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thedoctor1002 · 4 years ago

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Idk, I never posted one of my fics here but guess I'll try ~

Also, English is not my first language so feel free to correct me QwQ

Fandom: Psycho-Pass -season 1- (is this still a thing?)

Characters: Kogami Shinya, Sasayama Mitsuru, OC

Prompt (it was in Italian, so I'll translate): write a story using three among these words: cloud, dusk, thunderstorm, storm, hull, bay, shelter, sail, night

Title: Log date: 2110/02/28 (Friday) 22:04

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The lights of the bay flicker dynamically before your eyes.

They dance hypnotically, of the same cyan colour of your office’s walls, but with a whole different beat. They drink the red and white trails from the traffic, they shatter and multiply in the tears of an inclement rain. I know how much you hate it, you just can’t stand going on recon with an umbrella. On the other hand, I love it.

Rain brings us close together under the waterproof cloth and I manage to observe details that neon lights often hide from me: the precise way you part your hair, the last few drops of the jasmine perfume on your jacket, your long lashes. Shion thinks they’re fake. We always fight over it, can you believe me?

After all, you’ve never been the kind of woman to wear such frills.

A notification arrives, the acid light of your impalpable PC breaks through the sacred dark from where you pretend you don’t see me. It digs your silhouette and paints you like a ghost on the huge windows of the Public Safety Bureau.

Your jet-black hair lay on your back like varnish pouring over the white silk of your blouse.

“Pulling an all-nighter, Inspector Matou?” I ask casually, exposed. With you, after all, I always am: you’re the only one that can shush my shitty jokes.

But this time you laugh slightly: nothing more than a spike, a trembling breath that shakes your ribs and lips.

“The forecasts say that the storm won’t stop until tomorrow morning,” you tell me, sitting at your desk, “also, I’ve been delaying this paperwork through all week, it's about time I get it done. Might as well do some overtime and get rid of it, don’t you think?”

“You’re such a workaholic.” I label you, realizing how lucky I am being allowed to do it: Ginoza, that prude, would have never let it slide “You should leave some for the rest of the precinct: make 'em earn their wages.”

A tired smile crosses your face as you tap your fingers on the keyboard. It’s so clear you’re trying to avoid my glance.

You used to look for it.

You looked for my eyes at briefings, in that discrete way that eventually shocked everyone. You looked for them among alleys, as soon as you heard a gunshot or the chocked sound of a fight.

And when you found me, it felt like a 7 miles free fall.

“How are the legs going?” I dare to ask. I see the hollow structure of your new shins below the hem of your pencil skirt. They swing a bit underneath the glass of your desk. You didn’t lose your damn tic, your right heel shakes like the needle of a sewing machine even when you seem calm.

You shrug and drink the bottom of an already empty glass of water.

I shouldn’t have asked. It breaks my heart, to see you like this.

You don’t give me an answer and massage the back of your knee with a sigh. Lately, I feel like you’re avoiding me.

You’re turning back into the one you were before: uncompromising, cold and distant. I wonder if the bunch of ingrates downstairs have been calling you Dobermann again. I wonder if you’re still as relentless.

You worry me: your stress level is getting darker and darker. You don’t want old Kasei to take issues with you, not again.

I can imagine how you must have felt, the night when this mess happened.

You most likely got pissed, if I do know you.

I mean, did they really think I got away on my own? I bet you never doubted me: no one knows an Enforcer better than its Inspector.

“Runaway?! Have you lost your minds?” Sasayama?!”

Those were the first words you said when they rescued you. You spoke them way before cleansing your lungs from the rotten water of the river, way before asking Masaoka if you’d have ever got back to feeling your lower legs. They hurt like hell and you had to pull them around like sandbags.

“They got him” you panted, holding tight on your mentor’s coat “They took him away, I tell you!” The one that kidnapped him wasn’t a latent criminal. The Dominator didn’t activate, not even when they shot me. Please, believe me. Check on the log files, please.”

Crime coefficient: 0.

I know that bug still haunts you.

Cause, after all, it’s can’t be anything else: who on earth is that Makishima to fly under the Sibyl Sistem’s radar? Who can fool a network that knows your crimes before you do? And how is it possible that the silhouette that kneecapped you and threw you into a river could possibly be innocent?

You haven’t lost your mind, Inspector: the Dominator betrayed me, too.

Don’t think I don’t know how pitiful must have been, the next three days.

Makishima isn’t real. Forget it, it was just a delirium. You were in shock.

It was the trauma, dear. It was a breakdown. It was burnout syndrome.

You’d use some holiday, darling. Take a week. Take two. Go somewhere far, no, better: just stay at home. Go to therapy. Keep yourself busy, don’t think about it. Work. Also, don’t work: it wears you out!

They put you back on your feet in less than six hours, but nobody allowed you to join search parties. Heaven forbid your stress level getting any darker. Heaven forbid that yet another good Inspector gets demoted among those damn Enforcers. But, still, in the whole IT section, there wasn’t a single nerd that could get that night's logs. That's one funny thing, ain't it?

Woman, sometimes I wish your damn head wasn't that hard. I wish you didn't follow the Forensics to get a lift, so soon after the deed.

At least, you could have listened to Kogami. Shit, didn't you see how pale he was? You didn't even need the Dominator to read him, his stress level was mindblowing!

You should have believed him when he told you you didn't want to enter that alley. First off, it was already full of other detectives and analysts. I have no idea what kind of business you had to do in there. Second thing second, Kogami has an eye for certain matters. Do you think he didn't notice I’ve always been all over you? Not gonna lie, maybe I told him about you, once or twice.

But no, of course, you had to get in.

The software that taught you how to walk on those carbon stilts made you stand your ground and bark a "For fuck's sake, Shinya, move!" worthy of the Dobermann’s reputation. Even those who hadn't been called out made way.

But your new legs didn't hold you, when you saw what they had made of my corpse.

I'm sorry, Katsumi, I never wanted to upset you like that.

You know how much I would have rather have a more heroic death. I don't know, like, in the middle of a shooting, saving the day. It would have been much classier, less tacky, less trash. I think I deserved it, that's all.

You stop typing and rub your temples. You shelter what’s left of your lipstick behind your hand. I wish I could kiss it off, instead of watching you consume it in a ruby red halo in the notch between your thumb and your index.

You lift your eyes only for Kogami, who’s passing by your office like a nurse in its night shift.

“So?” he asks in a whisper, putting more care in that question than I could have ever done. More than anybody could have ever done, because he’s the only one that gets you, right now. You two seem like the only ones who lost something.

You shake your head slowly, staring at the monitor and the dangerously high Crime Coefficient on the display.

“It's not working” you wail softly, misty-eyed. I can’t believe it, is it still you?

“They’re gonna kick me out anyway, if it doesn’t lower quickly” you continue, with that realism of yours. I used to call you a jinx for that but, at the end of the day, you always got our backs. “It’s for the best if I just resign. I’m gonna keep what's left of my dignity, at least.”

The dark profile of my best friend looks through me, as he sits on the armchair next to mine. He would like to say something, a word of encouragement maybe, we all know it in this damn room, but numbers shut our mouths.

“You could become an Enforcer” he proposes.

Goddammit, Shinya, did we work with the same person? Katsumi as an Enforcer?

And there you go, shaking your head. You hold your face in your hands and let your raven hair hide your visage.

“Can you imagine me, following orders? I do know how to work, I can do it better than three-quarters of our colleagues and I’ve never had problems remarking it. They’d eat me alive if they had the chance. Dogs celebrate on the corpses of lions.”

“But lions remain lions and dogs stay dogs.” Kogami finishes, stealing my lines.

I notice the slight trembling of your finger, as you tap your touchpad to send that last confirm.

In a few moments, the system will have your resignation registered. Your profile won’t unlock your Dominator anymore and in a few days time, just enough for you to collect your belongings, you won’t even manage to enter the office.

Who’s gonna explain to old Kasei that there's more of your stuff here than in your apartment?

I’d ask you what do you plan on doing with your life, but tonight’s decision seems definitely brave enough to call it a day.

I look at the tabs you open in your browser, they mirror in the windows behind you.

Air travel.

Argentina, Cuba, States, New Zealand, Germany, Kenya. You go around the world in 80 seconds flat, you multiply your chances and spread them all through the air in front of you, in a complex diagram that doesn’t lead anywhere.

I never wanted to take you away from your home, you don’t deserve this.

You cover your eyes with a hand and use the other one to pick a random selection from your atlas.

Greece.

“Well, at least it’s on the sea.” you wrap up, condensing in a handful of words the only satisfaction you can find in starting a brand new life.

You two stare at the transparent screenshot of your flight, the countdown on the web page seems way too joyful.

“It’s so exciting, Katsumi Matou! Check-in your luggage. Your journey will begin in: 06 days: 17 hours: 34 minutes: 21 seconds”

20.

19.

18.

Seconds pass by, in complete silence.

“Do you think it would be a burden to him?” you ask Shinya, “Do you think he’d understand?”

Who would have guessed that a cynic one like yourself could believe in the afterlife? I wish I were here to ask you. I wish we could have spoken about life, death, sex, about things long gone and things yet to be.

His hand squeezes yours gently, as he looks at you in the eye, hoping to stop the train to Paranoidland from setting off.

“It’s not your fault” he reassures you as he can: the both of you wouldn’t make the average person’s empathy.

But he’s right, though, it really isn’t: I know you’ve done anything you could. It’s always been like that.

“Maybe I owe him” you draft “Even if they don’t believe in Makishima, maybe one day I could have proved he exists.”

The teal of your Psycho-Pass would suit you wonderfully, if it wasn’t a description of your mental health.

What could you possibly do in these conditions? You’d have ended up in a cubicle, filing loss and theft reports. You would have never made it to the dossiers, surely not to those of such a controversial case. Making you end up in a study room would have been my final bullshit. I’m happy with your choice, really. I would have loved visiting Europe someday.

“Don’t talk nonsense.” Kogami rebukes you, externalizing what I’ve been thinking all along: “I’m going to look out for your man: your team has already given way too much. I’m gonna find him, Matou, cold case or not.”

You nod, but it’s clear you don’t believe him. I can read through you, you’re a terrible liar.

I don’t think you don’t trust him, most likely you’ve done the math and figured that working on an independent case is far too difficult for an Inspector, let alone for an Enforcer.

And there it is, my fall. After an exhausting chase, you finally look into my eyes, even though -according to Shinya- you’re most likely staring at the void.

Despite being used to such races, believe me, I’ve missed you.

“I’m just so sorry.” you finally whisper, giving me a bitter smile.

Try and stop me, Ginoza, tell me once again how inappropriate it is: I don’t mind anymore. I get up and I don’t hesitate while holding you and leaving a kiss on your hair, shamelessly.

“I’m going to grab some coffee” I announce, walking backwards to the door like a shrimp, just to look at my dearest friends a bit longer. “I’d get you one, but I’m short on coins. Maybe next time.”

“See you, Inspector.”, Kogami greets you, leaving alongside me.

“Be good.” you wave back, as we were all to meet again tomorrow.

Walking through the dark alley, I can hear an excerpt from our last conversation through the opaque glass of your office.

“You’re jerk, Sasayama!”

I can hear you laughing out loud, through the crackly recording. You laughed at my gall, with that warm, strong, sweet voice of yours, mocking me. Admit it: mine, after all, were the only compliments that could make you blush.

It’s incredible how we managed to joke even inside a car that was taking us on a crime scene. To an external eye, we might have looked disrespectful. Truth is I’ve always feared death so much I just had to laugh at the reaper.

“Oh, come on, what would it take? Come with me to the Precinct’s New Year’s dinner, the 17th is around the corner!” I kept annoying you, as you were too busy driving to mind my dumb flirt attempts. I still can’t get how we never had an accident. “Be good, Katsumi, give me a joy to live for!”

“You could always ask Shion, you know? You always give her more attention, after all.”

I hear the subtle sound of the wheels stopping, the parking brake cracking and it’s like Ogishima’s outskirts appear before my eyes, in that same January night. That place gave me goosebumps, but I would have hated if you understood it.

“Here we are” you announced, with still a bit of resentment in your voice. You unlocked the passenger’s door and I remember I left your Dominator in the car’s trunk: I didn’t want you to follow me. Not that time.

“You scare me when you pay so much attention” you commented, noticing how serious I got “will you tell me why are you insisting so much to keep on searching? Kogami got the guy. Tomorrow we go, we arrest him and it's thank you, next.”

My answer has been recorded as a distant and muffled noise, but I still can trace it: “He’s not the one, I tell you. I have another suspect, but I need a more solid base. And you’re staying, Inspector.”

“Staying?! You’ve gone crazy!” you laughed, locking the corporate sedan behind you “If something were to happen to you, or worse if you didn’t come back, Kasei would…”

“I said you’re staying: it’s dangerous.”

“Sasayama, our work is dangerous,” you replied, contemptuous, understanding that clearly among the gear I brought I didn’t count yours and going back to the car to get it “One more risk won’t make a difference: if I have to drop dead, it can either be here, at home or god knows where.”

“Will you join me for the precinct’s dinner, though?”

And here is a sequence that the voice recorder surely can’t have grasped, but that I could remember even in a thousand years. You cast an outraged glance over me from above the trunk’s door, panting through a half-smile. You shook your head, tucking your hair behind your ear. And finally, after refusing my invitations since 17th November, during lunch break, you smiled shrugging.

“Deal, come on, just make way” you sighed, as your heels echoed on the wet concrete “Still, you’re a jerk.”

“I recorded it: you have no excu-”

The audio file interrupts.

End of recording.

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bjoe70560 · 4 years ago

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Black Players For Change & Players Coalition Negotiate Official Partnership! I #AskASoccerPro Show Ep 078

Black Players For Change & Players Coalition Negotiate Official Partnership! I #AskASoccerPro Show Ep 078by Quincy Amarikwa

11-year MLS veteran Quincy Amarikwa welcomes you to episode 78 of the #AskASoccerPro Show where he talks Black Players for Change, the MLS is Back tournament, how to make US soccer more inclusive and more!

Check out what Quincy covers this week:

00:00 – 02:35: Welcome To The #AskASoccerPro Show Ep. 078!

02:38 – 07:04: Did You See The Black Players For Change Protest?! #MLSisBLACK

07:08 – 11:57: Do You Want To Watch #MLSisBack With Quincy?

11:58 – 13:09: How To Get Back In Shape For Soccer @CJsmith_04

13:11 – 17:47: What To Do When You Don’t Have An ESPN Stream

17:51 – 19:12: Black Players For Change & Players Coalition Negotiate Official Partnership!

19:17 – 23:34: I Have Lower Back Pain, How Do I Get Rid Of It? @trevorwillis_

23:35 – 24:48: What To Consider When Trying Out For Your Team @_pogbajunior

24:49 – 26:37: Why The Pay To Play System Is A Massive Problem

27:00 – 30:22: How Is Montréal Looking To Quincy?

30:26 – 34:56: Can Pro/Rel Make US Soccer More Inclusive? @ben._.Jammin

35:00 – 37:04: What Is The Best Thing Quincy Learned In The MLS? @yojxrd

37:08 – 40:13: What Does Quincy Really Think Of Pro/Rel?

40:17 – 43:31: What Does Quincy Think of FC Dallas Being Removed From #MLSisBack?

43:34 – 46:09: Who Started the #MLSisBlack ?

46:11 – 50:55: What’s It Like Being Traded In MLS? John Hollinger

51:01 – 53:47: Would Quincy Go To The #MLSisBack Bubble Right Now To Play? @pgsports

53:55 – 55:31: Where Do Players Stay In New Cities? @soccer_dad_for

55:41 – 58:50: Why D.C. United Did Not Want Quincy Back

If you would like to listen to the episode:

If you would like to watch the episode:

If you would like to read the interview:

*Transcript is unedited and machine-generated. There will be errors. For further clarity please refer to the audio or video.

Quincy Amarikwa (00:00):

We're all here to ride the MSL wave. The Mental Strength League. I'd like to welcome you to another episode of the #AskASoccerPro Show! Joe Jackson. What's happening in Houston. Dynamo memes Mario B a L a R D I N. Welcome. Welcome Connor Johnson, England 2130. What's going on? UJoe, it's going good, man. Lots of progress. UAndy, what's going on brother and see you in a minute. Welcome into the live. Uas you guys know, let's see what we got here.

Quincy Amarikwa (00:42):

Yeah.

Quincy Amarikwa (00:43):

Photo up on this screen though. What you guys know? Sirena drunk, dropping in John, dropping in it's pot. Is it pause for anybody else? Yeah, there you go. I think I'm in your head. Emojis. Let me know if you can hear me. Okay. We're getting everything dialed in. I don't know what's going on with the service. Trevor just said he had, he just had tryouts here, set something up, some stuff behind me, the Luca what's going on. Let's see what we got here. If this is able to set up. Okay. And Melissa for those of you guys who've been falling in for a while, you know, you know, we're coming, we're coming correct with the MLS is black campaign. I don't know if any of the, the kickoff game for the MLS, our MLS is black campaign, main mega board. It's in the tournament.

Quincy Amarikwa (01:39):

And you guys saw the protest yesterday drop drop a comment. You know what I'm saying? Like, what were you guys' thoughts or you guys' thoughts on the protest that you saw yesterday? Did you see it? Are you aware of it? You know, what's been going on, you've been living under a rock. You've been joining in, not joining in what's going on. Let me know Matt drop nine in your head. Emojis, John dropping into I'm in your head emojis. And now that I think we are good to go on the audio side and we are set up, I'd like to welcome everybody to episode 70, there's a 77, maybe 77 or possibly 78 of the #AskASoccerPro Show with your host. That's me Quincy Amarikwa, 11 year MLS pro ucurrent currently in my free agency year. Uand here on the #AskASoccerPro Show.

Quincy Amarikwa (02:38):

Yo, Kevin, what up bro? Welcome. I got you up here in the, I got you up here in the screenshot on the top row before you guys did your protest yesterday, you'll love seeing, I love seeing the MSL repping heavy, a whole DC United squad. You guys could see, you guys could see them up in the, up in the top, top corner there. But as I was saying, yeah welcome to the hashtag Assa soccer pro show. I'm your host, Quincy America, as you guys know 11 year MLS pro, but on this show, we talk about the M S L or better known as the mental strength league. It's a game of 40 chess. It's a mentality game where you're either an active participant or you are steady getting played in every Thursday, 6:00 PM. PST 9:00 PM EST. The Perfect Soccer community joins me here, live for the #AskASoccerPro Show to get your questions answered and come together and build an ever growing influential community to better ourselves with every passing week using the patented Amarikwa process, seven step process to building the MSL mentality mindset, which is the mindset you need to accomplish your goals, because we don't look at things as problems.

Quincy Amarikwa (04:00):

We look at them as temporary obstacles and as a group, we work together to overcome them because as John knows and the rest of the perfect soccer community knows teamwork equals dream work. And we use the three S's of self awareness to, to maintain our critical thinking skills to get to wherever it is we want to be in life and soccer. So I'd like to welcome everybody to another beautiful episode. I'm seeing you guys spamming that heart button and dropping in your I'm in your head emojis. I'm seeing Trevor said, Trevor Willison D C needs to sign you for real. Yo, you guys need to, you guys need to be hitting the pavement and letting these MLS clubs know if you'd like me to sign with them. I don't know if they know that I'm still free agent and I don't, you know, or maybe they do know, but they're scared to sign me. That'd be maybe why. And then I could ask, why would they be scared to sign me? Why are they so scared? Or maybe they're not scared. Maybe they're waiting. Maybe they're being patient because they're putting together an amazing contract deal. And you know, contracts take a big contracts, take time to come together. So maybe, maybe that's what it is. Maybe we're just needing to be patient,

Quincy Amarikwa (05:23):

But

Quincy Amarikwa (05:24):

You guys know we've been patient out here, MSL mindset putting in that work, staying ready. So we don't have to get ready. New York red bulls means joined in what up? Ronaldo goalkeeper seven joined in as well too. Are you guys doing, did you watch, like I said, did you guys see the protests? Were you able to catch it? If so, what were your thoughts? I'm looking up here. I saw someone had shared, let me see John had dropped MLS as black. I think someone else had said they watched it on Twitter.

Quincy Amarikwa (06:04):

Okay. Yeah. Robbie Robbie had said he just saw it on Twitter and it is fire. Yeah. A lot of the content that's coming out as a result of its serene has been going hammer time on the BPC, MLS Instagram and Twitter account. If you guys haven't been up to date as to what's going on, make sure you guys go follow those accounts and you can see the dope IG stories and Twitter, Twitter reviews that Sirena has been putting together. She's also getting the black players for change. Linkedin, Facebook, tick tock YouTube, all of that stuff. Just getting all that stuff together. So she's been doing a dope job with the social media accounts. So if you guys haven't checked it out, make sure you go and check that out, give them a follow and show Serena some love with all of that. Luca ask, are you watching the game right now? No, I'm not. If the game, the game is on is the game on right now?

Quincy Amarikwa (07:08):

If the game is on, what I was going to say is Sirena. If you're in the, I don't know if Sirena is in the house actually right now, if you could bring me my laptop, maybe I can log in and we could watch the game. We could watch the game together. Guys. That would be a fun episode. If we watch, does everybody have access to a Luca said new England verse. So who's, who's playing right now. Is anyone, does everyone have access to you to ESPN to watch the game? Okay. New England versus Montreal. If let me know if you guys would like to maybe watch the game together, we could do a little bit of live commentary and we can answer questions on the fly. We could have a kind of an impromptu fun episode and watch MLS is Back together. That'd be pretty cool. You guys let me know. What do you think it is? It is up to the group. While we're waiting on that, if any of you have any questions, make sure you drop them in the comment in the question box there and we can

Quincy Amarikwa (08:14):

Okay.

Quincy Amarikwa (08:14):

We can get, we can get a couple of those answered while we see if we can set up a while. We can see if we can set up for, for the game watching the game together. Let's see what we got here. Yeah. John said, let's do that pug bud jr. Said yes. Get the game on. Okay. Trevor said, yes, sir. So let's see Serena, are you in the house? Cause I think my laptop, my laptop's in the car. Let me go. Let me look out the window. Okay. No Serena took the laptop, so let's see what we can do here. Everybody bear with me while I try to set something up here on the fly. So as I'm setting this up so we can try to set up and watch the game together. You guys dropped some questions or some thoughts and things that you saw from the tournament. I don't know if you guys saw Earl Earl was on at Earl Ray and I was trying to look for it Earl Ray. And let me switch that up. So see, Earl Ray and Justin were on ESPN, ESPN round table. After the, after the protest to talk about black players for change our organization, what the protest was about as well as answer some questions as to what they think.

Quincy Amarikwa (09:41):

The Lucas said, I don't know what channel it's on. It's on ESPN. So I'm going to see how I can set it up And get it going. So let's see.

Quincy Amarikwa (09:56):

Ooh, you know what I'll do.

Quincy Amarikwa (10:04):

I was thinking if I could sit my computer on the ground. All right. Oh, there we go. Alright. We might be able to do this. Let me see. Oh gosh. Oh, super close to my computer. I don't know if that's good computers. That's like super big. Let me see. I'm going to read just, I was going to sit at my computer in front of me, but the computer's too big. So hold on. Yeah, Ben Jammin said ESPN, So let's see. That's probably see all my stuff behind me go. So we'll set up like that. Adjust here. I'm bringing the computer up in front of me 47th minute. Okay, cool. So it's not half time or we can actually get into the Oh five. You have not seen any questions coming in. It looks like everybody's been doing, they're doing their thing. So let's see here. It's already you Quincy. It's not on ESPN. Let's see. Associate Minnesota joined

Quincy Amarikwa (11:54):

In Ben Jammin dropped in what up, what up. Okay, so I have a question. So CJ Smith has a question while I'm trying to get the game set up here. So let's see what we got MLS is back tournament. And I'm gonna have to go to my old, my old sneaky ways of bringing up stuff. If I don't have the account on my computer CJ Smith underscore Oh four said I have a question. I'm trying to get back into soccer. And I'm wondering if you have any good workouts for getting back into shape and back into the grind of soccer. Yeah. So if you're trying to get back into the swing of things, head over to perfect soccer skills.com/login account, that's logging account. You'll see a link on the page to create your account. If you don't have one already and to create yourself a free perfect soccer team membership account.

