is here too!

-Daniel “best overtaker in F1 at the moment” Ricciardo

-wow this year is so different from 2016

-Red Bull fell off apparently

-why did Max go from p5 to p6 in the drivers championship

-ohmygod that turn 1

I could barely keep up

-Lewis just dropped so far down

-oh Sebastian got damage too

-that was a crazy drive from Max

-woah LHp20 and SVp19

-😭😭 they have a proper leaderboard now

-Max “sheer aggression” Verstappen

-“simply simply lovely”

(This is actually the first time I’ve heard him say that!)

-oh no! Daniel retirement?? (I hyped him up too soon)

-Red Bull really fell off huh

-how did Kimi go from p3 to p6

-I’m assuming the championship doesn’t actually get decided today?

-is this where Ocon gets his first podium?

-how is Lewis still p19

-still reeling over that turn one, all three cars were somewhat wheel to wheel at one point, like huh?!

-I just realized that Felipe Massa is here

-didn’t he retire last year??

-I’m pretty sure I heard them say it was his last race in Abu Dhabi 2016 and there was a whole standing ovation in Brazil 2016

-is that not the same guy or am I tripping?

-how is Lewis still p19?!

-“just to get past this guy is difficult”

-I mean like let’s go Carlos!

-but Lewis?? What??

-seeing “midfield” team strategies actually being shown is strange

-first time Lewis has been lapped since 2013!!

-“it’s crazy to be fighting for this position”

-😭😭😭 what is happening

-Carlos is really holding Lewis back in that Renault

-like Sebastian managed to get from p18 to p11

-what happened to Lewis

“I can’t get close to a car”?????

-this is so bizarre

-why does Hulkenburg have such bad luck?!

-there’s a 20+ second gap between p2 and p3, what is this race

-he finally overtook Carlos

-Vettel’s in the points now

-once again pointing out how annoying lapping must be

-another retirement!

-I see now why everyone plans strategies around safety cars, they used to be a real thing

-Lewis finally p15 (we’re going to pretend this was through overtaking and not through three people retiring)

-Max is a menace 😭

-not him being asked to slow down

-pretty good recovery from Vettel so far tbh, p19 to p7

-I want to see prime Kimi (rn everyone just wants him to move away for Sebastian)

-I just know Ferrari fans were praying like crazy to manifest Sebastian winning the championship this season

-Sebastian p5 🙌

-it would be really cool if he makes it to p2

-when Lewis overtakes he really does look like he’s hunting

-oh no Ericsson’s on fire

-“oh mamma mia” poor Seb

-Carlos retiring??

-Renault is having such a horrible race

-this race for 8 place between Kevin, Fernando and Lewis feels like a choreographed dance

they’re all very smooth with it, anticipating each other’s moves

-Max setting fastest lap when he’s supposed to be slowing down

-“he’s doing exactly what Sebastian Vettel used to do” oh the Red Bull golden boy genetics are strong

-Lewis and Fernando being ex-teammates makes sense, they’re pushing each other very hard

-that was such great driving from Fernando and Lewis 👏👏

-excellent overtake

-Lewis p9!! That means the championship does get decided this race!

-Lewis 4 time World Championship 🎉🎉🎉🎉

(Honestly thought he already had 4 last season, I might’ve miscalculated)

-oh third win for Max? nice!!

-“get in there Lewis!!!!”

-Neymar congratulated him! That’s so cool!

-unexpectedly weird race but very cool overall

[boxboxblog]

Mexico GP 2024: Race Roundup

Alright everyone. A controversial race in many ways, it saw a podium of Sainz, Norris, and Leclerc.

So, for starters we have to talk about Verstappen, Norris, and the massive penalty that destroyed Red Bull's race. That mess of theirs on lap eight was certainly a sight to see. Verstappen rightfully deserved the penalties he received, but the real controversy came from the heaviness of them. Verstappen received two ten second penalties, one for pushing Norris off track and the other for overtaking off track, which essentially meant any fight for the top five was over for him. This choice of heaviness was extremely questionable to a lot of fans, as many pointed out that last week such infringements of rules only garnered five second penalties, not ten. Regardless of your perspective, it certainly added some drama to the race

Another thing that must be discussed were the multiple race retirements very early on. We saw the first two go after a collision between Tsunoda and Albon saw Tsunoda into the wall and Albon with too much damage to continue. We saw a third retirement from Alonso, and on his 400th start as well. This was, as far as I am aware, due to mechanical problems. So not a great day for all three overall.

As for the rest of the grid, it was a rather calm race. We saw a little bit of drama between Lawson and Perez at some point, but that was not super major. We also saw our tightest fight between Hamilton and Russell, duking it out for 5th place. They fought surprisingly hard for teammates, and it was entertaining to watch. Both driver I think did the best with their car that they could do this weekend, so no complaints there.