Quincy Amarikwa (12:47):

And in there you'll get access to a full free week of B pro by perfect soccer. So Ryan mash or be pro general manager, shout out Ryan mash. Many of his many of his his players joining on the live regularly. He puts together those weekly programs. So their custom weekly soccer training programs. So if you're just getting back in the swing of things, I would start there. For that, let's see. I don't know if ESPN, I don't know if ESPN allows for it. So what I do, there's this website that I've found in the past, all the

Quincy Amarikwa (13:25):

TV.

Quincy Amarikwa (13:28):

So I found a website that I usually go to. So it's a T at T D H E dot U S. And then usually you can find the games on there.

Quincy Amarikwa (13:44):

I don't know if it's but it always see if we can get it. Let's get it

Quincy Amarikwa (14:08):

Stern. That links yet. Caitlin joined in increased football. Stopped by what? Up, what up? Yeah, you guys let me know you got here. Any questions I'm saying I'm seeing you guys are joining in. We're trying to set up the game so we could watch it. What else is going on? Ah giving you guys, I'm trying to the Luca I'm seeing if I can make sure that it's working before, I'd tell you guys to go to it. Cause there's usually always a bunch of popups and stuff on it. So I'm trying to see if it's working, right?

Quincy Amarikwa (14:40):

Yep. Okay.

Quincy Amarikwa (14:44):

Okay. So everybody, Ooh. How can I drop a link to everybody that they can click all at one time? Would it work if I do this way? So hold on. I found a stream. So I found a stream. So guys, what I was doing is I'm trying to find a stream so we could all, all watch. All right. So how it usually works. Hmm. What I could do, how do I get everybody to link cause this link and make the link clickable. So all right, everybody, if you're wanting to watch the stream right. Go to [inaudible] go to 80. So I'm going to type it in.

Quincy Amarikwa (15:35):

Yeah. So

Quincy Amarikwa (15:38):

I was trying to make it so as clickable, but

Quincy Amarikwa (15:41):

80 D H E dot a D T a, sorry, this thing is, auto-correct a T D H E T V that he knew.

Quincy Amarikwa (16:01):

Quincy Amarikwa (16:03):

That a T D H E T v.edu,

Quincy Amarikwa (16:08):

Let me make sure that's right.

Quincy Amarikwa (16:12):

And usually what you can do on that you can usually get. Yeah. So if you guys go there on your computer,

Quincy Amarikwa (16:21):

You'll see,

Quincy Amarikwa (16:52):

You'd be able to watch the stream so we can watch the game together while I answer questions. So for those of you who don't know, so actually this is what I'm going to do. Sirena. I am going to send you the link to the stream in Slack, and then I'd like for you to paste and copy and paste it in the, in the channel. So I can pin it T Gabrielle, what's going on. Mia. What's happening official. MLS means Daniel joined in to say, what up the Luca were you able to, were you able to see it, John, where you guys were able to get it, to get the stream? Who did I disappear? It disappeared.

Quincy Amarikwa (17:51):

Oh, there we go. It disappeared. I think what you guys see me putting it on the screen as well too, is black players for change is the official rebranding and name of the black players, coalition of MLS, where we started out just a month ago, we just recently negotiated or finalized finalized a deal to have an official partnership with the players coalition. So Anquan Boldin and Malcolm Jenkins started the players coalition over five years ago to help in the fighting of racial injustice. So, Oh, sorry. Racial justice yet, but social justice issues. They've got a great organization. They really enjoyed and loved what we, what we were about and what we came with. And these last several weeks we've been discussing with them an official partnership. So we just announced that I think two days ago, the day before the protest.

Quincy Amarikwa (18:44):

So there's been a lot of great things that I've been telling you guys about for several months now, cause you guys know 2020s about the vision and people will, people will learn or they'll choose not to, and we'll continue to learn and grow without them. So it doesn't really matter either way, right. Either, either they'll learn over or they'll lose, but we're out here learning Zuri, welcome. What's going on? How are you doing? Trevor said I have lower back pain and I can't seem to get rid of it. I've gone to physical therapy and it still didn't do anything, any advice on how to get rid of it? It depends on what type of lower back pain you're having. Are you having like lower disc pain or are you having lower muscular pain? So there's different items I used to have, well, not used to, I have low back pain. I've had issues with that for a while. You know, it's something that I've managed for ever since. Wow. Like ever since college, especially with running longer distances, but so I've got a bunch of tricks of the trade, but it depends on what type of what type of back pain you're having. Like what's the cause of your back pain? Do you have an idea or an understanding of what's causing your back pain and then from there I could probably be a little bit more helpful.

Quincy Amarikwa (20:03):

Mmm.

Quincy Amarikwa (20:06):

But yeah, if you guys haven't seen the news of the partnership with the player's coalition head over to perfect soccer skills.com. We, we we shared the news over there. I'm happy to talk about it. As soon as you said, the link is too long that's okay. So yeah, if you just put a D a T D H E T v.edu, you guys will be able to find a link to the stream. If you guys don't have ESPN naturally. So we're, we're watching the new England revolution, Montreal impact game fun fact. I played for Montreal in 2000. What year was that? 2018. End of 2018. I really enjoyed my actually yeah, shout out Montreal. I really enjoyed my time in Montreal. I even got my Montreal trainers on and that's a goal. Let's see.

Quincy Amarikwa (21:12):

So I don't know what the score is because it's the things are in the, let's see what we've got here. Nice touch chop. A great finish. I'm almost not sure if like the broadcast will end up giving me like a strike. That's a good finish. Finish. If I can try to make this larger. There we go.

Quincy Amarikwa (21:43):

So yeah.

Quincy Amarikwa (21:47):

Who's that

Quincy Amarikwa (21:49):

B O U. Okay. You got you guys on the field, the link. Yeah. I'd sent the link. I drop the link, but let me, let me pin it. I guess I forgot to pin it so sorry, you guys. And so they go a T D H E T v.edu. You guys will be able to get a link to the stream or we can watch. So it's Montreal zero new England, one in the 56th minute. We're watching our first stream of the game on the fly, which is cool. So we're all watching our first game together. And I'm answering questions while we're at it. So if you've got any questions, make sure you guys are dropping the questions there. And let's see. So I liked the black Zuri set. I liked black clears for change shirts. Can you get them in kid's sizes?

Quincy Amarikwa (22:55):

There should be. There should be kids sizes on the site. And if there isn't Sirena, could we get those added? So for those of you who are interested in getting some of the black players for change merge, you could head over to perfect soccer skills.com/b L M that's the BLM black lives matter collection any and all t-shirts or merge purchase from that collection. The proceeds will go directly to the black players for change or black place for change. We actually need to update Sirena now and think about it. We got to update the page. So everybody knows that it's going to black players for change. Now a black players, coalition of MLS, but sorry, thank you for that question. That's actually very helpful,

Quincy Amarikwa (23:34):

Honey.

Quincy Amarikwa (23:35):

Ooh, let's see what we got here. Underscore POG B a junior said I'm thinking of trying out for my team next year. Is there anything I should know? Well, there's a whole lot of things that you should know but it depends on how old you are, what level you want to get to how much work you're doing on your own and how much work you're doing with your current club. So I'd say the best place to start would be to head to perfect soccer skills.com/login account, create a perfect soccer team membership for free. Well, there's a free way to make your account and there's a page so you can pay. We're happy that we're happy for those of you who are paying for your account. Cause an investment in perfect soccer is an investment in yourself. We take that money and we reinvest it into the company and create you know, the systems and processes and the resources that you guys have access to you.

Quincy Amarikwa (24:22):

But we also understand that not everybody has the financial means to pay, which is why we're here to disrupt the pay to play system. So there is always a free way. There's always a way to get whatever it is you want from perfect soccer or need for free. There's also a paid version or a paid option. And that's how we've, we've we've solved that problem for the issues we see with the pay to play system. I think a lot of the, a lot of the articles and a lot of the, yeah, a lot of the media that you guys would probably see here over the coming weeks and months is going to greatly bring to light the inadequacies and the shortcomings of just the pay to play system and the MLS system. And just this, you know, us soccer system in general.

Quincy Amarikwa (25:12):

I think there's there's been a lot of, there's been a lot of things that have been ignored for a long time. And I think those issues are finally going to start being addressed or hopefully, hopefully address, but at least acknowledged, which is what I think is happening right now. So I think we're in the first stages of people acknowledging that there's a problem. And I think it's going to take several weeks for people to realize how massive the problem is. It's a pretty big problem. These are a lot of these are really big issues. They're systemic, they are deep. And they have been, they've been pervasive for a very long time. So I think once people get an understanding of how deep the issue is and how massive the problem is, we then be able to really start

Quincy Amarikwa (26:02):

Attacking ways to, to implement the policy changes that need to happen to make it a more equitable

Quincy Amarikwa (26:10):

Mmm.

Quincy Amarikwa (26:11):

Experience for people you're moving forward and more inclusive. I just think there's a massive, there's a massive number of soccer fans here in America that that should be tapped into and could be if we just, if we were more understanding of how we could be more inclusive in that process. So

Quincy Amarikwa (26:44):

Greasy said new England all the way. We'll see they, they look like they're doing, they look like they're doing all right. Montreal looks a little bit on the back foot as of right now, but I am jumping in to the middle of the game. So I don't know how the flow of the game has gone up to this point.

Quincy Amarikwa (26:58):

Mmm

Quincy Amarikwa (27:00):

Let's see. John said, saw your snake pray when you were at Montreal of it. Well, I think the snake prank was of, of was when I was with San Jose. So you, you probably, when I was with Montreal, that's probably when you saw the snake prank on Nick Lima love that deep. Ooh, okay. Yes. What drills. Okay. T dot Gabriela said, what drills do you recommend doing to get better with a foot that you aren't used to using? To be honest, repetition is the most important is the most important factor. I think most, most players think that there's some special drill or saw one certain, Oh, that's great play. Oh, how do you miss that? Just joking. I know how you miss that. It's always easier. It's always easier to miss a goal than it is to make a goal.

Quincy Amarikwa (27:56):

But that was, that was great buildup and play by the new England. Montreal is it's looking like they've, they've kind of been exposed cause they were easily broken down on the, on the counter there. As I was saying, I think too many players believe or think that there's like one master skill or trick or drill that you should be doing. I think what's most important is, is doing, doing it consistently and over a long duration of time. So like a lot of the drills and things that I do are very like simple, simple. I don't overcomplicate it too much, but it's repetition. That's most important. So repetition, repetition, repetition you just gotta make enough mistakes.

Quincy Amarikwa (28:55):

The Lucas had, did anybody just get a heck of a lot of ads? Yeah. So because it's a, because it's a website that does random streaming, where what they do is they add a whole bunch of ads on it. So you have to click through all the ads before you get a, before you get to the actual stream. But once you get the stream, it's always pretty, pretty decent stream. I've used the webs, the website for years and finding, finding things. If I'm not able to find the stream he at G R I E Z, I underscore 21 say Quincy, my cousin geo Alvarez was recruited at DC United, but backed out now he is going to play for New York cosmos. Okay. Let's do it. Do you know why he didn't? He decided not to go through with DC United if other link

Quincy Amarikwa (29:42):

Doesn't work you can use. Okay. So Ben jamun said, if the link that you guys see below doesn't work, you can use my goal, tv.com. I haven't heard of that. So yeah. Shout out, ban jamming for dropping the keys. Mmm.

Quincy Amarikwa (30:03):

Let's see what you got here. Safier, that's always dope watching, seeing your ex teammates, former teammates playing games.

Quincy Amarikwa (30:25):

Mmm.

Quincy Amarikwa (30:26):

You know, cause you know, you know, you like know them personally in the locker room, you know, their their personalities and all the stupid things that they do in the jokes and stuff. Let's see, Ben Jammin asks. How how is one way you think US soccer could make it more inclusive, one way to make it more inclusive? I mean, there's, there's a lot of different ways. I just read an article, I forgot the guy's named Ben. It looks like he was doing YouTube videos over two years ago, talking about, I think he started hashtag pro REL for USA. I just read one of his articles on his argument for why there should be PR promotion relegation. I've talked about that in the past about about me thinking, at least at the time when I was talking about it the league is not in a position where they would be willing to be open to that idea at that time.

Quincy Amarikwa (31:28):

And the reason for that, it was just, they had too much power. They had too much control. The single entity system was from their perspective is working right. Values of organizations are going up with each passing year. There's more and more people who want to get into the MLS. The expansion process was very fruitful. But like I also talked about back in December as an #AskASoccerPro Show episode. For me, I was looking at it and seeing it very similar to the housing market of 2008. Right. Cause there is a limit to to expansion. So I think, I think that is a, that is one way. It's one way that I think would be a very, very difficult and tough sell. But in essence, pro REL does create total inclusion because you have to do enough to maintain your spot.

Quincy Amarikwa (32:24):

And if not, you, you go down and the next person gets an opportunity to step in. So I think in the purest sense of the, in the pure sense of openness inclusion, I think pro REL is one way in which you, you you eventually accomplished that goal. I don't think pro REL immediately solves the problem. I think there's still inherently certain advantages and disadvantages money then becomes access to money, becomes a huge influential piece to that. I think maybe like a hybrid pro rail system would be a good transitional step. And this is me thinking about this on the fly now. So take it with a grain of salt. Cause I haven't, I haven't spent anywhere near enough time thinking through this to say for certain in either direction. But I do like I do like the idea of taking the best parts of systems and making the best system you can create for, for today to get you to gathering enough data, to decide how to better refine it over time.

Quincy Amarikwa (33:29):

So I think salary caps are good. So, so there are, there are advantages to the single entity system that I think are, are hugely advantageous and a big reason why the league's been able to at least get to this point. So I don't think it's a, you just throw everything out just because you know, some things aren't ideal. One of those, I think the salary cap is good because if, if you're doing pro REL and you don't have the salary cap now, people who come in and just overspend and to a large degree, you can come in and then it becomes non-inclusive in other ways, like you've got the super teams and other leagues all over the world and cause you know, some, some super rich Uber billionaire will overspend on all players in everything to five X. They're not really like earning their way up the ladder the way in which pro REL is meant to be utilized.

Quincy Amarikwa (34:29):

So I don't want to say that that's the solution, the be all end all. But I think are a hybrid, a merger of those multiple systems and ideas would, would be ideal, at least as of right now, it's a good fit. A good attempt. Good question. That's where I fall with that. As of right now, I'll probably end up thinking more through that and we could discuss that more in depth in future episodes. Yo, yo Jordan, Y O J X, R D a N asked what's the best thing you learned from playing so many years in the MLS? I think the best thing that I learned is how to, how to refine and hone in on the MSL, right? Like I think because of the, because of the system, the MLS system, all the rules, the systems, the processes, the, the just the bureaucracy of the entire process because of that because of that, it, it forced me to adapt or die. Right. And I to continually adapt and reinvent and redefine myself with each passing year and learn more and grow and learn from my mistakes. So it has been it hasn't been easy by any stretch of the means, but it has been it has been a great defensive play. It has been a trip, so I've learned quite a bit, but if you're saying what's the one thing that would be that

Quincy Amarikwa (36:09):

Let's see

Quincy Amarikwa (36:12):

Tony said, Quincy, who do you think will win? The MLS is back tournament. I'm actually not sure. I haven't, I have not been plugged in enough into the kind of the day to day of the teams to even give a remotely educated or at least confident decision on that. Just been, I mean this last month and a half has purely been implementing, organizing the black players for change that you guys are seeing here and, and you know, working through the, the partnership with the players coalition as well as, you know, two kids under three. So a lot of, a lot of stuff on our, on our end. Let's see Ben had said I'm definitely down for pro relegation hybrid. I remember your anti pro relegation video, and it's nice to hear your updated opinion of Fort.

Quincy Amarikwa (37:16):

Unfortunately, ribs will become the Everton of MLS. Thank you for the insight. Ah, okay. Then Ben is saying, I remember your anti per relegation video. So when you say an anti, which video are you talking about? Cause it's not that I've necessarily, maybe I was at the time, but I'm thinking more. So it wasn't necessarily [inaudible], I'm, I'm thinking from the perspective of the league and the league would definitely be anti pro relegation. So I don't think that's what I'm saying. I don't think I've ever had an actual stance as to pro REL is more speaking to the perspective, the league views pro REL and me going, like, I don't think the league is even, especially at that time, I don't even think they'd entertain the idea of that, even being a possibility. But with the current state of us soccer and I think the attention that's going to start coming their way now and just in alignment with where I was talking about the massive issue and problem that, that I think has been ignored for as long as it has, I do think pro rel will be a potential.

Quincy Amarikwa (38:29):

Okay. I do think it'd be something that will be open on the table now and under consideration now, will it come to fruition? I don't know. It's still early to say, but I do think it is introduced into the conversation now. Because the league is the league and us soccer in general is going to have to really showcase some very large ideas too, to show that they are, they are ready and committed to, to not continuing with status quo because status quo is what's, what's gotten us here to this point, you know, to a point in time where many people do not feel included in the process included in the system. They don't feel that there's a path for them. They don't feel as though they're fairly represented and that that's a problem, right. And that's a problem that I think they're, they're open and willing to, to address and get. Right. Which also means there's going to be some tough decisions to be made.

Quincy Amarikwa (39:34):

Okay.

Quincy Amarikwa (39:37):

Of those being, bringing to table things that I definitely don't think they would have been open to or willing to in the past, but that's what we say, you know, soccer things can change very quickly.

Quincy Amarikwa (39:50):

Okay.

Quincy Amarikwa (39:51):

So are you, are you one that's ready to adapt or are you are you stuck in your old ways? Cause the MSL is a mindset. It's a mindset

Quincy Amarikwa (40:06):

And it's a new thinking and

Quincy Amarikwa (40:12):

We learned from our old thinking, let's see what we got here. Ben said MSL greater than MLS loved that. Lucas said you should start a series where we watch watch games in common commentary together. Yeah. Maybe what I'll start doing. I can do that on the on the Twitch account. I don't know. I don't know the rules as to, and I'll need to look into it. So I don't know the rules as to like live broadcasts if you don't have like rights to resharing and stuff. So maybe we'll go on Twitch. Cause I know that there's no limitation on like how long you can stream on Twitch for I know no context Dylan is going to be being a more regular daily streamer on our Twitch account. So he'll be there doing FIFA daily and then maybe from time to time I can go on and we can watch games like this together. We can do commentary and break stuff down. I think this would be kind of good change of pace. This is enjoyable. I know that

Quincy Amarikwa (41:23):

Mmm

Quincy Amarikwa (41:25):

We're all down for the MSL and we're tuned in and dialed in that also doesn't mean that we can't have some fun and enjoy some time together guys. John asks, what are your thoughts on FC Dallas pulling out of the Orlando tournament? I think it's necessary. Considering the whole point of it is supposed to be like an impenetrable bubble. Right. And I think above anything and everything safety has to come first for the players and the staff and the individuals at the tournament. And yeah, I think, I think from what I've heard and the, and the information available some, some players had arrived with, with COVID.

Quincy Amarikwa (42:16):

So, you know,

Quincy Amarikwa (42:20):

By the time, yeah, I think at that point in time, then multiple players ended up having it. And because of that I think the league had to then remove them from the tournament. Yo, speak of speak the man's name and, and he comes no context. Dylan joined in yo brother fury in here. My bad, like I said, you could see on the screen, we we've been, we've been working on this partnership with the player's coalition and getting everything organized for the protest for the black players for change. So I have been running around at a million miles an hour. I'm trying to delegate and elevate things. So hopefully we'll get you here going on the Twitch account. I think at the very least, we just need to get you into our Slack channel so we can communicate more regularly. And then get you log in details to the Twitch account. PG sports that hashtag Quincy bubble. Yo, what up Paul welcome. Let's see, Chris, Chris Floyd soccer said, hello. Hello. How you doing? Paul said, did you start #MLSisBlack. I don't know. You guys might want to go and check the very first post on the hashtag and, and see where it started.

Quincy Amarikwa (43:46):

Could you drop a link and have people watch on two tabs? Like now

Quincy Amarikwa (43:51):

What?

Quincy Amarikwa (43:51):

I'm not sure you could drop a link and have people watch on two tabs, but what, I'm not sure. I'm not sure. I don't know from reading that right. We need to do one, we one for a stream I'm down, I'm down. Like I think with now that now that, you know, we had the protest, the black players for change is there. We've kinda got the, we've done the partnership with the players coalition. We, we got things together with the MLSP. I think the next step is really getting that taken care of with the MLS. Yeah, getting all of that taken care of with the MLS. So I foresee having a much more time here. That's a good through bowl. Much more time here in the coming weeks and I'm looking forward to doing a lot more fun stuff. Like, so for instance, like us doing the live, watching the game together and answering questions. I like this. This is this is, this is nice.

Quincy Amarikwa (45:00):

Let's see soccer dad for life. Welcome to the show, the stream trough. Now I'm in your head, emojis loving that. Yo that's what I'm saying. What was dope is yo the MSL made it, lemme sell, made it you see the top of, see the top of Earl's hat at the tournament. A we made it yo shout out my DC United, my DC United fam. You seen Chris Adoi in there. O'neill Kevin, Don Pines, Bill Hamid. Zach love that. Love that, love that. And I was crazy when when Earl called me for that I happened to be wearing my DC United, my DC United kit. So look at that. Perfect timing. There's love in that live, let's see. POBA jr. With the I'm in your head emojis. Let's see. Okay. John had asked John Hollinger had asked, what are your thoughts on MLS players being traded on the fly without warning Rooney talked about it in his episode with you, but can you talk about it from your experience when being traded?

Quincy Amarikwa (46:26):

Okay. Okay. So what are you traded or your teammates? So the, how things happen in MLS as of right now, a mass majority of the times is most players are not aware of then being traded. I would assume big name players are kind of in, on that process. But for the most part, I don't think most players don't have a no trade clause in their contracts. Those aren't, those aren't commonplace as of right now. Mainly cause I just don't think players have had enough leverage to have those types of things in their contracts. And then the big, big name players are paid such a large amount of money that if they, if they aren't performing or doing well, most clubs aren't trading for them cause they don't want the salary the salary cap hit. So with that in mind, it's, it's pretty much a it's pretty much at any point in time at any day, you can just get a phone call from your general manager, your coach.

Quincy Amarikwa (47:28):

And they say like, Hey, you're for, you know, whoever. And usually it's pretty straight. It's pretty straightforward in the sense of like, Hey, we traded you their team admin will be getting back to you. Oh, you gotta get across that to this man. He tried to shoot that their team admin will be in contact with you within a couple of hours to, to let you know. And then usually within a couple hours, a team admin, probably someone you don't know, you've never spoken to you before. Let's, you know, like, Hey, congratulations, welcome. We signed, you know what I mean? We traded for you a coach, the coach wants you to fly out the next available flight. And that would be, you know, tomorrow at four in the afternoon. Cause we want you to make, you know, your physical that evening and make training the night, the day after that.

Quincy Amarikwa (48:14):

So it's pretty it's, it's, it's usually like, Hey, it's not a, are you okay with this? You know what, you know, what's your family situation. Can you afford this? Like where are you at mentally? There's there's no real regard from that. It's just, Hey, you've been traded. This is where you're going. And like, we need you out here in a day or two or so my phone's starting to get low on battery. So we've got about 10 minutes here before the episode's over, we hit the hour Mark. But I think I've been traded so many times, right? Because once you get traded once, then, then you're seen as someone who has trade value amongst the league. And once you're seen as someone who has trade value, your name is always included in conversations. When my general managers and technical directors are having conversations about getting a deal done.

Quincy Amarikwa (49:10):

So it's very much like, Oh, what if we throw him in on the deal? Or so, so once you've seen, you're seen as it's positive and negative, right? So it's positive because it means, you know, your name is included in conversations. So you'll have other opportunities, but it's negative because sometimes organizations aren't looking at you as someone for the longterm, they're looking at you as someone in the short term to fix an immediate problem or need that they have while they then work on getting a longterm solution. So that's why I said it's, it's positive and negative. Positive, short term, I'd say negative longterm, because then you can't really build any longterm like roots anywhere.

Quincy Amarikwa (49:56):

So,

Quincy Amarikwa (49:58):

But, but I've, I've learned a lot from the process, I think because of being traded and as, as much as I have, and more importantly, the mentality I have when I approach it, I'm able to get maximum value out of eating traded. So like it's a new city, it's a new market, it's a new opportunity to learn new people. It's a, it's a, it's a way to try new ideas or learn from the mistakes that you made at the last organization that you were at or or better understand if the things that you're doing are valuable and needed and important. So I think many players struggle with it though. Because it isn't easy. It really isn't easy. It's, it's a lot of work and it's a lot of expectation. It's a lot of it's. Yeah. It's a lot of you're on your own and figure it out. And if it doesn't work, you're blamed for it not working, but that's, you know, that's life that's as it is, but you guys know we don't make excuses here.

Quincy Amarikwa (51:01):

Paul said, how about a 24 hour IG live? I'd be down. If, if Instagram, Instagram allowed it to go for 24 hours, I'd be down to do like one full, like one day stream. Benson. I mean, if you're going to watch if you're going to Twitch stream a game and can't live stream the game for copyright reasons, you could leave it link so we could watch on one time unless you on the other. Gotcha. No, I appreciate that BIM. That's what I was, I was thinking with that relation to Instagram and I was like, what do you mean tabs? I think would be cool to listen to things that a pro pays attention to while watching the game. That's actually a really cool idea. I like that. And I'm going to do that with I'm going to do that with with an MLS his back game, at least one we'll do at least one maybe multiple for these games, from watching the stream and we can do that. So I can, you guys can ask questions about what I'm paying attention to and why, and we could break down games that way. That's a good idea. I like that one. I'm trying to think if you guys haven't joined your preferred soccer team membership make sure you do that or go to my website and join my email list, my personal email list. Cause that's where I'll probably give you guys an update as to do in the stream so you can get information on that.

Quincy Amarikwa (52:20):

Mmm.

Quincy Amarikwa (52:22):

PG sports, ask if an MLS team calls you right now, would you go to the bubble? Yeah, of course. I'm ready to go. You guys, that's what I'm telling you guys. Mans has been training out here in in Bakersfield, whether that's as that's as good of weather that I could, that I could be in to prepare for Orlando heat. I mean, you can't match that humidity, but I'm ready to go. And I definitely know some teams are struggling at the forward position. Cause a lot of, a lot of guys definitely did not prepare well for this. They were, they were not thinking that there's going to be a tournament or they didn't think they needed to do much to be ready for it. But you know, not all, not all not all Fords in this league got the MSL mindset. You know what I mean?

Quincy Amarikwa (53:09):

You know what I mean? But like I've said and been saying I'm still a free agent for some reason, weird, or maybe it's not weird, you know, been denying stuff for a long time. All, all it takes is one chance, one opportunity. And I don't think, I don't think it would be, I don't think it would be a bad decision to bring me in. That's all I'm saying, but I guess it's more so asking what other people think, what do you guys think? You think a team should sign me? If so, why do you think a team should sign me?

Quincy Amarikwa (53:55):

A soccer dad for life as a, where do you stay once in a new city at the clubs, facility or hotels? I'm assuming you mean like when we travel for games, travel for games there you stay at like the, the hotels that they've broker deals with over the years. So it has to be a certain level of hotel cause that's what was negotiated in CBA with the, with the union or sorry with the player's association, we used to be the union, but we've rebranded as the player's association. So that's usually where you stay and then if you're being traded it's similar, but you're usually like in a longer term place, like a Homewood suites type of type of deal until you're able to get your own, your own like lease and a apartment or, or home a soccer dad said not to get off subject, but are there videos of you as a youth player?

Quincy Amarikwa (54:50):

You 12, 13? That's my son's age group. So would like to watch if we did, they're probably really bad home videos because my dad was horrible, horrible at recording games. As soon as anything was serious was going to happen. He was always like watching. So I'm sure there's a little bit, but not a whole lot. I'd need to reach out to him and ask if he's got anything. But I do have some old teammates and friends like Stuart Campbell was one of my own teammates. His dad would record games. I think he had said he has a couple of, couple of games from my youth, my youth playing days. So I'll reach out to him or you guys reach out to him and ask him if he's got him, if he can find him.

Quincy Amarikwa (55:41):

Ooh PG sports ass. Did, did you talk to D C after last season to bring you back? I did speak to them. You have your end of the year, you have your end of the year meetings and then, and then sometimes you have additional meetings after that. They did not. Yeah, they were not at the time. They were not open and wanting to bring me back. Yeah. Makes you think of the conversations you had. They're interesting conversations, but they came to the conclusion that they were not interested in bringing me back that's at the time. So like I said, guys times can change. So you don't, you're not out. You don't want to be out here burning bridges. You want to you know, understand how and why people make the decisions that they do accept the decisions that they make and then prepare for your next opportunity.

Quincy Amarikwa (56:39):

But when people make mistakes, sometimes they sometimes they own up to them and they realize the mistake that they made, they apologize and they, they put place a plan to move past and move forward. But also many people double down on, on them, not making mistake, which just creates further issues and problems for them in the future. But everybody's on their own journey and path and has their own lessons to learn and experience to have. So we're just here riding the MSL wave together, everybody. But I got two minutes. I got two minutes here. A team should sign to team should sign you to be the leader of the team. I'll be down. Just, I guess just need the team to see me as a leader.

Quincy Amarikwa (57:32):

Mmm.

Quincy Amarikwa (57:33):

A pub would junior said, I think they should. You might you have a lot to offer. Thank you very much. Soccer. Dad said Chicago fire should sign you reasons because it's close for us to go and watch you play and love that. Got one minute here left guys. I appreciate that. Ben said, if you got signed, you wouldn't be able to get all this excellent content out to us. Yes, I would. We were doing the show every Thursday, 6:00 PM. PST 9:00 PM. EST heat, no matter what, we'd make this work.

Quincy Amarikwa (58:02):

Mmm.

Quincy Amarikwa (58:05):

Well you made a big impact with DC. Look at the picture. A you guys know that you guys, Hey, I love that. I love the guys at DC of the, my teammates here were awesome. And I was happy as happy to see them and especially see them shout me out before the protests was. So it was dope. J pro skillset, ed 11 should sign. You tell him to call me. But yes, everybody, we got 25 seconds left here before they kicked me off. I really appreciate everybody joining in. This was a, this was a fun episode. I'm glad we got a chance to kind of just relax, talk a little bit, see how everybody's doing. I am looking forward to seeing everybody here next week. Next Thursday, we will figure out some things to do here on the lives with the Twitch stream. So make sure you sign on to my email list.

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luniellar · 6 years ago

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It’s You: 02 (Eternal Sunshine)

A/N: Thinking of a better title. But, this will work for now. Just a heads up incase the title randomly changes. Retitled to “It’s You” from “Eternal Sunshine”

Summary: Chris, Sebastian, and Julie (Fictional Character) have been friends for a long time… even before Chris and Seb started their acting careers and landed a role in the Marvel Universe. Friendship opened a new path to love and it’s starting to look… complicated.

Pairing: Chris Evans X Julie (Fictional Character), Sebastian Stan X Julie (FC)

Genre: Romance | Drama

Audience: PG-13…? (Jk there are some F-bombs and inappropriate language that might be suitable for the young)

Navigation: Masterlist

- - - - - - - - - - { Julie’s POV }

The air around me felt suffocating, but realized I was instinctively trying to hold my breath, hoping to disappear from this world. But, interestingly... I felt free. I was done lying to Seb. There was nothing between me and Seb and all felt right in the world. As right as it could be for this situation. If we could all just gather around the campfire and hug it out now…

“I like you, Jules. I can’t stop thinking about you.”

Oh right. My heartfelt heavy again like I was punched back down on the floor. I cautiously looked at Seb as his eyes shifted from mine to Chris and back to mine again.

“You guys are dating,” Seb stated, but it sounded more like a question like he needed to confirm from both of us.

Chris cleared his throat. “Well, this is going to be a long night.”

For the most part, I sat there like a log as Chris explained to Seb when we started dating and why we kept it from him. I nodded along, but I wasn’t really listening. I felt like I owed him the story from my voice. I glanced at Seb from time to time during the conversation to read what he was thinking, but when I saw his eyes fix at me, I immediately turned my gaze to glare at the floor.

“I’m sorry bud, I shouldn’t have kept it from you. She wanted to tell you and me…” Chris paused. “I wanted to make sure what we had was something to even bring up to you and now… I am just regretful for not telling you sooner. We didn’t mean to keep it from you.”

Seb nodded. “Well, you guys are not wrong. It would have messed with my work.” Then, he looked at me. “But, I appreciate you guys for telling me as soon as you felt ready.”

My heart ached again. I remembered back in high school after prom when all our dates passed out in the hotel room and it was just the three of us sitting in the dark waiting for the sun to come up. It was going to be our first all-nighter together. Chris was drifting in and out of sleep, but Seb wasn’t affected by the vodka shots he and Chris took earlier. I only had my virgin cocktails, so I was just wired on sugar at this point.

“Hey Julie,” Seb muttered.

“Hm,” I replied.

“Promise me, that we will still remain friends when we grow up.”

I turned to look at him and his slate blue eyes. “Only if you promise me that you won’t forget me when you get famous.” I looked at Chris and giggled at his eyelashes blinked slower and slower trying to stay awake. “Let’s be real. Chris will forget me as soon as he gets a taste of fame.

“Julesss, Nuhhh uhh…” Chris managed to say before going completely silent followed by quiet snores.

“I won’t,” Seb answered. “No secrets too.”

I got up from my seat and started cleaning the rest of the table. “It’s late and you guys need sleep.”

“I’ll grab a hotel nearby,” Seb said getting up from the table too.

“No, both of you guys are sleeping in my bed today. I’m taking the twin bed in the guest room,” I stated and saw Chris about to protest. “And that’s final.” I used my serious voice and no one said anything.

I tossed around the small, creaky bed until I ended up staring at the ceiling. Were they sleeping already? After the dishes, I got Chris to drag Seb’s bag to my room and I ordered both of them to get ready for bed. They both knew me well enough to know that when I was determined, I was not changing my mind.

You know, thirty-four years of my life and I never had this experience before. My romantic life was summed up by two words, stagnant and sad. I only had two serious boyfriends in my life and they both lasted about four years each. Chris always made fun of me that I couldn’t keep a guy around for five years and Seb was more amazed that no guy wants to put a ring on it after four years. One of the guys was cheating on me for a good year until I found out. Like I said, stagnant and sad. But, that was three years ago and the final act of my roaring-twenties.

Chris suggested that I take a break from work and focus on having a social life like every normal female in their twenties, but life wasn’t that easy. With two jobs, an apartment in Boston, and film writing hobbies, I didn’t have the time for a life. I started making plans for my forever single life when I crossed the line and turned thirty. My two best friends were so successful and here I was, still struggling away. Within three months of dating, Chris wanted me to move into his apartment, but no. I needed more time to be myself.

I lied there blinking in the darkness and decided that I probably wasn’t going to be sleeping tonight. I rolled over and got up from my bed. Even in the darkness, I knew how to navigate every part of my home. I walked through the hallways to the living room and realized that the kitchen lights were on.

Huh, I didn’t remember leaving those on. I walked into the kitchen unknowingly and the moment I stepped through the doorway, I saw a figure pass by me as a hand grabbed my wrist and pinned me against the wall. Before I could scream, the other hand was over my mouth. My eyes focused on the tall figure in front of me and his stupid smiling face came into view.

Chris.

Instinctively, I tried to bite his hand and he quickly retracted them. “Okay, I deserved that.”

Gasping for air, I closed my eyes to breathe in and out, making sure to count to five. My heart was racing and I heard it ringing in my ears. “I’m going to kill you,” I whispered with my eyes still closed.

“And that too,” he replied. I felt his warm hands wrap around my cheeks. “Hey, hey. I’m here.”

When I opened my eyes, his vivid blue eyes greeted me. My heart instantly melted at the sight of his face. Then, he slowly leaned in to kiss my forehead.

“I missed you,” he muttered under his breath.

I buried my face into his chest and his arms wrapped around my body. We stood like that for minutes until I pulled away first. If I didn’t I think I could have fallen asleep like that. “How is Seb?” I whispered.

“You know him. He’s a champ,” he smiled flashing his perfect “my dad is a dentist” smile.

I sighed in relief. I didn’t know if I should tell Chris what Seb told me before he walked in, but I advised against it. I still didn’t have a chance to talk to him about it. I quickly changed the subject. “What was that about.”

Chris chuckled. “Work training? In case you didn’t know, I actually train for my own action scenes.”

I knew and that’s when rolled my eyes. “You’re stupid, you know that?

He laughed again, louder this time. “You walk around the house like a mammoth Jules. If I was actually breaking in, you’re a pretty easy first target.”

Mammoth? “Chris,” I warned. “You did not just say mammoth.”

He shrugged jokingly and I glared at him. “But, really Jules. This is why I’m trying to get you to sign up for those self-defense classes. You need to protect yourself.”

“The city of Boston people are great people,” I said back and realized there was a cut on the side of his neck that wasn’t there before. “Chris,” I said as I got closer to it. It looked deep.

“Oh,” he said as he put his hand over it. “It’s a small cut I got on set.”

“Small?” I panicked and moving his hand from it. It looked painful. “Hold on, I’m going to get the first aid kit.”

I turned around to head into the living room, but his hand reached out for my wrist and stopped me. I looked back at him and pulled me closer to him. I only realize how tall he is until we are close like this. I wouldn’t consider myself to be short, but when my 5’6’’ height is side by side his 6’0’’ height, I have to look up and he needs to look down to meet in the middle.

He leaned down and our lips pressed together. I felt his rough lips against mine as we kissed. He pulled away before I knew we couldn’t stop. I was disappointed, but I also knew why he pulled away there.

He brushed my hair from my face with his hand and tucked it behind my ears. “You’re so beautiful.”

I felt my face heat up as I looked down in embarrassment. Imagine it. Your movie star boyfriend who sees all these famous, gorgeous, and perfect celebrities every day tells you that your no makeup and baggy PJs self was beautiful. When I looked at his eyes, it told me that everything he was saying was the truth. But, my lack of self-confidence told me otherwise. He’s just being nice, Julie.

“Come on, I’ll tuck you in bed,” he said as he grabbed my hand and clicked off the kitchen light.

I crawled into the small bed and Chris pulled the blanket over my body before sitting on the edge of the bed. I saw his face clearly as the moonlight filtered in through the window.

“If you keep staring at me like that, I won’t be able to stop myself from jumping in there with you,” he muttered in a low voice.

I closed my eyes with the warmth of the blanket surrounding my tiny body. He chuckled as I felt his hand graze across my forehead and move the hair on my face. His soft touch was like a sweet lullaby. Then, I felt his lips on my forehead. When I opened my eyes, his face was an inch away from mine. I felt his breath against my face and my heart started to race wildly. I had to restrain myself from grabbing and pulling him close.

I heard him exhale frustratedly.

“I need you to myself tomorrow,” he sounded defeated as he got up from the bed. Goodnight, baby,” he whispered as closed the door behind him.

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bountyofbeads · 5 years ago

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https://www.miamiherald.com/news/state/florida/article233704797.html

Huge cache of records details how Jeffrey Epstein and madam lured girls into depraved world

BY JULIE K. BROWN AND

SARAH BLASKEY | Published AUGUST 09, 2019 02:01 PM | Miami Herald | Posted August 13, 2019 |

A chilling picture emerged Friday of how hundreds of girls and young women were allegedly trafficked for sex to a number of wealthy business, political and world leaders by Jeffrey Epstein and his madam, Ghislaine Maxwell, as nearly 2,000 court documents were unsealed in a federal civil case in New York.

The documents, the largest cache to be released in the 13 years since Epstein’s case began, offer brutal details about Epstein’s trafficking of teenage girls in Palm Beach, New York and overseas — as well as Maxwell’s obsessive and often abusive quest to provide him with new girls over a span of years in the early to mid 2000s.

The documents raise new questions about whether powerful people pressured federal prosecutors in Florida to give Epstein a secret non-prosecution agreement in 2008 that not only granted him immunity, but allowed an untold number of other people who have never been identified to escape sex trafficking charges.

One of the men accused of having sex with one of Epstein’s victims is former Maine Senator George Mitchell, the once formidable Senate Democratic minority leader who in 2008 — the same year the Epstein deal was finalized — was named one of Time magazine’s most influential people.

Mitchell flatly has denied the allegations, which were buried amid the thousands of documents that were part of a 2015 federal defamation lawsuit brought against Maxwell by Epstein victim Virginia Roberts Giuffre.

Giuffre, who turned 36 on Friday, names a number of other men in politics, academia and business that she says she was directed to have sex with. In a 2017 interview with the Miami Herald, Giuffre said that Epstein wanted her to please various influential people then so that he could learn about their sexual peccadilloes and use them as leverage if he needed to.

While there’s no direct evidence contained in the court record substantiating her accounts with prominent men, Giuffre did provide testimony and evidence to corroborate her claims of exploitation at the hands of Epstein and Maxwell through photographs, plane logs and even a medical record from Presbyterian Hospital in New York where Giuffre was taken by Epstein after a particularly abusive sex episode.

Her story was also supported by a sworn deposition from an ex-boyfriend, whom she told about the abuse at the time, and another woman who worked as an assistant for Maxwell and Epstein named Johanna Sjoberg. Sjoberg, who was a college student at Palm Beach Atlantic University when she was recruited by Maxwell, said that Maxwell’s primary role in Epstein’s life was to provide him with young girls at least three times a day.

“He explained to me that, in his opinion, he needed to have three orgasms a day. It was biological, like eating,’’ Sjoberg said in a sworn deposition in 2015.

The names of some prominent men Giuffre says she was directed to have sex with are spattered throughout the approximately 2,000 pages released Friday.

Besides Mitchell, they include: the late scientist Marvin Minsky, modeling scout Jean-Luc Brunel, former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, 71, Hyatt hotels magnate Tom Pritzker, 69, and prominent hedge fund manager Glenn Dubin, 62. Giuffre has previously identified Epstein’s lawyer, Alan Dershowitz, 80, and Prince Andrew, 59, as two of the people with whom she had sex.

All the men have issued denials, with some, including Dershowitz, insisting they never met Giuffre. No charges have been filed against anyone other than Epstein, who was indicted last month in New York on two counts of sex trafficking.

Some of the testimony released Friday is difficult to read, as when one 15-year-old Swedish girl, shaking and crying in fear, told a butler who worked for two of Epstein’s closest friends that she had been taken to Epstein’s private island in the Caribbean and ordered to have sex with him and others. The butler, in a sworn statement, said the girl, visibly traumatized, told him that Epstein and Maxwell had physically threatened to harm her and seized her passport to keep her on the island, according to the butler’s statement.

The houseman, Rinaldo Rizzo, worked for Dubin and his wife, Eva, a former Miss Sweden who is a physician and founder of the Dubin Breast Center at Mount Sinai. Rizzo said that the girl was so distraught she couldn’t recall how she got back to the U.S. mainland but that it was Maxwell who returned her to the Dubin residence in New York.

The cache of court documents, part of the defamation case’s motion for summary judgment, also shows that in 2006, when the Palm Beach police were first investigating Epstein, he was being assisted by Maxwell as part of a pyramid-like scheme the pair operated to lure young girls from around Palm Beach County, focusing on schools, colleges and spas.

City of Palm Beach Detective Joe Recarey, who has since died, testified in the case that he was never able to question Maxwell, but the fact that the police had evidence of Maxwell’s involvement raises new questions about why the FBI and U.S. Attorney’s Office in South Florida failed to pursue sex trafficking charges against Epstein, Maxwell and others.

Giuffre, as part of her sworn testimony, also states that she met former President Bill Clinton, former Vice President Al Gore and future President Donald Trump, and that Epstein once held a dinner for Clinton on his island, Little St. James, off the coast of St. Thomas.

She said in a 2016 deposition she met Trump through her father, Sky, who worked as a maintenance man at Trump’s Palm Beach home, Mar-a-Lago, and that to her knowledge, neither Trump nor Clinton had any intimate contact with “us’’ — referring to a group of girls Epstein kept at his beck and call for sex.

Giuffre’s lawyer, David Boies, said there is nothing in the Maxwell case that showed any wrongdoing by Clinton, Gore or Trump.

“We know both Trump and Clinton were associated with Epstein at various times in various ways, but in terms of what we have, there’s no indication that any of the three of them did anything improper.’’

The lawsuit was settled in 2017 in Giuffre’s favor, Boies said. But besides the monetary settlement, Boies said Giuffre’s goal was to chronicle, in testimony and evidence, the scope of Epstein’s and Maxwell’s sex trafficking operation.

“What the lawsuit was about is this massive sex trafficking operation which went on for years, right in front of everybody — and the way in which every institution in our society failed these girls. The courts failed them, the prosecutors failed them, the lawyers failed them, the media failed them — everyone in our system failed them,’’ he said.

He added that even after Epstein pleaded guilty in 2008 as part of a plea deal that amounted to minor prostitution charges, Epstein served a cushy jail term — he was allowed to leave the jail for 12 hours a day — and went back to his jet-setting social life. At the same time, Giuffre and Epstein’s other victims continued to suffer trauma as details of his crimes spilled out over the years — and the criminal justice system continued to ignore the case.

Boies, whose firm is now engaged in a similar defamation lawsuit brought by Giuffre against Dershowitz, said that there were a lot of people who, if they weren’t involved knew what Epstein and Maxwell were doing.

“I think one of the general points worth making is how many people knew about this and did nothing, and how long it went on right in plain sight, hiding in plain sight,’’ Boies said.

Maxwell, in portions of her deposition unsealed Friday, refused to answer questions about whether she saw Epstein with any underage girls. She denied she ever had sex with Giuffre, calling her a liar and, at one point, pounding her fists on a table during questioning.

“Again, Virginia is absolutely totally lying. This is a subject of defamation about Virginia and the lies she has told and one of the lies she told was that President Clinton was on the island where I was present. Absolutely 1,000 percent that is a flat-out total fabrication and lie.’’

Clinton has admitted that he made four plane trips with Epstein as part of the charitable work of the Clinton Foundation.

“President Clinton knows nothing about the terrible crimes Jeffrey Epstein pleaded guilty to in Florida some years ago, or those with which he has been recently charged in New York,’’ a statement from his spokesman, released last month, said.