Other than all of that, we saw some stellar drives from Hulkenberg and Magnussen, pulling their Haas' into 9th and 7th respectably, as well as a great recover for Piastri, who made it into the points. Not to ignore Norris, I mostly discussed his drama with Verstappen, but he also drove a clean race and had fantastic pace, putting multiple fastest laps in by the end of the race. A much more positive weekend for McLaren then I think they expected honestly.

Alright, next post i will dive into my winners and losers. Interesting race everyone.

Cheers,

-B

[desertdollranch]

Meet my ‘90′s girl! This is Harmony Rivera, and her story takes place in 1995 when she’s 9, to 1998 when she’s 12.  

Since we’ve all been talking a lot lately about possible 90′s characters from American Girl, I wanted to make my own character before that happens. I made Harmony specifically from a range of those years so she gets to partake in the best parts of mid-to-late-90′s pop culture. Which means that I get to make her tiny versions of everything. Including this Tamagotchi, an early example of virtual pets.

Harmony lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Her favorite band is TLC, her favorite movies are Independence Day and Jurassic Park, she loves Beanie Babies and Furbies, and subscribes to American Girl Magazine. Harmony was born in Ethiopia in 1986, at a time when the country was struck by one of the worst famines in world history. She was a baby when she was adopted by an American family.  

Harmony is a Truly Me #85. I was lucky to find this doll before they 85 starts getting harder to find, since she was one of the many TM dolls retired in September when the dolls were redesigned. I wasn’t totally sold on TM #106, who is basically 85 with different eyebrows and painted on eyelashes.

Dressing her will also be very easy, since I’ve got a few American Girl of Today outfits from that time, and I’ll probably either hunt down or reproduce some others.

[rjzimmerman]

Excerpt from this story from Inside Climate News:

When Peter Else left the University of Arizona in 2005 to live in the San Pedro Valley full time, he planned to spend his retirement farming in one of the most ecologically intact landscapes left in southern Arizona, where the nearby river remains undammed and giant cactuses fill the space between the Galiuro and Rincon mountains. 

But Else, who previously directed the Tucson Area Agricultural Centers at the University of Arizona, soon found himself in the middle of one of the most consequential debates over developing green spaces for green energy. For nearly a decade, he has been fighting the SunZia project—a transmission line connecting 3,000 megawatts of clean energy generated by wind farms in New Mexico to the power grid. The transmission line was routed largely along highways in New Mexico and Arizona but detoured into the San Pedro Valley for roughly 50 miles, cutting through a landscape that for decades avoided most of the impacts of human development. Other routes identified by developers were deemed to have greater negative impacts by federal regulators, while the company said building along existing infrastructure was too costly.  

“I’ve never done anything like that before in my life,” Else said of becoming a citizen intervenor during the Arizona Corporation Commission’s (ACC) permitting process for SunZia, a role that allows citizens impacted by a project to directly participate in its permitting by providing sworn testimony and cross-examining witnesses. “I had no idea what I was getting into.” 

Fifteen years since the project was first proposed and nearly a decade after state regulators began reviewing the project, Else is still involved, suing the ACC, which regulates state utilities, over its issuing of a certificate of environmental compatibility (CEC) to SunZia. The suit argues that the development has fundamentally changed since it was narrowly approved in 2016 and no longer benefits Arizona. 

When SunZia was approved, the project planned to build two side-by-side power lines and connect to a planned substation in Bowie, Arizona. One of the lines built would be an alternating current line, enabling other energy projects in southern Arizona to connect to the grid, while the other would be a direct current line, which doesn’t easily allow for interconnection and is best used for sending large amounts of energy over long distances. But since Pattern Energy purchased the project in 2022, only the DC line is being built after the ACC agreed to separate the permits for both of the lines. The AC line currently lacks the funding to begin construction, and all of the project’s wind energy is slated to be sold in California, where it’s worth more. 

“As a matter of law, the Commission cannot approve a CEC when on one side of the balance is zero (no Arizona purchasers) or noneconomical power, and on the other side is environmental and ecological harm,” the lawsuit reads. “This is an independent reason to remand: the Commission must require Pattern to put on evidence of actual need in Arizona.”

Else’s lawsuit is just the latest in a series of challenges facing SunZia, the biggest renewable energy project in U.S. history, despite construction on the project having already begun. Fights over the development are playing out in state and federal courts. 

Transmission lines are vital to the energy grid and a major component of the transition away from fossil fuels. The lines send energy, often generated in remote places, over long distances, typically to major urban centers. But building them can be a long and tedious process, involving regulators from various states and federal agencies and the consultation and feedback of local and tribal communities, environmental groups and others.