President Trump has recently claimed that he was not really close with Epstein and had not spoken to him in years. Giuffre, however, said in a deposition released Friday that Trump and Epstein were good friends. She admitted that Epstein was the one who characterized his friendship with Trump and that she herself had never seen the two of them together.

The Herald was unsuccessful in reaching Brunel.

Devin Broda, a spokesman for the Dubins, issued the following statement:

“Glenn and Eva Dubin are outraged by the allegations in the unsealed court records, which are demonstrably false and defamatory. The Dubins have flight records and other evidence that definitively disprove that any such events occurred.”

A spokesman for Richardson issued a statement saying that he has never met Giuffre.

“These allegations and inferences are completely false. ...To be clear, in Governor Richardson’s limited interactions with Mr. Epstein, he never saw him in the presence of young or underage girls.”

“I have never met, spoken with or had any contact with Ms. Giuffre,” Mitchell told the Portland (Maine) Press Herald. “In my contacts with Mr. Epstein I never observed or suspected any inappropriate conduct with underage girls. I only learned of his actions when they were reported in the media related to his prosecution in Florida. We have had no further contact.”

Giuffre named at least two other women who were considered “sex slaves,’’ but said there were dozens of others who were directed to perform sex acts for politicians, businessmen and world leaders during the two and half years she spent with Epstein starting in 2000 when she was 17.

The civil case had previously been sealed by a federal court judge. The Miami Herald, which published a detailed investigation of the Epstein case last November, Perversion of Justice, petitioned the court in January to unseal the entire case. Two other parties, blogger Mike Cernovich and Epstein lawyer Dershowitz, had previously asked that certain portions of the case be unsealed.

Giuffre has said that Epstein forced her to have sex with both Dershowitz and Prince Andrew, an allegation they both have denied. Another woman, Sarah Ransome, said that Epstein and Maxwell directed her to have sex with Dershowitz, which the famed attorney has also denied.

The court documents revealed new details about her alleged sex acts with Dershowitz, including times that she says she had sex with him on Epstein’s jet and in a limo with another girl while Epstein was present. In her deposition, she also said she briefly visited Dershowitz’s Massachusetts home,waiting for him with another woman in the foyer.

Dershowitz has previously told the Herald that Giuffre is a liar and that he intends to prove it in court.

A three-judge panel agreed to release the documents in April. One of the three cautioned that just because an allegation is in the documents doesn’t make it true.

On Thursday, another U.S. district judge, Loretta Preska, will hold a hearing to determine how to unseal the remaining documents in the case.

#u.s. news #politics #politics and government #us: news #international news #legal issues #world news #criminal-justice #u.s. department of justice #sex crimes #united states department of justice #jeffrey epstein #sex trafficking

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redditnosleep · 7 years ago

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Has Anyone Heard of The Left/Right Game?

by NeonTempo

A few points before we start.

Firstly, I am not the protagonist of this story. I just went to university with her, and though she went on to become a professional writer, I most certainly did not. She'll be taking over from me further down but, until then, please forgive my slightly awkward delivery while I give you guys the necessary context.

Secondly, I don't know what you will make of the following events, and I'm sure many of you might consider it all some sort of hoax. I wasn't present for any of what transpired in Phoenix, Arizona but I can vouch for the person who wrote the following logs. She is not, and has never been, a fantasist.

Ok so I once knew a girl called Alice Sharma. She was an undergrad at Edinburgh Uni the same time I was. My educational poison was History, a degree which has greatly benefited my career as a bicycle repairman. Alice Sharma studied journalism, though perhaps "studied" isn't the word. It's not an exaggeration to say that she lived and breathed the subject. Editor-in-chief of the campus paper, recognisable voice of student radio. She was frustratingly tunnel visioned, and she was a journalist in her own right before anyone gave her a professional shot.

We met in student halls and became friends almost immediately. A meandering waster trying to stay off his parent's farm and an intrepid, ambitious reporter may not seem the most obvious pairing, but I learned not to question it. She was inspiring, and smart and she proofread all my essays. I’m not too sure what she saw in me.

We were eventually flatmates down in London where she chased her dream and I chased my tail. She got a few jobs here and there, but nothing befitting of her skills. After months of fruitless internships and rejections, Alice called a flat meeting, telling us that she was moving to America, accepting a position chasing stories for National Public Radio. The job had come out of the blue, the result of a hail mary application she thought had been dismissed out of hand. We threw her a bittersweet going away party and put the room up for rent.

That party was the last time I saw Alice Sharma. She dropped out of contact a few months after her departure. Complete radio silence. I assumed she was just busy so I carried on with my small but happy life, and waited for her to pop up on television with some important words below her name; Chief Correspondent, Senior Analyst… something like that.

The radio silence was broken last week, and, for reasons you’ll glean further down, I’m less happy about it than I would’ve thought.

Arriving home from work I found a lone email in my otherwise bare inbox. An email that would later be described as "suspicious" by my tech literate friends. Despite being born in the early 1990's I didn't own a computer until uni, and I've missed several important lessons in the world of cyberspace. Lessons like "Don't call it Cyberspace" of course and more importantly, "Don't open emails with no text, no subject and no sender's address."

I realise most of you would have deleted this anonymous, blank email immediately, my friends certainly would have, but beyond my basic ignorance about online safety, something further compelled me to open it. The only thing of substance in the entire message was a zipped folder, labeled:

Left.Right.AS

I don't have to explain what I was hoping those final initials stood for.

Opening the zipped folder I found myself staring at a stack of text files. Each one titled with a date, continuing sequentially from the very earliest file "07-02-2017". (To any Americans in the room this is the 7th of February).

I’ve since read the files a few times, and shown them to some friends. They don't know what to make of it either, but they certainly aren't as concerned as me. They think Alice is just in a creative writing phase and, if I didn't know her, I’d have to agree. But the thing is, I do know her. Alice Sharma only cares about the truth and if that's the case with these files, insane as it may sound, then it’s very possible my friend has documented her own disappearance.

The people who suggested this forum said you discuss strange occurrences etc. If you guys have come across anything to do with the below, or know any of the people involved, then please send any information my way.

Has anyone here heard of the Left/Right Game?

The Left/Right Game [DRAFT 1] 07/02/2017

They say great stories happen to those who can tell them. Robert J. Guthard is an exception to that rule. As I sit at his table, sip his coffee and listen to him recount the past 65 years it sounds like he's reading off a shopping list. Every event, his first job, his second wedding, his third divorce, none of them receive more than one or two sentences. Rob plows through the years, the curt, dispassionate curator of his own personal history. Yet the story itself is so fascinating, so rich with moments and so wildly meandering that it somehow stands on its own merits.

It's a great story, no matter how you tell it.

By the time Rob was 21, he'd gotten married, had a son, worked as a farmer, a mover, a boat engineer, and grown estranged from his spouse... Here's him talking about that.

ROB: Course my wife started to get dissatisfied, I was away a while.

AS: For work?

ROB:Vietnam.

AS: You were in Vietnam? How was that for you?

ROB: I ain't never been back since.

That was everything he had to say concerning his first divorce, and the entire Vietnam war.

Rob had four marriages after that, and even more professions. After the war he worked with a firm of private detectives, got shot at once by the mob, then he became a courier, which is how a poor boy from Alabama got to see the world.

ROB: I been to most of the continents with that job. I been to India. You from India?

AS: My mum and dad are from India yeah.

ROB: See I could tell.

He'd been arrested once in Singapore, after one of his packages had been found to be full of white powder. He spent three days locked up before someone got around to checking the substance. It was chalk.

A friend he made during his brief custody, Hiroji Sato, invited Rob to stay with him in Japan. Just getting over the breakup of his third marriage, Rob took the offer. He stayed in Japan for another 5 years.

ROB: The Japanese are good people. Good manners. But they got all these urban legends and ghost stories that Hiroji was crazy for, spent all his free time chasing them down. Like, you heard of Jorogumo?

AS: I don't think so"

ROB: Well she's this spider lady lives in the Joro Falls round Izu. Meant to be real pretty but real dangerous. Hiroji took us out there to get a picture of her.

AS: Did you ever meet Jorogumo?

ROB Nah she didn't show. None of them did. I didn't believe at all until we went to Aokigahara

Aokigahara, affectionately titled the Suicide Forest. The next stop on Rob's adventure. It's an area of woodland at the base of Mount Fuji, a notorious hotspot for young people looking to take their own lives. Hiroji, Rob's ghost obsessed jailmate turned best friend, took him to Aokigahara to chase "yurei" the ghosts of the forest.

AS: Did you find anything? In Aokigahara?

ROB: Well I ain't gonna ask you to believe me. But I was a PI. Professional cynic. Even I can't deny there was a spirit in those woods.

From that moment on, Rob's sentences start getting longer. A childlike excitement creeps into his voice. I get the distinct feeling we're moving beyond background, beyond Rob Guthard's old life, and towards his new one. The one he wants to talk about. The one that led him to contact the show.

ROB: It walked up to me through the trees. Looked like static you see on a TV screen but it had a human shape almost.

AS: Almost?

ROB: It was missing an arm. It reached out to me but I bolted outta that forest so fast. Hiroji never saw it, holds it against me to this day.

Hiroji had good reason to be annoyed. Rob says that Mr Sato had been going to the forest 2-3 times per year for three decades. To have a rookie come along and claim to have seen a yurei on his first trip? I'd be more than a little cranky.

But Rob didn't stay a rookie for long. In fact, it was in those woods that he discovered his current passion. The supernatural, or more accurately, the documentation and investigation of urban legends. Legends like Bloody Mary, the Jersey Devil, Sasquatch. Rob has looked into them all.

ROB: I figured if one was true then who knows how many others could be.

AS: How many have you proven so far?

ROB: Since Aokigahara? Ain't none of em had any proof to em. Except for one. That's why I called you guys up.

At this point, Rob can’t hope to repress his smile.

The Left/Right game appeared on a paranormal message board in June 2016. Only a few people frequently visited the forum and, of these regulars, only Rob took an interest in the post.

ROB: The whole thing had a level of detail you don't see in other stories.

AS: What details grabbed your interest?

ROB: Logs. High quality pictures. The guy documented everything, said he wasn't gonna play the game anymore. I think he wanted somebody to keep investigating.

AS: And you were that somebody.

ROB: That's right. I set about trying to verify his information right away.

AS: And how did it go?

ROB: Well... It didn't take long to realise the Left/Right Game is the real thing.

The rules of the Left/Right game are simple. Get in your car and take a drive. Take a left, then the next possible road on the right, then the next possible left. Repeat the process ad infinitum, until you wind up somewhere... new. The rules are easy to understand, but Rob says their not so easy to follow.

ROB: There ain't all that many roads where you can turn left and right and left and right and keep going. Most of the time you find yourself at a dead end or needing to turn in the wrong direction. Phoenix is built on a grid system so you can keep going left and right as long as you need to.

AS: Did you move to Phoenix for the Left/Right game?

ROB: That's right.

I try not to seem incredulous. Selling your house in another state, packing up and moving your whole life to Phoenix, Arizona just to play a game you saw on the internet? It seems like insanity. Rob smiles as he reads my expression. I can clearly read his expression too. "You'll see." It says. "Just wait."

I wouldn't have to wait long. Included within the 9 page submission Rob sent our show, was a long list of suggested items the chosen reporter should bring with them. Clothes for three days, a pocket knife, matches, bandages. There were also a set of qualifications the reporter should have. The ability to drive, basic vehicle maintenance and its human equivalent... first aid training. He didn't just want to talk about the Left/Right Game. He wanted to take one of us along.

Rob leaves a short while later to embark on a few errands, "Prepping the Run", as he calls it. He shows me to the guest room and we part ways, on good terms but very much aware of the other's poorly veiled opinions. He knew I saw him as a charming obsessive, chasing after a fairy tale. He saw me as a naive cynic, on the cusp of a new world. All I could think as I heard the front door close is that by tomorrow afternoon, one of us would be right.

More after this.

When I wake up the next morning, Rob is in my room, holding a tray which he'd knocked on the bottom of to rouse me. I don't manage to record the start of our conversation.

ROB: - I got bananas, strawberries, chocolate syrup. We got some more downstairs but I wanted you to wake up to something good. We won't be eatin' this stuff on the road."

Rob has made me waffles. He sets them down on the night stand and talks through the coming day as I eat. I'll admit it feels a little uncomfortable, waking up in a stranger's home to find said stranger already standing over me, but I quickly move past it. I tell myself that he’s an older man, accustomed to living alone in his own house, not usually having to think about boundaries. Anyway, he certainly knows his way around a waffle iron.

ROB: We hit the road at 9. I wanted to give you time to get ready before everyone shows up.

AS: There are other people coming?

ROB: We got a 5 car convoy on the road today. They'll be here in an hour.

This is the first I’ve heard of a convoy, and to be honest I’m surprised. The game is Rob's obsession, and I’m here at his request. The idea that anyone else would have an interest in today's drive is a little perplexing.

Half an hour later, sated, showered and dressed in the "functional clothing" Rob had so painstakingly outlined, I take my pack out to the porch. Rob’s already there, waiting for his associates to show up.

AS: I thought you'd be conducting a few more errands.

ROB: If you ain't prepared by the morning of, you ain't prepared.

AS: Hah ok I guess that's fair. Oh, Rob is the garage locked? The inside door won't budge and I wanted to mic up the car.

ROB: Yeah it's locked up I'll open it for ya.

AS: Thank you.

ROB: In fact it's about time I wheeled her out. Fair warning Ms Sharma, she's a thing of beauty.

To Rob Guthard, beauty took the form of a dark green Jeep Wrangler. Rob climbs in and lets it roll out of the garage, where it dominates every inch of driveway. The car is large; four doors with a roof enclosing the entire compartment. It’s also been modified extensively, yet another example of Rob's dedication to the game.

ROB: What're you thinking?

AS: I think you're two caterpillar treads short of driving a tank.

ROB: Hah yeah I fixed her up good. I put the winch in, heavy duty tires, the light rig on top is LED's. They'll make midnight look like noon but they don't use hardly any power.

AS: Aren't Jeeps open top usually?

ROB: Not all. This is the Unlimited. I like to have a covered car when I head on the road.

I climb in and stow my pack. Rob had removed the back seats to afford more storage space. The place is packed to the brim. Jerry cans of gasoline, barrels of water, rope, snacks and his own neatly packed set of clothes.

I wonder if the rest of our convoy would take the game so seriously.

ROB: We got Apollo coming up in 10 minutes. No one else has given me a time. I sent the schedule weeks ago, this always happens.

AS: His name's Apollo?

ROB: That's his call sign. Apollo Creed I think he said.

AS: Why are you using call signs?

ROB: Did I not tell you? Oh yeah we're gonna use call signs on the road, keep communication clear.

AS: What's your callsign?

ROB: Ferryman.

AS: ... What's my call sign?

ROB: I thought about it. I was thinking London, you're from London right?

AS: I'm from Bristol.

ROB: Bristol? That’s fine I guess.

It’s less than ten minutes before Apollo turns the corner. Rob jumps out of his chair and paces briskly over to the edge of his property, as his first guest pulls up and steps onto the sidewalk.

Apollo vaguely resembles his namesake, dark skinned, tall and noticeably well built, though it’s clear he couldn’t be less of a fighter. This Apollo Creed is all smiles and seems to have a penchant for laughing at his own jokes.

AS: How far have you come?

APOLLO: I've come out of Chicago. Took three days hard driving.

AS: And you know Rob from the forums?

APOLLO: Everybody knows Rob, Rob's the god! Ahaha

Rob walks over to Apollo's car, gesturing him over to talk shop. Rob’s clearly impressed with Apollo's choice of vehicle, a blue Range Rover packed to the ceiling with kit. I was more impressed with Rob himself. Somehow this 65 year old farmer's son had become respected in a vast online community. My dad is Rob’s age and he's just discovered copy and paste.

The rest don't take long to arrive. Two Minnesotan librarians, also around Rob's age, pull up in a grey Ford Focus. They’re brother and sister, and they've shared ghost hunting as a hobby their entire lives. I find it hard to suppress a smile when they meekly introduce themselves as Bonnie and Clyde.

CLYDE: We would have gotten here sooner we had to drop by to get some blankets. Pleasure to meet you ma'am.

AS: Pleasure to meet you too.

CLYDE: Would you be the journalist?

AS: That's right.

CLYDE: You used to write for the town paper didn't you?

He's talking to his sister there, she nods. Clyde is clearly the spokesperson for the pair, yet they both seem incredibly shy. Whether they admire the famous outlaws, or just the name, it's pretty clear they couldn't be more different from the real thing.

Next to show up are Lilith and Eve, English Lit students at New York University and proprietors of the YouTube channel Paranormicon. Unlike Bonnie and Clyde, Lilith and Eve have no issue holding a conversation. As soon as they learn who I am, and what I do for a living, they attempt to conscript me for an expedition to Roswell.

LILITH: We have a friend there, he's been seeing some-

EVE: -He's a seismologist

LILITH: Yeah and he's been recording readings over the years that show subterranean movement. Predictable movement.

EVE: We're going to see him in July, but we could work it around you if you're free.

AS: I'll have to check my schedule

EVE: OK cool let me give you my email...

They quickly hurry off to film an intro for their latest video, featuring a quick interview with Rob, who seems pretty welcoming of the attention.

The last two cars arrive within a few seconds of each other. A lithe, strong willed older lady who goes by Bluejay and a younger man going by the callsign “Ace”. Bluejay has arrived in a grey Ford Explorer. Ace, much to Rob's annoyance, has arrived in a Porsche.

ROB: Did you think that's gonna help on the road? I didn't write that-

ACE: It's my car. What am I meant to do,? It's my car.

ROB: You didn't read my itinerary, you got nothing packed in there.

ACE: I did read it sir OK? Calm down. I have a bag, I won't ask you for anything.

ROB: Well I know that's true.

Ace and Rob were off to a bad start. Ace takes a phone call, and despite my best efforts to get an interview with Bluejay, she doesn't seem interested in talking to a journalist.

With five cars, and seven travellers waiting for a green light, Rob hands out radios and charging packs, then launches into a quick safety briefing. Wear seatbelts. Stay in position. Communicate clearly and often. It’s at this moment I start to feel a little dismay. I like Rob, and clearly so does everyone else. He'd convinced all of them to drive across the country to join in with his game. I start to worry what will happen in the likely event that the whole thing isn’t real. Would Rob lose the respect of his peers? Would he accept failure when it comes? After seeing the effort he’s put into these runs, the next few hours have the potential to be wildly uncomfortable.

With a smile and a few encouraging words, Rob ends his briefing and beckons me over to the Wrangler. I clamber inside and make myself as comfortable as possible.

ROB: You ready for this Bristol?

AS: I'm ready.

ROB: Ok then let's hit the road.

The Wrangler pulls out of the driveway, and the convoy follows in order of arrival. Apollo, Bonnie & Clyde, Lilith & Eve, Bluejay and Ace keep a steady pace behind us as we come up to the first corner.

Rob slowly and deliberately turns left, checking on the others in his rear view mirror. He looks back to the road as Ace’s Porsche completes the first turn of the game. Shortly afterwards, Apollo checks in on the CB radio.

APOLLO: This is Apollo for Ferryman. How many to more go Rob? ahahaha

ROB: Hah as many as it takes.

I can tell Rob wanted the to reserve the radio for something other than Apollo's quips. But he seems to like Apollo enough to let it slide. I'm not sure Ace would have received the same treatment. We take the next right, then another left. Now safely assured that everyone's following correctly, Rob speaks my thoughts aloud.

ROB: You're wondering the same thing Apollo is.

AS: What do you mean?

ROB: You're wondering how many turns we're gonna take before we hit some wall or something. Before you find out this is all just a story.

AS: Does that disappoint you?

ROB: I'd be disappointed if you weren't thinking something like it. But now we're on the road I gotta say something and you gotta listen to it.

AS: OK...

ROB: We're coming up to a tunnel soon. Any time before we reach it you can get out, walk in any direction you like, and you won’t be in the game no more. Once we go through, you gotta retrace the route we took to get yourself back out that tunnel. That's when you’re home. And you gotta convince someone to take you back in a car coz I ain't ferrying you back 20 minutes in. You got till the tunnel to skip out on this, understand?

AS: I understand. Though I have to say I'm getting little nervous.

ROB: Ain't nothing wrong with a little nervous.

We've taken 23 turns by this point. Already I feel like we're traversing the city pretty effectively. Rob's heavily modified Wrangler solicits a few impressed glances from passersby, as well as several honks of respect from other Jeep drivers. Other than those few moments, everything seems completely indistinguishable from a regular morning drive. I even start to worry if there’ll be anything at all for this story. “Reporter Takes Drive With Interesting Man” isn’t exactly Pulitzer worthy.

Turn 33 leads us onto a short, unassuming street. A row of small businesses in a quiet Phoenician neighbourhood; liquor, second hand clothing, tools and, at the end of the street, a little shop selling antique mirrors. Ten or so people shuffle along the sidewalk, smiling, talking, planning their weekends. The only lone person is a young woman in a grey coat..

I briefly glimpse her at the end of the street, standing on our next corner, the back of her coat reflected in fifty old mirrors. Even from a distance I can see that she’s sullen, wide eyed and nervous. She shifts constantly on her feet, tugging at the button of her coat.

I look away to write some notes as we roll down the street. When I look up again, the woman is standing by my window, staring right at me. She’s smiling, a wide, unfaltering grin that seems almost offensive in its complete insincerity.

GREYWOMAN: Lambs at the gate. Hoping for something better than clover when all they find are things worse than slaughter.

AS: Rob what's happening?

ROB: Ignore her.

GREYWOMAN: He wanted to leave me so I cut him out. The lake was hungry it drank the wound clean.

AS: Miss, are you alright?

The smile vanishes, it snaps from her face and suddenly, the woman is furious.

GREYWOMAN: What do you think you're doing?! Have you gone mad?!

I reflexively press myself back in my chair as the woman, wild eyed and gaunt, slams her fists against my window, with every intent of breaking through.

GREYWOMAN: Would you dance down the lion’s tongue? It will shred you, you whore! It will shred you down to your sins! You fucking bastard!

Rob puts his foot down, and the Wrangler rolls defiantly away from the woman. As we turn the corner I watch her as she wretches, her every movement cradled in abject hysteria. She yells despairingly at the rest of the convoy, bursting into tears when the last car passes her by.

As she shrinks into the rear view mirror, I see her turn to a large mirror on the side of the shop, which the owner is in the process of polishing. I watch as she walks up to it, and with a convulsant scream, slams her head into the glass.

The mirror cracks around her forehead, the owner jumps back in shock, and as the woman pulls her head from the mirror's surface, the fractured spider’s web is dripping red. It all happens in a split second, and she quickly swerves from my view as we take the next left.

AS: Rob, what was that?

ROB: She's there sometimes.

AS: On that street?

ROB: On the 34th turn.

AS: Who is she?

ROB: I don't know. She's never acted out that much before though. Must be a special trip.

I find Rob's lack of concern a little unpleasant, and his implication that this woman's ravings were the symptom of an internet game leaves me more than a little perturbed. As I see it, there are a few explanations for what just happened, and none of them lead to a comforting conclusion.

If we had just encountered a bonafide crazy person, then one could argue that Rob is just seeing what he wants to see. Maybe he'd bought into the game’s story so much that every strange but explainable occurrence would be rationalised as the next step in his favourite paranormal narrative.

Alternatively, the woman could have been an actor, a more elaborate theory sure, but not unheard of. People have lied to the show before and Rob was receiving a tonne of publicity for this attempt from Lilith, Eve and I. I admit, Rob didn't seem like a liar, but good liars never do.

There is a third alternative however. An alternative which, if you put logic aside, explains the all troubling little details that I couldn't help but notice. Because as strange as the grey woman was, isn't it stranger that no one on the street would react? I couldn't recall a single glance in her direction by anybody on the sidewalk. Perhaps that theory falls apart when you consider the shock on the mirror seller's face but, when I think about it, he only reacted once the mirror shattered, and even then, I feel like his attention was on the mirror itself.

The radio crackles.

LILITH: Lillith to Bristol. Sara... Eve got that on camera! Do you have audio?

AS: I think it picked her up.

LILITH: My god that was so weird. Can you send us the file when we stop? Can you ask Ferryman when we're stopping?

AS: When's our stopping point?

ROB: For them, in about 30 minutes. For you? Well, you tell me.

Rob turns off a busy street just before a large intersection, onto a much quieter stretch of two lane road. Ahead of us the road slopes downward, leading into an underpass, which disappears into darkness.

We'd arrived at the tunnel.

AS: What is this supposed to pass under?

ROB: Ain't supposed to pass under anything, it's just there.

AS: And if we weren't playing the game?

ROB: Then it won't show. The question is, are you playing the game or not?

Rob turns to me. It’s the first time he’s taken his eyes off the road since we started. He pulls the car to a slow stop at the mouth of the tunnel.

ROB: You get out now you can go wherever you wanna go, but through there you'll need a car to get yourself home and, like I said, mine ain't turnin round for a long while. You understand?

It’s a dramatic statement, but unsettlingly, it doesn’t feel like he’s attempting to dramatise. It feels like I’m having something genuinely asked of me. Am I ready for what’s to come? Do I accept the risks involved? Do I consent to be taken down this road, and the next road, and the next? Am I prepared to see this game through, real or otherwise, to its end?

AS: What are you waiting for?

Rob smiles, and turns back to the road. He picks up the CB radio holds down the button on the side. The microphone crackles.

ROB: This is Ferryman to all cars. Anyone want to step out then pull to the side now. Otherwise, stay in formation and have some supplies at hand. We got a long ways to go.

Much like the game I’m so tentatively playing, my view of Robert J. Guthard seems to change direction frequently. I’d heard all about his life, but I’m sure that I know him. I like the guy, but I’m not certain that I trust him. And though I admire his dedication to the Left/Right Game, I’m not sure I’ll like where it might lead us. Yet as he takes us into the tunnel, his face vanishing and reappearing under the dim sodium lights, I can that tell he expects this trip to be a major step in his already impressive story, and this time, for better or for worse, I’m along for the ride.

#creepy #horror story #series #left right game series #author: NeonTempo

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literaryfaeriecorner · 4 years ago

Text

02/21/2021: Promotions, Old Friends, and Yellow School Buses

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February 21st, 2021

somehow i received a promotion at work last Friday even though i am literally probably one of the LEAST motivated people teaching at that school... fuck. so... now, instead of just being a regular-schmegular teacher, i am now the '6th grade head social studies teacher' which means that i have to run planning meetings for the social studies team, attend morning meetings discussing whole-grade growth and failings, and solutions for how we're going to get the kids to... not suck. uuuuuuggggghhhhhh!!! and this is for the rest of the year and the next!!!!

apparently, i am the 'perfect person' for this position because all of my classes have consistently performed better than the rest... but between you, me, and the entire internet, that speaks more to the abilities of my students than my own personal abilities as a teacher. i don't believe i'm a sucky teacher or anything but the fact remains that between work, grad school, delusional lovesick-related episodes, mental illness, and other varying distractions, i am not Doing The Best I Can. in fact, i'm literally in survival mode 95% of the time. the other 5% of the time, i'm in manic-as-fuck mode. so... do i really DESERVE this promotion? who even fucking knows? i like to believe, however, that i'll eventually figure out how to bullshit this new responsibility as well and no one will be the wiser. i mean, if this promotion came with a financial boost as well, i'd be more inclined to not fuck it up but, like... i'm doing more work for the same weak ass pay... i'm not as motivated with kind words and encouragement than i would be with a solid boost to my pay grade. anyway... whatever.

i was on tumblr the other day (i am fasting from all social media sites during the day for Lent but tumblr doesn't count because i literally just reblog five or six posts into the void, look at sad literature quotes, and log out just to do it all over again the next day... i am not addicted to tumblr as i am to twitter, instagram, pinterest, and linkedin... yes, linkedin. my quest to escape my job has led me down a very weird and addictive path) and i came across this post by user beetlejuices:

"isn't it all about old friends? like everything? all of it?"

and it is. i think so. i really do.

one of the things i've been conscious of in my early adulthood is that i am still chasing after the friendships i had in middle school. i wrote about this two Lents ago too. there is a memory that i remember so vividly in middle school and it reminds me constantly about how i felt so loved and appreciated and like the world couldn't go on without me if i somehow left or disappeared or went away. i think about it all the time. that is how freeing and loving and whole it is. just a simple memory of being three hours late to school (after a huge, blown out argument between parents who should've divorced years ago) and being startled by a flood of texts that starting pouring in at 7 that morning.

ashley: YOOOO where r u? they snagged all the donuts from the corner store!

alysha: you missed the bus this morning?

ashley: i bought donuts off eman 4 u... say im the best :D

kiera: U MISSED CRYSTAL'S FAT HEAD ASS SLIP DOWN THE STEPS LMAOOO

kiera: u're always here early u good?

alysha: are you coming 2 school today?

ashley: are u ok?

Christyl: don't forget we have a test in math!! where are you?

kiera: babe?

ashley: are you ok? why is ur phone off?

alysha: i just talked to ashley are u ok?

Christyl: where r u?

kiera: i just talked to ashley r u ok?

kiera: none of ur sisters r here either... u ok?

ashley: i'll call again @ lunch

alysha: pls be safe

Christyl: i'll tell the teacher you're sick and maybe you can take it tomorrow

Christyl: are you ok?

and even more messages that were sent during and inbetween classes... i thought it was a bit too late (and too time consuming) to respond to them all individually so after being signed into school three hours late, i decided to wait for all my friends at our table in the cafeteria to surprise them before explaining my mess of a morning. i was nervous because i thought they would be mad at me for some reason. but as soon as they saw me, ashley, alysha, kiera, and christyl, they came barreling towards me screaming my name. it was an entire scene. people looking at them crazy and then raising their eyebrows at me, not seeing what the big deal was. i probably looked the same exact way that i did the day before. unspectacular, bookish, awkward. they couldn't see what the big deal was. it embarrassed me but it thrilled me at the same time.

they nearly knocked me to the floor pushing each other to get to me first trying to steal the first hug. in the end, i stretched my arms out as far as i could and they all fell into them. we probably looked a mess. a tangle of brown legs, arms, frizzy hair, loose braids, and scuffed dress shoes. i remember feeling so loved and wanted. i felt bigger and grander than i was. i had stopped the world for five entire minutes and i didn't do anything. i was just existing.

i don't really talk to any of the girls anymore. i follow them on social media and i wish them happy birthday every year and we're all on each other's close friends list on insta... so i still know a few, if not all, of their secrets... but we'll probably never be as close as we were in middle school. and that's ok. i still love them as much as i did when they tackled me in the lunch room that day. i still root and cheer for them like we still spend every night after school on the phone for hours talking shit and planning presidential campaigns and gossiping about boys. i will never forget that day in the lunchroom. ever. and, like i said, it has only occurred to me now, as a young adult, that i've been chasing that kind of friendship and sisterhood since it happened.

i like to treat all my friendships as mini-romances. i remember a tweet that said, "friendships ARE romance," and i agree. i think i'm in love with all of my close friends, if not all of my friends. it's embarrassing (just a bit) but i have probably fallen in love with all of my friends at least once or twice. this is especially true for my group of college friends (at this point, they are really family). i have been in love, at least once, with all eight of them throughout our four years. i don't actually find this embarrassing like i said earlier. what's embarrassing is that this information might embarrass other people which, in turn, would thoroughly embarrass me. but the fact itself doesn't embarrass me. that is how i am. i fall in love and out of love at breakneck speeds. i think it's important to be a little bit in love with your friends.

i really enjoyed being in undergrad and planning literal dates between all eight or nine of us. and we would call it that. "what are we doing for our date next weekend?" "so who's going on the date tomorrow?" "are we cancelling the date or does the weather not matter?" (the weather always mattered.) my favorite college date was valentine's day senior year. we all went to korean-style karaoke and ordered so much food and drink we could barely stand to sing. we were all sat around the tv singing horribly to mariah carey or beyonce or rapping to nicki minaj verses. we took so many bad pictures and tone deaf videos and we kept leaning or hugging or holding each other's hands. that's another thing i love about my college family. most of us are touchy-feely people. i am a touchy-feely person. i'm southern and my mom is ridiculously gooey so one of my love languages, inevitably, is touch. i, usually, reign it in A LOT unless i have a partner but in college, i somehow discovered a whole group of people who loved to kiss each other on the cheek and hold hands and lean on other people, and lock arms. i felt at home. really.

maybe it's not only about old friends, though. maybe it's about feeling at home.

there was another post on tumblr and i think about it a lot. it's a screenshot of a tweet from twitter user @HumbleCore.

"HUGE NEWS: finally found my best friend from middle school on FB. We've both been looking for each other for over a decade. I told her I think about her whenever I play any boardgame or drive by a church. She told me she uses my name as her password at work. A perfect reunion."

when i read that the other night, i cried. i don't know why. it was heavy and ridiculous and i was worried my roommates would hear me. i don't know why i cried. at all. and even typing it out like that made me want to cry again. the feeling is not as strong or as overwhelming as it was the first time but it's still there.

i think about a best friend i had in first grade. even before i thought of ashley as my best friend (i have known Middle School Ashley since the first grade. i thought we were destined to be best friends forever and ever and ever, which is what i wrote in her middle school yearbook). his name was Malik. or Malique. my memory fails me. but anyway, i loved him like crazy. we didn't do anything without the other. we shared lunch together, we HAD to be partners on every field trip, i cried when Ms. Sanchez moved my seat from his in an effort to stop us from disrupting her lessons and i hated her for an entire week. (a very long time from a first-grade perspective.) even now, i think about him whenever i go to petting zoos or farms and when i ride on yellow school buses with my students.

Malik/Malique was my first kiss. we were hiding from Ms. Sanchez and the other chaperones so we could pet the goats one last time. while we were hiding behind a barn, he kissed me. "for good luck," he said. and then we sprinted across the farm to get back to the goats. and we pet them again before Ms. Sanchez found us and ordered us back on the big yellow school bus where we held hands for the entire hour-long ride back to school.

it's very silly to think now but in high school when i was trying to determine whether i loved my first boyfriend or not i remember thinking, "well, does he make me feel like Malik/Malique?" it's silly but sweet. at fourteen, still comparing the way he made me feel behind a barn at 5 years old to how another boy, years and years later, made me feel. it is silly but i think it's sweet.

i don't actually have any interest in finding Malik/Malique or knowing for certain what he does or how he's doing because i seriously doubt i had such an impact on his life, but i hope he's well and alive and happy because that's what i always naturally hope for when i pass petting zoos or farms or see bright yellow school buses.

so, yes. i think everything, us, our relationships, the entire world, is about old friends. all of it. every last bit of it.

i have a whole-grade data analysis, 300 pages of reading, and two mini-papers for classes to finish before tonight so i'm going to get going... i just wanted to write about old friends first.

#on love #on friendship #on teaching #on community #stream of conscious #crushes

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tokupedia · 7 years ago

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Linkara’s Kamen Rider Fourze review

youtube

@atopfourthwall

REVIEW KITAAAAAAAAAAAA!

Hello, Channel Awesome fans! I am one of the many western representatives of this little fandom Mr. Lovhaug is about to encounter in the comments section of the video you see before you.

Now the first thought that some annoyed fans of his unfamiliar with KR might ask is…”Why this? This isn’t a comic!”

Ah, but a comic book creator is responsible for its inception, or in this case a manga creator: Shotaro Ishinomori. He was known for creating a lot of superheroes in Japan among other things. Plus, Kamen Rider has been adapted into superhero manga stories like Kamen Rider Spirits or Futo Detectives and its original incarnation’s main character was a manga drawing concept first before becoming a TV star.

And for those disappointed that Secret Origins Month was cut short, well this counts as an origin of a super hero, just one you are not familiar with. So ..you get three origins to heroes this year instead of four *shrugs* Plus, Lewis deserves a break and a honeymoon after all that non-stop work. :)

0:33-0:34: “Known for having an insect-like look” Hmm… fair enough. The core trait of a Kamen Rider is that they have detailed and round compounded eyes on the mask. (most of the time, some play with that aesthetic or drop it altogether). The original 15 Riders were themed after different insects and this bug theme carried over on and off again until Double. (OOO briefly brought it back with the Gatakiriba Combo). The producers, costume designers and staff also decided to play around with various costume themes aside from bugs like Oni, Japanese folklore with trains, a Vampire with a stylized pumpkin head, chimeras, wizards, video game genres ..and cars. This season’s hero as of late 2017, is organic things like animals fused with inorganic objects! (A Hawk mixed with a Gatling gun for example).

If one were to ask me personally about what the draw is, it is the slightly heavier focus on characters than fluff and a balancing stance on being as over the top and crazy as possible or having dramatic and quiet moments that invest you in what is going on….also crazy-awesome weapons and karate cyborgs and/or men in belt activated power suits who can stop/destroy evil by kicking and punching them really hard! And bikes! Cannot forget the cool motorbikes!

Fun fact, the original Kamen Rider’s actor also played Segata Sanshiro!

0:57-1:02: “Patreon sponsors will get a KR: Dragon Knight review if they donate enough $$” Given the pattern I’ve seen so far based on this and the preceding Gokaiger review, odds are you are more likely to encounter/collide into a request for either another toku series from 2011-2012-2013 or an anniversary event of media like Gokaiger vs. Gavan or Ultraman Mebius. Am I the only one noticing that he has done anniversary seasons of different franchises and both are from 2011?

1:03-1:25 GAH! MASKED RIDER! *DEMONIC HISS* Yeah, some KR fans can agree this was a horrible mistake as Saban tried too hard to force Kamen Rider into a Power Rangers mold…which doesn’t work because there are tropes and elements that separate the two that cannot be removed to fit that format. Also the fact that KR was absent from TV for most of the ‘90s aside from clipshow specials and a 12 minute crossover with Ultraman in one said special. Using clips from the darker Shin Kamen Rider movie and the two movies directed by Keita Amemiya was just a hodgepodge mess when blended with Black RX.

1:26-1:28: Ah, Dragon Knight! A good series adaptation screwed over by 4Kids execs for those wondering why it was cancelled despite winning an Emmy.

1:43-1:53: Even Linkara dislikes Ferbus, the Jar-Jar of our fandom.

1:55-2:36: Four-Zay. It has to do with Japanese pronunciation of the “e” sound. Don’t feel bad about the complaints though, we are getting drama right now here about the correct pronunciation of the current secondary hero Kamen Rider Cross-Z. It is just one of the pitfalls of being fans or observers.

The reason for the space theme was to celebrate the 50th anniversary of man’s first flight into space, hence the astronaut motif of Fourze’s costume!

4:10-17: It’s a Space Station. Though it would be easier to identify as such if Sir Alec Guinness was present.

4:35-37: It is a kind of male cowlick pompadour, he is reflecting the style of a high school Yanki in popular Japanese fiction. But, unlike them, he isn’t a jerk. Also, I really like saying pompadour. Pompadour, pompadour! Pooom-paa-douuur!

4:50-58: “Better to be an idiot than a tool” I want that phrase on an arts and craftsy bathroom sign that you get at a flea market to hang on my wall.

4:59-5:30: I can accept you not liking the visuals and critiquing the opening but sorta liking it, that’s fine. But... this is our jam, so let’s crank it! Ladies and gents of the uninitiated to Kamen Rider, for your possible audio pleasure I give you...SWITCH ON! by Anna Tsuchiya! Woooooooo!

5:36-42: Don’t tempt fate man. Toei is a vicious beast when it comes to Kamen Rider related materials on the interwebs, ask Des or anyone in the toku community. Also since you mentioned the complaints about subbing: *Queen music* Another one gripes the subs, another one gripes the subs, and another logs on and another logs on. Another one gripes the subs! Hey, he’s trying to do a review, but another one gripes the subs!

... Sorry. Also, fans, be thankful he took time out of his busy (and now married) life to even do this. He could have ignored the request to do a Rider series and gave you nothing...just sayin’.

5:43-50: heheheh....Setup.

6:19-29: aaaand pay off of a man surprised by a burger toy being in a show when he was only being sarcastic about one being there. This burger thing actually has some possible explanation behind it. See Kamen Rider had changed TV sponsors in the start of the 2010s. One of those new sponsors? The American fast food giant, McDonald’s. Yeah, as part of a deal with the toy company Bandai and TV Asahi, the mighty Golden Arches could sell Happy Meal Toys (or Happy Set toys as they are known in Japan) of Kamen Rider characters and promote Bandai’s Ganbaride and later Ganbarizing arcade game by handing out special collectible trading cards in the kids meal. The Foodroids, as the assorted mini bots are called, are all coincidentally based on McDonald’s food products like McNuggets, burgers, a milkshake, french fires and the Japan exclusive McHotDog Classic. Still, not as cool as the McMegazord or a Mr. T Holographic Trading Card.

6:45-48: “Always follow the nice one talking about friendship and stuff, that person will become an all powerful god or something.” Wait....is that a Madoka reference? Hehehehe...should I tell him?

7:16-22: Well, the idea is that Gen wants to be a good friend to everyone by reaching out to people and trying to help them, even if they won’t admit that they have problems. He’s just that nice of a guy. And...it works. There is an excellent article that the now defunct Comics Alliance did a while back on Fourze that explains it better.

7:41-55: Amanogawa High School (shortened to AGHS by some fans) is a Japanese education structured school but has an American high school aesthetic, especially with social cliques and the environment reflecting one.

(Minus the budget cuts and selfish parents and politicians refusing to pay more taxes to further improve learning and engage in creative activities, increase a teacher’s pay or failing to maintain the building and spending all the special education and tutoring money on a new football stadium)

8:01-05: That is the power of Koichi Sakamoto at work. Yes, THAT Koichi Sakamoto.

8:28-30: Powder-izer? Sounds like an Avon product, what is this... Powder-izer you speak of, stranger of our ways? I kid, I kid. I know that one’s going in the New year’s bloopers. Go easy on him folks, to err is human.

9:10-13: Yuki is useful at times and is a good friend, it depends on who’s writing the episodes how the characters act. Sometimes a Rider series can have up to four writers working on it, hence why some shows suffer in quality while others are more consistent.

9:53-10:00: “It’s a Bomb!” Ha!

10:24-26 Saw that coming a mile away...and still a good reference joke.

10:27-30: Fourze’s suit design is loosely based on another creation done by Shotaro Ishinomori, Skyzel from the Space Ironmen Kyodyne show of the mid 1970s. Fans of Lucky Star already know of that series thanks to the humorous karaoke of Konata singing the opening theme song. It took a bit of getting used to when fans first saw the suit, but most of us grew to love it!

13:07-17: That is Tomoko Nozama, a precious little cinnamon roll who is a geeky goth that is into the occult and urban legends. She will be an important thing later, but that comes past the point where he stops.

13:28-47: No surprise, this show is about the younger Millennials and the Japanese writers actually do research on subjects beforehand in some cases. Unlike the luddite schlock kings of tinseltown, who think com-pew-tors are magic boxes or write them as such thinking the audience is stupid.

14:05-08: *Driver.

14:24-30: Well, if that didn’t shock you, I know a scene in a little show called ToQger that will make you yearn for the days of seeing a bike go into space. Or a Shinkenger V-Cinema or even...Amazons.

14:40-46: Ah, legacy. The original plan for this series was that the kids would investigate the Kamen Riders and their legends and gain the powers of past Riders in switch form...which was turned down by execs due to Decade doing something like that a few years back. The idea in some ways was salvaged in expanded non-canon materials, Legend Rider toys and the Ganbaride game. Since Linkara went a bit fast on that shot, the Riders you see before you in the footage are Kamen Rider 1 (the first Rider if the number didn’t give that away), Super-1 (Rider #9 from 1980 and also astronaut themed like Fourze, only mixed with a hornet), Black RX (Evolved form of Kamen Rider Black from the late ‘80s) and Kuuga (first Kamen Rider of the new millennium) and a scanned newspaper photo clipping of Futo Tower’s destruction by the evil Kamen Rider Eternal from the Kamen Rider Double summer movie. (great film, check it out after you watch a bit of Double!)

14:50-53: Behold, the most Redbubbliest logo in our fandom!

16:40-44: *spits drink and laughs* Does....does he know what KR Ghost is? Even if he doesn’t, that is too surreal, given Ghost’s poor reception among some fans after a certain point punctuating the joke.

16:50-56: Well, Japanese Superheroes don’t really always go for the secret identity thing. It is admirable that they are willing to risk their own privacy and lives just to save someone. They don’t do the dumb thing some comic book heroes do where they have to choose between their secrecy or saving a life, they just suit up and go right to it! Plus, with such a large community of heroes with them or the confidence they can defeat their foes, risk of death is minimal in most cases unless a “defeat flag” is triggered.

18:30-34: Miu grows as a character, she does become a little nicer and realizes the value of true friends later.

19:05-08: Shun is a jerk at first, but there is a good reason for that involving his life at home.

Yeah, the fourth episode is a bit weak.

Happy you like Gentaro!

21:40-22:04: Well, it depends on the suit and Mr. Seiji Takaiwa’s direction by the film crew. Some fights are fastpaced, some slowly build and others fizzle out with a beatdown or curbstomp. I’d argue that it is more Gentaro being new to fighting in-suit as he later learns things like kick boxing, gets better at using his Astroswitches and mixing his fighting style with the use of his jetpack. Koichi Sakamoto did a good job on the out of suit fight action and the battles got more intense in the movies due to a higher budget.

All in all, a fun time for everyone! Now I did see the comments of those who were curious about where to start with Kamen Rider and I’ll answer with the usuals that most recommend: Black, Amazon, Kuuga, Den-O, Double, the original 1971 show, OOO, Ex-Aid, Drive and Gaim.

Before leaving this post, I have something to personally say to Mr. Lovhaug and the KR fandom will agree this is a good choice…

That quote from Mr. Belt is useful when somebody ties the knot!

Count up your sins and make amends. Believe in hope and your friends. Let the desires of a bright tomorrow, overcome every sorrow, and may you love each other ‘til Diend!

May your love for Viga always be in top gear and your lives together burn bright!

The Kamen Rider Fans of the USA, UK, etc.

Thank you for your time Lewis and giving our heroes a moment in the spotlight! We are grateful!

A. Fox

#linkara #atop the fourth wall #lewis lovhaug #channel awesome #kamen rider #kamen rider fourze #thank you lewis #japanese superheroes #rockets #astroswitch #uchuu kita #gentaro kisaragi #drill #space #astronaut #moon #internet review #fandom highlight

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capath · 5 years ago

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topbeautifulwomens · 6 years ago

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#Jimmie #Johnson #Biography #Photos #Wallpapers #babymodel #beatmaker #comment #fashionable #fashionweek #models #positive #presenter #punjabidance #punjabiwedding

Jimmie Johnson was born on September 17, 1975 in El Cajon, California, a working-class suburb on the desert side of San Diego. (Click here for a complete list of today’s sports birthdays.) Jimmie’s parents, Cathy and Gary, raised him and his two younger brothers, Jarit and Jessie, in a modest home. Gary worked for a tire company and moved earth as a bulldozer operator. Cathy drove a school bus. They made financial sacrifices to give their boys the best opportunities possible and support them in their various passions. For Jimmie, that included surfing and racing.

Jimmie got the speed bug on the familyâ€s frequent camping vacations, which included thrills and spills on dirt bikes. He displayed a prodigal aptitude for these machines and began his motorsports career at the age of four, racing 50cc bikes. Four years later, he won the 60cc championship. Jimmie had to sit out the end of that season with a broken knee, but he had garnered so many victories that all he had to do was run another lap to win the points title. He did so in the final race with a cast on his leg.

Over the years, Gary would drive Jimmie all over the western part of the U.S. in their beat-up Ford van, as the youngster made a name for himself in motocross events. Between races, Jimmie attended Granite Hills High School in El Cajon. One of his friends was Marcus Giles, the star of the baseball and football teams who would go on to play for the Atlanta Braves and San Diego Padres. Jimmie was also friendly with Tommy Vardell, who became a college football stud at Stanford and then logged several years in the NFL.

In 1992, Jimmie won his first of three-straight stadium motocross championships in the Mickey Thompson Entertainment Group Stadium Racing Series. The following year, supercross legend Rick Johnson introduced him to Herb Fishel of GM Racing during an event at the L.A. Coliseum. Fishel agreed to back Jimmie in off-road buggy and truck racing, and the teenager was soon one of the top drivers on the Short Course Off-Road Drivers Association (SODA) Series and the SCORE Desert Series.

Jimmie won the SCORE title in 1994 and the SODA winter championship in 1996 and 1997. By this time, he was driving for Herzog Motorsports. In this type of racing, Jimmie learned how to handle his vehicles under the most extreme circumstances.

In 1998, Jimmie graduated to the American Speed Association Grand National circuit. He was named Rookie of the Year after finishing fourth in points. A year later, he finished third in the standings.

Before long, Jimmie was getting the occasional Busch Series ride with the Herzog brothers. He made his first Busch appearance at the Kroeger 200 in Indianapolis, and then finished 15th in his next start at the CarQuest Auto Parts 250. Jimmie ran five more Busch events in 1999, including a seventh-place finish at the Die Hard 250.

ON THE RISE

Jimmie became a entire-time Busch Series competitor in 2000. Though he did not record a Top 5 finish in 29 starts, he still wound up 10th in the standings. Jimmie admittedly did not have much asphalt experience, but he was a fast learner and an intuitive analyst when his machine wasnâ€t feeling right. He seemed to grow with each race.

Jimmieâ€s first Busch victory came in July of 2001, when he edged Mike Skinner and Jeff Burton at the Chicagoland Speedway. Jimmie ended the year ranked #8, almost 1,000 points behind champion Kevin Harvick.

Jimmie started his first Winston Cup race that same fall, in the UAW-GM 500 at the Loweâ€s Motor Speedway. He ran 192 laps before a wreck sent him home early. In November, he made two more starts, finishing 25th and 29th.

Jimmie began the 2002 season as a full-fledged member of the Hendrick Motorsports racing organization. Rick Hendrick had planned to start a fourth team, and Jeff Gordon suggested that he give Jimmie a seem. Hendrick knew his top driver was interested in a co-ownership deal and asked Gordon whether he was willing to put his money where his mouth was. Gordon nodded, and the rest was history.

Many thought Hendrick was crazy when he had signed Jimmie toward the end of the 2000 season. The neophyte driver did not have the rĂ©sumĂ© or reputation to support this quantum leap, but Hendrick saw his potential. He had first noticed Jimmie when he raced against Hendrick’s son, Ricky. Meanwhile, the home improvement company Loweâ€s followed Hendrickâ€s lead and sponsored the rookieâ€s #48 car. It turned out to be a brilliant investment.

Jimmie rewarded all this confidence by grabbing the pole position at Daytona, where he finished a respectable 15th. In April, he won the pole again at the Aaronâ€s 499, and then won his first Winston Cup race a week later in the Napa Auto Parts 500 at the California Speedway. It was Jimmieâ€s seventh Top 10 finish in eight starts. He took the flag again at Dover and woke up the next morning as NASCARâ€s #2 driver.

Marcus Giles, 2006 Heritage

Even more gratifying to Jimmie than his fast start was his fast-developing friendship with Gordon. Jimmie had admired Gordon for many years. The two were close in age and got along famously. Jimmie and Gordon, said crew chief Chad Knaus, were like peanut butter and jelly. After Jimmieâ€s first win, Gordon ran to Victory Lane, hugged him, and screamed, â€śYou rock, buddy! I guess we hired the right guy!â€ť

Also fueling interest in Jimmieâ€s breakthrough season was his rivalry with fellow rookie Ryan Newman. It had been a long time since two first-timers had challenged for the championship in the same season. Jimmie, however, did not win NASCAR Rookie of the Year. Although he would out-point Newman, the award was based on each driver’s best 15 finishes. Newman beat him out.

Jimmie ran consistently throughout the summer of ’02. After winning the MBNA All-American Heroes 400, he occupied the circuitâ€s top spot. Unfortunately, his finishing kick in October and November was not enough to consolidate his position. Still, he managed to end the year as NASCAR’s #5 driver.

Jimmie went the entire 2003 season without ever getting another flavor of the top spot, but he never fell out of the Top 10. He won two races and ran well enough in October and November to ease into the #2 slot at seasonâ€s end. Jimmieâ€s final six races all designed Top 5 finishes (3rd, 2nd, 4th, 3rd, 2nd and 2nd).

Jimmie finished second overall again in 2004, after holding the top spot in the new Nextel Cup standings on and off for almost three months. He earned his first victory of the year at Darlington in March. He added a win at the Coca-Cola 600 and two at the Pocono Raceway to secure a spot in the inaugural Chase for the Cup. Jimmie surged toward the points championship with three straight victories at Loweâ€s, Martinsville and Atlantaâ€”and another at Darlington in the seasonâ€s second-to-last race. A second in the season-ending Ford 400 added 170 points to his totalâ€”just shy of champion Kurt Busch.

Jimmieâ€s amazing stretch run was overshadowed by the plane crash that took the lives several of Hendrick family members and engine builder Randy Dorton. His victory in Atlanta was emotional one, coming just days after the tragedy.

Jimmie spent the first half of the 2005 season at or near the top of the driver standings. He began the year on a tear, posting with four Top 5 finishes and three victories, including his second straight Coca-Cola 600. A win at the UAW-GM Quality 500 in October vaulted him into the #2 spot with five races left, but once again he fell just short. A cut tire on the 124th lap at Homestead in the season finale dropped him to fifth place on the year.

MAKING HIS MARK

Jimmie began the 2006 season a smarter, more focused driver. His year got off to a rocky start, however, when his crew chief Knaus was sent home for making illegal modifications to Jimmie’s #48 Chevy during Daytona 500 qualifying. Jimmie responded by picking his way through the field, avoiding crashes among the leaders, and nosing in front of teammate Brian Vickers with 14 laps to go, just before a yellow caution flag.

Jimmie stayed in front after the restart and held of challenges from Newman and Dale Earnhardt Jr. to take the checkered flag. He sweated out an unusually thorough post-race inspection and was proclaimed the winner. A win at Talladega and another at the Brickyard 400 gave Jimmie three majors after just 21 races.

Jimmie held on to the #1 spot most of the season until a string of nine mediocre finishes dropped him to the bottom of the Chase points standings with just five races to go. His fortunes took a dramatic turn for the better at the Bank of America 500, when he finished second to Kasey Kahne. One week later, Jimmie won the Subway 500 at Martinsville. After two more second-place finishes, Jimmie located himself back atop the standings with just two races to go. He barely lost to Tony Stewart at the Texas Motor Speedway to maintain his lead, setting up the season finale in Homestead.

Since Stewart was not one of the 10 drivers qualifying for the Chase, Jimmie technically did not lose any ground. He would begin the Ford 400 needing only to finish 12th to assure himself of his first driving championship. Matt Kenseth was his primary pursuer, with Kevin Harvick and rookie Denny Hamlin still technically with a shot.

The week before the race, Jimmie was a wreck thinking about a wreck. He drove his wife, Chandra, and his teammates crazy, but once he got behind the wheel on race day he mellowed out. Jimmie survived some front-end damage and a shaky pit stop to consolidate his position in the lead pack, and then drove carefully through several late cautions and restarts. He finished ninth and won the Nextel Cup by 56 points. On the victory lap, Gordon pulled up on his right and gave him a love tap.

At one point, Kenseth called Jimmieâ€s team the Indianapolis Colts of NASCAR. He meant it as a complimentâ€”week in, week out, the #48 car was the one to beat. Kenseth was on the money when he lauded Johnsonâ€s team. The core had remained in tact since 2002, and no one was grumbling that they wanted out.

Ryan Newman, NASCAR Illustrated

As 2007 approached. Jimmie and his team were a well-oiled machine. Indeed, he took four races early in the yearâ€”the UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400, the Kobalt Tools 500, the Goody’s Cool Orange 500 and the Jim Stewart 400.

At the Brickyard in the Allstate 400, Jimmie encountered trouble when he blew a tire and hit the wall. His fans were horrified when his car burst into flames. Jimmie climbed out unhurt but not unscathedâ€”the heat crinkled his eyebrows.

With six wins during the first part of the ’07 season, Jimmie piled up more than 5,000 points and enjoyed the lead heading into the Chase phase. He took the checkered flag at the first race, the Chevy Rock & Roll 400, and later in October in the Subway 500 at Martinsville and then the Pep Boys Auto 500 in Atlanta. He was neck-and-neck with Gordon at this point for first place.

Jimmie slammed the door on Gordon in the next two races, winning at the Texas Motor Speedway and at the Phoenix International Raceway for four victoriess in a row. He made it official in the season-ending Ford 400, when he finished seventh to beat Gordon for the final Nextel Cup by 77 points.

One question was one everyone’s mind heading into 2008: Could Jimmie make it three in a row? He grabbed the pole at the Daytona 500 and recorded three Top 5 finishes in his first seven races. Jimmieâ€s first victory came at the Subway Fresh Fit 500 in Phoenix. While May and June produced no wins, he racked up plenty of point-worthy finishes.

Feeling they essential to refine Jimmieâ€s ride, Knaus and his crew began an aggressive testing regimen in the spring. By mid-summer, the results began to show. In July, Jimmie redeemed himself at the Brickyard and won the race by holding off a strong challenge from Carl Edwards.

Jimmie visited Victory Lane again in late August, winning the Pepsi 500 Auto Club Speedway in a thoroughly dominant performance. A week later, he repeated as champion of the Chevy Rock & Roll 400. That put him just 40 points out of first place when the Sprint Chase for the Championship began.

The third event of the Chase, at the Kansas Speedway, saw Jimmie win his first of four races during a five-event stretch. After victories at Loweâ€s Speedway, Martinsville and Atlanta, he had a whopping 183-point lead. A victory in the second-to-last race, the Checker O’Reilly Auto Parts 500, all but assured him of a third straight NASCAR title.

The only driver who could catch Jimmie was Edwards. He did is best, winning the season-concluding Ford 400 in Homestead. Jimmie, however, finished 15th, which gave him a 69-point cushion and a third consecutive championship. The only other driver to win three straight NASCAR titles was Cale Yarborough, from 1976 to 1978.

The 2009 season promised to be another campaign of front-running, especially after NASCAR announced its new two-row restart policy. Jimmie had always been good in restarts, and this reconfiguration favored him every time a caution flag came out.

After a sluggish start to the season, Jimmie heated up in late March. Starting at Bristol in the Food City 500, he notched four straight Top 5 finishes, including a win at Martinsvilleâ€”his sixth at that track. In the late stages of the short-track race, where drivers battle for every inch, Denny Hamlin took the lead with a slick move on a restart and held it through three cautions. But a bump-and-pass by Jimmie with 15 laps to go gave him the lead for good. It was his sixth career win at Martinsville.

Jimmie stayed within a couple hundred points of the NASCAR leaders throughout the spring and early summer with strong showings at Darlington and Daytona, and a victory at Dover in the Autism Speaks 400. Jimmie led this race by a wide margin until a bungled pit stop put him in the middle of the pack with 36 laps remaining. He picked his way through the field and passed leader Tony Stewart with just two laps to go for NASCARâ€s most exciting finish of the season.

At this point, it is fair to say that Jimmie and Hendrick Motorsports have mastered the Chase for the Cup system. Jimmie and his crew spend the year refining their approach and getting their car running right and tightâ€”and then blow through the final 10 races. For skill, consistency, and knowledge, there may never have been a team better suited to dominate in NASCARâ€s modern era.

JIMMIE THE DRIVER

Jimmie Johnson, 2003 Press Pass

Jimmie’s days as an off-road champion enable him to hang it all on the NASCAR ovals without losing control. He also senses little things in his car that the top data-acquisition systems sometimes miss. This allows his pit crew to make that extra miniscule adjustment when he refuels.

Although he won races in 2006 and 2007 while Chad Knaus was suspended, Jimmieâ€s success has long hinged on the relationship he formed with the Hendrick Motorsports veteran. Knaus was a member of Jeff Gordonâ€s wonderful 1997 Rainbow Warrior crew and saw close-up the rapport that Gordon had with Ray Evernham. Now Knaus has surpassed Evernham in this regard.

Knaus and Gordon agreed that they would try to â€ścloneâ€ť this team for Jimmie, and it has obviously worked well. With 40 victories and three championships in the first seven years of his Sprint Cup career, Jimmie is basically making history every time he slides behind the wheel. Itâ€s a credit to his skill and his crew in an era of multiple tire, human body and chassis changes. It will be interesting to see whether his dominance continues as NASCAR enters an era of economic uncertainty.

Name Jimmie Johnson Height 5' 11″ Naionality American Date of Birth September 17, 1975 Place of Birth El Cajon, California, USA Famous for

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Galapagos Cruise Travel Log - Quasar Expeditons

01 of 13

Day 1 – Boarding the Evolution and Snorkeling off Punta Carrion

Linda Garrison

Like most people, I've always dreamed of visiting exotic places around the world like the Galapagos Islands. When I first started this job as a cruise travel writer in 2000, I had my own list of places to see during my lifetime. Years later, I've traveled to hundreds of places around the world and enjoyed them all–even the ones I didn't have on my original bucket list.

I've finally scratched off the last destination (for now) on the “must see” top 10 list I entered this century with–the Galapagos Islands. I've always been a lover of wildlife and science, and this Galapagos archipelago of islands that straddles the equator about 600 miles west of Ecuador has long enticed me. The island group is quite large, with 13 major islands, 6 small ones, and dozens of named and unnamed islets. One island, Isla Isabela, is the 12th largest in the South Pacific. The islands are volcanic in origin, with the tallest peak over 5000 feet. Most cruises are on small ships that focus on either the eastern group of islands or on Islas Isabela and Fernandina in the west. Quasar Expeditions alternates between the two itineraries so that guests can stay on two weeks and see different islands, harbors, and flora and fauna.

Because the islands are so isolated, the wildlife has evolved over the centuries, with many species of animal and plant life seen only in the Galapagos Islands. Charles Darwin visited the Galapagos Islands in 1835 while on an adventure on the HMS Beagle. Although he was only in the islands for five weeks, his research on the different species of mockingbirds on all the Galapagos Islands and the 13 different species of finches he observed on the different islands led to the publication of his landmark book, “On the Origin of Species”. The guidebooks stress that you shouldn't visit unless you are fascinated by wildlife, the outdoors, and geology. Most of the islands we visited in the Galapagos Islands are not inhabited, and only 28,000 people live on the five inhabited islands. So, those who prefer urban or indoor activities when vacationing might not be a good match for a Galapagos cruise vacation.

Travel to the Galapagos with LAN Airlines

I traveled to the Galapagos on LAN Airlines from New York City non-stop to Guayaquil, an Ecuadorian coastal city of over two million residents that has most of the flights to the Galapagos. LAN has non-stop flights from JFK to Guayaquil or to Quito. Most flights to the two airports in the Galapagos Islands depart from Guayaquil. We arrived in Guayaquil in the very early morning after an overnight flight, and then had a long layover until our flight to the islands, allowing plenty of time for our luggage to get transferred and for us to use the free WiFi at the airport.

Boarding the M/V Evolution of Quasar Expeditions

We landed on the small island of Baltra and were met by Dolores Gangotena de Diez, one of the owners of the Quasar Expeditions' small expedition yacht the Evolution and her son Fernando, who also works for the family business. She lives in Quito with her husband, the other owner. Dolores fell in love with the Galapagos when she first visited in the 1960's, passed this dedication to the Galapagos to her family, and still is very enthusiastic about the islands 50 years later.

Our group boarded a shuttle bus, which took us to the pier where one of the ship's pangas (the Ecuadorian word that equates to a small boat like a Zodiac, RIB, or dingy) met us for the transfer to the Evolution. Our group of seven arrived at the Evolution about 1 pm in the afternoon of the second day of the cruise. We had a nice lunch outdoors on the deck before donning our swimsuits for the afternoon's activity–snorkeling at 2:45. The dozen other guests were resting after a busy morning of hiking; they had eaten lunch earlier.

The Evolution was formerly a fishing ship that was significantly refurbished as a small expedition yacht. It's really lovely, with larger cabins than I've had on other small ships and nice wood paneling. Not luxurious, but very nice, with a classy feeling. Like other expedition ships I've been on, this one did not have keys to lock the cabin while you were gone, so don't bring along any valuables. Passports and any money can be secured in the cabin's safe. The cabin's private bathroom was especially impressive compared to other yachts. I was on the lowest deck in the most forward cabin (D2). I had a tiny window about 8 inches in diameter, but it was level with the ceiling, so I couldn't see outside. Just good for telling if it's daylight or dark. I was afraid this cabin might be rough, but it was actually very stable since it was mostly below the water line. Those staying in the D level cabins don't need an alarm clock; the anchor is right underneath, so you are awakened when the ship anchors each morning, which is usually not long before the daily wake up call.

After our first lunch, we quickly found our swimsuits (suitcases were delivered to our rooms while we were eating), got changed, and went up on the deck to select snorkeling gear and the shorty wet suits that come down to your knees and have short sleeves. The ship was still anchored off Baltra, so we boarded two pangas and went over near a rocky cliff called Punta Carrion to do snorkeling in very calm water. The water is crystal clear (like the Caribbean) and cold, but the wetsuits kept us warmish after the original shock. We saw many tropical fish this first snorkeling expedition, but I think it was more like a kind of a “get-acquainted” snorkel for Samuel (the naturalist) and Victoria (his assistant) to check out our skills.

We stayed in the water about 45 minutes and then returned to the Evolution. Many of us hopped in the hot tub on the Beagle Deck after we shed our wetsuits. The hot water felt good!

Continue to 2 of 13 below.

02 of 13

Day 1 – Sea Lions of Mosquera Island

Linda Garrison

I quickly unpacked while the Quasar Evolution repositioned to an anchorage near Mosquera Island, a small sandy beach where Galapagos sea lions like to rest. This little spit is only about 120 yards by 600 yards and is like a giant sand bar. We left the ship about 5 pm on the pangas and stayed on the island until sunset. This was the type of adventure the Galapagos is famous for–dozens of sea lions, and none of them the least bit afraid. It's like they are missing the fear factor gene for humans. We were told to keep about three feet away and to not touch them, but the curious little things would waddle right up to us, touching our legs with their long whiskers. We saw a baby sea lion nursing and the colony seemed to be all ages. The alpha male woke up about the time it started to get dusk and began patrolling his island, swimming up and down the beach, barking and encouraging the younger pups to get back on shore since the sharks start feeding at dark. This is just the way I pictured the Galapagos–unique wildlife completely unafraid of humans. What an experience.

Returning to the ship at dark, we enjoyed snacks and a cold drink before showering and attending the nightly briefing and dinner. Sam (the naturalist) led a briefing in the lounge each evening before dinner and discussed our itinerary, wildlife interactions, and activities for next day. A copy of the daily schedule was posted on the reception desk, and I took a photo of it each day to remind me.

As I noted before, all meals are buffet, and both lunch and dinner start with an Ecuadorian soup, which is served by the waiters. All the soups were good, which is surprising since the weather is warm. Our first night's dinner started with vegetable soup, followed by a buffet with green salad, grilled wahoo with capers, turkey with fig sauce, potatoes, steamed veggies, and turnips. Dessert is cheese, fruit, or the nightly dessert, which was a brownie with ice cream our first night.

After dinner, I slept like a log (or a sleeping sea lion) until about 5 am the next morning. Some people went out on deck to see if the ship's lights attracted any sharks, but I couldn't keep my eyes open. They saw one shark. I didn't even hear the anchor raised in the middle of the night as we sailed for Sombrero Chino Island, a small island off the southeast coast of James Island.

Continue to 3 of 13 below.

03 of 13

Day 2 – Panga Ride, Hiking on Sombrero Chino Island, and Snorkeling

Linda Garrison

Our first morning on the Evolution of Quasar Expeditions, we had a 6 am wake up call. The ship played quiet music over the loud speaker for a few minutes before an announcement was made that the pangas would sail at 6:30. I was already awake, and the ship was anchored near James Island, which is also called Santiago Island and San Salvador Island. (Note: All of the Galapagos seem to have three names–an Ecuadorian, English and a Spanish one).

We boarded the pangas and rode near one of the more recent lava flows. The stark black lava against the crystal clear, blue water reminded me of Hawaii. We saw Galapagos penguins, blue footed boobies, lava herons, and one great blue heron like we have at home.

After riding around for a while, we landed at a gorgeous sandy beach on Sombrero Chino Island and had great fun watching the sea lions play and bask in the sun. The lava flows and rock formations were interesting, and we also saw many brilliant orange Sally lightfoot crabs, marine iguanas, lava lizards, and other wildlife and birds. Since it was still early, the morning was a perfect time to hike and be near the beach. However, it was already obvious that multiple sunscreen applications would be important on this trip!

We returned to the ship at 8:30 for a hearty breakfast of eggs, bacon, pancakes, fruit, muesli, etc. Very good.

Before we could get rested, it was time to put on our swimsuits for the 10:30 snorkeling or beach expedition. The “deep water” snorkeling panga returned to the lava flow area where the water was so brilliantly clear, and the other group went to a sandy beach on Sombrero Chino Island where they could swim, lie on the beach, or snorkel from the beach. I went with the “deep water” snorkelers, which just meant we snorkeled from the panga, and thank goodness they had a ladder for us to use to get back on the panga!

This crystal clear water with a white sandy bottom bordered by the black lava was a great snorkel for me, and I saw two things I had never seen under water–two white tipped reef sharks (one lying on the bottom sleeping and the other up under a lava ledge at the shoreline) and Galapagos penguins. These little birds can swim very fast under water! We also were entertained by a sea lion for quite a while. What an underwater acrobat he was. The water seemed a little colder than the first day. Sam said it ranged from 21 to 24 degrees Celsius, which is about 70-75 degrees Fahrenheit. Very nice to have on a wet suit. Of course, we saw many reef fish like I have seen in the Caribbean and Hawaii like parrot fish, Sargent Majors, etc. According to Sam, the opening of the Panama Canal in the early 1900's contributed to the movement of the reef fish of the Caribbean into the Pacific Ocean.

We also saw a couple of sea cucumbers, which almost became extinct in the Galapagos. They were “fished out” in the mid 1990's, with over 7 million harvested in just 2 months in 1994. These are not good to eat, but some Asians think they have aphrodisiac properties. Millions more were harvested in the next few years, even though the government outlawed the taking of sea cucumbers in December 1994.

I felt like I had done a full day's activities by lunch. However, we had an outdoor traditional Ecuadorian lunch to enjoy. The meal started with ceviche, which is seafood “cooked” in lime juice. We had 3 types–jack fish, octopus, or squid. Most people tried all three, but I stuck to the fish one. It was so good, most of us had seconds. I was about full after that, so just ate a little salad (lettuce, cucumbers, and tomatoes) and some fruit and skipped the roasted pork, cabbage with apples, and banana cake.

Continue to 4 of 13 below.

04 of 13

Day 2 – Exploring James Island – Marine Iguanas and Fur Seals

Linda Garrison

Finishing lunch about 2 pm, we had a whole two hours before our next Galapagos Islands adventure. I actually took a short nap in the cabin. We rode the pangas ashore from the Evolution for a wet landing on James Island, Charles Darwin's favorite island, which is also called Santiago or San Salvador. This island was once inhabited, but is not any more. It's the archipelago's fourth largest island and has several walking trails for visitors.

We landed at Puerto Egas on James Bay on the west side of the island. It was a wet landing on a black sandy beach–quite lovely. We all toted our walking shoes so they wouldn't get wet, and the ship kindly provided small towels for us to sit on the rocks surrounding the beach and dry the black sticky sand off our feet.

We were all a little surprised to see the remains of when James Island was once settled for salt mining in the 1960's. After the settlers left, the island was overrun by ferral goats by the 1990's, and almost all the vegetation was destroyed. The government hired a New Zealand firm to use helicopters to fly over the island and kill all the goats with machine guns. The goats were left to rot. It sounds a little gruesome, but the island rebounded.

We hiked along a trail that skirted the lava shoreline. The tidal pools and black lava were covered with hundreds of marine iguanas. Very creepy to see a dozen or so of them kind of piled up on the rocks or sand, making it easy to see why a group of iguanas is called a mess! I loved exploring the tidal pools (without getting my feet wet) and the grottos where we saw our first Galapagos fur seals swimming. Many sea birds flew overhead while the marine iguanas patrolled the lava rocks and sand. All of our group got into photographing the iguanas.

The walk was fairly easy, but we were all happy that we did it in the late afternoon to avoid some of the heat. The sun sinks quickly when you are at the equator, and we saw it go down over the ocean before we got back on the pangas and returned to the ship after our two hours ashore.

As usual, delicious snacks and fruit juice greeted us upon our return. The ship usually had two hot snacks, plus chips of some sort and then a cold tropical juice like passion fruit or maybe lemonade. I quickly took a shower just in time for the nightly briefing and dinner.

Dinner was lentil soup (another good one!), fish, chicken, veggies, and chocolate cake, fruit, or cheese for dessert. Off to bed by 10 pm or so.

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05 of 13

Day 3 – Genovesa Island – Snorkeling and the Birds of Darwin Bay Beach

Linda Garrison

The Quasar Evolution sailed during dinner and then overnight to the northernmost Galapagos Island, Genovesa, which is also called Tower. We even crossed the equator back into the northern hemisphere sometime during the night. When I awoke the ship was anchored in Darwin Bay in a caldera much like the crescent shaped one at Santorini. The cliffs at Genovesa are not as tall, but it's still the same concept–a volcanic caldera that was once the site of an eruption. This island is not inhabited and is not as frequently visited as some of the other Galapagos Islands, but the trip north of the equator was worth the sailing time.

Our naturalist Sam wanted to possibly show us a creature that often frequents the waters of the caldera. Since the creature is shy, we needed to go snorkeling very early since he also knew that four other small ships would be at Genovesa the same day. So, we ate breakfast and were in the pangas by 8:30. What creature were we seeking? Hammerhead sharks! Never thought I would go looking for a shark, but the waters are so rich and the food is so plentiful in the Galapagos that snorkelers/divers who behave themselves are safe (or so we were told). Anyway, this snorkel was only recommended for those of us who were more experienced since it was much deeper water and the water was very choppy.

We slipped into the water from the pangas and slowly moved along the cliffs overlooking the caldera. Quite magical since the water was deeper than I am used to, but you could still see fairly well. The chop made it a little less brilliant than the day before, but the fish were MUCH larger. We saw huge parrot fish, angel fish, and other marine life. Sam and one other person saw a hammerhead but I missed it. We pressed on, kind of circling back and forth along the cliffs where Sam and Candace had seen the hammerhead. Finally, many more of us, including me, caught a glimpse of the shy shark. I wasn't nearly as scared as when I had seen the reef shark up under the ledge the previous day, maybe because this one was deeper and further away. Believe it or not, the hammerhead wasn't the highlight of the snorkel. We also saw a huge school of manta rays–must have been about 30 of the giant black rays with white bellies. They were swimming in the opposite direction of us and went right under us. Wow!

We were back on board by 10 am, quickly changed clothes and got back into the pangas for a walk along Darwin Bay beach, a small coral beach inside the caldera. It was a wet landing, but since the walk wasn't long, I just wore my teva sandals. There's a flat, half-mile trail that goes inland just a short distance, and we saw many red-footed boobies nesting in the small bushy trees. We also saw some Nazca boobies, swallow-tailed gulls, yellow-crested night herons, lava herons, and other birds.

The most exciting (and most photographed by our group) Darwin Bay beach birds were the great frigatebirds who were in their mating season. The males have a giant red neck pouch that they can inflate like a balloon. This pouch can stay inflated for a long time and is used to attract females. They can even fly with it slightly inflated. The female great frigatebirds don't have the bright coloring of the males, but do have a red ring around their eyes. This is one of the easiest ways to differentiate them from the magnificent frigatebirds, which is a separate species. Strolling along the beach trail was interesting, and we even came upon a lava grotto formation that linked to the caldera.

I can't describe how mesmerized we were by the male frigatebirds with their inflated bright red balloons. Often the balloons were so large that the bird had to rest his chin on the balloon. They looked like they would pop very easily. Some male frigatebirds would be off by themselves, others would be grouped together. I must have taken 100 photos of this mating ritual. Once a female selects a male, they might mate 100 times over a two week period. Enough said.

At the end of the hike, we returned to the beach to see some sea lions, one of whom was nursing. A few who hadn't changed clothes for the walk waded into the water for a swim. They were joined by one of the sea lions who played with them a little. These creatures are so unafraid. I can't seem to say that enough.

We returned to the Evolution for another nice lunch. Some of the guests went kayaking after lunch. The ship has four, 2-man kayaks, so people had to take turns. I passed since we had a hike along the cliff at 4 pm.

Continue to 6 of 13 below.

06 of 13

Day 3 – Genovesa Island – Hiking on the Top of the Cliff

Linda Garrison

At 4 pm, we were back in the pangas for the short ride from the Evolution to one of the caldera cliffs of Genovesa. It was across the bay from the morning's hike in Darwin Bay. The cliff top is accessed via Prince Philip's Steps, which were named after a 1964 visit by the British royal. The stairway is 81 feet up to the top of the cliff, and the stairs were steep and difficult. Sam said this hike would be our most difficult, so I didn't think the 92-year old member of our group would try it, but he climbed the cliff and did the entire hike of about 2 miles.

The hike along the cliff top began with a trek across the caldera, stopping at the other side where we had great views of the sea. The path was rocky and uneven, but flat with desert plants like cacti. We saw many birds–boobies, frigates, storm petrels, tropicbirds, short-eared owl and even a waved albatross, a species the ship owner Dolores said she hadn't seen in many years. The short-eared owl is very territorial, so Sam was able to point him out in a dark gulley cave off the trail since that was one of his usual daytime haunts.

When we saw what we thought were two boobies “fighting”, we didn't realize that one was the chick of the mother and he was trying to get her to feed him. The boobie-babies (gotta love that) do not fly until they are about 1 year old, and their mothers feed them regurgitated food until they are able to fend for themselves. After one year, the babies are often larger than their moms, so feeding them can be quite challenging. The mother we saw was trying to tell her son that she didn't have any food for him! She kept running away and he kept trying to grab her neck and open her mouth to start the regurgitation process.

The sun was setting as we climbed back down Prince Philip's Steps, but we rode the panga along the rocky cliffs and got to see our first close-up view of the Galapagos fur seals that we had seen in the grotto at James Island.

Only time for a shower before the nightly briefing and dinner. Dinner started with zucchini soup, followed by salads, shrimp and veggies over rice, beef stroganoff, cauliflower, or French fries. We had “make your own ice cream sundae” for dessert. Nice ending to the day.

The ship had sailed before dinner, so by the time we finished dinner, the ship was almost at the point to where we would cross the equator. So, several of us went up to the wheelhouse to watch the GPS for the latitude reading of 000. Since we crossed the equator during the middle of the night on the northbound trip to Genovesa, and it was about bedtime during the southbound trip, this ship didn't have a Poseidon ceremony to honor the equator crossing like I've seen on other ships.

Continue to 7 of 13 below.

07 of 13

Day 4 – Blue-Footed Boobies of North Seymour Island

Linda Garrison

The next day was another glorious day on the Evolution. I woke up about 5:30 am, and the anchor was dropped not long afterwards. In order to re-fuel the Evolution, we had docked back on Baltra Island where our adventure had begun. As the ship was refueling, we were told to stay inside until we sailed for North Seymour Island in the Galapagos Islands.

The official soft music wake up call was at 6:45, with breakfast at 7 am. Doesn't take long to get ready when it's all-casual, all the time. We had an omelet station, plus the usual fruit, yogurt, muesli, granola, etc. Our first activity of the day was a hike at North Seymour Island, so the pangas left the Evolution at 8:00 am, not long after anchoring near the island. Sam, our naturalist guide, had announced at the nightly briefing that he wasn't going to caution 92-year-old Douglas on the difficulty of any more planned hikes. He had successfully negotiated Prince Philip's Steps, and the rest of the trip would be easier.

The North Seymour Island hike started out very rocky, but got smoother. It was about a one-mile hike, was mostly flat between the beach and the inland area, and was filled with scrubby bushes and trees. Glad I wore my closed-toe walking shoes again. Seymour is famous for its colonies of blue footed boobies and magnificent frigatebirds. The blue footed boobies were amazing to watch. They have a very complicated mating dance, and we were entertained by several pairs for over an hour. The female blue-footed boobies perch on a rock and the males “dance” by walking slowly and lifting their feet high. This dancing is followed by wing flapping and tail and beak pointing. The males continually whistle while the larger females honk. We watched two males court one female by alternating their dances. She ignored both for a while, but finally chose the one with the brightest blue feet! Apparently, this is common since the brighter the feet, the “stronger” the male in booby-land.

How quickly we forget. The day before, we all snapped hundreds of photos of the male great frigatebirds at Genovesa Island. On North Seymour, we practically ignored the red-ballooned frigates, giving most of our attention to the blue footed boobies. In addition to the great frigatebirds, we also saw magnificent frigatebirds on North Seymour. The two species can most easily be differentiated from the great frigatebirds by the ring around the eye of the female birds–the great ones have a reddish-pink ring and the magnificent ones have a blue ring around the eye. The male great frigates have green iridescent feathers on their backs, and the male magnificent frigate birds have blue feathers on their backs. These two very-similar-looking frigates are separate species and never mate. Good piece of cocktail party trivia, isn't it?

We were back on the ship by 10:30, quickly had a snack and fruit juice, changed clothes, and went snorkeling near a cliff on North Seymour. It was another successful snorkel, although the water was choppy. We saw gazillions of tropical fish, many much larger than I've seen in the Caribbean and Hawaii. We saw a large sting ray lying on the bottom and one very brilliant yellow puffer fish. I also saw two other puffers–one black with white spots and the other brown. The highlight of the snorkel was the sighting of yet another large (more than 6 feet) white tipped reef shark. He was lying on the white sandy bottom in about 15 feet of water. He laid there for about five minutes or more (long enough for all of us to get a close look) before slowly moving off.

Returning to the Evolution, several of us jumped in the hot tub for a soak before showering and changing clothes for lunch. It was Mexican day, so we all enjoyed the “make your own” burrito with ground beef and beans, along with all the fixin's (guacamole, salsa, lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, oninons, etc), chicken enchiladas, and a beef stew. The starter was a tuna/tomato salad, which was a little odd, given the theme, but was tasty. Dessert was either apple pie or passion fruit mousse. We had another delightful lunch outdoors on the covered aft deck, and at one point saw a whale (think it was a minke) frolicking in the wake of the ship.

After lunch, a few of us did a tour of some of the cabins, the galley, and the engine room. When living in comfortable air conditioning, I often forget just how hot these “other” places on the ship can be. We wore ear protection in the engine room, which was roaring with all the machinery going.

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08 of 13

Day 4 – Hiking and Kayaking at Santa Fe Island

Linda Garrison

The Quasar Expeditions' Evolution had sailed south for the Galapagos island of Santa Fe during lunch, and we arrived about 3:30. One group went kayaking while the other hiked on the island, and then we reversed. It was a wet landing on yet another gorgeous beach. This one was well-protected by volcanic lava flows, making the cove attractive to sea lions. The sandy beach was almost covered with either sea lions or a few large rocks, and we had to pick our way through the (mostly) slumbering giants to access the trail.

The small island of Santa Fe (24 square km) is one of the oldest islands in the archipelago, and has had many issues with invasive species like goats, black rats, and fire ants. Over 3,000 goats were removed between 1964 and 1974, and continual monitoring has been used to prevent the return of the little fire ant since it was eradicated in the late 1980's.

Approaching the island on the panga, at first I thought I saw palm trees dotting the landscape. As we got closer, I realized that these towering “trees” were actually giant prickly pear cactus, many over 30 feet tall. The trunks resembled pine trees because of their size and reddish-brown coloring, but looked like palms because the thick cacti vegetation doesn't start until about 20 feet up. Some of the cacti had lovely yellow flowers.

We hiked up into the highlands a ways on a 1.5 km (less than a mile) trail that was very rocky, one of the toughest we had. It was difficult walking, but we all made the circle trail, glad we had on our walking shoes. The trail ended up at another beach near the landing beach. This one was also filled with sea lions. While hiking, we had great views of our ship and two others in the bay.

Again, we saw different wildlife—two huge Santa Fe land iguanas, both lying in the middle of the trail, and two Galapagos snakes, also sunning themselves in the middle of our trail. Couldn't believe the snakes just laid there. One was a “baby”, about 18 inches long, but no bigger than a fat pencil. The second was over two feet, but was much fatter, so we could see his yellow stipes. The snakes were rather drab compared to photos I've seen of other tropical snakes. Still not as big as even a garter snake back home. The Galapagos snake is the only one in the islands, and probably arrived on floating pads of vegetation from the mainland, like some of the other wildlife did. The snakes are not very poisonous, but Sam said they have fangs in the back of their throats. They mostly feed on lava lizards and baby iguanas. It is very unusual to see one, so we got extra lucky. We also saw a Galapagos hawk flying overhead, the first one I had spotted.

Arriving at the second beach, those who wanted to go kayaking took the panga back to board the kayaks out in the bay. The rest of us hiked back to the first beach (just a short ways away) to retrieve stuff left behind on our hike. The sea lions were much more active on this island than those we saw the first day on Mosquera. It was a little scary watching some of them, and we kept our distance from the large males. Many were playing in the water or on the beach, and some demonstrated terrific yoga moves (like a downward dog) that I wish I could do as well.

Back on the ship, it was time for fresh juice (we had so many different tropical juices, I can't begin to name them) and snacks (chips, beef empanadas, and some type of plantain ball). The ship sailed for our next island as soon as we were back on board. By the time I showered (another two-shower day), it was time for the briefing and dinner. I was really zonked, so dozed through the part of the briefing where Sam turned off the lights and showed slides about climate and water currents. Dinner was a chicken soup, salad, fried calamari, turkey with peach sauce, potatoes, and ice cream and crepes for dessert.

A few of us went outdoors after dinner to check out the constellations. Even I could spot the Southern Cross hanging low in the sky–we were back in the southern hemisphere for sure. As we moved south, it moved higher in the sky.

Into bed by 10:00. The next day we would be on Floreana Island (also called Santa Maria or Charles Island).

Continue to 9 of 13 below.

09 of 13

Day 5 – Post Office Bay on Floreana Island

Linda Garrison

Woke up a little after 5 am, and the Evolution was already anchored off Floreana Island in the Galapagos. Dressed and went up on the covered top deck for a cup of tea. Surprised to find a few other guests up there. Guess it's “the” place to hang out for many of us. We didn't have the wake up music until 7:30, followed by breakfast at 8 am. I ate healthy, only having a bunch of fruit and some muesli mixed with granola and fruit. Yummy, and proud that I skipped the eggs and crispy bacon!

Off the ship at 9 am to go ashore with a wet landing at Post Office Bay. The history of Floreana is fascinating. Pirates, whalers, and convicts visited and stayed on Floreana in the past, and three groups of Germans (not together) once settled here in the late 1920's and early 1930's. Two German doctors (man and wife) were the first to arrive in 1929. They even had their teeth pulled before leaving Germany to avoid a possible health problem. According to the legend, Dr. Ritter (male) was a dentist and very controlling over his wife. They even shared a pair of dentures.

When a German family the Wittmers arrived in 1932, Dr. Ritter forbid his wife to socialize with them. Mrs. Wittmer had read Dore Strauch's (Dr. Ritter's wife) book she had written about the island paradise they lived on. Evidently she only talked about the good parts and omitted the struggles, lack of fresh water, lack of arable land, lack of other people, etc. Or, maybe her controlling spouse edited out all the bad parts.

I guess the abusive Dr. Ritter got his comeuppance. Although Dr. Ritter was reportedly a vegetarian, he died of food poisoning after eating chicken. His wife immediately returned to Germany. Some speculate she killed him.

The Wittmers stayed on the island and wife Margaret even had children without any assistance. Some speculate the family fled Germany because of the Nazis, but they certainly didn't know what they were getting into. They definitely should have done more research than just reading Mrs. Ritter's book. However, Margaret lived a long life, dying at age 95 in 2000, so she must have been a strong woman. Her surviving children and grandchildren still run a small hotel/restaurant on the island, which has less than 100 full-time residents, most of whom are sustenance farmers. To be near the limited amount of fresh water, they primarily live up in the highlands away from the beach since we saw no signs of civilization. A passenger boat brings supplies/visitors every two weeks. Talk about a Robinson Crusoe life!

The third group of Germans were even more unusual than the first two. It was a (self-proclaimed) Baroness, her husband, and her two male lovers. She apparently kept things stirred up on the island. She died mysteriously, as did her entourage. Our guide showed us a photo of a “party” at her home–there were 8 men and she was the only woman. Maybe she was a little bit of a courtesan rather than a baroness, but this Galapagos affair certainly makes a fascinating story, especially for those who have visited the islands.

Floreana “Post Office”

Enough of Floreana history. You might be wondering how Post Office Bay got its name. Back in 1793, British sailors set up a barrel as a post office, leaving letters to be picked up by other ships. Ships going to England (or wherever) would sort through the letters and hand deliver to those who lived in destinations they were visiting. No postage necessary. Today, visitors leave behind post cards in the barrel (a different one), sort through those that are there, and do the same–hand deliver those going where they are. Since we knew where everyone on our ship lived, we sorted through the couple of hundred in the box, calling out towns in the states/provinces where people lived. I didn't take any cards, but did write down the address of someone in Decatur, GA and another person in Hartwell, GA. The ship provided three cards for each of us. I addressed a card to Ronnie and I, dated it, and left it behind. I also did a card for two young kids I regularly send post cards to. Doubt if anyone ever delivers them. In fact, we speculated that someone regularly throws a few hundred away since all those we saw dated were from 2013. It was fun to go through the cards and see where people were from. (Update: Received card 8 weeks later with USA stamp, but unreadable postmark. Would love to know who was kind enough to mail it to me!)

Following the short walk to the post office, we had an hour's free time on the beach–a real rarity for this trip. We were supposed to explore some lagoons via panga and kayak, but the Galapagos National Park officials pulled the permission from the ship just the day before. There were two other small boats' guests enjoying the beach, swimming. and snorkeling, and we found their lagoon permits were pulled, too. It's important to know that like any cruise, things can change and itineraries change. No one complained since we were so busy otherwise.

Continue to 10 of 13 below.

10 of 13

Day 5 – Snorkeling at Champion Island and Devil’s Crown

Linda Garrison

One panga went back to the Evolution early, and I joined it. I'm not much for sitting on the beach and didn't feel like applying more sunscreen. Back on the ship about 10:30, I had 1.5 hours until our next Galapagos Islands' adventure–snorkeling off Champion Island. We had snacks on the top deck, so I sat up top in the shade and the breeze with some of my companions while we sailed to Champion Island, a tiny islet where no humans are allowed ashore (except maybe some scientists).

The wind was whipping the panga when we got into the water, and the waves were about the highest I've ever snorkeled in. However, once I put my face in the water, I almost forgot about how much I was having to fight the waves and keep my snorkel tube above the water–the number of fish off the point where we started was by far the most I have ever seen at one time. Schools of millions of fish were all around; and since the water was deep, you could see even more. Wow! I felt so insignificant, much like when you look at the sky on a clear night. All shapes and sizes of fish were holding on this rocky point, fighting the waves and the current. We were told to move with the current, but to avoid the rocks. It wasn't difficult to swim since we had on wetsuits and flippers, but a little creepy to realize the vast numbers of fish all around us, some of which were very large.

We snorkeled down along the coast of the island and the numbers of fish decreased. When we got around the backside and out of the wind into calmer waters, we didn't see as many fish, but sea lions were all around un in the water, diving and playing. A couple even nibbled on some of the flippers (not mine). All too soon it was time to go back to the ship for lunch.

As usual, lunch was delicious, and was another traditional Ecuadorian meal. We started with a cold fish soup with about a half dozen large nice shrimp in a gazpacho-type broth. Next came salad, fish in a coconut sauce, small hunks of pork breaded and fried, bright yellow potato pancakes with a peanut sauce, fried plantains, huge-kernel South American corn, and rice. (I skipped the rice.) We had rice pudding or cheese cake for dessert. The rice pudding had nutmeg and cinnamon in it, and was topped with a sweet pepper whose texture reminded me of a prune. It was 2:15 by the time we finished lunch. Our last snorkeling adventure of the week was to follow at 3:15. Not much time to get lunch digested, re-apply sunscreen, and squeeze into that wet swimsuit.

Our last snorkeling adventure of the week would have been the best one, had the clouds not rolled in with the wind, lessening the visibility. It was still fantastic, with tons of marine life. We rode in the pangas to Devil's Crown, which is right off Punta Cormorant on Floreana Island. This rocky outcropping looks like a jagged crown, with cacti growing on some of the rocks. It's a paradise for marine life, and one of the best snorkeling spots in the Galapagos Islands. The current was strong, making it tough to stay in one place, especially given the winds and waves. I was exhausted when we finished, but the snorkel was a good one. We saw a very large white tip reef shark patrolling right below us in about 10 feet of water. You could really see the white tips on his fins. Like the morning dive, the water was teeming with many types of marine life and we enjoyed watching the sea lions swimming with us again.

All too soon it was time to reboard the pangas and head back to the Evolution. We all hopped in the hot tub (or at least 14 of us did) for a quick soak before taking a shower to continue to warm up. The cloudy weather and rough seas contributed to the coldest water we had snorkeled in.

Continue to 11 of 13 below.

11 of 13

Day 5 – Hiking at Punta Cormorant on Floreana Island

Linda Garrison

We only had a short time on the Quasar Evolution before heading off to a beach near Punta Cormorant in the Galapagos Islands. We had a wet landing on a beach with greenish-sand, and hiked to a hyper-saline lagoon and saw a half dozen flamingoes wading in the water. We hiked across the point to a second beach where many frigatebirds were circling. This beach is popular with turtles laying their eggs, and the pesky frigates eat the baby turtles when they are making their way from the nest to the water.

Although this second beach was gorgeous, we didn't swim there since it was teeming with sting rays and sharks, many of them in only a foot or so of water. We didn't see any baby turtles, and Sam speculated that the frigates had fed on most of those that had hatched. We did see some adult turtles in the surf, along with the numerous sharks and rays. Fun watching them, and we almost stayed until dark.

Snacks awaited us when we reboarded the ship. Fish fingers and some type of stuff on a tortilla chip. The nightly briefing was very nice, and since Dolores and Fernando were leaving the ship the next day, they had a little farewell champagne with all of us. Several people gave testimonials about the great trip we've all had. Douglas wrote a little ditty about Sam our guide, which we were supposed to sing to the tune of the song, “Twas on the Isle of Capri”. Unfortunately, no one (not even his kids) knew this tune. So we just kind of chanted it. Sam was quite touched.

Dinner was a yummy cauliflower soup; green salad, pea salad, and Greek salad; creamy mixed seafood on pasta, vegetarian moussaka, and cooked carrots. Dessert was birthday cake for one of the other guests.

The next day would be our last full day, and we would finally see the giant tortoises of the Galapagos.

Continue to 12 of 13 below.

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Day 6 – Puerto Ayora, Santa Cruz – Giant Tortoises, Lava Tubes, and Civilization

Linda Garrison

Our last full day in the Galapagos Islands was a little bit of a shock–we were back in “civilization”. When we awoke, the Quasar Evolution was docked in Puerto Ayora on Santa Cruz Island, one of the few settlements in the Galapagos. The town has over a third of the 28,000 archipelago's residents, plus there were many boats in the harbor. Those living/staying on the other inhabited islands can take day ferries back and forth, so the harbor was very busy. We anchored and took the pangas into the dock.

Charles Darwin Research Foundation

Our first visit was to the Charles Darwin Research Foundation, a poorly funded society that continues his research and tries to keep the tortoise population flourishing. The museum was un-inviting and a little depressing. However, the live giant tortoises were very interesting and made the visit worthwhile. Like many of the other wildlife, each island has a different species of tortoise, some of which are extinct and others endangered. When pirates and other sailors first arrived in the Galapagos, they quickly found that these animals could live up to a year with no food or water. So, they filled up the holds of their ships with hundreds of the creatures and lived off them, throwing the shells overboard when they were finished. Most of the tortoises lived in the highlands, so since the females were smaller (and weighed a lot less), the sailors toted mostly females down to their ships, decimiating the population even quicker.

The most famous Galapagos tortoise was Lonesome George, who died in the summer of 2012. He had been discovered on Pinta Island in 1971 and brought to the Darwin Research Station in 1972 at about age 90-100. Scientists tried to find other tortoises on Pinta Island, but never could, giving him the name of “lonesome” since they weren't sure how long he had been alone. Then they tried for years to get him to breed with other tortoise sub-species from other islands, but they soon found that for tortoises, if the males didn't “use it”, they “lose it”. Poor George had gone for decades without mating, so his sperm count was too low to reproduce, even by artifical insemination. So, the last of the Pinta island tortoises is gone.

We saw many baby tortoises, plus adults used for breeding. Since it was early in the morning, the keepers were feeding them, and it was interesting to watch them eat. I was especially impressed by the long necks and height of these creatures, which enables the plant eaters to reach taller vegetation.

Rancho Primicias – Giant Tortoise Reserve

All too soon, it was time to leave for the Galapagos highlands, where we hoped to see Santa Cruz giant tortoises in their natural habitat. We rode up into the hills in an air conditioned bus for about 30-40 minutes, and it was nice to see some of the countryside, which looked like Costa Rica or other tropical countries. Soon we arrived at the Rancho Primicias, a wildlife preserve that borders onto the national park. Tortoises move freely between the two areas, but the wildlife preserve has trails that cross prime tortoise territory (muddy and swampy). If it is muddy, visitors are given rubber boots to wear, but since we had been lucky enough to have dry weather, we didn't have to put on our socks and boots.

Our group immediately saw three tortoises very near the gift shop/reception building. I couldn't help but wonder if the food is supplemented here to attract them. The animals are huge, with some weighing over 800 pounds, and they often live over 100 years. Although giant tortoises move very slowly (about 1/4 mile per hour), they migrate on islands between the highlands and the lowlands to follow the green vegetation. We struck out on the trail and saw a few more near the swampy areas they like. The biggest tortoise we saw was completely blocking the trail, so we all got a few good photos of him (remember the males are bigger).

After searching for Galapagos tortoises for a while and wandering around the nature reserve/park, we had a little free time to check out the — gasp!– souvenir shop, which had all the expected goodies. Sam had thoughtfully told us to bring some money, so everyone fully utilized our first shopping opportunity in a week.

Walking in a Volcanic Lava Tube

Leaving the tortoise area, we stopped at a large lava tube on the way back to Puerto Ayora. This one goes on for about 400 yards and is quite large. It also looks man-made with the walls so perfectly formed. I've seen lava tubes elsewhere on Hawaii and Lanzarote, but this one was surprising since there weren't any visibly active volcanoes nearby.

We rode back to the harbor and were on the Evolution in time for a late lunch. One funny thing was a sea lion lying on the pier under a bench. The animal had to climb up on the dock and then up a bunch of steps to get to his preferred resting place. At first I thought it was a dog, but then saw it was actually just a sea lion. I can't decide if humans are invisible to them most of the time or just another warm-blooded creature.

After lunch, we had the departure briefing, and then I grabbed my notebook computer, went back into town, and found an Internet cafe ($3 for 2 hours) where I caught up on email for the first time in a week. Back on the ship at 5:30, we had the farewell briefing and dinner–lobster tails, French fries, salad, steamed veggies, calamari, etc. It was a great memory meal to leave the ship.

The Captain of the Evolution pulled up the anchor after dinner and we started back to where we started–anchored off Baltra Island where the airport is located.

Continue to 13 of 13 below.

13 of 13

Day 7 – A Sunrise Panga Ride and Off to Guayaquil

Linda Garrison

Six of the 19 of us had signed up for a sunrise panga ride and exploration of a mangrove area for our last morning on the Quasar Expeditions' Evolution in the Galapagos Islands. The sea was perfectly calm–the first time we had seen this phenomenon. The panga moved slowly into a large bay, and we watched the sun rise at about 6 am. It is easy to forget how quickly it comes up near the equator since it has so much further to go before sunset.

The quiet mangrove lagoon was filled with pelicans, feeding fish, and even a huge school of cownose rays, which were interesting to watch as they quietly patrolled along the edge of the mangroves. All of us agreed we were glad for the early wake-up call at 5:30 am.

Back on the Evolution, we ate breakfast, loaded the luggage in the panga, and were off to the airport. We had a LAN flight at 11 am to Guayaquil, where we would spend the night before flying non-stop and overnight back to New York on LAN the next night. This Guayaquil layover would give us about 30 hours in Ecuador's largest city, just enough time to get a taste of the city.

All too soon we were flying away from the Galapagos, each of us with special memories of these amazing islands. The islands were even more spectacular than I had anticipated, with wildlife and activities I've never had before. Although the Galapagos Islands were the main highlights of this vacation, Quasar Expeditions and the crew of the Evolution planned an excellent itinerary, which greatly facilitated and enhanced our Galapagos expedition. They seemed to know what we wanted to see and do, where we needed to be, and when we needed to be there. Then, they gave us time to soak up the environment and the memories. I spoke to every guest on the ship, and each felt the same way I did about the experience on the ship and in the Galapagos Islands.

As is common in the travel industry, the writer was provided with complimentary airfare and cruise accommodation for the purpose of review. While it has not influenced this review, About.com believes in full disclosure of all potential conflicts of interest. For more information, see our Ethics Policy.

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dailynynews-blog · 7 years ago

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Mist Cove Small Ship Alaska Cruise Travel Log

New Post has been published on https://www.usatelegraph.com/2018/mist-cove-small-ship-alaska-cruise-travel-log/

Mist Cove Small Ship Alaska Cruise Travel Log

Mist Cove – Small Ship Alaska Cruise Travel Log

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Mist Cove Ship Overview and Embarkation in Juneau

The Mist Cove of The Boat Company sails 7-day Alaska cruises between Juneau and Sitka. This 24-passenger small adventure ship offers the opportunity to explore a small part of the Tongass National Forest region of Southeast Alaska.

The Captain and onboard naturalist adjust each week’s schedule based on the interests of the passengers, the time of year, and the weather. Whichever quiet coves, hidden meadows, or sparkling rivers the Mist Cove Captain chooses, the passengers can enjoy hiking, fishing, kayaking and just marveling at the magnificent wilderness scenery and wildlife.

Join me for a week on the Mist Cove. As noted above, the daily schedule and anchorages might change some each week, but all cruises are from Juneau to Sitka (or reverse).

Embarkation in Juneau Our delightful Southeast Alaska wilderness cruise on the small ship the Mist Cove of The Boat Company began with a late afternoon transfer from the Juneau Airport to the Westmark Baranof Hotel in downtown Juneau. Since most flights from the lower 48 arrive in the afternoon, and sometimes weather is foggy, an overnight stay at the hotel is included in the fare. This historic hotel is located within easy walking distance of everything in downtown Juneau, including the cruise ships. Since it was raining, we enjoyed a lovely dinner in the hotel restaurant rather than venture outdoors. (Basically, I was too lazy to dig out the raingear.) The hotel staff was friendly and very helpful, and we liked having an excellent bed, free WiFi, a refrigerator, and coffee pot in the room.

The next morning, we spent a little time walking around Juneau, checking out all the ships at the dock, including ours! It seemed SO small docked next to the larger mainstream ships. At 11 am, we joined the other Mist Cove passengers in the hotel lobby to go to the ship. The crew loaded our luggage on a van, but we all chose to walk the few blocks downhill to the ship.

Boarding the Mist Cove, we had our photo taken so that the crew (and our fellow passengers) could learn our names quickly. One of the crew showed us to our cabinand gave us a short tour. Not much chance of getting lost on a 157-foot long ship! After the tour, we gathered in the salon for the safety briefing from the Captain, crew introductions, and an explanation of the week ahead. We completed passenger questionnaires to express our activity preferences for the week, which the captain and crew used to plan our cruise.

We sailed from Juneau about 12:30 pm and headed south in the Gastineau Channel for Stephans Passage and Endicott Arm. We enjoyed our first lunch onboard and were excited to find the Mist Cove food was so good — tomato basil soup, Caesar salad, foccacia bread, and dessert bars. There went another week of not dieting! After lunch, we were outside to see the huge Sumdum Glacier basking in the sunshine. We also saw some harbor seals and eagles, but the biggest excitement was a pod of orcas (killer whales) just past Bushy Island in Endicott Arm.

The Captain anchored the Mist Cove between two waterfalls at North Dawes Inlet, Endicott Arm. We enjoyed fresh grilled salmon for dinner and retired early, looking forward to Glacier Bay the next morning.

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Mist Cove Alaska Day 2 – Glacier Watching and Halibut Fishing

Early the next morning on the Mist Cove, many of us were out testing our teamwork in the 2-man kayaks. Boarding the kayaks was a little challenging since we certainly didn’t want to overturn in the icy water, but Ronnie and I did fine. We paddled down North Dawes Arm towards the glacier and got within a few feet of some growlers and bergie bits. Ronnie even picked up a growler (very small iceberg) to take back to the ship and ice down our drinks. The sides of the fjords loomed overhead and made us feel very insignificant. Paddling quietly close to the three waterfalls, we kept an eye out for wildlife and relaxed as we soaked up the cool morning air.

Returning to the ship, we ate a hearty breakfast of pancakes, bacon, and eggs. All that paddling made us work up an appetite. At mid-morning, we boarded the 20-foot skiffs (four passengers and a crew member in each skiff) and rode the short distance to Dawes Glacier. The 382-passenger Silversea Silver Shadow was leaving Endicott Arm as we approached the glacier. Although much larger than the Mist Cove, the ship is much smaller than most ocean ships. The Silver Shadow still looked tiny when flanked by the huge blue glacier, and it was good to have some perspective as to just how large the Dawes Glacier is.

Viewing the massive glacier from the skiffs was a fantastic experience. Because of the possibility of calving or pop-ups, we stayed about a quarter-mile away, but still were treated to numerous calving events; several had loud cracking noises, and two were large enough to cause waves to rock our skiffs. It was a wonderful morning, and I was glad Jeremy (the naturalist) had told us to wear all the cold-weather clothes we had brought. After watching the glacier for a while, our guide pulled out a large thermos of hot chocolate and homemade chocolate chip cookies. She even had small bottles of Bailey’s Irish Cream and peppermint schnapps to give the hot chocolate a little kick! Delicious and only one of many special touches we had during the week.

While we were eating a late lunch on the Mist Cove and comparing glacier notes, the Captain pulled up the anchor and moved the ship to Woodspit in Holkham Bay. We bought fishing licenses on the ship, and spent the afternoon halibut fishing, touring the area in the skiffs, or on a guided kayak tour with Jeremy. The fishing was fun, but the catching was not. Neither Ronnie nor I caught a halibut, but we enjoyed watching Jola, a retired chemist from New England, catch one. Since it was our first halibut, Jola decided to share the 25-pound fish with the passengers and crew the next night for dinner. It was delicious.

Returning to the ship, the Captain moved the Mist Cove to Windham Bay for the evening. One of the crew spotted a bear on the shore, but it was getting dark, so we didn’t get a good look at him/her. As we stood out on the deck, dozens of salmon were jumping all around the ship, and the Alaska sunset was as beautiful as those in the tropics. The next day we were whale watching, halibut fishing, and hiking.

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Mist Cove Alaska Day 3 – Whale Watching, Halibut Fishing, and Hiking

The Captain pulled up the Mist Cove anchor about 7 am and sailed from Windham Bay. After breakfast, we cruised down Stephans Passage towards the Five Finger Lighthouse and Frederick Sound. The day was relatively calm, and the humpback whales were everywhere! We were all so mesmerized that most of us didn’t take many photos. The whales breached the surface of the water numerous times, and we cheered them on. Each time a humpback threw up its fluke (tail), we sighed. Like many nature lovers, I never tire of watching wildlife, especially these huge, graceful creatures. The Captain cruised around the area for a while, anchoring the Mist Cove near The Brothers islands in the late morning.

Before leaving the ship, we all packed our own sack lunches to eat either in the skiff while fishing or ashore on a picnic. The ship’s sack lunch choices included wrap chicken sandwiches (either pesto or roasted red pepper), several choices of chips, cookies, trail mix, fresh fruit, and snack bars. No chance of starving when away from the Mist Cove!

During breakfast, Jeremy had told us to man the skiffs in groups–those who wanted to fish more, those who wanted to hike more, and those who wanted to do a little of both. With only 16 passengers, it didn’t take us long to match up with a woman who wanted to mostly fish like we did. Ronnie and I both caught our first halibut, and we were serenaded the entire time by a group of stellar sea lions and by the whales. It was a perfect sunny day, with almost no wind, so we could hear the whales from huge distances. Certainly different than summer fishing back home in Georgia. The “musical” entertainment show of the sea lions during the lunch break was no extra charge.

The fishing slowed down after a few hours, so we went back to the Mist Cove for a potty break, followed by time to explore nearby West Brother Island with Jesse, one of the crew. The tidal pools and rocky shoreline quickly changed into dense green forest with a magical glow. I kept expecting to see a Hobbit walk out of the thick overgrown wilderness!

We returned to the ship in the late afternoon, and the Captain moved the ship through Frederick Sound to the tip of Admiralty Island. Dinner was delayed while we watched an amazing humpback whale extravaganza. The Captain stopped the ship and the whales came very close to us. Since the water was flat calm, the show was even better than that in the morning. I took dozens of photos of whale flukes, whales bubble feeding, and whales rolling.

Before anchoring for the evening, the Mist Cove and her sister ship the Liseron rendezvoused. It was nice to see The Boat Company’s other ship. The Captain anchored for the night in Nelson Bay of Baranof Island.

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Mist Cove Alaska Day 4 – Salmon Hatchery, Fishing, Kayaking, and Hiking

The next morning the sun was shining as the Captain pulled up the anchor in Nelson Bay and sailed north up Chatham Straits for the Hidden Falls Northern Southeast Regional Aquaculture Association (NSRAA) salmon hatchery in Kasnkyu Bay on Baranof Island. NSRAA conducts salmon enhancement projects throughout northern southeast Alaska including the hatchery at Hidden Falls. Millions of baby salmon are released by the hatcheries into the sea each year.

The smolt (baby salmon) released at Hidden Falls are imprinted with the small river there, so the salmon return to the hatchery when they are ready to spawn and die. During the busy season, spawning salmon are routed through a shed where the eggs and milt are removed and mixed in plastic buckets. The fertilized eggs are incubated until hatched and then allowed to grow until old enough to go to sea and the process is repeated. The day we were at the hatchery, workers processed about 8,000 salmon, removing millions of eggs. The salmon carcasses are sold, as are the immature eggs. The process was fascinating, and the hatchery benefits both commercial and sport fishermen.

After touring the hatchery, we did a little salmon fishing of our own from the skiffs. The coho salmon were just starting to run, but none of us caught any from the skiffs, although there was a lot of activity. The fish were just not biting. (Guess they all had spawning on their minds!) The fish did attract some eagles, and we enjoyed watching them soar overhead or perch in the trees.

Instead of fishing, two women in our group chose to do a “butt buster” hike up the Ell Cove ridge with Jeremy, and they had gorgeous views from the summit. The hike started at an unusual white sandy beach, nicknamed “Cancun beach” by the Mist Cove crew. Following their hike, one of the women took a short swim from the beach. She’s braver than I am!

While we were fishing or hiking, a bear and her two cubs came out of the forest near where the Mist Cove was anchored. The crew and passengers who had stayed onboard hopped in a skiff and quietly motored near the bear family. From the safety of the skiff, they watched them for quite a while, and radioed the other skiffs to come in to see the action. By the time we got there, the three bears were moving back into the woods, quickly disappearing in the thick wilderness. It’s no surprise that bears are common around the hatchery during the salmon run, but the hatchery workers have the right idea–there’s plenty for everyone, man and bear alike.

While we were eating lunch, the Captain moved the Mist Cove to the Middle Arm of Kelp Bay. Two passengers went fly fishing with a guide, two others went kayaking with a guide, and the rest of us went halibut fishing or touring by skiff. The wind had picked up, and we didn’t get a halibut, although I caught a rockfish The fly fishermen didn’t catch anything either, but like us, they had a good time trying. The kayakers got caught downwind and had a difficult time paddling back to the ship. A skiff was sent out to retrieve them, but they stubbornly paddled back in, arriving proud of their accomplishment, but exhausted.

The Mist Cove moved to the picturesque South Arm of Kelp Bay before dinner. After another excellent meal, we gazed at the beautiful Alaska mountains in the early evening. The next day we were going stream fishing for salmon.

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Mist Cove Alaska Day 5 – Hiking, Fishing, and Bears and Orcas

The kayaks were out early the next morning in beautiful Kelp Bay. After breakfast, five of us went stream fishing with two guides while the rest of the group went on a meadow hike. The two fly fishermen waded upstream with one of the guides while the other four of us stayed near the mouth of the river. The fishing was excellent, and we caught many chum and pink salmon on light spinning tackle. The weather was good, and the time passed by quickly as the three of us caught and released salmon while the guide ran back and forth helping us land and release the fish.

After a couple of hours, the radio crackled, and we heard the fly fishing guide say something like “bear” and “call skiff”. Within a few minutes, the two fly fishermen and guide were walking purposefully back down the stream. They had seen a mama bear and two cubs and wisely decided to head for the boat. Although the Mist Cove guides always carry shotguns or rifles when going ashore, no one wants to shoot a bear who is just defending her fishing area and cubs. We looked past them and suddenly saw a bear stand up in the tall grass about 100 yards behind them. She and her cubs had followed them down the stream, but disappeared into the grass as quickly as they appeared! It was spooky, since brown bears are very fast. The skiff was on the beach by the time we reached it, and although our fishing time was cut short, we returned to the Mist Cove with a great story.

After the hikers returned, the Mist Cove left Kelp Bay and we moved north in Chatham Strait, anchoring just below Thatcher Passage off the east side of Catherine Island. That afternoon, we went halibut fishing for the last time and had the best luck of the trip. Ronnie and I both caught fish, as did the other couple in the boat. We also caught some more rockfish, which we took back to the boat for some “fish painting” the next day.

Some of the Mist Cove skiffs were treated to an orca show while halibut fishing. The orcas (killer whales) were exhibiting play activity similar to their porpoise cousins. The Captain volunteered to keep watch, and he sent the rest of the crew out in the last skiff to watch the orcas. Our boat was further away, so we missed the orcas, but heard about it over dinner. I’m sorry we missed the show!

We sailed into the narrow Peril Straits and anchored in Saook Bay for the evening.

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Mist Cove Alaska Day 6 – Saook Bay, Fish Painting, and Home

Our last full day on the Mist Cove was our first rainy one. How lucky we had been! However, the day wasn’t too cold, so a little water didn’t keep our intrepid group from the lovely salmon fishing stream in Saook Bay. Since the three of us had such good luck the day before, most of the Mist Cove passengers decided to give it a try.

The clouds hung low over the mountains as we hiked across Paradise Flats towards the river system. The rain was a fine drizzle, just enough to get you wet if you weren’t wearing rain gear. We lined up on the bank of the river, and the man standing next to me got one on the first cast. The pinks were running! Over the next three hours, our group caught and released dozens on salmon on spinning tackle and fly rods. A few folks even caught some Dolly Varden. We also were entertained by a young eagle dining on a salmon nearby, unfazed by our noise.

After a while, the rain stopped, but luckily the fun didn’t, although it slowed down a little. Some of the group took an early skiff back to the ship, but we were having so much fun, we stayed as long as allowed. This was the only day that the schedule could not be changed, since the Mist Cove needed to pass through the very narrow sections of the Peril Straits at the right tide.

While we were eating lunch, the Mist Cove pulled up the anchor and we headed towards Sitka. The ride was lovely, and the narrow passageway was almost like sailing on a river. That afternoon, the fantail was transformed into an art studio by covering the tables and floor with newspaper. We put on bright yellow slickers and took turns painting some of the rockfish that had been caught. The Mist Cove crew said that the activity was originally designed for children, but the adults enjoyed it so much that it is now included on most voyages. Some people did t-shirts, others did aprons. It was great fun, and the fantail provided good views of the passing scenery.

After our last dinner onboard, we had a tour of the engine room, galley, and crew quarters. One of the crew said it was a good way to get them to clean their cabins once a week! After the tour, we gathered in the salon for a slide show of some of the photos the crew had taken during the week. I think we all loved re-living our memorable week on the Mist Cove, but it was a little sad to leave our new friends.

The next morning, we had breakfast and said goodbye to the Mist Cove crew. A few passengers who lived on the west coast were flying home that afternoon, but the rest of us spent the night at the Westmark Hotel in Sitka, planning to fly home the next morning. Like the Westmark in Juneau, the staff were friendly and the room comfortable. They happily stored our fish in their freezer.

It was a good decision to explore Sitka, stay overnight, and unwind a little more before heading home. The next day we said goodbye to Alaska, as we flew away with our 46-pound box of frozen halibut, a few additional pounds on our bodies from the chefs’ good cooking, and a thousand memories of the Mist Cove and the Tongass National Forest region of Southeast Alaska.

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